by Shona Husk
Which was pretty damn close to the truth, even if the diesel engines she worked on were far bigger than what most people first thought of. She took a drink of her beer while she watched his response. This could be over faster than it had begun if he had a fragile ego. So far, though, he didn’t seem that type. If he was, he’d have lied and said he was a chef.
He glanced her hands, her now regulation unpainted short nails, then back at her face as if looking for grease marks. ‘You aren’t having me on.’
‘Nope.’ So far so good.
‘Holden or Ford?’
She’d been asked that so many times, as if they expected to catch her out and prove she knew nothing. ‘For driving or racing?’
Kurt raised one dark eyebrow. ‘I wouldn’t have a clue, there’s a difference?’
A man who didn’t get excited about a brand of car? Who’d let her be the engine enthusiast? Who could cook? He was too perfect, which meant there must be a hideous flaw she had yet to uncover. All the more reason to keep this … whatever it was … short and sweet. ‘Of course there is. What do you want the car for? How do you expect the engine to perform?’
‘I want it to get me from A to B, with the occasional camping trip.’
‘Ah, so you have a four-wheel drive.’ She frowned, wanting to get her guess right. Her gaze skimmed his clothing, jeans, shirt and jacket and the way there were no obvious brand names. Yet he dressed well and he looked good, really good. ‘Probably five years old and you didn’t buy it new.’ That was a long shot, for all she knew he had a brand new 4WD and the big loan to match—but he didn’t seem like that guy and his 4WD actually went off road.
He laughed and shook his head. For a moment she thought she was way off the mark, but there was no mockery there. ‘Almost. It’s seven years old. It was two when I bought it and had never been out of the city.’ He held her gaze, his eyes still bright with laughter. ‘I’m not even going to guess what you drive, but I’m willing to guess you don’t drink that beer at home.’
‘Maybe I do.’ She took a deliberate drink without breaking eye contact.
‘You looked at the wine before ordering.’
‘I’m driving, so low-strength beer makes more sense if I’m drinking socially.’ So far this wasn’t weird at all and he was making an effort to keep the conversation going and get to know her. Lust burned in her body and her big idea about taking him home for some fun seemed a little more likely. Would he be interested?
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and smiled. Her heart was going at one thousand revs per minute. Too fast to be safe. ‘I was hoping you’d come back here tonight.’
He gave a small nod, his attention on her, not the other patrons. ‘You said next weekend and it didn’t seem like you promise random guys another chance.’
If he hadn’t been so polite, even wishing her sister happy birthday, she wouldn’t have. She had standards, unlike some sailors. But now she was here, she wanted more than talk and she didn’t want to play by the rules and wait three dates before suggesting it. Would he think she was too forward, or worse, cheap? She took a breath; he might be a terrible kisser. She’d have to check before she suggested anything more intimate. There was a splinter of doubt that he might not want sex. What if he was too nice? ‘And if I hadn’t shown up?’
‘I’d have had a beer, grabbed a wood-fired pizza and chalked it up to experience. But you were here first, waiting.’
‘Not for long.’ Liar. She’d been there for twenty minutes because she’d wanted to be there early in case she missed him. ‘If you hadn’t have showed up I’d have gone to the Italian ice-creamery down the road and then gone home for some TV watching.’ Now that was the truth.
***
‘We sure know how to spend a Sunday evening,’ Kurt said.
She smiled and gave a little laugh, as if agreeing. Last week when he’d seen her with the other women, she’d been magnetic. Her light brown hair had been out, the ends skimmed her shoulders, and her hands had flitted about as she talked. He’d had to make himself look away. Tonight was no different.
He wanted to move his hand over the table to touch hers. Lean in and kiss her, but he didn’t move. Just because they were enjoying a drink didn’t mean it was going to go any further. Even if he had imagined it going further during the week.
He hadn’t told his mates he was coming back, as far as they knew she’d knocked him back and that was that. Even as he’d driven up here today he’d been trying to convince himself that she’d just been being nice and that she wouldn’t actually be here, so he wouldn’t be disappointed when she wasn’t. When she’d appeared at his side he’d almost thought he was dreaming.
‘Well,’ her voice lowered to a soft purr. ‘We’re both here now, so perhaps we can make more interesting plans.’ She gave him a look that invited him to make a suggestion.
While he might have had thoughts of extending this evening—he might have even made sure he was prepared to extend the evening beyond a few drinks—he wasn’t ready to put that on the table. He didn’t want to rush and stumble when he was enjoying her company so much. There was a lot to be said for going slow.
But he was unable to resist touching her for any longer. He ran his fingers over the back of her hand, her skin like silk beneath his fingertips. She was holding her glass as though she expected it to run away. How far did she want to take this?
‘We could get that ice-cream together,’ he said. Whatever they did, he wasn’t ready for the evening to end yet. They could find something to do together.
Her lips curved in a grin that tempted him to claim her lips and see if they felt as good as they looked. ‘I was liking the sound of the pizza.’
This was turning from potential hook-up into a possible date rather too quickly. He wanted to scrabble around and find something to grab onto as the ground shifted and tilted, yet a date would be nice. He hadn’t been on a real date in a while. But even as he smiled and watched the play of light on her cheek and lips, he knew it wouldn’t last.
They’d break up before he sailed. That’s what he did; the long-distance thing never worked out. He’d seen too many failed relationships on the boat. Joining the navy had scuttled his dating life and reduced it down to mini relationships of three months tops. He’d pretty much resigned himself to not having a serious relationship until he rejoined civvie street.
His looming decision raised its head. He was running out of time. He had to sign on for another two years or get out. He’d stayed in last time, and started seriously saving, putting away money for when he got out. This time he wasn’t so sure he wanted to do another two years, nor was he sure about being a civilian again since it hadn’t gone so well the first time. But when Rainy looked at him she wasn’t seeing a sailor, she was seeing a cook. Because he’d told a half-truth. He liked the idea of testing out being a civilian again.
She released her glass and turned her hand so their fingers touched. Her skin was cool and dewy and her touch sent a shiver along his skin.
‘And what happens after the pizza?’ It was possibly the wrong question to ask, but since she was the one putting out the suggestion he wanted to know how far she was willing to go.
She stood and for a heartbeat he thought he’d gone too far, then she walked around the table and sat next to him. ‘That depends on two things.’
‘Two?’ His heart was beating harder than it should be, echoing the beat of the music.
‘Firstly, do you remember my name?’
Of course he did. ‘Rainy. Your eyes are like the sky on a rainy day.’ A beautiful soft blue-grey. He wanted to take that back as soon as the words had fallen off his tongue. It was too obvious and too much of a pick-up line.
She laughed and shook her head. ‘I’ve heard that so many times before.’
Yet she leaned closer. Close enough that he caught the faint scent of perfume. Something like spring flowers. He hadn’t expected that, for some reason he’d expected her to smell like grease
and fuel. Then her hand landed on his knee, and there was a definite glint in her eyes.
That was when he realised he wasn’t the one doing the picking up. Rainy was.
He swallowed as a rush of pure lust shot through his blood.
That was sexy. As his jeans tightened around his groin, he was hoping he passed whatever the next thing was. ‘And two is?’ He was sure his voice was a little rougher, like he’d spent the night drinking and singing karaoke.
‘How well do you kiss?’
Chapter 3
There was only one way to answer that question. Kurt leaned forward, let his fingertips trace up her arm, her shoulder and neck until he was cupping her jaw. Rainy didn’t move. Her gaze was fixed on him. Her eyes were dark and her lips were parted. Waiting.
‘Do you really want to know?’
Her skin was soft and warm beneath his fingers. She smelled so good and she would taste like beer. He hadn’t done anything yet and he was hard. Kissing her wouldn’t alleviate that, but if he kissed her right there could be some fun later on.
No pressure riding on this kiss at all.
Rainy swallowed and nodded, then moved a fraction closer.
Before he could worry about anything else, he closed the last few centimetres and kissed her. His lips met hers softly, touching and learning the shape of her mouth. It wasn’t enough. He wanted more. She’d been on his mind all week despite his best efforts not to get his hopes up. Her lips parted and her tongue flicked against his lip. He was sure he could stop hoping or worrying about what was going to happen now. She wanted more as much as he did.
His fingers slid into her hair as he cradled her head and tasted her lips. There was no mistaking the hunger. Her hand moved over his thigh, stopping short of where he wanted her hand to be touching. With a last taste, he drew back and immediately he craved more.
Rainy looked as dazed as he felt.
Damn the public setting. If they’d been somewhere private, stopping might’ve been out of the question. Last weekend he hadn’t been ready for anything to happen. Today he’d put on his best briefs and shoved a couple of condoms into his wallet—which at the time he’d thought would guarantee that nothing would happen.
‘So was that a pass?’ There was no disguising the edge in his voice.
She took a deep breath before answering. ‘Yes.’
Her gaze lowered to where his dick was pressing against his jeans. He’d love to rearrange but didn’t want to draw attention there. Her tongue flicked over her lower lip as she looked up. ‘Did you … did you want to come back to my place?’ Her eyebrows lifted a fraction. ‘You can show me how well you make breakfast.’
He laughed. He wished he could hang around to make breakfast. ‘I have an early start tomorrow, but I can definitely make you dessert.’
‘That sounds like a great idea.’ For the first time this evening she looked uncertain. Was she having doubts already even though she’d been the one to make the suggestion? That she wasn’t one hundred per cent sure was reassuring. She obviously didn’t do this often, yet was brave enough to give it a try. He was liking her more with every passing second. ‘Did you want to skip the pizza?’
Yes … no. He wanted to get to know her better, yet he wasn’t going to knock back the chance to get naked. He’d make sure he got her number after and secure a second date even though he could hear the clocking ticking until the boat sailed again. ‘Sure.’
‘Cool.’ She nodded and her smile softened as she seemed to relax. He couldn’t imagine any man saying no to her. Ever. ‘Did you drive?’
‘Yes, I’m parked on the street.’ This was actually going to happen unless he screwed it up—which was still possible. ‘I can follow you? Unless you’d rather come back to my place?’
She shook her head straight away. ‘No, I live closer.’
And no doubt she’d feel more comfortable in her house. He wouldn’t though. It was always weird going home with someone the first time, even if they had been seeing each other for a couple of weeks. This was much faster. Maybe that was a good thing. It was different to what he was used to. Rainy was different, like a spark jolting him out of the rut he’d been stuck in.
Rainy looked as though she was thinking things through a little too much. He was about to change his mind and call it off for another night when she spoke. ‘I need to text my sister and let her know I’m bringing someone round.’
Ah, she lived with her sister. The sister whose birthday it had been. It was too soon to meet the family. That could be hell awkward. Maybe this wasn’t a great idea even though his body was humming with a need he hadn’t felt in months. It was easy to push lust aside and forget about it when there was no one worth looking at around. Rainy had walked into the bar and woken desire without even realising. ‘That’s going to be okay?’
She nodded, her phone already in her hand. ‘I have the front bedroom because sometimes I also do odd hours. Sunny won’t mind me having a guest …’ Her lips quirked up at the corners. ‘As long as we don’t make too much noise.’
Her phone buzzed. ‘Oh, they’re at my parents. We’re clear.’ She laughed and he wondered what her sister had actually written.
Knowing they had the house to themselves eased a few of the first-fuck nerves. In an ideal world he’d like to see Rainy again. Hopefully sex wouldn’t muck this up.
She stood and offered her hand, which he took, needing to touch her again. They left the bar hand in hand, as if they were an actual couple. It felt good.
He also knew it couldn’t last.
However, that wasn’t going to stop him from making the most of it while it did. Women like Rainy didn’t drop from the sky very frequently.
***
She’d driven rather sedately to the three-by-one in Fremantle that her sister and she owned with the bank. It was one of those small Freo cottages that had been built in the fifties for workers. Those cottages were considered a cute reminder of Freo’s past. Fortunately this one had been renovated before they’d bought it so the kitchen and bathrooms were decent. That had been her one stipulation when going halves with her sister. No retro wet areas. That meant no pink toilets or dodgy brown tiles from the sixties. Her sister had found the perfect place and Rainy had bought in after seeing a few pictures.
The streetlights created shadows out of the trees in the front yard and gave the place the appearance of being tucked away. It looked quaint. She parked and Kurt’s 4WD rolled into the driveway behind her. Her stomach gave a hard bounce as nerves got the better of her. She hadn’t picked up a guy in about three years. She’d certainly never brought one home after one date.
Not a date. A meet and greet, followed by a nice shag and dessert. Nothing else.
She was going to have a one-night stand. Even Sunny had doubted that she’d go through with it. Ha, well here she was, Kurt in tow.
Before she got out of the car, she wiped her hands on her pants. She’d been so nervous getting ready for tonight that she’d cut her ankle shaving her legs. Hopefully he wouldn’t notice that.
As she walked to the front door, the security light flicked on. She glanced back to see Kurt getting out of his car. The nervous flutter came back, less like butterflies and more like a flock of hungry seagulls fighting over the last chip. He walked over the grass toward her.
What was he thinking?
Was he thinking about sex? Who is this crazy chick who lives with her sister and invites men back for sex? Or what kind of hippie house was this?
The house was lilac with mint-green trim. Rainy had wanted to repaint it, but Sunny and Lily liked it. The real reason she’d put money in—aside from helping Sunny and having a room so she didn’t have to live onboard—was the land. Like so many old places, it had a quarter-acre block.
‘Are these fruit trees?’ Kurt pointed at the large trees in the front yard.
‘Yeah, the backyard is full of them too.’ And a chook pen, a compost tumbler, worm farm and veggie patch. Sunny was in her element.
‘That is so rare these days. Dockers supporters?’ He nodded at the house.
It took a moment for her to catch up, but it wasn’t Fremantle Dockers’ purple. ‘It was like that when we bought it, but I don’t think so.’
Kurt was grinning, making fun of her lilac house. She smiled back. At least he hadn’t been horrified.
‘Come on, watch your feet in case Lily has left toys and pencils on the floor.’ Some days the house was immaculate—usually straight after she’d cleaned—other days there was kid stuff from one end to the other. There was nothing worse than stepping on toys with bare feet at two in the morning. She was sure the road to hell was paved with building blocks.
‘Lily?’ he hesitated in the doorway.
She glanced over her shoulder. ‘My niece.’
‘Who is out with your sister?’
Rainy nodded. The light in the kitchen was on, but the house was silent. Behind her the front door clicked closed.
‘Did your sister go out because she knew you were meeting me?’
Heat burned her cheeks. ‘Probably.’ This was the first guy she’d brought over since she’d moved back to Western Australia. While he wasn’t the first date she’d been on since moving, he was the first man she’d wanted to invite over. The first she’d wanted to get naked with, and she wasn’t going to let that chance slide by. She hadn’t had sex since she’d left HMAS Kuttabul in New South Wales over six months ago, so she might’ve said something to Sunny about the possibility of getting laid. ‘Did you want a coffee?’
She turned to face him. Now they’d had fifteen minutes to cool off this was starting to feel a little forced. Her body was ready, the sight of him still warmed all the right parts, but the awkward was back. They didn’t really know each other that well. Did he feel it?
