Her Charming Heartbreaker

by Sonia Parin

  Theo gave him a brief shake of his head. “None.”

  “Think of it as a warning. If you break Eddie’s heart, there’ll be more where that came from. Only you won’t know which one of us will deliver the comeuppance.”

  * * *

  Eddie strode up to Claire Muldoon’s front porch. The butterflies flitting around her stomach were thoroughly intoxicated... sloshed with anticipation. She’d kept herself busy all afternoon drawing up a list of pros and cons.

  The night before Joyce had told her Theo wasn’t Ben’s father. Eddie had surged to her feet, her gaze zeroing in on Theo who’d been sitting only a few tables away from her. Then her legs had turned to noodles and she’d slumped back down.

  Why hadn’t he told her?

  Because he’d wanted to use Claire as a shield? Because he was in Eden for only a short while and he didn’t want to start something that wouldn’t go anywhere? Because...

  The list of questions had grown at a rate of knots, but Theo was the only one who could give her answers.

  When he’d found her in the office, she’d been a second away from making a firm decision. The night before she’d talked about moving on, keeping busy, putting herself out there. She’d decided she needed to stick to her guns and take that first step. If Theo had wanted her...

  But he had.

  He’d shown her with that kiss days before and earlier in her office. When he’d put his hands on her...

  She hadn’t known what to do or think. Each day had been bringing her closer to accepting the fact he was with someone else. She’d been doing really well, and then Joyce had burst her bubble…

  When the same words had spilled out of Theo, they’d hung in the air between them, and then he’d taken possession of her mouth as if he hadn’t needed any assurances from her because he’d known all along how much she’d craved him.

  It had been better than the first time.

  Theo knew how to kiss, the gentle caress of his lips engaging all her senses, inviting, promising a rollercoaster ride of pleasure...

  If she did a blindfolded test, lining up a dozen men with Theo among them, and kissed them all...

  She’d have no trouble picking him.

  There had been something honest about the way he’d held her, the way he’d looked at her. Then she’d seen the flip side of the coin, the rawness of sexual hunger, and she’d realized nothing she did or said would have stopped him. He’d been driven by a single-minded purpose. The subject hadn’t been open for discussion, as if she’d been an open book, her emotions giving her away, revealing how she felt about him.

  She pressed the doorbell and stepped back, her arms folded across her chest. She’d get answers from him tonight.

  He wasn’t with Claire. Ben wasn’t his son...

  “Yeah, try telling that to the judge.” She’d been too quick to believe him. What if his disclosure had been a lie? People lied all the time to get what they wanted and she’d fallen for it like the desperate fool she was. She wanted to believe him but in reality, she knew next to nothing about Theo Kendrick. She had no idea what he was capable of doing and saying to get what he wanted...

  The front door opened. Her breath rushed in and out. “What happened to you?” Before Theo could answer, she raised her hand. “Let me guess. You encountered someone’s fist. Which one of them did it?”

  Theo gave her a soft laugh. “What are you going to do?”

  “Take a riding crop to them.”

  “Which one?”

  “The first one who crosses my path. They were all in on it and whichever one of them did it, he could have broken your jaw.”

  “They needed to get their point across. I couldn’t take that away from them.”

  She stared at him. There were times when she feared she’d never understand men. Eddie gave an impatient shake of her head. When she saw a hint of mischief dancing in his eyes, her annoyance with the entire male population floundered.

  “If you’re not up to kissing me tonight, I will throttle my brothers.”

  “I think the blow damaged my hearing. I missed your words of sympathy.”

  “You’re a big boy, I’m sure you can look after yourself.” But she’d still lash out at her brothers. They had no right to interfere with her life, shrouding her with their protectiveness. She could fend for herself. Roll with the punches like a well-trained Hollywood stunt—

  “Are you going to come in or do you want me to serve dinner out on the front porch?”

  “Did you let him hit you on purpose?” His father was a movie star. Theo must have grown up around movie sets, meeting actors, stuntmen...

  He gave her a crooked smile, reached for her hand, and drew her inside.

  Eddie forgot everything she’d been mulling over since the night before. She didn’t want to talk. She wanted to press against his chest, to slide her hands up to his shoulders, to relive their earlier encounter and make sure she hadn’t imagined it. To pick up where they’d left off...

  “Eddie,” Theo said against her lips. “We’ll never get to the dinner part—” His hand shifted to the small of her back and pressed her against him, molding her body against his, sending her heart on a wild gallop.

  They could eat later, she thought. She would have told him so but her mouth was too busy tasting him. After that afternoon’s sudden appearance in her office, like an unexpected burst of sunshine on a dreary day, it looked like she would get her third disastrous relationship, after all. Whether she liked it or not. This man would break her heart. Shatter it into a million pieces so minute she’d never be able to put herself back together again.

  “Something smells good,” she said between breaths.

  “Salmon.”

  “You actually cooked?”

  “There’s also a bottle of Perrier Jouet chilling in the fridge...” He growled softly and taking a firmer hold of her waist he swirled them both away from the front door, which he kicked shut with the heel of his shoe. “I lit candles,” he added.

  He pressed her against the hallway wall, his mouth loving hers with steady strokes of his tongue, strokes that increased in intensity sending an acute flow of heat surging through her body that nearly made her legs buckle from under her. Eddie tried to snatch back a stray thought. She’d meant to... she’d meant to tell him off... to do her wagging finger routine... Why had he waited all this time to say he wasn’t with Claire?

  “Candles?” she asked instead.

  “To set the mood.”

  “You’re a romantic?” And why did she make the word sound so alien? He probably sent women flowers and held doors open for them.

  “I like to think of myself as thorough.”

  She drew back long enough to inhale a deep breath. “I’m sorry to ruin your plans, but dinner can burn for all I care. I want you now.” Before she changed her mind and came to her senses. She didn’t recognize her own voice. It sounded like a purr. Husky. Luscious and thick. The words danced around her mind and seemed to vibrate through her body in tune with the thumping of her pulse points.

  Why had he waited this long to say he wasn’t with Claire?

  Stop thinking about that, Eddie. Telling him off now would ruin the moment. She gasped against his mouth. “Now, Theo. Right here.”

  He seemed to take direction quite well using it as a springboard. Mindless with the urgency of her need, she couldn’t follow what he did, how he managed to unbutton his trousers, to pull down her panties...

  “Here?” he asked as if confirming her demand.

  “So help me, if you insist on finding a bed I will use one of my moves on you.”

  “Where’s this aggression coming from?” he asked reaching into his back pocket and retrieving a condom.

  She’d heard that once too often lately. Maybe all this abstinence was bringing out the worst in her. Yes, years of doing the right thing, of being deluded, of expecting the obvious outcome of a happy-ever-after conclusion had brought her to this point of cut to the chase desp
eration. She wouldn’t get a wedding ring out of this. That would come once she’d freed herself of the dark cloud that had been hovering over her.

  “Focus, Theo.”

  “I feel I’m being used,” he said ripping open the packet.

  “You’re such a girl,” she said on a gurgle of laughter.

  Theo pressed himself against her, robbing her of her next breath, his eyes blazing with the heat of intention.

  “Okay, I take it back. You’re all male.”

  “Too late.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “I’m not telling you,” he growled against her mouth, his hands whipping around her bottom and lifting her up against him.

  “I feel I’ve awakened the giant within you.”

  His open mouth kiss drew a gasp of elation out of her.

  “Hold on,” he said.

  “Don’t drop me.”

  “I’m holding you.”

  Their limbs tangled, their breaths mingled. Hers felt hot enough to lift a hot air balloon off the ground. The thoroughness of his kiss told her he’d been wanting this for a while.

  He’s got you, she told herself and relaxed into the rhythm he set. One minute she was kissing him and the next she stilled, sensing something different, like a shimmering light rising inside her, glowing brighter and brighter, spinning and twirling.

  He’s got you...

  Chapter Fourteen

  “Where did this come from?” Eddie asked as she took a sip of the champagne Theo had poured for her. “I know we don’t stock it at the pub. And you didn’t have the time to drive half way to Melbourne for something like this. It’s top of the range vintage.”

  They’d just ripped each other’s clothes off and she wanted to talk about the champagne?

  She looked delectable in his shirt. She looked even better out of it.

  Theo sat beside her on the couch where they’d settled after their frenzied, up against the wall, lovemaking. “Getting the champagne was a stroke of luck. Trying to buy liquor from the pub would have been an exercise in futility. It would definitely have earned me a black eye to go with my bruised jaw.”

  “So where did you get it?”

  “I met Luke Sterling today. He bailed me out.” The local cattle baron had actually approached him as Theo had made his way out of the pub, engaging him in easy conversation.

  “That explains it. He’s bound to have a well-stocked cellar.” Eddie tucked her feet under her. “Did he recognize you?”

  “Recognize me? As in, did I give myself away as the man who intended having monkey sex with you?”

  A light blush rose to her cheeks. Was her conversation geared toward avoiding talking about the fact they’d just had sex in the hallway?

  “He’d heard there was someone new in town and had been meaning to introduce himself.” And tactfully inquire about his business here. “One thing led to another and I asked if he knew where I could find some good champagne. He invited me over to his place and kindly offered free access to his cellar.”

  She took a sip of her drink. “I’m sorry about ruining your soufflé. You probably had it timed to be ready for my arrival.”

  “You won’t hear any complaints from me. Although, the way you said it sort of erodes my masculinity. Again. I feel like I should perform a ceremonial burning of my apron.”

  “There’s nothing unmanly about you. But I do feel guilty about wrecking your plans. At least the salmon won’t go to waste. You could have it with scrambled eggs for breakfast.”

  “Breakfast in bed? That sounds like a splendid idea.”

  “I wasn’t fishing for an invitation... or offering...” She played with the button of his shirt tantalizing him with a glimpse of her breasts. “Besides, are you actually willing to risk it? You know my brothers will know if I don’t go home tonight.”

  “Are you daring me to keep you here?”

  She shrugged. “You should be prepared for trouble. I’ll do my best to put them off your trail, but they’re thickheaded. Maybe I should make the best of tonight. Ruined meal and all. You might not live to see another sunset.”

  “If worse comes to worse, I can hold my own ground. As for feeding you... I’ve learned my lesson. Next time I invite you to dinner, it’ll be cheese and crackers.”

  “Ouch. I had that coming.” She sighed and gave him a small smile. “I do appreciate the effort you put into the evening. But it really wasn’t necessary.”

  “Are you out of touch with the rituals of dating?” Didn’t women have an unwritten rule about no sex until after the third date?

  She chortled. “At the risk of sounding like I’m selling myself short, I know you’re not hanging around and that means you come with an expiry date.” She pressed her lips against the rim of her champagne glass. “I’m not delusional. This isn’t leading anywhere.”

  She sounded too matter-of-fact. And he didn’t like it. Not one bit.

  “Is that a phone ringing?” she asked.

  The ringing stopped only to start up again. “Ignore it.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Positive.” He wasn’t about to hop on a plane to London because his mother needed her mood perked up. She had plenty of people around her...

  “What if it’s something serious? I’d feel better if you checked.”

  “You just want to see me walk across the room naked,” he said chuckling as he crossed the room. Moments later he returned, his phone in hand.

  “Everything okay?”

  “No major dramas that can’t wait.” He refreshed their glasses and settled on the couch again.

  “So… you actually think there’s going to be a next time,” she said.

  “I live in hope.” Theo wondered how many nights together it would take to break her heart.

  He tipped his glass back until he’d drained it.

  He hadn’t taken Joyce’s suggestion seriously but in the end, he would go his way and Eddie would go hers. He didn’t think his departure would cause any enduring pain, especially not when he was giving Eddie exactly what she wanted. Maybe that’s all he needed to do. Walk away.

  “I’m making the best of the situation and grabbing what I can get.”

  Like it or not, he was stuck with the role of heartbreaker. Joyce could not have been clearer. It’s what Eddie wants... “I’m a lucky man.”

  “And don’t you forget it.” She drained her glass and smiled. “To be honest with you, I’ve never had a fling before, so I’m not up on the rules of the game.”

  “It’s all about enjoying the moment.”

  “I get the feeling I’m not supposed to overthink it.”

  Could he walk away without even a thank you, it was lovely meeting you, if we ever bump into each other, let’s do it again? Joyce had assured him Eddie believed she needed to experience one more bad relationship before she could move on to her happily-ever-after. He wouldn’t mind knowing who’d put the idea into her head.

  It felt wrong to anticipate the end even before they’d had a proper beginning...

  “Is there any chance dessert wasn’t ruined too?”

  Theo welcomed the change of subject. Dessert had been his lead up to seduction. But first, he’d planned on sitting down to dinner to enjoy an intimate setting, perhaps talk about their lives, where they came from, where they were going. He’d known this wouldn’t be an ordinary dinner. That afternoon’s visit to the pub had cleared the way for something spectacular. And despite knowing in advance what to expect, he had planned on pacing himself, but Eddie had completely derailed his plans, not that he was complaining. What man would?

  “Theo? Dessert…”

  “Yes, what about it?”

  She tapped her finger against his chin. “What were you thinking just now? Come on, out with it. Something put a naughty boy smile on your face.”

  “Naughty boy?” He drew her against him.

  “You had something planned for dessert. Whipped cream?”

  “Aphr
odisiac enhancers. Fruit. Figs and honey. Chocolate covered strawberries...”

  “You were going to seduce me with fruit?”

  “Little did I know…”

  She pouted. “That I’d pounce on you?”

  “I think I should give you a warm cup of cocoa and tuck you into bed now.”

  “Fruit,” she said sounding unconvinced.

  “It’s a known aphrodisiac. I didn’t think you’d care for partridge brains, mashed into powder and swallowed with red wine. That used to be quite effective—”

  “You just happened to know that?”

  “And much more. The Romans embraced the idea of love potions with a passion. Street sellers peddled concoctions such as frog’s bones, sucking-fish, dried marrow—”

  “Please, stick to fruit. And feel free to apply whatever else you’ve learned so long as it’s not mashed up bits of animal entrails.”

  “I actually got that little fruit nugget of information from watching an episode of Seinfeld. Give me a few more minutes to regain my strength and we’ll give the strawberries a whirl. I’m curious to see what effect they’ll have on you.”

  “Because I’m a firecracker without them? What must you think of me?” She raked her fingers through her hair. “You might as well know, I’ve been single for a while,” she said, her voice close to a whisper.

  “It’s been a while for me too. So I didn’t have it in me to resist you.”

  “You take what you can get?”

  He tipped her chin up and frowned at her. “I’ve wanted you since the moment I first set eyes on you.”

  “But you had reservations. And willpower.”

  He drew in a deep breath. “I had other things on my mind. And I know that’s not the sort of admission a woman wants to hear.”

  “A man on a mission, letting nothing and no-one stand in your way.” She snuggled closer to him. “I can live with that.”

  “The thought of you distracted me more than once,” he said.

  “Now you’re trying to butter me up. I feel very powerful. Then again, you came looking for Claire. And now she’s gone and you’re looking after her son. So your mission is probably on standby. And you suddenly find yourself with some time on your hands.”