Home Truths (19 page)

‘We have two choices,' Jennifer said around a mouthful of roast pumpkin. ‘Sell or lease.'

‘There's a third.' Sofie's eyes were bright, her voice enthusiastic. ‘We can do something with it ourselves.'

Jennifer choked. She coughed into her serviette until her eyes watered and her face went hot. With her breathing under control again, she managed to squeak,
‘You
can. I've got plans in London, remember? I'm about to sign a lease.'

Out of the corner of her eye, Jennifer saw Calum pivot on the bench seat, swing his long legs over, and head their way. A young redhead in a green smock approached him.

Smock! Was this the pregnant girl? It sure as hell looked like it. She was making a very public statement with her hand on his arm. It was better than an advertisement in the local paper.

Calum looked at her hand. Without a smile, he slowly raised his eyes to meet hers. She pouted and let her hand drop to her side. Jennifer couldn't make out what they were talking about, but if their expressions were anything to go by, neither was happy. The redhead seemed put out when she flounced off, not that Jennifer cared,
no
sirree
. So what if they'd had a hot, to die for, kissing session, that didn't mean she was emotionally involved. Certainly not.

‘I doubt whether you need to work anymore,' Sofie prattled on. ‘And remember how after we picked you up at the airport, you raved about Sydney Harbour, the bridge and sailboats on the water. The space we had and all the green trees and azure blue sky. Jen? Jen!'

Jennifer came out of her
‘
Calum daze' and managed to recall a few fragments of her sister's rambling. ‘I enjoy working and London's where I do it best.' Sudden misgivings about London gave her an anxious feeling that constricted her chest, but she ignored it and continued. ‘I've made it my home.' Jennifer paused as images of England flickered through her mind, but none of them were of a bright sunny day.

There must have been sun in London, but having left in the dead of winter, all she could remember, were grey skies, grey buildings, bare grey trees and grey streets. Grey people — and Vlad, who'd stolen hundreds of pounds from her.
Oh fuck!

‘Why that funny look?' Sofie asked, squinty eyed. ‘I bet you're thinking about London and how drab it is.'

Her sister was uncanny sometimes.

‘Definitely not,' Jennifer said quietly, brushing off any suggestion that she wasn't happy. ‘Now, if you're both finished, I need an early night.' She began to sidle off the bench seat.

‘Going already?' Calum held out his hand to Jennifer. To ignore it would have been rude. His firm grip — the grip that only a man who works with his hands would have — caused her breath to snag in her throat. Of course, it didn't help that she immediately imagined those hands through her hair again, and all over her naked body. She tried to rein in her wayward thoughts, but it wasn't easy. This quintessential Australian man, sporting a wicked grin, could fix anything with a pair of pliers and piece of fencing wire. He would protect his woman, his family, at all costs — and succeed.

‘Hi Calum, where did you spring from?' Oh, very cool Jennifer. She wondered how she'd managed to pull it off — or had she? She pulled her hand free and folded her arms.

Sofie did an exaggerated eye-roll behind Calum. Claudia let her chin drop and her eyes bug out in a what-a-great-big-fat-lie expression.

‘I was with the wine festival committee,' Calum answered. ‘It's our first meeting of the year. Can I buy you all a glass of wine or a coffee?'

‘No thanks,' Sofie piped in, sliding out off the bench. ‘We were just leaving. But you can stay, Jen; we'll see you in the morning.'

‘No coffee for me either —' Jennifer began.

Sofie switched on her art teacher voice. ‘Jen, sit. Stay. Relax. Have a brandy, they say it's medicinal.' She added a quirky smile that said, I-know-what-you're-getting-later, then hooked Claudia's arm in hers and moved towards the door. ‘And if Bret rings again —' she began over her shoulder.

‘Unless they've caught up with him and cut an ear off or he's dying, I won't ring you,' Jennifer promised. ‘Maybe I'll turn my phone off before I go to sleep.'

‘Ooh,' Sofie cringed. ‘Maybe that's taking it a little too far.' Without looking back, she waved and they were out the door.

‘You heard from your brother?' Calum asked.

Jennifer's reserve began to crack.
Damn, bloody damn
,
talk about a fucked-up family
. Would Calum judge her for her brother's stupid choices? Wait a minute; she's not supposed to care. But his warm sincerity and soft gaze were impossible to ignore.

‘Nothing else. You know it all.'

‘I still think you should tell Brock.'

‘What would I say? A couple of men
had
my brother but he's now on his way to Darwin without them?'

‘I see your point.' Calum gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

‘He's not a bad kid brother. Sofie and I had Gran to give us time and love. She taught me how to cook, and Sofie how to garden and teach. But Gran died before she had a chance to show Bret anything, especially how much she would have valued and loved him. Our parents were only ever interested in money and image, and that's what Bret has to overcome. And if I didn't keep warning Sofie not to, she'd give him all her energy and have nothing left for herself or Claudia.' Jennifer downed the rest of her wine.

‘He sounds like a survivor,' Calum said kindly. ‘He'll either keep doing what he's doing, or with help — not necessarily yours — make better choices.'

‘That's so fatalistic.' Jennifer ran her fingers through her curls.

‘What else have you got? You can't keep beating yourself up for something you have no control over.'

‘No, but try and stop me, it's in the genes.'

Calum chuckled. ‘Given half the chance, I would…' he left his statement hanging.

Jennifer couldn't help the giggle. ‘You seem to have a solid background, I've met your grandmother and your younger sister. Where are your parents?'

‘They're on their second honeymoon in Paris. They've never been anywhere, and when Michelle proved to be a responsible teenager, they took off before they lost their nerve. They bought a motor home and they're touring Europe. They're having the time of their lives.'

His soft smiling eyes captured hers, there was something in their depth, something she'd never experienced before and it made Jennifer's belly melt and breath catch. Not wanting to deal with him and his warm gaze, she forced herself to ignore it. Besides, the man must feel confused, and who could blame him, the goings on in her family were enough to baffle anyone.

Jennifer rubbed her face, which didn't help her resolve her problems.

‘Come on,' Calum said gently, ‘you're tired, I'll take you home.'

‘Yeah, thanks…home sounds good.'
Oops
. Home was in London.

* * *

Calum parked his Range Rover out the front of the old pharmacy. After getting out, he rounded the hood and opened the door for Jennifer.

‘Thank you,' she smiled up at him. ‘I thought opening doors for women was a lost art.'

‘You have met my grandmother?' The beginnings of a smile tipped the corners of his mouth.

‘I get your point.' Jennifer pulled the key from her back pocket. ‘Thanks for driving me home,' she said, facing the door. ‘I'd ask you in but…'

His broad hands gently squeezed her shoulders. Calum turned her to face him.

Oh my, he's going to, isn't he…again.
Her heart thudded. The hot, intense, slightly mystified look he gave her, as if she'd been missing all his life and now here she was, melted Jennifer's bones. He drew her in closer until they were almost touching. His eyes locked with hers. Then she felt the warmth of his big, strong hands slowly caress all the way up her neck to gently hold her face.
God, kiss me quick before I die.

He dipped his head. His lips brushed hers. ‘I'm going to kiss you again, Jennifer. Any objections, take it up with me tomorrow…over breakfast.'

His deep, vibrating voice went straight down to pulse the swelling nub between her thighs.
Oh!
That surprised her. Then his mouth was on hers, strong and firm. She let out a long sigh that quickly became a sensuous moan. Calum responded with a hungry rumble from deep in his chest. His warm mouth, tasting of wine, eagerly explored and teased hers. He ran the tip of his tongue along the silken underside of her lips, then softly pushed into her mouth, rolling and playing with hers. His hands moved down around her back. Arms encircling her, he pulled her in tight against his rugged body.

Oh my!
Her belly yielded to his erection. Whimpering softly, she squirmed against his hard shaft.

Damn it, she wanted to feel more of him. The front door key in one hand and purse in the other, prevented her from touching, roaming, squeezing. She yearned to feel him. ‘Hang on a min —' she mumbled against his lips.

He moved down to her ear and gently sucked on the lobe, then nibbled her neck while taking the key and purse from her hands. They disappeared behind his back.

The way he did that, taking charge, taking control, damn that was hot.

She was free to explore, and all her plans —
not
to have sex,
not
to invest her emotions and become involved — evaporated.

Street lights captured his aroused, hooded, dark eyes as he searched her face, and more heat uncurled in her belly.

Don't stop. Don't stop.
Unconsciously, she licked her lips.

Calum's gaze zeroed in on her tongue, a teasing smile played on his mouth. ‘That was unfair,' he said, voice deep, sexy. Then his mouth was on hers again, and the world around her spun and disappeared.

She brought her hands up his back, feeling the valleys and plains of his hard muscles under her open fingers and palms. He moved her into the darkened alcove, away from the streetlights. Oh god, what was happening to her legs? The exquisite feeling rolling in the pit of her stomach flooded her limbs. He crushed her against the door. His body hummed with a potency that overwhelmed her. His hips moulded into hers and she felt his erection twitched hard against her belly.

Oh my God!

His hand went around to a back pocket. She heard the jangle of keys, and a second later, the door swung open. Mouth on hers, feet wide apart, Calum lifted her, shuffled back, and kicked the door closed behind them.

Body quivering with need, Jennifer had never experienced anything as sexy as Calum. Hungry for him, she took their kiss deeper.

‘I want you…' he whispered against her mouth, ‘…be inside you, feel you all around me. Say it now. You don't want? I'll stop.'

‘Stop?' Jennifer squeaked, her body tightening with fear that he would. Alarmed, she cleared her throat and held on to him tighter, then she whispered, her voice thick, urgent, ‘There's no stopping. No-no.'

He shoved her against the nearest wall, hauled her pants and undies down. She kicked them off her ankles while her trembling hands pulled at his T-shirt and popped the button on his jeans. He whipped a foil packet out of a pocket before his pants fell to his feet. Watching him slip the condom over his hard cock made her sex twitch and wet with need. She couldn't wait to have him. His big hands moved around her back to clutch her bottom. He picked her up, then his mouth came down on hers. Possessive. Hungry. Sexy. She wrapped her legs around his hips and arms around his neck, she hung on. Palms cupping her bottom, his fingers reached under her and found her sex, then he slid his finger over her erect nub.

‘Fuck, you're wet. Wet for me. All for me,' he said, amazed, as if it were a precious gift.

She moaned into his mouth, pulled back and groaned, ‘Calum, stop teasing.'

He eased her down over his erection. ‘Oh God,' she cried out and arched back, feeling herself stretch to accommodate him. She came back to gaze into his heated eyes. Holding her still, he rocked his hips. Throaty noises escaped her. Calum pushed in hard, thrusting her up against the wall. She became more urgent, her orgasm building, flooding her in tingling heat.

‘Close?' Calum growled.

‘O-oh God yes. Cal — now.' He pushed in deep and ground his hips against her.

Digging her fingers into his shoulders, Jennifer's body quaked with every pulse that fired through her and she moaned with every outward breath.

Calum slid out and in one more time then, eyes locked with hers, she watched, when with a groan, he climaxed. ‘Fuck!' his harsh whisper echoed through the empty shop. Breathing hard, he nuzzled her neck, holding, squeezing her to him as if she were his lifeline.

‘You okay?' he murmured sweetly.

Jennifer planted her forehead on his shoulder. ‘I've never felt better.' And that wasn't a lie, she tingled with satisfaction…and wanted more of the same, more of Calum.

He lifted his face out of her neck; still inside her, he cupped her bottom with one hand, the other slowly moved over her hip, waist, breast, up to her shoulder, neck, and face. His fingers drove into her hair, bunching it at her crown, he pulled her head back and plundered her mouth with his. Holy cow, that was incredible.

When he stopped, Jennifer was ablaze and panting.

His beautiful eyes searched hers, his mouth fluttered and he said, ‘Yeah, there it is.' His hand moved out of her hair to cup her jaw, thumb sliding over her lips.

She wanted to ask, what it was he was referring to, though she pretty much knew…he saw the unrestrained Jennifer. Her wild side.

He moved his hand from under her bottom, and hooked his arm around her thighs. Jennifer let out a strained squeak as he lifted her up over his shoulder. He hauled his pants up, and squatted a few times to gather discarded clothes. He strode for the stairs and went up, two at a time.