Australia: Bundles of Joy. Nicola Marsh

it would. No matter how close they got, how well they clicked, he’d bolt like the rest the minute he learned the truth.

      ‘Fair enough. The TV station hosting my new show is sending me to Sydney for a couple of days to check out something similar they screen up there.’

      ‘Sounds interesting.’ She poured coffee and added milk and two sugars to his, thinking how strange to find a man with a similar sweet tooth to hers, even if she’d told him otherwise. However, she added an artificial sweetener to hers, forgoing her passion for sweetness in exchange for zero calories.

      While she had her head stuck in the cupboard, looking for some chocolate biscuits for him, he said, ‘So what’s the deal with the party? Is it some old boyfriend you don’t want to talk about?’

      She lifted her head too quickly and clunked it on the shelf above, cursing silently. There, that had to be another fault; he sounded jealous. Though, in a way, she should be flattered rather than annoyed.

      ‘The party’s for Emma, another friend I work with. And, as for not wanting to talk about boyfriends, that’s true. I’m not one to kiss and tell.’

      To his credit, he let that last comment go. She’d said it as some weird sort of challenge, almost daring him to ask about her previous relationships, though for the life of her she couldn’t figure out why.

      ‘That’s good to know.’ He took a sip of coffee before placing the mug on the counter. ‘I like to keep my business private.’

      Huh? Had he just said what she thought he’d said?

      Rather than taking the easy way out and laughing off his comment, she pounced. ‘Are you implying that you’d like to be my boyfriend?’

      He fixed her with a stare that bored straight down to her soul, as if trying to probe into her innermost feelings. ‘I’m not implying anything; I’m stating a fact.’

      She hadn’t moved since he’d dropped his little bombshell, her feet rooted to the spot, and he crossed the kitchen in a second.

      ‘Pretty confident, aren’t you?’ She tilted her head up to meet his gaze, her pulse tripping as his eyes darkened to midnight.

      ‘I call it how it is.’

      A little demon lodged in her mind and prodded her with its pitchfork, urging her to provoke him further.

      ‘And how’s that?’

      ‘You, me, dating. Seems straightforward to me.’

      She didn’t resist as he lowered his head towards her with infinite slowness and, with a sigh, closed her eyes. She’d been waiting for this, hoping for it, since that first time in her office when she’d been sure he wanted to kiss her. And if she’d thought the brief, gentle peck he’d delivered at the beach house at the weekend had been good, it wasn’t a patch on this.

      The minute his lips touched hers, it felt as if a match had been touched to a bonfire and whoosh! They both went up in flames.

      Heat sizzled between them as she plastered her body against his, her hands delving into his hair in an effort to pull his head closer. He didn’t disappoint, moulding her to his body with hands that wandered everywhere with skilled precision, stroking her till she gasped out loud.

      Angling his head, he slid his mouth across hers in an erotic fusion, leaving her breathless. She melded into him, forgetting every last rational reason why she shouldn’t be doing this.

      His arms tightened around her and she felt his hard chest muscles tense beneath her hands. The fact he must work out was a fleeting thought. He felt so good, tasted so good, that she didn’t want this moment to end, ever.

      ‘Wow,’ she murmured as his mouth left hers to trail hot, open-mouthed kisses to her neck and back up again.

      A shudder rippled through her as his hand slipped under her top and cupped her breast, sending fiery sparks of pleasure shooting to her core.

      He broke the kiss to whisper against her mouth. ‘What do you think of this dating thing so far?’

      She clutched at the lapels of his jacket, knowing that if she let go she’d slide in a molten heap to the floor. ‘Not bad.’

      A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, drawing her attention to those masterful lips and the fact that all he had to do was twitch them in her direction for desire to pool deep within.

      ‘Mmm … maybe I need to brush up on my technique?’

      Exhaling a shaky breath, she leaned her head against his chest. ‘With me?’

      Those two little words came out soft and needy, when she’d sworn never to be like that ever again.

      She didn’t need anyone. Needing only led to pain. And loss. And devastation.

      He toyed with the strands of her ponytail while holding her close with his other arm.

      ‘If you’re volunteering for the job, it’s all yours.’

      Say no! A thousand reasons flashed through her foggy brain in a second.

      He’s toying with you.

      He’ll bolt when he learns the truth.

      He’s too darn perfect and you’ll never satisfy a man like that. Once he sees the real you, he’ll dump you quicker than he can say love handles.

      Ignoring her fears, she lifted her head, looked him in the eye and managed a mute nod in response.

      Lachlan grinned as he left Keely’s apartment building, more wired than he’d been in ages. He needed to get home ASAP and go for a long bike ride, desperate to take the edge off his physical hunger for the woman who tied him up in knots.

      He’d hoped to steal a quick goodbye kiss before heading interstate and it must be his lucky day, for not only had his wish come true, it had blown his mind in the process.

      Attraction was one thing, off-the-scale rampant need was another, and the minute his lips had touched hers he’d known he wouldn’t be satisfied till they shared more than a kiss, their bodies entwined, slaking a thirst that had him parched. For her.

      However, in the midst of his fantasy, a tiny doubt sprouted and took root. Keely had shown him a side he didn’t like, a side that reminded him too much of his mother. She’d blown hot and cold too, all over him one minute, walking out the next, and taking a big part of his heart in the process.

      As much as he wanted to explore the attraction between him and Keely, he’d better watch out. He didn’t have room in his life for a fickle woman, no matter how attractive.

      In fact, if he were giving a caller advice, he’d probably warn him to stay well clear of a woman who looked eager to devour him most of the time yet could change into the Ice Princess in a split second. And, though he’d admit to inadvertently arousing her anger by his throwaway attempts at humour, he knew her mood swings would get on his nerves after a while. A short while.

      However, in this case, he had no intention of practising what he preached. He didn’t want to stay clear of Keely; he wanted to get closer to her. The closer the better.

      And if her mood pendulum swung once too often he’d walk away, heart intact.

      CHAPTER EIGHT

       ‘A good man is like quality coffee. He’s rich, warm and can keep you up all night long.’

      Chrystal Jones, a woman who should know.

      ‘NO OFFENCE, but this idea for Flirt sucks!’

      Keely looked at the sheet Tahlia handed her and raised an eyebrow. ‘But that’s the image they’re after. Bold, contemporary, out to make a statement. They’re a new magazine and they want something totally different so I went all out.’

      Tahlia merely shook