by Karly Lane
‘Don’t worry about it,’ she said dully. Just go. Please, she begged silently.
‘Cash. I’m sorry. That came out all wrong—I wasn’t offering to pay you for—’ He stopped at the lethal glare she gave him. ‘Okay,’ he said, holding up one hand in a placating gesture as she walked towards the door and opened it for him pointedly. He stared at her silently for a brief moment before letting out a small huff of frustration. ‘That was—’
‘A mistake,’ she managed. Why wouldn’t he just leave already? She wasn’t holding him here with small talk, she was letting him go, free and clear, so why was he insisting on talking?
‘Is that what you think it was?’ he asked, searching her reluctant gaze. He was standing so close, too close. She couldn’t think straight like this.
‘I can assure you I do not have sex with clients. This was a huge mistake on my part, and I’m mortified that I let my professionalism slip so badly.’
‘I’m not a client.’
‘You came here as one.’
‘Yeah, but I’d already cancelled before we … did anything. So technically, I wasn’t a client and you were officially finished for the day.’
‘That’s not the point,’ she said, feeling exasperated by his argument.
‘Look, you can call it whatever the hell you like, but I’m calling it amazing. I’ll see you around, Cash,’ he said, swooping down to kiss her unexpectedly, then heading outside before she could protest.
Cash sagged against the open doorway as she listened to the sound of his engine fade into the distance, feeling as energetic as a deflated balloon. Albeit a sated, ache-in-all-the-right-places, kind of balloon. She wished she didn’t have to call it a mistake, but what else could it be?
What the hell had he done?
Linc gripped the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles turned white. That had definitely not been what he’d expected when he’d called his sister’s bluff about having a massage. Okay, sure, maybe the idea of Cash giving him a massage had turned into an X-rated fantasy, but he hadn’t honestly expected it! He was a guy, of course he’d thought about having sex with Cash, but the fact that it had actually happened took him completely by surprise. Memories flashed through his head and when he accidentally glanced in the mirror, he caught the wide grin on his face. Probably not the most appropriate reaction to something that clearly upset Cash. A frown momentarily replaced the grin as he pondered her response. Upset was probably not the right word; she’d been pissed off. That didn’t sit well with his ego at all. He’d just experienced the most incredible, mind-blowing sex he could recall in, well, way too long, and she’d waved it off as a mistake?
He instantly thought about his brother and a stab of guilt hit him in the ribs, but it soon passed. Yeah, he felt bad for Griff, who would no doubt still be feeling the effects of rejection, but in all fairness, the attraction was completely one-sided. Cash hadn’t been into him. She hadn’t even been on a date with him. It would be different if Cash and Griff had slept together, even though the mere thought of that was enough to send a sear of heat through his chest, but they hadn’t, they’d barely kissed.
He’d been attracted to her instantly—she was sexy and sassy and smart, and he’d found himself thinking about her body way too often during the long hours of monotonous labouring work he’d been doing around the property. She’d far exceeded his expectations in the sex department, she clearly knew what she was doing there. She was almost his perfect woman—except for one thing. He’d figured once they’d set off the powder keg, so to speak, he’d be over the intense attraction he was feeling for her and he could carry on with his visit like a rational adult, but to his dismay, the craving hadn’t gone away. If anything, it was even stronger. Now he’d know what he was missing, instead of just imagining it.
She’d called him the wrong kind of man.
Hadley had referred to him more than once as a man-whore and maybe he had been in his younger days. Now though, he’d slowed down; there weren’t anywhere near the number of women his siblings imagined. He’d been too busy over the last few years to even contemplate a permanent relationship, which was probably why one-night stands had become his messed-up kind of normal. He didn’t like to think of himself as a player or whatever the hell they called them nowadays. He never misled a woman, he was always upfront that there would be no texting, no ‘I love you’, and he was always very careful about the types of women he chose to spend time with. They knew the score. He had a select few long-term friends whose numbers he had stored in his phone—they were mostly women who travelled all the time, flight attendants mainly. It was an arrangement that had worked well for all concerned over the years, but lately he just hadn’t been into it like he used to be.
Cash had flipped the switch that sent his entire being into ultra-aroused. He didn’t know what the hell was going on, but she was messing with the strict order of his life. He was pretty sure he didn’t like it, but she had sideswiped him so fast that he hadn’t had time to realise everything inside him was shaken up.
Not that it mattered now though, he thought with a disgusted snort. Offering the woman money after they’d just had sex was probably not the smartest move. Dumb arse. All he could do was ride out her anger and pray to God he could fix it. It had been a case of bad timing and misunderstanding. She was pretty annoyed though, he had to concede. A smile began to tug at his lips as he remembered the flicker of reaction he’d gotten when he’d kissed her goodbye. Nope, Cash Sullivan was not as immune to him as she wanted him to believe.
Sixteen
There was a strange current running through the air when Cash woke up a few mornings later. Grey clouds had been gathering overhead. A rumble in the distance signalled an approaching storm and she wished she could spend the morning sitting on the verandah watching it.
There was nothing better than the sound of rain on an old tin roof, she decided later in the morning after her client made a dash through the gardens to her car. She’d always enjoyed storms, but she loved the ones out here. It had been a particularly hot and dry spring and everything was brown and parched. The onset of a storm had everyone excited, but for Cash it was the power and majesty of Mother Nature that she found fascinating. Here, across the wide-open plains, you could feel the deep rumble of thunder. The air vibrated. There was nothing to shield you from it—no tall buildings or neighbours built on top of you, just paddocks stretching out in all directions like a wide brown ocean.
Cash felt bad for her farming neighbours around her who were about to commence harvesting—the last thing they wanted right now was rain—but thankfully there hadn’t been much in it, just enough to dampen the dust and release the pungent, sweet smell of rain into the air.
She was grateful for the little general store in Rankins Springs so she didn’t have to drive all the way into Griffith to buy the basics. It boasted a takeaway and a post office as well as groceries, and although Cash wouldn’t run down to the store just to buy milk, it was worth the trip into town to stock up on the essentials, like chocolate.
She pulled up outside and went in, greeting Pam behind the counter. She almost felt like a local as she commented on the rain.
Cash was perusing the selection of fruit when she heard a familiar deep voice and her heart bucked like a wild bull at a rodeo. Crap. What is he doing here? She glanced around to find a place to hide, but in a shop this size, that was impossible. She hadn’t seen the man in two days, but his effect on her hadn’t dimmed in the slightest.
She was still trying to debate her chances of slipping past him somehow when he glanced up and caught her eye. Her heart gave a flutter as she watched that slow, sexy grin form on his face. Too late.
She went back to taking a dedicated interest in coffee brands and did her best to seem unaffected by his sudden appearance.
‘Hey,’ he said, coming to a stop beside her.
‘Hi,’ Cash said with a brief glance, not quite looking him in the eye. She didn’t think she was ready for
such close proximity just yet.
‘I’m glad I bumped into you,’ he said, seemingly undeterred by her unenthusiastic greeting.
‘Why? You planning on buying my groceries in lieu of payment for services rendered?’ she asked, arching an eyebrow.
‘I wanted to see you again and apologise. I was referring to the massage, not the s—’
‘Okay!’ Cash cut him off frantically, glancing up to see Pam watching their conversation with undisguised interest. ‘I get it. It’s fine.’
She saw Linc bite back a smile as he turned his back on Pam, shielding them from view with his rather broad shoulders. ‘I was going to drop by this afternoon and apologise. We’ve been flat out with the start of harvesting.’
‘Well, now you don’t have to, do you.’
‘I still want to,’ he said, lowering his tone and leaning the tiniest bit closer. ‘I haven’t been able to stop thinking about the other day.’
Cash was suddenly aware of feeling incredibly warm and she wished someone would turn the airconditioner up higher.
‘Can I come over later?’ he asked, his head lowered close to hers, his body almost touching her own. No, no, no, that’s such a bad idea. ‘I have clients until four,’ she heard herself saying. What the f—
‘Perfect, I’ll see you then,’ he said, moving away before she could open her mouth to take it back. He’d grabbed two plastic bottles of milk and a loaf of bread and was digging out his wallet from his back pocket at the counter before she’d even come to her senses enough to move.
He must have some kind of sense-muddler device on him. There had to be a logical explanation as to why she could never think straight when he got close to her like that. It’s called hormones, a sassy little voice told her helpfully. She tried to ignore the open curiosity written all over Pam’s face as she paid for her purchases, glad that the woman wasn’t pushy enough to ask any questions. Cash had a feeling the very next person who came into the store would be getting a rundown of the events that had just taken place. Note to self, just drive the extra kilometres to Griffith for groceries next time.
It was going to be a long morning.
Cash thought that she’d be distracted all day by the impending visit, but it turned out she had more pressing matters to worry about. Her first client had driven from Griffith and decided to ask for a couple of extra treatments that hadn’t been factored in. Luckily the morning hadn’t been booked solid as it usually was, and Cash could fit in most of the woman’s requests. However, not everything could be done and she was left with a very disgruntled customer.
‘I don’t have to drive all this way, you know. There are plenty of good beauticians in Griffith.’
‘Yes, there are,’ Cash had tried her best to remain polite and professional throughout the entire appointment—despite the fact that the woman had been more than a little rude and condescending, but now she was just plain fed up. ‘And I’m fairly certain they would have done the exact same thing as I did when you added the extra treatments into your session. As I explained earlier, I can only do whatever is possible before my next appointment.’
‘Well, I don’t see your next appointment here, do you?’
‘I still have to clean the room. I don’t think it’s very fair to keep someone waiting, do you?’
‘I intend to let Savannah know about this, and don’t think I’m not going to have a few things to say to anyone who asks which beautician I use. I have quite a lot of pull around the area, you know.’ She clicked her tongue and stared down her nose at Cash. ‘I’m not sure Savannah should have left her business in the hands of someone … like you,’ she said with a dismissive glare at the red scarf Cash had worn around her hair today. Cash suspected her nose stud wasn’t going over too well either—despite it being miniscule.
‘Oh, Elenore, I thought that was you I could hear,’ Lavinia said as she swept into the salon like a refreshing breeze.
The woman’s mouth dropped open but she quickly composed herself. ‘Lavinia … how nice to see you.’
‘How’s Adrian? Any word on when he’ll be coming home from prison?’
Cash gasped as the woman went pale and her mouth opened and closed a few times before she snatched her handbag from the counter and hurried towards the door.
‘Nice seeing you, Elenore,’ Lavinia called as the front door closed.
Cash stared at Lavinia, dumbfounded.
‘Don’t worry about that one,’ Lavinia said, waving her beautifully manicured hand in the air. ‘The main reason she comes here is because every other salon in the area’s banned her. I’m not sure why Savannah puts up with her.’
‘Savannah believes she can help everyone. She probably thinks she can untwist her chakra or something.’
‘She’s a better person than I,’ Lavinia said drolly.
‘If you’ll give me one minute, I’ll just make up the room and we can get started.’
‘Take your time,’ she smiled wearily. ‘It’s lovely just sitting here, listening to this music,’ Lavinia sighed. ‘Oh, and I’ve brought along this for you,’ she said, pulling out an envelope from her handbag.
Cash eyed the woman curiously before opening it and then bit the inside of her lip when she took out the glossy paper, unfolding it to find her name written on the wedding invitation. ‘Oh, Lavinia, I couldn’t … I mean, I don’t even really know Hadley that well …’
‘Hadley invited you,’ Lavinia said with a smile.
‘Oh.’ Cash couldn’t help the smile that took hold. ‘I’d love to come.’
‘Good. I’ll add you to the RSVP’d list.’
Cash placed the envelope under the counter before getting back to business. ‘I guess you’ll be glad when this wedding is over,’ she said over her shoulder as she went into the treatment room.
‘We’ve still got to get through Christmas yet,’ Lavinia said. Cash seriously didn’t know where the woman got her energy from.
‘I’m glad you’ve come for a massage then—I think you’re due for some downtime.’
‘This was Hadley’s idea. I told her I didn’t have time to fit in a massage—there’s too much to do—but she insisted.’
Cash grinned at that. Lavinia wouldn’t have been used to having too many people insist she did something. ‘Well, she’s right. You have to take care of yourself. Stressing yourself out by taking on too much work isn’t going to help anyone.’
‘Now you sound like Bob and Lincoln,’ the older woman chided lightly.
Cash bumped the bottle of oil and had to quickly catch it before it fell from the trolley onto the floor. Get a grip. This was ridiculous.
‘Lincoln mentioned he’d been over here fixing a fence for you the other day,’ Lavinia continued. ‘It’s so good having him home.’
‘I can imagine,’ Cash murmured as she continued to set up the equipment. ‘You’ve got a full house again.’
‘Yes, it’s lovely.
‘Do you have any brothers and sisters?’
Cash’s smile faltered at the unexpected question. ‘I had a brother … well, half-brother. Johnny. He died a few years ago … in an accident.’
‘Oh dear, I’m sorry, Cash. I didn’t know. That must have been terrible.’
Cash managed a smile and turned away from the sympathetic look Lavinia was giving her. ‘It was.’ Terrible was one word for it. Devastating was probably more accurate. She hated thinking back to that time. She always felt so helpless and guilty. Johnny had been old enough to make his own choices, but she still blamed herself. She still tormented herself wondering whether she could have said anything to stop him from choosing the life he’d lived. It was a pointless and depressing mental debate. It didn’t change anything. Johnny was gone and there was no way to get him back again.
‘And your parents? That must have been devastating for them.’
‘My mum died when I was fifteen. Johnny had a different mother, but she didn’t stick around long after he was born, so Dad pretty much raised him.
Dad didn’t take it very well,’ she said. Although Cash had rarely seen her father after she’d turned seventeen, she’d kept in touch with her younger brother and tried everything to encourage Johnny to take a different path to their father, one that involved getting a real job and avoiding the dirty money of illegal crime, but the lure of bikes and proving himself to his father had been too strong. Even though she’d always expected to hear that her brother was in trouble, she hadn’t expected that he’d be killed in a drive-by shooting. He’d been nineteen years old. He’d had his whole life ahead of him. Her father’s arrest a year later for a retaliation killing just made an unbearable situation worse.
Her family was nothing to be terribly proud of and thinking about them brought back a slew of insecurities. How could she tell a woman like Lavinia, who had raised her family with so much love and devotion, that her alcoholic, drug-dependent mother had died of an overdose and she’d had to live with her bikie outlaw father? The Callahans’ life was so far removed from her own that she may as well be a different species.
‘I’m very sorry to hear that, Cash,’ Lavinia said, touching her arm gently.
A swift stab of emotion hit Cash square in the chest and she blinked hard to keep the tears at bay. Cash forced a bright smile to her lips. ‘Well, if you’re ready, we can get you set up in the room.’
Lavinia looked like she wanted to say more, but instead she put on a matching smile and gave a nod.
Cash took pride in all her treatments, but Lavinia Callahan was the kind of person who took care of everyone else first, and today Cash wanted to make sure she was well and truly pampered.
Seventeen
Linc pulled up outside Cash’s house and turned off the engine. He hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her since their last meeting. He’d been caught a few times, his mind wandering while he worked. He needed to stop doing that. His father had wanted to know what was going on, and he didn’t want Griff to start asking questions. Griff … the thought of his brother was enough to snap him out of his schoolboy daydreaming. He felt like an arsehole. The last thing he wanted to do was drive the wedge any deeper between him and Griff, and even though he did feel a little bit guilty over sleeping with the woman his brother had a thing for, he wasn’t doing anything technically wrong. Surely Griff had to man up and face the fact that Cash just wasn’t that into him? Under normal circumstances any woman Griff would have been interested in would never had interested Linc. That was why this was so weird. Cash was not Griff’s type. He had no business being interested in her. If he’d just stuck to the usual kind of women he favoured—the shy, quiet type—then they wouldn’t be in this situation to start with.