Brides, Babies And Billionaires. Rebecca Winters
let it be because it was a gift from a girlfriend.
‘I forgot to pack mine for when I changed after a game and borrowed Alan’s. Apart from when I’ve been given others, it’s the one I use.’
‘You wore it that night.’
‘For the first time.’ He flicked her an incredulous look. ‘You remembered how I smelt?’
‘You did get pretty close, Matt.’
‘Yeah, and then I lost you.’
They drove in silence for a while, both lost in thoughts of their meeting on the balcony, Matt’s focus on the road and Lauren’s out of the window.
Because of the long hot summer, the vegetation wasn’t as green as she’d hoped. Sneak views of houses between the trees, horses and sheep grazing, and colourful native plants drew her avid attention. Seeing a herd of alpacas in a small fenced area of a paddock thrilled her.
After exiting the freeway, they followed the signs through the small typical hills town and onto a winding, tree-lined road. High overhanging branches covered with autumn leaves of brilliant orange and brown shaded them from the setting sun. The verges were covered with more, tempting walkers to romp through them.
‘This is so peaceful. So Australiana. When we lived in the suburbs I used to dream of moving to a hills town. Any one of them.’ She shrugged. ‘Didn’t happen of course.’
Matt pulled over, switched off the engine and unbuckled his seat belt. He stretched his arm and unclipped hers, unfazed by the sudden apprehension in her eyes. Twisting to face her and taking her hands in his, he yearned for the glowing satisfaction he’d seen after they’d made love.
‘You had a few unfulfilled childhood wishes, didn’t you?’
She shrugged. ‘Doesn’t everyone?’
‘No.’ He ignored his ambition to work as a partner with his father. ‘Most of mine came true. I played Aussie Rules for the school, graduated from uni and travelled overseas. Considering my lack of vocal ability, becoming an international singing sensation was never going to happen.’
His heart swelled at the sight of her hesitant smile. Give him time and he’d make her radiant and happy.
‘I dreamt of being a dancer for a year or so.’ She gave a self-conscious laugh. ‘Of course, in my imagination I had no fear of appearing on stage in front of hundreds of people. The one time I was selected to read a poem I’d written at parents’ night, I took one look at all those faces, froze and bolted.’
‘So you wrote?’
‘I have a stack of notebooks full of poems and short stories, only ever shown to my best friend. Childish and not very good but fun. I haven’t written anything for years except reports or emails.’
Her fingers gripped his. His pulse accelerated. The temperature in the car rose rapidly.
‘I’ve been reflecting on my life lately and I’m beginning to realise my family and I just didn’t gel. Maybe they weren’t as much insensitive as bemused by the alien in their midst. And there were no other relatives around who might have made a difference.’
‘Will you discuss it with them when you see them?’
‘No.’ Short and sharp. ‘There’s no way it wouldn’t sound accusing and the past can’t be changed.’
He silently agreed with fervour.
‘I’m an adult with a good career and great friends. It’ll achieve nothing, and only cause pain.’
A car drove past, the driver beeping in customary rural friendship. Matt checked the time, then cradled her face in his hands.
‘Most assuredly an adult, Lauren Taylor. Beautiful and desirable.’
He intended the kiss to be gentle, reassuring, but almost lost control when she returned it with enthusiasm. Her hands slid up his chest to tease his neck, heating his blood to near boiling. Her body pressed to his fuelled the urge to have her alone somewhere quiet and private.
He broke away, expelling the air from his lungs, gasping in more as he feasted on her blushed cheeks and brilliant eyes. His hand shook as he redid his seat belt and started the engine.
As he struggled to find his voice again he mulled over her confessions of the last few days. He needed to know everything if he was to help her completely overcome her insecurities before she left.
Before she left. The very idea depressed him. Having her near lifted his spirits.
‘In five hundred metres turn right.’
The GPS interrupted his thinking and he slowed down.
LAUREN’S LIPS TINGLED from his kiss, and her heartbeat loped along in an erratic rhythm. She wanted to be alone with Matt, wasn’t ready for a whole weekend with comparative strangers who’d probably invited her for his sake. Her first sight of the property increased her reservations.
Well-maintained tall hedges formed the property’s boundaries with ornate stone columns and high elaborate gates protecting the entrance. She could see neatly trimmed red-and green-leafed plants skirtinged the winding gravel driveway, and a variety of trees and shrubs hid the house from view.
Matt pressed a button on a matching bollard, answered a disembodied voice and the gates swung open. They passed through, and for Lauren it was like entering another world, where money was no object and the traditions of generations would be strictly upheld. She had no logical reason for the feeling yet it was strong and overwhelming, negating all the assurances Matt and Clair had given her.
She gripped her hands in her lap, drops of sweat slid down her back and her stomach churned. Having lunch in public, with eating and waiter service taking up time, hadn’t been as bad as she’d expected. The dinner function had been so noisy, so crowded and bustling, interaction had been kept to a minimum.
She’d been coerced into a weekend with Matt and the Fords, dining with them three times a day, sitting with them in the evening. She’d be alone with Clair while the men discussed business. What did she have in common with a rich, influential woman whose life revolved around her husband, family and society friends?
She... Oh, they’d stopped as the car rounded a curve. Wide expanses of lawn had been laid as a fire break on the sides she could see. Ahead stood the house, a beautiful sprawling example of a colonial family homestead with a shady wide veranda on all four sides. It was painted in muted shades of green and brown, including the shutters, to blend with the surroundings. A peaceful harmonious haven. A millionaire’s paradise.
She was vaguely aware of the lack of engine noise, then Matt’s hand covering hers, raising the hairs on her skin, triggering warmth deep inside. Somehow it intensified the trembling she tried to hide.
She looked into sympathetic blue eyes and wished she’d been more honest and refused the invitation. So much hung on the impression he made this weekend, and she’d be a liability he’d regret.
‘I’m sorry, Matt. I made a mistake. This is a mistake. The dinner was one thing—this is way bigger. You and Duncan talk business, sport, topical news. You were brought up in the same social environment, probably went to the same private school. I’ll never fit in with your elite circles.’
A guttural rumble came from his throat and he placed two fingers on her lips. She swatted them away.
‘Clair is a caring, generous person with all the social skills. I’m a computer geek with hardly any. We’ll run out of conversation in minutes.’
His features hardened, sending an icy chill shooting across her skin as if she’d entered a supermarket freezer. She pressed into the seat, wishing she could disappear into it.
‘Those