by Mel Teshco
Lost to the one man she’d desperately tried to forget and stay away from.
She hadn’t tried hard enough.
Then he was leaning forward and kissing her again, taking ownership of her mouth like he already had with the rest of her body, sucking in her cries of stark passion while stroking long and deep inside her. Stroking faster and harder until she couldn’t hold back on the climax that overtook her, body and soul.
Couldn’t stop her mewl of delight as she skyrocketed to the heavens and back.
When his seed shot warm and deep inside her, and the walls echoed with her name being shouted long and loud, she couldn’t stop her heart from melting for him all the more.
He withdrew from her and pulled her into his arms, the fire crackling and hissing behind them while the rain and thunder continued unabated. She squeezed her eyes closed. Had she ever felt happier, yet more confused and adrift?
Chapter Four
‡
Scarlet woke to the aromatic scent of coffee and the pre-dawn sounds of a dozen different birdcalls. No rain drummed on the roof and no wind lashed at the windows. She reached out. And no hot male body was stretched out beside her.
Her eyes flicked open as Mackenzie strode over in nothing but low-slung jeans, his skin lightly tanned and his face in shadow. He crouched beside her with a mug of steaming coffee. Hot coals in the fireplace gleamed behind him, throwing his face into sharp relief and pushing back the shadows of the still-dark room.
She blinked and asked sleepily, “The power’s not back on?”
He shook his head. “No, I made use of the gas stove.”
She sat and accepted the mug, not missing the gleam of appreciation in his eyes as he took in her nakedness that caused her nipples to bead. She pushed away self-consciousness. As an escort such an emotion shouldn’t even be an afterthought.
It was enough that she had to drag her own stare away from the six-pack of his belly, his corded arms and shoulders. Not to mention the light dusting of hair that trailed temptingly past the waistband of his denim.
She took a sip of the hot brew and stretched a little, withholding a wince. She’d slept like a baby in Mackenzie’s arms, but though the rug had been soft enough, it wasn’t the quality inner spring mattress she was accustomed to sleeping on.
Mackenzie straightened, and pulled on a dark T-shirt and jacket he’d slung on the dining chair nearby. “Time to get up and dressed,” he murmured huskily, gesturing to her suitcase he’d placed near the front door. “There’s something I want to show you.”
Not even ten minutes later she was dressed in jeans and a canary yellow, long-sleeved shirt, and had her hair drawn back into a topknot. She felt almost human again after drinking her coffee, and as she followed Mackenzie outside to a crystal-clear, star-studded sky that showed the vaguest hint of dawn in the air, any lingering tiredness fell away.
The fresh, clean scent of rain hovered in the air and glistened in the leaves. She breathed deep as they turned away from the driveway and walked through a partially visible track that meandered through long, spiky grass, and wattle trees that glowed golden with flowers. Eucalyptus trees with white trunks towered overhead, their canopies hiding much of the sky until grass and trees gave way to a dozen large rocks.
Mackenzie guided her to a flat boulder at the edge of a cliff face. Taking off his jacket and placing it on the still damp rock surface, they sat down, his arm moving around her waist, and her head coming to rest on his shoulder.
In silence they watched the vague glow of dawn give way to a spectacular golden-orange sunrise. As light filled the air, she looked over the sweeping, endless valley of olive green sprinkled generously with the golden orbs of wattle flowers.
A small flock of brightly colored king parrots flew past, their shrill calls quickly fading away even as a magpie warbled into glorious morning song somewhere nearby in the trees.
“What do you think of the view?” he asked.
“It’s spectacular.” She pulled away to look at him fully. “I never took you for a romantic.”
He cocked a dark brow. “Many women would argue being taken out for dinners and social events is romantic.”
“That’s because it’s not also part of their job description.”
“You don’t enjoy your work?”
She shrugged, but he was too perceptive by far to imagine the casual gesture echoed her true feelings. “I think it’s fair to say the novelty and gloss wore off some time ago.”
“Then why don’t you walk away?”
She managed a smile. “One day soon I intend to do just that.”
“If it’s money you need—”
Her smile faded and her spine snapped straight. “No. I don’t need any man to step in and save me. But thank you anyway.”
“So what is it you need then, Scarlet?” He shook his head. “Can I even ask that from you when I don’t even know your real name?”
“Honestly, I don’t need anything.” She was doing just fine on her own. She blinked up at him. He didn’t need to know her name. No client did. “And just so you know … you don’t give away too much about yourself either.” She swept a hand out in the general direction of the cabin they’d left behind. “No photos. No keepsakes.”
“So you’re interested in my personal life?”
She swallowed back denial. He wasn’t stupid. In fact, he was one of the most astute men she’d ever met. Maybe that was why he hadn’t given up on her. He’d seen through her guise of not wanting to be with him. She bit her bottom lip and said evasively, “I just found it odd, that’s all.”
Placing an outspread hand behind him, he leaned back. He looked casual, but she sensed his mind was changing gears, pushing to know more. “In that case … what is it you want to know?” he asked.
She looked out over the sweeping valley, barely taking any of it in. All her attention remained on the man beside her. “I want to know why you’re so driven. What makes you tick? Why do you prefer paying call girls instead of forming a relationship with someone—”
“Whoa, one question at a time,” he said with mock humor. He too turned to look over the valley, but he probably saw as little as she did when his face grew serious. “I guess I’m driven because I was brought up with very little, and went without a lot for too many years.”
She nodded. She’d been right in guessing his upbringing had been vastly different to the lifestyle he now lived.
He twisted to face her. “Your turn.”
She mentally shrank from his steady regard. Telling a client anything personal was wrong on so many levels, yet a deeper part of her stretched toward him, eager to share a little something of herself. “What do you want to know?”
“I want to know about your family.”
She looked away. Why hadn’t he asked about her call girl life, like any other male on the planet would have? That he was interested in the real girl behind the paid seductress created an even bigger crack in her defenses. “I’m the eldest of three girls. My younger sisters are identical twins and studying at university.”
“Really?” he mused aloud, evidently fascinated by the breadcrumbs she tossed his way. “I bet your mother found plenty of grey in her hair when her twin daughters hit puberty together.”
She hid a sad smile, though she sensed he perceived her every emotion. “No, any greys in the hair would have been mine.” She sighed, and turned back his way, rueful now of the physical divide between them. “Our mother died when I was eighteen and the twins were thirteen.”
His eyes softened. “I’m so sorry. Your father—”
“Walked out on us long before my mother passed away.”
Understanding fell over his face, but it was the undertones of sympathy in his voice she couldn’t take. “You felt as though you had no choice but to become a call girl.”
She squeezed her eyes closed for a moment, fighting to regain some semblance of composure. The conversation was getting way too personal, way too fast. She h
ad to remember they shared nothing more than amazing chemistry. She had to remember he was just another client. She pushed to her feet. “Not everything in life is that black or white.”
He looked up. “So you’re in the grey category?” His tone indicated she could never be that bland. In fact, his tone indicated she was some glorious, multi-colored rainbow full of glitter and life. Much like the king parrots that had flown past earlier.
She shook off the foolish thought. “You can’t evaluate everyone with your analytical mind. Sometimes pieces of a puzzle aren’t meant to fit.”
He stood too, and it was her turn to look up. Damn he was tall, his presence sharply forbidding. He might be lean and hard, but he had more strength than any other man she’d known. It wasn’t just physical strength either. His emotional and mental strength were uncompromising, even a little ruthless. Little wonder he was one of Australia’s wealthiest men.
His dark eyes flashed. “If you were some boring puzzle, do you think I’d be half as interested? You intrigue me in a hundred different ways.” He scrubbed a hand over his face. “God help me, even if I could fit all your pieces together, I’d still want you.”
Need pulled her belly in every direction. But she had to keep her guard up and remember she was paid to be with him. She needed to revert to her professional persona. “I hope you’ll always want me,” she said huskily.
A pity he wasn’t impressed, not one bit. His expletive touched a nerve deep inside her, as though he truly despaired he’d ever reach the real her. If only he realized her career was the farthest thing from her mind whenever she was with him. If only he knew how much she wished they’d met under different circumstances.
Dragging a hand over his face, he pulled in a steadying breath and said, “Drop the act, Scarlet. We’ve gone past all that now.”
Her chin tilted. “Not according to my bank account.”
If her words stung or served to remind him of their working relationship, his shuttered stare didn’t let on. Instead he pulled out his cell and said, “You know, you’re right, I don’t have any photos. Maybe now is as good a time as any to take some and plaster them over the walls of my cabin.”
When he finally lowered his cell phone camera after she’d endured at least a dozen different selfies with him, she asked drily, “Now what?”
He grinned. “Now we pack a picnic breakfast, and go for a hike.”
*
Scarlet helped fill a basket with strawberries, exotic cheeses, crackers and a bottle of champagne that was warm thanks to the power outage. And all the while she admired the way Mackenzie’s jeans fitted snugly to his butt and his thighs, and lovingly outlined his crotch.
Hell he could wear a sack and she’d still be aware of his taut physique. He was built like an athlete. Tall, lean and honed. She swallowed. He had the stamina of an athlete too.
He turned to her then, picnic basket in one hand and the other held out for her. “Ready?”
She nodded. “Sure.” Though she had a feeling nowhere could be as impressive as the sunrise and sweeping views he’d shown her earlier that morning.
He led her back outside and along another track that veered down a sharp incline studded with shale and rocks. She was glad of Mackenzie’s firm grip on the steeper, trickier parts of the path. Unlike sex and running, her thigh muscles weren’t used to this type of a workout.
Thirty minutes later the track abruptly leveled out. Gum trees and grass trees gave way to a tiny valley, where a pool of water was fed by a waterfall that cascaded over rocks at least a hundred feet overhead. The scent of damp and eucalyptus filled the air, while the dull roar of water crashing onto the rocks below filled her ears.
Mackenzie placed the champagne bottle in the cold pool of water before he unfurled a picnic blanket and set the basket on top. He sat and reached for her, tugging her down to sit between his legs, the basket beside them.
She leaned against his chest, loving the rippling of his muscles against her back with his every movement, loving his warmth and familiar spiced scent.
“You must be starving,” he said close to her ear, sending tingles down her spine, even as he reached inside the basket for a strawberry and placed it in her mouth. A burst of cool sweetness filled her mouth, and he chuckled at her gurgles of delight.
“Want another one?” he asked.
She nodded. “Yes, please.”
She opened her mouth to the plump, juicy fruit, and he put a hand beneath her chin and tilted her head back, leaning down to kiss her lips and blot away residual juice. She closed her eyes, sighing against his mouth, his soft yet firm lips. His tender skill.
He pulled back and her eyelashes fluttered open to see his dark, gleaming eyes. “They taste almost as good as you,” he said huskily.
Her heart flip-flopped, her blood thickening as yearning pulled through her veins. What she would have done to have met a man like Mackenzie outside her work. Men might see her as sex on a stick, but she had so many other needs too.
She dressed to please her clients, but fashion held no real interest to her. In fact, she much preferred her sneakers and exercise gear, or her sweats and oversized shirts.
She also preferred cooking for her sisters over dining out at fancy restaurants. She loved cutting up salads and making stir-fries, or baking her latest creation while her sisters giggled at the most recent gossip about everyday people in their everyday lives.
Probably because nothing about her own life was normal. She was as far removed from normal as one could get. People might embrace her while she kept her profession secret, but the moment she was exposed she’d become an outcast, a piece of lint on society. Only those men who could afford her would appreciate anything about her.
Even Danni and Tina had no idea where she worked, believing her to be a receptionist with a hard taskmaster of a boss who expected her to travel at the drop of a hat. Her sisters had always been wrapped up in their own lives and their own troubles, the twin thing ensuring their thoughts centered on one another.
And that’s the way Scarlet wanted it to stay. Her sisters might have lost their mother at way too young an age, but at least they’d been spared from the harshness of life she’d experienced. At least they were able to take for granted their finances and lack of responsibilities.
Mackenzie placed another strawberry in her mouth, but this time she barely tasted its sweetness.
Better that she dressed to impress and put on social airs and graces while pretending interest in her latest client’s needs. Better that she ate at expensive restaurants where the portion size was never enough to fill the hole in her belly. Better that she fucked men with enough acting skills to keep them coming back for more, while inside she shriveled a little more each time.
Heat tingled across her face. Better for everyone but her.
Chapter Five
‡
Mackenzie sampled one of the strawberries, but she could feel his gaze on her. “Is something wrong?” he asked softly.
She forced herself to hold his gaze, and not admit to all the self-doubts bulldozing through her defenses. “Nothing I can’t handle.”
His gaze searched hers, shrewd and assessing. “You don’t have to be strong all the time.”
She shook her head. “I don’t know how to be weak.”
Even before her mother had died she’d been the strong one. She’d held her mother’s hand when overnight she’d become a single mother. She’d held her hand again and watched as her mother withered away from cancer. Then held her sisters’ hands at their mother’s funeral, where few mourners attended.
Mackenzie nodded. “One of the many reasons I’m drawn to you.” She blinked, and he added, “We’re survivors in a dog-eat-dog world.”
It was her turn to search his stare. “What was your childhood like?”
A shadow moved like a cloud behind his eyes. “It wasn’t great.”
“Oh?” she prompted.
He exhaled. “My mother was a victim of sp
ousal abuse.” He squeezed his eyes shut, his features taut with memory. He opened his eyes, uncertainty stamped across his face before he concluded softly, “She died at the hands of my father.”
Her heart wrenched for him, the little boy who’d undoubtedly seen far too much at too young an age. Little wonder he carried so many wounds inside. She turned around, placing her knees on either side of his hips as her hands outlined his jaw. “I know words can’t take away what’s been done, but I’m sorry, Mack.”
He looked up at her with weariness tugging at his mouth. At least now she understood why the windows to his soul were shuttered so tight. He had a past he didn’t want to dwell on. A past she’d bet wounded and scraped like daggers to the heart.
He placed his hands over hers, as though drawing from her touch. His voice was hoarse when he said, “You’re right, nothing can take away the past. I only wish you didn’t understand so well what it is to feel the loss of a mother.”
She leaned towards him, kissing him with a tenderness that belied their working relationship. Sharing an intimacy and understanding that she’d never granted to another man. She’d always felt an affinity with Mackenzie, had been drawn to him from the very start. Like two lost souls who’d found one another and couldn’t let go.
She jerked back, biting her bottom lip even as she fought off a surge of panic. She was not falling for this man! He was a client, one with internal scars that might never heal. And right now all they had in common was a past that haunted them both.
“I didn’t scare you off?” he asked, his voice mock-humorous but his stare all too serious.
She shook her head. “I don’t scare away that easily.”
Liar! Everything about Mackenzie terrifies you. And you’ve already tried running from him once.
His smile seemed forced. “C’mon, let’s have a swim.”
They pushed to their feet and Scarlet was aware of the distance between them even as they stripped off their clothes and stood in all their naked glory. A breeze rippled across the water, saturating the air with moisture from the falls and pulling free some wisps of her hair.
