They stood there for a moment, breathing. Silent. Mac swallowed.
‘I needed to do that,’ he whispered.
She opened her mouth, but couldn’t think of a response. He’d fried her mental circuits with that kiss. ‘Uh...’
He shook his head, pulling her against his chest in a tight embrace, and she felt the weight of his chin against the top of her head. ‘When I heard about a murder at Bulls’ Run...’ She felt him shudder in her arms, and she slid her arms around his waist to instinctively offer him comfort, a small measure of reassurance.
He huffed brusquely, then loosened his hold on her. He stepped back a moment, and looked down at her. She was shocked to see the rawness in his eyes, the stark emotion that was both power and vulnerability. He lifted a finger. ‘Just for the record, don’t use the word murder unless we’re talking humans, okay?’
She nodded. ‘Uh...’
He nodded once, then leaned down and pressed a quick hard kiss against her lips, then pulled her away from the door.
‘Good talk,’ he said, and stepped out of her room. She sagged against her bedroom wall as his footsteps thudded down the hall. She raised her fingers to her lips, realised she was trembling.
That kiss... She swallowed. That kiss had been amazing. Powerful. Hot.
As though he cared. Deeply.
Her eyes wide, she tilted her head up to look at her bedroom ceiling. She ... wanted to kiss Mac some more. And maybe not just kiss. And he apparently wanted the same with her. Heat bloomed in her cheeks, and a slow smile curved her lips. Mac liked her.
Sounds filtered down the hallway. Marion and her father arguing. The mens’ voices outside on the veranda. Yep, the world was still turning. She shook her head slightly, trying to clear the sensual haze Mac had created with that kiss. She should get back out there.
It took a couple of attempts to get her legs moving.
She walked out to the back veranda, then halted. Everyone was gathered on the decking—and all avoided the third plank. She really should fix that. She met Mac’s gaze briefly. He seemed ... calm. As though he hadn’t just kissed the socks off her. Jacinta’s brows dipped, just a little, then she noticed her dad was carrying an overnight bag, as was Marion. Jacinta raised her eyebrows. What on earth ... ?
Her father flexed his wrist, as though to get a comfortable grip on the straps of his bag.
‘I have to visit the doc in Bourke,’ he told her shortly.
‘I’m driving him,’ Marion said, just as shortly.
Jac stepped forward, concerned. ‘Is everything all right?’ She reached out to touch his arm.
Her father’s stern expression broke into a brief, reassuring smile. ‘Everything’s fine, kiddo.’
‘Physically, anyway,’ Marion huffed. She held out an envelope to Jac. ‘Can’t say the same about him mentally. I found this when I was cleaning his room. He “forgot” he had an appointment,’ she said, glaring at her father.
‘Dad, it’s for tomorrow afternoon,’ Jac exclaimed as she scanned the letter.
‘I can reschedule,’ Tom suggested hopefully.
‘For when? The twelfth of Never?’ Marion asked archly. She jerked her chin at Jacinta. ‘Read it. He’s already put it off twice.’
‘It’s just a routine scan,’ he muttered, turning to Marion. ‘I don’t want to leave Jac alone, not when all this stuff is going on.’
Jac frowned. ‘Dad, you have to go. These specialist appointments are hard to get. It might be months before you can get back in.’
‘I don’t like the idea of you being here all by yourself, not with everything that’s been going on,’ her father stated.
‘I’ll be fine,’ she told him, although for the briefest moment anxiety flared at the idea of being alone at night. She had a flash of memory of the night she was hit out in the paddock.
‘I’ll stay with her.’
Jacinta’s eyes rounded at Mac’s sudden offer.
‘What?’ she asked, surprised.
‘What?’ Scott repeated.
‘Really?’ Tom asked hopefully.
‘Yeah, sure, I don’t mind. I’ll sleep on the couch’ Mac said, shrugging. As if it wasn’t a big deal. Jacinta blinked.
‘I’ll go set it up for you,’ Marion offered, and dropped her bag with a thud on the deck as she bustled inside the house.
‘Uh, I could stay...?’ Scott offered.
‘Uh...’ Jacinta glanced between the two men.
‘Oh, that’s okay, Scott. If Mac’s happy to stay, that should be fine. Besides, we’ve only got one couch,’ Tom said, straightening his shoulders. He turned to Mac. ‘If you’re sure...?’
‘Yeah, it’s fine,’ Mac said, nodding.
‘Well, thanks for that, Mac. Appreciate it,’ her father said, and smiled.
Mac smiled back. ‘What are friends for?’
Friends. Mac sighed, waving as Brent and Ben rode off in the squad car, the headlights catching rabbits bopping across the track. The feelings he had for Jacinta went way beyond the friend zone. He winced as he watched the car disappear into the night. Brent and Ben still had to log and dispatch the evidence they’d recovered from the cows, and he felt a little guilty that he wouldn’t be there to help—not that the guys had any issues with it. He’d had a quick discussion with Brent out at the car. The Sydney detective found the whole scenario highly amusing, apparently.
He gently scraped his thumb across his eyebrow. What was he doing? What was he thinking? Spending the night with Jac? Alone?
He was making damn sure she was safe, that’s what he was doing. What had happened with her cattle—that was disturbing. Someone was sending a message, whether it was a retaliation for the meth-lab discovery before Toohey and his gang moved on, or a sign for more sinister things to come. He needed to talk with Jac—properly. She’d managed to anger an underworld figure who’d now slaughtered some of her livestock.
And they had other things to talk about. He looked back at the veranda. Jacinta was hugging her father, then Marion, while Nielsen looked on with a sour expression. Mac lifted his chin. It was time they stopped pussyfooting around and put all their cards on the table. He was prepared to admit it. He wanted Jacinta. Did she want him?
Yeah, they needed to talk. His shoulders sagged. Except, he didn’t really do talking. Not that kind of talking. That was … awkward. He usually walked in the opposite direction when a woman wanted to have that kind of talk with him. Maybe … maybe they could just go with the flow. See where things went. Not make an official case out of it?
He was scared to talk with Jac. Not because she might hit him—although he wouldn’t put it past her, but because … she might not feel the same way about him. This was the first time he’d walked on this side of the relationship fence, and he really was stumbling along without a clue.
He strode back to the house and shook Tom’s hand in farewell as Marion drove her car from around the side of the house.
‘Drive safe,’ he called as Tom climbed in, and Marion waved back.
He turned back to the veranda in time to see Nielsen saunter off in the direction of the station manager’s house, his hands in his pockets.
And then there were two.
Jac stared at him for a moment, and gave him a shy, tremulous smile. She turned and walked around the back of the house. Minutes later he heard the stuttering start of a generator, and lights came on in the house. Jac walked back around to the veranda. Mac followed her into the kitchen.
She looked over at him as she donned oven mitts. ‘Marion’s cooked a pasta bake, apparently.’
He nodded. It smelled good. Jac turned back to the oven, so he crossed to the cupboards to help set the table. It wasn’t until they both sat down that he was struck by the domesticity of the situation, and how natural it felt.
She handed him a ladle, and in moments they were quietly eating their meal.
Surprisingly, it didn’t feel awkward. Mac glanced up briefly. It felt ... companionable. They chatted
briefly about the local cricket team, her father’s medical appointments ... Marion.
Jac shook her head. ‘I swear, there’s something going on between those two,’ she said, referring to her father and Marion.
‘Is that a problem?’ Mac enquired gently. June Buchanan had been a lovely woman, and a great mother. He knew both Jac and Jamie missed her terribly.
Jac shook her head as she rose from the table, carrying her now-empty plate and cutlery over to the sink.
‘Not really. I mean, it takes a bit of getting used to, but ... she’s good for him.’ She started running water into the sink, and Mac rose and brought his plate and cutlery over to the sink.
‘You know, he’s started to do a little more around the property.’ Jac leaned close to him. ‘He’s started shaving every day, now, instead of maybe once a week,’ she whispered. Mac smiled at the comment, and grabbed a tea towel that hung from the oven handle to help with the clean-up.
‘So you’re okay if...’
‘If ... they started something?’ Jac paused, then shrugged. ‘I just want my father to be happy. Whatever that looks like, I’ll support it.’
He frowned, and tilted his head to look at her curiously. ‘Why did you hire Marion?’
Jac grinned. ‘It was either that, or we’d starve. I don’t cook.’
‘But ... why now?’ He was trying to sort out timelines in his head. Could Marion’s sudden interest in the farm, and Tom Buchanan, be as a result of a connection with the illegal activity?
Jac sighed. ‘When we have a muster on, or the shearers are here, I have a cook. During the off-peak times, though, it’s just me and Dad. Scott lives in his quarters, so I was looking after everything here, and I couldn’t do everything by myself.’ She glanced at him briefly. ‘I’m also a terrible cook.’
His eyebrows rose. ‘What? You? How could that be? I distinctly recall you baking a chocolate cake that was quite special when you were what, thirteen?’
Jac groaned. ‘Stop. That was an easy mistake for anyone to do. Salt and sugar look a lot alike.’
Mac chuckled as he helped put away the kitchen items. ‘Well, it was definitely an experience.’ He hung up the towel, and followed her down the hall to the living room. ‘Have you spoken to Jamie lately?’
She nodded. ‘Yeah, I managed to catch him last night on a video call. Obviously he was worried when I told him what was going on, and he’s frustrated that he’s all the way over in Afghanistan and not here with us. I told him you were working the case, and he was happy to hear that.’ She walked in to the living room then halted.
The sofa had been made up into a makeshift bed, with a towel folded neatly on the arm.
‘Ah, right. Well, here you are for the night. You know where the bathroom is… You go ahead and take the first shower,’ she offered. ‘I’ll go after you, then turn off the generator.’ Jacinta folded her arms, then smiled as she started to back toward the door. ‘I’ll, uh, leave you to it.’
‘Jac, wait,’ Mac said, holding up a hand to prevent her from leaving. ‘Can we … talk?’
Her eyes narrowed, and she looked at him askance. ‘What about? Because you said you wanted to talk earlier and we … didn’t. Quite.’
‘That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.’ He clasped his hands in front of him to prevent himself from reaching for her. He could do this.
She dipped her head. ‘Let me guess,’ she said quietly. ‘You’re regretting it because I’m Jamie’s sister, and you’re worried how that will shake out with Jamie, and how it will affect our families. You’re annoyed because you pride yourself on being a professional, and kissing a person of interest in one of your cases is not considered professional. You’re worried how we’re going to stay friends if whatever this thing is doesn’t work out… that this,’ she said, gesturing between them, ‘would just be a whole host of trouble.’ She raised her eyebrows as she looked up at him. ‘How am I doing so far?’
He rubbed his chin, surprised. ‘Ah, pretty good, actually.’ He blinked. Freakishly insightful, in fact. As though she could see inside his brain.
‘Did I miss anything out?’
He winced. ‘Well, there’s always the nature of my job, how it’s pretty demanding, and doesn’t leave a lot of time for … personal stuff.’
She nodded. ‘I see. You think I can’t handle being in a relationship with a cop? That I’m a little too sheltered, and you’re a little too cynical?’
He gaped at her. ‘How do you do that?’
‘Do what?’
‘You know what’s going on in here,’ he said, tapping his temple. She’d pretty much laid out all of his concerns in a logical, ordered fashion.
She gave him an exasperated look. ‘Because what you’re worried about is pretty much what’s worrying me.’ To hear that she shared his concerns was like a weight crushing on him.
He tilted his head. ‘You’re worried?’ So she could see the dangers, too.
She smiled, and her expression was both sweet and sad at the same time. ‘Of course I am. We have known each other for all of my life, Mac. You think I don’t realise the risk involved if we—’ she said and then hesitated, as though trying to find the right word, ‘if we changed our relationship?’
‘Do you want to?’ The words were out before he could stop them, and he kept his expression calm, despite the twist in his gut as he waited for her answer.
She bit her lip. ‘Do you?’
‘I asked you first.’
She was silent for a moment. ‘I don’t know,’ she whispered finally.
He pursed his lips. Well, at least she was being honest. And pretty much expressing everything that was going on inside his head. He shoved his hands in his trouser pockets. Hell, this was a lot harder than he thought it would be.
‘What about … you?’ She sounded casual, yet the question was loaded with a nervous tension he couldn’t miss.
‘Uh, like you said, there are all those things to consider…’ He swallowed. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had this kind of conversation with a woman. Had he ever? He’d wanted to have it out with her. He’d wanted to talk about this—because he was the kind of guy who preferred to tackle things directly.
He looked at her, and she chewed her lip, waiting for his response.
All he had to do was tell her how he felt. Jamie flashed into his mind. His mother, how she considered Jacinta like the daughter she’d never had … his work. ‘Like you said, this could be a whole lot of trouble. I—I’m not sure if I’m ready for a wife, or even a girlfriend—’
She nodded. ‘I get it. I’m not looking for a boyfriend, or a husband...’ She laughed softly. ‘I mean, I have a farm, you have the force—how would that work? I’m not sure if I’ll ever be ready for that kind of relationship.’
He opened his mouth for a moment. Then frowned. ‘You … don’t?’
‘No.’ She smiled as she took a step toward him. ‘Look, it sounds like while we both maybe kind of like each other, we’re not prepared for anything more … yet.’
‘Uh, maybe.’ He kind of wanted more, but wasn’t sure if he was ready to take that leap of faith just yet.
Jac winced. ‘Well, that’s a great boost for my confidence,’ she muttered.
‘No, I mean—’
She held up a hand to interrupt him. ‘It’s okay, Mac. You’re smart, you’re hot, but you’re not really husband material, are you?’
His eyebrows rose. Husband material? That was a huge leap.
She stepped up close to him. ‘I think maybe we should stay friends, keep it simple. What do you think?’
He chewed on his lip. She made sense. A lot of sense. His brows dipped. ‘That’s really …’ His voice tapered off.
‘Mature?’ she suggested. ‘Reasonable?’ He nodded. Both would fit. She smiled. ‘I have my moments. So, what do you say? Friends?’
She held out her hand toward him, and he stared at it for a moment. Jac was right. This approach made a whole lot m
ore sense. It preserved their friendship, and nobody would get hurt in the long run.
He nodded. ‘Sure.’ He reached for her hand, and clasped it gently. Her hand felt so dainty in his, and he could feel the slight tremble in her fingers. He flicked his gaze up to meet hers, saw the confusion, the sadness … the tiny flare of attraction.
He didn’t know who made the first move, only that suddenly she was in his arms, and they were kissing. He lifted her up, angling his head to deepen the kiss as her legs wrapped around his hips. He walked the few steps to the nearest horizontal surface—the sofa—and followed her down.
She moaned, a sexy, husky sound that curled inside him and brought him to attention. Her fingers fumbled with his buttons, and he slipped the shirt off her shoulder, stroking the smooth skin that wasn’t covered by the strap of her singlet. She growled softly as she worked at his second button, then, frustrated, she yanked at the cotton, and he heard the buttons clink as they hit the coffee table and floor.
‘Oops, sorry,’ she gasped, then started to kiss his neck.
He groaned at the sensation of her lips and teeth nipping at his skin, could feel himself tightening in his trousers. ‘Don’t worry, I have plenty.’ He dragged the shirt down her arms, and she writhed under him in a very pleasing way as she freed her arms. He took her lips again, hands trailing over her body. He broke the kiss, panting.
‘Wait, what happened to being just friends?’ he gasped.
‘We’re being very friendly,’ she panted, and they kissed again. He slid his hands around her hips, cupping her butt and bringing her flush against him.
Jac pulled away for a moment. ‘Wait—are you sure? Do you really want this?’
He nodded as he met her gaze. ‘Oh, I want this. Do you?’
She smiled. ‘Hell, yeah.’
She pulled his head down for a deep kiss, and he growled softly as he kissed her back.
They were in so much trouble.
Chapter Thirteen
Jacinta opened her eyes. A large, warm, heavy hand lay on her breast. She lifted her head to peer down. And a muscled thigh lay over her hips. Her lips curved as she looked at the large naked man who slept on the sofa with her.
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