Fly with Me (38 page)

“Hmm, you mean
boyfriend and job?” Ash grinned. “And let’s not forget boyfriend’s
cranky cat. How is Arthur doing?”

“Arthur.”
Elissa laughed. “Arthur thinks he owns Simon’s house. Hid under the
spare room bed for a couple of days, just hissing at poor old
Simon, but now he’s claimed the top of the bed and limps through
the house like he owns it. Simon was sitting on the sofa last night
and Arthur jumped up and settled beside him. Thought Simon was
going to cry, he got all cow-eyed at Arthur.”

“’Cow-eyed’. I
bet he liked that description.”

“He didn’t
care.” Swinging up her legs, Elissa crossed her ankles and settled
her heels on the rail. “That’s the thing with Simon, he doesn’t
care what people think. He does his own thing, goes his own way and
enjoys life.” She looked out at the front yard. “He’s happy to be
happy.”

“That’s our
Simon.”

Elissa glanced
at Ash. “He’s not lazy, you know. He works on that house. Yesterday
arvo he was painting the roof in the laundry.”

“You have to
admit he does know how to relax though.”

“Oh, no
doubting that. When I saw him kicked back in that hammock with his
cap over his head, it looked like he’d taken root there. The man
didn’t move all afternoon.”

“That’s our
Simon,” Ash repeated.

“By the way,
did you hear about any accidents? The cops, ambo and fire tanker
all went out earlier.”

“Mmm.” Ash
frowned. “Heard on the grapevine by someone who saw it that there
was a rollover outside town. Some traveller going over the speed
limit, apparently, though I don’t know how reliable that is. They
had to get the jaws of life to open the car and get him out.”

“Is he
alive?”

“Don’t know.
Won’t know until later, I guess.”

They sat in
silence for awhile, each lost in their own thoughts before Elissa
finally got to her feet. “I’m going to get a cup of tea. Want
one?”

“Please.” Ash
watched Tilly plodding up the garden path. “Better bring some
Whiskas milk for Her Highness, too.” She followed the fat tabby’s
progress as Tilly waddled past them to stop at the front door,
looking at it with a vaguely disgruntled air that it wasn’t opened
immediately for her. “Or maybe she’ll just have it inside.”

“Got it.”

They spent a
happy afternoon relaxing, Ash going over some last minute details
with Julia over the phone while Elissa checked the newspaper for
rental properties, of which there were none.

“Something
will come up,” Ash assured her. “Otherwise you can stay here until
something does.”

“No way. I am
not bumming off friends, especially newly-married ones.” Elissa
folded the newspaper. “Julia runs a boarding house, I can go
there.”

“But-” Ash
subsided when Elissa pointed a finger at her. “Okay.”

“Okay.”

“You’re a
little bossy, did you know that?”

“You mean you
didn’t?”

Elissa and Ash
were sitting in the kitchen when Scott walked in. He looked a
little grim, though he smiled when he greeted them, stooping to
give Ash a kiss on the lips. He lingered, deepening it before
obviously remembering they had company and straightening.

Ash looked at
him searchingly. “Everything all right?

“I’m fine.” He
leaned back against the kitchen bench. “Heard from Laz that there
was a rollover outside town.”

“That’s what
we heard, too.”

“Had to get
the jaws-of-life to open the car.” Hands braced on the bench, he
looked down at the floor. “One man and a little boy.”

“Are they all
right?”

Elissa had a
prickling of foreboding. “Simon was there.”

He looked up
at her. “The kid died in his arms.”

She felt a
little sick. “But the ambulance-”

“They couldn’t
get into the car until the jaws of life got it open. Simon was the
one who got the kid out. Died in his arms.” A muscle ticked in
Scott’s jaw. “It happens. No matter how much you try, sometimes you
just can’t get them back.”

“Poor Simon.”
Ash stood and went to Scott, hugging him. “Was Ryder there, or
Kirk?”

Scott shook
his head as he cradled Ash to him. “Nope. Donny, Laz, Simon, Phil,
a couple of others.”

“Where is
Simon?” Elissa queried.

“Back at the
fire station cleaning up, doing paperwork, attending a debriefing
with Laz.” Scott sighed. “The father had a blood alcohol level well
above the legal limit.”

“Stupid.” Ash
shook her head. “Stupid, stupid, stupid. It happens time and again,
they never seem to learn.”

And because of
that, a little boy had died. And Simon, sweet, caring Simon, how
would he be feeling? Elissa glanced at the clock. He wouldn’t knock
off until eight o’clock, another three hours away. He’d go straight
home. Alone.

She didn’t
want him to be alone, to lie there and think about a little boy who
had died in his arms, unable to be saved. The man was dedicated to
his job, cared so much for people, this would be something that
would stay with him for awhile, she just knew it.

“Elissa.”

Scott’s
calling of her name finally penetrated and she looked up to find
him watching her. “Yes?”

“Simon’ll be
all right,” he assured her quietly. “We’ve all done this before,
it’s part of the job.”

“It’s not easy
though, is it?”

“It’s never
easy. Some things disturb us more than others, we each deal with it
in our own way. We talk to each other, and some of us are lucky
enough to talk to our families.”

“Simon talks
to you all, I know.” Didn’t mean it would make it easier for him,
nor did it stop her worrying about him.

Scott
hesitated.

“What? What’s
wrong?” Worried, Elissa straightened in the chair.

“Actually,
Simon goes to the debriefings but he doesn’t really talk much about
this kind of thing with us.”

“I don’t
understand. Surely he talks to you?”

“On a surface
level he’ll discuss things like this, but he never gets in-depth
about it or really reveals that much. He’s the kind of bloke who
deals with things on his own, always has done.”

She hadn’t
expected that, actually felt a little confused. “Why? You’re his
best friends.”

“Because we
all deal with it in our own ways. There’s the company debriefing,
and then there’s our own private ways to cope. Simon’s is to be
alone, to do what he…well, does, I guess.”

Silence filled
the kitchen.

Ash was still
leaning against Scott, his arms around her as he cradled her close,
his chin on top of her head. Ash looked over her shoulder at
Elissa, concern in her eyes, but definite relief also that Scott
was safe with her.

And that was
just it, Simon wasn’t with anyone, wasn’t being held, wasn’t being
comforted. Did he want company, did he want someone to listen to
him?

Elissa looked
at Scott. “Will he go straight home or to the pub?”

“Simon never
goes to the pub after this kind of thing. He’ll go straight
home.”

It didn’t
really matter, wherever he headed for, she intended to be there
first for him. “Can I borrow your car tonight, Ash?”

“Of course,”
Ash said immediately.

The gratitude
in Scott’s eyes was genuine.

The next
couple of hours were long, giving Elissa plenty of time to have
doubts, strong doubts. Maybe she’d be intruding on his time, maybe
he wouldn’t want her there. Maybe he wanted to be alone, to think
about things. Maybe she’d overstep her boundaries.

Okay, she
assured herself as she slid into the car at ten to eight that
night, maybe he wouldn’t want company, that was all right. She
could always come back. But she wanted to be there to greet him,
give him a hug, let him know she was there for him if needed, and
if she wasn’t needed, no harm, no foul. She understood. She just
wanted him to have the choice. Wanted him to know she was there for
him.

And, truth be
told, she needed to be there for him.

His house was
in darkness when she pulled up in the driveway, parking on the side
to allow him plenty of room to pass her to go into the garage. The
veranda sensor light flared on as she locked the car door and
strode over to the veranda, climbing the steps to cross over the
smooth wood and sit on the swing chair.

It wasn’t long
before the sound of a heavy motorbike rumbled through the still
night air, light beams cutting through the darkness, lighting up
the gate as the motorbike slowed and turned into the driveway.

Doubts plagued
her again as she watched the motorbike pass the car and drive into
the garage, her pulse picking up pace nervously as she stood. Had
she done the right thing, the wrong thing?

The powerful
engine stopped, quiet once more descending.

As she
watched, Simon came out of the garage and walked towards the house,
the helmet under one arm, long legs advancing steadily. Face
expressionless, he took the steps easily, almost lazily, taking the
last step to come to a stop right in front of her.

She couldn’t
tell what he was thinking, his usually happy face grim, eyes
narrowed a little, his normally laughing mouth tight. Tension
practically vibrated from him. Silently he looked down at her.

God, he was so
big, towering over her, his shoulders blocking out her immediate
view of the night sky.

And so grim.
So very grim. So unlike his normal self. Her heart thudded as she
looked up at him. Had she made a huge mistake?

Chapter
11

He couldn’t
believe it. Expecting the usual silence and solitude of his home to
absorb his emotions, to think things through as he normally did,
he’d instead found Elissa waiting for him.

She looked
like an angel in that moment, those big eyes uncertain but
compassionate, her shoulders stiff, standing her ground. Her hair
was loose around her shoulders, a soft, tumbling cascade of
silkiness over an emerald green cashmere jumper that draped low
over her linen slack-clad hips.

A pretty angel
waiting for him.

Elissa was
life, sweetness, everything he wanted, everything he needed. So
glad she was here, that she’d come to see him.

Reaching out,
he laid his hand against her cheek. “I’m not the best company right
now, Lis,” he said a little hoarsely.

“I’m not
looking for the best company.” Her gaze searched his. “I’m looking
for your company.”

“It’s not been
a good day.” He inhaled deeply, the scent of her filling him,
warming the chill corners of his soul that had been so cold since
that little body went limp in his arms, those wide, pain-filled
blue eyes dulled.

“Not every day
is.” She stepped closer, looking up at him. “But I’m here,
Simon.”

That was all
he needed, all he wanted.

Leaning down,
he brushed her lips with his, the tenderness of them making his
heart ache with another emotion entirely. The warmth of them
beckoned to him, her scent a siren’s call, her soft, warm body
welcoming him home as she leaned into him.

God, she
filled him with warmth, filled him with the reminder that life was
precious, life was fragile, life was here right now, and life could
be good. She was a light amongst the darkness that had wrapped him
in tight tendrils of sadness. An angel leaned against him, his
angel, and he wanted nothing more than to have his angel wrapped
around him, lose himself in her lushness, her sweetness, lose
himself in everything that was her.

He deepened
the kiss, tasting her, filling himself with her, heart lifting when
she kissed him back, the lightness of her, the compassion and inner
beauty lightening his load so much.

Lifting his
mouth from hers, he looked down deeply into her eyes. “I need
you.”

“Yes.”

“Stay with me
tonight.”

No hesitation,
her eyes soft, lips softer. “Yes.”

There was no
need to say anything else.

Unlocking the
front doors, he took her hand and led her inside, flicking on the
small wall light that bathed the hall in warmth. Relocking the
doors , he placed his helmet on the hall side table, the keys in
the glass dish, then still holding her hand, he walked to his
bedroom.

She followed
unhesitatingly, coming to a stop beside him when he switched on the
bedside lamp before straightening and turning to her.

Her eyes were
so trusting, her gaze on him when he reached for the hem of her
jumper, obeying his unspoken command when he lifted the jumper to
raise her arms and allow him to tug it up and over her head, all
that silky hair spilling around her shoulders and down to curl
around the light green, lacy bra that cupped those enticing, plump
globes so lovingly.

As he reached
for the bra she leaned up and kissed him gently. So gently. Nothing
hurried, nothing awkward, just a leisurely sweet kiss as though
they had all the time in the world.

They did. They
had all night.

He took her
kiss, revelled in it, unclipping the lacy bra, pulling it gently
from her arms before sliding his palms over her hips as he eased
the slacks down over the generous curves, letting them drop free to
slide his arm around her and pull her close.

Silky hair,
satiny skin, moist kisses, his hot little angel who stoked his
flames higher, burning away the cold, replacing the sadness with
desire and renewal of life.

She took all
that was bad and replaced it with all that was good, her hands
sliding the jacket off his shoulders and down his arms to fall
away, fingers unbuttoning his shirt and pulling it off to join the
jacket on the floor.

Simon didn’t
know when it happened, not even sure when it happened or how, but
suddenly he was the one being kissed, being stroked, Elissa’s soft
palms smoothing down his chest, the buttons of his trousers being
undone, the zipper pulled low, her thumbs hooking into his briefs
to slide them over his lean hips, pushing them down to fall around
his ankles.