the meltdown with his dad he’d raced down to Sydney to see Toni, his heart and head in turmoil. He’d wanted to tell her so many things, had wanted to spill out so many confused emotions. He’d missed her, missed having her in his life, and he’d been confident she felt the same about him. Vague plans had boiled in his mind. He’d move to Sydney and while she studied he’d find a job somewhere as a kitchen hand or apprentice cook. Didn’t matter what kind of job, as long as he could be with her.
When he’d spied her making out with Nick, all those wild plans had crashed and burned. He’d turned round and driven straight back to Piper Bay in shock. Toni hadn’t missed him after all. She’d been building a new life for herself which didn’t include him. She was happy, ecstatic even with that boyfriend of hers, and she didn’t need a loser friend latching onto her like a leech.
If the confrontation with his father had been a rude wake-up call, then witnessing Toni with Nick had been the extra punch in the teeth he’d needed. In hindsight Nick had done him a favour; stopped him from throwing himself on Toni and demanding she rescue him. No-one could save him except himself, he knew that now. But at the time it had felt as if he’d taken a bungy jump and forgotten the safety harness.
Now, Toni gazed at him, her expression troubled. “I wish I’d known. I wish you’d told me.” A note of accusation lurked beneath her words.
“Hey, you weren’t exactly around, remember? By that stage you weren’t coming up to Piper Bay very often.”
She blushed and nodded. They both knew she’d been too wrapped up with Nick to bother about anything else. “I know. Still, I wish you’d confided in me.”
He exhaled slowly, thinking of all the different paths their lives might have followed. “And I wish you’d confided in me when you started having problems with Nick.”
Twisting her fingers, she gave a deprecating laugh. “To be honest, I was too ashamed. Who wants to admit their marriage is in trouble and so soon? I thought it better to put on a brave act for everyone.”
“I’m not everyone, Toni.”
She gazed at him for a long time. “No, you’re not. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.” Reaching out, she brushed her fingers over his hand which rested on the bench between them. “You and I used to be so close. I – I don’t know why we drifted apart, but I want us to be what we were before. Don’t you?”
He didn’t want them to be the way they were before. That wasn’t enough any more. But she was touching him, and he couldn’t resist curling his fingers through hers and holding onto her. “Yeah, of course,” he muttered.
The corners of her lips edged up. “So, no more secrets?”
He tightened his fingers around hers. Heat thudded beneath his skin so hot he was surprised she didn’t notice. The dimness of the beer garden and the humid night air pulled them closer. He’d stopped noticing what was going on around them. All he could focus on was this woman, this childhood friend who should have been as familiar to him as his old teddy bear but was instead an alluring enigma who scrambled all his senses.
“No more secrets,” he replied, his voice husky as he lied to her.
“Good.”
A moment’s pause. Then, it seemed the most natural thing in the world to embrace her, and as he did so he felt her arms wrap around his waist. Immediately his senses were flooded – her scent, her ink-silk hair, her thigh rubbing against his, her breasts pressed up on his chest, her moist breath feathering his jaw. All his pent up fantasies boiled over in an explosion of sensory overload. Her breath grew warmer. When her lips skated over his cheek, fire streaked from his face straight to his groin. Twisting his neck, he angled his mouth down squarely onto hers.
He heard her swift intake of breath. She froze but didn’t pull away as he’d half-feared. He deepened the kiss, and a second later she began to
When he’d spied her making out with Nick, all those wild plans had crashed and burned. He’d turned round and driven straight back to Piper Bay in shock. Toni hadn’t missed him after all. She’d been building a new life for herself which didn’t include him. She was happy, ecstatic even with that boyfriend of hers, and she didn’t need a loser friend latching onto her like a leech.
If the confrontation with his father had been a rude wake-up call, then witnessing Toni with Nick had been the extra punch in the teeth he’d needed. In hindsight Nick had done him a favour; stopped him from throwing himself on Toni and demanding she rescue him. No-one could save him except himself, he knew that now. But at the time it had felt as if he’d taken a bungy jump and forgotten the safety harness.
Now, Toni gazed at him, her expression troubled. “I wish I’d known. I wish you’d told me.” A note of accusation lurked beneath her words.
“Hey, you weren’t exactly around, remember? By that stage you weren’t coming up to Piper Bay very often.”
She blushed and nodded. They both knew she’d been too wrapped up with Nick to bother about anything else. “I know. Still, I wish you’d confided in me.”
He exhaled slowly, thinking of all the different paths their lives might have followed. “And I wish you’d confided in me when you started having problems with Nick.”
Twisting her fingers, she gave a deprecating laugh. “To be honest, I was too ashamed. Who wants to admit their marriage is in trouble and so soon? I thought it better to put on a brave act for everyone.”
“I’m not everyone, Toni.”
She gazed at him for a long time. “No, you’re not. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.” Reaching out, she brushed her fingers over his hand which rested on the bench between them. “You and I used to be so close. I – I don’t know why we drifted apart, but I want us to be what we were before. Don’t you?”
He didn’t want them to be the way they were before. That wasn’t enough any more. But she was touching him, and he couldn’t resist curling his fingers through hers and holding onto her. “Yeah, of course,” he muttered.
The corners of her lips edged up. “So, no more secrets?”
He tightened his fingers around hers. Heat thudded beneath his skin so hot he was surprised she didn’t notice. The dimness of the beer garden and the humid night air pulled them closer. He’d stopped noticing what was going on around them. All he could focus on was this woman, this childhood friend who should have been as familiar to him as his old teddy bear but was instead an alluring enigma who scrambled all his senses.
“No more secrets,” he replied, his voice husky as he lied to her.
“Good.”
A moment’s pause. Then, it seemed the most natural thing in the world to embrace her, and as he did so he felt her arms wrap around his waist. Immediately his senses were flooded – her scent, her ink-silk hair, her thigh rubbing against his, her breasts pressed up on his chest, her moist breath feathering his jaw. All his pent up fantasies boiled over in an explosion of sensory overload. Her breath grew warmer. When her lips skated over his cheek, fire streaked from his face straight to his groin. Twisting his neck, he angled his mouth down squarely onto hers.
He heard her swift intake of breath. She froze but didn’t pull away as he’d half-feared. He deepened the kiss, and a second later she began to
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