Xander was drained and drowsy as he sat with a cup of coffee at his desk in the penthouse. Jenny had talked incessantly about the wombat and her animals at home until she went to bed. As much as he loved his sister, he wondered how his parents managed all day, every day, with only occasional respite. Feeling guilty that his tired brain had thrown up such disloyal thoughts, he decided he would offer to have her visit him more often. Shorter stays than this one, maybe, but he could set aside three days every month or two, give his parents a break and enjoy some quality time with his sister.
Operating on automatic, he reached for a pen to sign off on another completed job. His injured hand knocked the desk lamp and he bit off a low-voiced oath, aware that Jenny hadn’t long stopped crooning.
How the hell was he supposed to sign off on anything when he could barely hold a pen? Glaring at the heavy bandaging, he picked up the pen in his left hand. Signing his name was such a basic action, but changing hands required him to rethink the process. He changed the angle of the paper, hunched his shoulder and rested his right hand on top of the page to hold it still. Laboriously, he wrote his name, and when he finished and looked at the signature, he tossed the pen down in disgust. He couldn’t hold a pen and write his name or even hold Flick properly, not in the way he wanted to.
No sooner had his thoughts turned to her than frustrated desire called up the image of her eating that damned biscuit this afternoon. But for Jenny’s presence, he would have taken her in his arms and kissed her and eased the need that had taken up permanent residence in him since last night. Before he knew he was doing it, he’d picked up the phone and pressed her number in his contacts.
The phone rang several times before he glanced at the time display on the microwave. It was after ten o’clock and disappointment filled him. Maybe she was on a split shift or maybe she was already in bed or—
‘Hello.’ Her voice curled around his frustration and disappointment and blew them away. But she sounded a little distracted.
‘Flick, hi. I didn’t wake you, did I?’
‘No. I was researching lavender for a new recipe. What’s up? Is Jenny okay?’
He wasn’t sure why he’d called her; only that the desire to talk to her was strong. If he was honest, he needed to hold her and indulge in some serious kissing before his brain exploded with memory of her taste and the feel of her pressed against his chest. ‘A bout of crooning herself to sleep, probably because I said no about the wombat, but all good now. Fancy a late-night coffee or something?’
‘Sure. I’ll be there in ten minutes.’
***
Slipping into the resort via the kitchen was easy with her security pass. Flick made her way up to the penthouse apartment, pleased when she reached it without meeting anyone. Staying off everyone’s radar was important to her. Xander had been agreeable, but she wondered just how easy discretion was going to be to maintain.
As the lift doors opened, he was waiting in the open doorway of his apartment. ‘Hi.’
‘Hi, yourself.’ She crossed the tiled foyer and stretched up to give him a quick kiss.
Clearly ‘quick’ wasn’t in Xander’s vocabulary—not when it came to kissing her. He drew her into a one-armed hug and kissed her. His lips covered hers, his tongue teasing her to open to him. The sense of urgency, of need, of desire sent seismic tremors rippling in her belly. She gripped his shoulders before sliding her arms around his neck. One hand tunnelled into his hair, holding his head as she lost herself in a world of sensory overload.
When he lifted his mouth from hers, they were both breathing harder than usual. Her eyes opened slowly. Desire burned brightly in his gaze as she took a slow breath. ‘Wow, where did that come from? Not that I’m complaining, but that was some hello.’
‘I’m glad to see you. I wanted to kiss you today up at the lookout.’ He tugged gently on her hand and drew her into the apartment, closing the door behind with a push from his foot.
‘That would have been counterproductive with Jenny looking on. She’d have had us married and with a family …’
He glanced towards a closed door.
Jenny’s bedroom?
Flick sensed tension in the frown that appeared on his brow. Why had she opened her mouth and let the elephant into the room? ‘Is that why you wanted to see me? Did you have trouble explaining to her why you kissed me yesterday?’
‘No, that’s not it. I just—wanted to kiss you.’
‘You sounded a bit stressed on the phone. Can I do anything to help?’
‘You already have.’
‘How?’
His gaze dropped to her lips before he pulled her close and laid a trail of kisses from one ear to her mouth. ‘Kissing, baking—we each have our forms of stress relief.’
Distracted by his warm breath on her skin, she tipped her head, offering him better access to the sensitive spot below her ear. ‘Are you saying you’re using me—as a distraction?’
‘Not using you. You are a distraction, in the best possible way. I think I’m only just realising how challenging not touching you is going to be.’
‘You’re touching me now.’
‘Ah yes, but remember that neat little proviso you set? The anticipation when we’re in public will likely kill me.’
‘Or sharpen your appetite.’ She hadn’t intended to drive them both to distraction, but it seemed that was an unintended consequence of her relationship rule. ‘Is that a bad thing?’
He groaned and pointed at some papers on his desk. ‘I was trying to work, but all I could think about was you.’
She looked at the topmost paper and drew it closer. ‘Is this meant to be your signature? It looks like chicken scratchings.’
‘I’m wounded to the core. That’s my best attempt with my left hand.’ He sighed and leaned his forehead against hers. ‘Until you lose something you don’t realise how much you take it for granted.’
That was true about what she’d lost—family, home, certainty. Not that she’d taken them for granted; only the fact that they’d always be there for her …
Until they weren’t.
Easing out of his arms, she slipped around the island bench. ‘I’ll put the kettle on, unless you prefer something stronger?’
‘I’d better not. Coffee please.’
She busied herself in the kitchen, trying to turn her thoughts back to just how good Xander’s kisses were instead of brooding over what she had lost. Learning to live in the present was a skill she hadn’t mastered. She wondered if she ever would. ‘How was Jenny tonight?’
‘Finding the wombat and then having to leave it set her off. She crooned herself to sleep in the end.’
‘That must have been distressing for both of you. Does it happen often?’
‘Not as often as it used to. She seems to have grown up since I was home last time. The day we met—’
‘When your car wiped out Ruby—’
‘Yes. I was worried Jenny would have a meltdown when I turned up in the hire car because she had been fixating on my silver BMW. I suspect it was the cup holder, or maybe the display screen that fascinated her. But she was excited about going for a drive in a car with no roof.’
‘Is she keen to get home to her parents?’
‘I think she will be, even though she’s done lots of fun things here. Going for a short trek on a horse was the biggie on her wish list, but now I think cooking with you may be the highlight of her holiday. Thanks for being so generous. I appreciate it, more than I can say.’
‘I’ve enjoyed teaching her. She’s a lovely young woman. You must be very proud of her.’ Flick poured boiling water into two mugs, added milk and carried them out onto the balcony. She set the mugs on the white cane coffee table and then sat beside Xander on the two-seater sofa. ‘When do you take Jenny to the airport?’
‘The day after tomorrow at eleven o’clock. It will be her first flight alone. Mum will be at the gate waiting for her at the other end.’
‘So, what have you planned for her tomorrow? Will there be time for one more cooking lesson?’
‘I’m taking her on the catamaran cruise along the coast in the morning. Maybe she could pop into the kitchen in the afternoon, between packing and a swim in the pool. I don’t want her to be too tired before the flight home.’ He sipped his coffee before setting the mug on the table. With his good hand, he covered her free one. ‘I’d like to take you out sailing one day soon. Would you like that, Flick?’
‘On a catamaran—yeah. I grew up near the water, remember?’
‘Does that mean you know how to handle a boat?’
‘Sails, motor—if it floats, I’ll love it.’
‘Excellent. Once Jenny’s gone home and I can hold more than a toothbrush in my hand, I’ll take you sailing up the coast. I know several secluded spots where the water’s clear and the swimming is pretty safe.’
‘Secluded sounds—promising. You know, if it wasn’t for your car being stolen, we’d never have met.’ It was the first time in her life she’d understood the meaning of a silver lining to every cloud.
‘I thank my lucky stars for cosmic coincidence.’ Xander smiled and began kissing her again, slow, drugging kisses full of promise and intent. Kisses that she dared hope would be on tap for a very long time. Was she wishing on a star, thinking of staying in Rainbow Cove beyond the insurance payout for Ruby?
By the time Xander released her, she was fairly certain she didn’t want to move on again. Working for Christophe and perhaps one day being confident enough to move in with Xander felt possible. She reached for her coffee and drank a mouthful of the now-tepid brew. ‘Why did you really invite me over tonight?’
He quirked an eyebrow and a wry smile tugged up one corner of his mouth. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, his hand lingered on her cheek. ‘If I tell you, I’ll be handing over a powerful secret.’
‘I’m very good as a keeper of secrets, you know.’
‘In that case—I couldn’t go another hour without kissing you. If you hadn’t come, it would have been almost forty-eight hours. I couldn’t survive until tomorrow night.’
Her qualms about a relationship with Xander, sensible or not, disappeared with his admission. Xander was proving to be wonderfully good for her self-confidence but his kisses were both motivation to be with him and the biggest test of her decision to avoid going out in public.
Public. So long as they kept their relationship out of the spotlight, so long as no one knew about them, maybe she could relax and just enjoy time with Xander. Time … And kisses that made her crazy world make sense.
‘I’m glad you called.’
‘Shall we reduce the waiting time until tomorrow night a bit more?’
She moved into his arms and tilted her face to his. ‘Let’s.’