Ultimate Love (6 page)

As the taxi drove up the driveway of her sister's house she heard her nieces laughter and her heart warmed with the knowledge that here was home and family. But still, a small piece of longing remained unexamined, that one day she would have a family of her own with children to welcome her home.

With an overly bright smile Dinah entered her sister's home. She took her time over a shower and change of clothes while her sister fussed over the girls, exiting to downstairs in time to see the oldest off to kindergarten.

Before her sister could question her thoroughly Dinah made her excuses and prepared for her departure. She hated that she did not feel up to fulfilling her sister's curiosity, but her emotions were too raw. She needed time to examine her motivations and why she had allowed herself to fall into Jared's bed last night, and she was not ready to talk about this with her sister. Although they talked regularly and had nothing to hide from each other, Dinah felt that this was just too new to talk about.

"I'm sorry, I know you want to know where I was last night and why I didn't come home, but do you mind if we talk about this later, please?" she asked Angela.

"Sure thing sweetie. You know I'll be here for you. Whatever's happening with you at the moment, know you have your family here to love you," Angela replied.

Dinah breathed a deep sigh. "I do know that, but thanks for reminding me," she said and smiled. It felt good to know she was loved and cherished, and that Angela would allow her space and time to come to terms with what had happened before they talked about it.

"Don't forget to call me when you get home," Angela reminded her. It was a little ritual they had, ever since a cousin had died suddenly in a car accident years ago. Dinah had learned the hard way that life was so precious and could be taken away without warning. After the accident Angela and Dinah always called each other after arriving from a longer than usual journey. Anything involving open roads and high speeds needed a check in upon arrival. It made both of them feel better.

After kissing her sister quickly on the cheek Dinah turned to leave. She needed solitude and time to come to terms with last night and the two-hour drive home would give her just that.

But the drive did nothing to settle her mind. All she could think about was Jared and the night of passion they had shared. As she neared her home her resolve to think of him no more firmed in her mind. It was a once in a lifetime experience, one she intended to savor, but she was home now and business had to be attended to.

Dinah was used to compartmentalising her life. In order to get the many things done she needed to have done to be successful she had to focus on one task at a time. For a long time her life had not included any men or thoughts of men. She would have to get back to that place, where her heart was safe.

Dinah returned to her life in Devon Bay, with a new summer menu to design for the Ultimate cafe keeping her busy, but her thoughts were repeatedly interrupted by memories of Jared Knight and the passionate evening they had shared. Her body could not forget her fevered response to his virile masculinity even as her mind strived to. She found herself staring thoughtlessly out the window at the changing season as spring tuned into summer when she should have been marshaling her staff and organising her business.

The issue of her lease had not been resolved to her satisfaction. Nothing had been decided upon firmly nor anything signed.

As spring came to an end the occupants of the block of shops where the Ultimate cafe was located received a brief notice from Knight Developments. It said: "In consideration of the busy summer season soon to begin, development of the block will be delayed until autumn." Dinah was hugely relieved, as were the other tenants of the neighbouring shops. It seemed her visit to Jared Knight had been positive after all.

Life continued in Devon Bay at its slow pace and Dinah could not stay in step with it as she used to. She longed for more excitement, and as she craved it she realised that as much as she wanted to ignore her desire she had felt more in that one evening with Jared than she had previously experienced in a lifetime.

Regular customers dropped in and were enthusiastic over her new seasonal summer menu, but Dinah failed to find enjoyment as she used to in their delight.

Then one-day as summer ended workmen appeared in the small block of shops. With their early morning construction noise Dinah remembered that with her lease nothing had changed. Although the start of building had been delayed the cancellation of her lease had not been officially withdrawn. Her business was still in jeopardy. She may have temporarily alleviated the situation, but now her heart was entangled in a big mess.

Shortly after the workmen arrived Jared himself deigned to appear. At least that was how it seemed to Dinah. When she was upstairs in her flat above the cafe, preparing herself for the morning rush, she heard orders being barked to the workmen whom she had become used to in the courtyard down below. Looking out of her window she saw Jared dressed in casual jeans and a polo neck shirt directing the men rushing about down below.

Exiting her flat into the cafe she cautiously turned on the espresso machine to warm up and began preparing her early morning cappuccino. She looked outside and caught Jared's gaze.

Dinah remembered the last time she had looked into those warm blue eyes. She had been in the throes of passion. Guiltily, she recalled how she had crept from his bed and apartment without saying goodbye and she fervently hoped he would not bring up her leaving him without so much as a kiss in the morning. She hoped that was how he liked his women to behave: great sex followed by no small talk the next morning. Wasn't that what all millionaire playboys wanted? Hopefully Jared would be true to form.

After taking a much needed caffeine boost she stepped outside.

"What are you doing here?" she asked as she approached Jared.

She had not meant her greeting to be so brusque, but she could not calm the nerves in herself nor release her immediate physical response to him. The man was just too gorgeous in casual jeans and a shirt! No man surely had the right to be that good looking so early in the morning?

"Well good morning to you too! That looks great, can I have some too?" he said. It took Dinah a moment to realise he meant the cappuccino and not her, and when she did she blushed to the roots of her perfectly clean and blow dried hair.

"Of course," she replied.

Dinah hurried into the cafe where she expertly brewed a cappuccino from the espresso machine. Relief washed over her. He hadn't mentioned their night together. Not yet anyway. Maybe it was so insignificant to him he just didn't care to remember. As Dinah frothed the milk to perfection she tried unsuccessfully to keep her mind from wandering to that night she had spent in Jared's bed, and Jared's arms, and his strong hard physique, which was evident even in jeans and a simple knitted shirt and which drove her wild! How was she going to keep her mind focused when he was around?

She walked back outside and handed the coffee to Jared. As Jared savored the caffeinated brew she wondered still why he was there.

"I found I needed to be more on site for this development than I originally anticipated," he said. It seemed, again, that he had read her thoughts.

"Progress is not as fast as I had hoped. With the delay in starting after summer was over we now need this to move along faster and I need to be here to supervise the work," he continued.

Dinah was not convinced, but she was pleased to see him again. For weeks he had disturbed her thoughts, to the point of her not being able to sleep due to her aching body remembering their passionate night of a few weeks ago.

"I've been thinking of your recommendations for the development and I think you may have been onto something. I'd like to discuss your ideas further," he said.

Dinah mind was focussed with intensity on the passion they had shared. She had been trying her best to forget their night a few weeks ago, and Jared's reference to that evening brought lust back in a rush. She could feel her face heating up and her cheeks reddening with a blush. She hoped it was not obvious and she felt a fool while she reasoned that he was only talking business.

"Of course, if you would like to discuss my ideas I would be only too happy to make the time. I have the cafe to open in a few moments and we close at three. How about we meet after that?" she said almost out of breath. Damn! Surely she could do better than appear like a love struck teenager in his presence! Dinah cursed herself for her inexperience. She was just not used to being around mega millionaire property developers like Jared Knight. His physical presence threw her off her usual balance. Just the sight of his wide chest and tight jeans, and the smell of him, threw her for a spin.

"Okay. I'll see you then Dinah," he said. His soft voice turned her name into a caress, and bestowing another devilishly sexy smile he turned away. With his back to her now she allowed herself to gaze longingly at his strong thighs in tight jeans as he walked casually away.

Jared smiled. As he walked away he wondered bemusedly why he had come so far for so little, but the thought was quickly squashed as he recalled how important the development at Devon Bay was to his company. He was there to ensure the development proceeded as planned, perhaps with some minor adjustments. He reasoned that Dinah's ideas on how the development could be altered to ensure a better outcome that would benefit his business. He needed to see her again to pick her brilliant mind and refine his ideas, and only that! Getting Dinah Luxford into his bed again would be a bonus. He could not dismiss this possibility as less than desirable.

He had spent the last few weeks burying himself in his work until he could no longer put off coming up to Devon Bay. When the decision to visit the site had been made he found himself looking forward to seeing Dinah again and that delicious body of hers. He had allowed his mind to wander back over their night together in Auckland, spending time in the evenings after work was done and socialising had ended to relive the memory. He did not stop to examine his sudden loss of interest in other women, rationalising it away as simply not having enough time. But he had absolutely no interest in the various blondes and sexy brunettes who regularly paraded their best assets in front of him. He did not notice them at all. When his mind did wander to the delights of the fairer sex, it was Dinah's body he thought of and her scent he could still smell in his nostrils.

Jared's visit to Devon Bay was necessary to oversee the beginning of the first stage of the development. It was his usual custom to be involved until he could trust his project manager to take over, once he was sure that everyone on board knew the plan intimately enough for him to step back. This process usually took a couple of weeks and Jared secretly relished having Dinah in his sights for an extended period of time. He figured that just the one night had not been enough to get her out of his system. Perhaps more time with her was necessary. Then he could go back to Auckland free and unencumbered.
As three o'clock approached Dinah was a bunch of nerves. She hustled her staff into finishing early making sure every detail was perfect. Vaguely, she wondered why it was so important but quickly dismissed the idea that it was because she wanted to be alone with Jared again. It was just because she wanted to ensure her ideas for the development of Devon Bay were taken on board and not anything personal.

It had been another long and hard day in the cafe and just before three o'clock Dinah left her most experienced barista in charge as she then fled upstairs to her apartment to quickly shower and change.

She slipped into a clean A-line skirt with a simple knitted top, and put on a small wrap around ballerina shirt over the top to ward off the late summer evening chill. She finished with a swipe of gloss to her lips and a brief swatch of mascara over her long lashes and reasoned that she only wanted to appear as her best in front of Auckland's most powerful property developer. She didn't want to appear as an unsophisticated country bumpkin, that was all. Then with a deep breath she slowly descended the stairs to the cafe.

As she finished her descent the sight of Jared entering her cafe transfixed her. He was dressed again in casual denim jeans, which hugged his strong masculine hips and thighs, but wore a simple white shirt and a black summer weight jacket over the top. He was the most gorgeous man she had ever seen and she wondered how she was going to be able to discuss business with him and not fall into a blithering mess of desire at his feet. She drew a deep breath and resolved to keep calm and business like for the meeting, no matter how much effort it took!

"Would you like a latte? It's too late in the day for a cappuccino, although I can make an espresso if you prefer?" she asked him.

"A latte would be perfect. It's been a long day and I need a caffeine boost," he replied.

Dinah was relieved to busy herself in front of the espresso machine, and prepared them both a perfect latte complete with a flourish of foam art on the top. She tried to limit her glances toward where he sat, completely comfortable on one of the couches and she noticed that he was looking with interest at the art supplied by local artists on the walls, and he was immersed in the ambiance of her beloved Ultimate cafe.

She approached Jared and set the coffees down on the table before him and felt her gut tighten in recognition of the energy that thrummed between them.

"You have a very… interesting establishment here," he remarked.

She looked around at her cafe. She had not looked at it for a while from a stranger's perspective and she realised then that her cafe had grown into quite an eclectic space.

"I've furnished this space for the comfort of the locals," she said. "I've got a few regulars and they like to take their time reading the paper in the morning and relax with their coffees. The comfy sofas mean people stay longer and spend more money, and all the art on the walls is created by local artists. I've created a space that feels like an extension of home, but also something a little more."