Tempted by the Billionaire: A Hometown Hero Series Novel (6 page)

She closed her eyes for strength then stepped away from him, on the pretence of pulling a platter out of the cupboard. “Well, it smells delicious,” she intoned brightly. She stood with the ceramic buffer, holding it diligently while he lifted chicken pieces from the trays and placed them onto the platter.

“It is,” he grinned, apparently happy to move past the intimate moment they’d shared. His eyes were gently mocking. As though he knew the effect he was having on her, and was amused by it.

Her smile felt strange on her face. She focussed on the platter, waiting impatiently for him to finish loading it up with food so that she could make her escape. Oh, why had she come over?

Her cheeks were pink when she walked into the dining area and placed dinner in the middle of the table. Anna and Isaac were in a serious conversation, their voices lowered, their eyes locked. For the first time in their friendship, Willow had a sense that she was intruding. “There’s just a few more things to get. Excuse me,” she murmured, slipping out of the room again. Anna didn’t even look in her direction. Isaac simply nodded, then turned back to his wife.

Whatever they were discussing seemed serious.

“Ready to taste some real southern fried food?” Matt greeted her in the kitchen, one hip propped indolently against the marble counter.

She shook her head. “Let’s give them a moment.”

He winged a brow in silent enquiry.

“They’re talking.” She shrugged. “Looked serious.”

“I see.” He picked up their wine glasses and walked towards her with panther like intensity. “Well, why don’t you come scope out my handiwork?”

She stared at him blankly.

“The deck.” He prompted, nudging her side slightly. The contact sent shivers tumbling through her body.

“Oh, right. Dinner’s okay in here?”

He nodded, his lips twisting with amusement. “It’ll keep.”

He handed her wine to her, and this time, Willow was careful to keep her fingers from touching his. He noticed, and his face showed that he found her attempt amusing.

“You’re laughing at me,” she observed with a droll tone to her voice.

He nodded with mock seriousness. “I sure am, ma’am.”

She pulled a face. “Why?”

He sighed. “Come outside.”

She fell into step behind him, propelled further forward by the sound of Anna and Isaac’s hushed tones. She wondered what they were talking about, but kept her curiosity in check.

“They must be grateful you’re doing this,” she murmured, when they emerged into the starlit night.

He shrugged. “I like it.”

“Do you?”

He nodded. “I like to be busy.” His eyes revealed an inner-torment she didn’t understand. “Discharge doesn’t keep me busy.”

“Maybe this could be your new career.” She couldn’t help it. She took a step closer, so that she was standing beside him, on the wide deck, with the sound of the churning ocean and a hooting owl as the soundtrack to their conversation. “You thinking of house painting and decorating as your next career step?”

His smile was thin; the promise he’d made earlier that day to his mother made his chest tighten. His duty was ahead of him; his future was waiting. But he couldn’t bring himself to admit as much to Willow. He didn’t allow himself to wonder why. “Maybe. Sure is satisfying.” He angled his head, fixing her with a clear, piercing stare.

She swallowed. And the minute she heard herself ask the question, she knew she was in trouble. For it carried a weight of expectations, and a hope that she hadn’t realised she held. “Do you think you’ll stay in Haymarket Bay long?” Her heart turned over and she softened the question with a slightly sarcastic addendum. “Must be lots of old beach shacks that could do with a spruce up...”

His eyes scanned her face. His expression was unreadable. “Do you think?”

Her breath caught in her throat. She was so transfixed, she didn’t notice his neat evasion of her question. Willow looked away, guiltily and nervously. The web of desire was spinning around them though, and Willow had a sense that she was falling through a crack in the space and time continuum. She nodded, but her mouth was rendered mute by an overwhelming sense of desire. She swallowed, her eyes dragging to his and clinging there.

He made a sound of frustrated impatience and lifted a hand to her cheek. “I had no idea I would meet someone like you, when I came here.”

Her lips flickered with a frown. “Someone like me?”

He nodded, padding his thumb across her cheek.

Her heart was hammering against her chest. Her whole body felt like it was sagging with the weight of expectation and hope. Her lips parted on a swell of feeling, as she leaned forward imperceptibly. He smelled like cinnamon, pine needles and soap. She inhaled his scent headily.

“Yeah, someone like you.”

Why did he sound angry? She frowned, but her sluggish brain was being deluged by little rivers of need and hunger. Nothing else was punctuating her consciousness beyond the fact that she desperately, achingly, wanted him to kiss her.

“And what am I like?”

His other hand was by his side. He lifted it now, to her hair. He ran it down the length of dark strands, his eyes mesmerised as he felt the soft silkiness. His voice was gravelly. “You are…” He closed his eyes. “Distracting.”

Her heart ached. “Distracting?”

He laughed, and lowered his face, so that his lips were just a breath from hers. “Damn right. Can’t think of anything else since I met you, it seems.”

Her stomach flipped like she’d just crested over a hill in a speed car. Hadn’t it been the same for her?

She straightened her posture, bringing her mouth so close to his they were almost touching. “Well?” She said boldly. “What are you going to do about it?”

“You guys out here?” Anna’s voice broke through the moment, and Willow quickly stepped backwards, clearing her throat and turning to face the ocean. She knew it was an incredibly obvious gesture, but for some reason, she shied away from the idea of her best friend knowing that she was completely taken by Matt.

“What happened? I thought we were eating? Seriously, Isaac’s going to polish off that whole plate if you don’t get in here.”

Willow composed her features before turning around. “Sure thing, Anna. We just came out to look at the deck.”

“Oh, yeah, it’s great, isn’t it?” She linked an arm through Matt’s in an easy, companionable manner. Jealousy, unmistakable and forceful, speared through Willow, as she moved to follow them back to the table. How could Anna be so comfortable with Mattias? As though he weren’t some kind of hunky God brought to life? Back in the dining room, Anna slid into her seat, beside Isaac, and Matt held a chair out for Willow. As she sunk into it, his hand curled around her shoulder. For the briefest of moments, but long enough to make her body tingle.

What was happening between them? And what did she want to happen? She shifted out of his way, placing her elbows onto the table to put some space between them. He sat beside her though, and there was no escaping his presence. For he was big, and burly; strong and with the gravitational pull of a moon. She ground her teeth together and desperately tried to ignore the rush of need that was spreading through her body.

“This looks amazing,” Anna said with a smile, using tongs to place some fried chicken first on her plate, and then on Isaac’s. She passed the tongs to Willow, and Willow dutifully pressed a wing onto her plate. But her appetite had diminished completely.

“Any word on Annabeth?” Matt asked Isaac, while beneath the table, his knee brushed against Willow’s.

“Nothing.” Isaac grimaced. “I don’t know how the hell a four year old can disappear into thin air like that, but she seems to have. For the moment.”

“What does that mean?” Willow asked, leaning forward unconsciously. “Does that make you suspect foul play over her just wandering off?”

He compressed his lips. “It’s impossible for her to have left the campsite.” He dragged a hand through his hair, and beneath his eyes, he had dark purple smudges. “Our first theory was that she’d gone sleep-walking. Apparently she has a habit of doing that, so on day one, we searched the area thoroughly, believing she might have just wandered off in the middle of the night.”

“And you know now that she didn’t?” Willow pressed, her heart heavy for the girl.

“Yeah. There’s no way she could have been missed in the search we’ve conducted.” He expelled an angry breath. “Her mom described her as a ‘super fish’. Apparently not a day goes by when she isn’t paddling in their pool. We’ve checked the water courses. I mean, that would make sense right? But there’s no sign of her.” His frown deepened and his eyes clouded over. It was obvious that his mind was flicking through the case file. “She was wearing her favourite pyjamas and a green beanie. So she’s either still wearing them, or they’re somewhere. But where? Not even a snag of fabric has been found in the bush, which there would have been if she’d wandered off in the middle of the night.” He shook his head from side to side. “I will never stop looking for her.”

Anna squeezed his hand. “You’ll find her, honey.”

“I will,” he agreed, and there was such a tone of fierce determination in his voice that no one present doubted it for a second.

Anna, aiming to lighten the mood, made a sound of delight as she tasted the chicken. “This is too good, Matt.”

His smile was tight. His mind was singularly focussed on the woman to his left. He hadn’t felt such overwhelming need in a long time, if ever.

“Glad you like it,” he murmured quietly, reaching for his wine and sipping it contemplatively. Would a relationship with Willow be so very bad? His eyes drifted from her beautiful profile to the couple opposite. They were his dearest friends. They’d stuck with him over the years, and they were sticking by him now. How would they feel if he went after their next door neighbour and friend? It wasn’t like he could offer her anything serious or permanent. He was still technically married, and his life was on the East coast.

So what was he doing?

What did he want?

“Is it your mom’s recipe?” Anna asked, as she bit into another piece of chicken with a groan of pleasure.

“Meghan’s mom’s,” he responded with a distracted shake of his head.

But something made Willow’s instincts click into gear. “Well, your mother in law is one heck of a cook,” Anna responded with a smile, tucking into another piece of the crispy meat.

Willow had a sense of blinding panic. She felt like she’d been whacked in the solar plexus.
Mother in law? He was married?
Her heart turned over, but outwardly, she retained a veneer of calm. Though it cost her dearly, she managed to lift her fork to her lips, and even to chew the mouthful of food.

Married!

How had she been so stupid?
Twice
?!

At least this time, she’d stopped herself before it was too late.

Only she hadn’t. If Matt had kissed her out on the deck, she would have kissed him right back.

She closed her eyes, her dark lashes fanning against her honey skin. Still, she chewed. She even managed to pretend an interest in the conversation that was swirling around her. But inside, she was numb.

As soon as they’d finished eating, she pushed back her chair and lifted her plate. “That really was delicious, but I have to get home now.”

Matt’s expression was rich with interest, but Willow didn’t so much as look in his vicinity.

“Deadline?” Anna clucked sympathetically, lifting the remaining dinner plates and circling the table.

“Something like that,” she said with a shrug, encompassing Isaac and Matt in one short nod. “Good night.”

She wanted to get out of there as quickly as she could, but once she and Anna were in the privacy of the kitchen, a sixth sense made her linger a little. She placed her dish into the machine, then looked at her best friend with undisguised curiosity. “Are you okay, Anna? You seemed a little distracted earlier.”

Anna’s face was pale, as her eyes flew to the dining table.

“I’m fine.” She shook her head slowly from side to side. “That’s a lie. I’m not fine.”

Willow frowned. “What is it?”

Anna’s eyes were moist, and she lifted her fingers to the lashes and blotted them. “Nothing. I’m being silly.” She bit down on her lip. “It’s just this baby stuff.”

Willow’s expression resonated with sympathy. “Has something happened?”

Anna nodded, aiming for stoicism and falling just short. “Just another month with no baby.” She arranged her features into a thick smile. “But I can’t… I just can’t talk about it. It’s so hard to come to terms with the idea that this might not happen for us. I’ve known I wanted to be a mom since I was a kindergartener.” Anna bit down on her lip, and mentally tried to pull herself back together. “You sure you won’t stay for coffee?”

Willow shook her head, and squeezed her friend’s arm comfortingly. They’d had this conversation so many times, but with every month that passed, it got harder and harder to know what to say. If there was any way people could fall pregnant based on their suitability to parent, Anna would have been a mother ten times over. “We don’t have to talk about it, but we can, if you want to.”