“I’m sorry.”
“Me too,” he said. “She was so young.”
And so was he to go through a tragedy like that. His words also cemented his bond with Josie and Eric in her mind, the painful path of her thoughts stripping away some of her good mood. “It’s getting late.”
“Yeah, I have an early start tomorrow. Will you meet me by the dam?”
“I’ll text you once I know if I can get away.”
“I look forward to it,” he said. “Goodnight, sweetheart.”
“Goodnight.” Susan forced herself to cut the connection and switch off the light. If only it were that easy to stop her mind and heart from conjuring a bright, shiny future with the wrong man.
Chapter Ten
Susan stacked the breakfast dishes into the dishwasher, trying not to let resentment dampen her mood.
Jasmine and Lucy sat at the table with Nolan and the cameraman, enjoying a second cup of coffee and discussing the upcoming day. A persistent drizzle clattered against the iron roof, the gray sky and dull landscape paralleling her worsening disposition. If this rain continued, there was no way she’d manage a clandestine meeting with Tyler.
A black truck rolled to a stop outside the kitchen door, its mud-splattered appearance typical of the farm vehicles she’d seen since her arrival in Clare. A man climbed out of the driver’s side and walked around to open the passenger door.
“You have visitors,” Susan said and reached for the empty coffee carafe to put on another pot.
The kitchen door burst open and Nolan’s mother stalked inside, a newspaper clutched in her right hand. She scanned the kitchen until her gaze settled on Susan.
“You! How could you betray Nolan in such a public manner?”
The coffeepot wavered in Susan’s hand. She turned away and poured cold water into the coffeemaker.
“Don’t turn your back on me! I want you to pack your bags and leave.”
Susan glared at the cameraman. “Turn that thing off.”
“Nope.” His smug smile showed beneath the camera. “You signed away your rights and gave me permission to film anything.”
“Nothing to stop me leaving.” Susan turned to escape the nasty gleam in Mrs. Penrith’s eyes.
“Not so fast.” Mrs. Penrith caught Susan’s arm and tugged her to an abrupt halt. The woman was stronger than she looked, her fingers digging into Susan’s biceps.
“Let me go,” Susan demanded.
“Mum, what are you doing? Let her go.”
“I knew someone with her morals—a stripper—would tow bad gossip to our family. This town. She’s tarnished our good name with her presence, and now she’s sleeping with Tyler.”
“What are you talking about?” Susan demanded.
At the table, Jasmine and Lucy started whispering to each other.
“Mum,” Nolan said. “Susan doesn’t know Tyler.”
“According to this paper, she does.” Satisfaction oozed from Mrs. Penrith’s voice. “She spent the weekend with him up in Auckland. Look, it gives all the details here in this article and they say the internet is buzzing with the news this morning.”
Someone spilled the beans. It wouldn’t be one of her friends—they’d never do that. She rifled through memory files, frantically wondering what to do or say, how to react.
Deny.
Yes. Deny, deny, deny.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Susan rubbed her arm and did her best woman-done-wrong expression.
“Read the newspaper and judge for yourself,” Mrs. Penrith snapped, almost flinging the paper at her son.
“I don’t have to do anything.” Nolan stood. “Dad, did you want to help me check the sheep?”
“Yes, son.”
Nolan’s father stood inside the door like a timid mouse. Susan hadn’t noticed him in all the drama. He turned and left as quietly as he’d entered.
“You tell my son the truth.” Mrs. Penrith approached, her gaze stabbing into Susan like pointy daggers.
Time for a strategic retreat. “I’m going for a walk,” Susan said.
“But it’s raining,” the cameraman said.
“You can’t run away from the truth,” Mrs. Penrith spat.
“The fresh air would be a welcome change,” Susan said, swift steps taking her from the kitchen to the privacy of her bedroom.
Inside, she shut the door and leaned against the hard wood while marshalling her thoughts. Someone had blabbed. She sighed and pushed away from the door. Not that it mattered when she’d changed her mind about country living.
A quick glance out the window showed her it was still raining. Too bad. She had a coat and the fresh air might clear her head. She plucked her coat from the wardrobe, and a few minutes later, she was hurrying outside. The second she breathed in cool air, the weight on her shoulders lightened. She turned her face to the sky, letting the drops of rain splatter across her skin, the cool water waking her from her stupor, washing away some of her guilt.
Mrs. Penrith disliked her and intended to lob torpedoes at her head. Maybe she should go home, despite Jennifer’s objections and arguments. Gravel crunched underneath her feet with each long-legged stomp.
Unsure of which way to go when she reached the end of the drive, she hesitated then turned right.
Her phone buzzed and she pulled it out of her pocket, trying to shield the screen from the rain. She read the message and some of her irritation faded.
Instead of texting back, she rang Tyler. “Did you know that we’re in the newspaper today?”
“Me? Why?”
“Someone saw us together in Auckland. They added two and two and like all mathematicians came up with a creditable answer. They implied I was seeing another man. They said I was cheating on Nolan.”
Tyler was silent for a moment. “You are having an affair with me.”
“I know, and right now I don’t feel good about myself. I stomped out of the house in righteous indignation and now I’ve no idea where I’m going.”
“Which way did you turn coming out of the drive?”
“Right.”
“Good choice,” he said. “I’ll see you in a few.”
“Wait—” She muttered a rude word under her breath when Tyler hung up. Sighing, she wiped the screen of her phone and tucked it away in her pocket. Too late to tell Tyler she didn’t think it was a good idea for them to hang out—not until the reality show ended.
Susan continued to stomp in her chosen direction, keeping to the shoulder of the road. About five minutes later, a wave caught her attention.
“Over here,” Tyler said. “You’ll have to climb the fence.”
Susan squeezed her body through two sagging wires and stood to right her appearance.
“You’re gorgeous.” Tyler stepped closer until the distance between them was gone. He stared down at her upturned face and brushed his fingers across her cheek. “I’ve missed you.”
“We shouldn’t be doing this, meeting secretly. It’s not right.” An understatement for sure.
Tyler pulled her against his chest, his comforting touch easing her scattered emotions, her anxiety. “Do you want me to tell Nolan? I can’t walk away from you, Susan.” His grip on her back tightened to a point shy of pain.
“No, if anyone tells Nolan, it should be me. I keep thinking he won’t choose me. Logic tells me that.” She pulled back to stare up at him. “I don’t understand your brother.”
Tyler laughed, the sharp bark full of tension, confusion. “Hell, I don’t understand my brother, and we grew up together.”
“Doesn’t he talk to you either?”
“In a social situation—sure. We’ll say hello if we see each other in the street or the pub, but we don’t go out of our way to promote contact.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t want to cause trouble between the two of you. I suppose I could tell Nolan I’m homesick and want to leave.”
“No!” Tyler stepped back, breaking the contact between their bo
dies. “Are you homesick?”
“I miss my friends, my job.”
“Would you miss me?”
Yes. “We haven’t known each other for long.”
“Susan.”
“Yes, I’d miss you.”
“Thank you. Stay,” he said, grasping her hand. “You only have another week.”
Braced for fallout on her return, it took hours for Susan to relax. She interrupted Jasmine and Lucy in a huddle a couple of times, and finally retreated to the kitchen to make dinner.
“I want to interview you on camera about Mrs. Penrith’s allegations,” the cameraman said on entering the kitchen.
Susan stirred her pan of onions. “No.”
“Mrs. Penrith is correct. The forum is full of gossip.”
“Leave her alone,” Nolan said.
Susan flinched. Bother, she hadn’t heard him enter the kitchen.
The cameraman lifted his camera and zoomed in on Nolan. “Don’t you want to know if the gossip is true?”
“Susan has said it isn’t true, and that’s enough for me.”
The camera shifted to her, and Susan grasped for innocent-woman-done-wrong. Please let her pull this off. Admitting the truth now would mean she’d have to leave. Was it so wrong to want a few more days with Tyler?
“Do you have any comments, Susan?”
Susan lifted her chin and stared into the camera. “No.”
And wouldn’t that just stir the gossip pot, she thought. Another gross understatement.
The next few days were free of Mrs. Penrith, free of nosy questions, free of drama. While Jasmine and Lucy lazed in bed or visited the local hair salon during the afternoons, Susan took long walks. Apart from helping out with Katey’s birthday party—a huge success thanks to Christina’s help via Skype—and taking part in the reality show activities, she kept to herself and her thoughts.
Tyler.
She couldn’t resist the man. Their snatched meetings, hurried kisses…
Today, the sun fought the cloud cover, piercing the sullen gray to cast bright patches of light on the mud landscape—a decided improvement from the last days of intermittent rain. Susan splashed through a puddle in her new red gumboots—her recent purchase after becoming tired of cold, wet feet and muddy runners.
Laughing, she jumped into the next puddle. The rumble of an approaching vehicle had her scurrying behind a nearby bush. She grasped a branch and let out a yelp when stupid prickles bit into her palm, but maintained her secretive crouch.
“Lucky escape.” Her gaze narrowed on the rear bumper of the vehicle. Mrs. Penrith was about to inflict herself on Jasmine and Lucy. No problem for them, since the woman adored both girls, and they liked her back. Stupid rose-tinted glasses.
The growl of the vehicle faded, and Susan rose. A nearby sheep let out a baa and Susan’s world righted. She might miss the city and her friends, her daily bowl of latte and the local library, but the country had its charms.
Sexy red gumboots.
Cute animals.
Hunky men.
She turned off the road onto the narrow sheep trail that led down the hill to the dam. A fantail flitted around her, snatching up the tiny bugs she disturbed with each step.
Susan spied Tyler first. “Hey.”
Nice ass. Very sexy farmers in the country.
He turned, and his welcoming grin pushed her pulse rate up a gear. “I missed you.” With two giant steps, he reached her and hauled her into his arms. She clung, glorying in the instant lust, the urgency in his kiss. Passion rolled over her like a wave, dragging her under until every thought, every concern melted away. When Tyler lifted his head, they were both breathing hard. “You’re later than usual.”
“Your mother decided to visit today. I had to hide behind a bush.” She offered her hand palm up. “It bit me with its prickles.”
“What bush? There aren’t any trees on the road…” He trailed off with a blinding grin. “Did this bush have yellow flowers?”
“Yes.”
“That’s a gorse bush. The earlier settlers introduced the plants and used them as fencing. Dad likes to keep the old fence, but in most places they’re a noxious weed.” He examined her hand, grinned again and brushed his lips on the delicate skin of her wrist.
A shiver blasted through her at the touch of his lips, the sensation cavorting at lots of hot spots on the way. “I need to get a sexy outfit that comes with gloves.” Who knew hands were erogenous zones?
“Liked that, did you?”
“I like everything you do to me.”
“The feeling is mutual.” Tyler swung her off the ground. “Like the gumboots.”
“Cool, huh? I’ve no idea what I’ll do with them when I go back to Auckland.”
“Shush, too much talking.” He settled her on her feet next to a blanket. The spot he’d chosen was in the sun, yet protected by trees on three sides. They’d have plenty of warning if someone decided to interrupt their tryst. “Let me see those pretty breasts of yours. I want to watch your nipples pull tight when the winter air hits them.”
“Perv.”
“When it comes to you—guilty.”
Susan kicked off her boots and wriggled out of her clothes. The minute she saw him, her doubts, her insecurities, her guilt sped away on angel’s wings. Her blood thickened and pulsed through her veins while his kisses were plain intoxicating. She didn’t think when she spent time with Tyler. She just felt.
His cool hands cupped her breasts, his callused fingers following the curve of her bra cup.
“Your hands are cold.”
“When I get my mouth on you, you won’t feel a thing.”
“Promises, promises.” Heady desire surged through her, prompting the siren out to play.
“I wish I had time to draw you like this.” His gaze lingered on her limbs, the curve of her hips, her breasts. “I’ll give it a go from memory.”
“I hope no one sees these drawings of yours.”
“My eyes only.”
Susan dropped onto the blanket, the waterproof undercoating crinkling as she settled her weight. “Undress slow. Do a strip for me.” She started humming appropriate strip music.
Tyler’s wide grin did things to her insides, heated her sex with a sensual ache. Tiny lines fanned the outer edges of his eyes as his hands worked the buttons on his heavy denim shirt. Slowly, he removed the garment and swiveled his hips in a slow circle.
“Nice.”
His shirt landed beside her, and his fingers went to his belt buckle.
She paused her humming. “Unless you’re wearing special jeans, you’re gonna want to remove your boots first.”
“Did I mention we’re running against the clock here?”
“No.” Disappointment stripped away her smile and brought a halt to her playful hum.
“I’m sorry.”
“No, it’s not your fault.”
Tyler rapidly removed his boots and shucked his jeans and boxer-briefs in one swift move. He grabbed a condom from a pocket and donned it before turning to her. “God, you’re so beautiful. I can’t believe you’re here with me.” His kiss grazed her lips, as if he were uncertain and intended to give her time for a rejection.
Their meeting was wrong on so many levels, yet…no, she couldn’t turn him away. She couldn’t. Her arms wrapped around his neck, drawing their bodies together. Her legs splayed in silent invitation. No foreplay necessary, not when she craved him, thought about him whenever they were apart.
Tyler reached between them and guided his cock into place. She sighed, the pleasure of his initial stroke always so special. Magical. Perfect.
He set up a slow rhythm, pushing into her heat and retreating while kissing her lips, her throat and pausing occasionally to tease her nipples. Her climax built layer upon layer with each brush of his penis against her clit. Susan lifted her hips into his surges, silently demanding more, but he kept the steady pace, his knowledge of her body guiding his lovemaking.
F
inally, the swell of her climax burst over her and she cried out, clinging to Tyler’s broad shoulders. So, so good.
He powered into her now, each thrust sending another tiny jolt through her vagina. She held him as he shuddered, his groans of pleasure smothered against her neck. Beneath her stroking hand, he trembled.
The elimination would take place tomorrow. Nolan would send her home this time for sure. Mrs. Penrith hated her and made this clear to anyone who asked her opinion.
Susan fought her urge to cry. Tyler…she’d miss him, yet she couldn’t stay here either because she’d end up making both of them miserable.
A feminine cry rang out, jerking Nolan to a surprised halt. Not the normal call he’d hear in the dam paddock. The sultry sob repeated, and this time he caught a flash of movement down by the dam—a pale backside.
“Fuck,” he whispered.
He blinked and looked again. No mistake this time.
Nolan sank down and watched. Suspicions flashed through his mind, but he wanted to make sure. His hands clasped his knees, the knuckles bleeding of color.
The couple kissed, the kiss of long-familiar lovers, and his eyes narrowed. The sun scooted behind a cloud, bleaching the day of its warmth.
Fitting.
The man stood and reached out to help up the woman. Soft laughter floated over the gunmetal gray of the dam water. Dark clouds skittered over the sky and the rain started again. Below, the couple scrambled into their clothes and donned coats against the weather.
With one quick embrace, they parted, the woman taking the trail leading to the road while the man, a cheerful whistle floating in his wake, strutted along the path leading to the Murdoch farm.
Tyler and Susan.
His baby brother.
Nolan peeled his cramped hands from his knee, let the blood flow back into his fingers and stood before silently walking down to the dam to open the gate for the cattle.
“You’re a depraved woman,” Mrs. Penrith snapped.
Same old, same old. Susan ignored the woman’s wrath and hung up her coat to dry. During the walk home, she’d tripped on a concealed stick. Her hip ached, mud soaked her clothes. Her mood hovered a hairsbreadth from depression.
Clandestine Lovers (Friendship Chronicles Book 3) Page 14
