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‘Mac, I shouldn’t have kissed you. Both times. It’s my fault we’re going to get stick from the family.’
He was off the hook. If he let her take the blame. ‘It took both of us to make that kiss so hot. If I hadn’t been totally immersed in kissing you I’d have remembered what we agreed to.’ It was impossible not to lose himself in her kisses. This was like coming out of a drought and soaking up all available water to the point of saturation. Doubt there was any such thing as too many of Kelli’s kisses, but he had to try. ‘Let’s aim to keep ourselves under control. A little bit anyway.’
‘Got any suggestions on how to go about that? Apart from one of us moving to a different resort for the weekend?’ The words were sharp but there was confusion in Kelli’s beautiful eyes. ‘I don’t understand. It’s as though when we’re away from work there’s nothing keeping us apart. Like when we were in Sydney.’
Don’t mention Sydney.
That night was etched into his brain, right at the front where there was no avoiding it. ‘Unfinished business?’ Ouch. ‘We didn’t want that night to finish.’ Until he’d wised up outside her door and left to go to his room alone.
Relief pushed aside whatever else Kelli had been thinking. ‘You’re right. We’ve had one amazing time together so naturally we want to do it again. But we can’t. We work together now. Imagine how we’d deal with spending eight hours a day in the same department if we repeated ourselves? It would be next to impossible. I’ll stop kissing you.’
At least one of them was being rational. Shame it wasn’t him. ‘You’re right.’
He wanted to risk messing with his job? To take Kelli to bed and put up some more memories, then have to see her day in, day out, so close he would know her scent, her voice, her everything? ‘Come on. Let’s head to the bar and join the rest of your family.’
No amount of challenges or teasing from those guys could be as difficult as this conversation. There were no answers to half the things they were talking or thinking about. He was not in the market for romance. Could not bear the thought of losing someone else even if he had love to spare. Somehow over the coming hours and days he’d have to dig deep and find that remote place he favoured so much. The place that kept his heart safe and his head on the job, not on a lovely, sexy, fun woman.
‘The helicopter’s back. That means everyone from my family’s here. And Jason.’
‘Can’t wait to meet him,’ Mac muttered. Couldn’t wait to show him that Kelli was unavailable. For the next few days at any rate.
And then what? When the wedding was done and they’d all returned to Auckland City what would happen between him and Kelli? Would Monday night be the big announcement night?
Hey, guys, Kelli and I are calling our engagement off. See you around some time.
Mac shuddered.
Kelli nudged him with an elbow. Even that was a hot move. ‘You realise this is when we break the news of our engagement to everybody outside my immediate family? Mum will be expecting it, and Dad will have got the champagne ready.’
‘How did your mother take the news?’ Kelli had sent him a text to say her father had done as he’d said and spilled the beans. She hadn’t said anything else and he didn’t know how to read that.
‘She’s all over the place with it. Excited to have another wedding to plan for. Believe me, she gets her thrills from organising events and people. But then she rang me and demanded to know why you and not Jason, and gave me the low-down on all his good points. I can recite them off by heart. Then her next call was to ask when we want to get married. How many people we would be inviting.’
‘It’s going to break her heart when we pull out.’
‘No, it won’t. She’ll carry on, changing one groom for the other. Win, win. Or should that be lose, lose?’
‘You’re nibbling your bottom lip again.’ Cute and spoke volumes of her distress. ‘Is it okay to hold hands while we walk in to join everyone?’ He wanted to give her security, show he was on her side, at her side, had no regrets about volunteering to be here for her. ‘Or is that a bit like kissing? Too much contact?’
‘We’re going to drink to our engagement. We’re meant to hold hands.’ Nibble, nibble.
He wanted to kiss those lips, gently possess them so she’d stop gnawing. He couldn’t, not if he wanted to keep the fire roaring through him under control—at least a little bit.
CHAPTER SEVEN
‘BILLY, LEANNE—THIS is Mac Taylor. I’m sure you’ve heard about him by now.’ Kelli bit back on the excitement. If this moment had been for real she wouldn’t have been able to contain herself.
Mac and Billy were shaking hands, her brother giving her fiancé a thorough going-over.
‘Give him a break.’ Kelli elbowed Billy.
Leanne gave her infectious laugh. ‘Mac, you and I have to talk about the Barnett crowd and how they like to flex their muscles around outsiders. I have a few tips that’ll help you contain them.’
Mac gave Leanne a peck on her cheek. ‘What are you doing now?’
‘About to sip a drop of champagne to celebrate your engagement.’ Leanne didn’t sound the least put out that this was supposed to be exclusively her night.
But Kelli had to make doubly sure she knew she hadn’t deliberately tried to spoil her fun. ‘I’m really sorry this got out, Leanne.’ Sort of true, though no point going through the whole deal if no one knew. ‘We don’t want to take anything from your special weekend.’
‘Believe me, I’m glad some of the heat’s being transferred off us. I’m already feeling overwhelmed, and it’s only going to get worse. What if I botch the ceremony? Trip up, or get my words all wrong?’
Kelli slipped her arm through Leanne’s. ‘Who cares? This is all about you and Billy. He loves you and if you say something not in the script he isn’t going to mind. Perfect’s highly overrated and boring. Just relax and enjoy the weekend. It’s your wedding, not a movie set with a tyrant for a director.’
Leanne sniffed and squeezed her arm tight against Kelli’s. ‘Thanks, sister-in-law-to-be. You’re right, but it’s hard to be calm when everyone’s rushing around asking have you got this, done that, ready for it all.’
‘Go hug Billy,’ and get him away from interrogating Mac. She nudged Leanne gently. ‘He’s your rock, and understands what you’re going through.’
/> ‘You know the right thing to say when people are in a state, don’t you?’ Mac was back at her side, none the worse for having Billy check him out.
‘I try.’ Something she’d learned as a youngster dealing with the bullies, and had never stopped doing.
Loud voices and laughter came from the reception area that ran the length of the bar room. Mac stared across the heads. ‘I take it that’s your mother?’
Kelli didn’t need to look. ‘That’s Mum in full organisational mode. She’ll be counting heads, checking who’s still in their suite and not here for the first glass of champagne.’ Pride filled her. Mum was good at this sort of thing.
‘You’re a little like that, though a lot quieter,’ Mac commented. ‘There’s no doubting you’re related. She’s a very good-looking woman.’
The air hissed out of her lungs. How was she supposed to walk away from this man next week? ‘You could charm a rattlesnake if you tried,’ she gasped.
‘Never had the opportunity.’ That was all Mac had time for before his hand was grabbed by her mother.
‘You must be Mac. Welcome to our weekend.’ Mum was doing a fast but thorough perusal of Kelli’s fiancé.
‘Thank you, Mrs Barnett. I’m happy to meet you all.’
‘Then you’re a brave man,’ her mother said. ‘Warning, drop the Mrs Barnett fast. I’m Trish.’ Her eyes were still watching him too closely.
Feeling sorry for Mac, Kelli interceded. ‘Did you get the crayfish sorted?’
Of course she would have, but for once Kelli was all out of things to say. Having Mac here as her fiancé was making her belly wind tight, and tighter. This was not how she’d ever thought she’d be announcing to the world she’d be getting married. The fact it was a lie only made it worse, and she wanted to call a halt, to tell everyone she’d made a mistake and wipe the untruth away. But once it had been put out there it would never go away. Even when she announced the engagement was off there would be comments and commiserations.
‘Hey, Kelli, how are you? I hear you’ve got some news to share.’
