Catch 'n' Kiss (Are You Game?)

by Cahill, Rhian

  She glared at him with narrowed eyes. “Go on.”

  “Amy let it slip why Leigh has been sulking all night and we got into a conversation about some guy she thinks is going to ask her out.”

  “Oh, that.” Jody’s shoulders drooped. “I’m not sure what to think about that.”

  “Well, anyway, I asked what the problem was and then offered some advice.”

  “What did you say?”

  Dan wasn’t sure what was going through Jody’s head. For all he knew, she was about to thump him for interfering. “I told her that if this guy couldn’t get her tonight, if he was really interested he’d talk to her tomorrow at school or try ringing her again tomorrow night. I also tried to tell her that if he didn’t try again after missing her tonight then he wasn’t worth her time.”

  She remained quiet and Dan couldn’t take the suspense for longer than a few seconds.

  “Well? Did I fuck up?”

  A smile tilted the corner of her mouth. “No. In fact, what you told her was good advice and probably more acceptable coming from you than me.”

  “Really?”

  “Yeah, ever since the weekend we’ve been butting heads. I’m not sure she’d have listened to me if I’d said the same thing word for word. I seem to have been relegated to the enemy camp.”

  “I’m sure it won’t last long. I remember my teenage years being like a pendulum swinging between love and hate when it came to my mum and dad.” He picked up another shirt and this time managed to fold it in a semi-neat square.

  Jody took the top off him and put it on one of the piles. “You’re right. I know that. It’s just frustrating not knowing what tips the scale in either direction.”

  The drier beeped and he leaned over and popped the door open. Together, they pulled the second load of clothes out and dumped them in the basket. “Oh, I forgot, I gave Amy some ice cream. I didn’t even think to ask if she could have it.” Damn, he was an idiot. The kid could be allergic or something.

  “That’s fine. She’s the ice-cream ho in our house.”

  “Yeah, Leigh said she didn’t need the extra fat.” He still couldn’t believe a fifteen-year-old was worried about fat intake.

  “Jesus. Another confusing, worrying aspect of raising a teenager in this era of thin is beautiful.” Jody shook her head. “Lucky for me, she’s fairly sensible and loves food.” She laughed. “She’d never starve herself.”

  “I think West’s sister had an eating disorder. She does a whole heap of seminars at high schools about food and nutrition. West helps put her menus together. You could ask him for some advice if you’re really concerned.”

  “That’s not a bad idea. I know their school has sent home a few notes about healthier options in lunch boxes. Maybe they’ve seen or heard something to be alarmed about.”

  “Maybe.” Dan continued to help her fold. Unfortunately, he wasn’t getting any better at it and Jody had to refold half of what he did. “Sorry. I should stop trying to help. I think I’m making more work.”

  “I’ll have to remember to ask West in the morning.” She grabbed the last piece of clothing before he could.

  “I can remind you. I think he’s in to make a cake for that kid’s party Cassie is doing in the afternoon.” Dan got to his feet and offered Jody his hand.

  “Thanks.” She got to her feet and they stood there just staring at each other for long moments. “I should get going. It’s late and the girls have school.”

  “Yeah, you probably should.” But neither of them moved.

  Jody licked her lips and Dan couldn’t resist leaning in for a taste. He pressed his mouth to hers and nibbled the sweet curves before sweeping over them with his tongue. She trembled against him before parting her lips and inviting him inside with the hesitant touch of her tongue. That was all it took for him to lose it and go deep. Thrusting his tongue between her teeth, he stroked and teased until they were caught up in a frenzied give and take.

  Dan skimmed his hands over her hips and up her ribcage to her breasts. He cupped them, squeezed with his fingers and flicked her hard nipples with his thumbs. It wasn’t enough—he wanted to feel her skin on skin, so he slid his hands back down until he could tuck them up under her T-shirt. Her flesh was warm and rippled beneath his fingers as he trailed them up her bare torso. She moaned into his mouth when he pushed her bra aside and palmed her bare breasts.

  He wanted more. Pulling his lips from hers, he breathed her in as he nipped his way along her jaw to her ear. Scraping his teeth over the delicate flap of her lobe, he toyed with it until she whimpered. Then he sucked the whole thing into his mouth and tongued it with rapid flicks. She gasped and shuddered against him.

  “I want you,” he growled in her ear.

  “Yes.” The word left her lips in a rush of air.

  “Mum?”

  And just like that Dan’s body went stone cold.

  Chapter Twelve

  Jody still hadn’t gotten over almost being caught making out with Dan by Leigh. The thought still made her shiver with fear. He’d been so accepting and even a little relieved when she’d hustled the girls out of there. And the text he’d sent her late last night had only made her soften towards him more. He was so understanding of her lightning-quick changes of mind. She really didn’t deserve his patience or persistence, but she was more than willing to take it.

  “Hey, wanna get some lunch?” Cassie strode into Jody’s office.

  “Sure. What did you have in mind?” Jody glanced at Dan who was busy on the phone with a client.

  “I thought we could go to the sushi place again.”

  “Sounds good.” Jody shuffled some papers back into their folder. “Give me five minutes?”

  “I’ll meet you downstairs.” Cassie left with a small wave in Dan’s direction.

  Jody busied herself with putting the few files on her desk away while she waited for Dan to get off the phone. She wasn’t sure why she was waiting to talk to him, but she couldn’t leave before she did. When he finally said goodbye and put the phone back on its cradle, she took a deep breath. But he spoke before she could get a word out.

  “Can you bring me back something?”

  “Ah, sure. What do you want?”

  “Just get me an assortment. There isn’t anything I don’t eat, so whatever looks good.” He stood up and pulled his wallet out of his pocket.

  She waved him off. “No, I’ve got it. It’s the least I can do after you let me use your washer.”

  “I thought dinner was payment for that?” He smiled.

  “Well, yeah, but then the girls did the whole war of the teenagers thing, so I figure I owe you for that too.” She’d tried to apologise this morning when she’d first arrived at work, but he wouldn’t let her. At least now she could assuage some of her guilt over subjecting him to her warring teens.

  “I told you that wasn’t a problem.” He came around his desk. “They were perfectly well-behaved, and I’d be more than happy to spend time with them again.”

  “You would?” She couldn’t imagine why. He was single and none of his siblings had children, so it wasn’t as though he was used to being around kids.

  “Yep. In fact, what about doing something together this weekend? You can come over early Saturday and use the washer again. Then we can head out for lunch somewhere. What do the girls like to eat?” He held up a hand. “Wait, let me guess. MacDonald’s.”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea…”

  Dan frowned. The corners of his mouth creased and his brows scrunched together above his nose. “Why?”

  “Look I know we’ve kind of moved beyond workmates but—”

  “Don’t say it.” He leaned in close. “Can you for one second forget about everything except whether or not you want to hang out with me? Don’t think about work. Don’t think about anything but spending the day doing something fun with me. And the girls.”

  Jody opened her mouth, except Dan put two fingers over her lips before she co
uld say a word.

  “Think about it over lunch. Give me your answer when you deliver my food.” He bent forward and planted a quick, hard kiss on her mouth.

  Shocked by his bold action, she stood frozen in place until the sound of Cassie yelling her name up the stairwell registered. Shaking herself, she glanced around to see Dan had left the room and she hadn’t even realised he’d gone. He really did short-circuit her brain. She grabbed her bag and hightailed it downstairs to a waiting Cassie.

  “About time. I was thinking of sending out a search party. What kept you so long?” Cassie asked as they headed across the warehouse.

  Jody’s cheeks heated and she knew they’d be flaming red. She wasn’t about to tell Cassie Dan had kissed in the office. “Sorry, filing took longer than I thought it would.”

  “You could have left it until we got back.”

  “I know, but I sort of lost track of time.” Boy had she ever. Only it wasn’t the filing that had kept her spellbound.

  “Never mind. It’s still early so we shouldn’t have trouble getting a seat next to the train.”

  Jody laughed when she remembered her boss’s fascination with the sushi train. Cassie seemed more excited about the moving plates than what was on them. “You just want to watch the food go round.”

  “Oh, c’mon. It is kinda cool.” Cassie bumped her shoulder into Jody’s. “So wanna talk about Dan?”

  “What?” Jody choked.

  Cassie wrapped her arm around Jody’s waist and gave her a quick squeeze. “You don’t have to, but I thought you might want to. I’m not listening as your boss, so chuck that notion right out. I’m your friend. The woman dating your brother. Hell, I’m all but living with him now days.”

  “I’m not sure what you expect me to say.”

  “Look, let’s lay the cards on the table. From the minute you started working for me, I’ve seen the sparks between you two. You were both so intent on disliking each other to begin with that neither of you worked out those sparks weren’t hatred.” Cassie glanced at her as they walked down the sidewalk. “Am I right?”

  Jody sighed. “Yeah.”

  “So something happen last weekend?”

  She laughed. “You could say that.”

  “Good or bad?”

  “Oh, good. Very, very good.” Jody’s body flushed hot with the memory of just how good Dan was.

  “Judging by your flushed face and breathless voice, I’m going to assume you got laid but good.” Cassie grinned. “And can I just say about damn time. High five for you, honey.”

  Cassie held up her hand and Jody slapped her palm with hers. She couldn’t stop the giggle that bubbled up her throat. “Jesus. I feel like a sixteen-year-old talking boys and high fiving.”

  “Hey, guys regress all the time, I figure we should too.” They reached the end of the street and stopped to wait for the light to change. “So, are you seeing Dan now or are you going to do the whole I’m-a-single mum, he’s-a-younger-man thing?”

  “What makes you think I’d use that argument not to see him?”

  “I noticed you didn’t deny the not-seeing-him part.”

  Jody grimaced. “I don’t know what to do.”

  “Why not?”

  “I don’t need any more complications. The girls and I are doing great. I love my new job and don’t want to jeopardise it by having an affair with a workmate—”

  “Too late for that.” Cassie turned to face her. “Look, I can’t say what will happen, but I can say that you would not lose your job if things between you and Dan didn’t work out. There are plenty of options to keep the two of you from working together. The only reason you’re sharing the office and quite a few of your early jobs was so you could learn the ropes. I can easily move either of you out into another space and make sure you’re rostered on different events.”

  “I’m scared to get involved.” There. She’d said it. She was scared. Colin had been her one true relationship and look how she’d fucked that up.

  “Not scared to get involved with Dan but involved in general?” Cassie asked as the walk light turned green and they stepped off the curb. “Because I can tell you now, I don’t think he’d ever do anything to hurt you or the girls. If he’s pursuing you, he’s serious. I’ve never known him to go after any woman. They all usually fall at his feet.”

  “So I’m a challenge then?” That idea didn’t make Jody feel any better. In fact, it made the whole situation worse.

  “No. No, I don’t think it’s that. He’s not the type to go after something just because it’s a challenge. More the type to only work for those things he really wants. What he’s serious about.”

  Jody mulled that over for a minute. They entered the sushi restaurant and were directed to two seats in the back near where the chefs loaded the fresh food on the train.

  “Yes. First pick.” Cassie slipped onto her stool and nabbed a plate straight away.

  “Good Lord, woman, at least put your arse on the seat before you start eating.”

  Cassie grinned at her around a mouthful of prawn and rice. “I’m starving. I skipped breakfast. Actually, Luc made me skip breakfast.”

  Jody put up a hand. “Do not start talking about you and my brother and before breakfast. I don’t need to know what you two get up to in the hours between sunset and sunrise.”

  “Oh, we don’t restrict our activities to the cover of darkness.”

  “Shit.” She stuck her fingers in her ears and hummed.

  Cassie laughed hysterically, drawing the gazes of a number of surrounding customers and penetrating Jody’s makeshift earplugs.

  Jody pulled her fingers free and searched her handbag for the little bottle of sanitiser she kept in there. It was a shame she couldn’t use it to clean her mind of the thought of her brother and Cassie doing something that made them so late they had to skip breakfast.

  The last thing Dan wanted to be doing on a Friday night was stocktake. But he’d drawn the short straw this month, so here he was, going from one tub to the next, counting every damn thing in the place. Thank God, he didn’t have to count all those beads, just the little boxes of them, although that was bad enough. And if anyone else interrupted him while he was counting, he was throwing the clipboard at their head. He was on the final row. Luckily, West was taking care of the kitchen supplies. He’d definitely go insane if he had to do those as well.

  One thing about this job was he had plenty of time to think. Something he’d been doing a lot of since Jody had agreed to see him again. He wasn’t sure what had changed her mind, but he knew she wouldn’t back out because the girls knew they were going ice skating. He’d tried to come up with something different and fun to do. When he’d asked Jody if they skated and she’d told him none of them had ever been, he knew he had to take them the first time.

  He better get a move on with the rest of the count or he’d still be here when they arrived on his doorstep to do their washing in the morning. Glancing at his watch, he saw it was ten minutes until midnight. He’d hoped to be home by now. The house could do with a bit of a tidy up before the girls arrived. Especially the one who’d cleaned his kitchen so well on Monday night that he’d discovered the section of counter behind the cook top wasn’t black. It was silver.

  His mother would have his head if she knew he’d let a woman deal with his neglect. Then again, if she knew about Jody and the girls she’d be in his ear about bringing them round. That was something he wasn’t ready for. Yet.

  “Hey, you’re still here.” Cassie walked towards him.

  “Yep, almost done though. Party over already?”

  “Just about. I let Kerry take over. I wanted to get home before midnight because I’ve got the Winter’s birthday tomorrow morning.” She indicated the clipboard in his hand. “How much left?”

  He nodded to the rack beside her. “Last few boxes.”

  “Good. Want me to help out so you get out of here faster?” she asked.

  “No. You go on. I’m sur
e Luc is waiting up for you.”

  “Actually, he’s at Jody’s.”

  Dan’s head snapped around. “What? Why?”

  Cassie chewed her lip and diverted her gaze. “I’m not sure I should say anything.”

  “Cassie. Tell me.”

  “Fine. But if Jody wanted you to know, I’m pretty sure she would have told you herself.”

  “Just spill it.” If she didn’t tell him in the next few seconds he was out the door.

  “Colin turned up at her house earlier tonight drunk. Apparently, he took a bat to Jody’s car after she wouldn’t let him in the house.”

  He’d dropped the clipboard and was at the end of the row before Cassie had finished speaking. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and checked for missed calls. Messages. Nothing. She hadn’t rung him. Dan wasn’t sure how he felt about that. He only knew he had to go to her now and make sure she was all right.

  “I’ll finish the stocktake,” Cassie yelled behind him.

  Dan didn’t bother to acknowledge her. He sprinted across the warehouse and slammed out the door. He’d ridden his bike this morning and was thankful because he could dodge through traffic a hell of a lot faster on the Ducati than in his Jeep. Throwing his leg over the seat, he snagged his helmet off the handlebar and strapped it on. In seconds, he had the motor thrumming between his legs as he sped out of the parking lot.

  Traffic was light, and with him sitting ten or so kilometres above the speed limit, he was pulling into Jody’s driveway in record time. Luc’s car remained at the curb and Jody’s SUV sat in the driveway next to where Dan had stopped, every window was smashed and most of the panels had taken a beating too. Dan switched off the bike and kicked the stand down. Jody’s front door opened as he pulled his helmet off and Dan’s heart stuttered until he realised it was Luc standing there and not Jody.

  “Hey.” Luc nodded at him. “Cassie rang.”

  “Is Jody okay? The girls?” Dan’s long strides ate up the distance to Luc.

  “They’re all asleep. The girls are in with Jody. None of them would tell me what went on before I got here, but they all have to go to the police station in the morning to make statements. I was planning on going with them.”