The Wrong Callahan

by Karly Lane

  Harvesting was in full swing and this year there was extra pressure to get it done. The wedding was drawing closer and there was still a lot of preparation to be done once they got the wheat in.

  He’d spent the morning fuelling and degreasing the headers and blowing out the filters before going out on the chaser bin. His job was to follow the headers in order to fill up the bin with harvested seed. Every now and then Linc would swap with Griffin to drive the old header, while his brother oversaw the other workers sorting the grain, instructing them to keep what was needed, then to run it through the cleaner for next year’s seed. The days were busy, and Griff and the other men worked long into the nights to keep things on track.

  He’d thought about staying to help … briefly. The memory of Cash’s skin, soft and warm against his, the way her eyes had watched him, half-closed and sleepy looking, the sound of her breath near his ear as she sighed and moaned … Linc reached for the door and opened it. Yeah, there was no way he was staying away.

  As he walked towards the front door, he smiled at the flash of anger she’d shown him in the general store earlier today. She was even beautiful when she was angry. Although she hadn’t been able to hold on to her anger for too long; maybe he was a little too cocky, but he was pretty sure he had the same kind of effect on her as she had on him. This morning he’d noticed her breathing had gotten decidedly heavier when they’d almost touched. She was not as cool, calm and collected as she’d have liked him to believe; he’d bet his life on it.

  He heard footsteps approaching the door after he knocked briefly and waited. When it opened, he lost a tiny bit of his bravado. Christ, she was beautiful. He gave himself a mental shake and plastered the smile back on his face. ‘Hi.’

  ‘Hi. I wasn’t sure you were still coming over.’

  He wondered if she was annoyed with him, but he could see the tiny pulse fluttering at the base of her throat and he knew she was trying to hide her own nerves. ‘Sorry, it took longer than I thought to finish up this afternoon.’

  As she stepped back to allow him to come inside, Linc paused as he came level with her just inside the front door. He felt her go still as he lowered his head, his mouth hovering a breath away from hers for the briefest of moments before moving across her lips. It was only supposed to be the lightest of kisses, a greeting really, but the instant his mouth touched hers it started an inferno. Her arms snaked around his neck, bringing him closer, and his hands immediately went to her hips, pulling them tight against his own.

  Cash couldn’t feel where she ended and Linc began once they were locked together in the kind of kiss that romance books would have described as ‘bone-melting’. They’d barely made it through the front door. She’d been attracted to men before—God knows she’d had her fair share of lust-induced sexual encounters—but it had never been like this. It had never been this potent. The man was like … she couldn’t actually think of what he was like, he was doing things to her lower lip that short-circuited her brain. The tongue-and-groove wooden panels of the hallway behind her felt cool against the bare skin of her shoulders, and it was a stark contrast to the heat their bodies created pressed so firmly together.

  Cash untangled her arms from her top as Linc tugged it up over her head, his big hands splaying across her midsection and his mouth doing delectable things to the side of her neck. Impatient hands tugged at his shirt, and while he lifted his head to dispose of the garment, she ran her fingers through his dark chest hair, smiling as he gave a small shudder as she traced her nails along the ridges of his rib cage, following the path of narrowing hair that dipped low beneath the waist of his jeans.

  They were making out like a pair of lust-filled teenagers and she didn’t care. Not one iota. He could take her right here in the hallway and she wouldn’t even care. This was not what a nice boy would do. A nice boy would sit and have coffee, maybe a Tim Tam or two, before politely making out. At least that’s what she assumed would happen … she didn’t actually know for certain.

  Linc slid his hands down her smooth thighs before cupping them in his hands and lifting her in his arms. The action made her gasp and forget all about good boys. Right now, with her legs wrapped around the waist of the sexiest man she’d ever known, she could barely even remember her name. It was pointless even trying to fight this. Just one more time and then she’d call this thing off …

  Linc felt like he’d just done a five-k march with a forty-kilo pack. His chest was heaving in an effort to catch his breath as he floated in the afterglow of the second most amazing sex he’d ever had. He wasn’t proud of the fact he hadn’t even waited until they’d left the hallway before he’d practically jumped her … Okay, he was a little proud. Anyone would think he’d been a monk for the last decade the way he lost control around this woman. He seriously needed to show her that he could seduce and woo with the best of them.

  ‘This has to stop,’ she said from beside him.

  ‘What does?’

  ‘This,’ she said turning her head on the pillow to face him.

  ‘Did I hurt you?’ he asked, suddenly worried. They’d been pretty full on as they’d made their way to the bedroom. He was pretty sure he’d have the odd bruise where he’d knocked a hip on the doorway in their lust-filled hurry to get to the bed.

  ‘What? No. It’s not that … it’s …’

  ‘The bad boy thing,’ he finished, realising what she was getting at. ‘I don’t know how many times I have to tell you, I’m not the kind of guy you think I am.’

  Hearing her sigh made him a little annoyed. He’d never had a woman react to him like this. He wasn’t trying to be a bad boy, or whatever she thought he was. He liked women … a lot. He always had; hell, he loved women. He loved everything about them: their smell, their soft skin, the sounds they made. But he didn’t get off on how many hearts he could break or lying just to get a woman into bed. He’d been raised with two sisters, a mother and a dad who’d taught him to respect women. The fact that she still saw him as some kind of ‘love ’em and leave ’em’ bad boy really irked him.

  ‘You’re not the Tim-Tam-and-coffee type.’

  ‘The what?’

  ‘You know, someone you meet and invite over to have coffee. Someone you get to know first before you have sex.’ Linc looked at her silently for a few moments. Okay, so she had him there; he didn’t usually go on coffee dates with women, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t. ‘I like Tim Tams and coffee.’

  The dry glance she shot him spoke volumes.

  ‘Seriously … In fact, if I had Tim Tams right now I’d like to rub them all over your body and lick—’

  ‘See! It’s just not you.’

  ‘Jeez. Okay then, fine. We can have Tim Tams and just dunk them in coffee if you want to be boring about it. But I think my idea is better,’ he told her, quietly confident.

  Linc let his gaze roam across her still flushed face and felt a kick in his chest. He really liked this woman … more than he cared to acknowledge. It should have scared the hell out of him, but it didn’t. Not yet anyway. It was such a strange sensation that he allowed himself to mull it over quietly for a while. Right here, right now in this moment, he liked the way everything felt … except maybe the fact Cash thought he wasn’t coffee-drinking-date-worthy. ‘I am more than just a good lay, you know,’ he told her, hoping to lighten the quiet reflection that seemed to be happening between them. ‘I can do witty conversation.’

  ‘Really?’ she said dryly.

  ‘What do you want to talk about? Local politics? National politics? World politics? I can tell you some of the best places to travel to and I can definitely tell you the places to stay clear of.’

  Cash smiled a little at that and he felt the knot of apprehension that had begun to form inside him slowly begin to unwind. ‘Tell me about growing up here,’ she said after a brief hesitation.

  Linc hadn’t been expecting that, but he put one arm behind his head and held her hand with the other, linking his fingers throug
h hers. ‘Not much to tell really. I was never into farming the way Dad and Griff are. We all had to pull our weight growing up, though, so I did it, but I knew I didn’t want to do it my whole life.’

  ‘Did you always know you wanted to join the army?’

  ‘Yep,’ he said without hesitation, staring at their joined hands. ‘Ever since I was a little kid.’

  ‘Was your dad disappointed about you not wanting to be a farmer?’

  ‘Yeah. I think for a long while he always thought I’d come around, you know?’ he said, looking over at her. ‘But he couldn’t talk me out of joining up and I was out of here the minute I was old enough.’

  ‘Was it so bad out here?’

  ‘Nah,’ he said, shaking his head slowly. ‘I didn’t hate it, not really. I think I just didn’t appreciate it back then, not the way I do now anyway. I wanted adventure and excitement and there’s not much of that out here. But it wasn’t bad. As far as childhoods go, it was pretty cool actually. I was lucky.’

  ‘Yes, you were,’ she said softly. He wanted to ask her what she meant but he could tell from the look on her face that she’d already closed the door on any questions.

  ‘How many girlfriends did you leave behind out here when you left?’

  ‘None actually.’ Linc chuckled at her dubious look. ‘Seriously.’

  ‘I find that extremely hard to believe.’

  ‘Well, believe it. I could barely string two words together in front of a girl when I was a teenager.’

  ‘So what happened?’

  ‘The army, I guess. Once I found my niche, my confidence grew, and I suppose all the training helped fill me out a bit.’

  ‘The uniform no doubt helped,’ she added.

  ‘I don’t know—I’m told I look better out of it,’ he said with a smug grin.

  ‘And so the stud was born,’ she announced sarcastically.

  ‘What about you?’

  ‘What about me?’ she asked, but he detected the slight wariness to her tone and was curious.

  ‘Where did you get your siren talents from?’

  Her eyebrow kicked up at that. ‘Siren?’

  ‘Yeah, you know like in the old fairytales, beautiful women who lure men.’

  ‘Oh right. Yeah, that’s what I do.’

  ‘You lured me,’ he said, tugging her hand and bringing her closer.

  ‘I guess I just have a special skill in attracting a certain type of guy … like bait … I’m like a prawn.’

  ‘You look and smell a whole lot better than any prawn I’ve ever seen,’ he murmured against her neck, knowing the effect it seemed to have on her and smiling against her skin at the low moan that followed.

  ‘Maybe I should change bait,’ she murmured.

  ‘Wouldn’t matter what you used, you’ve caught me hook, line and sinker.’

  ‘Please tell me that line has never worked on a woman before?’

  ‘I could, but—’

  ‘—then you’d have to kill me.’

  ‘It’s working, isn’t it?’ he said between kisses.

  ‘It wasn’t the line.’

  ‘Sure it wasn’t,’ he agreed, enjoying the way her heart rate picked up as he rolled and positioned himself above her. His own heart skipped a beat as he looked down at her long, dark hair spread out on the pillow around her head. She might not be a mermaid, but there was something about this woman that drew him into the depths of her bottomless, greeny-brown eyes. They acted on him like some ethereal dark forest beckoning him to lose himself in its mystery.

  It was official. He’d lost his freakin’ mind.

  Eighteen

  This was crazy. Crazy good, but still crazy. If this wasn’t what she wanted, and she was so concerned that she shouldn’t be doing it, then why was she still doing it? Linc had ended up staying the entire night, not that they’d gotten much sleep, but he’d set the alarm to leave early so he’d get home before he had to start work. There was a moment just after he’d turned the alarm off, as they lay snuggled together, that Cash had felt utter contentment. Linc hadn’t said anything, but she’d known he was awake, she could feel his steady breathing against her back. Was he enjoying the warm cosy feeling too, or was he frantically trying to figure out how to chew his arm off so as not to wake her up and have to talk to her? She knew that was unfair—Linc wouldn’t have stayed all night if he’d wanted to avoid the awkward morning chitchat after a casual fling. When his alarm had gone off, he’d kissed her temple before sliding from the bed, and a few moments later she’d heard the front door softly close behind him.

  She may have been guilty of making bad decisions in her past, but she’d never stayed in a relationship if she hadn’t wanted to be there. So why was this so different? Maybe it’s not as wrong as you’re making out. The little voice of reason wasn’t totally lost on her. It had occurred to her, briefly. Maybe Linc wasn’t as bad as she’d first thought, but he was still one of those guys who didn’t seem likely to settle down in a cute little country cottage with a garden and a wife. Cash stopped folding the towels and frowned. Was that even what she wanted? When had she decided she wanted the exact same life Savannah had? Sure, she loved it out here, but when had the white picket fence and guy in an Akubra entered the picture?

  Linc was hardly the domesticated type. He might not be in the military anymore, called away at the drop of a hat and gone for months on end, but he did have a business that would regularly take him out of the country and potentially put him in dangerous situations. At best, their relationship would be mostly long distance, with brief catch-ups when his schedule allowed. Even if he did stay exclusive to her and wanted a relationship, it was hardly a settled kind of relationship. Was that what she wanted?

  Was it really worth continuing? It wasn’t a one-night stand, but only barely. There wasn’t likely any future in it. And yet when she was around him all her commonsense and logic flew out the window. When she was with him, she didn’t care about how pointless it was—and that scared her. He was becoming a habit she didn’t want to give up.

  Her phone dinged a few minutes later and she gave a weary chuckle when she saw it was from Linc.

  You. Me. Tonight. You supply the coffee. I’ll bring the Tim Tams.

  So all you want is a coffee date? she typed back.

  Coffee and Tim Tams. No funny business. I hope you’re not thinking of taking advantage of me?

  Cash rolled her eyes at that but smiled. Wouldn’t dream of it. See you tonight.

  Yep, way to put a stop to it. After tonight. Definitely.

  The nights fell into a pretty regular pattern. Linc came over after work, occasionally later at night after a family meal, and stayed until his alarm clock went off, ready to head home and work with his father and brother. After the first couple of mornings, Cash broached the subject of his family, wondering if they’d asked him where he was all night.

  ‘I don’t think they know I’ve been out all night,’ he said, easing down on the lounge next to her with his glass of bourbon, wearing only a pair of jeans he’d pulled on after they’d gotten out of bed to have a nightcap. ‘They think I’ve been sleeping over at Griff’s place. He reckons the paint fumes are worth the peace and quiet until the guests start arriving.’

  ‘Surely they have to suspect? What do you tell them when you leave after dinner?’

  ‘That I’m going out.’

  ‘And they don’t ask where you’re going?’

  ‘I’m not seventeen, Cash,’ he grinned at her before taking a sip of his drink.

  ‘But surely your parents want to spend time with you?’ ‘It’s the middle of harvest, with Christmas just around the corner, and a week after that is my celebrity sister’s wedding, being held at Stringybark, attended by other celebrities … My mother has a few more pressing matters to worry about than spending time with me and asking where I’ve been.’

  ‘She loves having you home.’

  ‘At any other time of the year, I wouldn’t be able to get away
for a single minute by myself, but this year it’s crazytown at home and I’m doing my best to keep my head down.’

  ‘Has Griff said anything about you disappearing?’

  ‘Nope. He’s been too busy being a damn martyr to notice anything else.’

  It worried her that for such a close family, Griff and Linc clearly had some issues. ‘What’s going on with you two? Is it because of me? You haven’t told him about … this, have you?’

  ‘This?’ he lifted an eyebrow.

  ‘Us,’ she amended almost grudgingly. She wasn’t entirely sure what this thing they had going was supposed to be.

  ‘So there is an “us”, then?’

  The slight self-satisfaction to his tone only caused her frown to deepen.

  ‘You’re trying to deflect my question.’

  ‘The way you’re trying to deflect mine?’ he shot back.

  ‘Fine, don’t answer. I just want to make sure I’m not causing any problems between you and your brother.’

  She heard Linc let out a long breath beside her. ‘You’re not the reason Griff and I have issues. I’m not sure why we always manage to rub each other the wrong way. I come home and vow we’re gonna put everything behind us, but every time it just kinda gravitates back to us pissing each other off.’

  ‘Something has to spark it off.’