‘Sorry,’ he said, sounding anything but. ‘There was something I didn’t understand. I couldn’t help but overhear some of your conversation with Lisa Overington. You speak as though your children are much older than the toddler I saw you with.’ She looked at him uncomprehendingly for a moment.
‘My children?’ she asked, confused, and then laughed. ‘Veronica and Steven aren’t my children. They’re my brother and sister! You must have seen me with Sonya’s son Paul.’ She shook her head.
‘But I heard you referring to yourself as his mother!’ Nicholas persisted. Emily shook her head.
‘Well, you heard wrong.’ He was either going deaf or was seriously deluded, she decided.
‘I suppose so,’ he said, looking at her curiously, with his head cocked to the side. ‘You look lovely tonight.’ His voice carried some undefinable emotion, almost like…longing. She raised her eyebrows in surprise and her heart skipped a beat. ‘And you must be cold,’ he continued, before she could say a single word. For a moment she was almost unable to breathe. She needed to get away from him, fast.
She made to move, but before she could take a single step, he reached towards her, grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her towards him almost roughly, sliding his hands down her back over the soft fabric of her dress, pulling her hard against him. He leaned over and pressed his lips against her own. For a moment she was rooted by shock, frozen in his arms, but the sensations which swarmed through her body overcame her and she closed her eyes and moved against him in surrender.
She’d never felt anything as wonderful as the way his hands caressed her and the heat of his mouth against her own. She allowed her lips to part slightly, and his tongue darted between them, sending a jolt of pleasure washing down to her groin. She moaned slightly, and without warning, he broke away, and she was left staring at him with a mixture of surprise, desire and disappointment washing through her, her body burning where he’d touched her, and an insatiable longing within her unfulfilled. He shook his head slowly, took a deep breath and ran a hand roughly through his hair.
‘I’m sorry. That shouldn’t have happened,’ he said quickly, and turned away, walking into the night. She stared after him in shock, turned numbly in the direction of her car and crossed the road, her body running on auto pilot.
She sat down in the driver’s seat and shook her head, trying to clear away the memory of what had just happened, but her body betrayed her, burning from his touch and filled with an unquenchable desire. She turned the key and started the ignition, remembering what his last words to her had been: ‘I’m sorry. That shouldn’t have happened.’ No, it shouldn’t have. But she couldn’t regret it. In that brief moment he’d shown her exactly what it could be between a man and a woman. But he was her lecturer. She couldn’t entertain any juvenile fantasies of anything more happening between them. It was simply impossible.
Nicholas raked his fingers through his hair, furious at himself. What had he been thinking? The answer to that was simple: he hadn’t been. His out of control hormones had taken over and he’d acted on pure animal instinct. He was a man who prided himself on his self-control and common sense. He’d believed himself immune to the raw animalistic behaviour intrinsic to so many men when it came to women. Of course he felt lust and desire, that was natural, but he’d always, always, been able to keep it under control, never surrendering to his needs until the time was appropriate. That is, until now.
Chapter Four
The phone rang, startling Emily out of her study. She frowned in annoyance, loath to stop now, just when she was getting into the flow of it. She sighed and put the book down.
‘Hello,’ she said, picking up the receiver.
‘Hello, Emily.’ The voice was deep and male, and for an instant Emily’s heart jumped into her throat before she recognised the voice on the other end.
‘Sam!’ she exclaimed, feeling a little foolish. Along with Sonya and Andrew, Sam had been one of her best friends in high school, and she hadn’t spoken to him for a good couple of months. ‘It’s great to hear from you.’ And it was. It had been too long since they’d caught up.
‘There’s a series of seminars being held at the University, and I’m coming down for the week. I thought it would be a good time to catch up, especially now you’re out there. Do you have any free lunch hours?’
‘Sure, Fridays are good for me.’
They arranged to meet at the University Bistro, and as Emily placed the phone down, she smiled in pleasure. Now there was a man who didn’t send out mixed signals! Sam was a down to earth Aussie guy, and Emily loved him for it. Unfortunately, all her feelings for him, and his for her, were completely platonic. They’d had an abortive attempt at a relationship at fifteen, and had returned to being great friends thereafter.
The bistro was crowded when Emily arrived, but she soon recognised Sam’s blond head and widely grinning mouth. She waved to him, and he responded in kind.
‘Emily,’ he said, standing up from his chair. ‘It’s been a long time. You look great. I guess university life must be agreeing with you.’ She smiled ruefully at him.
‘Not as much as I’d hoped,’ she confessed, sitting across from him.
‘Trouble with lectures?
‘No. Lecturers, more like it. Or, one in particular.’ She didn’t want to tell Sam all the details of her sordid relationship with Nicholas, or at least, what there’d been of it, but she regaled him with tales of the run-ins the pair of them had had since she’d begun classes a couple of weeks earlier.
‘Sounds like you’re having a ball, Em.’ Sam laughed. ‘But don’t sweat it, you’ll be fine. I didn’t always get along with my lecturers, either, and now I’ve got a Ph.D!’
They chatted until their meals arrived and ate in contentment until Nicholas stepped into the room. Emily’s heart lurched at the sight of him and suddenly all her clothes felt too tight, and she became aware of an uncontrollable flow of moisture between her thighs. He stood taller than most of the other men in the room, and would have been imposing even if he hadn’t. He was a man who radiated power; his very presence causing people to turn towards him, men and women alike.
‘Emily?’ Sam’s voice gradually penetrated her befuddled consciousness, and she felt her cheeks redden. Had he guessed what had been going through her mind?
‘Guess who just stepped in,’ she said wryly, trying to downplay her emotions.
‘That Nicholas Cavanaugh!’ Sam exclaimed, shaking his head.
‘Yes, that Nicholas Cavanaugh. Do you know him?’
‘Know of him, more like. You do know he’s Managing Director of Rutherford’s?’
‘So I’ve heard. That’s why he’s here in Ballarat. He’s opening up a new division, or something. He’s already bought out a couple of other businesses in town, and is possibly going to be investing in one of Mark’s new projects at Overington Industries.’ Sam nodded.
‘Perhaps you should try to get along with him a little better,’ he suggested. ‘If you want to succeed in the world of business, you won’t get a better mentor than someone who’s already made it. And I’ve heard he’s only thirty-three or -four.’
‘I hope you’re not lecturing me, Sam.’ She frowned. It had been bad enough dealing with Mark, who seemed to think the sun shone out of Nicholas, she didn’t need to hear Sam go on about the man as well.
‘He certainly can choose the ladies, too!’ Emily’s heart thudded in sudden alarm. Could he have guessed?
‘What are you talking about?’
‘That redhead he’s with.’ Sam whistled softly. ‘She’s a knockout!’ Emily turned to look and felt her heart sink into her stomach. For the first time she could see Nicholas’s companion, a woman not much older than herself, who gave new meaning to the word ‘beautiful’. In that instant, something inside her died. She watched as Nicholas leaned over and whispered something in her ear, and abruptly turned away, unable to bear it. Suddenly nauseous, she took a long swallow of water.
&n
bsp; ‘Are you all right?’ Sam’s voice was filled with genuine concern, but there was nothing she could say.
‘I just swallowed the wrong way. She certainly is attractive,’ Emily said, desperately keeping her tone light and neutral. But the meal had been ruined for her, and when she’d finished the last mouthful, she mumbled a hurried apology for cutting their meeting short and excused herself. Suddenly she wanted to be as far away from the bistro as she could get.
‘Talk to me, Nicholas,’ Wendy demanded. Nicholas raised his eyebrows at her.
‘Get back to work, Wendy. I don’t pay you to make idle conversation!’
‘I know, but this isn’t idle conversation.’
‘Fine. Shoot away. But it better be good.’
‘It’s not me who needs to do the talking,’ she said wryly. ‘But I’ll initiate, shall I? You’ve been grumpy all day. No, make that for the last couple of weeks. I’m a woman and I’m not stupid, I can see the signs. Tell me about her.’
‘Who?’ he said, knowing full well who his dear cousin was referring to. She raised an eyebrow. ‘Look Wendy, there’s nothing to say. I discovered an unwanted attraction to a woman who I’m definitely not interested in. It’s nothing more than a mere annoyance.’
‘Right. How about I tell you what I know?’ She didn’t wait for him to respond. ‘You have fallen in love.’ He opened his mouth to protest, but before he could get a single syllable out, she shushed him. ‘For goodness’ sake, Nicholas! At least admit it to yourself if not to me.’
‘I am not in love with her!’ he snapped.
‘Whatever. You’ve developed feelings for a woman, and either she hasn’t reciprocated, or, knowing you, you’ve done everything in your power to ruin the relationship before it even had a chance of drawing breath.’
‘How can you suggest I have feelings for a woman who is adulterous, bigamous, and has a mouth the size of Mount Vesuvius?’ Wendy raised her eyebrows in scepticism.
‘And, I suppose, you have evidence to substantiate these rather slanderous claims? Or are you merely jumping to convenient conclusions?’ She looked at him hard for a moment before continuing.
‘The fact is, Nick, you’re not the sort of man to fall for a woman who is all superficiality with nothing beneath. The only women you’ve ever shown real interest in have been intelligent, sensitive and sensible women with their heads firmly on. Well, except for Monique. So what’s really going on here?’ Nicholas frowned, tempted to tell Wendy to leave him alone.
‘For starters, Monique occurred when I was very young and foolhardy,’ he snapped. Just hearing her name never failed to infuriate him. And it looked as if he could well be making the same mistakes again, a good fifteen years later! ‘Maybe I’m regressing,’ he muttered under his breath.
But could that be possible? Was Emily really all those things he thought her to be, or had he been jumping to conclusions. And why? Fifteen years is a long time, and he’d thought he’d banished Monique from his system years ago.
He’d obviously been wrong about Emily being a mother. And while he’d seen her embrace Mark Overington, there was the possibility it had been no more than a friendly gesture. She seemed genuinely pleased about Lisa’s pregnancy, and the two woman had seemed to be very close…
‘Well, she may not be adulterous and bigamous,’ he admitted. ‘But she’s obviously attached.’ Which didn’t explain the way she’d kissed him Tuesday evening. He may have been the one to initiate the kiss, but she hadn’t pushed him away, in fact, she’d embraced it with all of her being, leaving him so breathless and so wound up with desire that had the kiss continued a moment longer, he would have lost control completely, and whisked her home to his bed.
‘If you say so, Nick. Plenty of women have male friends who are just that: friends. Maybe you should think about that. And stop sabotaging your happiness at every chance you get. It’s self destructive and ultimately pointless.’ With that parting comment, Wendy returned to her office and Nicholas brooded over her words. He thought back to lunchtime, when she’d seen Emily and her blond friend. Had they looked like a couple? Or like friends? He shook his head savagely. He honestly hadn’t paid enough attention after coming to the immediate decision that the young man was Emily’s boyfriend.
Emily’s stomach twisted itself in knots as she attempted to eat her breakfast cereal. After taking a few pitiful mouthfuls she gave it up as a bad job. What was she going to say to Nicholas? How could she face him after Tuesday night? She only wished Mark hadn’t poked his nose in and volunteered Emily for the task of taking Nicholas house hunting.
‘Emily!’ Nicholas greeted her when she arrived in front of the real estate agent’s office where they’d agree to meet. Emily smiled in a futile attempt to diminish the warring butterflies in her stomach.
‘Hello Nicholas,’ she said in as pleasant and neutral voice as she could muster. ‘Been waiting long?’ She hated small-talk, but it was better than uncomfortable silences.
‘No. I only got here a couple of minutes ago. Shall we?’ She nodded, and he took her arm, escorting her into the building. She looked up at him, bemused. She’d never met a man whose moods changed so much from one day to the next.
They walked over to the receptionist at the counter. ‘Hi. I’ve got an appointment to see Tom Rivers for ten o’clock,’ she said.
‘Emily Peterson? He’s expecting you. Please have a seat.’ But before they could sit down, the estate agent came out of his office and nodded her way.
‘Hello Miss Peterson,’ he greeted. ‘It’s good to see you again. You must be Nicholas Cavanaugh. It’s a pleasure to meet you.’ He held out a hand to Nicholas, who shook it firmly in a business-like handshake.
‘Likewise.’ And from that moment on, Emily felt unnecessary. Why, she wondered again, had Mark thought it would be a good idea for her to assist Nicholas in this venture? Nicholas looked as if he knew exactly what he wanted.
Well, if Nicholas liked the house Tom had for him, at least the excursion would end shortly, and she’d be able to get home and away from him for the rest of the weekend.
‘This house is in an excellent position,’ enthused Tom. ‘It’s not on the lake foreshore, but from the balcony and the observatory on the upper floor there’s an excellent view of the lake. It’s also very close to some of Ballarat’s best schools, and not far from the business district.
The house was a brief drive away, and Emily agreed with Tom. It was a lovely house, and in a wonderful area. Of course, it had to be with the price tag that was attached to it.
Nicholas was just as impressed, but still found the time to ask Emily’s opinion.
‘Do you see any problems in the house with regards to children?’ he asked sending her spirit into a downward spiral. Could he and the beautiful redhead be planning a family? She felt sick to her stomach, but managed to repress the feelings which threatened to overwhelm her and regained her poise.
‘There are the stairs,’ she began, ‘but that’s easily fixed by the addition of a self locking gate at the top and the bottom. The banisters otherwise appear stable, and there aren’t large spaces where children could climb through and fall. The addition of a fence in the front yard would prevent young children from getting on to the street, but otherwise, it’s perfect,’ she admitted. The back yard wasn’t enormous, but was a large enough play area for small children, and the house was close enough to the lake, playground and sporting facilities that it was the perfect place to raise a family.
‘What about the kitchen?’ he prompted her. ‘I cook occasionally, but I know how fussy women can be about these things.’ That’s if they cook, she thought spitefully, trying to imagine that redhead getting her hands dirty in the kitchen. Emily took a sharp hold of herself at the thought. She was being horribly judgemental, and it was unworthy of her. Jealousy was not a becoming emotion!
‘It’s a lovely, well-appointed kitchen. It’d be a dream to cook in there.’ Emily wasn’t much of a cook, but had spent enough time do
ing it to know what sort of kitchen she’d like.
‘Well, what else? Is there anything you can see that’s wrong with it?’ Emily shrugged.
‘If you like it Nicholas, then that’s all that counts.’ He tilted his head slightly and stared at her unfathomably for a moment.
‘But I want to know if you like it.’ She frowned, her heart thudding at the potential implication of his words. ‘I need a woman’s perspective,’ he continued. She fought to stem the rise of heat in her cheeks. Of course that was all he wanted. It was hardly likely that he was planning it as a love nest for the two of them! And what about his girlfriend? Shouldn’t she be the one he was looking at this house with, rather than Emily?
‘From a woman’s perspective it’s beautiful, Nicholas. It obviously looks to be a well-maintained family home. For someone like me, it would be a dream.’ Nicholas smiled then, satisfied, before turning his attention back to the agent.
‘Let’s get back then and discuss the terms of the sale,’ Nicholas said to him. ‘I realise it’s up for auction, but if possible I’d like the chance to negotiate with the seller. I don’t want to wait a month if I can help it.’ Emily was effectively out of the picture again, and waited impatiently for Nicholas to finish. They returned to the car, and Emily gazed back at the house once more, as she imagined Nicholas and his future bride and their children cheerfully ensconced within its walls. The thought was not a pleasant one.
‘Thanks again for coming,’ said Nicholas pleasantly as they arrived back at the estate agent’s office.
‘My pleasure,’ she said. ‘I rarely get to see inside houses like that.’ She smiled a little wistfully, and Nicholas looked at her penetratingly.
‘You really did like it, didn’t you?’ The question was rhetorical, she nodded in response.
‘It was lovely. I’m sure you’ll be very happy there.’
‘I hope so. We’ll catch up again later, Emily. Study hard!’ The last was said jokingly but she grimaced slightly.
Lessons in Love Page 5
