The Lawson Boys: Alex (25 page)

“I see.”

“Do you?” she
asked doubtfully.

“Did you tell
her we were meeting?”

“I started to,
but she and Maryanne were off and running and - I’m sorry, Alex. Is
it okay?”

He laughed. “Of
course it’s okay. I remember how Becky is when she gets an idea,
she hasn’t changed that much from her school days.”

Harly sagged in
relief.

“We’ll do the
DVD another night, maybe tomorrow. So, what time do I pick you
up?”

“I can drive
over, save you coming all the way back.”

“And miss out
on my goodnight kiss? Not on your life.” Just the sudden huskiness
of his voice had her toes curling. “What time?”

“Ummm…” It took
her several seconds to think clearly. “Six fifteen?”

“I’ll be there
at six.”

“We’ll be too
early.”

“Gives us a bit
of time to fool around before we go.”

Something hot
and delicious coiled low in her belly. “Do you think that’s wise?
We can’t be late.”

“Oh, baby,
maybe you’re right.” Now his voice sounded almost predatory in it’s
growl. “We’ll save that for when I bring you back home. We’ll have
all night.”

“All night?”
Hand on her chest, Harly took a deep breath. “Really?”

The phone
started to beep.

“Sorry, Harly,
gotta go, that’s an incoming call for Paul. I’ll pick you up
tonight, all right?”

“All right.”
The phone went dead in her hand and Harly slowly put it back on the
cradle.

Fooling around
after because they’d have all night.
Wow
. Did that mean Alex
was going to stay the night with her, or was he just teasing?

With a little
shiver of anticipation, she knew she was going to find out.

When the café
finally closed, she stopped at the supermarket to pick up assorted
snacks before heading back to the house.

After taking
Buffy for a walk - Sunny tagging along, jumping in and out of
bushes and chasing various things - Harly fed her furry family
before showering and washing her hair.

It was tempting
to linger in the warm water but mindful that Alex would be arriving
soon, she got out, dried and dressed in warm slacks, a long-sleeved
shirt and a woollen cardigan that she’d knitted the previous
winter. Fastening her hair up into a loose knot on top of her head,
she teased out a couple of long strands to bob around her cheeks,
swiped on some lip gloss and sprayed on a light perfume. About to
step into a pair of sneakers, she heard the front bell clang and
glanced at the clock on the dressing table. Six fifteen. Where did
the time go?

Opening the
front door, she smiled at Alex. “You’re late, Mr Lawson. You said
six o’clock.”

“I wasn’t game
to arrive too early and get carried away with fooling around.”
Grinning wickedly, he wrapped his arm around her waist and lowered
his head to sniff at her nape. “Mmmm, nice perfume, Miss Bentley.
Are you trying to entice me into being naughty?”

“I didn’t think
the male of the species needed much enticement.” She couldn’t stop
the little shiver of delight that swept through her when he placed
his lips against her neck and pressed little nibbling kisses along
the length.

Good God, her
knees were going weak.

Grabbing hold
of his shoulders, she said a trifle huskily, “Um…Alex…” Or at
least, she tried to say something, but the man’s magical mouth had
a way of making her thoughts scatter.

He laughed
against her throat, his breath a warm rush that had her blood
pooling low and hot in her loins. Lifting his head, he looked down
at her with twinkling eyes. “Why, Harly, you’re looking a little
flushed.”

“Really?” She
fanned herself with one hand. “I have no idea why.”

“Then I’m
obviously not doing it right.” He leered at her. “I guess it’s my
duty to show you the correct way after.”

“After
what?”

“After
tonight.”

“Tomorrow?”

“I mean after
dinner.” He shook his head in mock sadness. “Have I rattled your
senses?”

“You always
rattle my senses.” Stepping back, she sought to regain her
composure by looking down at her socked feet. “I have to get my
sneakers on.” And put a little distance between herself and this
very masculine man before she embarrassed herself by swooning like
a maid of old, or jumping his bones like a harlot.

No doubt Alex
would prefer the second choice.

“What’s so
amusing?” Alex asked.

Glancing up to
see him watching her suspiciously, she grinned widely. “Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.”

“Hmmmm.” He
eyed her closely. “Care to share your thoughts?”

“Not in this
lifetime.”

“Oh-ho! Dirty
thoughts!”

“What? No!”

“Come on, share
those dirty thoughts with me. Maybe I can work them into…” He
waggled his eyebrows. “…later.”

Shaking her
head and laughing, Harly backed away. “Later will come a
lot
later if we don’t get moving. I don’t want to be in a compromising
position if Becky phones.”

“Right.” He
sighed. “Okay. Raincheck.”

“We’re taking a
few of them.” She trailed back into the bedroom.

“Too many.
We’re going to have to remedy that.”

He was waiting
by the front door when she came out and when he held out his hand
she automatically gave him the house keys. The trip to Becky’s
didn’t take long, and Harly relaxed in the warmth of the Jeep’s
heater while listening to Alex chat easily about his day with
Paul.

Maryanne and
Brent arrived not long after Harly and Alex, and it wasn’t long
before they were all sitting down and eating the delicious roast
that Becky had cooked. Time passed pleasantly and eventually they
all sat in the lounge room, drinking tea and eating the snacks that
Harly had brought.

Becky brought
out the photo albums and they sat and reminisced about their school
days, laughing at their clothes and the goofy expressions Paul
would insist on making whenever he was photographed.

Sitting beside
Alex on the sofa, Harly was more than conscious of his arm on the
back of the sofa behind her, his body close, the warmth of him
permeating her very clothes. She was tucked under his shoulder and
it felt like the most perfect fit. It wouldn’t have taken much to
snuggle down against him, but with Maryanne casting her little
glances of approval, she felt too self conscious. As it was, they
were hip to hip, squashed together so that Brent and Maryanne could
also sit on the sofa.

Once, not so
long ago, she would have felt awkward, as though she was the cause
of there not being as much room on the sofa, but Alex had a way of
making her feel, well, smaller, if that was possible. Maybe it was
because his presence seemed to surround her, or maybe it was the
way the top of her head only came to his chin height when they were
sitting with him slouched back. Or maybe it was because when she
glanced up at him, he smiled down at her as though she were the
only woman in the room worth looking at. His eyes were soft, his
mouth a gentle curve, his arm on the back of the sofa
protective.

“Have a look at
this.” Paul handed Harly a photo.

“Where did you
get it?” Alex looked over Harly’s shoulder.

“Your Mum sent
it to me. Proud as punch she is of her little boy.”

“She has a
right to be,” Becky said. “Alex looks handsome. You’re just
jealous.”

Paul
scoffed.

Looking at the
photo in her hand, Harly had to agree. Alex was leaning back
against an army tank, laughing at something another soldier was
saying to him. In uniform he looked a little more dangerous,
especially with the machine gun that was pointed barrel down in a
relaxed hold. Dust coated his uniform, and he looked sweaty and
hot, but he also looked happy.

“Army life
suits you,” Maryanne said to him.

“I like it,”
Alex replied.

“Be all right
for a single bloke,” Brent observed, “But it must be hard on the
married ones.”

Alex shrugged.
“Sometimes, but I know many married couples who make it work.”

“I guess it
depends on the amount of trust a couple has between them,” Maryanne
said thoughtfully. “And if they could handle being separated for
long periods of time.”

“I don’t see
why it needs to be a big issue.” Harly handed the photo back to
Becky. “Sure, it’d take work, but what marriage doesn’t? And why
would it be so different to those couples whose partners or
husbands and wives work on mines in fly in, fly out jobs, or out on
oil rigs?”

“Because
they’re usually only gone for four or six weeks at a time, not six
months or even longer,” Maryanne replied.

“Sure, and even
those couples can break up. Couples who are together every night
and weekend break up. Yet there are military couples who have long,
happy marriages regardless.” Harly took a sip from the hot cup of
tea. “What about those couples whose marriages survived years of
war when the men were gone for ages? Not every marriage where the
men and women are separated for long stretches are doomed for
failure.”

Maryanne looked
directly at her. “How do you think you would cope?”

Okay, quicksand
ahead. Harly eyed Maryanne warily, but was nevertheless blunt in
her answer. “I think I’d cope just fine. I have my life, my
interests, and that is what I would continue with while my husband
was away. You only have to shift priorities when he returns, then
it’s a compromise. It’s not easy for the men either, you know.”

“Alex is
grinning like a Cheshire cat.” Paul saluted him with a Tim Tam.
“What are your thoughts? Especially seeing as how you’re in the
Army.”

Curious, Harly
waited for his answer.

“I think any
partner of a military personnel knows they need a life while their
partner is away. The marriages I know of that work, the wife and
husband, or partners, spend their time together when he’s home, and
when he’s away she runs the home and has still has a life. Some of
the couples don’t live on the bases but have their homes a couple
of hundred miles away, and they’re together whenever they can be.
It doesn’t work for everyone, but it can work for those who choose
to make it so. It can be lonely.” His gaze dropped to study Harly’s
face. “But it’s worth it. When a solider is overseas, he knows he’s
not alone when there’s someone waiting for him back home. Someone
special. Sometimes that’s what keeps him going, knowing he’s
fighting for the freedom of those he loves.”

It was a
poignant sentence and she couldn’t help but give his hand a little
squeeze which he returned gently, his gaze steady upon her, the
warmth of his expression stealing through her.

“I couldn’t do
it,” Maryanne announced.

“You couldn’t
wait for me?” Brent’s eyebrows shot up.

“Well, I could
for you, but honey bunch, I like you here every night.” She
fluttered her eyelashes at him.

“That’s because
you want me to check out every noise you hear in the house at
night.”

“You have to be
good for something.”

He rolled his
eyes.

“Oh, look at
this!” Becky laughed. “Here’s a photo of you two.” She handed it to
Harly. “Remember this? We were playing cricket and Alex and - I
forget who the other kid was - anyway, they were the captains and
were choosing players, and Alex had just chosen you amongst the
first.”

Studying the
photo, Harly felt a warm surge go through her.

“I remember I
was trying to perfect my photography technique, and was
photographing everyone and anyone,” Becky added. “Remember,
Paul?”

“How could I
forget?” Paul groaned. “You got that shot of me with my arse
hanging out of my torn jeans. I didn’t half cop it from Mum when
she saw it.”

“Not my fault
that Brent hung the photo up on the school noticeboard and your
teacher just happened to be a friend of your Mum’s,” Becky
retorted.

Their voices
and laughter faded into the background as Harly looked at the
photo, seeing in it things she hadn’t thought a camera would ever
capture.

She and Alex
were in profile, she looking up at him with adoration on her young
face, he looking back down at her with that kind smile she suddenly
realised had a little more to it that just the kindness he’d always
shown to others. There was gentleness in his smile, a touch of
tenderness he’d never had when looking at other people.

It had her
catching her breath, and she turned her head to look up at him,
only to find Alex gazing down at her with almost the same
expression. Gentleness, tenderness, but now also a spark of heat
deep in the depths of his eyes.

Their gazes
locked, her heart flipping in her chest, emotion surging up inside
her as a myriad of thoughts bombarded her at once.

He’d cared for
her then, just as he cared for her now, only now his emotions were
mature, experienced, so much more than she could ever describe. But
it was undeniable. His teenage gaze was caring and kindness, his
adult gaze was sure, confident, caring, kindness and unbridled
heat. And something more.

Love
.

But it’s not
just from him, is it?

Her heart
stammered in her chest as realisation hit her hard. The adoration
of her teenage years had never vanished, it had just been pushed
aside, but the arrival of Alex, his awakening of her, had brought
that adoration to life, but it was something more, so much more
than just a teenage fancy. It was -

A light
flashed, breaking through her thoughts, and she turned and blinked
to find Becky laughing and holding a camera.

“Perfect!”
Becky crowed. “Now I’ll have a young and old photo to match!”

Paul rolled his
eyes.

“Delightful,”
Harly managed to say lightly, even as her whirling thoughts
clamoured for attention.