“Shrinking violet? Are you taking florist classes in your off-time now?”
With a sigh, Rick raised the bottle of coffee to his mouth. “This is going to be a long conversation.”
“I hope you brought more nibblies, then.”
Mike placed his empty bottle of coffee on the table and looked at Tim out of stoic cop eyes. Pale blue, direct, his gaze seemed to burn right into Tim’s brain.
As if that was anything unusual.
“All right,” Mike rumbled. “You don’t call for nothing. What’s the problem?”
“Problem?” Tim shrugged. “No real problem.”
Rick levelled a steady look at him.
Yeah, Tim had a problem. He sobered. A big one, and for the first time in his life he didn’t know what to do about it.
“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” he muttered.
“Just spill it,” Mike ordered.
“I feel like I’m being interrogated.”
“You’re the one with the confession.”
Tim sighed. “Okay. I have a problem with a certain lady.”
“Cindy Lawson.”
“Yes. Yes, Cindy, okay?”
“We’ll see how okay it is in a minute.”
Damn, Mike was such a protective arse. One of the likeable things about him, actually. And now that it came to Cindy, Tim was feeling that same protectiveness.
In fact, he felt it so much he scowled at Mike. “Yeah, Cindy is my problem. My problem. Okay?”
Mike’s expression didn’t change one iota, but Rick’s eyebrows nearly disappeared into his hairline.
“Yeah.” Tim continued to scowl. “I have a lady problem. Happy now?”
“I’m not sure,” Rick replied. “I don’t have enough details yet.”
Frustrated, and frustrated because he was frustrated for the first time in his adult life when it came to a woman, Tim continued to scowl. “I’ve fallen for Cindy Lawson. I had sex with her.” He caught Mike’s gaze and almost snarled, “Yeah. I had sex with Cindy Lawson. I slept all night at her house.”
Good God, a little voice inside his head said, you’re prodding the beast. Are you insane?
Yes, yes he was, he decided, because women drove men insane.
“So you slept at Cindy’s house,” Rick said in a reasonable, calm tone. “And?”
“And I bared my soul to her.” Tim flung himself back in the chair and closed his eyes. “I told her I wanted a relationship with her.”
“Sounds like you got it.”
“No. I mean a real relationship.” Tim grimaced. “I’m trying to have a relationship with her.”
When silence was all he heard, he cracked open one eyelid to meet Mike’s steady regard. It was impossible to know what the cop was thinking, so he glanced at Rick. His other friend was thoughtfully contemplating him.
“Any time you want to add something,” Tim said.
He felt all kinds of a fool. Tim Clarke had never had doubts about women, had never had doubts about where he stood with them. Now he had a lot and he didn’t know what to do about it.
So here he was, the playboy vet sitting with his friends, the cop and the doctor, seeking relationship advice. It was sad. But he was desperate, desperate enough to make Cindy happy, to keep her happy, and to that end he’d sit here like a fluttery fool chatting about feelings yet again. Jesus.
Yeah, maybe he better start praying for divine help.
Chapter Nine
“You love Cindy,” Mike stated.
“Love? I don’t know about love,” Tim replied hastily. “I like her. A lot.”
“What are you? Ten?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Tim, you’ve been around women a long time. You love ‘em and leave ‘em, you don’t love ‘em and keep ‘em. You want something more permanent with Cindy. Doesn’t that tell you that you might like her more than just, well, like?”
“No.” He could feel an edge of panic creeping in. More than like was permanent. Did he want permanent?
“I know that look,” Rick said. “He’s going to faint.”
“What?” Tim glared at him. “I am not. What the hell?”
“Just saying, man.” Rick shrugged. “You had that fright or flight look on your face.”
“Face your fear,” Mike advised. “Don’t flee it.”
“Seriously, are we in some Victorian romance novel?”
“No, we’re in your love life,” Rick replied. “You can tell by how messy it is.”
“I don’t have a love life.”
“You do.”
“You’re insane.”
“No, you’re in denial.” Before Tim could reply indignantly, Rick pointed a finger at him. “When you have sex with a woman and walk away, that’s just sex.”
“So?”
“When you make love with a woman and then try and figure out how to make a relationship last for a longer period, that’s a love life.”
Oh dear. Tim almost froze in his chair. He had a love life. Freakin’ hell. A love life.
“Maybe you should have brought the crash cart, Rick.” Mike leaned back in the chair and swung his big boots up on the desk.
“He’ll be fine,” Rick replied. “But if anything happens, you’re doing the mouth-to-mouth bit.”
Mike grunted and reached for the bag of chips.
Tim didn’t know what to think. He knew he wanted a relationship with Cindy. He’d told her, too, and that hadn’t changed. But calling a relationship a love life? That opened up a whole new ball game.
The panic started again. He didn’t know what love was, not really. Sure, he loved his Aunt Hannah in a non attraction way, and he liked Nancy, and he loved Mike and Rick in a blokey-kind of way, nothing sissy or anything, just really strong friendship, but that was it.
“I don’t know anything about love,” he finally said. “I don’t know if I love Cindy.”
Mike and Rick looked at each other.
“Shit.” Tim scowled. I don’t know, okay? And it’s not up for discussion anyway.”
“I think I can guess your problem,” Mike said dryly.
“It’s not what you’re thinking. I know I wasn’t thinking about love when I called you.”
“So what is your problem?” Rick asked curiously.
Glad to be back on familiar ground - sort of - Tim exhaled. “How do I win a girl like Cindy?”
“Win? Or do you mean court? Because you have to court in order to win.”
“You and your old fashioned romantic notions.”
“Much nicer sounding than dating, I always think.”
Mike just continued to look stoic.
“Okay.” Tim looked at him. “How did you win Maddy?”
A slow grin of supreme male satisfaction crossed Mike’s normally impassive face. “I told her.”
“Oh great. Like that’s going to help me with a girl like Cindy.”
“It takes work.”
“That’s what I’m trying to do!” Tim flung up his hands. “How do I date a girl like Cindy?”
“Well, how do you normally date a girl?” Rick retorted.
“I buy them a drink, boink their brains out and go home.”
“You’re right, that won’t work with Cindy.”
“Wouldn’t have worked with Maddy, either,” Mike muttered.
“Look, Rick, you’re married and the big doofus here is engaged, both of you to nice girls. What’s the secret?
“No secret. Just be yourself.”
“You think that’s such a good idea?” Mike actually smirked.
Tim looked sourly at him. “You’re really enjoying this, aren’t you?”
“Watching you squirm? Yeah.”
Tim flipped him the middle finger.
“Now, girls,” Rick admonished before growing serious. “Tim, Cindy is a nice girl, but she’s different to Cherry and Maddy. Cherry was really self-conscious about her body - which, by the way…” Rick’s eyes unfocussed a littl
e as he smacked his lips together. “Yummy.”
“But you fixed that,” Tim said impatiently.
“Between ourselves, yes.”
“And you won her.”
“Through patience and sheer perseverance. And boy, is she worth it.”
Tim switched his gaze to Mike.
Mike shrugged. “Maddy was confident, but she had issues with family. They knocked her around about in the confidence department, but she was very much her own woman.” His slow grin was a little wolfish. “I just gave her that firm hand she needed.”
“I’m surprised she agreed to marry you. Neanderthal.” Tim fluttered his eyelashes. “That is her nickname for you, right?”
“Yeah, it is. She can call me that.” Mike pointed at him. “You can’t.”
Rick grinned.
“So what’s the secret?” Tim demanded. “How did you win Maddy?”
Mike contemplated the desk top for a few seconds before meeting Tim’s gaze. “Truth be told, Tim, love is a funny thing. Relationships are funny. Everyone is different. You need to find your own way.”
“That’s your words of wisdom?” Tim rolled his eyes. “I could have consulted a fortune cookie for that.”
“You need to consult nothing. Just be yourself.”
“Oh, like that’s going to work?”
“You’ve already been in her bed, haven’t you? Who were you then?”
Tim went completely blank, the only thought bouncing around in his head that he’d been his normal horny self, only he’d done things to her that he rarely did with other women.
Because Cindy wasn’t other women. Cindy was…special.
“I think he’s getting it.” Mike turned to Rick. “Thank God. Another few seconds and I’d be trying to punch commonsense into him.”
“Here, let me try.” Rick crossed one knee over the other. “Now, Tim-”
“Oh great.” Tim sighed. “You’re going all professional quack on me. If you start charging me by the minute, you’re going to regret it. You can’t sit with my sneaker up your arse.”
Unfazed, Rick linked his hands on his flat abdomen. “Be yourself with Cindy. What you see with her is what you get, and you should honour her with the same thing. She obviously likes your company, she knows your reputation and is still willing to give you a chance. Don’t mess it up by trying to be or do something you’re not.” He spoiled the professional air by scowling and adding, “Idiot.”
“Uncalled for.”
“But true. Seriously, just be yourself! God knows, if she’s willing to go the distance with you as you are, you’ll both last through anything the world will throw at you.”
“So you think movies, a walk in the park, some hand holding, that’ll work?”
“Is that what you want to do with her?”
“Well, heh heh...” No, he wanted to do dirty things with her, make her scream, make her hot and -
“Tim!”
“Sorry. I got sidetracked.”
“You don’t say?”
“Anyway, I don’t know if Cindy will like that kind of thing.” He stopped and contemplated for a few seconds. “Mind you, I did say I’d take her to the movies tonight.”
“And?”
“She seemed okay with it.”
“There you go. Just follow your instincts, and above all, be yourself. Is that so hard?”
“She didn’t say we couldn’t boink our brains out afterwards.”
Rick looked pained. “Please tell me you didn’t suggest that to her.”
“Heh heh.”
“And still she hasn’t left him,” Rick told Mike.
“No accounting for taste.”
~*~
Sitting in the dark movie theatre, Cindy’s eyes nearly crossed with boredom. Oh dear lord, how long was this drama story? If someone didn’t smack the heroine upside the head soon, she’d do it for them.
Did Tim really go for this stuff? She glanced sideways at him. Or was he just trying to be sophisticated?
Catching her glance, he smiled at her. “Enjoying it?”
“Oh yes.” No.
“It’s very popular.”
“Really?” Amongst the brain dead, perhaps?
“Seems as though drama is all the go now.”
“Uh-huh.”
He returned his attention to the screen while Cindy stared at it without seeing, her mind crying out in boredom. The film was a disaster. It was killing her. Intellectual movies just weren’t her choice of genre. Now thrillers, horror, sci-fi, that was more to her taste. But she was here with Tim, and for him she’d smile and nod and fake it. Faking it would be a first for her.
She nearly giggled aloud at where that thought took her but managed to control it.
Tim glanced curiously at her, obviously having heard her muffle the sound before it could escape too much. She smiled up at him and looked quickly back at the screen, and he did the same.
That had to have taken all of five minutes. Only another hour to go. Another freakin’ hour!
And then she felt it, the slide of an arm along the back of her seat. Was Tim really making a move? Finally? Yep, there it came, the subtle shift and his side was now brushing against hers.
Nice. She inhaled the heady aroma of his cologne and soap. Very nice. Leaning into him, mentally cursing the armrest but willing to work with what she had, Cindy laid her hand on his thigh and immediately felt the muscle beneath his slacks jump before tightening.
Seemed as though she’d surprised Tim. Half his luck. She could do with a surprise right then to keep her awake.
She certainly didn’t expect the hand that slid down her back and the dexterous thumb that flicked the side of her breast.
Holy Hannah, had she really felt that?
A quick glance sideways showed Tim still watching the screen. Huh. Maybe he’d been so distracted that his hand had slipped and he wasn’t even aware of what he was doing.
Another flick, a caress, in fact, and her nipples hardened. Oh man, that had to be deliberate, there was no way it could have been an accident.
Another glance up but no, Tim was still watching the screen.
One way to find out. Cindy slid her hand a little higher up his thigh and was rewarded by his sudden intake of breath. A little higher as she tested his resolve, waiting for him to perhaps stop her.
No, knowing Tim, he’d probably enjoy a little groping at the movies.
With a little sigh of contentment, she settled against him, leaving her hand where it lay high on his thigh while tracing circles on his leg with her nails.
He shifted a fraction. His hand moved, coming around to partially cup her breast.
Hoo boy! And even more titillating, there was a distinct bulge appearing in his pants.
She shifted her hand a little higher up, her nails barely grazing the bugle beneath the slacks.
“Cindy?”
Lifting her head, she peeked up at him. “Yes?”
“Are you watching the movie?”
“Oh, yes.”
“Truthfully?”
“Not at all. Bored to tears.”
He went so still that she wondered if she’d made a mistake admitting it, and she opened her mouth to apologise when he suddenly swooped down on her.
His arms encircled her and he simply took her mouth in a searing kiss that had her first grappling for purchase on the armrest, then helplessly grabbing his shirt.
Catcalls and whistles erupted around them, interspersed with yells to sit back, stop necking, get a room, and someone threatened to get the manager.
Lifting his head, Tim grinned down at her.
Cindy laughed back up at him. “Oops.”
“How about we ditch this joint and find something else to do?”
“You read my mind.”
He practically hauled her to her feet, and she hurried behind him as they passed people, nearly sitting on several disgruntled movie-goers’ laps as they tripped in the darkened room.
By the
time they got out into the foyer, Cindy was giggling and trying to muffle it with her hand. Ginning broadly, Tim slung his arm around her shoulders and steered her past the bored-looking ticket seller.
Outside, he stopped and took in a lungful of air. “Seriously,” he said, “That was a crap movie.”
“Boring,” she agreed.
“What would you have preferred?”
“Spooky, scary, thrilling.”
“Well, there’s nothing scary or spooky showing, and it’s too late for thrilling. How about a drink instead?”
“The night is young.”
The beat of a nearby night club drew them and soon they were inside, Cindy letting go to shimmy across the dance floor, laughing as Tim gyrated in front of her.
Several people yelled to her and recognising them, she waved back. Tim was also greeted by name. They danced and drank a few glasses at the bar before once more returning to the dance floor.
She loved it. The music beckoned to her, the beat making her feet tap, and the pure fun of having Tim keeping up with her, his moves quite skilful, just added to the whole experience.
Watching Tim dance was also an experience. Tall and lean, he moved easily, gracefully, and he didn’t bother to hide his enjoyment of dancing. He moved closer to her, and closer, until they were dancing up against each other but without holding hands.
“Dirty dancing?” she shouted above the music. “Who’d have thought it of the playboy vet?”
He slid one thigh neatly between her own, grinning devilishly. “Cindy Lawson, the party girl. I thought you’d like dirty dancing?”
One sly rub against his groin, an accidental brush of her hand that had his eyes darkening, and she winked. “I can do more than dirty dance.” And with that, she whirled off through the crowd.
Hips swaying, toes tapping, she ensured that she kept a crowd between her and Tim, and it wasn’t hard to do considering that the floor was crowded with dancers.
Teasingly, she blew a kiss at him when she caught his eye and whirled away again.
A few shimmies with one man here, a hip shake with another dancer there, an exchanged giggle with a familiar face she knew from other clubs and casual acquaintances, and yet through it all she knew that Tim was searching for her.
She saw him using his dance moves to slide though the crowded dance floor, his gaze consistently finding her no matter where she went, and the dance suddenly became so much more.
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