Page 43 of Road to Rosalee

‘Oh, yeah, I do.’ The flyscreen door between them felt like a brick wall.

‘Well, aren’t you going to invite me in so I can fix it?’

‘Oh, yeah, sorry.’ She moved back and, after kicking off his boots, he stepped inside.

Zai strolled past her with a loose-hipped swagger, and she couldn’t help the fact that her eyes went straight to the perfection of his butt in his Wrangler jeans. She could only imagine him in a bar back in Sydney – he’d only have to pull up a stool and before he’d even ordered a drink, women would be swarming him like bees to honey. A burly manly man like him could have his pick of the litter.

‘So how are you feeling today?’ He glanced over his shoulder. ‘A bit how-ya-doin’, I bet.’

‘Very sore, but I’ll survive.’ She followed him into the kitchen, trying to look anywhere else but at his chest as he stripped off his T-shirt. ‘I’ve already got everything out from underneath the sink.’

‘Great, thanks.’ Totally at ease in her company, as if last night had never happened, he tossed his shirt over the back of the dining chair. ‘I’ll get to it then.’

‘Mm-hmm,’ was all she could get past the beating of her heart in her throat. Was he taking his shirt off for good reason or just to tease her, show her what she was missing out on? She had to silently admit it was one hell of a lot – he was a whole lotta man.

She watched him lie on his back and squirm into the cupboard beneath the sink to get to the blocked U-bend – with his broad-shouldered build, it was a tight fit, but he got there, after a bit of grunting and groaning. She felt like a complete idiot for accidentally tipping the tea leaves down the sink at some ungodly hour this morning. Although, she had been sleep deprived and a little high on painkillers.

‘Can you pass me that shifter, please, Mel?’ Zai’s hand shot out and he gestured to the vicinity of the dining table. ‘I went and left it over yonder.’

‘Oh, yup.’ Reaching out, she grabbed it and quickly passed it to him. ‘Here you go.’

Melody found herself glued to the spot, her gaze stuck to him. With his attention elsewhere and unable to see her, she had free rein to perv to her heart’s content. What she’d give to trail kisses over his tattooed chest, then slowly downward over his six-pack abs to the place that disappeared beneath the timeworn leather belt. She imagined the scene that could transpire if she gave in to her yearnings. There was no doubt the sexual tension between them would explode the minute her lips touched his. She envisaged him swiping everything to the side and hungrily lifting her up onto the kitchen bench. His breath would be hot and heavy as he tore at her clothes, his deep voice teasing her while she stripped him of every inch separating them from being skin to skin. Then, with both of them gloriously bare, he would pause, his hand cupping her face as he kissed her assertively, bringing her to a toe-curling point, begging for him to be at one with her. Needing her too, he’d succumb to her pleading and, grabbing her hips, he’d thrust deep inside her, claiming her, making her his as she clung to his shoulders, gasping. Her face buried in his neck, she would moan at her tingling ascent to ecstasy and he would join her as they jumped over the edge together, sweaty and breathless and shuddering, mind-blown and completely satisfied …

It was at this point that Melody realised her eyes had closed and she was leaning against the kitchen bench for support, her legs trembling, her hands gripping the hem of her shirt. Heat travelled from her head to toes, filling all the gaps in between in the most dizzying of ways. Her breath was hitched, her bottom lip caught between her teeth. Her wakened libido growled from deep inside and before she had time to stifle the flurry of emotions, a moan surfaced. Her hand instantly went to her mouth to stop another, and it was only then that she realised just how fast her heart was beating.

‘Did you say something, Mel?’ Zai’s voice travelled from beneath the sink, as did the clink of the shifter.

‘N-no. Nope.’ Not thinking straight and needing to do something, anything, with her hands, she went and dumped the glass of water she’d left there this morning into the sink, subsequently dumping it all over Zai. ‘Oh shi—’ She stopped short, grimacing.

‘Hey!’ Shooting up to sitting, Zai smacked his head on the ledge of the cupboard on the way out. ‘Ouch, shit.’ His hair and face were drenched. ‘Good on ya,’ he said, with a goofy grin.

Melody basically watched the egg on his forehead form before her very eyes. ‘Oh my god, Zai, I’m so sorry.’

‘Is it a doozy?’ He brought his fingertips to it. ‘Dang tootin’ straight it is.’ He grinned again. ‘Far out, talk about making a man work for his supper.’

‘You did a job of it.’ She dashed and grabbed the same bag of peas she been defrosting against her ribs last night. Returning to his side, she knelt down and pressed it to his head. ‘And who said anything about supper?’

Zai rested his hand over hers, both of them now holding the peas in place. ‘You did, just then.’

‘Ha, you’re good, Zai Wellstone.’ She was unable to stop the grin spreading across her face. ‘I suppose I should make you some dinner, seeing as you’ve sustained a head injury from helping me out.’

‘Oh, you might have twisted my arm.’

Melody enjoyed their familiar banter – it helped make everything feel natural between them again. ‘You reckon you could handle lamb chops with a potato bake and …’ grabbing the bag of peas from where Zai had just plonked them to the floor, she held them up ‘… peas?’

‘Oh, it’ll be a tough gig, but I reckon I could.’ With his knee-buckling smile, he ducked back out of sight. ‘Although, to be honest, I think I can do one better.’

‘How so?’ Her curiosity piqued, Melody bent to try to see his face.

‘I’m going to cook for you.’

‘You are, are you?’ Bam. Another jolt of whatever he seemed to do to her hit her fair and square in the belly. ‘Is it safe?’

‘What, in here?’ His deep voice carried from the cupboard.

‘No.’ She crouched down and was finally able to meet his eyes. ‘I meant, is it safe letting you cook for me?’ A smirk itched to surface on her lips.

His eyes turned rousingly playful. ‘You saying I can’t cook?’