by Shona Husk
“You’ll have to fight my sister for the bouquet.”
Nadine laughed. She wasn’t even going to try. “I’ll get her. Be patient.”
With that she walked out of the catering tent where Gina was waiting as the staff set up the canapés and nibbles for afterward. About fifty people were gathered, talking in clusters. Her stomach tightened and her heart beat a little faster, but she refused to search for Meryn until she’d completed Gina’s requests. Spotting Gina’s sister and cousin was easy—like Nadine, they were both in pink, mid-calf dresses. She sent them to Gina, then set about separating Gina’s dad from Bryce.
Bryce looked uncomfortable in his suit, even though he was smiling and talking like nothing was wrong. Why did people put themselves through this?
Only after she sent Gina’s father to her did she allow herself to scan the crowd for Meryn. Her heart was like a butterfly beating its wings to escape. Maybe she should’ve looked for him first. But she doubted seeing him would have calmed her nerves—and she couldn’t blame all of them on the wedding.
She was going to have to introduce him to her friends. How would they judge him? And they would. They’d try to work out what he saw in her, what she saw in him. They’d want to know what he did and what he’d done. What was she going to say? What was he going to say?
This was a bad idea. She shouldn’t have invited him. It was too soon.
Then she saw him walking across the lawn in a charcoal suit and white shirt open at the neck. She was pretty sure her heart stopped. He was flat out the most handsome man there. Where Bryce and his army mates looked like they wanted to get out of their suits as fast as possible, Meryn looked comfortable, almost relaxed. While he hadn’t shaved, his beard was little more than stubble. His hair was combed back but curled against the collar of the suit jacket.
No one would think he worked in an office; he didn’t have that look about him. Nadine took a few steps toward him and noticed other people were watching. They didn’t know him, but they had realized she did and that was enough to spark some interest. She smiled and ignored them all. Let them wonder for a few more minutes.
Meryn’s gaze flicked across the gathering before landing on her. He grinned, the dimple forming. Then he covered the last few steps took her hands and kissed her cheek before she had time to react. It seemed so normal; he was doing everything a boyfriend should. She breathed a little easier. What had she been worried about?
He kept hold of her hands, his fingers around hers. “You look very beautiful.”
She blushed and tried to brush away the compliment. “It’s the first time you’ve seen me in a dress.”
He glanced down her body, obviously and admiringly. “It is.” He looked back at her face. “But that doesn’t change your eyes or your lips or the way you smiled when you saw me.”
His gaze darted over her shoulder and she turned; Bryce was walking toward them. Oh, bugger. She was hoping there’d be no grilling until after the wedding. Keeping hold of Meryn’s hand, she turned to face Bryce. Meryn’s fingers laced with hers.
“Meryn, this is Bryce, the groom. Bryce, this is…” She glanced at Meryn. Was he her boyfriend? Maybe. If she said it, would he run? Probably not. “My boyfriend Meryn.”
Her boyfriend. Meryn knew enough about the world to know what that meant and he liked the idea of being her partner…something less formal than marriage, but more weighted than friend. It also meant Nadine wasn’t seeing another man.
Bryce put out his hand. “Please to meet you. Nadine has told us very little.”
Meryn shook Bryce’s hand. “Not much to tell.” Meryn smiled; there wasn’t much he could say.
“You’re ex-British Special Forces, so I guess we won’t be talking about where you may or may not have been, or what you haven’t done.” Bryce smiled but there was something in his eyes, and Meryn realized he was being assessed for suitability.
Nadine had mentioned the lie about his life. What else had she said? He glanced at her, but she was giving Bryce a look that would have wilted any other man. At least he had an excuse for not talking about the battles he’d fought. “I saw my share of action. You?”
Bryce nodded. “Why did you get out?”
It was a loaded question. One Meryn couldn’t lie about. Nadine’s thumb brushed against his skin as if to reassure him. “My wife and children were killed.” He took a breath; he didn’t like admitting it, but at the same time he had to, so he could move on. “I couldn’t keep it together.”
“Sorry, mate. I didn’t mean to pry.” Bryce shot Nadine a look that needed no words. It was a-thanks-for-letting-me-walk-into-that-trap glare.
Nadine smiled sweetly, obviously used to Bryce. Meryn was glad she had friends who cared. At the same time, he was glad Bryce didn’t know what Meryn had been or what he’d done.
Some murmurs came from the people who’d gathered for the wedding and another man walked up and slapped Bryce on the back. “Minister’s here. Want to get this show on the road?”
Bryce looked at Meryn again. “Since you’ve done this before, any advice?”
“Make the most of it.” It was all he could say. He had no regrets about his life with Idella. And no amount of wishful thinking could change the past. All he had was the future—one that was looking brighter with Nadine at his side.
Bryce left with the other man. Nadine turned to Meryn. “That went okay. I was dreading what he was going to say.”
“Why would you dread it? He’s a friend, isn’t he?” Or had there once been something between Bryce and Nadine? They walked over the grass to the rotunda.
“He likes to act like my big brother.”
Meryn nodded as if that explained everything. He scanned the gathering, part of him remembering what his wedding day had been like. Compared to these people he’d been so young. He hadn’t felt young at the time. He’d already been fighting. Every man who could lift a sword was needed. By the time Roan was made king, Meryn had two children and the care of Roan’s sister, Mave.
“I need to go to Gina now, but I’ll catch up with you afterward.” Nadine placed a soft kiss on his lips before turning and walking away. He watched for a couple of heartbeats before turning his gaze to the front where Bryce and three other men stood. Nadine and two other women in pink joined the men up front.
Her gaze slid to him and he was trapped like a bee in honey. He knew that look. She was trying to picture him standing up there with her. For him it wasn’t hard to imagine, but imagining it and living it were two different things, and he wasn’t sure that was what he wanted. Not yet. He hadn’t been in the modern world for very long and there was so much he hadn’t told her.
But if he told her the truth, he knew she’d walk away. While he could never have his old life back, he wanted the same fullness. To be useful, productive, to love and be loved. He couldn’t live any other way.
While he watched the ceremony, he could feel the sly glances of the other people. He ignored them, for the moment he could. As the last few words were spoken and the vows were sealed with a kiss, he drew in a breath and prepared himself for the questions that would come when Nadine introduced him to her friends. He had so few answers to give.
So he lied to her friends when they asked him what he did, their smiles not hiding their curiosity. They were judging him and by extension Nadine and he didn’t want to let her down. As she laughed and chatted he also knew she deserved someone better, a man who could tell her the truth about his life.
Nadine knew she couldn’t get away without introducing Meryn to Gina, but with all the people there wanting to wish the bride well, the meeting was little more than a kiss on the cheek and Gina mouthing something Nadine pretended not to understand. She knew Gina would eventually get around to pressing for more answers, but for today it was over. She took Meryn’s hand and they walked out of the catering tent.
He’d done a very good job of being the perfect boyfriend, but she could see the tension in his stance and the way he
forced a smile and answered only when directly asked a question about himself.
Clouds had drifted across the sky, so while the sun still shone, the day was duller. They stopped at a park bench and Meryn sat. Nadine hesitated; she didn’t want to get her dress dirty. Then, he drew her onto his lap, his hand on the back of her hip and the other on her knee. It was somehow so intimate despite the public place.
She relaxed into his embrace. “My friends are nosy.”
“It’s fine.” He shrugged.
“No, it’s not. You came because I asked, but you didn’t really want to be here.” She’d inflicted all her friends on him all at once. That was surely breaking some rule of successful dating. But he was still here, he hadn’t run…yet.
He was silent for a couple of seconds. “I wanted to be here with you. I didn’t expect the wedding to raise so many things.”
She bit her lip. He was talking about his wife.
“It made me realize what I’d had, what I don’t have, and what I want.” His thumb made small circles on her back. The heat of his hand seeped through the thin dress fabric and warmed her blood. He was talking about her.
She tilted her head to look at him, her heart beating a little faster. “And what do you want?”
“You.” He kissed her. His lips brushed hers, gently at first, before his tongue swept over her lip. She opened her mouth, hungry for a taste. Maybe it was the wedding, but right then he was all she wanted. She wanted more than a kiss. She wanted to know what was beneath his clothes. She wanted to feel the hardness that was forming against her leg inside her.
She gasped at the sudden rush of lust, but instead of drawing away, she sank deeper into the kiss. Her hand ran up his chest and traced bare flesh at the neck of his shirt. His fingertips touched her inner knee, circling and moving higher millimeter by millimeter, as if he was thinking about sliding them higher. She moved, eager for his touch, but he ended the kiss, his breath lingering on her lips, teasing. She gripped the collar of his shirt and drew him close again. Her tongue seeking out his, kissing him until she couldn’t breathe.
A groan rumbled in his throat and his hand locked over her thigh. She wanted more than this, and yet she couldn’t. Not here, not now. She swallowed and pulled back, trying to regain some composure. The heat in his eyes was a mirror of her own desire.
Meryn spoke; his voice was rough with lust. “When I’m with you, all I think about is that moment. I forget everything else. But today I realized that I don’t have anything else to give you.” She opened her mouth to argue, but he placed his finger on her lower lip. “I saw the looks when I said I wasn’t working.”
She flicked her tongue over his finger, tasting his skin. “I don’t care. You’ll get a job.”
“I don’t need to work. But I like to work.”
That was the first time he’d alluded to having wealth, even though she’d suspected it. What would she do all day if she wasn’t working? She’d be bored. She’d have to do something. Is that what he meant? But how did that change things between them? “What are you saying?”
“I don’t know.” He shook his head and he smiled—really smiled for the first time since meeting her friends. “Just that I want you, probably more than I should.”
“That makes two of us.” Her pulse gave a flutter of excitement and a grin curved her lips. “If I didn’t have a wedding to get back to, I’d be asking to see your house.” Her hand traced down his chest and moved lower to brush his hard-on, leaving no doubt what she was hinting at.
His hand slid another couple of inches up her thigh. “If you didn’t have the wedding to get back to, I would accept.” He claimed her mouth again, but only for long enough to seal the offer they both wanted to accept but couldn’t act on.
She tore herself away before she forgot that she had to be sensible and responsible. Meryn made her forget that there was a world that had expectations.
“Maybe tomorrow? I have to work tonight, but in the morning you could make me coffee?” The words tumbled out before she could sensor them. She didn’t want him to say no…it was already bad enough she’d suggested it outright. She wasn’t usually quite this forward.
Heat flared in his eyes. Gray had never looked so dangerous and tempting all in one breath. And yet there was something else there. A longing that couldn’t be explained. Was she pushing too hard? Was it too soon since the death of his wife—or worse—was she rebound-girl?
She pushed down her doubts. He was old enough to know what he wanted and so was she, and right now she wanted him more than she’d ever wanted anyone else.
“Let’s see what tomorrow brings,” he said. Not a no, but not a yes. He was giving her the chance to change her mind come morning.
But she wouldn’t change her mind, and maybe she would fight Gina’s sister for the bouquet. Just because she could.
Chapter 16
Nadine stiffened at the sound of sirens above the storm. Who was out on such a wild night? She was glad she was at work and not at home. Storms made her anxious at the best of times. The roaring wind, the growling clouds, and the flashing of lightning got into her blood so she couldn’t sit still. Stupid, but her mother’s stories of the winter solstice Wild Ride were more vivid during a storm. Her hand went to her bare throat. Solstice was past; tonight it was just a regular storm.
Nadine pulled on gloves and pushed goblins from her mind as a new patient was brought in. She had to think of work, not fairy tales and monsters. Or weddings. Or what was in store for the next morning. Meryn was everything she’d never looked for in a man and hadn’t known she’d wanted. But was it too much too soon?
She worked on autopilot, the hours slipping past. By morning, the storm was over and the city was washed clean. But the rain had left a trail of devastation. There were suburbs without power and some houses had lost their roofs. Nadine ran along the Swan River as usual, but today it was swollen and brown, palm leaves littered the grass where they’d been torn down by the wind.
As she neared their usual bench, excitement built in her blood. He wasn’t there.
Had he been affected by the storm? She couldn’t even call to ask if he was okay. Though the surrounding buildings didn’t seem damaged.
Damn. She walked a little up the road, annoyed with herself and with him. If he wanted her half as much as she wanted him, he should’ve been here. Had he changed his mind? Her pulse thudded in her ears, but she couldn’t just stand around. She threw off the doubts and eased into a jog. She’d check the bench again after she’d looped through the park—then, if he still wasn’t there, she’d look up his phone number and find out what was going on. She hesitated, her steps slowing—she could do that now, work out which apartment was his and knock on the door…yeah unless this was his way of saying no, too soon. It had certainly felt like he was interested yesterday. She’d give him a few more minutes and give herself a chance to settle. One quick lap along the paths and then back.
She gave a quick nod and took off with a new set of goals in place, but she was hoping he’d be waiting when she got back, that she’d get to see where he lived and ask for his phone number instead of looking it up. She didn’t want them to be over because she’d pushed too hard. Her heart hiccupped. She’d just introduced him to everyone. It was going to be fine. She hadn’t imagined the look in his eye or the feel of his body.
The park was still and silent as she ran along paths slicked with rain and littered with leaves. The air was clear and damp. Usually she’d find peace, but today her thoughts tumbled around as if caught in rapids that wouldn’t release them. A jogger passed her and waved. Few people were out this morning, as if they expected another deluge, but the sullen sky was done for the moment.
In the daylight it was easier to push aside her belief of goblins riding in the storm clouds and terrorizing the streets. An easy smile formed. Her mother’s stories kept her awake at night, but she wouldn’t have it any other way. She didn’t want to forget her, and she had so little left. A
five-year-old’s memories are easily written over.
But she knew it had been stormy the night her mother was killed. She was sure. In her mind she saw a hideous face pressed to the dark glass. Her steps faltered. No, that was just a childish fear brought on by stories of the Goblin King.
Goblins didn’t really exist.
Around her the silence was complete. She stopped and turned. There was no one around. It was like she was the only person in the whole of the park. Her nerve weakened. Running through the park was usually safe, as there were other people. Her stomach tightened as her gaze darted to the shadows in the scrub. There was nothing there, but she couldn’t laugh at herself. She should’ve stayed closer to the café and the car parks.
Nadine took a couple of steps backward, then turned and ran back the way she’d come. She couldn’t force herself to run on through the deserted park as if everything was as it should be. Something was wrong; the danger plucked a warning along her spine.
She was overreacting and letting a stupid childhood fear get the better of her, but her feet didn’t slow. And the fear didn’t vanish. It wrapped tighter, and every rustle in the scrub made her run faster. As she ran, she cursed her stupidity. It was fine to be afraid at night, but to allow her fears to take control during the day was too much. But she couldn’t make herself stop; she just wanted to get back to the bench and wait for Meryn.
A branch swept across the path and caught her in the shins. She let out a yelp as the pain shot up her legs and she fell. Her hands hit the asphalt and she was knocked to the side. A man loomed over her, a stick in his hand.
For a second she didn’t move, then adrenaline flooded her system and took away the stinging on her palms. She scrambled back—if she could get to her feet, she could outrun him. Her legs were knocked from under her again by a second man. She glanced at their faces and remembered the sketches from the TV.
