Short Soup (8 page)

Gary brightened at the sight of them. “Thank God you’re back.” Carefully tipping Melissa back onto her chair, he heaved to his feet, already fishing for his car keys. “Can I leave you with her?” he asked Dion. “I’m heading home.”

“Sure, I’ll get her home.” As Gary ducked out the bar at top speed, Dion grimaced at the sight of Melissa’s slumped form. She must have had a few vodkas. She never could handle them.

“Come on,” Toni said. “I’ll help you.”

Together they got Melissa to his SUV where she collapsed on the back seat. “She lives over in Medowie,” he said to Toni as they drove off.

“That’s a fair distance away. You’d best drop me off first.”

He’d been looking forward to having her alone with him in the car. It would have been the perfect opportunity to kiss her a few more times, but he realised that wasn’t going to happen. Not only would he have to drive Melissa all the way back, but he’d also have to carry her up to her apartment and put her to bed. Looking after his sozzled ex-girlfriend was hardly the right lead up to a romantic kiss.

“I’m going kayaking tomorrow,” he said as they pulled up outside her parents’ house. “Come with me. I’ve got a double kayak.”

She eyed him doubtfully. “I’m not sure of my plans tomorrow.”

“I won’t take no for an answer. I’ll pick you up at nine-thirty. Wear your bikini.”

“You’re being very bossy.”

“It’s the new me.”

From the back seat came a groan followed by a noxious burp.

“Fine then.” Toni scrambled out of the car. “I won’t argue with you.”

He watched as she hurried down the path. The sight of her hair swinging down her back made him grin. Tomorrow couldn’t come quick enough for him.

“
Jou sahn
, Dad,” Toni greeted her father as she walked into the kitchen the next morning.

“
Jou sahn
.” Shen looked up from the kitchen table where his tackle box lay open on the table, lures, hooks and sinkers spread out. “Good day for fishing. You want to come with me? You used to like going fishing with me when you were little.”

“Uh, sorry, Dad. I’m going out kayaking with Dion.”

“When?”

“Soon. He’s coming to pick me up.” She tugged at the hem of her cotton T-shirt, wishing she didn’t feel so guilty in front of her dad. “I can go fishing with you later this afternoon,” she added.

“I have golf lesson this afternoon.” Shen pursed his lips. “Don’t spend too long with Dion.”

Her heart jumped. Surely he didn’t know what she and Dion had done last night? “What do you mean?”

“He got plenty work at restaurant. Last night he do well, but every night he must do well. You make him too tired, he forget things.”

“I – I won’t tire him out.”

Her father’s expression remained stern. “You here on holiday, but not Dion. He has an important job. Remember that.”

“Sure, Dad.”

When she heard Dion’s SUV pulling into the driveway, she flew out of the house with a muttered goodbye, eager to get away from her father.

“You’re in a hurry,” Dion said as she hustled into the passenger seat and motioned for him to drive off.

“My dad’s worried I’ll distract you from the restaurant. Told me not to tire you out.”

Dion chuckled, a glint in his eyes. “I look after my fitness. I’m sure I can keep up with you, whatever you do to me.”

His smile tugged at her, making her curl her toes against the attraction. “Look, we’re just going kayaking, okay? Nothing else.”

“Are you sure that’s what you want?”

As he steered the vehicle round a corner, she caught a glimpse of his torso through the arm hole of his sleeveless T-shirt. The sight of his taut, smooth abdomen did weird things to her breathing, and it only got worse as she drank in the view of his muscular thighs stretching out from his board shorts and his biceps flexing as he manoeuvred the steering wheel. Such a gorgeous body. Coupled with his lazy smile and bedroom eyes, he was going to be tough to resist.

“Toni?”

His gentle prompt made her aware that she was practically drooling over him like a sex-starved maniac. Clearing her throat, she muttered, “Yeah, that’s what I want.”

“Okay.” By the way he smiled she knew her blatant lusting hadn’t gone unnoticed. “Maybe you’ll change your mind later.”

She didn’t dare answer that, so she remained silent until they reached the bay. Dion untied the double kayak from the roof of his car and carried it down to the water’s edge, while Toni followed with the paddles. The temperature was already soaring, the sun glittering white over the rippling waters. The beach was filling up with the weekend crowd, while boats of all types and sizes plied across the protected waters.

“Did you remember your bikini and sunscreen?” Dion asked, his gaze travelling over her bare arms and legs revealed by her skimpy T-shirt and shorts.

“Yup. Already on me, and I brought a hat.” She pulled on her baseball cap and threaded her ponytail through the hole at the back. Dion was still studying her legs, not bothering to hide the fact. His ogling set off a zing through her. Shoot, you’d think she’d never attracted a guy’s attention before. But there was something special about Dion’s appreciation, something that made her want even more of it. Pretending she was fixing her hair, she raised her hands behind her head so her T-shirt rose above her belly and stretched tight across her chest. In an instant Dion’s gaze zeroed in on her breasts. Eyes narrowing, he stepped closer and placed his palm against her exposed stomach.

“Looks like you’re changing your mind already,” he said throatily.

The possessive heat of his hand had her senses leaping. Too late she realised she was playing with fire. Hurriedly she dropped her arms to her sides. “Uh, let’s go kayaking.”

His hand lingered on her belly for a few more seconds, the fingertips stroking her skin and confusing her thoughts. Slowly he withdrew his hand. “Whatever you say,” he replied, but his eyes were still burning with promise.

She helped him tow the kayak into the sea. The cool water lapping against her legs was a welcome relief to her overheated skin. When the water was knee-deep she scrambled into the front seat and a moment later Dion climbed into the seat behind. They paddled away from the beach, quickly leaving the last swimmers behind. The shore receded, and soon there was just the sea, the sky, and the two of them. Out on the water a light breeze tempered the
heat. Peace settled over them, broken only by the waves slapping against the hull and the rhythmic dipping of their paddles.

Toni drew the salty air deep into her lungs as she ploughed her paddle through the water. It felt as though she’d left all her problems behind on the shore. They’d be waiting for her when she got back, but for now there was only the simple pleasure of sun and sea. And Dion, too. His presence accentuated her enjoyment. Apart from directing her which way to paddle, he kept largely quiet. This time, the silence between them was restful. They didn’t need to talk. It was enough just to be together.

She wasn’t much of a kayaker, and the past six months she’d been too distracted to exercise often, so it didn’t come as a surprise when, half-an-hour later, her arms felt like limp noodles and her body was bathed in perspiration.

“Want to take a break?” Dion said at that moment.

“You read my mind.” She gave him a rueful smile over her shoulder.

“Actually it was your huffing and puffing that caught my attention. We’ll head over to that beach.” He pointed towards a small crescent of sand curved between two jutting headlands not far from them. “You rest. I’ll get us there.”

She shipped her paddle gratefully and watched on as the kayak slid smoothly over the water. The tide had just peaked, and the beach they landed on was deserted because the rising waters had cut it off from the rest of the shoreline. With rocky cliffs rising above it, the beach was now only accessible by water.

Dion steered the kayak to a gentle halt where the waves lapped the beach. Toni helped him pull the vessel further up before turning back to the sea. She was stickier than a lollipop, the sparkling water was irresistible, and she already had her bikini on beneath her outer clothing. Peeling off her T-shirt and shorts, she tossed them aside along with her baseball cap.

“Coming?” She glanced back at Dion.

He stood there, hands on hips, gazing at her bikini-clad body. “You go on ahead.”

As soon as she’d waded in hip-deep she dived beneath the surface, keen to wash the perspiration from her skin and to put a little distance between her and Dion. She’d be naive to think she wasn’t inviting trouble. Here they were together on an isolated beach clad in only a few scraps of clothing. They’d been in this situation countless times in the past and nothing had ever developed, but after last night everything had changed, forever. She could never look on Dion in the same platonic way again.

Rising to the surface, she wiped her face and flicked back her hair. Dion was in the sea now, having taken off his T-shirt. In the glimmering heat his body was golden, firm and compact. He’d never been interested in gyms; the toned lines of his chest and shoulders came
from working in kitchens and paddling in kayaks. For the life of her she couldn’t stop staring at him, and when his gaze met hers a molten quiver liquefied her insides.

He ploughed through the water towards her. Her heart rate sped up in anticipation. If he reached for her she wouldn’t be able to protest. But when he was a few metres away he ducked under the water and swam away from her. She exhaled, chiding herself for feeling disappointed, and struck out in the opposite direction, determined not to make a fool of herself. After a few minutes swimming, she’d cooled down and decided stretching out on the beach would be more relaxing. The sand squeaked beneath her soles as she walked back to her scattered clothes. A few scrubby bushes provided some dappled shade where she sat down. While she was squeezing the water out of her hair, Dion joined her, his body shiny and slick after his swim, his skin the colour of honey.

She schooled herself not to stare at him. “It’s so peaceful here,” she said. “No traffic, no crowds, no noise, no stress. I feel as though I’m a thousand miles away from Sydney. I don’t know why I ever left.”

He slung himself down on the sand a good distance away from her. “Of course you do. You left because you wanted something different, something you couldn’t get here.”

She searched his tone for a hint of criticism but found none. He was just stating the facts. “I suppose.” Scooping up a handful of sand, she let the hot grains trickle through her fingers. “My mum thinks I should move back here, find a job in an accounting practice nearby.”

He twisted towards her. “You’re not seriously considering that, are you?”

“Um, why do you sound so incredulous? After the last few years maybe I do want a bit of peace and quiet. What’s wrong with that?”

“Because you’re not a quitter. Yes, you’ve had a rough time, but you’ve also achieved a lot. You’ve worked hard, made sacrifices. Don’t waste it all because of Nick.”

The fierce glint in his eyes made her draw back. Part of her had been secretly hoping that this kayak trip would result in a few more kisses with Dion, even though another part had warned her not to get carried away, but now he seemed to be actively pushing her away. He’d kept his distance from her while swimming – a perfect opportunity for some horseplay, she would have thought – and now he was telling her she didn’t belong here, that her place was back in Sydney a safe distance away from him. An unexpected lump formed in her throat. Not trusting her voice, she stared silently out to sea.

Sand squeaked as Dion shifted his legs. “Tell me something,” he said, his voice gentler. “When you found out about Nick having an affair, why didn’t you come straight back? Why did you stick it out in London for another six months?”

Drawing her knees up to her chest, she wrapped her arms around her legs. “Three reasons. One, it was quicker to get a divorce over there; two, I had a complex project to wrap
up; and three, I didn’t want people to think Nick had driven me away. I wanted to leave on my own terms.”

“Good. You didn’t let him ruin your career. You enjoy your work, don’t you?”

She nodded. All bad jokes aside, she did derive great satisfaction from her job and couldn’t think of anything else she’d rather be doing.

“Well, then, you deserve a serious job with good prospects,” Dion continued. “And the best place for that would be Sydney.”

“You seem suddenly keen to get rid of me,” she couldn’t help blurting out.

“What?” He stared at her, his throat working as he swallowed. “I don’t want to get rid of you.” He hesitated then added, “I want you to be happy.”

She gazed down at an ant struggling across the sand. To the tiny insect the beach must seem an impossible moonscape but still it soldiered on, following some invisible path back to its nest.

“You don’t know what you’re asking.” She watched the ant negotiate a piece of driftwood that would seem like a small mountain to it. “I can pass exams with flying colours, I can analyse billion dollar portfolios, I can remember a large amount of facts and figures; but when it comes to happiness I’m as clueless as the next person. My parents always drummed the same old mantra into me – study hard, get a degree, go after a good job. That was the path to success in life. Achieve that and everything else will fall into place. But now I know that’s not how it works, at least not for me.”

She paused to take in a breath then scrubbed her hands across her face, letting out a shaky, deprecating laugh. “Jeez, I didn’t mean to sound so self-pitying. You’re right. I’m just kidding myself I could move back here. I belong in a big city like Sydney.” Not waiting for his reply, she pulled herself to her feet and started dusting sand from her bottom. “Come on, we’d better head back or you’ll be late with your prep work.”

He stood too, his gaze still fastened on her face. “Toni.” He stepped towards her. “You know how to be happy. Maybe you’re out of practise, but you never forget. It’s like riding a bicycle.”

This
. This was what she’d missed for so long. His down-to-earth compassion, his light-hearted teasing masking his concern. Why had she ever allowed them to drift apart? She’d never make that mistake again. Her heart began to pound as she realised what she was about to do. It tattooed even faster when she closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around his waist.