Second Chance (16 page)

Slinky appeared as if from nowhere
with cobwebs hanging off his ear and an innocent expression on his face.

“Oh ho.”  Picking up the white
kitten, Tam wiped off the cobwebs.  “Where did you find these, young man?”

Slinky waved one paw in the air,
trying to catch her wagging finger.

“You better show me where this spider’s
web is so I can do a search and destroy mission.”  She placed Slinky back on
the floor and waited.  “Not going to cooperate, hey?”

Slinky shot a leg up in the air
and proceeded to wash his man bits.

“That’s lovely.  Really classy.” 
She gave him a gentle nudge with her foot.  “Web?  Spiders?  Ring a bell?”

From her perch on the hall table, Gretel
blinked slowly.

“You don’t think he can do it.”
Tam stroked the ginger cat.

Gretel purred, arched her back.

Slinky fell over and dug his claws
in the hall runner, dragging himself along in delight.

“Oy!”  Tam grabbed him.  “I don’t
think Grant would like that.”

Obviously unimpressed, Slinky did
a somersault and took off down the hall, veering into the bedroom by the simple
process of clawing onto the runner and spinning around and through the door.

Now that was the cat equivalent of
being given the bird.

Grinning, Tam dropped her bag in
the kitchen and checked the board for any notes.  Finding nothing there, she took
the copy of Grant’s usual shopping list off the ‘fridge and saw that he’d
ticked off what he’d used.

The man was efficient, even if he
was a bit of a jerk.

Fergus was still lying on the
armchair upside down where he’d been when she’d arrived.

“Don’t get up,” she told him as
she passed.

Fergus greeted this with one eye
and a snuffle before going back to sleep.

Relocking the front door, Tam headed
into town to do the shopping.

The grocery store was owned by
Will, a rotund, grey-haired man who also worked in it.  He greeted Tam
cheerfully.

Grabbing a trolley, glasses
perched on her nose, list in one hand, Tam started at one end and worked her
way through the aisles.  Having already done the shopping for quite a few
people who used her Aunt’s services, she was familiar where everything was
kept.  At the last aisle she saw Shelley Preston chatting with Harry.

Mrs Preston took one look at her
and beamed.  “How is it going with you and young Grant?”

Oh, so not going there.  “Fine.”

“Everything going well?”

“His house is easy to clean, his
shopping easy to do.”  She smiled pleasantly.  “Did I not do enough of your
shopping the other day, Mrs Preston?”

The elderly lady waved a hand at
the small basket on her four-wheel walker.  “Fancied some chocolate biscuits
and my dear niece, Julia, gave me a lift here to pick some up.”  She leaned
closer confidingly.  “Julia would cook me some biscuits but I really fancy the
caramel filling of these biccies.  Just don’t tell her I said so, I’d hate to
hurt the dear girl.”

“Your secret is safe with me.” 
Tam mimed zipping her mouth shut and throwing away the key.

Harry waggled his eyebrows.  “Hear
you and young Farris were doing some dirty dancing at the pub the other night.”

Mrs Preston’s brows drew together
in disapproval.

“No dirty dancing,” Tam hurriedly
reassured her.

“Farris?  You went out with
Farris
?” 
Mrs Preston tutted.

“It was a friendly couple of
hours.  Besides, he’s a nice bloke.”  Seeking to divert the conversation, Tam
said hurriedly, “I hear the Stealth Thief took Winnie Dalton’s undies from her
washing basket.  Can you imagine?  Very distressing.”

“What about Grant?”

Good grief.  “Nancy’s little kid
is upset that her hand puppet has gone missing.  That Stealth Thief has a lot
to answer for, don’t you think?”

“Grant,” Mrs Preston persisted. 
“What about Grant?”

Geez.  “I have to go-”

With surprising dexterity, Mrs
Preston shifted her four-wheel walker into the path of the trolley, effectively
stopping Tam’s retreat.  “Farris is a nice young man, but dear, he can’t handle
you.”

Tam gaped in surprise.

“You need a real man,” Mrs Preston
continued.  “Farris needs a nice, sweet woman.  You’re not that woman.”

Holy heck.  “Geez, Mrs Preston.”

“I mean this for your own good. 
And I don’t mean you’re not sweet in your own way.”  Mrs Preston turned to Harry. 
“What do you say?”

Harry’s eyebrows shot up.  “Hey,
I’m just a bystander.”

“
What
do you say?”

“I say you’re trying to get me
shot.”  Harry looked Tam.  “I’m not getting into this.”

“Into what?”  A new voice queried.

Tam looked around and groaned
silently.  Del and Molly were both standing there behind them.  Molly held a
small basket with a variety of goodies in it while Del had her hands in the pockets
of her shorts.

“Nothing,” she assured them
quickly.  “Nothing at all.”

Unashamedly, Molly switched her
attention to Mrs Preston.  “Tell me, I’m all ears.”

“There’s nothing-” Tam began
desperately, but Mrs Preston cut her off.

“Tam and Grant.  They make a
lovely couple, don’t you think?”

A slow grin spread over Del’s pretty face as she eyed Tam’s crimsoning cheeks.

Molly pursed her lisp
thoughtfully.  “Hmm, now that you mention it…”

Tam glared at her.

Molly winked.  “You and Grant
looked really intense dancing together last night.”

In delight, Mrs Preston pressed
one hand to her bosom.  “You and Grant danced?”

“One dance,” Tam replied shortly. 
“I was there with Farris.  Everyone kind of changed partners.”

“Partner swapping,” Del said.  “Who’d have thought that would happen in Gully’s Fall?”

Harry guffawed.

“They danced really close,” Molly
confided to Mrs Preston.

She gasped happily.

“How would you know?” Tam
snapped.  “You weren’t even there!”

“Word gets around,” Molly replied. 
“When you’re mashed up against someone so tight you couldn’t wedge a strand of
hair between you, it gets noticed.”

Good grief.  Rolling her eyes, Tam
shifted the trolley and managed to evade Mrs Preston’s four-wheeled walker.  “I
have to get this done and get back to cleaning.”

“She washes Grant’s undies.” Molly
winked at Mrs Preston.  “Handles his unmentionables that hold his
unmentionables.”

Mrs Preston stopped smiling to eye
the irrepressible Molly.  “Young lady, that is not the kind of language one
uses in public.”

“Sorry.”  Eyes sparkling with
mirth, Molly looked anything but remorseful.

Leaving the group behind, Tam
powered on ahead, finishing the shop in record time.  Annoyed, she placed the
shopping bags in the back of the ute.  She was just placing the last bag in
when a finger tapped her shoulder.  Turning, she came face-to-face with Molly.

“Hey,” Molly said.

Tam leaned back against the ute. 
“Come to apologise?”

“Hell, no.  Why would I do that?”

“You’re a shit stirrer, you know
that, right?”

“And yet I’m so cute.”  Molly
fluttered her eyelashes.

Del, standing beside her,
grinned.  “She tries that with Kirk.”

“Does it work?” Tam asked dryly.

“Yes,” said Molly.

“No,” said Del.

Hands on hips, Molly tossed her
ponytail.  “Most times it does.”

“Only when he lets it.”

“Pooh.”

“Other times you get
the look
.”

Molly folded her arms.  “I haven’t
had
the look
in at least three days.”

“No, he got you up the duff again
instead.”

“That wasn’t from
the look
.” 
Molly paused, grinned.  “Actually, yeah, it was from
the look
.  It was a
pretty hot
look
.”

“I rest my case.”

“But it wasn’t from a recent
look
.”

Amused, Tam pulled the canvas
cover over and fastened it down securely.

“Anyway, Tam,” Molly helped with
the last clip, “We actually came out to invite you to movie night.”

“Movie night?”

Del held up the two plastic bags. 
“Junk food and a horror movie tonight.  Thought you’d like to come.”

Tam was taken aback.  “That’s
really sweet.”

“You’ve been here for a couple of
weeks, you’ve met us all at some time or other.  Come on, it’s just a fun
night, relax, unwind.”

It sounded good.  It was true, she
had met them all at different times and enjoyed their company.  To be included
in one of their movie nights was really nice.   But knowing that Grant was one
of this group of friends, Tam tried to find out if he’d be present without
being obvious about it.  “It might be too many.”

“We can always fit in one more.”  Del shrugged.  “Some of us sit on the furniture, others on the floor.  Don’t sweat it.”

“So who else will be coming?”

“The usual.”

“Um…”  Even though she really
wanted to go, the thought of facing Grant was a little uncomfortable.  Maybe
she should refuse, make an excuse.  “I-”

“Unfortunately, Grant has to work
tonight,” Molly said.

“He does?”  Relief and, confusingly,
disappointment, combined.

Del cut her eyes to Molly.

“Yep.”  Molly nodded.  “So we’ll
be short one, but hey, that’s the way it goes.  Anyway, one of us will pick you
up.”

If Grant wasn’t going to be there,
she could relax.  “No need, I can drive.”

“Nonsense. It’ll be more fun for
you if you arrive with one of the mob.”

“You can come with me and Moz,” Del offered.  “We’re on the food run tonight, so you can help us carry everything.”

Put like that, it would be
churlish to refuse.  “Sure.”

“You happy with pizza?  That’s
what most of us voted for.”

“Pizza works fine.  How much is my
share?”  Del named an amount and Tam handed her the money.

“Whatever is left goes towards
drinks,” Del said.  “Going by years of experience, that pretty much covers it.”

“Fine with me.”

“Excellent.  I’ll ring the order
through and we only have to pick them up.”

Molly started moving away.  “See
you at our house tonight.”

“Okay.  Looking forward to it.” 

Feeling a lot happier, Tam got
into the ute as they left.  A nice evening out, relaxed company, just what she
needed.

Once at the house she unloaded the
ute, quickly packing everything away.  Slinky and Gretel investigated the
contents of the bags while Fergus sat hopefully at her feet with his tongue
lolling out.

Laughing, she gave them some food,
crossing her fingers that Grant wouldn’t notice.  She’d clean it all up before
she left.  Which reminded her - she glanced at the clock.  He’d be finished
work in another two hours, she had to get a  move on, get the cleaning done and
disappear before he returned.

She had the washing on the line,
the floor vacuumed and mopped, and was wiping the sweat off her brow when she
remembered the cobwebs that Slinky had found.  With an hour left to spare, she
started searching the house.

She was on her hands and knees
under the office desk with the duster in her hands when a voice drawled, “What
a tempting sight.”

Crap on a stick.

“Just the right position to learn
a lesson.”

Holy heck
and
crap on a
stick.

Chapter 6

Backing out from under the desk
fast, Tam scrambled to her feet clutching the duster like a weapon.  Swivelling
around, she saw Grant leaning with one shoulder against the door frame, arms
crossed over his chest, long legs crossed at booted ankles.

Geez, he looked good.  His shirt
was neatly buttoned but the sleeves were rolled carelessly up to just below his
elbows, revealing the corded muscles of his forearms.  The waistband of his
jeans hugged a lean waist, and his black hair was faintly dishevelled, a thick
lock falling across his brow.  His pose was relaxed, his eyes anything but. 
They scanned across her as though he had x-ray vision.

Wondering if she was wearing the
lime green bra with the black polka dots,  perhaps?  That thought didn’t bring
happy memories.   

Play it cool
.  Tam started
towards the door.  “I was trying to find some cobwebs that Slinky got tangled
in.”

“Slinky finds lots of things no
one else can.”  He didn’t shift, watching her approach with a gaze like…

She gulped.  Like a predator
tracking prey.

Suddenly he didn’t look so
relaxed.

“If you could move?”  Politely, she
raised her eyebrows and moved forward again, stopping at arms length.  Surely
he’d take the bloody hint. 
Move move move.

Those grey eyes stayed locked on
her face.

Talk about unnerving.  Not to
mention the fact that seeing him also brought back memories of how hard and
warm his body had been pressed against hers -
don’t think about it.
  She
cleared her throat.  “Aren’t you needed at work?”

“I’m finished.”

A quick glance at her watch.  “You
still have an hour or more.”

“Willis is finishing clinic.”

“Oh.  Well, that’s nice for you. 
I’m just leaving.”  When he simply stayed put, she added,  “So if you’d please
move?”

“No.”

Uh oh.

He didn’t move, didn’t shift even
an inch, but suddenly he seemed taller, more broad-shouldered, bigger.  More
threatening.

Her grip tightened on the duster. 
“I can’t very well crawl though the window.”

His head angled to one side as he
studied her.  “I’m not moving, Tam, because, you see, you’re in the perfect
spot right now.”

That didn’t bode well.  “I really
don’t see-”

“There’s no one around, nowhere
you can run.”

Her heart jittered.  If she
tightened her hold on the duster anymore she’d snap the handle.  “This is
ridiculous.”

“No.” He straightened, arms
falling to his sides as he stood directly in the doorway.  “What’s ridiculous
is your refusing to tell me what’s wrong.”

“Nothing’s wrong.”

“Like hell.”  His eyes narrowed. 
“Time to spill the beans, Tamara.  You cracked a sad at the river and I deserve
to know why.”

Her mouth fell open.  “
You
deserve to know
why
?”

“Yeah, I do.  And you’re going to tell
me.”

“And you can take a flying leap
off a tall cliff!”

One step forward brought him
almost toe to toe with her.

Oh boy.  The heat from his body
was almost tangible.  His shoulders and chest blocked out the view of the
doorway, and when he leaned down to look her right in the eyes she could see
the little lines spreading from the corners of his, a testament to laughter and
squinting in the sun, and a firmness of jaw that was testament to his
determination.  Not to mention a surprising dominant streak she hadn’t thought
him capable of.  Cripes, he’d been so easy-going when she’d first met him, easy
to fluster, much like the boy of years ago.  But now…

A lesser woman might have buckled
under the force of his gaze, but Tam was made of sterner stuff.  Standing her
ground, she placed her fists on her hips and glared up at him.  “I’ll scream.”

“Go ahead.”

“I mean it.”

“I don’t care.  Scream.  Rant,  rave. 
But you
will
tell me what happened.”

“You’ve got some nerve, Wilson.”

“Tell me.”

Teeth clenched, she glared up at
him.

He held her gaze, neither
flinching nor glancing away.  The silence between them lengthened.

“This is ridiculous.”  Side-stepping,
Tam started past him.

“Not happening.”

She’d taken no more than two steps
when his arm wrapped around her waist, she was swung around and shoved back
against the wall beside the door.  While she gaped up at him, startled, he
braced both hands each side of her shoulders and leaned forward, the muscles beneath
his sleeves bunching as he took his weight easily.

Her heart not only jittered, she
swore it skipped a beat as she stared up into Grant’s glittering eyes.  His gaze
raked over her face, slid to her lips, lingered before those heavy lashes
lifted and that gaze bored right into hers.

“You will tell me right now what
happened out there.”

“Grant…I don’t…”  Desperately, she
tried to gather her scattered wits.

“That I can see, one of either two
things happened,” he stated grimly.  “The call you got on that bloody mobile,
or I did something wrong of which I had no idea.  Now I don’t have the patience
for farting around any longer.  You tell me right now what happened.”  When she
opened her mouth to retort, he grated from between clenched teeth, “
Right
now.”

Finally regaining her wits, she
scowled.  “Really, Grant?  You really don’t know?”

“Does this look like I know?” he
demanded.  “Would I really have you pinned against a wall if I knew?”

“If you’re playing with me-” she
began furiously.

“I’ll be playing with you
afterwards,” he shot back.  “Right now I want you to tell me what the hell is
going on inside that head of yours.”

Furiously they looked at each
other as the clock on the wall ticked the seconds away.

Grant wasn’t going to let her go,
that was the bald truth.  He wanted answers and until she gave them, he fully
intended to stay right where he was.  Keeping her where she was, pinned between
his arms against the wall.

The dominating position would have
been hot if the circumstances had been different.  Which they weren’t, and
that, surprisingly, hurt.  That hurt wasn’t an alien feeling, unfortunately,
but oddly enough it bothered her a lot more than it had done with Anthony and
Peter.

It was that realisation that made
her suck in a deep breath.  Dropping her head forward, she folded her arms, the
stupid duster still clenched in one hand.  Closing her eyes, she breathed
deeply, forcing her heart to slow down - or trying to.  Having Grant so near
was doing weird things to it.

How much to say?  Say it all?  Why
the hell not?  Then he’d realise she knew his game and wasn’t interested in
playing it. 

Fine.  Good.  Wipe that bloody
self-righteous expression right off his mug.

Lifting her head, she firmed her
jaw and looked him right in the eyes.  Okay, no self-righteousness there, but
still, who knew what he was thinking?

“I’m waiting,” he growled.

“Fine,” she snapped.  “I don’t
play those games, Grant.  I don’t play
your
games.”

“I’m not playing games.”

“Oh, really?  So out at the river
when you were kissing me?  Let’s not forget the…” She stumbled, fell silent,
not sure how to word it.  Embarrassed, really.

“My hand up your blouse, my hand
on your breast?” he stated bluntly.

Her cheeks flared.  Geez, talk
about forthright.  “Yes.  That.”

Another bloke might have found it
amusing.  Grant just watched her like a hawk, waiting.

“You were quick enough to do
that
,
but I didn’t miss the little fact that as soon as someone appeared you were off
me and standing up like you wouldn’t touch me with a ten foot pole.”  Even just
the memory hurt.  Damn it.  She took refuge in fuelling her anger.  “You told
me to get up and dressed.”

His gaze didn’t falter.  “That’s
it?”

“That’s it?”  Really, he’d just
said that? 
“That’s it?”

“You got your panties in a bunch
because I didn’t want anyone seeing you half dressed?”

“I got my panties in a
bunch
because you were happy to grope me while no one was around, but you were bloody
fast to get away from me as soon as other people appeared!” she yelled, losing
total control even as part of her groaned.  “Jesus, Grant!  If you don’t want
to be seen in public with me, then at least give me the courtesy not to pretend
to be interested!”

His eyes took on a stormy cast. 
“What did you just say?”

“I’m not into this hiding from the
public!  I’ve done it before, more fool me, and I’m not doing it again!”  She
prodded him in the chest.  “You don’t want to be seen getting amorous with the
fat girl, you don’t get near me at all!  Are we clear?”  Leaning forward, she
snarled, “Are.  We.  Clear?”

His nostrils flared, his voice
dropping dangerously low.  “Let me get this straight, you little hellcat.  You think
that I didn’t want anyone to know I was kissing you?”

She glared at him bitterly.

“You believe I give a tinker’s
toss what other people think?”  Abruptly he pushed back, spinning to stride
across the office floor.  “You really think that?”

“Yeah, I do.”  Tam started for the
door.

“Stay right there!”  His voice
snapped out like a whip.

Her feet stopped before she
thought about it.  That only made her angrier.  “Screw you.”  She walked
through the doorway with her head high.

Okay, she really didn’t expect him
to take that lying down, but the last thing she expected was for him to grab
her wrist, pass her, and tug her right down the hallway and out the front door.

“What the - are you throwing me
out?” she demanded in mortified anger.  “At least let me get my bag!  The keys
to the ute are in there!”

Without a word Grant stormed out through
the front gate into the middle of the road, dragging her behind him, where he
stopped, spun about and yanked her into his arms.

Her eyes widened in shocked
realisation. 
Oh shit!  Surely he isn’t-

He was.

He did.

Right in the middle of the road
where everyone and anyone could see them, Grant kissed her.  He hauled her
right up against him, one hand curved around a generous bum cheek, the other at
the back of her head, pulling her up into him, and he kissed her.  Hard.  Deep. 
Long.

Hands gripping his broad shoulders
to stop herself from tipping backwards as he leaned over her, her senses
spinning, Tam couldn’t believe it.  Shock, delight, embarrassment, it all
seared through her.

Not to mention heat.  Oh yes,
delicious heat that roared through her veins, spread outwards, sparked over her
skin.

He took her breath, devoured her
mouth like she was the last favoured dessert he’d ever eat.  Kissed her like he
wanted to lick her right out.  Swallowed her essence like he wanted to fill
himself with her.

Pulled her hard against him so
that she felt his growing arousal, the hard bulge that pressed so demandingly
against her.

It was a long kiss, a deep kiss,
an earth-shattering kiss.  It made her blood sing, her nerves jitter, her
answering arousal flush hotly.

When he finally lifted his head,
his eyes glittered down at her with carnal heat, but instead of saying anything
sweet, anything sexy, he snarled, “I don’t give a shit who sees me kissing you,
who knows I want to pull you beneath me and ride you until your thighs ache
with the length of time I’m between them.  I don’t care who knows I find your
curves hot, your lips pure temptation, or the fact that I want to kiss those
blistering words right out of your sassy mouth.”

Holy
heck
.  Mouth open, she
could only stare up at him, totally flabbergasted, totally flummoxed, and
totally turned on by his words and actions.

His eyes went hotter.  “That open
mouth only makes me think I’d like to fill it with a part of me that you’re not
ready to handle right now.”  The colour was high on his chiselled cheeks.  “But
you will be.  Just not yet.”

Holy heck! 
She just
couldn’t think, couldn’t speak, so shocked and hot that not one thought could
get a grip in her brain.

He eyed her narrowly, nodded with
sharp satisfaction, slid one hand down to capture hers, swung around and
stormed back through his gate.  Right past Harry standing on the footpath with
his jaw almost on the ground, Yvonne standing shell-shocked with Morganna
looking around hopefully for Tiny, and Jill and Eric watching in scandalised
delight.

Not in the least fazed, he gave
them a sharp nod, a snarled ‘G’day’ and continued through the front door.

Tam was mortified.  In a
completely naughty, exhilarated, horrified way.

Grant pulled her past him, shut
the door sharply and swung to face her.  Hands on hips, chest rising and
falling with every heavy breath, he glared down at her with a mixture of anger
and lust.  “Got something to say now about me not wanting to kiss you in
public?”

“I…”  She blinked stupidly.  “I
can’t believe you just did that.”

“Honey, there’s a lot more I want
to do right now to you.”  One big hand smacked onto the wall beside her head,
making her jump.  “A whole hell of a lot more.”

She certainly noticed how close he
was to her, how he towered over her, how the muscles in his forearm flexed and
his biceps bunched inside his shirt sleeves.

A shiver of desire went through
her.  Cripes, she should be yelling at him, storming out, anything but just
standing there with her heartbeat kicking up several notches, her nipples
pebbling against her shirt, and her womanhood all -
don’t think about it!

Don’t think about what?  The fact
that his dominant side just plain turned her on?  That his dragging her out to
kiss her in public had her knees weak?  That this unexpectedly commanding
attitude had her a little dizzy?