Defying Rules
When Logan woke the next morning, it took him a couple of seconds to get his bearings and figure out where he was. A person stirred in his arms and with a smile on his face he realised Addison was all wrapped around him, her legs intertwined with his, her head still on his chest, and her hand, goddamn, her hand was awfully low on his stomach. Struggling in his head, he decided to carefully move out of her grasp. She looked so peaceful in her sleep, and he wished he could make all her nightmares go away. At least it’d been a quiet night, which should give her some relief and in turn make him worry less. Although, he had to admit, ending up in her bed had been a nice side effect to it all. He studied her face again. Her long lashes resting on her cheeks, which had a touch of rose colour in them again. He tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear before sliding from underneath the duvet. A bit later, he stepped into the bathroom for a much-needed cold shower. As the water cascaded down his back, he remembered the feel of her body next to him and for a moment, he wished she wasn’t his son’s teacher.
His shower was cut short, though. Even through the noise of the water splashing around him, he thought he heard Addison scream. Instantly, he fumbled with the water taps to turn them off, grabbed the towel, and wrapped it around his waist before finding her. The house was a decent size, but it didn’t take him long to rush from room to room until he eventually found her in the kitchen — her face pale and her eyes wide with fear.
Tell it to my Heart
As soon as Molly Reid woke, she sensed something wasn’t right, and yet, it took her three hits on the snooze button until she was anywhere near in charge of her faculties. Her gaze followed the thin light filtering through the small gap of the curtains. With a bit of effort, she reached over and pulled open the drapes a little more. The sun was just rising above the horizon. How much she disliked Mondays and, even worse, how much she hated the rain last night which had kept her awake for hours. It hadn’t been a gentle pitter-patter of rain but a downpour. Of course, she knew the rain was needed, but it could have been a little softer. She stretched, had another yawn, and swung her legs over the bed … when something cold hit her toes. Instinctively, she pulled her legs closer to her chest, a scream escaping her lips. Wide awake now, Molly leaned forward to check for the cause of the coldness. A shiver ran through her from her toes up to her cheeks. She threw herself back onto the bed, before letting out a loud groan and sat up again, taking in the destruction surrounding her. The day couldn’t get any worse.
Moving her gaze from the soaked carpet towards the door and up to the ceiling, she couldn’t see any obvious signs that the water had come through the roof at this end of the house. She listened carefully, but wasn’t able to hear anything, either, especially not from the bathroom. Taking in a deep breath, she braced herself for the icy water as she was about to put her feet onto the floor. Her spirit plummeted at the thought that the next four months were going to be a nightmare considering the repairs that needed to be made, not to mention dealing with the insurance. And the cost of it all. Trying to tackle one problem at the time, she stood to inspect the damage. Instant pain shot through her as she ran on the tip of her toes, out of the bedroom, along the hall, and to the laundry to find her boots — thanking the winter sale last year, when she’d bought them for next to nothing. With some relief, she saw that only the front part of the house seemed to be affected by the water, but at the same time a rush of resignation shot through her and tears flowed. The splish-splash of her boots as she walked to the kitchen echoed along the hall. With a big sigh, she grabbed the phone and called her friend Kristen.
“Good morning,” her friend answered with a sleepy voice. “What do you want so early in the day?”
A little smile tugged at her lips. She knew her friend wasn’t an early riser, especially not on Mondays. “The rain snuck into my house, and I only need some soap and a brush to give my carpet a clean.”
Silence.
“Kristen, did you go back to sleep?”
“Say that again?”
It gave her some relief to hear her friend sounding more focussed now. “The rain washed my carpet. What's so hard to understand?”
There was the ominous silence again before Kristen spoke. “Honey, I think I need coffee for this. Give me twenty minutes and I'll be over.”
Between Goodbye and Hello
When Harrison returned to the lounge room, he saw Melody sitting in front of the open fire he’d started for her, her hands stretched towards it for some warmth.
“Here’s another blanket.”
She looked up with a hesitant smile. “Thank you.”
He watched her wrap herself into it. It was obvious her core temperature was still low. With a curse on the tip of his tongue, he walked over to the table, grabbed the bottle of red, and sat on the couch.
“Can I offer you a glass of wine?” he grumbled.
She shook her head, but otherwise didn’t reply. Good, he didn’t want to talk either, but curiosity got the better of him.
“So, tell me again. How did you end up in the water?”
She lowered her head. Her voice was so soft he had to strain to hear her reply. “I slipped.”
“And you were standing out on the rocks, why?”
Silence.
He stared at his glass of wine, his voice not much more than a whisper. “You could’ve died.”
“Wouldn’t that have made your day.”
Despite his dislike for her, her words went through him like a knife. He didn’t wish death on anybody, not even her. Especially not her. God knew why, but there was something about her he wasn’t able to resist. Yet, she was a thief. How could he trust her?
He agreed, she wasn’t his favourite person to know.
Or to spend a Friday night with. At his house, in front of the open fire, no less. And her half naked.
Heat shot through him, and he had another sip of wine to shake that image from his head.
Damn that woman.
As he enjoyed his wine, Melody turned to look at him. “I know you don’t like me. And yes, I agree, it was a low act what I’ve done to your mother. I apologised to her and paid off the whole amount. My grandmother left me some money, so you don’t have to worry.” Raising her eyebrows as if in a challenge she continued. “I hope that makes your day.”
Ignoring another swipe at him, he leaned back into the couch. He still wasn’t able to figure out what she’d been doing out there and his inner curiosity took over. “There’s a storm out there and you chose to go for a walk along the cliff.”
“You obviously did, too.”
Touch Me
Lexie Marshall looked around, seeing nothing but trees. Worry crept into her mind. It’d been a while since they’d seen another soul. The old farmer on the tractor had warned them, but she’d been certain she had known the way back to the car.
“Mum, are you sure you know where you’re going?” Zoe asked.
Loosely circling her shoulders to rid herself of the kink in them, Lexie replied, “Sweetie, I’m sure we’re almost there. It can’t be far.”
“Such a stupid idea to go for a bushwalk.”
Lexie stopped and turned, looking at her daughter, undecided whether to be annoyed or feel guilty. “I thought it was a great idea. We’re stuck in that small house seven days a week with the walls closing in on us.”
Zoe met her gaze, tears shimmering in her eyes. “Not my fault we moved here.”
Massaging the temples, she took a deep breath. “I hope we’re not going through the separation discussion again. Your dad and I drifted apart. Nothing I can do about it.”
The girl lifted her shoulder in a shrug. “That didn’t mean you have to drift all the way to this godforsaken place.”
“This godforsaken place is giving me a chance to work in my profession as a lawyer during school hours only so you’re not on your own at home.”
Zoe shrugged again. “I miss my friends.”
“Well, so do I, but I am trying to do the best in a bad situation. How about we try to get out of this jungle of trees and next weekend we’ll check the real estate agent for a bigger house?”
“We had a big house in Perth—”
Lexie looked into the distance and then back at her daughter. “Look, I get it that you’re not happy with the current situation. But I’m trying my best here.” She inhaled a long breath to calm herself. “I don’t really think this is the right place to have this discussion, but maybe the right time for you to ponder about the alternatives. Perth, big house, your mother working massive hours to afford it, which would mean you’re in after care, or Alinta Bay, small house, hopefully we’ll find something bigger soon, and I can drop you off and pick you up from school, plus we will have enough money for two holidays a year.”
Without waiting for an answer, Lexie turned again, but didn’t move. Cursing under her breath, she conceded that they were lost. And it scared her. A lot.
“Mum?”
Lexie whirled around again. “What?” But as soon as she saw her daughter’s timid look in her eyes, she apologised straight away. “I’m sorry, sweetie. But—”
Zoe shook her head. “Mum, listen,” she said just above a whisper.
Lexie focussed and followed the girl’s gaze.
“Look! A car.”
“Hallelujah,” Lexie murmured.
“Can you run?”
Hands on hips, Lexie said, “I’m old, but I’m no geriatric.”
“Well, duh, Mum. Run.”
“Wait,” she almost shouted. “We can’t just—”
“Mum, just run. You’re not wearing your glasses, are you? It’s the Park Ranger vehicle.”
Shaking her head at her own embarrassment, but also at her clever daughter, she rushed after Zoe through the forest, literally over sticks and stones. Worried about her daughter stopping a stranger’s car, Park Ranger or not, she screamed, “Wait, Zoe. Wait for me!”
Without looking back, her daughter replied, “No way I’m letting this guy drive off.”
When Lexie stopped a couple of minutes later in front of the Ranger’s truck, she placed her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath.
“Mum got us lost.”
The Ranger came around the car and placed his hand on Lexie’s arm, “Ma’am, are you okay?”
She straightened. “I’m okay. Embarrassed, my ego dinted, and having aged by about ten years, but I’m okay.”
His deep chuckle invaded her senses with its warmth and did something to her. And it’d been a while since a man had stirred something inside her, not since … she pushed the thought of her husband away, as well as the flutter in her stomach, trying to deal with the problem at hand.
“I got us lost,” she finally conceded.
Raising his brows, he opened his mouth, but closed it again, looking over at Zoe. “Okay, so one thing after the other. I hope you know that waving down a car can be dangerous.”
“Please don’t lecture her,” Lexie said, still gasping for air. “I will do that in due time later on, but at the moment, she deserves a medal, because…” She huffed. “Because we were lost.”
Thank you for sharing my Alinta Bay series with your readers ♥
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