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“Oh, right. You learn well, grasshopper,” she said when he eased back, grinning at his chuckle, pretending that she wasn’t so hot for him in that moment that she could just take him on the spot.
“So, we’ll consider it.”
“We’ll consider it,” she agreed.
“It’s a big step.” He pulled away and she dropped into step beside him as they headed back down the track.
“For sure. We have to have some rules.”
“Yeah, the dogs aren’t allowed to watch.”
“Haha.” She had an impulse to take his hand as they walked, but really that wasn’t just friends with benefits. That was couple stuff, and they weren’t doing that. So, she shoved her hands deep into her jacket pockets to restrain herself.
Chapter 6
Rafe turned his car into the driveway at Nora and John’s, feeling a little thrill of anticipation when he saw Mikayla’s car parked in front of the big shed at the end of the drive. He came to a stop behind her and as he was pulling the keys from the ignition, he felt a tightening in his chest when he saw her car door open. She hadn’t gone inside yet. She was waiting for him. He got out and circled behind the car, meeting her beside the passenger door.
“Hey.”
“Hey. How’s it going?” She was caught in the wash of light from the porch, her face was in the shadow, but he imagined he could see her smiling at him.
“I’m good. How about you?”
“Yeah, good. Just, you know, thinking.” She stepped closer so that they were a breath apart. “How about you?”
“Same.” And wasn’t that the truth. He’d thought of little else but her offer since they’d walked down off the lookout. He drew a sharp breath as he felt her run her hands up his chest. “What are you doing?”
“Just giving you a bit more to think about.” She brushed her lips ever so lightly across his, pulling back as they heard the door to the little cottage open and Callum step out, walking across the yard to the main house. Mikayla stepped back, into the fall of light from the verandah, her smile simultaneously seductive and cheeky as she turned away to greet her brother. She began chatting casually with him as they walked up the steps and into the house. Rafe stayed where he was for a long moment. Although the contact had been fleeting, it had left him feeling hot and bothered, which he was pretty sure had been her exact intention. He grabbed the bottle of wine that he’d forgotten about the minute he saw Mikayla stepping out of her car, and climbed the few steps onto the back verandah. Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he opened the door, smiling as he stepped from the laundry room into the kitchen.
The enticing aroma of roasted lamb and vegetables wafted over the kitchen, making his stomach grumble. He greeted Nora with a kiss on the cheek, earning an absent smile as she vigorously stirred the gravy. It was a big, country kitchen with a wide bench that overlooked the dining area. A picture window above the sink gave a view, through the back veranda, to the backyard and the little cottage that was currently occupied by Callum. Rafe, completely at home, greeted Harry, Nora’s Scottish terrier with a pat. Then he hunted in the second drawer for the bottle opener while Callum collected the wine glasses.
“You can help me set the table,” Mikayla said, taking the glass of wine he offered her and giving him a sassy smile as she took a sip, then placing it on the bench headed into the dining room. He followed her to the oak buffet that lined the sidewall. She opened the top drawer and handed him the tablecloth, turning at the same time as he did. They bumped against each other, jostling in the narrow space between the buffet and the dining table. “Oh, sorry!” she said, her eyes dancing with mischief. She’d done it on purpose.
“You are not,” he said under his breath, stepping back to lay the tablecloth out. If someone had told him that the simple act of setting a dining table could generate a world of torment, he wouldn’t have believed them. But here he was, tortured as Mikayla moved around the dining room, casually brushing by him but slipping her hand across his butt as she did so. She deliberately dropped cutlery when he was behind her and bent down to pick it up, giving him a great view of her ass. While no one was looking, she squeezed by him on her way to the kitchen so her breasts brushed against his chest, despite there being plenty of space to pass through.
They sat down for dinner, but with Rafe’s senses so unbearably heightened, he found it hard to focus on the conversation. Nora grabbed his attention, though, when she said, “Listen up, my loves.”
A hush fell over the table.
“So, as you know, today is a momentous occasion for me,” Nora began. “Three years since I beat cancer.” She paused, swallowing convulsively. John took her hand in his, squeezing it encouragingly. “It’s a disease that has ravaged this family and I thank whatever God there is that it didn’t take me, this time. You were all a great support to me, in so many different ways and I also thank whatever God there is, for each and every one of you, every day.” She reached for her glass, holding it up and waiting while they all raised theirs. “I love you all, with all my heart. Here’s to beating cancer.” They all clinked their glasses together over the table, then Nora gestured to Mikayla, “And check your boobs.”
“Got it, Mum.” When conversation picked up again, Mikayla turned to Rafe and said, her voice just above a whisper, “Although, you know, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to get a second pair of eyes…or hands, on them. Just to be sure.”
“Jesus, Mik, you are relentless.”
She grinned at him, reaching under the table to rub his thigh. She left her hand there for a long moment before sliding it up, perilously close to his groin, then pulling away. Her gaze was wide and innocent as she looked at him, choking on his beer. “You okay?”
He cleared his throat. “Sure.”
When dinner was over, and the kitchen cleaned up, Nora said she wanted to take the party outside.
“Seriously, Mum? It’s freezing out there.”
“Yes, Callum, I do. Help your father with the firepit. And don’t grumble! It’s not every day your mother celebrates beating cancer.” She pushed to her feet on the words, smiling at Callum as he rose too. Satisfied, she moved around the table to give him a tight hug.
With the outdoor heater on and the fire going in the pit, it wasn’t too bad on the back deck, despite the fact that their breath fogged on the air. Rafe, emerging from the kitchen with drinks for everyone, barely managed to stop himself from rolling his eyes when he saw Mikayla, shoes off, curled up on the outdoor sofa, patting the seat next to her. He handed out the drinks and then sat down, shooting her a look when she threw a soft blanket over both of them. She was seriously laying it on thick, which was simultaneously funny and frustrating.
The rest of the evening wasn’t too bad. It was pretty hard for Mikayla to do too much damage with her hands above the blanket and her parents right there. At around eleven o’clock, however, Callum said he was going to bed, as he and John had an early start in the morning.
