Return to Riversleigh

by Anne Ashby

  I’d better quell these possessive feelings before I dare talk to her. Damn, I could have strangled that moron.

  Luke groaned under his breath. As a mountain bike rider he wouldn’t be nervous riding behind Shannon. No, he was taking advantage of the situation by wrapping his arms around her.

  And her giggling suggested she wasn’t bothered by the bloke’s actions. What did they do out on the trail? Did he touch her out there? Did they kiss?

  Heat burst through his body and he planted a fist into the hallway wall. Luckily he must have struck a stud because the gib board didn’t concave, although his knuckles ached.

  He stormed into his room. Keeping away from Shannon was imperative until his anger subsided.

  ****

  It hadn’t been hard for Shannon to refuse Darren’s dinner invitation, although she’d been gentle. His blatant flirting had done wonders for her ego, but he was too much of a boy to consider accepting him.

  When he’d stood next to Luke, she couldn’t help but compare the two men. Heat sneaked into her face as she wheeled the bike into the shed. Luke had won, hands down.

  Luke hadn’t been pleased by the other man’s presence, although Darren had come at her invitation to advise them.

  A little thrill tickled her back as she recalled Luke’s expression when he’d noticed Darren’s hold on her. Am I right in thinking I know why?

  Shannon was deep in thought as she crossed the yard. Her heart relished the idea Luke might have been jealous, but her head fought to control any wayward thinking.

  ****

  Happier than she’d felt for years, Shannon hummed as she rinsed the breakfast dishes.

  With Thomas being less abrasive, and more helpful, life had lost much of its angst. He no longer snapped and snarled. He no longer sniped at her at any turn. And most incredibly, he no longer talked about returning to Auckland every chance he got.

  She sighed. Worrying about him before had taken so much of her energy she couldn’t believe how light-hearted she felt now.

  He’d needed something in his life she hadn’t been able to provide. She hadn’t had a clue what until she’d seen him begin to blossom these last couple of weeks. Thomas had needed the influence of a ready-to-listen male. Something he hadn’t got from his father, not in any great amount anyway.

  Shannon’s hands paused in the soapy water. She had a lot to thank Luke for—a great job, a place to live, and the return of a son she’d been sure was lost to her.

  Yes, she felt happier now than she could remember being in a long time. Luke…

  She jerked the plug from the sink. She wouldn’t allow herself to think any deeper about how Luke—the man—impacted on this sudden happiness. It was safer to concentrate on her improving relationship with her son.

  Glancing at the microwave’s clock hastened her. Not sure what Luke might have lined up today, it was time for work.

  Having Amy playing in the corner of the office made any discussion of a more personal nature impossible. Shannon had learned her lesson well. Four-year-olds had no discretion.

  Telling herself this was just as well, after she’d caught a particular warm glance from Luke, she wasn’t sure who she was trying to convince.

  Tense emotion simmered between them. Each outwardly ignored it, but each was aware of its presence.

  They were having a bite of lunch when Luke startled Shannon by slamming his cutlery onto the table. “If Marcia can babysit tonight, would you come out to dinner with me?”

  The sudden unexpectedness of the question robbed Shannon of an immediate response. They had been discussing diverting creek water into the water slide.

  Her mouth dried as she stared at him. Dinner? Like a date? Shannon hadn’t been on a date in over fifteen years.

  Her eyes widened. How does one behave on a date nowadays? She didn’t have a clue.

  “No strings, just dinner. We’d go to the resort, or if you’d rather, into town to a restaurant. Then straight home again, if that’s what you want.”

  Still, Shannon hesitated. What she wanted, deep inside, was the whole problem facing her now.

  Accepting his invitation would alter their relationship. Am I ready for that? Ready for where it might go? It probably wouldn’t develop into anything meaningful.

  A sharp pain tightened across her chest. We might work well together as friends rather than employer/employee, but a date must change that. Shannon looked everywhere but at Luke.

  The gentle smile she’d witnessed suggested he knew what he asked. It’s not only a date, it’s my acceptance of a changing relationship between us.

  A finger rubbed up and down the center of her forehead. Keeping him waiting for an answer wasn’t fair, but she was relying on her common sense, which appeared to have abandoned her, to voice a polite refusal.

  You’d be an idiot to refuse, whispered a voice inside. Your relationship changed the first time he kissed you. It can’t go back to what it was. Why hesitate?

  “Shall I ring Marcia?”

  He wasn’t rushing her. She read that in his eyes. But his slow movement toward the phone, his pause before lifting the receiver, his delay in dialing the number, told her she could stop him at any moment.

  Instead she sat silent, listening with growing excitement as he arranged care for their children.

  “I’ll pick you up at seven-thirty,” he told her as he laid the phone down. “Thomas can come and hang out with the others, if he wants to.”

  Shannon wasn’t sure how it happened, but her head bobbed up and down.

  She rose from her chair when Luke gently slipped a hand under her arm. Bemused, she allowed him to walk her away from the kitchen.

  Instead of stopping at the office, Luke walked her down to the interconnecting doorway and eased her through. He smiled as he touched his lips on her cheek in a light, featherlike touch. “See you at seven-thirty.”

  She was left in her flat, staring at a closed door. But it was only lunchtime. She had work to do.

  About to open the door and return to the office, she paused. Luke is the boss. And if he says I can have the afternoon off, who am I to argue?

  A hesitant smile twitched at her lips. If I’m going on a date, I have things to do. What shall I wear? Breath caught in her throat. Oh damn, do I have anything suitable? She sped into her bedroom and threw open the wardrobe door.

  ****

  “Where are you going?” Thomas demanded during his solitary dinner. His querulous tone chipped at her conviction she wasn’t doing something stupid.

  “Out to dinner.”

  She’d given him the option of staying in the flat or joining Marcia and the other children.

  His cutlery clanged against the dinner plate. “Like on a date?”

  Color flooded into Shannon’s face as quickly as it drained from her son’s. She avoided his eyes as he glared at her.

  Shannon spun around and busied herself at the bench. “I guess,” she mumbled in agreement.

  “Who’s this bloke you’re going out with?”

  “I’m going to dinner with Luke.”

  Thomas’s voice rose to a squeak. “Luke?”

  She’d guessed Thomas might struggle with the idea of his mother going out with Luke. Luke was his friend, his confidant.

  Sure enough, a glance over her shoulder confirmed his surly look was back. He concentrated on shoveling food into his mouth.

  Shannon gave up waiting for the explosion. Instead she swung around to face him, fists landing on her hips. “Do you think I’m dead or something?” she snapped. “There’s nothing wrong with me going out to dinner with a man.”

  Thomas’s chair tipped over as he jumped up. “I don’t give a stuff what you do…or who you go out with,” he yelled.

  Her heart sank as tears welled up in her son’s eyes.

  “But why do you h-have to do it with L-Luke?”

  She struggled to ignore his obvious distress, knowing she mustn’t allow him to control her. She wrapped her
arms around herself and forced steel into her wobbly jaw. I have to do this. I have to assert some authority.

  Even as his expression warned of a return to their fraught relationship, she must not let him dictate her actions. Guilt warred with frustration as she glared at him. Deep breaths were dragged into her lungs as she searched for words to diffuse another ugly scene.

  “I know you think Luke is a great guy, Thomas.” Her tone was gentle, conciliatory. “So do I. We’re only going out for dinner. I don’t understand why that should upset you.”

  Thomas scrubbed a sleeve across his face. “I’ve seen the way you look at him, all googly-eyed. I’m not a baby, you know. I bet eating dinner isn’t all you’re planning on doing.”

  Raw and primitive anger drove burning heat throughout her body. For the first time ever, Shannon itched to smack her son’s face. She opened her mouth, but no words would formulate to counter her son’s insolence.

  Thomas took a harried step back and Shannon wondered if her expression relayed her murderous thoughts. Rage propelled her forward until she had the retreating boy jammed up against the steps to his room.

  She ignored his bulging eyes and pallid face as she poked her finger repeatedly against his chest to accentuate her words. “Don’t you ever speak to me like that again.”

  A growl escaped through her clenched teeth as she swung around and stalked into her room. Sinking onto her bed she grimaced. Now it’s me slamming doors in a temper.

  Her hands shook. Her face burned. Inside, her stomach agitated like an old-fashioned washing machine, twisting this way and that. Oh God. I can’t go out in this state. I’ll never be able to eat. Her stomach would throw any food right back. Her chin dropped to her chest.

  A glance at the thin watch on her wrist warned her Luke would be knocking at the door soon. She jumped up, searching for her cell phone. I have to text him, cancel, tell him I’m sick. Tell him anything, as long as he doesn’t turn up.

  Her gaze slithered across her bed, across her dresser, frantically searching for her phone. Damn, it’s in the kitchen. And I’m not going back in there until I calm down. She sank back onto her bed and buried her face in her hands, willing herself to calm down. Deep breaths, deep breaths.

  I can’t cancel. There was an almighty bump in her chest as she raised her head and stared at her reflection in the mirror above her dresser. Oh God, I have to go. I can’t cave in to Thomas’s tantrum.

  The room swirled as Shannon refocused. She had no choice. A moan escaped. This was one battle Thomas could not be allowed to win. No matter how nauseous she felt, she had to go out to dinner with Luke.

  C’mon, get with it. She rolled her shoulders taking several little breaths in an attempt to gain some control over the quivers still running up and down her body. Stop being an idiot. Forget Thomas’s attitude. Another moan escaped as she accepted this impossibility.

  I want this. Forget Thomas and think about Luke. Shannon groaned, indiscriminately throwing a comb, lipstick, and handkerchief into a purse.

  Is Thomas right? Am I lusting after Luke? Oh God, please don’t let that be the case. Please don’t let Luke have guessed the same thing.

  Her indecisiveness intensified with the knock at the door. With a wobbly deep breath, she headed out to meet Luke. Having said very little, Thomas had managed to destroy any chance she would enjoy what could have been, should have been, a lovely evening.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  The second Shannon opened the door, Luke sensed something was wrong. While she attempted a smile, her eyes smoldered with some unknown emotion. Her stiff posture suggested she was holding something tight inside. Anger?

  He watched her closely as they walked to his car. Yes, most definitely anger. As he closed her door and walked around the bonnet he sent a veiled glare up to the lighted room above her flat. Bugger. I thought Thomas had lightened up a little. But it seems he can still be relied on to spoil things for his mother.

  Luke shot a smile across at an unresponsive Shannon and started the car. So it might take me a little more effort, but we’re going to have a fantastic time, despite whatever torment that brat has given. And he’d better stand from under. Luke swore under his breath. Wait until I get hold of him.

  Shannon looked fantastic. The emotions churning within her highlighted his appreciation of her beauty more than he could express. As in a penny-dreadful novel, her breasts drew his gaze as they heaved with each shuddering breath she took.

  The deep red of her dress, clinging to all the right places, flashed x-rated visions through him—visions of him slowly stripping the red away to reveal hidden treasures beneath. Under his breath, Luke pledged to have her shuddering for a very different reason before the night was over.

  “The resort? Or would you rather we head into town?”

  It took her a disorientated moment before responding. “Ah, maybe the resort. It’s silly to head into Invercargill just for a meal.”

  Her less-than-subtle insinuation was not lost on Luke. He grimaced. Damn. She doesn’t expect the evening to be anything more, anything special, anything exciting.

  This was not the same woman he’d ushered into her flat this afternoon. He’d sensed her barely-contained excitement mixed with as much nervousness as he himself had felt. But now, that excitement was gone and been replaced with sizzling anger.

  As his fingers tightened on the steering wheel, he imagined they were around Thomas’s scrawny neck. “I’ll talk to him.”

  Shannon’s head swung around. “What?”

  Irritation flared through Luke. “I’ll have a talk with Thomas.” As he checked for traffic at the compulsory stop connecting their road to the main thoroughfare he paused to gauge her reaction. “He has done or said something to upset you, hasn’t he?”

  Shannon’s bottom lip took a beating from her teeth before she turned her face aside.

  “I don’t need help dealing with my son, thank you.”

  Luke chose the wise option and kept his mouth shut tight on the words hankering to escape. The little twerp needs a damn good clip around the ear, and I’m just the man to do it.

  Instead he laid a gentle hand on her shoulder for a moment, signaling his solidarity. He was rewarded with a little movement of her lips. It hardly constituted a smile, but neither was it a snarl.

  Stopping in the resort car park Luke leaned over and clasped her chin. “Forget whatever he said. We’re going to enjoy ourselves.” His swift, but determined, kiss implied he wasn’t about to let anything ruin this plan, least of all a snotty-nosed kid.

  Luke employed every trick he’d ever learned to draw Shannon out. He teased, he questioned, he argued. He introduced topics as wide and varied as favorite holiday destinations, current political divisions, and global warming. By the time they’d sampled their dessert Shannon appeared to have forgotten whatever had upset her earlier.

  Luke leaned back in his chair and enjoyed the colored lights from the nearby dance floor bouncing off her hair as she devoured a piece of cheesecake with obvious delight.

  “What?” She caught his smile. “So I have a sweet tooth. What’s wrong with that?”

  Nothing, nothing at all. Luke took a steadying breath and shifted in his seat as she slowly, but unconsciously, licked the remnants from her fingers. Oh boy!

  “Luke? Shannon? What a lovely surprise?” Jase and Debra appeared arm in arm beside their table.

  Never had Luke been more relieved to have someone interrupt.

  “You should have phoned and had dinner with us,” Jase added.

  “I doubt they’d have wanted that, Jase.” Debra’s nudge had her husband’s gaze flicking from Luke to Shannon back to Luke.

  Luke allowed his eyebrow to rise in response to Jase’s non-verbal question. Shannon’s face became a delightful shade of pink as she hastily drew out a chair and invited Debra to sit.

  “I didn’t see you when we arrived.” Luke attempted nonchalance, but he doubted he carried it off.

  Jas
e settled down opposite Shannon. “We usually eat in our apartment. It’s easier, and the staff doesn’t feel we’re checking on them all the time.”

  His fingers began tapping the tabletop. “We come down when there’s a live band, though.”

  Luke envied the smile he flashed across at his wife. Jase was so sure of his love being returned.

  Luke glanced at Shannon, wondering if she noticed the seventh heaven the couple appeared to inhabit.

  “We love to dance.” Jase grabbed Debra’s hand. “In fact, we’re off now. Order us some coffee and we’ll be back to share it with you.” His words were thrown over his shoulder as they headed for the dance floor.

  Both Luke and Shannon watched, surprised and then entranced as the other couple set the floor alight with a sort of sexual fantasy dance.

  Watching them only enhanced Luke’s physical discomfort and he soon turned aside. “Do you dance?” He held his breath, because he had two left feet.

  Thankfully, Shannon laughed. “Not like that. Hell, I struggle to keep to the rhythm.” She paused, looking pensive.

  He covered her hand. “What are you thinking?”

  She gave a self-conscious laugh. “I was trying to remember how long it’s been since I danced. Years and years, I think. Definitely before Thomas was born.”

  Luke forgot about his lack of dancing prowess, his two left feet, and his disinterest in the whole idea of dancing. He rose, drawing Shannon up, too. “Then it’s time to try again.”

  As he led them onto the floor and drew her into his arms, he whispered into her ear. “If you’re expecting Jase’s fancy footwork, you’re in for a disappointment. I’m just looking for an excuse to hold you in my arms.”

  A little shiver ran through her as her arms slid up to his shoulders. Her response as Debra and Jase sailed past, with a grin and a wave, caused his arms to tighten. “If you’re expecting a partner with Debra’s expertise, you’re in for a disappointment, too.”

  “I think we can handle these disappointments, don’t you?”

  Shannon nudged one of his dreads aside with her nose and snuggled her face closer to his neck. Excitement rushed through him right down to his toes when she nodded.