Dan rubbed both hands over his eyes and up into his hair, linking his fingers together on top of his unruly mop. 'If you had the smallest clue about what I'm thinking right now … '
'What would that be? "Oops? I accidently fell on Lizzie's face and lucky her lips were there to cushion the blow?"' She was irritated and tired, frustrated and aching from his touch. Furious at herself for wanting it in the first place. Furious at him for taking it away.
'For someone so smart you haven't got a fucking clue.' Even though they were angry words, there was softness in his voice and in his eyes.
'Oh yeah? I know exactly what you're thinking, Dan McSwaine. Something like "lucky" and "escape" probably figure in there somewhere.'
He moved closer, dropped his arms, pushed his body against her. 'You're wrong.'
Lizzie didn't budge. Her lips felt raw, parched from his kisses, and she ran her tongue over them. Dan watched her do it and let out a loud exhale.
She tried again to guess what he was thinking. 'What about "get me out of here"? Am I getting close?'
'Nowhere near close. Why don't you try: You. Me. Naked.'
Dan turned away, stepped outside and called back to her.
'Oh, I left out a word. Soon.'
Dan felt like a million bucks. He was a man, after all, and his mojo was pretty damn important to him. And he was pretty sure it had returned with a vengeance.
That had to be a sign. When he reached home, his face ached from grinning. And his dick ached too. Also a good sign he decided. Dan junior clearly thought there was going to be a party. But Dan senior had overruled him. For tonight. He wanted Lizzie. Hell, he really wanted her. But there was no way he was going to treat her as if she was someone he'd picked up in a bar. This wasn't a pick-up in a nightclub. This was different. She was different and he needed time to prepare and plan and get it right because he had a feeling she'd be worth it.
And for fuck's sake, he really needed a shave.
CHAPTER
9
'Lizzie! You have been holding out on me. When did all this happen?' Julia peered over her sunglasses, careful to take her eyes off the road for only half a second.
Lizzie sat in the passenger seat of the sports utility her best friend was manoeuvring through the undulating southern Adelaide Hills, taking in the view to the distant ocean. The further away they got from Middle Point, the less relaxed Lizzie felt. And reminiscing about her night-time escapade with Dan only added unhealthily to the mix of tension in her stomach.
'I told you, last night. There I am, locking lips with the totally shaggable Dan McSwaine, right there in my living room, his hands on me like he wants to rip all my clothes off. He's being all handsome and deep and sexy and doing that thing with his eyes.'
'And?' Julia demanded.
'And I screwed it up. The big moment.'
'Oh no. What on earth did you do?'
'I laughed.'
Julia giggled, then let loose into a full guffaw. 'You laughed?'
Lizzie closed her eyes, mortified not only by the fact that she'd had one of the most embarrassing moments of her romantic career, but that she was now reliving it for her best friend. 'You think I'm making this up? I was trying so hard to be "sex kitten" but I ended up with "girl from Middle Point".'
'Who says we can't be both, huh?' Julia chuckled, checked her rear-vision mirror.
'Me. I'm living proof, obviously.' Lizzie buried her face in her hands. 'I can't believe I did that.'
'What exactly was so funny about it? And don't you dare try and tell me he's a dud in the smooching department.'
'Hell, no. He was good. Better than good. He was … ' Lizzie's voice trailed off as she remembered what if felt like to be in his orbit, with his mouth on hers, smelling him, feeling his strength and his tenderness.
'That good, huh?'
'Yeah.'
'Look at you. Even thinking about it makes you speechless.'
Lizzie sighed. 'The problem with a kiss like that is that I didn't realise what I'd been missing until that moment, you know? When he looked at me and wrapped me up in his arms, with his entire body … '
Julia let out a contented moan. 'Oh, I know exactly what you mean.'
'Is that what you have with Ry?'
Julia snorted. 'Why the hell do you think I'm marrying him? You've gotta hold on to that, Lizzie. Wait however long it takes until you have that feeling with someone. That's the real thing.'
'It's not like I didn't want to have sex with him. I really did want to have sex with him. I don't know what happened.'
Julia glanced over her shoulder before changing lanes to overtake a four-wheel drive towing a caravan. 'So what happened then? After you shattered his manly ego with the whole laughing thing?'
'He said it wasn't me, it was him. Haven't I heard that one before? I got shitty, accused him of looking for a way out and then he told me … basically … he told me,' Lizzie swallowed at the memory of what his voice sounded like when he'd said it. 'He said he wanted to get me naked.'
Julia whistled. 'Oh, that's hot.'
'Soon.' Lizzie added.
'He said "soon"?'
'Just not last night.'
'He'll be so worth the wait.'
Lizzie gazed out the window as they headed north past McLaren Vale, the plains on each side of the highway sliced into neat lines by thousands of rows of grapevines in full, apple-green leaf. She wondered if those maturing grapes would make up any of the wine on the Middle Point pub's wine list. She should get on to that. And thinking about the pub made her think of the car park renovation and that made her think about Dan and she was right back to where she started. Anxious. Aching with sexual tension. Frustrated as hell.
'I don't know, Jools.'
'What's so problematical about two single, gorgeous people with a thing for each other?'
Lizzie didn't elaborate about exactly how complicated she thought it actually was, what she suspected was going on beneath Dan's handsome surliness. That would only make Julia and Ry worry more about him.
'When did I say I had a thing for him? I'd quite like to have sex with him, but that's not a thing. He's so not a thing kind of guy.'
Julia's eyebrows shot up. 'You sure about that?'
'I'm sure. And who says I want a thing, either?'
'Lizzie, all I know is that it's fantastic he's helping with the pub and that he's kissing you. Two things he most definitely wasn't doing a month ago. They're all good signs, don't you think? That he's on the road to getting back to who he used to be?' Julia glanced at Lizzie for confirmation before returning her eyes to the road.
'Yes. Maybe. I don't know.'
'So, enough about you and your love life. Here's how the day is going to work. We'll head straight to King William Road, have a real coffee, and then hit the bridal shops. After three or four hours of me trying on dresses and you telling me how stunning I look, I'll buy you lunch.'
Lizzie winced. 'Three or four hours?'
'That was a joke. I just threw it in there to see if you were listening or if your head was back in Middle Point with Dan.'
'I'm totally scrubbing Dan from my mind. Not thinking about him at all. Today we are going to have that girly shopping day. Thank you for asking me to be your bridesmaid.'
'I wouldn't have anyone else, you know that. I don't know if you need the full bridesmaid duties rundown but your most important responsibility is to not look hotter than me on my wedding day.'
'That would be impossible. And if you're in any doubt, I'd be happy to draw a mono-brow on my forehead so people will recoil in horror during the ceremony.' They laughed, back in comfortable familiarity, and watched the scenery of the southern vales whizz past.
When Lizzie's phone rang, she dipped her fingers into her handbag that was nestled on the floor between her feet. 'Damn it, it's supposed to be my day off,' she muttered. When she checked the screen, she turned to Julia.
'It's him.'
'What? No text message this time?' Julia teased. When Lizzie hesitated, she said, 'Go on, answer it, girlfriend.'
Lizzie pressed the keypad to connect the call and squeezed her eyes shut.
'Hi Dan.' There was no point answering with a more efficient 'Lizzie Blake speaking' since she knew that he knew his number was in her phone.
'Elizabeth. You at work?' His voice, direct and deep, shot sparks right through her and started a rumble in her stomach that she had to tamp down with her palm. This was his idea of soon? The next freaking night?
'No, I'm not.' She turned to look at Julia with wide eyes. 'It's my day off and I'm heading up to Adelaide with Jools for some quality girl time.'
'Will you be back tonight? I'd like to cook you dinner.'
Lizzie swallowed hard, squeezed her eyes closed. 'Sure. Yes, I'd like that.' And by dinner, she wondered, did he mean that thing about getting naked as well?
'Eight o'clock? My place.'
'That works for me. See you at eight.'
'See you tonight,' Dan ended the call.
Lizzie clutched her phone, stared straight ahead at the white line and the shimmering bitumen.
'Well?' Julia asked, grinning.
'Dan's cooking me dinner.'
Julia smiled. 'Oh my.'
Lizzie slapped her hands to her cheeks. 'Shit a brick. Can we get home by six? I need to shave my legs and wash my hair and think about what to wear. What am I going to wear?'