The Negotiator

by Chris Taylor

  “Cally.” His voice remained infuriatingly calm. “I’m not trying to buy you gadgets and gizmos you don’t need. Someone broke into your home. You suspect someone’s stalking you. Think of the phone as a personal alarm. It goes with you everywhere and it’s there if you need to use it in an emergency.”

  She set her jaw and eyed him in silence.

  “Think of Jack. Take it for his sake. You never know when you might need to contact someone in a hurry.”

  “Yeah, Mom. Take it for me.”

  She bit her lip, angry that Andy had put her in such a position. Then she thought of the breakdown at the side of the road and uncertainty flooded through her.

  “Okay,” she agreed with reluctance, “but please don’t go buying me anything else. We’re supposed to be roommates, nothing more. Roommates don’t buy each other expensive gifts. It’s just not how it works.”

  * * *

  Andy concealed a grin and emotion surged through him. Even when she was upset with him, he was drawn to her. Easy, mate. She was a long way from feeling what he did and if he wasn’t careful, he’d be the one picking up the pieces of a broken heart.

  He’d been hopeful when she didn’t run for the hills once she learned about his family, but he already knew she was kind and compassionate. She would probably have reacted that way to anyone who’d shared with her such a tragic tale. It didn’t mean she had feelings for him.

  But then he thought of their kiss and his spirits lifted. She’d been more than an active participant. With only the tiniest bit of coaxing, she’d turned to fire in his arms. When she remembered Jack was in the other room, and pulled back, it had been all he could do to switch off his feelings and dampen the passion that burned through his veins. He longed to kiss her again.

  He thought of the ex-boyfriend who’d treated her so callously and his hands tightened into fists. It was an understatement to say that her experience with men had been less than favorable. He had to take things slowly though; he didn’t want to scare her away. Yes, he’d had fallen for her and had fallen hard. The fact he’d only met her a week ago didn’t seem to matter. She was the one. He just knew. Like what the cabbie said. Andy’s biggest hurdle would be convincing her.

  The ringing of his cell phone dragged his thoughts back to the present. Recognizing Will’s number, he was tempted to ignore it. Just like with Tom, he wanted to get used to his feelings for Cally and see if she felt the same way before he told his friends, but knowing she could hear it ringing, he swallowed a sigh and answered the call.

  “What took you so long? I was just about to hang up.”

  “Hey, Will. What’s up?”

  “Just calling to say hello. I had to go into the office to sort out some stuff with Dad. With his first grandchild on the way, he’s decided to do some estate planning.” Will expelled a dramatic sigh and Andy chuckled.

  When Will chose his career in law enforcement rather than following his father’s successful footsteps into the world of advertising, their relationship had become strained, but time and a greater effort on both of their parts was slowly working to bring them closer; a grandchild would further cement their relationship. Andy was pleased things were working out for his mate. Will had done it tough in the past, too.

  “What are you up to?” Will asked. “The weather’s so good, I was hoping to take the yacht out this afternoon. Do you fancy a sail? Savannah’s refusing to come out with me. She’s complaining it makes her sick and she had more than enough of that in her first trimester to want to repeat it again.”

  Andy laughed. “Yeah, well if I’d hung over a toilet bowl as often as you told me Savannah did, bringing on another bout would be the last thing I’d want to do, too.”

  “So, are you up for it?”

  Andy glanced at Cally who stood a short distance away. “No, mate. Not this time. I’m busy. I’m moving some stuff into a…um…a friend’s house. I’m…uh…I’m house sitting over on the north side.”

  “Really? Who for? Have I met him?”

  “No, no one you know,” he replied hastily. “Anyway, I’m kind of in the middle of things here. I have to go.”

  “Okay. Oh, I almost forgot, Savannah asked me to invite you over for lunch tomorrow.”

  “Tomorrow? Er…um…Tell Savannah thanks, Will, but I’ve already made plans.”

  “Okay. Sure,” Will replied, a little uncertainly. “I guess I’ll speak to you later.”

  “Yeah. Thanks for calling, mate,” he added, already feeling guilty. He ended the call and averted his gaze from Cally, not sure she was ready to hear the reasons why he’d withheld the truth from Will. He was relieved when she made no mention of the call, instead offering to help him carry the last of his things inside.

  Jack skipped along beside her and Andy brought up the rear. Most of the smaller items had been brought in already. Cally nodded toward the bed frame and mattress that still sat in the trailer. “I didn’t realize you’d brought your own. I told you there was a sofa bed.”

  “So you did. I hope you don’t mind?”

  “No, of course not.” Her eyes glinted with rueful laughter. “But you could have said something before I gave you the full demonstration on how to turn a sofa into a bed.”

  He grinned back at her and then leaped up onto the trailer and maneuvered the mattress to the edge.

  “I’ve never seen a mattress so big,” Cally smiled. She reached up and steadied it while he stepped down to the ground.

  “Yeah, it’s big, but it’s comfortable. Trust me, once you’ve slept in a king bed, you’ll never go back.” He flashed her a slow, sexy smile. “You’re welcome to try it out.”

  She turned beet red and stammered out a response. Taking pity on her, he grinned again and added, “When I’m not using it, of course. There’ll be plenty of nights I’ll be at work. Who knows? Once you get a feel for it, you might never want to give it up.”

  * * *

  Cally couldn’t drag her gaze from his. Her heart rate spiked. Her breath came fast. She did her best to bring both of them under control.

  Get a grip on yourself, Cally Savage. She wasn’t a teenager any longer, flinging herself into an affair without care or thought for the consequences. She had Jack to think of now. It wasn’t just her heart involved.

  If she did something stupid like fall in love with Andy and it all ended badly, Jack would be hurt too. She could tell how much he liked Andy already and the pair of them had only spent a few hours together. She’d do well to remember all of that, the next time she decided to wrap herself in his arms and kiss him like she never wanted to let him go.

  “I’ll get the door, Andy!” Jack took off at a gallop, ahead of the man who dominated her thoughts. She’d made it clear to him they’d be roommates in the narrowly defined sense of the word. She was sure he’d honor her wishes.

  It was her own traitorous reactions she’d have to monitor. The way she kept responding to his nearness, she’d have to make sure she stayed well away from him lest her body betray her. She was pretty sure she could trust Andy, but could she trust herself?

  She watched the broad muscles of his back flex under the weight of the mattress and hurried to lend him a hand. Walking behind him, she admired the way his taut butt filled out the denim of his shorts and admitted she wasn’t quite so sure.

  * * *

  “I guess that just about does it.” Andy had set up his bed and they finished making it up with fresh linens Andy brought with him. He’d done his best to keep his mind from wandering to the uses the bed could be put to and from the determined look on Cally’s face and the way she avoided his gaze, it appeared she was trying to do the same.

  It was a little after seven. He’d already purchased a portable, reverse-cycle air conditioner from a nearby electrical store and had plugged it into the wall socket. The cool air it pumped into the room provided immediate relief from the heat. Though the sun was now low in the sky, its lingering warmth could still be felt through the windows and to
sleep would be almost impossible without the comfort the cooler provided.

  Cally’s modest television set, looking almost as old as Jack, now sat on the small wooden table in the corner. Jack had returned to his movie and was sprawled across the sofa, a smile of contentment on his face.

  “This TV is so cool, Andy! Even Jimmy Baker hasn’t got one this big and he’s got everything.”

  Andy grinned back at him. Cally may have thought they were happy without flash gadgets and gizmos, but it was obvious her son was delighted about the sudden entry of improved technology into his life. Watching the movie on the giant screen, Jack looked like he was in heaven.

  Andy looked over and caught Cally’s eye where she stood off to one side of the living room. She smiled softly back at him, her eyes full of warmth and gratitude. A surge of emotion raced to his loins and his cock hardened with the sudden rush of blood. His head might be telling him to take it easy, but his heart and other parts of his anatomy had other plans. He clenched his fists by his side in an effort to stop himself from closing the distance between them and hauling her into his arms.

  As if she sensed his sudden tension, Cally broke eye contact and turned her head away. A faint blush stained her cheeks. A primeval sense of satisfaction flooded through him, knowing she recognized his need. She swallowed uneasily and cleared her throat before darting another glance in his direction. He bit back a grin.

  “I-I have dinner ready, if you’d like to join us.”

  He smiled warmly, hoping to put her at ease. “That sounds great, thanks.” Cally smiled back at him and turned toward the kitchen. Andy looked over at Jack.

  “You ready for dinner, buddy? Mom said she’s good to go.”

  Jack lifted his head off the arm of the sofa and shot him a grin. “Sure. I’ll be there in a minute.”

  “You’ll need to show me where I can sit. I don’t want to take someone else’s chair.”

  “You can sit next to me, Andy,” Jack leaped off the couch and headed straight for the kitchen table, his eyes still wide with excitement.

  “As long as that’s all right with your mom?”

  Cally was busy at the stove. He waited for her to turn around.

  “Of course, Andy. Would you like gravy?”

  “Yes thanks, that’d be great.” He took a seat next to Jack and noted the trouble she’d gone to in setting the table. He picked up a folded white linen napkin and laid it across his lap.

  The table cloth was also linen; its deep blue color reminding him of her eyes. A small vase of blue and white flowers sat in the middle of the table. They immediately brought to mind the ones he’d noticed in his room. A pleasant warmth stole through him at the care she’d taken to prepare for his arrival.

  His gaze swept over her. Although she hadn’t changed for dinner, her hair had been brushed recently and it now shone golden under the electric light. He remembered the feel of her against him and his fingers itched to run through its softness.

  * * *

  Cally turned and started for the table. She caught sight of Andy staring at her and stumbled. Her gaze darted away from the intensity in his eyes. Her heart, which had been in her throat since he’d kissed her, now beat at a frantic pace; a pulse throbbed in the side of her neck.

  They’d worked well together, unloading his things and even later, when they’d made the bed. It had felt so normal, so natural, sharing that every day, mundane chore. She wondered what it would be like to have someone around permanently.

  Not that he’d offered to stay long term. He was doing this to help her out “in her hour of need.” They were his words and she appreciated his efforts, even if a part of her now longed for things to be different.

  He’d also been generous with his money. When the last of his things had been hauled in from the trailer, he’d handed her a check from his wallet. She’d read the amount printed on it and her eyes widened in shock.

  “Five thousand dollars? What’s this for?”

  “It’s to cover the rent. I thought I’d pay you in advance.”

  “Sure, th-that’s fine but this check’s going to cover you for nearly half a year. Surely, you don’t want to pay that far ahead? I mean, you might not even stay that long and what about your place in Bondi?”

  “Don’t worry about it. I can always duck over every now and then to check on things.”

  Biting her lip in indecision, she glanced around uncertainly. “I feel like this is all so one-sided; that you’re giving way much more than you’re getting.”

  “I asked for this, remember and you’re giving me much more than you think. Maybe not in a material sense, but now that you know my history, you can appreciate how highly I might value having someone to come home to, to talk to, even just to share my day.” His eyes darkened with emotion. “For so long, I haven’t had that.”

  Heat crept up her neck and spread across her cheeks. The memory of the kiss they’d shared prodded at her conscience. She’d made it clear from the outset they were only going to be roommates and yet she’d gone ahead and kissed him. She’d led him to believe there could be more. She didn’t know if the thought pleased or terrified her.

  Mistaking her silence, he spoke again. “Cally, if it makes you feel any better, I could look around for someone to rent my place. That way, I’ll be able to offset the rent on this one and I won’t be out of pocket.”

  A reluctant smile spread slowly across her face. “Okay, if you’re sure it’s not going to stretch you too thin. I know what that’s like. Believe me, there are a hundred and one things I can put this money toward, starting with a new set of tires.”

  Decision made, she folded the check in half and put it inside her wallet. Without thinking, she moved closer to him and kissed him lightly on the cheek. She smelled the spicy tang of his cologne and her lips tingled where they met the warmth of his skin.

  “Thank you.” It was all she could manage while her heart went into overdrive.

  And here he was, sitting at her dinner table, looking for all the world like he belonged there. It was far too early to trust her heart to him, yet that was exactly what her body urged her to do. She wanted to give him the family he yearned for, to replace the one that had been so tragically stolen from him. She wanted to remove the haunted look that came into his eyes every time he talked about his parents and his little sister. She wanted to make him smile and laugh and forget about his past. She wanted him to love her and for her to love him back.

  But could she trust him not to let her down, not to break her heart as Stewart had? Was it too soon to be feel so strongly about a man she’d only just met? Was she completely mad for even letting herself think like this?

  She forced her thoughts away from him and set down plates of food. Amongst their murmured thanks, she took her usual seat across from Jack and directed her attention to her meal.

  “Can we still go snorkeling tomorrow, Andy?”

  “Absolutely, mate. Where do you normally go swimming?”

  “We usually go over to Manly. We catch the bus from Chatswood Chase. Mom says it’s cheaper than running the car all that way and then we don’t have to pay for parking.”

  Cally choked on a mouthful of rissole, her face blazing. Grabbing a napkin, she coughed heartily into it, turning away from the table to avoid Andy’s gaze.

  “Your mom’s right, Jack. With the cost of gas, it probably is cheaper to take the bus.”

  “So, are we going to Manly then?” Jack’s face was alight with excitement.

  “Well…” Andy flicked his gaze to Cally’s. “I thought we might go over to Bondi. It’s in the eastern suburbs, on the other side of the Harbour Bridge. Have you been to Bondi before?”

  “Mom, have I been to Bondi before?”

  Cally took her time chewing and swallowing the food in her mouth, buying time. Eventually, she had to speak. She kept her eyes fixed firmly on Jack’s face. “Um, no, I don’t think so, honey. We usually go to Manly.”

  “Cool! So, now I no
t only get a ride across the Harbour Bridge, I also get to go to a beach I’ve never seen before. Wait until I tell Jimmy about all of this. Maybe he could come with us?”

  He looked so hopeful, Cally couldn’t help but say, “I guess we could call his mom and see if he’s free.”

  Jack pumped the air with his fist. “Yes!”

  Andy laughed. “It sounds like the pressure’s on me to show you both a good time. Lucky for me, I’ve spent a lot of time in Bondi. I know all the best places to go snorkeling and I might even know where the ice cream shops are.”

  “Yay!” Jack shouted, grinning madly.

  Cally smiled, but nerves jangled in her belly at the thought of spending more time with Andy. Almost alone.

  On a beach.

  In a bikini.

  Her heart pounded. She swallowed. “It sounds great.”

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  “Are we there yet, Andy?”

  Cally groaned. It was the fourth or fifth time Jack had asked and if it wasn’t Jack, it was Jimmy. After calling Penny Baker and obtaining her permission to allow Jimmy to come with them, they’d swung by his place and collected him. There was much excitement from both boys and many curious glances from Penny shot in Andy’s direction. Cally had refused to answer any of the questions she saw burning in Penny’s eyes and hurried the boys to the car.

  Now, Andy chuckled at her frustration with the boys’ impatience. He glanced across to where she sat in the passenger seat of his Audi. He’d returned the trailer and Tom’s truck earlier that morning. The Munro household had been quiet and still. Grateful he’d avoided Tom and his questions, he left a note of thanks along with the keys of Tom’s truck in the mailbox. He returned to Cally’s place in the Audi he’d left outside of Tom’s.

  He still felt a little guilty over lying to her about subletting. He wouldn’t be renting his condo out. He’d only said it to convince her to let him stay. Besides, he didn’t want her to wonder how he could afford to pay rent and meet his monthly mortgage payment. In Sydney, only a person of above-average means could afford to pay what was, in effect, double rents.