“Go into the lounge and I’ll grab some stuff to get you cleaned up,” she said.
“Yes, Sister.”
She gave him a not-so-gentle shove. “Do not even start with the ‘sister’ business.”
Liam grinned at her before peering into the mirror above the fireplace. He scowled at his reflection. No wonder Poppy was concerned. He looked like he’d been in a boxing ring with two kangaroos. Blue bruises already covered both eyes and dried blood ran in streaky lines down his face. He had to admit, he didn’t look that good.
Poppy was back a few minutes later with a small first aid kit and a bag of frozen peas. She’d changed her clothes and brushed her hair.
“Thanks,” he said, catching the peas in his left hand. He held them gingerly to his face.
“I’ll go boil the kettle. Back in a sec.”
He sank into her couch and closed his eyes. The warmth from the fire felt amazing and he was almost asleep when Poppy returned and handed him a cup of tea. She then set about cleaning him up. He lay still, leaning back and enjoying her gentle touch as she cleaned sections of blood from his face with warm water and gauze.
“I’m actually surprised there aren’t any major gashes anywhere,” she said when she was finished. “Just a small one on your head.”
“I told you, the blood mostly came from my nose.”
“You have a few nicks and scratches on your face too, but you’ll live.”
“Sorry Poppy.”
She sat back on her heels and stared at him. “What for? It’s not your fault you had an accident.”
“Yeah, but it’s ruined our night. I was looking forward to dinner, a chat and maybe a chance to give you a gold medal kissing performance.” He winked. “If you’re still intent on leaving, time is running out and I have to take every opportunity to convince you to stay.”
“Are you still hungry?” she asked, ignoring him. “I can make you a toasted sandwich.”
“Famished.” He winked again. “For more than food.”
“I’ll make you a ham, cheese and tomato toastie while you take a shower. After that I’ll get you a pillow and a blanket because you’re not going anywhere tonight.”
He raised his eyebrows in surprise. “I’m not?”
“Nope. Not now.” She pulled the curtain back from the window.
He couldn’t see anything in the dark except her reflection.
“It’s snowing,” she announced.
He grinned.
“Do not give me that look, Liam O’Connor. You’re acting like you wanted this to happen. Go and take a shower. Spare towels are under the sink.”
“So where will I sleep?”
“On the couch.”
He pouted. “But I’ve had an accident. I probably should be near you all night in case I need you.”
“You’ll be fine.”
“Aw, come on, be a nice nurse.”
“Don’t use that tone on me, it won’t work.”
“I thought nurses were supposed to be compassionate.”
“And professional,” she said as she shoved him up the hallway. “Shower. Now. I’ll make you something to eat then you can get some rest.”
“Sounds like I have no choice,” he grumbled jokingly.
“None. At. All.”
Chapter 33
With eyes glued to Liam’s back, Poppy shoved him up the hallway to the bathroom. The fabric of his sweater stretched taut across his shoulders and his backside filled out his jeans in a way that made her skin tingle. He reached the door to the bathroom which should have been her cue to turn and leave, but her feet remained super-glued to the carpet.
“I’ll wait here in case you need anything,” she said, licking her dry lips. “In case you feel dizzy or something,” she added, in case he’d misunderstood her intentions.
Liam grinned at her yet again and her stomach flopped.
He cocked his head to one side. “You can join me if you like.” He held the door open.
Poppy shook her head and stepped backward.
“You’re a nurse. You’ve seen it all before.”
“Trust me, most of my patients do not look like you.”
Liam’s eyes flashed and she bit her lip to stop herself from saying anything else stupid.
“You can close your eyes if seeing naked men offends you,” he said.
The teasing tone should have been enough of a warning to back away further.
“I don’t have a problem with nakedness,” she replied. “I’m not a prude.”
“Awesome. You can wash my back then. Check me over to make sure I haven’t got any other injuries.”
He disappeared into the bathroom leaving Poppy stranded with her tongue flapping in the breeze. She heard him turn on the water for the shower then he reappeared, slowly undoing the buttons on his shirt like he was a male stripper and she had a front row seat. His chest was smooth, the muscles well defined and she couldn’t take her eyes off him.
Her breathing accelerated and as their eyes locked he covered the distance between them in two strides. Wrapping his arms around her, she melted into his embrace, the heat from his skin literally begged her to touch him. Her mouth found his instantly. He cupped the back of her neck and pulled her toward him, closing the gap between them so that she could barely breathe. Poppy set caution aside and kissed him, holding nothing back. He returned the kiss and she sank into it.
Finally they pulled apart and Liam stared deep into her eyes.
“Are you trying to get me into the shower?” she whispered.
“Is it working?”
Unexpected desire coursed through her. She kissed him again, unable to get enough of him. It must have been because of the shock of seeing him injured. She ran her fingers over his skin and felt him quiver at her touch. He kissed her with an intensity that surprised her further, groaning as he laced his fingers in her hair and pulled her closer. She wanted to stop but couldn’t.
Together, they danced a slow two-step backward until Poppy’s back was against the wall. Liam’s lips moved from her mouth to her ear and he rained kisses down her neck to her throat.
“Lucky we’re both single consenting adults,” he whispered in her ear.
When he pushed his body into hers, crushing her against the wall with the weight of his desire, Poppy realized what was happening. She had to stop things before they went where they seemed to be going. It wasn’t fair to Liam if she didn’t tell him about Adam. Now might not be the perfect time, but that didn’t matter. She had to do it. He’d been honest with her and she owed it to be honest in return.
She pushed him away hard. His heart hammered under the palm of her hand.
He groaned. “What’s wrong?”
“There’s something important I need to tell you.”
Liam pulled back at the seriousness in her voice.
“Give me ten minutes.”
*
Fifteen minutes later Liam walked back into the lounge, toweling his hair dry. He had no idea what Poppy was about to tell him but something about her tone and the look on her face troubled him.
Sure enough, Poppy sat huddled on the couch, covered in a blanket and didn’t even look up when he walked in. She’d added more wood to the fire and it burned bright in the hearth, but the room still felt cold. On the coffee table was a plate of toasted cheese sandwiches. He took two, and went and stood in front of the fire.
“What did you want to tell me?” he asked after he’d finished chewing his first mouthful. He kept the question light, but something was wrong. It felt like there was an undercurrent flowing deep beneath them pulling at them and trying to drag them apart.
Whatever it was, it was serious.
She swallowed nervously as she faced him. “I’m sorry, Liam. I don’t know how to tell you this.”
“Whatever it is, tell me, then we can deal with it together. Is it something to do with your mum?”
He stared at her, waiting for her to continue.
She closed her eyes and shook her head. “No. It’s something more complicated than that. I haven’t been honest with you.”
He recoiled as if she’d slapped him. “What do you mean?”
“The other night when you told me about Maddi and Lily you said you wanted honesty more than anything else in a relationship. You said it was critical. Because of that, I can’t take this any further until I tell you about Adam.”
His heart somersaulted, slammed against his chest and bounced back. “Adam? You have a boyfriend?”
She hesitated. “No. Not anymore. Adam is my ex. But like I said, it’s complicated. You won’t understand.”
She started picking at a nail and refused to look at him.
“Try me.”
“I’ve been seeing Adam Ford for the past five years,” she said.
He was waiting for her to continue and when he didn’t reply, she glanced up at him.
“Adam Ford,” she repeated, like he was supposed to have some idea of who that was.
He cocked his head to the side.
She rubbed her temples. “Have you never heard of him?”
The name registered. “As in the Hollywood actor?”
She nodded.
“Adam Ford is your ex? Jeez.” He ran his hands through his hair. “How’s a guy like me supposed to compete with a famous actor ex-boyfriend like him?”
He tried to make a joke of it, but Poppy gave him nothing in return. He looked at her – really looked at her – and saw how pale she was. She looked like she was about to throw up.
“He’s married,” she whispered.
He sat back as though she’d struck him with a hot poker. “You had an affair?” he asked. Surely she’d deny it.
She hung her head and her hair covered her face. “I didn’t know.”
She replied so softly that he could hardly hear her.
“What do you mean you didn’t know? Surely once you found out you broke it off?”
“Yes. No. Sort of,” she stammered.
He stiffened. “Which is it? Yes or no?”
She looked up and chewed on her lip. Tears formed in the corners of her eyes and she brushed them away as they slid down her cheeks. “He doesn’t know that I know about his wife.”
“How’s that work?” he asked.
For the next ten minutes he sat in stony silence while Poppy told him everything about her relationship with Adam. As he listened, he wanted to punch the bloke’s lights out. What a piece of two-timing scum!
But he was equally mad at Poppy. How could she not know he was married? Surely there were signs. Had she buried her head in the sand or was Adam that good an actor?
Talk about baggage. Poppy had more than a jumbo jet-load. He couldn’t get his head around it. He didn’t know who he was most angry with, but he was so livid his skin was crawling.
“Why’d you let him do it?” he asked finally.
She frowned. “Do what?”
“Let him buy you like that.”
“He didn’t buy me!”
“You told me he paid all your living expenses and you lived in his apartment rent-free. Sounds to me like he was using you and paying for the privilege.”
Her eyes flashed and her lips thinned. “Are you implying I was some sort of prostitute?”
Weren’t you?
He stood and paced the room. He needed fresh air. “You have to admit it sounds very Pretty Woman to me.”
The moment the words were out he regretted them.
Silent tears streamed down her face yet he couldn’t make himself go to her and provide her with the comfort she needed. Still, he needed to apologize. His words would have cut deep.
He sighed heavily. “I’m sorry, Poppy, that came out wrong.”
“Apology accepted,” she mumbled.
He shook his head. “But I can’t understand why you didn’t call him and confront him as soon as you found out.”
“I told you, he won’t take my calls. I’ve tried, but I haven’t heard from him since my dad died.”
He stopped pacing and stared at her. “So what are you going to do about it?”
“I don’t know.” She sniffed.
“Is it over or not?”
Her head snapped up to look at him. “It’s over. From my perspective. Definitely over.”
“But not from his.”
She bit her lip. “He’s expecting me back in New York on the second,” she muttered.
“The second of July?” His voice rose.
She nodded.
“But that’s only ten days away!”
She nodded again. He wished she’d stop it and just answer him.
Realization hit. “Is that why you haven’t cancelled your flights?”
“I have to go back to New York and tell him it’s over.”
Liam rolled his shoulders back and thought through the implications of what that meant. Did he believe her? If she went back to America, would she really end it with him, or would she fall back into his arms? Doubt flooded his mind and he could barely think straight.
When he finally looked at her he had to ignore the way her freckles popped against her pale skin and the way dark circles ringed her eyes. Right now he didn’t want to feel sorry for her – he was too angry. Angry that she hadn’t told him all this straight away but angrier at himself that he couldn’t just forgive her, forget about it and move on.
He rubbed his face. It had been a massive day and this hit had been as unexpected as hitting a wombat and ending up in a ditch. “I need some time to process all this, but at least I know where I stand. Where you stand. Now I need to work out where I stand with you.”
“Okay.”
She sounded like she was about to cry.
“I think I’ll go to bed now if that’s alright with you.”
She sprang up from the couch. “I’ll grab you a pillow and some blankets. Are you sure you’re happy to sleep on the couch? I could always sleep in Mum’s room and you could have my bed.”
“Couch is fine.”
*
The next morning while it was still dark Liam sent Joel a message asking him to pick him up. The good thing about asking his brother was that Joel wouldn’t ask any tough questions.
Liam folded the blankets neatly and placed them on top of the pillow then snuck out of the house, closing the door behind him as quietly as he could. He didn’t want to wake Poppy because he didn’t want to face her. Couldn’t face her.
He hadn’t slept a wink all night. He’d tossed and turned and at four o’clock had given up and made a hot milky Milo, but even that didn’t help.
He needed to get out of there. He needed space. And time. Most of all he needed to think seriously about what Poppy had told him and decide whether he wanted to enter into a relationship with someone on the rebound.
He trudged down the gravel driveway toward the front gate. He ached all over, both from the accident and from the night spent on the uncomfortable couch.
He had appreciated her honesty, but was it too late? She’d had countless chances to tell him about her ex from the day they met and she hadn’t. Even when he’d poured out his guts and told her all about Lily.
By the time he reached the gate, dawn was starting to break through the fog. A tiny ray of sunlight caught and reflected the dew on a spider’s web suspended between two branches. A bug had tried to escape and become trapped and exposed in the web. He stared at it. That’s how he felt.
A cold breeze rustled the leaves of the gum trees, raining icy water on his head. He shivered and wrapped his jacket tighter around his body. Thankfully Eagles Ridge wasn’t far from the little farmhouse and it wouldn’t take Joel long to get there.
Moments later he heard a diesel engine before Joel’s 4WD crested the rise and came to a stop.
“Thanks, mate,” he said as he climbed into the warm cab.
He rubbed his hands together in front of the vents, grateful for the heater. He was chilled to the bone.
Th
ey drove in silence and were almost back in town before Joel finally cleared his throat.
Liam braced himself for what might come.
“You okay?”
Liam exhaled softly. “Yeah. I will be.”
“Dad told me about the accident,” Joel said.
“Car’s a write-off,” he replied.
“I heard. And you’re okay. Walked away without a scratch.”
Liam rubbed at the small cut on the top of his head. “A small scratch and sore ribs. That’s about it.”
Joel pulled up outside his house and kept the car running.
“Poppy know you’ve gone?”
Liam shook his head. “Doubt it. I slept on the couch last night. I left her a note.”
“That was gutless.”
“Thanks for your support.”
“Want to talk about it?”
“No.” Liam got out of the car and forced a smile at his brother. “Thanks for the lift.”
Joel leaned over the gearstick and stared at him. “Can I offer you some advice?”
Liam sighed. “Why not? I’ve been waiting for it.”
“Don’t stuff this up, bro. There’s something special between you two.”
He snorted. “That’s what you said about Lily,” he said, slamming the door and striding to his front door.
Chapter 34
It was still dark outside and daylight was beginning to break through the clouds when Poppy woke the next morning. The farmhouse was cold and empty but that didn’t surprise her. She’d expected Liam would eventually run.
Of course last night she’d given him every reason to, yet it wasn’t for the reason she’d expected. In the end it hadn’t been her mother’s mental illness. It had been her own stupidity in getting involved with a married man and not being clever enough to work it out sooner.
He’d left a note propped beside the kettle explaining he’d gone home and needed time to think. But how much? She had less than ten days left in Australia and he knew that.
Poppy felt hung over. She needed coffee but all her mother kept in the pantry was instant, the thought of which made her gag. Tea would have to do.
She boiled the kettle, poured the water over her teabag, added milk and sugar to her mug then wandered out onto the back verandah that wrapped around the weatherboard house. It was freezing but she didn’t care. Maybe the cold would clear her head. She sank down on the bluestone step and stared at the pale morning sky.
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