Instant Family (13 page)

"We forgot dessert," cried Seb through a mouthful of sausage.

"Watermelon all right?" asked Alex.

Julian said, "Great, thanks."

Alex pushed his chair back. Chloe sprang to her feet. "At least let
me help with that."

"Follow me." Alex led her inside with a suddenly pounding heart.
Did the boys suspect anything? They were very sharp, that pair.
Would they see and interpret? Would they tell Chloe? But no, they
were talking about someone called Nicola they'd run into at Jamison.

He opened the fridge and removed the half watermelon. Chloe
pulled a knife from the knife block on the counter.

"This one?" she asked, holding it up.

"Yep." He undid the plastic wrap. She rinsed her hands in the sink
and dried them on the towel hanging on the oven door handle. Alex followed suit. This relaxed Chloe was the real one, the one the boys
loved and the grandma so staunchly protected. This was the woman he
needed to explore, the one she'd kept hidden from him. The one he'd
scared off with his anger.

He took a platter from the cupboard and set it next to Chloe, then
paused by her side, watching her slice the sharp blade into the thick
green rind of the melon. Juice flowed across the white chopping board
in a sweet pink flood and cascaded onto the granite countertop.

"Gosh, I'm making a mess," she said with a childish giggle. She
reached for the sponge and caught several drips before they reached
the edge and plummeted to the floor.

"I'm so glad you came"

Chloe didn't turn her head from her task, but the cheek he could
see turned a deeper pink. She resumed chopping.

"Thank you for the invitation." Very stiff. Very formal.

"The boys said you were home alone. You should have come over
earlier."

She glanced at him very briefly. A quick snatch of hazel eyes and
luscious lips before her face was in profile again. "Seb would think I
was checking up on him." She severed another slice from the melon.
"Anyway, I rarely have time to myself."

Alex smiled. "I have plenty."

"Does that worry you?" Still she focused on the fruit, deftly trimming the rind from the crisp flesh. Alex laid the slices on the platter,
the refrigerated chill contrasting sharply with the heat of his fingers,
his body. Far hotter than the warmth of the day warranted. His arm
brushed hers.

"No. I prefer working from home. I like being my own boss. It's
not as if I go for weeks without seeing anyone. I see clients and tradesmen on building sites all the time. I play basketball with friends once
a week. It's not the same as having family, though."

"I spend most of my time with children. I have way more young
students than adults." She laughed a self-conscious little laugh. "I
have my fill of kids. Sometimes I crave adult conversation."

"Come and visit me. I'll do my best to oblige."

Chloe paused to flash him a smile. "I wouldn't do that. You'd be
too busy. I'd interrupt something important." She cut the last slice
into smaller pieces.

Alex laid a hand on her arm, forcing her to stop what she was doing and look up into his face. He edged closer. "No. You wouldn't."

She half turned. Her eyes met his. The smile faded from her mouth,
to be replaced by uncertainty. Her lips parted, and she drew in a small
gasp of air.

"I mean it," he said softly. Her mouth was mere inches from his.
All he needed to do was bend his head, slip an arm around her waist,
and draw her against his body, a fragrant, delicious armful. All he
needed to do was place his lips against hers. Softly, so as not to alarm
her. Slowly, to give her time to refuse. Gently, to revel in the delight of
a first kiss. He could almost feel the softness of her mouth, taste the
sweetness. Her perfume intoxicated him, drew him to her. He was incapable of resisting.

She turned her head. "The boys love watermelon," she said shakily. She put down the knife.

"Good," he muttered through a throat thick with desire. "Chloe?"

Her head remained bowed, face hidden. Her fingers remained
pressed on the counter amid the juice and the discarded watermelon
rind. She breathed deeply. He longed to press his lips against the soft
skin of her neck.

"Chloe?" With one gentle finger under her chin, he turned her face toward his. She wasn't ready; he saw it instantly. He'd alarmed
her with this sudden advance into intimacy.

He smiled, leaned forward slowly, and kissed her cheek, closing
his eyes to better absorb and savor the brief contact, allowing his
cheek to rest against hers for a moment. A light floral perfume mixed
with barbecue smoke. Skin warm, softer than silk. Her breath held a
hint of orange juice. When he drew back, he saw that her eyes were
open, watching. She blinked, staring straight into his own eyes with
a cool awareness that stopped his breathing. It was his turn to feel
the prickling heat of embarrassment.

He never should have touched her. He couldn't hide the feeling behind his kiss, and he'd as good as made a declaration of his infatuation. By the expression on her face, she didn't welcome it. Or it
amused her. He couldn't tell. Emotional floundering. A very uncomfortable and unfamiliar sensation.

Taking refuge in action, he opened the cupboard beneath the sink.
"How come you never have any dates?" he asked in a louder, teasing
voice.

"What?" She frowned in bewilderment, but he could see relief behind the confusion. Relief that he hadn't turned that moment into
something truly awkward.

"You said on the phone, and I quote, `Take poor Chloe to lunch
because she never has any dates."' He dropped the melon rinds into
the rubbish bin.

"I had a date last week," she retorted.

"I know."

"How do you know?" She shook her head. "Don't tell me. Seb.
And men accuse women of being gossips. Sheesh!"

"Did you enjoy yourself?"

She looked him straight in the eye then. "Yes, very much."

He returned the gaze, unflinching, although the firmness of her
reply was like a punch in the gut. "Good. I'm glad."

She actually laughed in his face. "You don't sound it."

"I am glad. I'd hardly want you to go out and have a rotten time,
would I?"

She shrugged, the light still dancing in her eyes. "I don't know,"
she said. "You might."

And the woman he'd assumed was an innocent-vulnerable, fragile-picked up the platter of melon, raised her eyebrows saucily,
and sashayed out to the terrace, swaying her sexy behind for his benefit as she went.

A grin slowly spread across his face as he watched her go. He
shook his head and finished tidying the mess she'd made. The more
he discovered about her, the more he realized he didn't know her
at all. But he'd sure enjoy finding out. He'd have more opportunity
for skirmishing tomorrow. They'd all be swimming. She'd wear her
bikini.

"Don't want to go swimming." The lower lip pouted; the eyes
glowered threateningly. The red-shorts-clad bottom wriggled itself more firmly into the sofa cushions. "I want to watch my Barbie
movie."

Alex studied his six-year-old party pooper. He'd looked forward
to introducing her to Chloe and the twins, convinced they'd find her
as lovable as he did. But not the way she looked at the moment.

"You met Chloe at the music shop. She's nice."

"No, she's not." Two arms folded defiantly across the chest. "I
don't like her. She's a pooey-poo."

"That's ridiculous." Alex flung his arms wide in exasperation. What
had happened to his sweet, biddable baby girl? "Come on, honey."

Alex squatted in front of the sofa. "You need swimming practice.
Mum said she thought it was a good idea."

"I don't care. Swimming's pooey."

"You'll enjoy it. It's so hot today. Perfect for a swim. You can
watch TV when we come home."

"Don't want to."

"Steffie, we're going, and that's that. You need the exercise, and
you need the practice."

"Do not."

"Don't you want to be a good swimmer?"

"No."

Time for a change of attack. "If we stay home, you're not watching TV. We'll do something else instead."

"What?"

"I need to go to the vegetable markets." Guaranteed to horrify her.

"I hate the vegetable markets." The pouting face wrinkled in disgust.

"I know, but we need fresh fruit and vegetables."

"I hate vegetables. If I go swimming, may I have an ice cream on
the way home?"

Alex sighed. "Steffie, you know I don't like you eating too many
sweets. I'd much rather you had a banana."

"Derek lets me eat whatever I like." She stared at him, daring him
to bite. "So does Mummy."

Alex stood up. He wasn't getting into that discussion. He'd already
mentioned Steffie's diet to Lucy and been subjected to a rundown of
Lucy's busy schedule: caring for Steffie and baby Mark, who suffered
from allergies; work; husband; mortgage; car trouble; Derek's hernia;
his own idle selfishness in suggesting she wasn't a good mother; and
why couldn't he take Steffie more often?

"We'll stop at the markets after we visit Chloe. Go and put your
swimsuit on." He held out a hand, and she hung on as he pulled her
off the sofa and into his arms for a hug and a kiss.

When she'd disappeared, stomping into her room to change, Alex
picked up the phone and dialed Chloe's number. Julian answered.

"Is it all right if I bring Steffie over for a swim?"

"Sure."

"In about ten minutes?"

"Fine. We're all just hanging out by the pool anyway."

"Chloe too?" An image of her smiling at him in the car flashed before his eyes. Sweet dimple, sparkling eyes. Gorgeous.

"Yeah, she's here."

Silly how her heart beat faster when Julian said Alex was coming
over with his daughter. Ridiculous how, when he kissed her on the
cheek, she'd nearly gone into cardiac arrest. Stupid to lie awake half
the night thinking about every nuance of that kiss, how his cheek had
felt against hers-slightly rough from beard stubble-his skin smelling
of the barbecue and his breath of sausages-and that other scent that
was peculiarly his.

Thinking how surprised she'd been. How she didn't know how to
react when he said in a voice quite unlike his usual one that he'd like
her to visit. She'd really thought he was about to kiss her. Such a shock. And then he'd turned her face toward his, placed a finger so
gently under her chin. Stunned was the only word for her reaction.

Lying awake at three in the morning, she'd considered the motivation for such an intimate gesture. Or was it as intimate as she'd
thought? Was it simply a friendly kiss such as friends or relatives
would exchange? How could she tell? She barely knew Alex. She
didn't know what sort of person he was. He might be one of those
kissy people who hardly need any excuse to plant one.

If that was the case, what had been his reaction to her little display as she left the kitchen? Had he fallen on the floor laughing at
her clumsy attempt at being sexy? Or was he horrified at her complete misinterpretation of what he'd meant as a gesture of friendship? He'd almost immediately begun teasing her about her dates,
showing her he wasn't serious. Too long between kisses, Chloe. Too
long since a man had paid her that type of attention. She'd lost her
judgment, and she hadn't even realized she'd become desperate.

Whatever he thought, she wouldn't make the same mistake again.
When he brought his daughter around, she'd be distant politeness
personified. Chloe dropped her library book onto the verandah, pried
herself off the banana lounge, and went to change out of her bikini
and into something less revealing.

They arrived shortly after she sat back down, clad now in mint
green shorts and a sleeveless white T-shirt. The boys were leaping in
and out of the pool, trying to see who could jump the farthest and creating tidal waves in the process. For once there were no hangers-on.

Alex opened the gate and ushered his daughter in ahead of him.
"Hello," he called. Shorts. He had on baggy khaki board shorts again.
He carried a blue bag with a yellow and orange towel dangling from
the open top.

Chloe stood up. "Hi. Hello, Stephanie."

The child was staring at the boys through the safety fence. She had
on a red T-shirt and shorts outfit, which made her look exactly like
a little, round, overripe tomato. White zinc cream had been smeared
across her nose and cheeks. She tore her attention away from the
rowdy antics in the water and stared at Chloe instead. Alex nudged her
and murmured something Chloe couldn't hear.

"Hello, Chloe," she said, but no smile struggled to the surface.
The whole sulky demeanor screamed, I don't want to be here.

"Thanks for inviting us." Alex smiled down at the sullen lump beside him. "Steffie needs lots of practice swimming, don't you, hon?"

"I hate swimming." She bent and scratched one leg ostentatiously.

"The water's really warm," Chloe said. "Come and put your things
down on the verandah. Do you need to change?"

"No, we've got our swimsuits on underneath" Alex waved to the
boys, who yelled greetings before resuming the leaping and splashing. He mounted the verandah steps. "Aren't you swimming?"

His eyes took in her shorts and top, then bored into hers for a moment. He smiled, and a spark of something crackled between them.
What was he thinking? Was he wondering what she'd been on yesterday?

Chloe shook her head, knowing her cheeks had turned pinker
than could be explained by the sun. "I'm reading."

"Daddy, I'm thirsty. I want a drink." Stephanie yanked at his arm.

"Water's in the bag, hon." Alex put the bag on the verandah, where
it fell over and spilled out the brightly striped beach towel.

"I don't want water." Two gray eyes stared at Chloe. "I want something else."

"We have milk, orange juice, or cordial," Chloe replied. Not a
please in sight. Surely Alex didn't approve of this behavior, especially when visiting. He'd been quick enough to criticize her own
parenting skills when Seb was involved.