The Bad Boy's Redemption. Joss Wood
pedal of the wheel with some force. He watched his clay ball shoot across the wheel, skim the rim and fall on the floor. ‘Whoops.’
Lu snorted with laughter.
‘Think you can do better, Mermaid?’
What Lu didn’t realise was that her pedal was next to his left foot. She was so busy trying to get it right that she didn’t notice his foot sliding over hers until he pushed down hard. Her wheel spun furiously and her ball skidded across it. Lu yelped, turned in her seat and slipped her clay-covered hand onto his chest, leaving a perfect imprint of her fingers.
Blue-green eyes glinting with mirth met his as she fought to find an innocent expression. ‘It could have been worse,’ she said on a shrug.
‘It could?’
Lu grinned. ‘I could’ve slapped your face.’
Will leaned forward and placed his wet, clay-covered hand on her cheek. ‘What? Like this?’
Will kept his hand on her cheek as her mouth opened and closed like a guppy looking for air.
‘You...you...’
He didn’t think—couldn’t think. He just placed his lips and swiped his mouth across hers in a kiss that was as shocking as it was stunning. Lu sighed into his mouth and planted her hands on his chest—intending, he was sure, to push him away. But her fingers curled into his T-shirt and gripped the fabric instead.
She tasted of sunshine and excitement, of cherry lip balm and surprise. Her perfume swirled up from her heated skin and he adored the scent. He yanked her off her stool and whirled her away from the wheel, up against a tall cupboard. He moved into her, needing to get closer, needing to feel her feminine form. Will lifted his hands to hold her face, tipping her head so that he could taste all of her mouth. Lu made a sound of approval that sent all his blood rushing south. She was heat and light, softness and courage, too much and not nearly enough. But he couldn’t stop—didn’t want to stop.
He knew he had to, because if he didn’t he never would.
It took everything in him to lift his mouth from hers, to pull her head to his chest and rest his chin in her hair. ‘God, Lu...’
Lu muttered something unintelligible and he thought he felt her lips flutter against his shirt.
‘I wasn’t going to do this,’ he muttered, but the words were barely out of his mouth before he dropped it back to hers.
Her mouth parted to his insistent tongue and his hand drifted over her shirt, palmed her breast. Will felt another wicked flash of lust scuttle through him as she angled her head to allow him deeper access. Moving her hands, she ran her fingers across his taut stomach, let them drift lower before settling them low on his narrow hips.
‘Lu, you’re not helping!’ Will pulled back, gripped her arms and kept her an arm’s length away. He tried to inject some assertiveness into his voice. ‘We aren’t going to do this!’
Lu cocked her head at him. ‘Do you always walk away?’
He knew what she meant. ‘Yeah. Always.’
‘Why?’
Will dragged his hand through his hair, pushing streaks of clay through it. ‘Have you ever seen a fire when it’s been put out?’ he demanded. ‘It’s a wet, soggy, dirty, disgusting mess.’
‘Ah, so you walk before it even gets the chance to become messy?’
Essentially. Some sparks, especially this one between him and Lu, had the potential to become a raging bush fire. But even bush fires couldn’t rage for ever. And the bigger the fire, the bigger the mess. No, it was smarter just to keep this simple, platonic.
Because they had to work together, because he really did have fun with her...but mostly because he hadn’t been so tempted to walk into the blaze in a long, long time.
‘OK, back up.’ Lu wiggled her way out of his grip and leaned back against the cupboard. He looked at his hands. They were now only smeared with clay. She had clay in her hair. It was streaked over her shirt, her hips, down her neck.
‘You’re filthy,’ she said, echoing his thoughts.
Will’s finger drifted down her cheek. ‘So are you. And, oh, crap...if we hadn’t been going straight home we are now.’
Lu frowned. ‘Why?’
Will motioned to her chest, where his palm print covered her left breast. ‘Kind of a big clue about what we were up to.’
Lu looked down and closed her eyes. ‘Pottery lesson a no-no, then?’
Will nodded, his expression rueful. ‘It should definitely go on the things not to do list.’
‘Along with skydiving,’ Lu added quickly.
‘Oh, I will get you up there.’ Will promised.
* * *
After work on Friday Lu slipped into Old Joe’s, a popular bistro in the middle of Florida Road. Pushing her sunglasses up onto her head, she smiled at Mak before placing her cheek on his and breathing in his scent. His pale pink shirt looked stunning against his skin, his tie was raspberry and his tailored pants were undoubtedly designer.
‘I can’t stay long. I’m meeting Will to go ten-pin bowling with him and some of the squad,’ she told him, hanging her tote bag off a globe chair and sitting on the brightly coloured cushion.
‘I don’t have that much time either. I just wanted to tell you that Deon got into St Clares!’
Lu let out a delighted whoop before throwing her arms around Mak’s neck and kissing his cheek.
‘That’s such fabulous news, Mak!’
‘It is, but now that school is a reality the fear that he’s going to be bullied again is back. In him and in me,’ Mak admitted, sucking on what looked like a double-thick berry milkshake.
Lu fought temptation, lost, and ordered the chocolate equivalent. She was going for a run along the promenade later. She’d work it off then.
‘He’ll be fine, Mak. I promise. St Clare’s doesn’t tolerate any type of bullying.’
‘I hope so,’ Mak said eventually, leaning back in his chair. ‘Anyway, back to you. Does this mean that you and Will are dating?’
Lu shook her head. ‘No. Well...no.’
‘That sounded convincing...not at all.’ Mak pushed his empty glass away. ‘So, what is going on between you?’
‘I don’t know... I think we’re friends, but we have this sexual buzz.’
‘So he’s shoved his tongue down your throat?’
Lu gasped, blushed, and immediately thought back to that inferno-hot kiss they’d shared in the pottery studio. After holding her for a while he’d pulled back slightly, looked at her, and dived in again. His firm lips, the play of muscles under her hands, the feel of his big hand covering her not-so-big breast... His erection hard against her lower stomach, tenting his shorts...
He touched her and melted her brain. If he hadn’t gathered up his car keys and mobile and yanked her to the car she would have let him take her there on that dusty floor.
Since then they’d both pretended it hadn’t happened...and they were very, very careful to avoid touching each other.
‘Can I get you anything else?’
Mak’s eyes didn’t leave Lu’s face to look at the hovering waiter. ‘A fire extinguisher would be helpful. I need to cool her down,’ he said in a bone-dry voice.
‘Makhosi!’ Lu hissed. She blushed as she looked up at the confused waiter. ‘Ignore him. Thanks, but we’re fine.’
‘So, do you want to answer my question now?’