“Nah.”
“The cherub with the thingy for the birds, then.” Bert reached for it.
“Nope.” Squatting down, Sam picked up the big goanna statue. “This’ll do the trick.”
“Not trying to impress her, then. Break up present?” Curious, Bert trotted beside Sam as he strode through the aisles.
“Trust me, this’ll impress her.”
After paying for the statue, he carted it outside and managed to fit it into the back seat of the car. Hopping into the driver’s side, he started the engine. Yeah, Carly would love the goanna statue. She wasn’t like other women. And he certainly wasn’t going to just bring her flowers. She was special.
A statue would last forever. Unless it broke.
When Carly had agreed to go out with him, he’d felt like the luckiest man on the planet. Understanding her past more, he’d agreed when she’d asked him if they could take the relationship slowly. Hell, he’d have agreed to anything just to have her beside him. The last thing he wanted was to drive her away by coming on too strong.
Of course, it hadn’t been easy. Every kiss he shared with her had him craving more, every touch, every taste, tortured him in his dreams. His shaft was achingly hard in the mornings – not to mention the middle of the night – with his unslaked desire, the need to bury himself in her lush curves and wet heat.
But slowly. Slowly. He’d promised she’d not regret agreeing to take a chance on him, and he was determined to take it at her pace.
Even if it killed him, which it probably would, but he’d die a happy man. Or so he told himself, manfully ignoring his carnal cravings.
They’d done two proper dates, movies and dinner, and now he decided it was time to buy her a gift. This was one hell of a gift; it’d look awesome in the garden, something to remind her of him every time she saw it. Plus it just looked awesome. Maybe he’d go back later and buy another for his garden.
He felt good until he turned into the street for home. Seeing the beautiful flowers bursting with colour in the well-tended gardens, doubt set in.
Crap, maybe it wasn’t such a good idea. Who gave a woman a grey statue of a lizard? What if she hated it? What if she wanted flowers? What if she expected them?
For the first time, Sam wondered if he’d made a big mistake.
Pulling into his driveway, he hopped out of the car and dragged the big goanna statue from the back seat, placing it on the lawn and looking at it anew.
It still looked bloody awesome. But would Carly like it? Maybe he should park it in his own garden and run to the florist for a bunch of flowers for her instead, maybe that would be a better plan.
“Oh, my gosh!” A voice trilled.
Glancing up, Sam almost groaned out loud when he saw Shelly on the other side of the garden fence.
“Oh, my.” She pressed one hand flat to her barely-covered bosom. “That gave me quite a start.”
“It’s just a statue.” Opening the car door, Sam took out the keys and locked it. Time to head for the house.
And safety.
Unfortunately, Shelly had other ideas. She was through the gate and standing on the other side of the statue before Sam knew it.
Her smile was pure predator.
He actually took a step back. “Well, gotta go.”
“Going inside for a cold drink?”
Uh-oh. She was going to turn it into an invitation. “No. No, not at all.”
“Inside for a shower?” Her eyes gleamed as she took another step forward.
Shit! “No.” He desperately cast around for something to throw her off track. “I – uh – I pulled a muscle getting the statue out.” There, that should make her pause. No real man would admit to it. To make it seem more plausible, Sam put a hand to the small of his back and winced. “Better go in and rest it.”
She practically leaped over the statue. “Oh, you need a good, long massage. I give wonderful massages.”
Sam backed away quickly, nearly going arse over tit when his heel hit the veranda step behind him. Stumbling, he righted himself quickly, holding out one hand palm outwards. “No!”
Coming to a stop, Shelly placed her hands on her hips and smiled. “Why, Sam Willow, are you shy?”
“What? No.” Annoyed and apprehensive, yes.
“I promise, once you have one of my massages you’ll never want anyone else’s.” Openly provocative, she licked her lips.
He didn’t like embarrassing people, but it was time to get a little blunt. “I have a girlfriend. She’ll do my massage.”
“Oh baby, she won’t massage half as well as me.” Shelly advanced another step.
Jesus, she was shameless. “Sorry, not interested.”
“She doesn’t have to know.”
“I’ll know,” he returned sharply. “The answer is no.”
Not in the least mortified by his rebuff, she continued towards him slowly and deliberately. “I give great head.”
He wasn’t surprised by her bold, crude statement. It wasn’t the first proposition he’d had by a persistent woman. “I don’t care. Get off my property.’
“Why, Sam.” Surprised, Shelly stopped. “You sound like you mean it.”
“I do. I told you, I have a girlfriend and she’s everything to me.”
Her eyes narrowed.
Not liking it because it went against every grain of politeness his parents had taught him, but not about to risk his precious, new relationship with Carly, Sam opened his mouth to order Shelly bluntly to get lost. For Carly, he’d do anything, but before he could get a word out,a blast of rap music rent the air.
“G’day, Sam!”
Irritated, Shelly turned around.
Sam looked across to the voice, his mouth falling open at the sight of Ed and Huggie slouching across the road. Ed had a bottle of whiskey in one hand and what looked to be a DVD in the other hand. Huggie, sporting a frown that just highlighted the ring in his nose and the heavy, brooding expression on his face, was holding a stereo in his meaty hand from which the rap music blasted.
“Who are they?” Shelly queried in distaste.
“Friends,” Sam replied, feeling both relieved and puzzled.
Kicking the gate open, which caused Sam to wince, Ed waved the DVD in the air and yelled out happily, “Hey, man, want to watch a titty movie?”
“Got some arse in it as well,” Huggie bellowed for everyone in the entire city to hear, never mind the street.
“Uh…” Sam said.
Ed took a slug of whiskey straight from the bottle.
Crusher stuck his head out of Huggie’s leather jacket pocket.
“Can’t take the jacket off,” Huggie said as he stopped by the statue and propped one booted foot on its head. “Got a bloody massive boil in my arm pit. The quack reckons it’s because my arm pit is so hairy and sweaty.”
Ed leered at Shelly. “Sheilas like a sweaty man. Isn’t that right, darlin’?”
Her upper lip curled.
“Means we’re doing the shagging properly.” He winked, took another slug of whiskey, and rested his thonged foot on the back of the goanna statue. Leaning his forearm on his skinny leg, the hairiness of it evident by his torn shorts, he smacked his lips. “Bloody good booze.”
SJ appeared from around the corner of the house, his ears flat on his head. Sam had no doubt it was because of the music, because sure as hell his ears felt like they were pinned back to the side of his head to try and let the music go past rather than into his ears.
Crusher took one look at SJ and started barking.
SJ’s whiskers quivered, his eyes going black as his pupils dilated.
“Want a slug?” Ed offered the bottle to Shelly.
“No, I most certainly do not,” she replied frigidly.
“What?”
“No.”
“What? I can’t hear you because of the noise.”
“I said no!”
Ed cupped his hand around the back of his ear. “What? You gotta repeat that
, girlie.”
Sam grinned.
Crusher continued barking and SJ stalked slowly forward, his gaze pinned on the tiny dog in Huggie’s pocket.
“I said-” Shelly began to yell.
“Here, let me turn this down.” Huggie twisted the knob and the music blasted louder. “Oops.”
Fuming, Shelly looked at Sam.
Seizing the opportunity to stop her thinking about him romantically, sexually, deviantly, or in any other way, Sam strode forward and grabbed the DVD from Ed. “Man, I love movie hour.”
“Tits and arse, man,” Ed yelled above the noise. “Maybe Shelly would like to watch it as well?”
“What?” Shelly yelled back.
“I said-”
Huggie switched off the stereo.
“Maybe, Shelly, you’d like to join us in watching some tits and arse!” Ed continued to holler in the sudden deafening silence. “Then you could show us your ti-”
A loud crack of Shelly’s hand across Ed’s face had the skinny bloke almost spinning around on the spot.
Crusher stopped mid bark and ducked back into Huggie’s pocket.
“How dare you!” Seething, Shelly glared at Sam. “You perverts!” Stalking off, she slammed the gate shut behind her.
“Heh heh.” Huggie looked at Ed.
“Damn.” Ed worked his jaw. “Shit, I think she loosened a tooth.”
“Man, thanks guys. I thought she was going to eat me alive.” Sam looked at the DVD. “Hey, this is wrestling.”
“Disappointed?” Ed touched the side of his face gingerly. The red hand print was plainly visible.
“Relieved.” Sam looked at the whisky bottle. “Is that…?”
“Yeah, and I need it now.” Ed took another swallow before pulling the cap from his pocket and screwing it on. Then he took another look at Sam. “Want a slug? You look like you need it.”
Sam shook his head.
“Saw you had a little problem.” Ed jerked his thumb in Shelly’s direction.
“She wouldn’t take no for an answer. Thanks for the rescue mission. Impressive, by the way.” Sam looked at Huggie. “Do you really have a massive boil in your arm pit?”
Huggie grinned.
“I didn’t think so, but I like your style.”
“Looked like she was about to grab you by the ponytail and drag you inside.” Ed leered. “Go all cave girl, have her nasty way with you.”
Crusher stuck his head out of Huggie’s pocket, and Huggie patted his head.
Sam handed the DVD back to Ed. “I’m not interested.”
“In the DVD?”
“No, you nong. Shelly.”
“Yeah, that’s what I meant.”
“And get your big foot off the goanna.” Sam squatted down and brushed the statue off. “Mate, I really appreciate what you two did. Thanks.”
“You’re too nice for your own good,” Ed told him. “You gotta toughen up.”
“I don’t find it easy being rude to people.”
“Not for any reason?”
“If they push me enough, I’ll bite.”
“Ooohh! I’m so scared.”
Wryly, Sam looked up at him.
“I tried to tell Carly to go for a rough, tough bikie,” Ed said. “Instead, she falls for a sweet pretty boy who’ll no doubt influence her snappy temper and make her as gooey as he.” He gagged.
“I wouldn’t change Carly for anything.” Picking up the statue, Sam straightened.
Huggie grunted approval.
“You couldn’t change her if you tried,” Ed replied. “Woman’s got a will of iron. Which reminds me, how the hell did you get her to agree to go out with you?”
SJ sat at Sam’s feet and gazed up at Crusher. Crusher actually shivered when SJ gave his throaty hunting meow. Huggie pointed a finger sternly at SJ and grunted. SJ hissed in return.
“I mean,” Ed continued, following Sam down the garden path, “after that jerk hurt her, I never thought she’d take up with another bloke so soon. What’s the secret?”
“No secret,” Sam said. “I asked her.” Begged, to be truthful, and he wasn’t ashamed of it. He’d have given her the moon if he could have, just to get her to agree. That she’d done so was a miracle.
“Had to be more than ask.”
Sam just smiled.
Ed followed him out of the gate. “By the way, where are you taking that thing?”
“Present for Carly.”
“What? That ugly-arsed thing?”
“Yep.” Refusing to give in to his doubts, sure he’d done the right thing, Sam walked through Ed’s gate and studied the daises that lined the garden path.
Halfway down the path, he set the goanna statue between two daisy bushes so that it appeared as though it was walking through the flowers to the path. Straightening, he stepped back and studied it, nodding. Yep, that’d do the trick all right.
“You could have bought flowers,” Ed pointed out.
“So I’ve been told.” At a twinge of unease, Sam looked at him. Ed was her uncle, he would know her likes better. “Which would she prefer, do you think?”
“You mean delicate flowers versus a T-Rex?”
“It’s a goanna.”
“Right. Big lizard. Same thing.”
Sam looked back down at the statue. “You don’t think she’ll like it?”
“Man, it’s from you. She’ll like it.”
Doubts started to plague him again. “Yeah, but will she like it?”
“We’ll find out. Here she comes.”
Anticipation filling him, Sam watched as the little blue Honda turned into the driveway. Carly saw him and smiled, and he could see the pleasure in her expression which matched his own at the sight of her.
Striding forward, he met her as she got out of the car, dropping his head to kiss her on the lips in greeting. “Hi, honey.”
Blushing, she glanced past him to where Ed stood with a big grin on his face. Looking back up at Sam, she smiled. “Hi.”
Sliding his arm around her waist, he pulled her away from the door and swung it shut. “How was work?”
“Busy.”
She was deliciously soft against him. “I’m getting turned on.”
“Sam, I’m in work clothes.” She laughed. “How could they turn you on?”
“It’s the Mary Janes. They do it to me every time.”
“Do you want me to leave you alone with them?”
“If you’re not wearing them, no.” He winked.
She laughed again, the sound slipping through him like warm water. Man, her laugh just made him feel so happy, her sparkling eyes and quick wit. He could hardly wait until they made love again, to hold her naked in his arms to explore at his leisure, to taste and touch and kiss and-
“What is that?” Carly interrupted his daydream.
“Huh?”
“Near the daisies.” She stiffened. “Oh, wow. Is that a goanna?”
“Um…yeah.” Too late for doubts now. “I bought you a little something. I hope you like it.” He started to lead her across the garden.
“You bought me a goanna?”
“It’s not alive.”
“Not stuffed, either,” Ed added helpfully.
Ignoring him, Sam drew Carly to a stop beside the statue. “This is for you.”
She stared at it in silence.
Sam started fidgeting and glanced at Ed.
Ed just raised his eyebrows and watched in interest.
Kneeling down, Carly reached out to touch the statue’s head. “Gosh.”
‘Gosh’? Was ‘gosh’ good? Clearing his throat, Sam hunkered down on the other side of the goanna. Damn, he should have gone for flowers. Damn!
“I don’t know what to say.” She looked up at him. “A goanna statue. No one has ever given me a statue before.”
Now he felt stupid. “I just…I thought…ah, I should have gotten you flowers.” He sighed. “I’m sorry, honey, this was a dumb-”
“Are you insane?” W
ith a grin of delight, Carly rose up onto her knees and flung herself across the statue at him, winding her arms around his neck. “I love it!”
Catching her against him, he looked down into her sparkling eyes. “Are you sure? Because I can change it.”
“Don’t you dare! Sam, it’s awesome!”
At the genuine happiness on her face, Sam’s doubts fled. “That’s exactly what I thought.”
“I thought flowers, myself,” Ed offered.
“Anyone can give flowers.” Carly hugged Sam. “But a statue is special. Sam, thank you.” Drawing back, she caught his face between her hands and kissed him.
One little kiss and it nearly knocked his sneakers off. One little kiss and his blood started sizzling. He kissed her back with a whole lot of enthusiasm. By the time she pulled back, they were both breathing a little heavily.
“Yeah,” Ed said from behind him. “Just remember that’s my niece you’re sucking face with, Sam.”
Blushing, Carly braced one hand on the goanna’s head and stood up. “Shut up, Ed.”
“Oh, that’s nice.”
Sam stood as well. Taking his glasses off, he wiped them on his tank top and grinned at Carly. “You steamed up my glasses.”
She laughed. Stepping over the statue, she placed one hand on his arm and stood on tip toe.
Obligingly, and with his heart starting to hammer all over again, Sam bent down for her kiss. Unfortunately, it was quick.
“Thanks so much, Sam. I love it.”
Before she could step back, he placed his mouth at her ear. “Really?’
“Mmmm.”
“Then how about coming to my place later and you can thank me properly?”
Pulling her head back, she looked at him. “Properly? Just what do you mean by ‘properly’?”
“Depends on what you think I mean.”
“I’m thinking…I’m not sure what I’m thinking.”
“Take a guess.”
“You want me to cook you a cake?”
“That’s not even funny.”
Ed snorted a laugh.
Reaching out, Carly patted his cheek and grinned. “Poor baby. Ed’s going out tonight-”
“Don’t expect me home,” Ed interrupted. “Charlie and I are…you know.” He elbowed the air and leered.
“You weren’t actually invited to my dinner,” she said.
“Oh, that hurts.”
Seducing Sam Page 18
