Black Ice (9 page)

Kirri smiled in spite of herself. Daniel had used humour to help reduce her embarrassment and she was grateful for his sensitivity. Then he said, 'Have you seen enough, or would you like to
experience
more?'

Her imagination ran riot at the emphasis in his words. The thought of his superb body taking possession of hers was almost irresistible. Almost. Daniel must have had the same idea, and his reaction was just as swift.

Kirri gasped as she watched, then she spun around and walked into the kitchen. 'I think …' the words came out as a squeak, and she lowered her voice a few decibels, 'you should get dressed now. I'll put the kettle on.' She flicked the switch on the electric kettle. 'I could do with a strong cup of tea,' she muttered. 'Or a stiff Bourbon.'

By the time she turned back Daniel was buttoning up his shirt. She sneaked a quick look and saw he'd managed to regain some control over his wayward thoughts. She was grateful women didn't have the same problem, or else it would be very obvious that she was having trouble exercising the same amount of control.

'I'll just get my mug,' she told him, and walked to the spare bedroom she used as a studio. She'd pushed the meagre furniture against one wall, and spread an old piece of white speckled vinyl on the floor. Canvases in various stages of completion leaned against the other walls, and two sat on easels. Paints, brushes and rags lay on a newspaper-covered bedside table. An old cane chair squashed between the table and one of the easels, a coffee cup, plate, and several pieces of paper on it.

'So this is where you create your masterpieces.' Daniel had walked behind her, and now stood, gazing at the paintings. 'This one is different.' A quizzical look touched his face at he inspected one on an easel. 'What's the idea behind this one?'

The large painting depicted a tree, gnarled and twisted, solitary in a barren landscape. The tree was bare, save for one leaf, itself just a fine lattice of skeletalised veins, hanging by a gossamer thread.

'It's just … an experiment,' Kirri shrugged.

Daniel's interest quickened. For Kirri to be so off-hand about her work, it must be very important to her. He had learned many things about her in their three weeks together, not the least of which was that, when it came to her work, she was amazingly vulnerable.

'Let's get that cup of tea.' She picked up the mug and plate, and walked out.

He stood for a moment longer, gazing at the painting, then he followed Kirri out to the kitchen.

'Isolation,' he said. Kirri looked quizzically at him. 'The painting,' he elaborated, 'that's what it reminds me of.'

'Something like that,' Kirri muttered, but he caught her pleased smile that hovered briefly.

She poured tea into the mugs, and he noticed the motif on hers which showed two bears, a big one and a small one, embracing, and the words "Mothers give the best hugs in the world".

'Where is Catelyn?' he asked, and was dismayed at the look of pain in Kirri's eyes.

'In Cairns.'

'Why? Is …' He stopped as a devastating thought struck him. He looked into the wide blue eyes of the woman he realised he still loved, and asked the hardest question of his life. 'Kirri, are you …
involved
with someone?'

'No.' Kirri watched the anxiety on Daniel's face dissolve into relief, and was absurdly, though inexplicably, pleased. 'I don't have time to be involved with anyone.'

'Then why -'

'It's complicated.' Kirri reached up into the overhead cupboard and took down a jar of biscuits. She slipped a few onto a plate. 'Let's sit down, and I'll explain.'

The lounge chairs were low, overstuffed vinyl and built more for durability than comfort. Kirri suppressed a smile as Daniel gave up on dignity and stretched his longs legs out so his knees weren't sticking up in the air. She took a few sips of her tea while she decided how much she would tell him.

'Trish Farmer and I run a small art gallery in Cairns called the Boutique Gallery. A few months ago I suggested to Trish that we open another gallery here in Noosa and she agreed. In Cairns we work a half week each in the gallery and paint at home in the other half. We also display paintings from other Cairns artists and sculptors. I live in O'Connor Valley south of Cairns, but when it was my turn in the gallery I stayed at the apartment of a friend who'd gone overseas.'

'You live in the valley with your step-brother?'

'And my grandmother. It's been my home since Mum married J.D.'s father when I was twelve, except for the couple of years I spent in Sydney. Two months ago my friend came back to Cairns with her new husband so I wasn't able to use the apartment any more. Trish's husband, Dave, was driving back from Brisbane and he called into Noosa and found a shop which would be ideal for another gallery, and within a month I opened up.'

'But you couldn't bring Catelyn.'

'No. My grandmother is looking after her.' A tremor began in Kirri's bottom lip, and she bit down to stop the tears that threatened to fall. 'I thought the time would go quickly, but I miss her terribly.'

Daniel leaned towards her, his gaze intent. 'Kirri, why did you want to open another gallery?'

'I thought we could make more money here. Noosa attracts a lot of wealthy tourists, and I'd hoped to increase our sales.'

'Was that the only reason?' Daniel was puzzled. The Kirri he'd known wasn't motivated by money.

Kirri squirmed back into the vinyl. How well did Daniel know her? Could he tell she was only giving half the reason, or was he purely guessing?

'Not entirely.'

Daniel waited patiently. Kirri nibbled through half a biscuit before she continued. 'I went into the Boutique Gallery with Trish for two reasons. One was to earn money and the other was to put myself and my name in front of overseas tourists. I'd hoped … it was a long shot, I know, especially after so many months after leaving the United States, but I kept hoping that Catelyn's father, whoever he was, would recognise my name and come to see me. When that didn't happen I thought I'd widen the scope for possibilities.'

'I knew it wouldn't be the money,' Daniel nodded.

'Don't get me wrong,' Kirri said, 'I needed the money. My daughter wasn't going to grow up the way I …'

'Never knowing if there'd be enough money to buy food, or if the electricity was going to be cut off, or having to go to school in second-hand uniforms your mother got from a charity,' Daniel finished for her. At her furious frown he added, 'You told me about your childhood, the way your father blew all the money on parties and presents and forgot about saving for the necessities. You were determined not to be like him. We argued because you always wanted to pay your share when we went out and that's when you told me. You were so damned independent …' he shook his head, but then he smiled. 'At times you could infuriate me like hell, but it never stopped me wanting to kiss the breath out of you … or make love to you all night.'

Frustration and pleasure flashed through Kirri. Infuriating though it was to not remember what Daniel could recall so easily, it was also flattering to have him so obviously care for her. And the thought of him making love to her was definitely appealing. Since Catelyn's birth she had begun to think her libido had gone the way of the dinosaurs, but Daniel had certainly changed that situation.

'At home Gran looks after Catelyn when I work in Cairns. Jenny works part-time for me here, but it would still be impossible to keep an eye on Catelyn at the gallery.' Then she brightened. 'But I'll be seeing her in a few days. My friend Emma - she's Trish's daughter, and also the doctor I mentioned when you had that allergic reaction - is getting married on Saturday. I'm her bridesmaid, so I'll be driving up to Cairns on Thursday.'

'Not in your van?'

Daniel's look of horror was so great that, although Kirri felt she should be offended, she began to laugh. 'Why not? I drove it down here, full of paintings. Mind you, it did have a bit of trouble with some of the hills.'

'I don't doubt it,' Daniel muttered. 'Why don't we drive up in my car? It's air-conditioned, and -'

'We?' Kirri interrupted.

Daniel leaned forward. 'Kirri, until yesterday I didn't know I had a daughter. It's been very painful for me to realise that I've missed out on the first fifteen months of her life because I didn't have the confidence to believe that you could love me as much as I love you.'

His words, as much as the sincerity on his face, shook Kirri. Whether it was a slip of the tongue or not, she was very aware he hadn't used the past tense when he spoke of loving her. Suddenly, Kirri was afraid. The impulsive, free spirited woman who'd gone to the United States nearly three years ago no longer existed. The trauma she had lived through and the arrival of Catelyn into her life had changed her irrevocably. If Daniel was still in love with the old Kirri, he was going to be very disappointed.

'Daniel,' she searched for the right words, conscious that diplomacy had never been one of her attributes. She was far too forthright and spontaneous, though the last two years had tempered these traits. 'I'm no longer the person you met in New Orleans. I've changed.'

'What's happened in our lives has changed both of us, Kirri. I don't know if you can still feel the same attraction for me as you used to. I'd like to think it's possible, but I don't want to pressure you. I'm hoping we can be friends, that I can be a father to Catelyn, and we'll just let it happen from there. What do you say?'

Kirri wavered. Catelyn already had a father figure in J.D., but Kirri had always hoped that one day Catelyn would know her true father. In spite of her own father's lack of concern for his family's needs,
and his infidelities,
she thought wryly, Kirri knew he loved her dearly. And she reciprocated that love. She wanted that for Catelyn.

'All right. You can come to Cairns with me.'

Daniel smiled. He'd quickly realised how his words of love had effected Kirri, and his hasty claim for friendship only had seemed the best way to allay her fears. Two years of placating anxious employees and angry board members had taught him how to salvage a situation, and he could see those skills coming in very handy where Kirri was concerned.

'In my van,' Kirri added.

His smile dimmed, then he placed his mug on the floor and took Kirri gently by the upper arms. A more suitable alternative had occurred to him. 'Kirri,' his eyes gazed into hers as he changed tactics, 'you're not a selfish woman, so I know you'll understand me not wanting to waste a couple of days driving when we could fly there in a couple of hours.'

Kirri opened her mouth to protest, but Daniel had reached the end of his patience, as well as the limits of control on his desire. His mouth covered hers and he felt all her resistance dissolve as he used his tongue to taste the sweetness he craved. He was tempted to stand up and pull her against him, but wasn't sure if he would be able to let her go once he could feel the curves of her body pressed close to his. Even now, only his iron self-control kept him from losing himself totally in the surging passion their kiss created.

Reluctantly, he eased away from her. She looked dazed, and soft, and still eminently kissable, and he wondered if bedroom skills might be more effective than those he'd learned in the boardroom.

'Can you leave tomorrow?'

Still slightly dazed, Kirri nodded. 'Jenny can run the gallery. But, Daniel, I can't afford -'

His finger on her lips silenced her. 'If I'd known about Catelyn, you would have received a lot of financial assistance from me. Please let me make up for it now. Money isn't important to me, Kirri, you know that.'

No, she didn't know that, but the sincerity in his voice was very convincing.

 

Daniel normally woke easily at dawn, but this morning he had to force himself awake. He'd spent a restless night, worried about the next few days with Kirri. He'd lost her once, and though he was determined it wouldn't happen again, he wasn't sure if he could win her love.

By six o'clock he was knocking on Kirri's door. She looked as though she, too, hadn't had much sleep, but her suitcase was standing ready at the door.

The only vacant seats to Cairns were on an early flight from Brisbane, too early to connect with a flight from the Sunshine Coast, so they had to drive straight to Brisbane airport.

It was only when they were checking in that Daniel remembered he was supposed to pick Philip Weyburn up at the Sunshine Coast Airport that Friday. He hurriedly took out his IPhone.

As Stella's voice answered, Daniel suppressed the feeling of impatience that gripped him. When he'd first arrived at Philip's office, Stella had looked at him in a way that made him feel like prime beef on the block. Almost as though she'd known what to expect and was assessing him to see if the reality fulfilled the expectation. She was not a beautiful woman, but he'd sensed a raw energy beneath her calm exterior that both attracted and repulsed him.

The vibes Daniel had picked up that day had made him very wary. Apart from what he had viewed as a major misjudgment on his part where Kirri was concerned, he was a man who relied on his instincts, and they had worked overtime that day. Philip was nervous, anxious to show him as much as possible of the company without allowing him access to the company books. Stella was harder to judge, but the undercurrents there set his teeth on edge.

Now she told him that Philip wasn't in the office but she would take a message.

'Just tell him not to worry about flying up to Noosa,' Daniel replied. 'I'm not going to be there.'

'Where can he contact you?'

The last thing Daniel felt he would need in the next few days was Philip Weyburn worrying him. 'He won't be able to. I have personal business to attend to.'

There was a slight hesitation, then Stella's voice was smooth, professional. 'I'm sure Philip would like to keep in touch. Will you be away long?'

'As long as it takes,' Daniel muttered.

'Pardon?'

'I have to go, they're calling our flight.'

 

'
Our
flight, he said?'

Stella nodded.