“I see.”
“Do you?” she asked doubtfully.
“Did you tell her we were meeting?”
“I started to, but she and Maryanne were off and running and - I’m sorry, Alex. Is it okay?”
He laughed. “Of course it’s okay. I remember how Becky is when she gets an idea, she hasn’t changed that much from her school days.”
Harly sagged in relief.
“We’ll do the DVD another night, maybe tomorrow. So, what time do I pick you up?”
“I can drive over, save you coming all the way back.”
“And miss out on my goodnight kiss? Not on your life.” Just the sudden huskiness of his voice had her toes curling. “What time?”
“Ummm…” It took her several seconds to think clearly. “Six fifteen?”
“I’ll be there at six.”
“We’ll be too early.”
“Gives us a bit of time to fool around before we go.”
Something hot and delicious coiled low in her belly. “Do you think that’s wise? We can’t be late.”
“Oh, baby, maybe you’re right.” Now his voice sounded almost predatory in it’s growl. “We’ll save that for when I bring you back home. We’ll have all night.”
“All night?” Hand on her chest, Harly took a deep breath. “Really?”
The phone started to beep.
“Sorry, Harly, gotta go, that’s an incoming call for Paul. I’ll pick you up tonight, all right?”
“All right.” The phone went dead in her hand and Harly slowly put it back on the cradle.
Fooling around after because they’d have all night. Wow. Did that mean Alex was going to stay the night with her, or was he just teasing?
With a little shiver of anticipation, she knew she was going to find out.
When the café finally closed, she stopped at the supermarket to pick up assorted snacks before heading back to the house.
After taking Buffy for a walk - Sunny tagging along, jumping in and out of bushes and chasing various things - Harly fed her furry family before showering and washing her hair.
It was tempting to linger in the warm water but mindful that Alex would be arriving soon, she got out, dried and dressed in warm slacks, a long-sleeved shirt and a woollen cardigan that she’d knitted the previous winter. Fastening her hair up into a loose knot on top of her head, she teased out a couple of long strands to bob around her cheeks, swiped on some lip gloss and sprayed on a light perfume. About to step into a pair of sneakers, she heard the front bell clang and glanced at the clock on the dressing table. Six fifteen. Where did the time go?
Opening the front door, she smiled at Alex. “You’re late, Mr Lawson. You said six o’clock.”
“I wasn’t game to arrive too early and get carried away with fooling around.” Grinning wickedly, he wrapped his arm around her waist and lowered his head to sniff at her nape. “Mmmm, nice perfume, Miss Bentley. Are you trying to entice me into being naughty?”
“I didn’t think the male of the species needed much enticement.” She couldn’t stop the little shiver of delight that swept through her when he placed his lips against her neck and pressed little nibbling kisses along the length.
Good God, her knees were going weak.
Grabbing hold of his shoulders, she said a trifle huskily, “Um…Alex…” Or at least, she tried to say something, but the man’s magical mouth had a way of making her thoughts scatter.
He laughed against her throat, his breath a warm rush that had her blood pooling low and hot in her loins. Lifting his head, he looked down at her with twinkling eyes. “Why, Harly, you’re looking a little flushed.”
“Really?” She fanned herself with one hand. “I have no idea why.”
“Then I’m obviously not doing it right.” He leered at her. “I guess it’s my duty to show you the correct way after.”
“After what?”
“After tonight.”
“Tomorrow?”
“I mean after dinner.” He shook his head in mock sadness. “Have I rattled your senses?”
“You always rattle my senses.” Stepping back, she sought to regain her composure by looking down at her socked feet. “I have to get my sneakers on.” And put a little distance between herself and this very masculine man before she embarrassed herself by swooning like a maid of old, or jumping his bones like a harlot.
No doubt Alex would prefer the second choice.
“What’s so amusing?” Alex asked.
Glancing up to see him watching her suspiciously, she grinned widely. “Nothing. Absolutely nothing.”
“Hmmmm.” He eyed her closely. “Care to share your thoughts?”
“Not in this lifetime.”
“Oh-ho! Dirty thoughts!”
“What? No!”
“Come on, share those dirty thoughts with me. Maybe I can work them into…” He waggled his eyebrows. “…later.”
Shaking her head and laughing, Harly backed away. “Later will come a lot later if we don’t get moving. I don’t want to be in a compromising position if Becky phones.”
“Right.” He sighed. “Okay. Raincheck.”
“We’re taking a few of them.” She trailed back into the bedroom.
“Too many. We’re going to have to remedy that.”
He was waiting by the front door when she came out and when he held out his hand she automatically gave him the house keys. The trip to Becky’s didn’t take long, and Harly relaxed in the warmth of the Jeep’s heater while listening to Alex chat easily about his day with Paul.
Maryanne and Brent arrived not long after Harly and Alex, and it wasn’t long before they were all sitting down and eating the delicious roast that Becky had cooked. Time passed pleasantly and eventually they all sat in the lounge room, drinking tea and eating the snacks that Harly had brought.
Becky brought out the photo albums and they sat and reminisced about their school days, laughing at their clothes and the goofy expressions Paul would insist on making whenever he was photographed.
Sitting beside Alex on the sofa, Harly was more than conscious of his arm on the back of the sofa behind her, his body close, the warmth of him permeating her very clothes. She was tucked under his shoulder and it felt like the most perfect fit. It wouldn’t have taken much to snuggle down against him, but with Maryanne casting her little glances of approval, she felt too self conscious. As it was, they were hip to hip, squashed together so that Brent and Maryanne could also sit on the sofa.
Once, not so long ago, she would have felt awkward, as though she was the cause of there not being as much room on the sofa, but Alex had a way of making her feel, well, smaller, if that was possible. Maybe it was because his presence seemed to surround her, or maybe it was the way the top of her head only came to his chin height when they were sitting with him slouched back. Or maybe it was because when she glanced up at him, he smiled down at her as though she were the only woman in the room worth looking at. His eyes were soft, his mouth a gentle curve, his arm on the back of the sofa protective.
“Have a look at this.” Paul handed Harly a photo.
“Where did you get it?” Alex looked over Harly’s shoulder.
“Your Mum sent it to me. Proud as punch she is of her little boy.”
“She has a right to be,” Becky said. “Alex looks handsome. You’re just jealous.”
Paul scoffed.
Looking at the photo in her hand, Harly had to agree. Alex was leaning back against an army tank, laughing at something another soldier was saying to him. In uniform he looked a little more dangerous, especially with the machine gun that was pointed barrel down in a relaxed hold. Dust coated his uniform, and he looked sweaty and hot, but he also looked happy.
“Army life suits you,” Maryanne said to him.
“I like it,” Alex replied.
“Be all right for a single bloke,” Brent observed, “But it must be hard on the married ones.”
Alex shrugged. “Sometimes, but I kno
w many married couples who make it work.”
“I guess it depends on the amount of trust a couple has between them,” Maryanne said thoughtfully. “And if they could handle being separated for long periods of time.”
“I don’t see why it needs to be a big issue.” Harly handed the photo back to Becky. “Sure, it’d take work, but what marriage doesn’t? And why would it be so different to those couples whose partners or husbands and wives work on mines in fly in, fly out jobs, or out on oil rigs?”
“Because they’re usually only gone for four or six weeks at a time, not six months or even longer,” Maryanne replied.
“Sure, and even those couples can break up. Couples who are together every night and weekend break up. Yet there are military couples who have long, happy marriages regardless.” Harly took a sip from the hot cup of tea. “What about those couples whose marriages survived years of war when the men were gone for ages? Not every marriage where the men and women are separated for long stretches are doomed for failure.”
Maryanne looked directly at her. “How do you think you would cope?”
Okay, quicksand ahead. Harly eyed Maryanne warily, but was nevertheless blunt in her answer. “I think I’d cope just fine. I have my life, my interests, and that is what I would continue with while my husband was away. You only have to shift priorities when he returns, then it’s a compromise. It’s not easy for the men either, you know.”
“Alex is grinning like a Cheshire cat.” Paul saluted him with a Tim Tam. “What are your thoughts? Especially seeing as how you’re in the Army.”
Curious, Harly waited for his answer.
“I think any partner of a military personnel knows they need a life while their partner is away. The marriages I know of that work, the wife and husband, or partners, spend their time together when he’s home, and when he’s away she runs the home and has still has a life. Some of the couples don’t live on the bases but have their homes a couple of hundred miles away, and they’re together whenever they can be. It doesn’t work for everyone, but it can work for those who choose to make it so. It can be lonely.” His gaze dropped to study Harly’s face. “But it’s worth it. When a solider is overseas, he knows he’s not alone when there’s someone waiting for him back home. Someone special. Sometimes that’s what keeps him going, knowing he’s fighting for the freedom of those he loves.”
It was a poignant sentence and she couldn’t help but give his hand a little squeeze which he returned gently, his gaze steady upon her, the warmth of his expression stealing through her.
“I couldn’t do it,” Maryanne announced.
“You couldn’t wait for me?” Brent’s eyebrows shot up.
“Well, I could for you, but honey bunch, I like you here every night.” She fluttered her eyelashes at him.
“That’s because you want me to check out every noise you hear in the house at night.”
“You have to be good for something.”
He rolled his eyes.
“Oh, look at this!” Becky laughed. “Here’s a photo of you two.” She handed it to Harly. “Remember this? We were playing cricket and Alex and - I forget who the other kid was - anyway, they were the captains and were choosing players, and Alex had just chosen you amongst the first.”
Studying the photo, Harly felt a warm surge go through her.
“I remember I was trying to perfect my photography technique, and was photographing everyone and anyone,” Becky added. “Remember, Paul?”
“How could I forget?” Paul groaned. “You got that shot of me with my arse hanging out of my torn jeans. I didn’t half cop it from Mum when she saw it.”
“Not my fault that Brent hung the photo up on the school noticeboard and your teacher just happened to be a friend of your Mum’s,” Becky retorted.
Their voices and laughter faded into the background as Harly looked at the photo, seeing in it things she hadn’t thought a camera would ever capture.
She and Alex were in profile, she looking up at him with adoration on her young face, he looking back down at her with that kind smile she suddenly realised had a little more to it that just the kindness he’d always shown to others. There was gentleness in his smile, a touch of tenderness he’d never had when looking at other people.
It had her catching her breath, and she turned her head to look up at him, only to find Alex gazing down at her with almost the same expression. Gentleness, tenderness, but now also a spark of heat deep in the depths of his eyes.
Their gazes locked, her heart flipping in her chest, emotion surging up inside her as a myriad of thoughts bombarded her at once.
He’d cared for her then, just as he cared for her now, only now his emotions were mature, experienced, so much more than she could ever describe. But it was undeniable. His teenage gaze was caring and kindness, his adult gaze was sure, confident, caring, kindness and unbridled heat. And something more.
Love.
But it’s not just from him, is it?
Her heart stammered in her chest as realisation hit her hard. The adoration of her teenage years had never vanished, it had just been pushed aside, but the arrival of Alex, his awakening of her, had brought that adoration to life, but it was something more, so much more than just a teenage fancy. It was -
A light flashed, breaking through her thoughts, and she turned and blinked to find Becky laughing and holding a camera.
“Perfect!” Becky crowed. “Now I’ll have a young and old photo to match!”
Paul rolled his eyes.
“Delightful,” Harly managed to say lightly, even as her whirling thoughts clamoured for attention.
“I’ll give you a copy.” Grinning widely, Becky aimed the camera at Maryanne and Brent. “Say cheese!”
They groaned but happily complied.
Glad to have the focus off her for however short a time, Harly picked up her cup with a slightly shaking hand. How could she even contemplate what she’d realised when the time had been so short? There was no way it could be, no way at all.
Then she felt him, his thumb trailing back and forth across her shoulder, felt him shift slightly and settle more firmly behind her, his warmth and nearness, the strength of him grounding her, giving her focus and calming her sudden nerves.
Her hand stopped shaking and she took a deep breath before glancing back up at him. Alex’s gaze was steady, his smile reassuring.
There was a shift in her universe, a momentous decision made. Although she’d been pressed against him due to the confines of the sofa, now she allowed herself to relax, to melt back against him, and immediately she felt his acceptance, the way his body seemed to mould around hers, hard muscle cradling soft curves, while his thumb continued to caress her shoulder.
No one seemed to notice, their laughter and chatter gaily filling the cosy room as they continued to reminisce. Alex joined in, Harly laughing along with them, but it was as though she had an heightened awareness of Alex, his very presence pushing everything else into the background.
It was late when Maryanne and Brent made a move to go, and Alex’s hand tightened briefly on Harly’s shoulder. She stood, he rising behind her but not moving away so that she felt his very length almost pressed against her.
It was easy to bid everyone goodbye, and then she was in Alex’s Jeep driving toward her home. The cold night air was held at bay by the heater, and she rested her elbow on the windowsill and propped her chin up in one hand as she looked out at the darkness.
Now that they were alone, she felt that flutter of nerves once more. Without the buffering of others, she was intensely aware of Alex beside her, of the shift in their relationship.
Glancing sideways, she looked at his hands upon the steering wheel. Big hands, strong, long fingers that curled around the wheel with ease. He drove the Jeep as he did everything else, with a calm assuredness that made her feel safe.
But he made her feel other things, too.
“Harly?” His voice was deep in the darkness.
&
nbsp; “Yes?”
“Are you all right?”
Was she? Harly thought about it, and then she slowly smiled. “Yeah, I am.”
“Good.”
That was all he said, the rest of the journey done in silence. As usual, he refused to allow her to get out of the car to open the gate, insisting on opening and closing it himself. Once at the house, she slid out of the car before he could come around and open her door, and he simply shook his head at her before dropping his arm around her shoulders and tucking her into his side, turning them both to climb the stairs onto the veranda.
Automatically she handed the keys to him, and he opened the doors and switched on the light, waiting for her to precede him into the hallway before locking the door behind them and putting the keys on the hook above the sideboard.
Buffy was waiting, her tail wagging, and he bent down to rub her ears affectionately before picking up old Pepper and carrying her into the lounge to settle her on the sofa beside the other two cats.
Harly watched in silence, touched that he was so caring of the animals. He had so many different sides - a soldier, a son, a brother, a man, caring, dangerous, hard, understanding, honourable, calm. So many words to describe him.
Straightening, Alex looked across to where she stood in the lounge room doorway. The overhead light caught the gold glints in his blonde hair and cast shadows on his face, seeming to pick out the strong planes of his features, enhancing them, and she had the overwhelming urge to trace the shadows and feel his skin beneath her fingertips, to look up into his eyes as she pressed against his muscled hardness.
Silently he flicked on the heater standing against the wall before walking up to her, stopping just as his upper abdomen brushed her breasts. She had to tip her head back to meet his gaze, and the heat she saw in the blue depths made her breath catch.
“Harly.” It was the only word he said as he leaned down, his hands capturing her upper arms, holding her almost delicately as his lips brushed across hers, butterfly light but holding the heat of a blazing furnace.
The Lawson Boys: Alex Page 19