Australia: Bundles of Joy. Nicola Marsh

Her brain—not to mention her body—had gone haywire the minute he’d picked her up from her apartment, his sizzling kiss a greeting she wouldn’t forget in a hurry.

      He’d said he’d missed her, but not half as much as she’d missed him. Was she insane? She’d known him less than two weeks. She’d recited ‘don’t fall in love … don’t fall in love …’ enough times over the last few days in the hope it would make a lasting impression. It hadn’t, and she was at serious risk of losing her heart to this man.

      If she hadn’t lost it already.

      ‘Nothing to say?’ He tilted her chin up with his index finger while his thumb created havoc by brushing gently over her bottom lip. ‘That would be a first.’

      She stared into his eyes, knowing that whatever happened between them she’d never forget that unique shade of blue. ‘Are you suggesting I have a big mouth?’

      His gaze dropped to her lips. ‘There’s nothing wrong with the size of it from where I’m standing. Nor the rest of you, for that matter.’

      Oh-oh. There he went again. Another throwaway comment about her body. Sheesh, what was she thinking, losing her heart to a guy who was probably only interested in a svelte figure?

      The minute his arms slipped around her she had her answer. She wasn’t thinking. And it could prove her biggest downfall yet.

      Just shut up and kiss me, she wanted to yell. Anything to distract from her doubts.

      ‘Why don’t you show me how much you missed me?’ she said, sending him a coy smile designed to tempt.

      ‘Again? There’s no pleasing some women.’

      She snuggled into him, inhaling his scent and allowing it to wash over her in welcome waves. She had to discover the soap he used and buy a cake of the stuff to keep next to her pillow. Maybe if she didn’t have his body near her at night, his smell would be the next best thing to help her drift off to sleep?

      ‘On the contrary, I’m very easy to please.’

      He stroked her back, his hand burning a scorching trail through the thin fabric of her top. ‘Tell me how.’

      ‘Well, seeing as we’re in Hepburn Springs, aka spa country, why don’t you start with drawing me a mineral bath, followed by a massage, topped off with a facial?’ She accompanied her words by burying her face in his neck and nipping a light trail to his jaw.

      ‘I hear the nearby spa facility offers all that and more.’

      His hand stilled in its exploration of her back as she planted a row of tiny kisses along his jaw and upwards, till she reached the outer corner of his mouth.

      ‘Who needs to go to a facility for all that pampering? I can offer you all that and more right here.’

      He turned his head ever so slightly, fusing his lips to hers with the lightest touch.

      The slow, burning kiss affected her more than any they’d shared before. As he deepened it, and she plastered her body against his, she wondered if this amazing toe-curling experience and its accompanying feelings indicated she’d already fallen for him, despite her vows to do anything but. Or could it just be plain old-fashioned lust?

      ‘Stop thinking and just feel,’ he murmured, caressing her body with skilled patience till she almost purred.

      ‘Feeling is scary,’ she said, arching against him despite herself, unable to stop the powerful surge of emotion that she didn’t dare label love that drew her to him.

      ‘I won’t let you down.’ He pulled away slightly, cupped her cheek and stared into her eyes, and for one endless moment, she almost believed him.

      ‘Can we slow things down a bit?’ As the words left her mouth, she wanted to take them back.

      She’d taken things slow her entire life, pulling away from people, sabotaging relationships with men, not willing to get too close. And where had it got her?

      Alone. Unable to sleep at night. And still hoping for the perfect man to walk into her life and rescue her from all the insecurities that plagued her as a result of knowing the one thing she couldn’t be in this lifetime—a mother.

      Now the man of her dreams had come along and she was still balking, still holding back. Why? Wasn’t he worth taking a risk for?

      And in that moment she knew without a shadow of a doubt that she wouldn’t think, analyse or hold back this weekend. She would ‘go for it’ as Tahlia had advised, and damn the consequences.

      ‘Whatever you want.’ He hugged her tightly and she relaxed, knowing that at least for the next two days everything would be all right.

      Despite her fears, she did trust him. He seemed to be more intuitive than most men she’d known, so why shouldn’t she take a chance and see where it led her?

      ‘The girls were right. You are Mr Perfect.’

      He smiled and planted a quick peck on the tip of her nose. ‘In that case, I’d better start living up to my reputation. How about I draw you a mineral bath first and organise that massage you crave?’

      ‘Mmm … sounds like heaven,’ she said, knowing the only thing she really craved right now was him, but too scared to let go of all her reservations at once.

      He released her and she immediately felt cold, bereft. ‘Why don’t you get changed and I’ll call you when the bath’s ready?’

      She touched his cheek briefly, hoping he could read the clear signal in her eyes, the one that said I like you. A lot.

      ‘Thanks for inviting me this weekend. I’m really looking forward to it.’

      ‘So am I.’ He looked ready to drag her back into his arms and she didn’t move, already recognising it as a haven she could easily get used to. Instead, he gave her a gentle tap on the bottom. ‘Now go.’

      She grabbed her bag and headed into the bedroom before the anticipation of sharing more than a kiss with Lachlan sent her sprawling. Or, better yet, breaking one of the priceless antiques in his friend’s holiday home.

      Now wasn’t the time for clumsiness. She’d come to the decision that this weekend was about romance and she had every intention to enjoy it.

      Lachlan glanced around the bathroom for the final time, hoping Keely would like it. He’d always thought candles and flowers were reserved for a dinner table, but Will, his friend who owned this place—and a regular Romeo with the ladies from all accounts—had insisted the way to make a woman feel special was to use stuff like that in the bathroom.

      So he had and, though it wasn’t his thing, he had to admit the room looked pretty amazing. He’d never done anything like this before, but then he’d never liked a woman this much before.

      It had taken every ounce of his willpower not to drag Keely into his arms and never let go earlier. The expression in her eyes had almost begged him to, in stark contrast to her whispered words to take it slow.

      Despite her sassy attitude she appeared nervous, and the last thing he wanted was to scare her away. She meant too much to him and, though he might not ever take the relationship past the dating stage, who said they couldn’t date for months? Maybe years, if he was lucky?

      Marriage wasn’t for everyone, and he knew plenty of people who remained in partnerships without an official piece of paper their entire lives. Hell, he’d counselled more married couples than those who weren’t, and even if he hadn’t seen the devastation the institution could wreak first hand with his parents, he would’ve probably stayed away from it anyway.

      However, that didn’t mean he couldn’t enjoy a woman’s company in exclusivity and he had every intention of making the most of his time with Keely. If she let him.

      He’d glimpsed the vulnerability in her eyes repeatedly, as if she wanted to trust him but couldn’t,