Framed and Hung

by Alexis Fleming

  Zoe’s lips twitched as if she wanted to burst into laughter. ‘They look nice up there. Suits the décor. And just how did you manage to get away without having your portrait done at 33?’

  He grinned. ‘By ignoring all the oblique references and outright demands from Mother Dear. But now that Simon’s home, you can bet your bottom dollar she’s going to be on my case again. She’s already started to chip at Simon and he has only just turned 33. My mother is a bulldog when she wants something.’

  Now Zoe and Rachel did burst out laughing. Jake couldn’t help but join them. He loved his mum, but there was no doubt she liked to get her own way.

  A smile still on his face, he turned towards Zoe to share the moment with her, then his mouth dropped open. When he’d walked into the Garden Room, his brain had registered she was wearing shorts and some type of skimpy top. But, freakin’ hell, now his brain engaged and really took notice…and the old grey matter wasn’t the only thing on high alert.

  The skimpy little top Zoe had on turned out to be a halter top. Bright red, or more like scarlet, and the fabric looked so soft and slinky he could see the outline of her nipples. His hand itched to reach out and touch, just to confirm what his eyes were telling him.

  Then there were the shorts she almost had on. Skin-tight. So brief he wasn’t certain the term ‘shorts’ was justified. They cupped and moulded her ass so tightly they looked like they were painted on. The lower half of her bottom was clearly visible, the cheeks of her ass outlined by the fabric.

  No panty line that he could see. Hell, he wasn’t even certain she could fit undies on under those shorts.

  She turned towards him and his temperature shot into the danger zone. The shorts were so damn tight they pulled up in front every time Zoe moved.

  The blood left his head and roared through his lower body. For a moment he felt light-headed, numb, as if his heart had ceased to beat. Then his cock snapped to life and pressed against the front of his trousers. Oh yeah, he was well and truly alive.

  Swallowing, he tried to lubricate a throat gone suddenly dry. When that didn’t work, he averted his gaze and struggled for a new topic of conversation to take his mind off his wayward body.

  He turned away from the paintings and stared at the room, his mouth open. ‘My God, look at this. I can’t believe how much you two have achieved in one day. It doesn’t even look like the same room.’

  The room had been set up for a wedding. A picture in ivory, cream and gold. It was outstanding.

  ‘Not bad, eh?’ Zoe gave him a superior look. ‘So how about an apology now for your comments about my abilities when we first arrived?’

  Hand over his heart, he bowed to her. ‘My most humble apologies. The room looks fantastic.’ He grimaced and nodded his head at the paintings. ‘Even if we do have every Tom, Dick and Harry hanging about cluttering up the place.’

  ‘Or even a Nathan, Drew, Jake and Simon,’ Rachel quipped.

  Jake groaned. ‘Don’t remind me. So why don’t you two call it quits for the day? You’ve got through an amazing amount of work.’

  Rachel echoed Jake’s groan. ‘Finally! I’m so hungry I’m about to start on those artificial flowers.’

  Zoe flipped her wrist over and looked at her watch. ‘Oh my goodness, it’s after nine o’clock. Rach, I’m so sorry. Why didn’t you say something? We could have ordered in a pizza.’

  ‘Nah, it’s fine, but I’m definitely ready to stop now.’

  ‘How about I cook you both dinner?’ Oh crap, why did I offer to do that? Jake shook his head. He was an idiot.

  Zoe tilted her head on one side and stared at him. ‘Hmm, that’s the best offer I’ve had in a long time. I’m too tired to cook for myself. So what are you offering?’

  ‘Ah, I can do — ’

  Zoe cut him off. ‘It will have to be something fairly light. I’ll never sleep tonight if I eat a heavy meal this close to bedtime. What do you reckon, Jake? What’s on the menu?’

  ‘Um…scrambled eggs?’

  ‘With bacon and onion and parsley in it?’

  He nodded so rapidly it was a wonder his brains didn’t work loose. Well, hell, maybe they had.

  ‘You’re on.’ Zoe flicked a smile at Rachel. ‘Come on, Rach, let’s go play ladies of the manor while Jake cooks and serves us dinner. We can set out the cutlery tomorrow. I’ve already counted it out for each table so it won’t take long to finish up in the morning.’

  Rachel held up her hands and backed towards the door, grabbing her shoulder bag and the keys to the van on the way. ‘Nuh-uh, not me.’ She waggled her eyebrows at Zoe. ‘I…ah, I have a visitor coming over at 10 o’clock. I’m sure he’ll be more than happy to appease my…appetites.’

  Zoe burst out laughing. ‘You dirty dog, you! What haven’t you been telling me?’

  Rachel grinned and gave a little finger wave. ‘Never you mind, girlfriend. So I’ll see you tomorrow?’

  ‘Why don’t you take the morning off seeing I worked you so late tonight? I’ve got plenty to be going on with here and then I have to check those swatches of curtain material against the Victorian Textiles website to see if they’ll suit the décor.’

  ‘You’re on. Catch you then. See you later, Jake.’

  Jake lifted his hand to wave, but Rachel had already disappeared. He turned back to Zoe and gulped, swallowing the lump that seemed to have formed in his throat.

  Zoe had her hands planted on her waist and had arched backwards as if to ease the kinks in her back. He didn’t know what it was doing for her back, but it sure wasn’t doing much for his equilibrium. Her breasts were more prominent, the movement lifting them higher. The tiny shorts pulled up even more in the front and he sure didn’t need to ask where the shorts ended and she started.

  Crap on a cracker, any more and I’m going to explode.

  He swallowed hard to clear his throat. ‘Um…ah, it’s…ah, getting late. I’d better get you fed.’

  With a surreptitious jiggle to try to reposition the raging boner in his trousers, he swung around and made it to the doorway. Zoe quickly joined him there, flicking off the lights as she went. She stepped outside with him and made certain the door to the Garden Room was locked behind her. Then, her arm linked in his, she led them to the kitchen.

  Jake breathed a sigh of relief when she released his arm inside the kitchen. He needed a little distance to get his libido under control.

  Zoe immediately opened the big commercial refrigerator and bent down to peer at the shelves. Within seconds, she had grabbed a carton of eggs and a packet of bacon. Without looking, she thrust them behind her for him to take.

  Unfortunately, he was too fixated on the image of her shorts creeping higher and showing off the cheeks of her ass.

  ‘Hey, Jake, take the eggs before I drop them,’ she mumbled, still hunting in the refrigerator.

  ‘Ah, sorry.’ He grabbed the eggs from her and placed them on the central workbench. God, she must think he was a total idiot. Shaking his head, he worked at disciplining his mind while he hunted through the cupboards until he found a plastic jug. He cracked three eggs into the jug and then went searching for a whisk.

  Zoe, a bunch of parsley and a loaf of bread in her hand, hovered beside the workbench. ‘Jake, that’s not enough eggs for the two of us.’

  She expertly cracked two more and added them to the jug. Jake bit back a groan. He’d already had his dinner. He’d planned on cooking for Zoe and maybe just joining her for a drink. Looks like he was about to have his second dinner of the evening.

  ‘Any idea where the onions would be?’ Not waiting for an answer, Zoe headed into the dry goods pantry. ‘Aha, found them.’

  She emerged triumphant, the onion held aloft. ‘I’ll chop the bacon and onion, while you get a pan ready. Oh, and don’t forget to turn on the Robo.’

  Jake turned to her, a frying pan extended in front of him. What the hell was a Robo? ‘Um, how about you do the…er, Robo while I get the gas going?’

 
She shrugged and slipped across to the side bench and turned on the power point beside the monster of a conveyer belt toaster taking up prime position on the bench. Then he saw the name in raised metal letters on the side of the machine. Robo.

  He shook his head. Well, that explains that. Guess Robo is a brand name.

  Zoe made short work of chopping the onion, bacon and parsley and quickly flipped them into the hot pan. While Jake stirred, slowly adding the egg mixture, she made toast for them both. Before long, Jake was serving his one and only specialty — well, besides steak on a grill, that is — and placing it on the workbench where Zoe had set two places.

  He grabbed a bottle of red wine and popped the cork, pouring each of them a glass. Before he’d even seated himself, Zoe was forking the scrambled eggs into her mouth.

  ‘Hmm, these are good,’ she said. ‘I didn’t think I was hungry until I had the first taste.’

  Thank the Lord! ‘Glad you like them.’ He took a bite of the eggs and pushed the rest around the plate. After a few minutes, he placed his cutlery down and took a gulp of the red wine.

  Zoe pointed at his plate with her fork. ‘You not hungry?’

  ‘Ah, not really. I stopped and had a couple of drinks with my brothers on the way home.’

  ‘Hah, you filled up with beer, didn’t you?’

  ‘Something like that. Guess I’m just too full.’ Yeah, a big prime rib steak with all the trimmings will do that to a man.

  ‘Then I’ll eat while you tell me what you wanted to talk to me about.’

  Ah, right, that! ‘Let me ask you a question first. I’ve seen what you can do with a heritage home. And I know you paint landscapes, but…’

  Zoe took a bite of toast and Jake found himself fascinated by the sheen of melted butter on her lower lip. He couldn’t tear his gaze away. He suddenly wanted to climb over the workbench and lick her lips clean for her. His cock certainly thought it was a good idea. He even braced his hands on the edge of the bench in preparation. Then common sense kicked in, only to be shot to hell again when Zoe slid her tongue along her bottom lip.

  She looked at him expectantly, eyebrows raised. ‘And?’

  He shook his head and dragged his mind back to the conversation. ‘Have you ever done any portraits?’

  ‘Well, I have, but it’s not my best work. I’m better at caricatures.’

  Yes! This could work, if he played it right. For a moment he felt like an asshole. He was planning on setting Zoe up to fail, but if the portrait was less than perfect, there was no way in hell his mother would hang it. Certainly not in the inn.

  ‘I take it this is to do with those portraits hanging in the Garden Room?’

  Jake groaned. ‘Mother is never going to get off my back until I have it done. I don’t suppose…’

  Zoe chuckled. ‘You want me to do your painting?’

  ‘Would you?’ He scrunched his face up and tried to look pathetic. ‘Please?’

  She burst out laughing. ‘You look about five years old like that. Okay, I’ll put you out of your misery and give it a shot. But don’t come back at me if it doesn’t turn out any good.’

  He released a relieved breath. ‘Thank you. I really appreciate it. But I have to warn you, I’m not great at the sitting still for hours thing.’

  She shook her head. ‘Not necessary. I can take a series of photos tomorrow and work from those. At most, I’ll probably only need two sittings.’ A frown creased her forehead and she tilted her head on one side to stare at him.

  ‘What?’

  ‘Any reason why it has to be a formal portrait like those in the Garden Room? I can still do it in sepia shades to tone in with the rest of the portraits, but with a more up-to-date theme.’

  He shrugged. ‘I can’t see why it would matter too much. Let’s break with tradition and go for something more modern.’

  ‘Sweet. This should be fun. It’s been a long while since I did a portrait.’

  Jake gulped and rubbed a hand across his belly. There was that lump of guilt in his stomach again. God help him, he felt like the lowest of the low. Here he was, hoping she’d fail, and she was excited about doing his painting.

  Not only arrogant, but a low-down bastard, too?

  Oh yeah, Jake, not your finest moment.

  Chapter Five

  Zoe quaffed the last of her wine and stood, stretching her shoulders to get rid of the stiffness left over from painting. She barely stifled a chuckle as she spotted the look on Jake’s face. His gaze was fastened on her breasts, barely confined by her top. She raised one eyebrow and stared at him, willing him to comment.

  A tide of red washed over his cheeks. He gulped and looked around the kitchen. ‘Um, it’s getting late. Guess we’d better get this place cleaned up and head off to bed.’

  He pushed back from the bench and gathered the dishes before turning to the sink. After filling it with hot water and detergent, he dumped the dirty dishes in.

  She collected the pan and cooking utensils from the stovetop and joined him. ‘You know we do have a commercial dishwasher available, don’t you?’

  ‘Not worth it for so few.’ He kept his gaze trained on the sink.

  Zoe shrugged, grabbed a tea towel and dealt with the wet dishes, placing them back on the shelves when she’d finished. The whole time she kept an eye on Jake. On the flush that still stained his cheeks. On the surreptitious looks he cast her way when he thought she wasn’t looking. And the heat that rose from his body every time she brushed against him.

  Accidentally, of course.

  Yeah, right. You are such a liar, Zoe, my girl.

  With a last swipe of the bench, Jake threw the dishcloth into the sink. ‘Okay, all done. Let’s hit the sack. I’ve got to get up early and do some work on my election campaign before I head to the bank.’

  He led them out of the kitchen and locked the door, before taking her arm and guiding her along the path that led to their rooms.

  Zoe snuggled close to him. ‘I heard you were running for local council. Following in Dad’s footsteps?’

  Jake shrugged. ‘I guess, but it’s more than that. I like the idea of having a say in how this town operates.’

  ‘Control issues much, Jake?’

  They’d reached the door of Zoe’s unit. Jake released her arm and turned to face her, a grin on his face. ‘And you’re one to talk about control? Pot, meet kettle.’

  She laughed on cue, but deep down she knew that’s what all this pussy-footing around was about. Control!

  There was no doubt Jake wanted her. Even now, as she brushed against him, she felt the hard ridge of a flagrant erection tenting the front of his pants.

  So it all came back to control. As in, Jake controlling how this little fling progressed.

  She bit her lip to stop from laughing. Poor Jake. He was about to learn she had her own issues and he couldn’t always have his own way. Let’s see how he liked having the tables turned.

  Linking her arms around his neck, she pulled herself up and wrapped her legs about his hips. His automatic response was to grasp her bottom and ease her closer. Zoe grinned. Just the reaction she wanted.

  ‘I guess the time has come to say goodnight,’ she whispered before running the tip of her tongue along his bottom lip.

  Jake tightened his hold. ‘Nice way you have of dealing with the height issues. At least I don’t have to carry a box around so I can kiss you goodnight. You’re such a tiny thing.’

  She shifted, rubbing against his erection. His hips jerked, pushing against her core. ‘Haven’t you heard the old cliché about good things coming in small packages? And I can be oh, so good.’

  Not giving him time to respond, she slanted her mouth over his. He immediately opened to her and she took control, nibbling at his full bottom lip before flicking her tongue across it to soothe the love bites.

  He groaned and she applied pressure, sending her tongue snaking to taste him. He reciprocated, his tongue twining with hers. Movement for movement. Advance
and retreat.

  This time Zoe groaned as sensation shot through her. Heat pooled in the bottom of her stomach, swept through her blood, igniting nerve endings along the way. Using her grip on his shoulders, she moved against him, positioning the hard ridge of his erection right where she wanted — no, needed — it.

  Jake took up the dance, pumping against her. The friction of their clothing just increased the building tension. Jake’s movements sped up. So, too, did hers. He deepened the kiss, his tongue lashing hers. She followed him, fighting for sanity in the maelstrom that had overtaken her and turned her insides to mush.

  God help her, she was supposed to be the one in control, but she was in serious danger of losing it here. Of losing herself permanently. Not going to happen.

  Gasping, Zoe broke off the kiss, wiggling her legs until Jake let her down. For a moment, she felt light-headed as she struggled to regulate her breathing.

  She ran a trembling finger across his mouth. ‘Goodnight, Jake,’ she whispered, opening the door behind her and stepping back.

  The last thing she saw as she shut the door between them was the shocked look on Jake’s face. But not only that. Hunger. Raw, potent hunger, aimed directly at her.

  Locking the door, she flicked on the light and sagged against the timber surface of the door. Damn it, that had been hard. The last thing she’d wanted to do was walk away. She shook her head. Control, my girl, control.

  Poor Jake. He really didn’t know what had hit him. Even now, she could still hear him outside her room, his breath rasping in his throat. Then one hard thump on the wall and footsteps heading next door to his room.

  She gave a slight grin. If he felt anything like she did, that had probably been a clenched fist belting the wall in sexual frustration.

  Stepping away from the door, she unbuttoned and shimmied out of the tight shorts, bending over to grab them and toss them onto one of the tub chairs. It was time she got some sleep. That’s if she could stop thinking about that smokin’ hot kiss she’d just shared with Jake.

  She’d put everything she had into that kiss and Jake had met her in kind. Definitely hot. Hot enough to singe her right down to her toes, and given Jake’s response, his toes weren’t doing much better.