“What’s happening in there? Are you kissing? Please tell me you’re kissing.”
The excited voice of her friend cut through the moment, bringing Magenta back from the warm outdoors and into the dusty mine where Harry was clutching her closely, his fingers teasing her breast. His breathing laboured. His heartbeat a thud against her skin.
“Go away,” he growled at his cousin.
Magenta’s brain was struggling to process the interruption. Part of her couldn’t understand why Harry had stopped kissing her. It was the same part of her that wanted to throw him to the ground and jump on top of him.
“Harry?” one of the twins said. “You sound all He-Man, Master of the Universe.”
“I should never have loaned them those comics,” Harry mumbled against Magenta’s ear, making it tingle.
A cold wave of reality washed over Magenta. She stiffened in Harry’s arms. He softly kissed her cheek, aware the moment was shattered.
“Magenta?” It was one of the twins again. “What’s happening? We need to know.”
Magenta pushed away from him, tugging her T-shirt back down. She kept her eyes from Harry.
“Harry, honey”—that had to be Claire—“what’s going on in there?”
Magenta had pulled herself together enough to glare a threat at him. He’d better not tell anyone anything. He cocked an eyebrow like he was amused by her silent demand. With his eyes still on her, he opened his mouth to speak. Magenta clenched her fists.
“Magenta and I are working out our differences,” he told his cousins. “Not that it’s any of your business, but there was definitely kissing. Great kissing, and there would have been even more if you two hadn’t stuck your noses in.”
As the twins squealed with delight, Magenta clenched her teeth tightly. “There is nothing going on here.” She was pleased her voice didn’t sound breathless and needy. “I don’t know what that was”—she pointed at the wall where he’d held her—“but it wasn’t kissing. I felt nothing.”
“You felt nothing?” Harry gave her a cocky smile. “Well, I need to try harder next time, then.”
“There will be no next time. That was a mistake.”
He gave her a look that said he clearly believed otherwise, and she fought the urge to kick him in the shin.
“What do you mean mistake?” a twin asked. “Did Harry trip over and his lips hit yours? How can you accidentally kiss?”
“Yeah, Magenta, tell dumb and dumber how you accidentally clung to me while I made you moan.” He folded his arms over his wide chest. He was mocking her.
“There was moaning?” Megan wailed.
“Get away from there,” Matt said. “This unhealthy interest you have in your cousin’s sex life is disturbing.”
“There is no sex,” Magenta shouted. “And if Harry comes near me again, there will be no life either.”
He laughed at her threat.
Magenta stomped over to where she’d left her flashlight. “I’m going to get supplies for tonight.” She pointed at Harry. “Don’t go anywhere.”
“Don’t worry. This is exactly where I want to be.”
Magenta wanted to smack the smug smile off his face. She growled with frustration as she headed into the mine, to where she kept a locked trunk full of equipment. Part of her wanted to run back through the mine to the tunnel entrance and leave Harry to deal with things on his own. A bigger part of her, the more sensible, responsible part, couldn’t do that to him.
She told herself that her resolve to stay with him had absolutely nothing to do with the fact her heart still raced and her lips were still swollen from his touch. It also had nothing to do with how needy her body felt. Or how desperate her skin was to be touched again.
No, her decision to stay had nothing to do with any of that.
Nothing at all.
9
Harry whistled happily while Magenta disappeared into the mine.
“Magenta, Harry?” His cousin’s voice broke through Harry’s cheer. “I hate to break up the party, but I have good news and bad news.”
Harry turned towards the voice. “Magenta’s gone into the mine to get her gear. Tell me. Bad news first.”
“Actually, it’s only one piece of news. It’s good and bad.”
“Okay, genius, give me the only news.”
“The council engineer has arrived and he’s brought a new piece of equipment with him. It looks like a huge motorised jack. He says he can get the door open now. He’ll use the jack to prop up the entrance beams until he’s had a chance to look at it properly tomorrow.”
Harry’s heart stopped beating. He was technically dead. And he was in hell.
“Did you hear me?” Matt said. “We can have you out of there within the hour. Your time to seduce Magenta by playing the damsel in distress is over. Sorry, cuz.”
Harry’s huge brain went into overdrive. “It’s starting to get dark—wouldn’t it be better to try this tomorrow, when the guy can see properly?”
“He’s come with floodlights. Plus he told me he was out here a couple of weeks ago, did a thorough inspection of the entrance and he’s certain it won’t collapse when the door opens. He only brought the jack thing as a precaution.”
“Tell him I’ll spring him a night at the hotel, and pay his tab at the bar while he’s there, if he waits until morning.”
He definitely heard a cheer this time. He shook his head in wonder.
“I like the way you think, son,” Betty called.
“Back off, Betty,” Matt said. “This is police business.”
Harry heard Betty’s grumbling become faint as she uncharacteristically did as she was told.
“How many people are out there?” Harry said.
“There’s a crowd. The twins went home for a tent. They’re parking here for the night because they don’t want to miss anything. Looks like others are going to do the same. Every noise you make is coming out of the mine loud and clear. And I mean every noise. You sure you want to stay in there for the night? You won’t get much privacy.”
Harry thought it through. Magenta was scared as a rabbit at the dog track. If he let her get away from him now, he wasn’t sure when he’d be able to corner her again. He weighed the odds in his head. Missing his chance by leaving the mine straight away, or dealing with a furious Magenta when she found out everyone heard her personal business. He picked a night with Magenta. Although he did hope she didn’t chase him with a shotgun when she found out they’d spent the night in the mine needlessly.
“We’re staying here,” he told Matt.
There was definitely a cheer this time.
“Are you sure you know what you’re doing?” Matt wasn’t convinced.
“Yeah. I’m sure. I’m not leaving here until Magenta knows she’s mine.”
“You are seriously deranged. She’s going to take a rusty knife to your balls when she finds out.”
Without conscious thought, Harry’s hand shot down to protect his fly. That sounded way worse than a shotgun.
“Can you do something to the vent, give us a bit more privacy?”
There was booing.
“I’ll see what I can do.” Matt sounded resigned. “You realise you’ve grabbed a tiger by its tail?”
Harry grinned. “Don’t worry. I plan to play with the whole cat.” He heard footsteps echo through the tunnel behind him. “She’s coming back. Talk to the engineer. Buy us the night.”
“It’s your funeral. The engineer will be back first thing in the morning. I can’t believe I’m doing this.”
“Don’t freak out on me. This isn’t illegal. You’re still a good cop.”
“Yeah, but as a cousin I need to have my head examined for letting you talk me into this.”
“When you find your soul mate, I’ll help you out.”
“Not going to happen.” Matt’s words had such finality that they made Harry laugh.
“Who are you talking to?” Magenta said behind him.
Ha
rry turned towards her and, as usual, the rightness of seeing her slammed him in the chest. “Matt. There’s good news. The engineer can get us out in the morning.”
Her shoulders relaxed slightly. “Good. That’s good. One night is more than enough.”
“I hope so,” Harry said under his breath.
10
It was hard to ignore Harry in the intimate darkness of the mine, but Magenta tried her best. Her body had been sensitised by his touch, to the point where she was painfully aware of the still air around her. Before Harry had left for university, and Magenta had realised she’d developed a crush on her best friend, she’d daydreamed about kissing him. They’d been the dreams of a child. Chaste kisses, timid touches. Him holding her gently. Nothing like the reality of kissing Harry the man. There was nothing timid about the grown-up version of her childhood crush. He was confident, sexy and mind-blowingly skilled. So much so that the need to repeat the experience almost crushed the shock she had over kissing him in the first place.
However much she wanted to kiss him again, she had to resist. There was no future for them. He was a computer genius, a guy with two doctorates and a multimillion-dollar business. She was a high school dropout who sold underwear for a living. She’d known back in school that they were worlds apart. She was far too stupid for Harry. A fact her schoolmates had taken every opportunity to rub in. A fact her mother had reinforced whenever she could. She looked at the man who made her lose her mind, and shivered. All she had to do was resist him until the morning. Then, when the door opened, they’d both go back to their completely separate lives.
“We might as well get ready for bed.” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she wished them back.
“I’m all yours.” She felt Harry’s smile zing through her body like a ball in a pinball machine. To fend off her rebellious hormones—the ones that wanted her to rub up against Harry like a cat in heat—she recited a mantra in her head. I will not kiss Harry. I will not touch Harry. I will not lick Harry.
It didn’t help
“I mean.” She tucked her hair behind her ear, before remembering what he’d told her about that gesture. “We need to get the place prepared for sleeping.” She pointed to the gear she’d dragged back with her. “I have sleeping bags and mats.”
Harry pushed away from the wall, where he’d been leaning, and picked up his backpack. “I brought a tent.”
Magenta stilled, sleeping bag in hand. At last something had managed to distract her from Harry’s effect on her body. “You brought a tent? To a mine?” She stared at him. “You do know we’re already indoors, right?”
“The tent isn’t to keep the elements out. It’s to keep the vermin out.” He shuddered as he said the word. “Rats, mice and bats. They’re biochemical weapons with feet and teeth. Hence the tent.”
Magenta dropped the sleeping bag and stared at the man. Tall, broad, muscled, with an air of danger, Harry wasn’t your typical geek. He also didn’t look like he’d have nightmares over Mickey Mouse.
“Are you scared?” She could hardly believe it possible.
“Hell yes. I’m not ashamed to admit it. It takes courage to face a fear. Or in this case, hide from it in a rat-proof tent. What do you do about the rats when you’re down here?”
She shrugged. “I go to sleep and hope they don’t bother me. If something comes sniffing around, I wake up and scare it off.”
He cringed as she spoke. “They have germs. They have sharp little teeth and no awareness of personal space. Do you know how many deadly viruses are in the saliva of a bat? Or a rat? Any rodent at all? One bite and it’s adios, amigo. Trust me, in this case, prevention is way better than cure. We’re sleeping in the tent.”
Magenta narrowed her eyes at him. Really? He was ordering her around? The guy had a death wish. “You can sleep in the tent. I’ll sleep out here.”
He folded his arms in an attempt to intimidate her. It didn’t work. “We’re both sleeping in the tent. Otherwise I’ll stay awake all night long worrying that you’re being eaten alive by rats.”
“And that’s my problem how? Stay awake if you want. You’re the one with the irrational fear. I’ve slept in here before. I’m fine. You can have the tent.”
He studied her for a moment. “I tell you what. We’ll play a game, and if I win, you sleep in the tent, where you’ll be safe from catching the plague. Yep, you heard right. The plague. As in ‘wipes out entire continents’ plague. If you win you can sleep out here. Of course, I’ll have to stay awake all night to make sure nothing comes near you, but that’s a sacrifice I’m willing to make.”
“You’re one big walking, talking psychologist’s wet dream. You can’t go in the mine because there’s too much dirt above your head and not enough air. You can’t sleep in a perfectly dry and secure room because the baby mice might eat you. Is there anything else I should know while I’m stuck in here with you? Any more irrational fears that will drive me insane?”
“Worrying about a cave-in and lack of air isn’t irrational. It’s logical. We’re not talking about pet mice you buy in a pet store. They’re the sanitised version. Although I still wouldn’t let them near me. We’re talking about the hard-core, bug-infested, rabid rodents from hell. That’s what we’re talking about. There’s nothing irrational about fearing those. Nothing. Wise people take sensible precautions. Like sleeping in a tent. Away from the rats.”
Magenta rubbed her temples. She didn’t remember him being this much work when they were kids. But she’d never been stuck underground with him then, either. She tried a different tactic.
“Hobbits live in man-made holes in the ground and they don’t worry about rats or sleep in tents.”
He cocked an eyebrow at her. “What is it with this town and its obsession with Hobbits?”
“It was worth a try,” Magenta mumbled.
“Either we play the game and settle this, or we spend the night discussing it. It’s your call. I can tell you right now, I have an encyclopaedic knowledge of everything that can go wrong when you confront a rodent, and I’m more than happy to share that knowledge with you—all night long.”
“Fine.” She ground her teeth together. “What game do you want to play? Don’t even think about suggesting strip poker.”
The dazzling smile was back. “I don’t have any playing cards.” He actually sounded sad at that. “How about I draw a circle over there.” He pointed at the entrance to the tunnels. “We’ll keep it simple. We’ll each take turns throwing a stone. The one who gets it closest to the middle of the circle wins.”
“Seriously. That’s your game?”
“You got a better idea?”
“Draw the damn circle. Let’s get this over with.”
Harry grinned, grabbed a piece of limestone from the floor beside him and trotted over to draw on the dusty ground. The circle he drew was teensy. Barely bigger than the size of her fist.
“That’s the size we’re aiming for? Are you sure you don’t want to make it smaller?”
He studied the drawing for a minute. “No. It’s perfect.”
“How many turns each?”
“One should be enough, don’t you think?”
Magenta stared at him. “I can’t tell you how much I don’t care. Are you sure about this? I seem to remember you being rubbish at any sort of ball game when we were kids.”
He gave her a cheeky look that made her blush. “I keep telling you, Magenta. I’m not a kid anymore.”
He bent down in front of her, making her sway at the nearness of him. He drew a line in the ground. “We’ll both throw from here.” He pointed at the line.
“Fine. Whatever. Let’s get this over with. You go first.”
She huffed in frustration as Harry took years to pick the perfect stone. At last, he stepped behind the line and lobbed the stone at the circle. It landed with perfect precision close to the centre of the circle. He gave her a cocky smile.
“My aim has improved since we last played,”
he said, oozing confidence.
Magenta picked up a huge boulder from beside her feet. It took two hands to throw it. It landed with a loud thud, obliterating the circle and Harry’s stone. She dusted off her hands and grinned.
“I think it’s safe to say that mine is closer to the centre of the circle.”
Harry’s mouth opened and closed several times before he spoke. “That doesn’t count. You cheated.”
She shrugged. “You should have been more specific about the rules. Now that’s over, we can sleep outside the tent. Like normal people.”
“You mean you can sleep outside the tent. I’ll be standing guard.”
“Whatever you want to do. I don’t care. I’m tired and I’m going to sleep. Enjoy your rat watch.”
Harry set up his tent and sat in the entrance of it, his flashlight aimed at Magenta. He thought he’d win the game. He thought he’d be tucked up tight with his girl in his tent. He should have picked a game she couldn’t cheat at. It brought back all the memories he had of her outwitting him as a kid, and it made him grin with delight. Magenta had always been a challenge.
“Will you turn that damn light off? Every time you sweep it over the room it wakes me up.” Magenta was wrapped up tight in her sleeping bag, her back to the wall beside Harry. He’d been watching her closely. She was lying. There was no way she’d been asleep.
“I’ll keep it away from your eyes.” There was no way he was doing that, either. If he couldn’t get her into his tent and pressed up against him fair and square, he wasn’t above aggravating her into doing what he wanted.
He waited to speak until her breathing started to even out as she slipped into a light sleep. “Did you know that in Vietnam, you can eat barbecued rats? That’s dicing with death. You could be eating typhus, trichinosis, salmonellosis or rat-bite fever. I’m no expert, but I’m pretty sure even barbecuing won’t kill those bugs. Does that sound like a healthy meal to you?”
He stifled a grin as Magenta groaned. “I wish I’d thought to pack earplugs. Shut up, Harry, and let me sleep.”
Magenta Mine: An Invertary Novella Page 5