Real Men Don't Break Hearts

by Coleen Kwan

  “You’ve got some serious competition around here.” She nodded at the nearby stalls. “Most of these guys operate a fair-sized business. They have proper offices and staff.”

  “Mmm. I’m thinking of getting my own office space soon.”

  Something about the way he said that caught her attention, triggering a ripple of anxiety. “Your own office space? You mean…you want my shop space?”

  “No, not your shop,” he said quickly—too quickly.

  “Huh.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “Then my apartment upstairs?”

  “I’m not going to ask you to leave,” he replied, still too quickly.

  But she could tell he’d thought about her apartment. She guessed it would easily convert into office space, and knowing Nate’s business acumen it wasn’t surprising he was thinking big already. She shuffled the vases again. “You don’t have to tiptoe around my feelings. If you want the apartment, just give me a month’s notice.”

  “I don’t want your apartment,” he insisted with a sigh. “And you’d better stop fiddling with those vases before you break one.”

  She sighed as well. “It’s time to pack up anyway. We’re supposed to be gone by five.” The crowds had thinned out, and the other stallholders were already clearing their tables. “It took me two trips to set up this morning, but with so much sold, hopefully I can get the remaining stock back to the store in one go.”

  “I can cart your stuff for you. I’m parked right near the entrance.”

  “Um, I doubt we’re going to fit much in that fancy sports car of yours. And won’t you worry about getting your nice leather seats scratched?”

  “I would if I had any. I’m driving a pickup truck now.”

  “And the Maserati?”

  “Gone. Sold. Around here it’s an eyesore.”

  She couldn’t think of many males who’d willingly trade a sexed-up sports car for a truck, but Nate seemed to be one of them. He apparently didn’t need a sports car to show off his masculinity, she mused before she could stop herself. Her cheeks warmed.

  “Oh, good.” She ducked under the table for her boxes.

  With Nate’s help it only took a few minutes to pack up her stock. They carted the boxes out to Nate’s truck.

  “You’ve got your business name and web address on your truck already,” Ally observed as they deposited the boxes into the back of the vehicle. “You must be serious about it.”

  “I don’t do anything by halves. If I decide on something, I give it everything I’ve got.”

  She had half suspected Nate might have second thoughts about moving back here, but the bold lettering on his pickup truck brought it home that with Nate there were no grays, just black and white. When he’d wanted to be bad, he’d been the worst. And when he’d decided to be successful, he’d risen to the top of the ladder spectacularly. And now he’d decided to settle back in Burronga.

  Was that how he was with women, too? When he decided to pursue a woman, did he always get her? Yes. Even she knew she wouldn’t be able to withstand his charm if he ever chose to wield it on her. A shiver curled down her spine. Nate would always get his girl, and when he tired of her, he’d get rid of her with equal determination.

  He hefted the last box in. The ripple of his muscled biceps made her breath hitch. She had an awful urge to stroke his bare arm, to press her mouth against his firm flesh and taste him. The temptation ruffled her senses. Holding her breath, she twisted away. She couldn’t let him see how much his presence affected her, didn’t need to witness his amusement.

  “Want to go for a drink at the Red Possum after we’re done here?” Nate rested his elbow against the truck, his smile open and inviting.

  Her heart somersaulted. This was the second time he’d asked her out for a drink. The first time, it had been fairly painless to refuse him, but this time was different. This time she wanted to say yes. Why shouldn’t she have a casual drink with Nate? They weren’t adversaries anymore. There was something about this new Nate that made her behave differently. She could say anything to him, things she couldn’t tell her family, and he didn’t appear to judge her. Even when she’d confided her deepest secrets to him, he hadn’t been appalled. He’d supported her, just as he’d tried to support her this afternoon against Paige’s rant. He seemed to like her, and that sent a thrill through every part of her.

  Every part except the warning voice in her head that intoned, Nate is off-limits. She might turn to mush at the sight of him, but she wasn’t equipped to deal with a playboy like him. She wasn’t one of his sophisticated, urbane girlfriends who could handle a casual fling without risking her emotions.

  “It’s not a trick question, you know,” Nate added as her silence stretched.

  “Maybe some other time,” she weakly compromised.

  He leaned a little closer. “You don’t strike me as a woman who plays games, so what gives? I’m simply asking you if you want to share a friendly drink.”

  “A friendly drink.”

  “I’m a very friendly guy.” But Nate’s eyes seemed to be saying something else, warming to liquid caramel as he studied her in a more than friendly way.

  “You’re not trying to make a move on me, are you?” she said.

  “Would you like me to make a move on you?”

  Now she definitely couldn’t mistake the invitation smoldering in his eyes. Nate desired her. Dampness broke out between her shoulder blades, heat slicking over her skin. Well, maybe desire was too strong a word, but the look he gave her was purely carnal and enough to steal her breath away. She brushed her hair from her sticky neck, licked her parched lips.

  “Now that does sound like a trick question.” She hooked a foot behind a calf, keeping a tight hold on herself.

  “You’re making this more complicated than it has to be.”

  Was she? Was it just a case of a few drinks, mutual attraction, and then sex? She pressed her lips together. She was getting too obsessed with the idea of sex when she was around Nate. Sure, he was a handsome, virile specimen of manliness, but that was no reason for her to turn into a drooling idiot.

  “Nate, I’m glad we’re not…enemies anymore. I’m even glad you showed up the other night when I was upset and inebriated, but I can’t have a drink with you. Not even a friendly one.” She drew in a breath. “If people saw us, they’d never believe we were just friends, and I don’t need that kind of gossip right now. So, thank you, but no thank you.” It was such a lame excuse. For a moment she thought he’d call her on it, but then the teasing glint faded from his eyes.

  “Sure, no hard feelings,” he said, smooth and bland and unreadable. He slapped the side of the truck, all business. “Why don’t I get this stuff over to your store? You riding with me or in your own car?”

  “I’ll follow.”

  Vague disappointment diluted her relief. Nate didn’t seem too let down by her refusal. He hadn’t tried to change her mind; he’d just let her go. Well, who was she kidding anyway? He wasn’t hard up for female companionship. He didn’t need to pursue her.

  As she hurried away from him, an errant thought dogged her. If Nate did decide to pursue her, how much of a struggle would she put up?

  …

  No hard feelings? Nate might have found that ironically funny if it wasn’t for the stubborn heat throbbing in his veins. He watched Ally hustle down the pavement, his attention glued to the snug fit of her denim jeans around her sweet curves. Even in her workday clothes with her hair all over the place she had him riveted. He couldn’t remember when last a woman had invaded his thoughts so much. Just as he couldn’t remember when last a woman had turned down an invitation from him.

  Scowling, he got into the truck and started the engine. Why had Ally turned him down? Again? And all he’d had in mind was a friendly drink.

  Yeah, right. Sure, he wanted to chat with her, but a large portion of his mind was also taken up with imagining what might happen if things between them got even friendlier. What she would feel l
ike folded into his arms. What she would taste like if he kissed her. What she would do if he slid his hands under her shirt as he’d fantasized about several times already. He needed to stop daydreaming about Ally. Her standoffishness was only fueling his obsession. He’d never let any woman take over his brain the way she had.

  Although her body language had contradicted the refusal coming out of her lips. She couldn’t hide the telltale signs that the chemistry burned just as bright in her—the dilated pupils, the hitched breathing, the foot curled around her leg. No denying it; Ally was feeling the same powerful urges he was.

  He punched on the radio, and as a rock song came thumping out, his fingers started drumming on the steering wheel. To hell with being sensible and cautious around Ally. He’d been telling himself to steer clear of her for days now, and he was sick of his own advice. Deep down, he was still a rebel at heart, and he wasn’t ready to shut out all his primitive instincts. He wanted Ally, and he didn’t care if it was a bad idea. The next time he saw her, if she continued giving off the same sexual vibes, he was going to react to them.

  A grin tugged at his lips as he stretched out in the driver’s seat. It wasn’t his style to pursue a woman who’d said no, but the way Ally had been acting, it was only a matter of time before her lips would echo what her body was already saying.

  …

  “Blast!” Ruefully Ally examined her scraped hands and knees. She’d been jogging along her usual route, enjoying the early morning air, her body moving freely and easily in time to the music from her iPod. But she hadn’t spotted the loose gravel on the road’s shoulder, and her feet had slipped, sending her skidding across the rough aggregate.

  Her hands and knees weren’t too bad—just scratches and chafed skin—but when she pulled herself upright, the shooting pain in her ankle had her flinching. She rubbed it for a few moments, ruing her bad luck, before she began to hobble along the road. Home was about three kilometers away, but hopefully she’d be able to flag down a passing motorist. Even though this was a quiet back road with no houses nearby, it was seven o’clock on a Thursday morning, and there was bound to be passing traffic. Peering ahead, she made out a figure jogging on the opposite side of the road, coming toward her. She stopped as soon as she realized it was Nate. Judging from his unsurprised expression, he’d recognized her already, and he had picked up speed, closing the distance between them in seconds.

  “Morning.” He came to a halt, his breathing only mildly fast. “This is a surprise. Didn’t know you were into jogging, too.”

  Ally wished her breathing could be as steady as his. Up close in his exercise gear, Nate’s body glowed with a powerful physicality, his damp shirt clinging to his slick pectorals.

  “I jog this route three times a week.” She struggled not to ogle his muscled chest. “I’ve never seen you here before.”

  “I usually jog in the evenings, but I got woken at the crack of dawn this morning by my neighbor’s mutt.” He looked her over, taking his time, seeming to enjoy the view, but frowned when he caught sight of her skinned knees. “What happened there?”

  “Oh, just a bit of gravel burn. I didn’t see the fresh stuff they laid back there.” He continued to stare at her legs, making her self-conscious.

  “Is it just your knees?”

  Realizing there was no point in lying, she shrugged. “I twisted my ankle a little, too. Nothing serious, but it’ll take me a while to walk back home.”

  “My place is just five minutes from here. I can run back to fetch my car.”

  “Oh, no, that’s too much trouble. I’ll be fine.” She limped forward a few steps to prove her point.

  “Don’t be so stubborn. I can’t leave you like this.”

  She was being stubborn. And silly. If she had any sense, she’d accept his offer, but a part of her disliked the thought of being beholden to Nate. It was almost a week ago that he’d shown up at Clifton Gardens. After she’d turned down his invitation for a drink, she hadn’t seen him all week. Not that she was counting or anything.

  “Tell you what,” she said. “Why don’t I walk with you back to your house, and you can give me a lift from there?”

  He grinned, his teeth white against his tanned skin. “Okay.”

  They moved off down the road. The air was fresh and sweet. Birds chirped, and bees droned in the bottlebrushes. The peaceful surroundings should have soothed her, but Nate’s presence had her all antsy. She couldn’t stop darting a glance at him every minute or so. His long, muscular legs with their smattering of dark hair were much too distracting.

  “So where did you used to go jogging in the city?” she asked, desperate for a diversion from her overactive imagination.

  “Usually on the treadmill in my apartment.” He gave her a wry smile. “I’d watch the news feeds and the overseas stock prices at the same time. I am—was—a master multi-tasker.”

  It didn’t sound like much fun to her. “So you’ve given up the treadmill?”

  “Couldn’t fit it in my house. Anyway, who wants to run for miles in the same spot? The scenery outside is a lot better.” His eyes flickered down once more to her leg. “How’s that ankle of yours holding up?”

  She tried to act casual. Tried not to wish she’d shaved her legs before going jogging. “It’s not too bad now, but it probably won’t be happy by the time I close up shop today.”

  They turned the corner onto Nate’s street, and she saw his house just ahead.

  “Expecting a busy day?” he asked.

  She nodded. “My stall at the garden festival generated a lot of phone enquiries. I’ve had to get more stock. Plus, a few of the wedding guests have been wandering in, and I expect more of them today and especially tomorrow.” Tomorrow night most of the guests were supposed to arrive. Almost all the hotels and inns around Burronga had been booked up for the entire weekend.

  Nate gave her a quizzical look as they approached his house. “So there is a silver lining under every cloud.”

  She waited until they reached his pickup truck before answering. “As far as I’m concerned, there’s no cloud, just silver.”

  He was just ahead of her, key at the ready to unlock the car. Without warning he swung round. “Good answer,” he murmured.

  Her heart jumped from the nearness of his body and the glimmer in his eyes. And the instant, visceral response of her own body. “Silver and gold and crisp bank notes,” she said. “I’m talking about money.”

  “Are you?” He shifted nearer, and the potent tang of his scent had her pressing up against the truck. She was trapped between him and the vehicle, and by her own rebellious longings. “I thought you were talking about something else completely.”

  The metal of the truck was cool against her back. Her front took the full brunt of the heat radiating off his body. She tried to breathe in and out slowly, but she couldn’t concentrate. The pulse at the base of his throat had her mesmerized. She wanted to reach up on tiptoe and slide her mouth over his skin, licking, sucking, kissing… The sharpness of her wanting made her dizzy.

  “Ally?” His husky, honeyed voice slid over her like a caress.

  “Um?” She blinked, belatedly aware that her lips had parted, and she was staring at him like a star-struck groupie. He hadn’t laid a finger on her, and yet she tingled all over as if he’d been stroking her.

  “Usually when a woman looks at me the way you’re looking at me…well, let’s just say we wouldn’t be talking by now, we’d be scandalizing the neighbors.”

  Heat flooded her. “You’ve got a wild imagination.”

  “Only as wild as yours.”

  The invitation in his burnt sugar eyes was almost irresistible. She pushed her back against his truck, desperate for some breathing space. “In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m not one of those brash women you pick up in your trendy city bars.”

  “In case you hadn’t noticed, I don’t live in the city anymore.”

  “A leopard can’t change its spots.”

 
“Who says the leopard wants to change?”

  Oh, boy. How was she going to get out of this one? “Why me? Surely you can see it’s a bad idea.”

  “Don’t you remember what I said about bad ideas and me?” He smiled roguishly. “I like you, Ally. A lot. And I know what I’m feeling isn’t one-sided.”

  Her pulse leaped. Pure lust coalesced around her center, fever-hot. She bit her lip against the temptation. “Just because we have urges doesn’t mean we need to act on them,” she said. “We’re not animals.”

  “Really? You could’ve fooled me.”

  She pressed hot hands against the cool metal of the truck. “I’m not kidding.”

  He let out a forceful breath, his frustration beginning to show. “Okay, have it your way this time, but I’m giving you fair warning. Give me that I’m-oh-so-hot-for-you look again, and I’m going to kiss you, whether you say so or not.” He unlocked the car and opened the passenger door for her. “Hop in. I’ll get you home unscathed.”

  She started breathing again. She clambered into the car and shut the door.

  We’re not animals, she’d told Nate. Now she just had to convince herself.

  Chapter Nine

  “Ally, thank Christ, am I glad to see you.”

  “Hey, that’s what sisters are for.” Ally squeezed Jess’s arm as she took her place at the workbench beside her sister.

  “Are you sure about this?” Jess chewed her lip. “I mean, it seems a bit weird…”

  To ask her to make floral arrangements for her ex-fiancé’s wedding? Maybe, but not under these circumstances. It was just after six in the evening, the day before the wedding. Jess had called Ally, asking if she could come over and help, and when Ally had arrived at the floral shop shortly afterward, she’d seen why. Jess looked awful. Her face was sallow, and her fingers were scarred from the florist wire she’d been twisting all day long. Her shoulders were slumped with exhaustion, and her eyes had taken on a glazed yet panicked expression.