Lean on Me (The Mackay Sisters) (6 page)

“I’m an ambo, love.  I’ve been in
more bedrooms and seen more states of undress than you can imagine.  Now, your
room?”

She opened her mouth, closed it,
and finally mumbled, “Last room on the right.”

It was only a short distance but
he enjoyed every step.  He’d be a liar not to admit that to at least himself. 
The soap she’d used that morning was drifting up off her, making him want to
lean down and bury his nose against her neck and inhale deeply of the combined
scent of warm Lori and fresh soap.

One day
, he promised
himself silently. 
One day soon
.

Meanwhile, he had to keep control
of his expressions and actions and see her tucked into bed.  Almost immediately
he had to slam a mental door on the image
that
thought produced in his
mind.  Dirty,
dirty
thoughts that certainly had no place right now.

Her bedroom was larger than he’d
thought it would be, holding an old world charm.  The double bed had the doona
over it but he could see the rumpled area that Lori had thrown back and redrawn
up after she’d gotten out.  The pillow held the indent of her head.  The
curtains at the window matched the bedspread, little pink roses on a white
background.  The furniture was old, no doubt from her grandmother, and there
was even a deep armchair in the corner, a white doily on the back of it and a
small blanket folded on the seat.  A painting of a basket of daisies on one
wall, another of a garden scene from a window on the other wall.  An
old-fashioned Tiffany lamp on the bedside table, a paperback lying beside it. 
The carpet was soft grey.  The dressing table was old, dark, the mirror
reflecting the room.  On the top stood several perfume bottles and a small silver
tray holding a few pieces of jewellery.  A small vase held a single rosebud.

It was an old-fashioned room that
suited Lori, soft and feminine.  He could just imagine her sitting on the end
of the big bed, a silky nightgown half off her shapely shoulders as she
reclined back on the bed, the gauzy material not hiding her rounded limbs one
little bit, her breasts pushing against that bodice as she arched back, that
brown hair sliding over her shoulders and her eyes half shut as she regarded
him from beneath those thick eyelashes, the green of her irises peeping out
hotly and -
down boy!  Christ!
 

Mentally cursing his overactive
and heated imagination, Matt eased Lori over to the bed, bending down to flip back
the doona and sheet.  What he wouldn’t give to strip off and join her in that
big, comfortable bed.

She’d have a heart-attack if he
even tried it right now, that didn’t take much guessing.  It was basically a fact.

Right now she was jittery, he
could feel it in the tremble of her hand as she turned with him and he eased
her down on the bed.  Holding the covers, he waited as she swung her legs up
and laid down, then he flipped them over her.

Okay, he should have just moved
away right then and there, but he couldn’t.  God help him, he just couldn’t. 
Instead, he gazed down at her, his arms braced either side of her as he leaned
forward.

Reclining back against the fat
pillow, she returned his gaze with wide eyes.  Wide, alarmed eyes.  And she bit
that plump bottom lip.

Holy hell, when had plump lips
been so damned sexy?

Drawing in a deep breath, Matt
plastered a reassuring smile on his face.  “Ghost’s cats will be fine under my
care, Lori.  I promise to see you if there are any problems.  Okay?”

“Okay.”  She looked past him to
the end of the bed and he followed her gaze to see Minx strolling up the length
of the bed to stiffly lower herself against Lori’s side.

Immediately Lori wrapped one arm
around her, her gaze softening.

The warmth that welled through
Matt at that second was almost overwhelming.  He shouldn’t have done it, knew
he should have backed away without touching her, but damned if he could. 
Instead, he leaned down suddenly, closing the gap between them to brush a kiss
onto Lori’s forehead before he straightened to stand at her side.

Startled, she looked up at him,
looking so damned sweet and innocent in the bed.  So sweet and innocent and
unknowingly provocative.

“I’ll call in later,” he said. 
“See how you’re doing.”

Then he left, making his escape before
she could spot the boner threatening to tent his jeans, calling back as he did
so, “I’ll lock the back door after me.”

By the time he jumped the back
fence and entered his own house, he knew one thing for certain.  He needed a
cold shower.  And Lori Mackay was hot.

Okay, two things.

And he was going to have her.

Make that three things.

She was his.

Hell, might as well make that
four.  In for a penny, in for a pound.

~*~

Lying in the bed, Lori listened to
Matt’s footsteps fade away and the sound of the kitchen door closing.  For several
seconds she stared up at the ceiling before laying one arm across her eyes and
groaning.

Oh cripes, she’d nearly done it,
nearly disgraced herself!  One look from his eyes, one delicious episode of
leaning against Matt’s body, feeling the strength and heat, and she had been
ready to -
no!

Biting her lip, she rolled onto
her side and cradled Minx close in her arms.  Minx snuggled in, purring, her
wise old eyes looking up at Lori before she put her head down and went to
sleep.

Lori wished it was so easy.  Her
ankle ached and she swore she could still feel his fingers on her skin, those
long fingers tracing across her as he wrapped her ankle deftly, his every
movement deliberate and sure.

He’d been so caring, so strong,
supporting her even when she protested.  No man had ever done that with her,
been dominant…She gave a delicious shiver.  Okay, he had been just doing his
job, tending his neighbour’s injuries.  In fact, she and Ali were more than
just his neighbours, more like friends in a way, but for her part it was a
cautious friendship.  She just didn’t feel relaxed around him, her nerves on
tenterhooks, so very aware of his every movement, his every look.

For just a minute there, when he’d
looked down at her as he’d steadied her against his body, she’d thought she’d
seen something in his eyes, but it had to be a mistake.  No man had ever looked
at her with anything but friendliness, so it wouldn’t be any different with
Matt.

But for just a brief second…

Sighing, she pulled the doona
around her shoulders.  Reality might suck but she sure could fantasize about
it.  Fantasize about Matt looking at her with more than curiosity, more than
friendly concern.  She could fantasize that he looked at her just the way she
thought he had - with heat.

Closing her eyes, she tucked Minx
closer and the old cat stretched, purred, and snuggled in once more.

“At least I’ve got you, Minxie.” 
Lori dropped a kiss on her head and relaxed, closing her eyes once more and
smiling.

Matt had kissed her forehead.  She
was sure it could be so much more in her dreams.  It was the closest she was
ever going to get to her real desires.

Desires she’d kept secret since
that one ill-fated night that she’d sworn to never again repeat.

When she next awoke, the sun was
low in the sky and she checked her wristwatch.  Five o’clock.  Time to get up
and shower, wake to face the day - or the night, as such.  At least half the
night.  Normally she’d have gotten up earlier, but it had been so cosy in the
bed.

Getting up wasn’t as easy, the
pain of her foot landing on the floor a strong reminder.  Trying to keep the
weight off her foot, she limped to the bathroom to shower, choosing to get back
into her nightie and dressing gown.  Seeing as how she’d be back in her night
clothes within a few hours, it seemed a waste of time to change into day
clothes.  Time enough for that tomorrow.

When the doorbell rang, her heart
leaped.  Matt?  Had he come to check on her?  Biting her lip, she looked down
at her nightie, hurriedly buttoning up the dressing gown, cursing as she
thought that she should have gotten dressed after all.  She’d forgotten that
he’d said he’d check on her.

Limping to the front door, she
opened it to find Tracy standing on the doorstep, a DVD in one hand and a bag
of something delicious smelling in the other.

“Hi,” Tracy said.  “I come bearing
food and entertainment for the wounded warrior.”

“I don’t know about the warrior
part.” Lori moved back to allow her friend entry. “But the wounded part is spot
on.”

Walking past her, Tracy waved the
DVD.   “Romance night.”

Lori groaned.  “Seriously?”  She
started to close the door.

“Of course.  It’s the latest.” 
Tracy disappeared into the kitchen.

“Not into romance?” a deep voice
asked just as the door almost clicked shut.

There was no mistaking that voice,
the tone went through her like warm molasses.  Lori pulled the door open to
find Matt standing on the veranda holding a container from which a delicious
smell drifted.

Self-conscious about her attire,
which was ridiculous seeing as how he’d already had the dubious pleasure of
seeing her in it already, Lori folded her arms across her chest and smiled. 
“Hi, Matt.”

“Romance?” he prodded, his
eyebrows raised.

“In movies, no.”  She shook her
head.  “How are the cats?”

“Well, the vase didn’t survive a
second shot on the floor.  It’s in the bin.”  His gaze wandered over her and
when he lifted his lashes his dark eyes locked on hers, the warmth in the
depths making her breath catch.  “How’s the ankle?”

“Oh - um - fine.  Fine.”  She
eased her weight off the throbbing foot.  “Well, sore, but okay.”

“Don’t forget to ice it.”  He
glanced past her briefly.  “I see you have a visitor so I’ll let you go. 
Here.”  Abruptly, he thrust the container at her.

Taking it in one hand, she felt
the warmth.  “Did you cook something?”

“A roast.  I put some in there for
you so you didn’t have to cook anything.”  He smiled, charming little wrinkles
appearing at the corners of his eyes.  “But I see your friend had the same
idea.”

“That’s what friends are for!”
Tracy called out and Lori glanced back to see her friend grin widely before
disappearing back into the kitchen.

Lori turned back to Matt.  “Thanks
for the roast.  I will eat it, I promise.”

“You don’t have to eat it tonight,
it’ll keep.”

Oh God, did he think she would
actually eat two dinners?  Mortified, she stammered, “I-I wouldn’t eat it
tonight, not as well.  I’m not that hungry.”  That sounded even worse.  “I
mean, I don’t eat two dinners normally.  I mean ever.  I don’t eat two dinners
ever.  I-” Her words were stopped by one long finger laying gently against her
lips.

Matt smiled slightly.  “I know.”

And then it happened.  She opened
her mouth to say something and the tip of her tongue brushed against his
finger.  He jerked it back as though she’d scalded him, his eyes suddenly dark,
searching, seeming to pierce through and into her, baring her dirty little
secrets to his scrutiny

Mortified - an emotion that was
fast becoming the norm around him - Lori jerked back, stammering, “Thanks for
the food.  I-I have to go.  Goodbye!”  She almost slammed the door shut.

Oh God.  She slumped against the
door, bringing her free hand up to slap against her forehead.  What had she
done?  How could she have been so
stupid
?  She’d licked his finger, she
hadn’t meant to, but it had just happened and - stupid stupid
stupid
!

“Keep banging your forehead like
that and you’ll have a headache,” Tracey informed her.

Lifting her head, Lori saw her
friend watching her with a touch of concern.  “I’m fine.”

“Of course you are, because
smacking yourself around is the very definition of ‘fine’.”

“Just a thought.”

“So bad you had to smack it?”  A
little gleam entered her eyes.  “Care to share?”

“It’s a boring thought.”  Lori
straightened.  “Matt brought me tea.”

“Ah, the gallant knight rides to
the rescue once more.”

Lori’s eyes narrowed.  “What do
you mean ‘once more’?”

“Shirley, who lives behind you,
saw you fall in the backyard but before she could come and help, Matt was over
that fence and lifting you up in his arms-”

Lori gave an inelegant snort.

“And brought you inside,” Tracey
continued, unperturbed.

“And Shirley told you this?”

“No, she told Mrs Hubble, who told
Old Man Parker, who told me.”

“Great.”  With a sigh, Lori limped
down the hallway.

Entering the kitchen, she saw
Tracey going out the back door with Minx beside her.  Minx looked back at Lori,
who limped over to the back door and leaned against it, watching as her friend
took Minx out into the garden.

“Honestly, “said Tracey, “this cat
rules your life.”

“Glad you don’t let her do the
same to you,” Lori replied dryly.

“Cats should have a place and she
knows her’s around me.  By the way, I brought extra chicken because I know she likes
it.”  At Lori’s grin, she added defensively, “It stops her hassling us while
we’re eating and watching a passion-strewn movie.”

“’Course it does.”

Once back inside, Tracey divided
up the chicken and salad while Lori cut the extra piece up for Minx, then they
went to the lounge, Tracy carrying both plates and ensuring that Lori was
settled before returning to the kitchen for the cold drinks.

Once seated beside each other on
the sofa, Tracey put the DVD on pause before it had even started properly.  “By
the way, hope you didn’t have other plans for tonight.”

“Nope.”  Lori shook her head.

“Not with…” Tracey winked. 
“Matt?”

“Matt?  No, of course not.”