Lean on Me (The Mackay Sisters) (21 page)

“Really?”  He reached for her. 
“How about one more kiss for the road.”

“You’ve already managed to
unbutton my blouse.” 

“I’m multi-talented.”

Avoiding his hands, laughing with
a definite husky edge, she fumbled with the buttons.  “Later, Matt.”

“Do I get a reward for being a
good boy and obeying?”  Man, he wanted her.  She looked so sexily dishevelled. 
How about that?  He didn’t even remember unbuttoning her blouse or pulling the
ribbon from her hair, but there was the proof in the lacy bra peeking out at
him from the opening of her blouse, the creamy flesh rising above it taunting
him, and the thick hair that spilled around her shoulders in a way that
screamed
tangle your fingers here!
  “Or how about we forget about being
helping people and just go to your room now?”

“No.”

“My house?”

“No, Matt.”

“The backyard?  I’m getting
desperate.”

The sound of a fresh outburst of
tears had her shaking her head even as she grinned.  “Sorry.  Come over later,
okay?”

One last smile and the door was
shut in his face.

Sighing, Matt turned away from the
door to find Ghost hanging over the fence watching him.  Mort was doing a
balancing act along the fence, walking dexterously along it, up Ghost’s arm,
across his shoulders, down his other arm and along the other side of the fence.

Ghost didn’t bat an eyelid.  “Hey,
Matt.”

“Ghost.”  Matt sighed and jerked
his thumb at the closed door.  “Visitor.”

“Yep.”  Ghost studied him.  “So,
you had a productive week.”

“Huh?”  Matt jumped down off the veranda
and approached the fence, straightening his t-shirt that Lori had pulled awry.

Ghost arched one eyebrow.  “You
and Lori.”

“Oh.”  He couldn’t stop the big
grin.  “Yeah.”

“Lori and the episode at the
supermarket.”

“Heard about that, did you?”

“Lori and the dust-up at the
café.”

“Actually, that was Lori and Ali.”

“Those Mackay girls.”  Ghost shook
his head.  “What can a man do with ‘em?”

“Stay in their good books.”

Laughing, Ghost plucked Mort off
the fence and slung him over his shoulder, where Mort hung down contentedly. 
“Drink?”

Matt looked back at the house. 
“Seeing as I’ve nothing better to do right now, sure.”

“Come over.”

Matt jumped the fence and followed
Ghost up onto his veranda.

Opening the door, Ghost looked at
Matt.  “Lori can look after herself.  She’s not that helpless.”

Matt nodded.

“But you ever hurt her,” Ghost
said, “and I’ll punch your lights out.”

Matt met his gaze steadily.  “I’ll
never hurt her.”

Ghost nodded.  “Okay.”  He walked
into the house.  “What the hell…?  Abraham!”

~*~

Harriet was sobbing up a storm. 
Her face was red from crying, her nose shiny, and her hiccups punctuated every
sentence.

“Now listen.”  Ali poured more hot
tea from the pot into the mug.  “You have to pull yourself together.”

“I c-can’t,” Harriet sobbed. 
“Tommy wants us to g-go public but it won’t work!  I know it w-won’t work.”

Silently, Lori handed her the box
of tissues.

With a grimace, Ali shifted the
bin right up beside Harriet, who tipped her handful of soggy tissues into it.

“Look, I know there’s a
difference,” Ali said.  “But if you want to keep him, you’re going to have to
meet him halfway.”

“That’s easy for you to s-say, you
already have your man.”  Harriet blew her nose.

“And it wasn’t easy, let me tell
you.”

“You caught him, obviously.”

Lori looked at Ali.  In fact, it
had been Ghost doing the chasing, but at Ali’s slight head shake, she kept
quiet.

“But he’s worth it,” Ali
continued.  “You have to decide if Tommy’s worth it.”

“Tommy is worth it,” Harriet
wailed.  “It’s me who isn’t!”

“You shouldn’t run yourself down,”
Lori scolded.

“Easy for you to s-say.”

Geez, the drama.  Lori rolled her
eyes.  “Yeah, it’s easy for me to say, because I accept who I am.  Cripes, Harriet,
I’ll never be the slim supermodel.  Look.”  She thrust her hands out.  “Oil
stains from working at the servo.  And look at this.”  She pointed to her
derriere.  “Does that look like a model arse to you?”

Ali laughed.

Harriet barely glanced at it.

“No,” Lori answered her own
question.  “Ali and I have big arses-”

“Hey,” Ali said.  “My backside is
rubenesque.”

“Says who?”

“The man who likes to grope it.”

Ignoring her sister, Lori sat down
opposite Harriet.  “Harriet, do you want to give up Tommy?”

“Of course not.”

“Do you want to break up with
him?”

“You know I don’t.”

“I also know that your
relationship is fast heading that way, because he’s not going to hide forever.”

Sniffing, Harriet started to pluck
the tissue she held.  “You know why I can’t make our relationship public.”

Picking up a Tim Tam, Ali waved it
in the air.  “Let me give you a tip, Harry-”

“Please don’t call me that.  I
prefer my full name.  I’m not a boy.”

“Whatever.”  Unfazed, Ali took a
bite of bickie and continued.  “Nothing stays private for long in Peeron. 
There are a few people living here who can sniff out secrets, and trust me,
your secret won’t be one for much longer.”

Harriet’s eyes widened.  “You
wouldn’t tell?  Lori!”  Her panicked gaze swung to Lori.  “You promised you wouldn’t
tell!”

“I won’t. 
We
won’t.  But I
saw Tommy leaving your house, and pretty soon someone else is going to see. 
Sneaking around doesn’t go unnoticed for long.  I’m surprised it wasn’t all
over town a couple of weeks ago.”

Harriet bit her lip.

Popping the tab of the Diet Coke
can, Lori added, “You’ve just got to decide whether you’re going to let your
relationship with Tommy be found out on your terms, or through gossip.”

“This place is unbelievable,” Harriet
mumbled.

“It is pretty special,” Ali agreed
proudly.

“I don’t think that was meant in a
complimentary fashion, sis.”

“I know.  I just prefer to live in
my own little dream world.”

Lori grinned.

Harriet blew her nose, ditched the
tissue in the bin, took out another from the box and wiped her eyes.  “Do you
know how hard it is to avoid gossip?”

“You’re asking us?” Lori retorted.

“Are you kidding me?” Ali added. 
“Haven’t you been listening to the talk in town?  Apparently Lori has flipped
her wig.  You don’t call that gossip?”

“And Ali was been the talk of the
town not long ago.”  Lori took a sip of Diet Coke.

“And everyone knows that Matt
sneaks over here at night time.”

“Everyone?”  Lori was taken-aback.

“Yep.”

“Wow.”  Lori blinked, then
grinned, her cheeks flushing.  “Okay.”

“See?”  Ali turned to Harriet. 
“My sister is proud to be known as the woman shagging the local paramedic.”

“Wait!  What?”  Lori was startled,
then she shrugged.  It was too late now.  “Oh.  Well yes, yes I am.”

“So you see, taking the bull by
the horns and showing up brazenly proclaiming yourself the girlfriend of Tommy
will take the wind out of the gossipers’ sails.”

“You really don’t think they’ll
talk anyway?” Harriet asked a touch sarcastically.

“Sure they will, but you get in first.”

“That’s the most illogical thing
I’ve ever heard.”

“Not as illogical as losing Tommy
because you’re too scared to stand up and be who you are,” Lori stated quietly.

Harriet’s mouth was open to give a
sharp retort, but she slowly closed it without saying anything.

After a couple of second’s
silence, Lori placed the can on the table.  “You have two choices, Harriet.  Either
come out loud and proud, or give up and go home.”

“I live in Peeron.  This is home.”

“So give up and see Tommy every
day and know you could have had something more.  Geez, if it doesn’t worry him,
why are you so worried?”

Harriet looked down at the table. 
“I told you.  You know why.”

Leaning forward, Ali placed her
hand on Harriet’s.  “And the problem is yours, not Tommy’s.  I know this, Lori
knows it, and so do you.”

“But everyone else…”

“Your choice, Harriet.”  Ali
glanced up at Lori.  “We all make a choice.”

Harriet left not long after, and
obviously the blokes had been waiting for her to leave because Lori and Ali had
just started cleaning up the cups and tea pot when Matt and Ghost came through
the back door.

Ghost gave Ali a grin and a smart
smack on the bottom.  “Going to share the secret?”

“Going to share your secret?” she
replied, pinching him back.

“You first.”

“Like heck.”

“Then the answer is no.”

Lori smiled as Matt stopped on the
other side of the kitchen bench.  “Hi.”

“Hi.”  Leaning across the counter,
he crooked his finger at her.

Seeing the warmth in his eyes had
her knees going weak and her heart doing weird flips in her chest.  Smiling a
little shyly, mindful of her sister and Ghost in the room, Lori leaned
forward.  “Yes?”  They were so close she could feel his warm breath on her
lips.

“Kiss me,” he ordered softly.

“Are you getting all masterful?” 
Amused, she kissed him quick and light, drawing back just enough to see his
face.

“You like it.”  His expression was
serious, but his eyes danced with laughter.

“It’s the caveman thing,” she acknowledged.

“Caveman?” Ali made a gaging
sound.

“Quiet,” Ghost admonished her. 
“This is a private moment.”

“Not when it’s done in front of
me.”

“Then don’t look,” Lori told her
sister.

“Whoa.  Sis, you’re becoming very
outspoken since you took up with the ambo bloke.”

“Ignore her,” Ghost said.

“I’m only pointing out-”

“Don’t worry, Matt, I’ll take care
of this little loudmouth.”

There was a muffled squawk and
Lori moved her head only enough to peek past Matt.  Yep, Ghost had taken care of
it, all right.  He had Ali pressed up against the wall kissing her thoroughly. 
For her part, Ali looked like she was trying to climb him.

Moving her gaze back to Matt, she
faked a shudder.  “Some things a sister shouldn’t have to see.”

Matt smiled lazily.  Seductively. 
“Let me wipe out that sight from your mind.”

He moved so slowly, his lashes
lowering as he closed the last inch between them, and then his lips were on
hers, firm yet soft, warm, moulding to her, his tongue flicking across the seam
of her lips and gently demanding entrance.

Instant heat flared through Lori,
her lips parting as she welcomed him in, luxuriating in his taste, his kiss
that while tender held such hot promise.  Her heart pounded, her fingers gripping
the bench as he slid his hand around her nape to hold her still as he explored
her mouth in carnal leisure.

By the time he lifted his mouth
from hers, he was grinning wickedly while she could only lick her lips and gaze
up at him.

“So,” he whispered.  “Better?”

“Much.”

“All right, campers, all right.” 
Ghost came up beside Matt, elbowing him aside.  “Now, if you’ve finished
sucking face-”

“Seriously?” Matt reluctantly released
Lori, catching her hand to keep her close.  “You’re a bestselling author and
the best you can come up with is ‘sucking face’?”

“I write horror, so ‘sucking face’
isn’t that much of a stretch.”  Ghost grinned widely at Lori.  “We’re all going
for tea and dancing at the pub.”

“Dancing?”  Lori frowned.  “For
tea, yes, but I haven’t danced for a couple of years.”

“Sad,” said Matt.  “We’ll fix that
on Friday night.”

She eyed him.  “You might be sorry
when I stand on your toes.”

“Then we’ll have to duck out to
the car for some quick fix-it sex.”

“There’s a quick fix-it sex?”
Ghost asked, intrigued.

“Don’t even think about it,” Ali
warned him.

“I’m taking the panel van, what’s
the problem?”

“You are not getting quick fix-it
sex.”  Ali smiled lightly.  “Besides, I’m a better dancer than you.”

“Precisely why I’m bringing the
panel van.  When I step on your toes, I’ll take you out for some quick fix-it
sex.”

Ali sighed.  “Thanks Matt.  Thanks
very much.”

Matt grinned.  “My pleasure.”  He
slanted his gaze at Lori.  “Very much my pleasure.”

His thumb slid along her palm and
Lori blushed, but she couldn’t help but smile when his eyes started to dance so
wickedly.

“In fact,” Matt said a trifle
huskily, “I think I got a boo-boo today.”

“You’re needing quick fix-it sex?”
Lori almost whispered.

“Oh, gag!” Ali tapped her
shoulder.  “I’m right here, remember?  Geez.”

“You won’t be for long.”  Ghost
descended on her with a gleam in his eyes.

With a shriek, Ali dodged him and
ran out into the hall, Ghost in close pursuit.  The front door slammed and Matt
and Lori were alone.

Matt smiled, slow and easy.  “Gonna
fix my boo-boo?”

Taking a deep breath, Lori came
around the kitchen bench and took his hand, leading him to the kitchen door.

Wondering at her own nerve, she
led him through to her bedroom.  He followed quietly, and when they stopped by
her bed and she turned to look up at him, it was to find him watching her with
heated eyes.

Hesitantly, she bit her lip.  “Matt…”

Leaning down, he brushed a soft
kiss across her mouth.  “Don’t be afraid, Lori.  Whatever you want, you do.”

Nodding, her heart picking up
pace, she slid her hands under his t-shirt.  “Can I just touch you?”

Quizzically, he angled his head to
one side.  “For the whole night?”