Cocky Carpenter: A Hero Club Novel

by Maggie Mundy

  Three more hours of study and she was done, so she lay back on her bed for a snooze. There were still no more messages from Brett. Poor Bluey. If she didn’t hear anything soon she would call him.

  Autumn stretched. It was dark and she needed to orientate herself. She was in her bedroom in the cottage. She reached out and there was no one sharing the bed with her. A smile came to her face as she remembered the bath earlier. That aside, Brett had still not come back. Was Bluey alright? It would break her heart if the dog died. She had never owned an animal but would have liked a cat or a dog. It was impossible in a London flat with the hours she worked though.

  Autumn flicked on the bedside lamp and sat on the edge of the bed. The clock said it was eight. My goodness. She had slept for hours. She could only put it down to the lack of sleep from the previous night and the tension release from the massage and her orgasm.

  She headed outside and next door. Brett’s pickup was there. She knocked on the door, hoping to hear the familiar bark of Bluey, but there was silence.

  The door opened. Brett flung his arms out wide and she rushed in to hug him, expecting the worst. When they came apart, she held his hand. “What happened?”

  “He’s alive. I just got back from the vets. I was going to come ‘round in a minute.”

  Autumn let out a breath, relieved he had survived. She followed Brett into the main room of the cottage and sat down.

  “I need a drink. You want one?” he asked.

  Autumn nodded and he poured them two brandies. From dealing with patients over the years, she could tell he needed to talk.

  “The little perisher had a dead snake in his mouth when I got back, so at least I knew what type it was. It helps so they can be more specific and know how he will react. He started to shiver and I had to act quick. The bite was on his front leg so I strapped it up and chucked him in the pickup.” He took a gulp of brandy. “They gave him antivenom and a drip. He was still pretty out of it when I left but they hope he’ll survive. He better—he’s my best mate. That probably sounds silly but true.”

  “No, it doesn’t. I’ve only known him a short while and he has wormed his way into my heart.” She smiled at Brett, wanting to reduce his worry. “I would have liked a pet growing up, but Mum and Dad said no. Trust me, I didn’t have the sort of parents you could convince otherwise.” She sipped on her drink. The amber liquid burned the back of her throat. “I had a pet caterpillar and was devastated when it disappeared. I found a mouse once too. And snails and bugs of all descriptions. Mum got rid of them. Threw them in the bin or on the compost heap.” Autumn thought back to her childhood and her parents. They hadn’t been terrible. They had just wanted things the way they liked them to be, despite having a child. She sometimes wondered if her mother had gotten pregnant to have a new experience. It also explained why she’d had a nanny when she was small. At least she had pleased them no end when she had become a doctor.

  It wouldn’t solve anything to be negative about them now. She had her life and they had theirs. Brett and Bluey were what was important.

  “So, can you pick him up tomorrow, and how do we stop him doing it again? He is a bit of a wild creature—a bit like his owner.”

  “Glad you noticed. The whole date thing didn’t really go as planned did it? Even if it started out well.”

  “I don’t care as long as Bluey is okay. We can catch up later from where we left off. What breed is he, by the way, apart from crazy?” She wanted to know more about Brett. “Did you always have a pet?”

  “He’s a Blue Heeler, but probably has a few other genes in there as well. I got him when I came here to the Blue Mountains.” He stood and took the picture of him and Bluey out walking in the bush off the bookcase. “I think I was five when Mum turned up at Christmas with a puppy. My brother is two years older than me and he grabbed Sookie for his own. She stayed by his side all the time. I was jealous and wanted one too. Mum said I hadn’t been good enough, which was probably true. I was never her favorite but that was okay with me. It wasn’t a fun household and I could be a little shit. It got me in trouble sometimes.”

  There were obviously issues in both their pasts. Did she want to go deeper? The doctor in her said yes, always wanting to help, but she was afraid. Fuck it. Maybe the brandy was talking but she needed to say something. “Bluey’s going to be okay. I’ve decided in my infinite wisdom as a doctor, it should be so. Also, I have cried a lot in my life and I don’t want to cry anymore. So that silly mutt is going to make it, right?”

  “I concur. And when he is better, I will get back to the job in hand. I promised laughter and sex for you in Australia and I will get around to giving you both.”

  “I look forward to the laughter and sex.” Her stomach clenched with nerves as she stared at Brett, imagining his body on hers. “I’m going to say this really fast so I don’t stop myself. I just want to feel with you. I want to fuck and have fun and not think too much, which I have a habit of doing. It’s the doctor in me who likes to analyze everything . . . Sorry, that sounded a bit basic.”

  “It didn’t, You said you want to fuck me so I think it sounded great.”

  “I want to feel like I’m alive.”

  His phone rang. He gazed down. “It’s the vet.” He listened as his face went ashen. “I’ll be right there.” Brett put his glass down and grabbed his keys. “He’s taken a turn for the worse. Not sure he’s going to make it. I need to go.”

  “Do you want me to come with you?”

  “No, it’s fine. I’ll keep you posted.”

  “I’ll make some food and you can drop by and eat it when you get back.” Autumn followed him out to the pickup and waved goodbye. She felt so helpless and wanted to support him but there was nothing she could do.

  She made some pasta and put a portion aside for Brett. As she ate her food, she flicked through the channels on the television. There was nothing of interest showing and she put an old movie on. Brett sent her a text.

  Brett: Seems Bluey is a tough cookie and is pulling through. I might die from the vet bill though.

  Autumn: I told you he would be okay. I can help out.

  Brett: I couldn’t take money from you. It will be fine.

  Autumn: Let’s say it could be payment for services rendered.

  Brett: Now I sound like your kept man. It’s all good. I can always chuck the tenant out of the cottage next door and sell the place. Heard she’s bringing the tone of the neighborhood down anyway. Shacking up with some lowlife.

  Autumn: You don’t want to believe everything Dorothy says. I hear he has some good points.

  Brett: I should be back in an hour or so.

  Autumn: There is food for you here.

  Brett: See you soon.

  The movie finished and she yawned. Autumn was worried about Bluey but she also wanted Brett to share the bed with her. She wanted to wake up in the morning for the first time in years with someone’s arms around her. No, not just anyone, she wanted Brett. She needed to control her feelings or she would be a blubbering mess flying home to London.

  Keep it businesslike, Autumn told herself.

  Somehow, she wasn’t convinced she could.

  Chapter Eight

  Brett breathed a sigh of relief when the vet said Bluey was safe. It had broken his heart when he had arrived to see his dog shaking and then worse still when he had lain still, almost lifeless. He hadn’t realized how much the little mutt had gotten under his skin. Brett sat there, just patting his fur. He had to hold back tears when Bluey looked at him with such sad eyes. How could an animal work its way into your heart so deeply?

  Brett sat with him for the next two hours. He didn’t want to leave in case the perisher died when he wasn’t there.

  Autumn kept him smiling with her messages. He had thought her smart and sexy from the first minute he had seen her. He still thought she was completely out of his league. At least he could have fun with her.

  He was good with his hands but he wasn’t th
e smartest guy around. He was a tradesperson, not an academic like her. If being her sex partner for the year was the way he could get close to her then he would go with that. He had a feeling he was going to miss her when she was gone. The likelihood was she would meet someone else. Someone as good-looking and as smart as her was not going to stay single forever.

  This time when Bluey woke up, he licked Brett’s hand and seemed perkier. Brett reckoned he could risk going home now. He sent a text to Autumn to say he was on his way back but there was no reply. He guessed she had gone to bed.

  Brett had a key and let himself into Autumn’s cottage. He walked through to the kitchen and found a note on the table.

  Pasta in the microwave.

  Hope Bluey is okay.

  Happy to snuggle up later.

  Brett was famished and ate the food quickly. When he walked into the bedroom, she still had the bedside light on but was fast asleep. He stood there for a moment. She really was beautiful. He could not understand how her husband hadn’t realized what he’d had. Brett undressed but left his briefs on. He gently moved the covers back and slid in beside her. He would be cold against her warm skin so he slowly moved across and spooned her. His arm draped around her waist so he could pull her to him. Her hair was spread out on the pillow next to him and he closed his eyes and breathed in her scent. He wanted it imprinted on his brain so he would recognize it whenever she was near.

  Autumn turned her head to him. “You’re back. Is he okay?” she said sleepily.

  “Yep, he’s good.”

  “That’s nice.” She yawned and snuggled into him.

  What he would give to wake up in this position every day. Sure, he wanted the sex but he also wanted to talk to her. His life wasn’t so lonely with her around. At the moment, he shared a bedroom with a furry animal. That said, he didn’t like the idea of Bluey watching his sexual antics with Autumn though. His dog would be relegated to the kitchen. He shut his eyes, exhausted from the last two days and the time with his mother before that. There would be more discussions in the future about him going to his childhood home, but for now he would delay it as much as possible.

  When Brett woke, Autumn’s butt was pressing against him. He couldn’t keep the smile off his face. The room was in semi-darkness and he eased himself out and pulled the curtains so he would be able to see her body in all its glory. He didn’t want to miss a thing.

  Settling into bed, he cuddled into her warm body. He pulled back her hair and kissed her neck. “Good morning, beautiful.”

  Autumn stretched her arms and glanced at him. “I could get used to waking up to compliments like that. Although if you slept here more often, I would also have a permanent dent in my back.”

  Brett planned on giving her a lot more compliments, and another orgasm. This time he would be inside her when she screamed her release. Autumn rolled onto her back so he could read what was written on the cute nightdress she was wearing. It was like an oversized T-shirt and said, Sweet Dreams Lie Inside. He planned on finding out.

  “This needs to go.”

  He helped her sit up and pulled it off. When she lay back down, the cool air in the room made her nipples erect. He wanted his mouth on them but would try to take it slow. She was biting her lower lip. He loved that she was still shy, even after their time in the bath.

  Brett leaned on his elbow and bent forward so he could kiss her cheeks, her chin, and then that incredible mouth of hers again. Her lips were so soft as he rubbed his back and forth over them. She tilted her chin so her mouth was closer to his, as they opened with an invitation to enter. His tongue delved into the velvety softness of her mouth. He could get lost there, their tongues doing a magnetic dance where they were constantly pulled together. Time lost all meaning as their mouths were all that existed.

  He needed more.

  Brett trailed his kisses across to her jawline and down her neck. Her skin was so smooth and he wanted to lick every bit of it. He moved his body on top of her so he could settle between her legs. For now, he would keep his briefs on or he would be tempted to forgo the foreplay. “I need to get in the best position to admire these beauties. I like a good butt, but have always been a tits man and yours are perfect. Firm. And the way your nipples bud up? It’s like they are asking for me to suck them, hard.”

  “I won’t stop you.”

  “I was hoping you would say that.” Brett licked a line with the tip of his tongue from her shoulder to her right nipple. He closed his mouth around the bud and sucked. He didn’t think his cock could get any harder, but it jerked. The connection between what his mouth was doing and his nether regions was complete. His other hand cupped her left breast and then he rolled that nipple between his thumb and forefinger so it would form a taut bud.

  Autumn ran her fingers through his hair as he sucked, which caused a tickling sensation that heightened what he was doing even more. His tongue swirled around her nipple and then he pulled it into his mouth before biting gently. The reaction was immediate as she thrust her hips up against his chest, grinding her pussy onto his body.

  Brett moved his position so he could give her other breast equal attention. When he glanced at Autumn, she had her head pushed back into the pillow and her eyes were half-closed. He wanted this woman to be addicted to his touch.

  He would be happy to stay there for hours, worshiping her breasts, but he needed to have more. Brett wanted to go lower—he wanted to make her come with his mouth and his fingers. Then it would be his turn to be totally enclosed by her warmth until he exploded.

  Brett kissed down the side of her waist and across to her navel. He dipped his tongue in and she giggled. He moved on the bed, so his legs were literally dangling off the end. Brett didn’t care. He would do anything to get closer to her pussy. Brett moved his hand from her side so he could run his fingers back and forth across her core.

  His phone started to ring.

  “Fuck.” This wasn’t the time and he should have put it on silent. “I can ignore it.”

  “No, it might be about Bluey. I would never forgive myself if we were doing this and he passed away and you weren’t there.”

  Brett moved up the bed and checked the phone. It was the vet, as expected. He answered as Autumn sat up and pulled the covers back over her body. Brett couldn’t help the sigh that left him at the missed opportunity.

  He chatted to the vet and it seemed Bluey would be fine. The dog had bounced back and he could pick him up. When he got off the phone, he wanted to continue with Autumn but the moment had passed.

  Autumn was pulling on her top. She looked at him and took his hand. “I know it would be nice to keep going, but I want to be only thinking of you and what you are doing to me when we go the whole way. I don’t want thoughts of a sick dog on my mind. I struggle as a doctor with thoughts of sick patients enough as it is. I don’t need to go to work today so I can come too.”

  “I guess you’re right, but I can tell you this—that dog owes us big time.”

  “I’ll get dressed and put the jug on, and we can go and get him.”

  An hour later, they pulled up at the vet’s and picked up Bluey. He sat across the front seat with his head on Autumn’s lap for the ride home. The poor mutt looked like he had lost some weight and was feeling a bit sad for himself but on the whole, he seemed okay.

  Back at his place, Autumn sat out the back on the swing seat with Bluey on a blanket next to her. As long as she kept scratching his head, he was not going anywhere. Well, maybe for a pee or a drink.

  “The vet has given me special food that will be easier on his body to digest. This dog is getting top-notch treatment. Me, I’m also down eight hundred dollars from my bank account. They talked about keeping him a bit longer but said he would be okay as long as I keep an eye on him. I also had to phone my client for today and tell them what happened so I’ll go back to work tomorrow.”

  Brett started to clean up the backyard so there weren’t so many obvious places for the snakes to hide
. He gave Autumn a pair of gloves and she got stuck in as well. He should have done it before now but there was always work to do. The gardens for the cottages were small so it wouldn’t take too long.

  He cleared away the brambles and old wooden stumps. Then he chopped back the creeper that had overgrown the shed. The place looked bigger. He couldn’t stop the snakes coming in, but at least now they didn’t have so many nooks and crannies to sleep in.

  It was lunchtime by the time he’d finished and they headed inside to eat.

  “I’ll start on your garden tomorrow. Though it’s not as bad, so shouldn’t take too long.” The two of them sat and ate lunch as they stared out at the paddocks beyond the fence.

  “I love it here, Brett. The trees, the mountains, but I can also see Australia definitely has a scary side.”

  “Snakes are everywhere. If Bluey hadn’t killed it, I would have gotten the local snake catcher in. They collect them and then release them back out into the bush.”

  “Well, I’ll be happy if I can live out my time here without seeing any creepy crawlies or slithery things.” She gave him a kiss. “Now if you can look after this mutt. I need to go home for a bit and do some work on my presentation.”

  “That’s months away isn’t it?”

  “It takes a lot of work when you are talking to your peers and they’re fact checking your findings.”

  “You’re a smart cookie and will do well.”

  “Thanks. By the way, I love the furniture you have in the garden. The chairs and the ornate carving are beautiful. I know you mentioned them when we first met but they’re better than I had imagined. Do you sell them?”

  “No, I just do it for fun so far. Maybe one day. At the moment, I need to pay for the cottage and my expensive dog.”

  Autumn put her dishes in the sink and turned to go.

  He pulled her into his arms. “I’ll bring some meat around later and we can have a barbecue. Then we need to pick up from where we left off.”