by Rhian Cahill
It wasn’t like him to question his life, to doubt the choices he’d made. But Vee was the one situation he could never get right. He blew out a stream of air. The woman had him tied in knots so fucking tight he couldn’t think straight. He’d tried to move on, tried to connect with other women, but every time he did he found himself comparing them to Vee, and he couldn’t sustain a relationship for longer than a few weeks. It was a wonder he’d gotten laid at all in the last ten years.
His phone rang, snapping his head up and his eyes open. Vaulting over the couch, he dashed across the room to where he’d left his iPhone on the kitchen counter. Snatching it up he didn’t bother looking to see who it was.
“Hello?”
“She just left.”
Morgan. Brent breathed a sigh of relief. “Thanks.”
“No worries, mate. She looked tired and he looked smug. God, I wish I could have decked the prick,” Morgan said.
“You’re not the only one. But I’m glad you didn’t. He’s not worth it.” Brent paused before adding, “Did he pay by cash?”
Morgan laughed. “No. But he had two cards rejected before the third one accepted the charge.”
Brent smiled. “I hope you made a big deal out of the cards bouncing.”
“What do you think?” Morgan chuckled. “Of course I did.”
“Thanks for keeping me in the loop tonight.”
“Not a problem. Just tell me you’re going to do something about Vee soon.”
Brent stilled. “What do you mean?”
“You know what I’m talking about, Brent. Wade isn’t going to beat the crap out of you if you go after his little sister now. Not like he would have when she was a teenager.”
Morgan knew? “How?”
“Jesus, mate. Anyone looking can see it. Although for some reason I think Wade is still completely oblivious.” Morgan’s sigh travelled over the line. “Look, I know something happened years ago. I don’t know details and I don’t want to know, but I do know this. Whatever the fuck you did to screw it up, you didn’t kill Vee’s feelings.”
Brent laughed, but there was no humour in the sound. “Ah, goes to show what you know. Vee hates me with a passion.”
“Exactly.”
“What?”
“There’s a fine line between love and hate, my friend, and our lovely Valentine is very much in love with you.”
“Bullshit.”
“Brent, do you honestly think I’d lie about this? This is Vee we’re talking about. I’d protect her with my life if I had to. She’s like a sister to me and I want her happy. And as much as it pains me to admit, I think you’re what will make her happy. Well after she makes you beg for forgiveness, of course. You deserve to beg, Brent.”
Brent swallowed hard. “I never meant to hurt her. If it’s any consolation, I think I’ve suffered more than she has over the whole thing.”
“Not a consolation, but then it’s not me you need to convince, is it?”
“No.”
“Look, I gotta go. Good luck winning her over.”
Morgan hung up before Brent could say any more. Dropping the phone back on the counter, he walked over to the window and stared out over the water. Sydney Harbour was quiet this time of night, but a few lights bobbed on the surface as boats made their way from one port to another. On any other night the view soothed him. Not tonight. Too much was riding on what happened between now and sunrise. If the only thing he got out of the confrontation with Vee was her friendship, he’d have to accept her decision. But it wouldn’t stop him from using everything he had to convince her they could have so much more.
For the first time since Vee moved in, Brent felt settled. He knew the road ahead would be bumpy, but he had a destination in mind and he was determined to get there.
The next time Vee went out on one of her dates, he’d be damned if it would be with anyone but him.
Vee settled into the soft leather seat with a sigh. Morgan had outdone himself. His latest dessert was to die for. The light flaky pastry base held a hint of vanilla, the raspberry cream layer was sweet but not sickly, and the thin coating of chocolate mousse unlike anything she’d ever put in her mouth. Add in the scoop of homemade vanilla ice cream and generous dollop of double cream and it had been the perfect end to a perfect meal.
The evening hadn’t been a complete disaster. After their initial tension, she and Edward had fallen into a neutral conversation, but even with the improvement, Vee was ready for the evening to be over. Only Edward turned left instead of right, and she realised he had other plans.
“Where are we going?”
“I thought we’d take a walk along The Gap. It’s a beautiful night for a stroll and a stretch of our legs may help aid digestion.”
His reasoning sounded solid and the beautiful summer night was tempting. Although Vee wasn’t sure she wanted to spend more time with him, she couldn’t deny it was a lovely night for a walk. Starting an argument seemed silly when another half an hour or so wouldn’t hurt. Besides, her satisfied stomach had put her in a generous mood, so she leaned her head back on the seat and watched the houses flash by.
It only took a few minutes to reach their destination and Edward found a parking space without any trouble. A slight breeze ruffled the trees lining the roadway and Vee hoped it wouldn’t be stronger along the cliff edge. Warm air greeted her when she opened her door and stepped out of the car. The sky above sparkled with a thousand stars and low to the east hung a full moon that she knew would be spectacular reflected off the ocean.
Suddenly enthusiastic to stand on the cliff high above the waves, Vee headed to the path that led to Sydney’s famous lookout. The warm night had drawn a few others from their homes and it eased Vee’s nerves to know they weren’t the only ones in this secluded spot. She didn’t wait for Edward, knew he’d be busy securing his car, and she was impatient to stand by the safety railing and feel the breeze on her face.
As she cleared the low bushes at the end of the path the wind kicked up a notch and whipped long strands of hair across her face. There were at least ten others leaning against the railing looking over the jagged cliffs and out to sea. Vee headed towards a spot between an older couple and a man and woman with two small children. She avoided the couples further along who appeared to be more interested in each other than the gorgeous view. The last thing she needed was for Edward to get any ideas about snuggling up with her.
Her efforts went unrewarded. The second Edward stepped up beside her he slipped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. She tried to move away, but his hand tightened, his fingers digging into her upper arm. Vee turned her head and found he’d bent towards her, his thin-lipped mouth only inches from hers. Her head jerked back but with his arm trapping her to his side she couldn’t completely avoid the kiss he forced upon her.
His lips connected with the corner of her mouth, his tongue thrusting out in a hard stab of wet flesh as he tried to deepen the kiss. It was like being French kissed by a dog and Vee twisted her head farther to the right, managing to break the contact. Not to be put off, Edward trailed sloppy kisses across her chin to her jaw. She managed to free the arm trapped between their bodies and, in a move hidden from view, she cupped his crotch, squeezing until he loosened his hold and pulled back.
“What the–”
Vee leaned in, her hand still gripping his testicles, her fingers digging in. She gave an extra squeeze to get his attention. “Don’t ever touch me without an invitation.” Stepping back, she made sure to give his groin a sharp tug before she let go.
“You bitch,” he growled, anger lacing his words. “You’re nothing but a cock-tease.”
Laughter bubbled up her throat. The man had to be joking. They’d barely spoken the first half of the night and she’d made it clear she was not pleased with the way he’d used her. Unable to hold back, she snorted in the least lady-like sound she could make before almost doubling over in a fit of giggles. He stared at her incredulously which onl
y made her laugh harder. If he truly believed she’d led him on, he was insane or stupid. Or his ego was seriously overinflated. She’d place money on the latter.
When she finally got herself under control she noticed those around them had moved away. Suddenly uncomfortable, Vee scrambled for the best way to diffuse the tension between them. But she never got a chance.
“I think it best to end the evening now,” Edward said.
She would have agreed, but he was already making his way towards the path. Vee tried to keep up, but in three-inch stilettos it was hard to do on the uneven ground. He was moving far quicker than she could and when her heel caught in a crack in the concrete path she was forced to stop and tug it free. By the time she had rescued her shoe and arrived at the street, Edward had not only gotten to his car, he was burning rubber as he peeled away from the curb and sped down the street.
Mouth agape, Vee stared at the rapidly fading tail lights in astonishment. He’d driven off without her. If this evening hadn’t been a disaster before, it was now. Not only had he left her stranded, he’d taken her purse and phone with him.
“Oh my God, I’ll kill him.” The breeze picked up her words and whisked them away. Goose bumps rose on her arms and a shiver skipped down her spine.
Vee swivelled her head and scanned the area. She spotted what looked like a payphone about fifty metres down the road and headed in that direction. She’d have to call reverse charges. If the phone even worked. It was rare to find one un-vandalised in Sydney. Worst case, she’d be forced to walk and hope an unoccupied taxi came along. If not, she’d be facing a good hour’s walk, possibly longer in the shoes she was wearing.
Her heart hammered in her chest as she walked to the phone box. The area was deserted and the street light above her was out. To her relief she heard a dial tone when she picked up the receiver. She read the instructions beside the callbox and punched in the appropriate numbers. When an operator answered, Vee gave the woman her name and the number she knew by heart, but never rang.
She tried not to fidget during the long seconds it took for the call to go through. She turned her back to the wall and kept watch on the street. It only made sense to be cautious; a lone woman on an empty street late at night wasn’t ideal. There were still people near the lookout and on the path, but they didn’t make her feel anywhere near safe. Clicking in her ear made her jump and she stifled the gasp that burst from her throat with her hand over her mouth.
“Vee?”
Hearing his voice brought tears to her eyes and she struggled to get words out around the lump in her throat. “I n-need you t-to come g-get me.” Her hand trembled where she held the receiver tight against her ear and her knees shook, threatening to give way under her.
“Where the hell are you?”
She could hear Brent moving around, the clicking of a keyboard, and she knew he was pulling up the system they used to track their cars and phones in case of theft. “He took my phone.”
“What? Who? Smithe?” More clicking sounded in her ear. “Never mind, I’m coming. Don’t hang up, baby. Keep talking to me.”
It was the endearment that finally undid her. A sob racked her chest and tears slid down her face as she whispered her location.
“Vee, baby, please, don’t cry. I’m on my way. Just hold on and talk to me.” Brent’s voice echoed in her ear as her knees gave way and she crumpled to the floor in the bottom of the phone box.
Brent cursed the slow vehicle in front of him and gauged how safe it was to pass on the quiet back street. He dropped the bike down a gear and, gunning the engine, swerved out and sped past the car. Vee hadn’t said a word in long minutes, but he could hear her crying through the Bluetooth device in his helmet. His gut clenched tighter with each sob. He’d kill Smithe. Whether the jerk was responsible for her distress of not didn’t matter to Brent. As far as he was concerned it had been Smithe’s job to see Vee safely home.
He zipped through an amber light and didn’t give a shit if the intersection had a red light camera fitted. The only thing he cared about was getting to Vee.
“Vee, I’m not far now. I want you to watch for me, baby.” He glanced down at the screen of his phone. It was mounted in a special bracket attached to the bike’s hand bars. “Okay, I should be coming up now.”
Her stifled sob ripped through his ears and stabbed his heart. “You’re here?”
“Yeah, I’m on the bike. Can you see it?” Brent scanned the road ahead of him looking for a phone box. When he spotted it, and the crumpled figure in the bottom, his heart jolted against his breastbone before stuttering into a gallop that rivalled the speed of the powerful engine between his legs.
The road ahead was clear so he cut across to the wrong side and zoomed up to where Vee was pulling herself to her feet. He downshifted and slammed on the brakes causing the back wheel to fishtail under him. But he had it under control and pulled up the curb beside the phone. Brent switched off the engine, kicked the stand down, and ripped his helmet off. Swinging his leg over the seat, he moved towards her. She met him halfway, her slender arms wrapping around his neck and her body trembling against his as he pulled her in close.
Vee buried her face in his neck, her tears scalding his skin and burning his gut. He wanted to punch something. Someone. But first he had to get her home. Her arms tightened when he tried to ease her away and his stomach clenched harder. Smithe would be lucky if Brent did kill him. Death would be too merciful.
“It’s okay. I’m not going anywhere.” He tucked her into his side and moved over to the phone box where he replaced the dangling receiver. Checking the area for her jacket and purse Brent realised her phone wasn’t the only thing she was missing. “Come on. Let’s get you home.”
Brent managed to strip out of his jacket to wrap her in it and got his spare helmet out of the saddle bag, but he couldn’t manage to get a word out of her. Her trembling had stopped, but the occasional sob still jerked her body and each one broke his heart a little more. She was normally so tough and independent, never taking shit from anyone. He’d only seen her this distressed once before and his actions had made that situation worse. There was no way he’d fuck this night up too.
He kept her close as he straddled the bike. Helping her on behind he had to scrunch up her dress so she could swing her leg over the seat. Any fears he had about her being able to hold on were instantly squashed when she plastered herself to his back and wrapped her arms around him in a choking grip. Turning the key, he revved the engine and, putting the bike in gear, eased off the clutch and slowly pulled away from the curb.
Brent took the ride home slower than the race to reach her. He knew her legs were cold but he couldn’t do anything about it. If he’d been thinking clearly when he’d left the house he’d have taken the car, but he hadn’t been thinking of anything but getting to Vee as fast as possible and that meant the bike. It seemed like hours before he turned onto their street, although it couldn’t have been more than fifteen minutes. Pulling up next to the security box, he punched in the code and waited for the gates to open.
He’d left the garage door up so he drove straight in. Killing the engine he swung his leg over the handlebars and, never letting go of Vee, got off the bike. He stood beside her as he removed their helmets. She leaned into him and he scooped her into his arms and headed into the house. Brent took a second to check the alarm before taking the stairs to Vee’s room. She’d moved into her old room. The room he’d made love to her in. The room he’d snuck out of in the early hours of the morning.
A shudder rippled through his body as he remembered the feel of her naked against him. Shaking off the memory he concentrated on getting Vee into her bathroom. She needed to warm up and the quickest way to do that without them both getting naked was a warm shower. He sat her on the closed toilet lid and made sure she was steady before he let go. Reaching in to the shower stall, he turned the water on. Steam rose from the glass enclosure and he returned to help Vee out of his jacket.
> “Will you be okay to get in on your own?” he asked as he tugged a leather sleeve off her arm.
She nodded, but he wasn’t convinced. He also wasn’t man enough to help her any further without touching her. He stepped back to give her room to stand. Her legs wobbled as she stood and turned her back to him. Brent watched as she struggled to lower the zipper on her dress. With a groan, he reached for her again. Clenching his jaw, he fought the urge to touch her while he helped her strip bare. Creamy white skin was revealed inch by inch as the fabric parted. From neck to arse, every ridge of her spine beckoned his lips.
Need arrowed through his groin, tightening his pants as it lengthened his cock. Would she still taste the same? If he didn’t leave the room now, he’d never resist the urge to find out the answer.
“I’ll wait outside.” Brent spun on his heel and exited the bathroom.
Her bedroom didn’t offer any respite from the burning desire sweeping though him, but he couldn’t go any farther. He had to be close in case she needed him. A snort left his throat. As if she’d want his help. Then again, she’d called him tonight. Brent eyed the door separating them. That had to be a good sign. It certainly indicated that she trusted him on some level. And if she trusted him to keep her safe, then maybe Morgan was right. Maybe he hadn’t destroyed her love when he’d walked away.
He moved closer to the door. He’d left it ajar and he could hear her crying again, her sobs muffled by the running water. It took everything he had not to barge in there and hold her, but he gave her privacy. For now.
Vee curled up in the bottom of the shower and cried. The water poured down around her, but it didn’t muffle the sound of her tears. She couldn’t stop. Her altercation with Edward didn’t warrant this level of distress, and yet the minute she’d heard Brent’s voice the tears had come. And so had he. Without question, he’d dropped whatever he’d been doing to come rescue her. Another sob tore at her throat, the raw cry echoing in the tiled enclosure.
