A Heart Worth Mending

by Amanda Canham

  His hesitancy, the shyness of his actions, pierced through the growing wall of pain, arousing her curiosity. ‘What’s nothing?’

  Her tone was softer now; as the pain dimmed she didn’t need the fierce wall around her.

  He lifted his head until his eyes met hers, his hand dropping down to tap against his leg. ‘I just…I’ve got the house to myself tonight. Ana’s going out clubbing with some friends. I, ah, I was going to hire a DVD, and I thought, if you’re not busy, maybe you’d like to join me for dinner and a movie? But you’re probably busy.’ He got the words out in a rush, and as soon as he was done his eyes found the floor again.

  Kelli felt a spark of pleasure light up inside her; a globe of hope that dulled the pain of Jimmy’s loss.

  ‘I’m not busy,’ she answered quickly. Maybe too quickly, but she couldn’t help herself. Nor could she help the smile spreading wide across her lips.

  His eyes shot up from the carpet, a mix of surprise, and hope and desire, and she wanted to kiss him then and there.

  ‘You’re not?’

  ‘No,’ she confirmed as the elevator bell dinged to announce its arrival. Of course, it had to arrive now she didn’t want to leave.

  ‘That’s a yes?’ he checked again.

  She couldn’t help herself. He was too cute, standing there, asking her out on a proper date. She leaned forward and lightly brushed her lips against his. They were firm and smooth and she wanted more. But she couldn’t. Not here at work. She knew how much he detested rumours in the workplace.

  ‘Yes. It’s a date,’ she said as she slipped away, crossing into the lift and selecting the floor she needed. She spun around to find him watching her, his eyes wide with shock and pleasure, his fingers brushing against the lips she’d just kissed.

  ‘See you tonight,’ she whispered, waggling her fingers at him as the doors shut between them.

  Chapter 6

  ‘What do you mean you don’t like cheese in your pasta? How can you not?’

  Travis sent a sidelong glance up from the chilli he was chopping and felt something go thunk in his gut. Kelli looked right at home, perched up on the island bench in the middle of his kitchen. Her skirt had ridden up when she’d lifted herself up, revealing a few inches of golden, toned thigh, which was a more than welcome sight.

  He still couldn’t believe she’d kissed him today. It had been brief, more of a quick peck than anything, but fuck! He flicked a quick look up at her lips, all pouty and kissable, and felt his desire grow. It would be easy, too easy to lean over and brush his mouth against hers. To part her lips and taste the sweet nectar he was sure was inside.

  But he couldn’t. Not yet. He wasn’t a horny teenager with no control over his hormones. He would make her dinner before jumping her bones. He just needed to concentrate.

  ‘I’m not saying I don’t like cheesy pasta, completely,’ he insisted, dragging his gaze away from the temptation of her lips and returning to chopping the chillies. ‘It has its place in certain pastas, like carbonara, or lasagne, and maybe as part of an alfredo sauce. But not in a putanesca. I like to keep my tomato-based and cheesy-creamy based pastas separate. They are two distinct flavours that shouldn’t be mixed.’

  ‘But they’re both in lasagne.’

  ‘As two separate layers. Even then they don’t mix.’

  ‘What about pizza? Surely you don’t have cheese-less pizza? The two flavours are mixing together then,’ she insisted.

  ‘That’s a completely different type of food. You can’t compare the two,’ Travis told her as he checked the pot of water on the stove. It was boiling now so he cracked in some salt and added the angel-hair spaghetti.

  ‘You’re missing out,’ Kelli assured him, stretching back to rest on her hands. The hemline of her skirt crept up another inch and Travis lost his train of thought.

  He certainly was missing out. Why weren’t his hands on her right now, pushing the pesky green skirt out of the way? He wanted to run his fingers along the silky smoothness of her skin, to feel her tremble beneath him.

  He felt himself grow at the thought, and it was all he could do to rein himself in, to push the thoughts aside and turn back to the task at hand. He should have known he was too horny to be trusted alone with her. But he couldn’t help himself, could he? After five torturous nights dreaming about her, he’d given in to his weakness and asked her over.

  Bending over, he scoured through to the back of the pots and pans cupboard until he found the heavy-based wok and dragged it out. Avoiding looking at Kelli and those legs he placed the wok on the stove top and started heating up the oil.

  ‘I hope you like strong flavours, we’ve got anchovies, olives and capers tonight,’ he said, finally having enough control of his raging hormones to turn back to the centre bench, only to find her fingers deep in the olive jar.

  ‘Strong is good,’ she said, brazenly filching an olive. ‘The saltier the better,’ she added before popping the olive in her mouth.

  His eyes widened as her words went in one direction and one direction only in his mind. She must have read his thoughts because her eyes bulged and she started choking on the olive. She gasped and gagged and he grabbed a glass, filling it with water and handing it to her once she had her breathing under control again.

  ‘Thanks,’ she managed between mouthfuls.

  ‘No worries. Maybe not so salty next time,’ he quipped with a wink and she choked again, water spurting across the room. He couldn’t help but laugh, a deep, belly aching rumble gripping him. She joined in, twisting in fits of giggles across the bench. He grabbed her hips to stop her falling.

  ‘Here, you might need this,’ he let go of her hips to grab a tea towel.

  ‘Why?’ she asked.

  ‘You’ve got some water just here.’ He used the towel to dab at the droplets resting on her collar. He felt her eyes follow his hands as they pressed down, almost touching her. He would be touching her, if it wasn’t for the layers of fabric between them. He wanted to be touching her. How he wanted to be touching her.

  He lifted his gaze from the collar of her shirt, roving over her face, from her soft, parted lips, the air barely passing through them to her pert, ski-jump nose and up to her emerald eyes, liquid with a desire that matched his own.

  There was nothing left to stop them. Not now they were alone, in the privacy of his home. All he had to do was lean forward, and up, just slightly, until…

  Her eyelids fluttered closed, her lashes fanning out, dark, so dark against the golden tones of her skin. Her head dropped, barely an inch, but it was enough, it was all the invitation he needed.

  Gently, ever so hesitantly, he touched his lips to hers. As though a spark had instantly ignited a raging bushfire, desire coursed through him. He pressed his lips more firmly against hers, roving across her, devouring her.

  Of their own volition, her lips parted beneath his, inviting him deeper and his tongue delved in; tasting her, savouring her. She was sweet, sweeter than he’d ever imagined.

  She let out a little noise, somewhere between a sigh and a groan, and he lost all control, winding a hand up into her hair, the other sliding around the hips still sitting on his bench, and he pulled her close, pressing himself against her, breathing her in, losing himself in her.

  Her legs wrapped around his waist, her hands moulding to his head, fingering his hair as she held him tight. Again and again their mouths moved together, learning, tasting, discovering, and finding their perfect fit.

  Her skirt rode up higher, and he dropped his hand to her thigh, unable to stop himself from exploring her silky softness. Her heat surrounded him and he throbbed against the fabric of his pants, needing to get closer.

  He let go of her lips to scatter kisses down her throat until he reached the fluttering pulse at the base of her neck. It had become his friend, this pulse. It had told him more than Kelli could herself, and he caressed it, giving it thanks, and felt her legs twist around him in response.

  His mouth re
turned to hers, needing to be joined to her again. His fingers drifted up, tugging and teasing at the fabric of her shirt. He toyed with the buttons, inching closer to her breasts.

  ‘Stop!’ She gasped, and then she was gone, her lips wrenched from his. He was left gasping, his chest heaving in ragged breaths as his forehead rested against hers. He dropped his hands to his sides, his confused, desire-clouded eyes searching hers for an explanation.

  ‘Something’s burning,’ she whispered, her breathing as ragged as his. ‘Can you smell that?’

  It took him an instant to process what she was saying, and another until the smell of burning oil registered, and then—

  ‘Fuck! The wok!’ He twisted away from her to kill the heat on the stove. He turned back to her much slower, taking the time to regain his breath, as an inexplicable bout of shyness overcame him. What if she regretted it already? Maybe he’d moved too fast? She did tell him to stop. Maybe—

  ‘What are you doing all the way over there?’

  He glanced across at her, seeing the same questions in her eyes.

  ‘Wasn’t sure you’d want me back.’

  ‘I do,’ she assured him, the raw desire in her voice diving straight to his cock.

  He closed the space between them in an instant, his hands drifting straight to her bare legs, hungry to feel them beneath him again.

  ‘You’d like me to do this would you?’ he trailed a finger along the inside of her leg, starting at her knee and zigzagging his way up, watching her melt beneath his touch, her breathy gasp sending sparks of desire shooting through his bloodstream.

  ‘For a start,’ she answered, her eyes heavy-lidded, but there was no hiding the provocative challenge in their depths.

  ‘More? Like this?’ he continued, trailing his other finger down her neck, following the sharp vee of her blouse. Goosebumps rose across her skin where ever his finger touched. As he reached the rounded curve, her breasts swelled, growing beneath his touch. His body responded in kind, and it was all he could do not to rip the delicate blouse straight from her chest.

  ‘Mmm-hmm,’ she murmured, arching her back, pushing her breasts closer and closer to him.

  He let out a groan and sank into her, his lips brushing against hers as his hand gave in to temptation and moulded itself to her firm, round breast. A hard nipple pushed against the palm of his hand, straining for attention, and he pushed against it, rubbing his hand in a circle, using the friction of her fabric to tease it.

  She whimpered beneath him, and he increased the pressure, squeezing ever so gently as he moved his hips closer to hers. Seeking, needing her warmth against him.

  She groaned again, wrapping her legs around him, pulling him close. Her arms wound through his hair, her tongue mimicking the movement inside his mouth.

  ‘Mmm, what have you got in there,’ she murmured, wriggling against him.

  ‘It’s just me, baby, all me,’ he assured her and she laughed, the husky sound sending shivers down his spine.

  ‘So you vibrate, do you?’ she asked, her hand sliding down to push against his thigh. ‘I think not.’

  It was only then it registered that his phone was buzzing inside his pants. Why was his phone still in his pants? He normally took it out when he got home. But he’d been in a rush to tidy up before Kelli arrived, and must have forgotten.

  ‘I’ll just switch this off.’ He reached into his pocket, pulling out the phone. He glanced down at the screen as his finger leaned against the power button, and a picture of his son stared back at him. ‘Ah, shit, it’s Sean,’ he let slip, his finger hesitating on the off button, torn.

  ‘Do you want to take it?’ She slid back infinitesimally, just enough to let him think.

  ‘I… ah… I should… but…’ still he hesitated, his gaze drifting between her and the phone.

  ‘Take it. I’ll still be here,’ she assured him.

  ‘You’re sure?’ he checked, releasing his hold of the power button and moving his thumb to the green answer screen.

  ‘Yes. Now talk to your son.’

  ‘Thanks,’ he mouthed to her as he slid the answer button on the phone. ‘Hey mate,’ he greeted his son, moving away from Kelli and her deliciously tempting body.

  ‘Hey Dad, you took ages to answer. Is this a bad time?’ Sean sounded worried, and it was like a dart in Travis’ heart. It was so hard, too hard, to maintain their relationship with this distance between them.

  ‘No, it’s not a bad time,’ he assured him moving through the kitchen and down towards his room so he could have some privacy.

  ‘But you’re doing something important? I knew it was the wrong time to ring. But I couldn’t wait till bedtime.’

  ‘Relax matey, I’m glad you called. It just took me a few minutes to answer because I’m getting slow in my old age, that’s all.’

  Finally, Sean laughed at the gag. ‘Well, that’s true,’ he agreed, with a little too much enthusiasm.

  ‘Hey, watch yourself. You’re getting a bit cocky there for a youngen,’ he answered, grinning when Sean broke into peals of laughter. ‘Now, I think you’ve got some news. You’re not going to leave me hanging are you?’ He pushed his bedroom door shut and sank to the ground, immersing himself in the happenings of Sean’s life.

  Kelli took a couple of deep shuddering breaths as she watched Travis retreat into his bedroom. She ran her hands down her still-tense thighs, the pounding passion racing through her veins starting to slow once Travis disappeared behind the closed door.

  She stayed where she was waiting for Travis to return. But as the minutes passed by slowly, first one, and then another, and another, she realised that he wouldn’t be cutting the conversation all that short. It was a good thing, really, that he felt comfortable enough with her to do that. But she couldn’t exactly sit here the whole time, waiting for him to return.

  Sliding off the bench, Kelli smoothed down her skirt, ignoring the ache between her thighs as she grabbed her phone, flicking open Facebook—always the best way to pass the time. She scrolled down her news feed, barely pausing on the downward trawl, until a picture of Jimmy flashed up on her phone.

  Her thumb froze over the picture, the breath whooshing out of her body.

  She’d never seen this photo of Jimmy before.

  The photo had been taken while he was lying in bed; his dark, chin-length hair was mussed and spread out on the pillow beneath his head. The doona was pulled up to his shoulders, and he looked like he was half-asleep.

  But it was the expression on his face that drew her in. She’d never seen him look like that—so happy; so content; so in love.

  Her eyes drifted up to the tag-line Teegan had added when she posted the photo.

  Miss you. Always.

  Pin-pricks of hot tears hit the back of her eyes and she slammed the cover on her phone closed, hiding the words, and the pain from her sight. She paced around the room, fanning her fingers in front of her eyes, trying to stop the tears from falling. But she couldn’t stop the pain, or the guilt from surfacing.

  What the fuck was she doing here?

  She was enjoying herself, wasn’t she? She was moving on with her life, making a new one with Travis, having fun.

  But poor Teegan wasn’t having fun. Not when she was still in so much pain—a pain Kelli had caused.

  And what about Jimmy?

  How could she have so little respect for her brother that she could forget about him so entirely in six short weeks? How could she have so little self-restraint that she had to jump Travis’ bones the first instant they were alone together?

  She wasn’t supposed to be enjoying herself or moving on. She didn’t deserve to be. Not after what she’d done!

  Kelli quickly gathered her belongings off the bench, and started looking around for her shoes. She needed to get out of here. Now. Before Travis came back out and tried to pick up where they’d left off. Clearly she couldn’t be trusted around him.

  But if she left now, after she’d promised to stay,
it would look odd. She’d have to explain herself. And then what would she say?

  Damn and blast!

  She didn’t want to talk about Jimmy and what happened. Not to anyone.

  And if she did take off in the middle of his conversation with Sean, what would Travis think? He was finally making progress on the whole have-a-life-and-a-son issue. If she just took off would he go backwards again? Retreat from having fun again?

  DAMMIT!!!

  Kelli slammed her belongings back down on the counter. She was going to have to stay!

  But she couldn’t let herself get carried away again. She wouldn’t be able to live with herself if she did.

  Needing to do something, anything, so she wouldn’t go insane, she put the wok back on the hot plate and started cooking the putanesca sauce.

  Ten minutes later, with the strong, salty aromas wafting around her, Kelli was adding the drained pasta to the putanesca sauce when she heard the bedroom door open. The tension that had coiled through her since she saw the photo of Jimmy tightened its grip on her body.

  ‘That smells delicious,’ Travis said once he’d crossed into the kitchen ‘You didn’t have to cook, though.’

  ‘It was no trouble,’ Kelli shrugged her answer, focusing on stirring the food, ensuring she evenly coated the spaghetti.

  ‘Sean couldn’t wait till bedtime to tell me he got the class award this week. I don’t think I’ve ever heard him so excited.’

  ‘That’s great,’ Kelli answered, throwing a cautious smile over her shoulder before returning her attention to the wok. She could do this. She had to.

  ‘Yeah, it is. He struggled to settle in when he first moved, but things seem to be improving this year. New teacher, new class…’

  ‘That must be a relief for you.’

  ‘Definitely,’ he murmured a lot closer this time. ‘It’s just a shame about the timing,’ he added, and she felt him slide his hands around her waist, his head nuzzling in beneath her hair to trail kisses along her neck.

  Warmth engulfed her from behind, from every inch of his body pressed against hers. Her nerve endings tingled at the contact, melting her muscles. She desperately wanted to cave in, to throw her head back and savour the feel of him against her.