Definitely too short not to appreciate Tim’s body as he stood side-on, then slowly pivoted around to face them.
Yeah, the man was lean of build all right, tall and almost lanky, but there was surprising strength in that lean body. His pectorals were defined, as surprisingly was the hint of a six pack stomach. Wow, who could have guessed that?
Cindy actually blinked in surprise and, yes, appreciation. Those jeans hung low on lean hips, and his biceps and triceps bunched as he wiped his hands on a rag he’d pulled from a back pocket in his jeans.
A light smattering of dark hair went from his pectorals down to a thin line on his stomach to disappear in a tantalising trail into the waistband of his jeans. No doubt an arrow to Big Hammer, she thought with a grin.
“Like what you see?” Tim drawled.
Her gaze snapped back up to meet his, but not a blush rose in her cheeks as her grin widened. “Not bad. Not bad at all, sunshine.”
“I think that falls under the context of sexual harassment.” Shoving the rag in his back pocket again, Tim walked forward in that long, lanky, easy stride he had that was so natural.
“Hey, you don’t want me to look, don’t flaunt it.”
“Definitely sexual harassment.” Stopping right before her, so close she could feel the heat from his body, Tim reached out and plucked a carton of iced coffee from her hand.
Rather than move politely back, he stayed right where he was, his gaze steady on her face, studying her with deliberate leisure. A gleam of amusement was more than evident in his brown eyes as he dropped his gaze to her lips, then her throat and lower. Deliberately lower in a movement she just knew was an attempt to unnerve her.
Good thing she wasn’t the kind of girl who got unnerved. She’d just have to ignore the little coil of something unmentionable that slithered through the lower - very lower - regions of her stomach. The cream she’d had that morning must have been bordering on sour.
Placing one hand on her ample hip, she took a deep breath, pleased when Tim’s pupils dilated a little as her breasts swelled against the low neckline of her bodice.
“Like what you see?” she retorted brazenly.
His gaze lifted and the heat in them was almost a shock. “Show me more sometime and I’ll let you know.”
Good grief. “Is that an invitation?” No way was she backing down.
“Unless you want to -”
“Right.” Mike stepped in-between them, grabbing the last iced coffee from her hand while shoving Tim back unceremoniously. “Thanks for the coffee, Maddy. It’s a bit hot out here-”
“In more ways than one,” Tim interjected from behind Mike.
“And I think Cindy needs to go indoors.” Mike frowned down at her. “Now.”
Cindy’s mouth dropped open in surprise. “But I don’t feel hot.”
“Maddy.”
Just that one word from Mike had her friend placing a hand at her back and steering her back the way they’d come. “It is a little warm. Hope you get the car fixed, boys.”
“I’d like to fix something,” Tim said. “But I don’t think it’s the car- oof!”
“Get back in your box,” Mike growled, and he didn’t sound happy.
Cindy glanced back over her shoulder to see Tim watching her while rubbing his abdomen. Or rather, watching the sway of her ample bottom. His gaze lifted to meet hers and the corner of his mouth quirked a little.
The bastard must have found the sight of her ample bottom humorous. That heat she’d imagined was just that, imagined.
Maddy practically shoved her through the door and her hand at Cindy’s waist just kept pushing until they were both in the kitchen.
“What the hell was that?” Maddy demanded.
“What?” Cindy took refuge in picking up the can of Diet Coke.
“Sticking your boobs in Tim’s face?”
“Hey, he asked for it.”
“To be sexually harassed?”
“Come on, he sexually harasses everyone with his shirts.” Cindy laughed.
“This is no joke,” Maddy said sternly. “Playing with a man like Tim is out of your league.”
Cindy sobered. “As in a man like Tim Clarke wouldn’t find me attractive?”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Then what do you mean?”
“Tim isn’t a man to mess with. His kind of women are…hard.”
“He dates cold-hearted bitches with figures that could slip down a drain if they stood on it sideways, I get it. No plus-sized chicks like me.” Annoyed, Cindy plopped inelegantly down into the chair at the table and crossed her legs. “As if I wanted to attract him, anyway. As if he could be attracted to anyone like me.”
Maddy frowned. “Don’t get snooty. Even a blind man could have seen the heat in his eyes when he looked at you. Or rather…” She gestured towards Cindy’s chest. “Your bosom.”
“It’s just been awhile since he last saw a pair the size of mine.” Not wanting to fight with her best friend, Cindy leaned back in the chair and blew out a sigh. “Look, Mads, Tim isn’t interested in girls like me. I don’t fit his profile. It was just a harmless bit of teasing.”
“I don’t want you hurt.”
“No chance of it.” Cindy took another sip of Diet Coke.
Quietly, Maddy studied her.
“What?” Cindy finally asked.
“I’ve never seen you so blatantly flaunt yourself like that before.”
A little uncomfortable now that she thought back to it, Cindy shrugged. “Spur of the moment thing.”
“Yeah.” There was a hint of foreboding in Maddy’s voice.
“Look, when someone blatantly sets out to embarrass me-”
“I think he was just teasing. At first.”
“Tease, whatever, I give it back. It wouldn’t have gone any further.”
The expression on Maddy’s face wasn’t so sure.
“Look, don’t worry about it,” Cindy said. “Tim and I don’t often meet, and when I see him at any pubs, clubs or dinners, I promise not to give him a look at the girls, okay?”
“The girls?”
“These.” Cindy palmed her breasts. “The twins, fantastic as they are.”
Maddy rolled her eyes.
Laughing, Cindy circled the base of the drink can on the table. “So what are your plans for the week?”
Taking the hint, Maddy changed the conversation.
~*~
“What the hell are you playing at?” Mike demanded.
“What?” Tim took a mouthful of iced coffee, his mind still on Cindy’s impressive bosom - and that luscious behind that swayed with every step she took in those sexy stilettos.
“You damned well know what.”
“Cindy?”
“Yes, Cindy. My Maddy’s best friend. Jesus, I thought you were going to rip her clothes off and take her here on the garage floor!”
“Really?” Tim arched a brow. It didn’t sound half bad. “It’d be a change.”
“Cindy is a lady.”
“Even when she pushed her delectable - you know.” He cupped his hands in front of his chest and moved them a fair way forward. “At me?”
Mike’s nostrils flared. Uh-oh.
“Kidding.” Tim walked back to the car and stuck his head under the bonnet. “So, we should get this sorted out pretty quick. It’s straightforward now we know the problem.”
When silence met his words, Tim glanced up to find Mike staring at him, his pale- eyed gaze holding a threat. And hulking Mike with muscles like boulders in a threatening mode was a little scary. Good thing Tim was his best friend, though that wouldn’t save him from a blood nose if Mike thought he was going to hurt Cindy.
“I won’t touch her,” he assured Mike.
“Not just touching.”
“I wouldn’t hurt her.”
“Not physically, no, but emotionally.”
“Seriously? We’re discussing emotions? Two blokes? Oh wait, I forgot.” Tim slapped his fo
rehead. “This is Mike I’m talking to. The man who loves to talk out his feelings. Shall we go inside and have a chat while painting our toenails?”
“How about we have a chat over my fists?”
“How about we don’t? Maddy wouldn’t like blood on her bonnet.”
Mike stabbed a forefinger in his direction. “Don’t play with Cindy.”
Personally, the very words conjured up all kinds of interesting images. Weird. Tim shook his head.
Mistaking the gesture for agreement, Mike grunted and turned his attention back to the car.
Personally, Tim had no intention of playing anything with Cindy. The woman was off limits as far as he was concerned. Not only was she Maddy’s friend, but she wasn’t the kind of woman around whom he hung. She might be brazen, but she wasn’t hard, and hard were the only kinds he played with, then he didn’t have to worry about hurting anyone’s feelings.
Nope, Cindy definitely wasn’t on his play list.
It didn’t stop him thinking of her bountiful bosom, however, nor that swaying walk. She had a generous backside and he’d found it more than a little fascinating, especially after having a good eyeful of her cleavage. Nothing wrong with a little fantasizing - as long as Mike never found out.
Not to worry, unlike him, Tim never found it necessary to share his feelings. In fact, he shelved them and took them out later when he was alone to examine. Or fantasize about.
Grinning, he glanced up to catch Mike’s narrow gaze and he gave his friend the thumbs up.
“I’m watching you,” Mike growled. “Don’t forget it.”
“I didn’t know you cared.” Tim placed his fingertips coyly over his nipples. “I think I’m getting a little self-conscious.”
Mike gave him a last glower before returning to the work at hand.
Grinning, Tim followed suit.
The time passed companionably and by the time they had the car going it was late afternoon. Leaving the garage, Tim pulled his t-shirt back on and walked out into the sunshine. Cindy’s car was no longer parked in Maddy’s driveway and he wondered when she’d left.
Maddy came down off the veranda. “Thanks for helping, Tim.”
“No worries.” He bent and kissed her cheek. “Thanks for the muffins. When you come to your senses and leave Mike, my door is always open.”
“Shame you’ll be dead inside the house.” Mike came up behind Maddy to slide his arms around her waist and pull her back against him.
She tilted her head back to smile up at him, and the love was plain on both their faces.
“I feel ill,” said Tim.
“Then don’t look.” Mike placed a kiss on the tip of Maddy’s nose and straightened, still keeping her hugged against him. “Thanks for your help, Tim.”
“No worries. Now you can take Maddy out for her birthday dinner. Though you could have gotten a taxi, you tight-arse.”
“Me?” Mike was indignant. “I mentioned it and Maddy was against it.”
“We need the money to finish the renovations,” she reminded him. “We’re not wasting it on taxis.”
Tim frowned a little. “I could help out.”
Mike and Maddy levelled their gazes at him.
“Or not. Definitely not.” Tim crossed to his car, pulling the keys from his pocket. Just before he slid inside, he looked seriously at his friends. “I know you won’t accept help, but if anything ever really bad happened, you’d come to me, right? There would never be strings attached, you know that, right?”
Mike looked down at Maddy, and she slid out of his hold and walked across to Tim. Placing her hands each side of his face, she tugged gently and he bent down. Giving him a kiss on the cheek, she whispered, “We know.”
He glanced up at Mike, who nodded.
And that was all that needed to be said and done.
Feeling a lot more cheerful, Tim got into his car and drove home. Pulling into his garage, he closed the door remotely behind him and got out. Entering the house through a side door, he listened to the silence. Everything smelled clean, a hint of lemon in the air. His housekeeper had been and gone, and everything was in its place. He could even smell the remnants of his cooked meal.
Going into the kitchen, he picked up the notebook that he and Janet, his housekeeper, used to leave each other messages, and read it.
‘Dinner is in the ‘fridge, just put it in the oven and heat at 180 for half an hour. Dessert is trifle, and it’s in the ‘fridge as well. Janet.’
Straight and to the point. Dropping his wallet and car keys onto the counter, he stretched and yawned while making his way upstairs to his bedroom. Kicking off his sneakers, he yanked off his socks and walked into the big, marble bathroom. The twin shower heads were a bit of a waste of time, as far as he was concerned. He only ever used one. The shower was made for two people but he’d never brought any woman home with him. His home was his personal oasis and no one was going to crash it. It was the one place he could relax and forget about the outside world for awhile.
After a brisk shower, he dried himself and debated what he was going to do for the evening. The options were to go out and see if he could get lucky with a hot chick, or stay indoors, eat the dinner his housekeeper had cooked for him, and watch TV.
Towel low on his hips, he regarded his reflection in the mirror. He knew he was good looking without being obnoxious about it. It wasn’t just his money that attracted women, though it certainly helped. He suddenly found himself wondering what Cindy thought as she’d looked at him. There had certainly been interest in her eyes, appreciation even, and he wondered if she’d felt even a smidgen of interest that bordered on sexual attraction.
Then he laughed at himself. Women like Cindy didn’t go for men like him, not when they knew how callous he could be with the so-called fairer sex. He steered clear of the good girls, and even though Cindy was brazen, she was a good-type girl. There hadn’t been a hint of scandal attached to her name, and if there had of been, he’d have been one of the first to hear of it. Her family was rich, she was rich, and scandal always had a way of reaching far and wide when it involved the rich.
Nope, Cindy was a good girl and out of his reach. If he’d wanted to reach for her, which he didn’t. Good God, no. Not Cindy. Not luscious, full-blown, curvaceous Cindy.
Maybe he needed to go out and get laid.
The thought of finding a woman in a nightclub, no matter how exotic or upper class it was, was suddenly unappealing.
Okay, a night in with the giggle-box was the go. Pulling on a pair of boxers, he strode barefoot down the stairs and put his dinner in the oven. Yum, home-made lasagne.
Going through the dining room and into the luxurious lounge, he threw himself down into his comfortable armchair and tilted it up, resting his heels on the footrest that rose up as he leaned back. Grabbing the TV remote that lay on the little table beside his chair, he flicked it on. The news flashed across the screen and he watched it with lazy interest.
In the quiet of the house, the grandfather clock in the foyer bonged the hour. Everything was quiet apart from the low drone of the TV. Leaning back in the armchair, Tim wondered why he didn’t do this more often.
Maybe it was time to bring home a dog, one of the strays brought in to be euthanised at the vet clinic. Yeah, a dog would be company. Or a cat, God knew there were a lot of them coming in over the summer period, homeless, un-sterilized and abandoned.
Eventually the oven chime rang out and he got out of his chair and padded back into the kitchen. The delicious smell of lasagne filled the big room as he took it out of the oven and set it on the wooden block on the bench.
He had just cut into it when the phone rang. Choosing to ignore it, he carefully ladled the big chunk of lasagne onto a plate and listened as the answering machine kicked in. The voice he heard had him jerking his head up.
“Tim?” There was a definite wobbly tone to the normally happy voice. “This is Cindy. I hope you’re there. Can you pick up? I don’t know who else to cal
l. I-”
Tim practically leaped at the phone and snatched it up. “Cindy? It’s me.”
“Oh, thank goodness.” Relief was evident in her voice.
“What’s wrong?” Tomato sauce dripped onto the counter.
“We found a kitten. Two, actually.”
“Kittens?” Tim relaxed a little.
“They’re really tiny, their eyes are shut. One is crying a lot, the other one isn’t making much noise.”
“Okay.” His mind was already falling into vet mode. “Bill’s on call tonight-”
“I tried your clinic but there’s only an answering service, he’s out of range somewhere.”
Obviously on a call-out in the country or in the middle of an emergency. “Right.” He was already putting the spoon down.
“I’m sorry.” She sounded desperate and definitely unhappy. “I’ll call another clinic-”
“No.” He glanced up at the clock on the wall. “I’ll meet you at the clinic in twenty minutes.”
There was a slight pause. “Are you sure?”
“I’m sure. Twenty minutes.” He hung up the phone, put the lasagne back in the oven and ran up the stairs.
Fifteen minutes later he was pulling up outside the vet clinic. Unlocking the door, he deactivated the alarm and heard a car pull up just as he was about to walk around the reception desk. Glancing outside, he saw that it was Cindy’s Hyundai under the light, and as he watched, she got out of the car and hurried around to the passenger door, opening it and leaning inside, coming back out with a shoe box.
Turning, she rushed across the parking lot, and he half expected her to go arse over tit in her high heels, but she missed nary a beat as she hurried to the door.
Tim held it open as she entered. “Follow me.”
She did as bidden and he flicked the light on as they entered a consult room. Moving to the other side of the bench, he watched as she placed the box down on the surface. As she lifted her face towards his, he could see the sheen of tears in her eyes.
“Are you all right?” He pulled the box towards him.
“Yes. Just worried. One of them...” She swallowed and cleared her throat. “I don’t think it’s made it.”
Vet's Desire Page 4
