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The rain didn’t let up for another week. On Wednesday, Ana was enjoying another quiet lunchtime with Meg, the children distracted by Wreck-It Ralph, when a flower delivery arrived. The young lady from the nursery knocked and entered Meg’s classroom with a beautiful white orchid in a blue glazed pot.
Surprised but flattered, Ana stroked the pretty bloom.
‘Wow, it’s gorgeous,’ Meg said as Ana reached for the card. ‘Liam’s awfully sweet. Is it a special occasion?’
‘Not that I know of. But I do love orchids. I used to ...’
She trailed off as she read the note. A special gift for my special lady. Thinking of you. Ana’s heart lodged in her throat. No. It couldn’t be.
‘Ana?’ Concern filled Meg’s voice. ‘Are you okay?’
Swallowing, she met Meg’s gaze. ‘Rick used to send me orchids.’
Her friend’s eyes widened. ‘Do you think ...?’
‘I don’t know.’ Shaking her head, Ana reread the note. It wasn’t Liam’s handwriting. Her heart pounded. She couldn’t move. Had Rick found her? Was he in town? Was he waiting?
Meg placed her hand on Ana’s arm. ‘Call Liam.’
Nodding, Ana stood. She left the orchid with Meg and slipped out the door on legs that felt like jelly. In her classroom, her hands shook as she fumbled through her bag to find her phone. The handwriting was likely someone’s from the nursery, but she had to check.
The phone rang, but Liam didn’t answer. Everything inside Ana tightened. ‘It’s okay. Don’t panic. Do not panic.’
It could just be a coincidence. He’d been at the nursery, seen the orchid, and thought she’d like it. That’s all. He loved plants, so it wouldn’t be unusual if he’d stopped by.
But her hands still shook as she opened her text messages. She didn’t want to ask if he’d sent it because that could lead to questions and she didn’t want Liam to feel bad about scaring her. Instead, she sent: Thank you for the flower.
She waited a few minutes, but Liam didn’t reply. Closing her eyes, Ana tried to steady her pounding heart with some breathing techniques she’d learned in yoga.
Rick couldn’t have found her. If he had, he wouldn’t have given himself away by sending her an orchid. She was being silly.
But she kept her phone on her as she returned to Meg’s classroom.
‘What did he say?’
‘Didn’t answer. But I think he was heading out to High Ridge this afternoon. Do they have reception out there?’
‘Yes, but maybe he’s just busy. I’m sure it’s okay, Ana. Seeing a pretty orchid and sending it to you sounds like something Liam would do.’
She nodded. Meg was right. Would she be freaking out if the orchid had been roses or sunflowers?
But why wasn’t the note signed?
It wasn’t until she pulled up outside Riley Road shops after work that a message came through. Meg had insisted that they visit the hairdresser. Not that there was anything Ana wanted to have done, but a trim wouldn’t hurt.
She opened the message. No worries. I thought you’d like it.
Ana sagged with relief. Running her hand down her face, she glanced over at the orchid riding on the passenger seat and smiled. ‘Silly me.’
Climbing out of the car, she joined Meg beneath the shop’s awning. ‘Liam sent it!’
Meg’s shoulders softened. ‘Thank God! You actually had me worried!’
Ana managed a laugh. ‘Yeah, me too.’
But as they entered the hairdresser, Ana couldn’t shake the small ball of dread at the bottom of her belly. It’d been almost eight weeks since Rick had been released and she’d become complacent. She may have a wonderful new life, but she could lose it all in a blink of an eye if he found her.
‘Hi, ladies. Be with you in a sec,’ Claire Taylor said when they entered the salon.
Meg sat and waved her hand. ‘Take your time.’
Ana forced herself to relax as she glanced around. It was set up like any other hairdresser Ana had been to, with a couple of chairs placed before large mirrors, washbasins at the back, and shelves of shampoo lining the window.
‘This is a cute place.’
‘Yeah, Claire’s done well for herself.’
Ana had seen Claire a few times at yoga and she lived with Grace White and Jessica Smithfield at Jackson Villas. They’d exchanged pleasantries many times when Ana and Louis had returned from their walk.
Claire finished with her customer, then gestured Ana and Meg into chairs. ‘Who wants to go first?’
‘Meg can. She knows what she wants.’
‘Just a trim, thanks, Claire. I want to keep it shoulder length, but what do you think about adding another layer?’
‘Hmm ...’ Claire examined Meg’s wavy blonde hair. ‘I don’t know. It might increase curl and make your hair bigger.’
‘That’s what I thought. And I like it as it is. Just do whatever you want.’
Claire pulled her trolley closer and reached for the spray bottle. ‘I thought you were going to let it grow.’
‘Yeah, but we know that never happens.’
‘Fair enough. How are things anyway? Georgina was in the other day ranting about Adam and Paul causing trouble again.’
‘Yeah, it’s the usual story. Adam and Jordan were on again.’
Claire’s lip curled. ‘I’ve never understood what he sees in her.’
‘Me neither.’
‘She’s bloody mean and treats people like shit. Always has.’ Claire glanced at Ana. ‘Meg, Jordan, and I went to school together.’
Meg met Ana’s gaze in the mirror. ‘There aren’t many girls in town who like her, as you may have guessed.’
‘And she’s the ultimate boyfriend thief,’ Claire said, reaching for a comb and scissors. ‘Possessive, controlling, and I’ve never met anyone more self-centred. She manipulates people to get what she wants, has no boundaries, and even tried to steal Adam off Grace when they were dating. But he didn’t stray.’
‘Lots of people say bad things about Adam, but he’s a decent guy,’ Meg said as Claire began cutting her hair. ‘I know you once thought so, Claire.’
She smiled. ‘Yeah, sometimes you need to find out what all the fuss is about.’
Ana laughed. ‘Well, despite his bad boy rep, I think he’s all right,’ she agreed, even though her body still tensed whenever he and the Kellys started mouthing off at each other.
Claire raised her eyebrow. ‘Yeah?’
‘Yeah.’ Her eyes widened. ‘But oh, not like that!’
‘Ana’s dating Liam,’ Meg said.
Claire’s shoulders softened. ‘I was going to say. Because I had Deb in here last week telling me all about that.’
Heat rose in Ana’s cheeks. She could only imagine what Deborah must have said. Thankfully, they didn’t remain on that subject for long as Claire asked Ana how she was enjoying Elizadale and they continued to chat during their haircuts.
‘That was fun,’ Ana said when they left, the rain having granted them a moment’s grace. ‘Your hair looks lovely.’
Meg fiddled with the end of her blonde waves. ‘Thanks. Yours does too. You off to pick up Louis?’
‘Yeah. Let’s make a run for it while the weather’s being friendly.’
They dashed towards their cars, water splashing up their legs as they called cheery goodbyes. Ana slipped inside, smiled at the pretty orchid, and checked her reflection again in the rear-vision mirror. Her hair hung a few inches past her shoulders and smelled clean and fruity from the product Claire had used.
Feeling refreshed, Ana pulled onto Abbott Street and headed for Liam’s. The gates were open, so she drove on through, smiling as Liam stepped onto the verandah flanked by the border collies.
‘Hey, Ana!’
‘Hey.’ He held his arms out for her and she fell into his embrace. ‘Thank you for my present. How did you know I love orchids?’
His chest rumbled with a laugh. ‘Who doesn’t like orchids?’
‘True. They are pretty.’ She’d planned to tell him how the coincidence had scared her, but now it seemed irrelevant. ‘How are you?’
‘Much better now. You smell incredible.’
‘I just visited Claire Taylor. She put something in my hair, but I don’t know what it is.’
‘Pity.’ He placed a kiss in her hair. Ana smiled as she buried her face against his shoulder and wrapped her arms around his waist. ‘Want to come in?’
She wanted to, but since he was already lapping her up, Ana knew better. ‘Where I’ll end up wearing nothing but my beautiful hair?’
‘Well, yeah.’
She grinned. His hands brushed up and down her back, heating her blood and accelerating her pulse. ‘Not right now,’ she said, even though she had no idea why. ‘But if you come over for dinner, I’ll strip down for dessert.’
‘Okay. But I’m going to keep you close and distract you while you’re cooking.’
He would too. Liam would like nothing more than to seduce her onto the kitchen floor. She might even let him.
‘If I burn dinner, it’ll be your fault.’
‘I’ll eat it anyway.’
‘Okay, deal.’
They released each other and Liam grabbed his keys while Ana settled the dogs into his LandCruiser and gathered her things from her car. As they pulled onto Station Drive, the rain returned to hammer fiercely on the windscreen.
Ana sighed miserably. ‘I knew I wouldn’t get home before it started again. My poor hair!’
‘It’s just water.’ Liam flashed her a sexy grin and squeezed her knee. ‘It’ll give us an excuse to get undressed.’
She playfully shoved his hand away. ‘Don’t think you’re going to convince me. I said after dinner.’
‘Oh, I think I could convince you.’
‘Yeah?’
‘Yeah.’
Ana ignored him and turned her attention out the window. Was that a challenge? If so, how long would it take for her to surrender?
Probably not long.
Liam pulled up outside Jackson Villas and Ana unclipped her seatbelt.
‘I’ll get the door if you get the dogs,’ she said, jumping out of the car and hugging the potted orchid to her chest as she dashed towards the safety of her front patio. But she didn’t get far before Liam grabbed her around the waist. Ana shrieked as he spun her around and smothered her protests with a hot, steamy kiss. Rain ran down her face, saturating her, but Ana didn’t care. She kissed him back, the pot pressing between them as their clothes soaked and stuck. His fingers dug into her wet hair and he drew in her lower lip. Ana sighed, accepting defeat as she brushed her tongue against his.
Liam pulled away, his blue eyes gleaming. ‘Aww, baby. You’re all wet.’
She laughed. God, he was cheeky. ‘Get the dogs.’
Liam returned to the car while Ana dashed for cover, pulling open her conveniently unlocked screen door as she fumbled for her keys.
‘You really should lock that,’ Liam said.
‘Nah, too many locks then.’
Liam shook his head as they stepped inside and Ana followed the dogs, hoping to get to the back door before Liam caught her in another passionate embrace. She placed the orchid on the kitchen bench and unclipped their leads. ‘Stay out of trouble, you two.’
Tongues lolling, Steph and Louis ran out into the rain. Ana shook her head. Turning, she met Liam’s gaze and a wave of desire flooded through her. He gathered her close and she softened, gripping his strong forearms. He looked good with his hair wet, water droplets on his forehead, and his T-shirt moulded to his finely formed body.
Screw dinner.
His mouth descended and Ana clutched him tight. Clearly, the only smart thing to do was to get out of their wet clothes. He trailed kisses down her throat and she gripped his waist, wanting his skin against hers. Heat burned in her thighs as her hands slipped up the front of his shirt, his warm muscles rippling beneath her touch.
‘You win, Liam. Let’s get out of these clothes.’
‘Told you I’d win.’
‘Shut up.’ She pulled his shirt off over his head. It landed on the floor with a wet plop as her hands splayed across his chest.
He gathered her to him, squishing Ana’s arms between their bodies as his mouth found hers. Heat flooded her. They kissed with a hunger that was almost primal and blindly stumbled into the table. Then his hands slid under her butt and she found herself perched on the edge of the glass surface.
Her heart pounded, causing blood to rush south. Liam’s fingers brushed over the waistband of her pants and found the skin beneath her blouse, trailing the grooves of her spine. Sparks shot through her. She moaned, her back arching as his hands ran around her hips to her belly. One by one, the buttons of her blouse popped open before he peeled it from her shoulders. She wrapped her legs around his waist and clung, tearing her mouth away to catch her breath.
‘We should go upstairs. I don’t know about this glass table and I’d hate to explain to the Rileys if we broke it.’
Liam wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her up. ‘It’d be a funny story.’
She laughed. ‘Just get me upstairs.’
Ana captured his face in her hands and kissed him again, not caring about the distraction as he crossed to the staircase. But a few steps up, Liam lost his footing. Her stomach plummeted. Shrieking, she clung to him. He tightened his grip on her with one arm and reached for the banister with the other.
‘Shit.’
He blew out his breath. ‘Sorry, baby.’
‘Just put me down.’ She unwrapped her legs and he set her on the stairs, kneeling beside her. ‘That was close.’
‘Should we get up and walk?’
Ana grinned. ‘No, I want you now.’
Taking control, she reached for the button of his shorts and flipped it open. Liam didn’t protest as he pulled her from her own pants and underwear. He grabbed protection from his wallet, then tossed it and his shorts over the banister as she flipped their positions. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she straddled him and helped get them ready.
‘I don’t think ...’ He reached for her knee and tried to help her find a position.
‘We can do it. I just ...’
‘Here.’ In one movement, he had her there and Ana took him, lowering herself slowly enough to tease and torture. Pleasure she’d never felt before engulfed her. Liam’s hands were everywhere, holding her close and running over her satin bra until his fingers twisted into her hair. He pulled her close for a kiss.
Their hearts hammered as they worked towards their peak. Ana fell first, her body exploding over his. Her fingers dug into his flesh as Liam found his own and she rode him through it, his grip tightening around her hair until her scalp ached.
Afterwards, Ana rested her chin on his shoulder and tried to catch her breath. Never had she needed someone so badly that she couldn’t even make it up the stairs.
‘That was pretty crazy,’ he said.
She smiled, brushing her hands up and down his back. Gathering her strength, she lifted her head and met his amused gaze. ‘Totally. But I think we should try sex in other places before we return to the stairs.’
‘Should we try the shower next?’
‘What? Now?’
‘Well, we are wet.’
Ana sighed. Would they ever get to dinner? Did it matter if they didn’t? Probably, since she’d be hungry, but they’d worry about that later.
‘All right.’
They dashed up the stairs.