Jillaroo from Jacaranda, page 25
Molly nodded, her gaze perceptive. ‘That’s really beautiful, sweetheart.’
Mark regarded her through fatherly eyes. ‘Did you ever feel any of that with Finley?’
‘No, never,’ she said definitively.
‘Hmm. That says a lot.’ Mark looked to Molly. ‘Wouldn’t you agree, Mol?’
‘Damn straight I do.’ Molly looked to Rose, a fierceness in her eyes now. ‘I think, Miss Rose, that you need to stop dillydallying, and go and get your man.’
Eyes widening, Rose sat up straight. ‘You do?’
‘Hell, yes, we all do.’ Heading up the front stairs, Heath answered for all of them.
* * *
His irritation rising a couple more notches as the sun rapidly descended behind the mountain ranges, Ty met the cantankerous glare of the bull he was trying to push up the loading ramp. ‘Get in there, you stubborn bugger,’ he huffed. ‘We haven’t got all bloody day.’
The bull finally did as he was told and, acting quick, Ty thrust his weight against the cattle trailer’s rear door, locking it shut. He gave the door a rap. ‘All tucked in safe and sound, mate,’ he hollered to the driver.
‘You’ve got yourself a good haul this time round, mate.’ Rodney Rogers flashed a gap-toothed grin out the driver’s window of the road train. ‘Will be some big bucks at the saleyards for you, I reckon.’
Ty nodded. ‘Yeah, that’s the plan. After paying Kelly out, I need to get the bank balance out of the red, quick smart.’
‘True shit, hey?’ Rodney frowned. ‘I hope she’s going to make herself scarce to ya, now she’s got her pay cheque.’
Ty held his fingers up and crossed them. ‘A man can only hope.’
‘For your sake, I hope so too, Parker. You deserve way better than the likes of that bloody gold digger.’ The truck driver tipped his weather-beaten hat. ‘Catch you in a couple of months, buddy.’
‘Yup, will do. Cheers Rodney.’ Watching the road train thunder off down the road, Ty waved his old mate off, then headed for home.
With the sun setting on yet another day without Rose around to brighten it, Ty stomped on the brakes of the quad bike and jumped off. The heartache he’d carried around with him the past couple of weeks was close to unbearable – whoever said time healed was speaking crap. After a glorious month of getting to know her every smile, every lilt, every glance … she was gone, just like that. As if their connection hadn’t mattered one little bit. God, he hoped Leah wasn’t going to raise the subject over dinner again. He really didn’t want to talk about it anymore.
The intensity of the anguish made him remember all too well the mess women could leave behind, and it firmly reminded him to get on with his life as a single man as best as he could. But first, he really needed to find a way to let the fantasy of Rose Jones go – she was a heartbreaker, just like the rest of them. He was better off alone.
The crunch of tyres approaching had him striding out of the machinery shed and tugging the brim of his hat down. The woman behind the wheel of the beat-up old ute flashed him a smile. It took him a few moments to work out who it was.
What in the hell is Delilah Smith doing all the way out here?
When she pulled to a stop beneath a towering gum, a blue heeler dog turning grey around the muzzle jumped out the passenger-side window and traipsed over to him. His tail wagging in circles, the dog sat down at Ty’s boot
‘Hey there, buddy.’ Ty gave the dog a scratch behind the ears then took steps towards Delilah, now climbing out from behind the wheel with a bottle of wine in one hand and a bunch of flowers in the other. ‘Howdy,’ he said.
‘Hi, Ty.’ She passed him the bottle of wine. ‘I hope you like cab sav, I didn’t know what else to bring and I couldn’t come to dinner empty-handed.’
Not aware in the slightest that Delilah was joining them for dinner, and finding it quite odd, Ty took a moment to reply. ‘Yes, thanks. I’m sure Leah will love the flowers.’
‘I hope so.’ Delilah leaned into the ute then resurfaced and tugged her handbag over her shoulder. ‘Are you heading inside?’
‘Yeah, I was just about to.’
‘Well, then, let’s walk over there together, shall we?’ She motioned to her dog, and he lumbered to her side. ‘I hope you don’t mind me bringing Bugalugs.’
‘Not at all.’
What in the hell is going on?
Delilah took the steps slowly, breathing heavily at the top. She paused to catch her breath. ‘Don’t mind me. Old age isn’t kind at all.’ She gestured to her dog, breathing just as heavily as she was. ‘You settle yourself over there, my boy.’
The dog did as he was told and flopped down in a heap.
Taking his hat off, Ty scratched his head. ‘Did I miss the memo? Because I didn’t have any idea you were coming for dinner.’
‘Oh, sorry, it was last-minute.’ Her breath somewhat caught, Delilah flashed him a wide smile. ‘I’m going to be your sister’s birthing partner.’
Ty was stunned. ‘You are?’
Her smiled widened even further. ‘Yes, and I’m so honoured.’
‘Oh, well, now your being here makes sense.’ He guided her towards the front door, where Leah met them.
‘Hi, Delilah. I’m so happy you could make it.’ Leah stepped back, quite a lot, to allow Delilah to step inside. Ty passed her the bottle of vino, at the same time mouthing, Thanks for telling me. Leah pushed him past and cooed over her flowers. ‘Oh my gosh, they’re beautiful. Thank you.’
‘Right. Well, I’ll leave you ladies to it.’ Ty took faster steps down the hallway. ‘I’m going to head off for a shower.’ Too busy wrapped up in a clucking conversation, neither woman replied.
Ty made sure to leave them both to their female conversations for the rest of the evening – the details of childbirth weren’t for him, nor was the mention of Rose’s name, several times. Retiring to the backyard, he sought out some country-night peace. If one American Wild Honey didn’t take the edge off his aching heart, maybe a couple more would. He wasn’t usually a drown-my-sorrows kind of guy, but he couldn’t see the forest for the trees right now and wanted to do anything he could to try to numb the pain, if only for a night. He pulled his fold-out chair closer to the campfire and sank back down as though the weight of the world rested upon his shoulders. Staring into the flicker of the flames twirling their way up towards the velvet black sky, he couldn’t help but wish Rose was here. Try as he might, he just couldn’t find a way to let her go. Was he going to have to live with this anguish forever? Was she always going to own a piece of his heart? Had he made a huge mistake, drawing a line and telling her to never cross it?
He grabbed his mobile phone, and that’s when he saw it: her name. And a text. His heart jumped into his throat. Blinking his haziness away, he flicked the message open.
I miss you, Parker, and I’m so very sorry.
Please forgive me.
I hope we can talk, so I can explain everything.
CHAPTER
21
Tropical storms made for a very bumpy ride from Cairns to Townsville. Rain hammered the plane as it hovered over Magnetic Island while awaiting clearance for landing. Lightning flashed through the oval window Rose had her face pressed up against, and she shivered as she imagined plummeting into the turbulent, black ocean beneath. That would be her luck – then she’d never get the chance to tell Ty to his face just what she thought of him.
Shifting in her seat, she stared straight ahead, clasped her hands together, and silently prayed for the safety of herself and all onboard. She was almost where she needed to be, there was no way she could die now.
The plane dropped abruptly. Her belly pitched. Gasping, she instinctively grabbed the man’s arm beside her. ‘Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry.’ She quickly extracted her hand and shoved it beneath her bouncing leg.
‘Don’t worry, we’ll be fine.’ The kind-faced stranger was fighting a chuckle as he regarded her.
‘Uh-huh.’ Gripping her armrests as if her life depended upon it, she felt her belly somersault as they approached the landing strip. The plane shimmied and swayed so much, she half expected her oxygen mask to drop. The clunk of the wheels hitting the ground was a godsend – and apparently half the passengers agreed, as cheers erupts. The pilot braked hard and she swayed in her seat as it bounced and rattled along the tarmac. Crisis avoided, Rose closed her eyes for a few deep breaths, her mind now travelling back to thoughts of Ty, and the fact she was about to see him again.
Sweet memories flickered through her mind. All the time they’d spent together flowed over her in a comforting wave. She’d liked him from the second they’d met, and through comfortable companionship, she’d grown to love him in the magical time they’d spent together. She wanted to be with him, to feel what it was like to know they were together, and that it was her he was coming home to at the end of each day, that it was his face she would see when she closed her eyes each night, and when she opened them in the mornings.
But after everything they’d been through, was it still going to feel the same between them when they came face to face?
The seatbelt sign flickered off and people shot to their feet. The urgency Rose felt deep down in her soul was something she’d never experienced before. It was as if Ty was her oxygen, and she simply couldn’t breathe without him. Her overhead luggage retrieved, she all but raced down the corridors that would lead her into the arrival hall. She couldn’t wait to tumble into Ty’s big strong arms, and stay there.
It didn’t take long to spot his handsome, smiling face among the sea of people.
His stride was powerful as he closed the distance. ‘Hello, beautiful.’
One look from him set her on fire. ‘Hey, handsome.’ She wasn’t sure what to do next.
‘Come here, you.’ With a low growl, he dragged her to him, and she melted against him. ‘It feels so good to be able to hold you.’
With a profound soul-sigh, she rested her cheek on his chest as she savoured the strength of him. ‘I’ve missed you so much.’ The intensity of his masculine scent and the beating of his heart filled her with a deeply centred peace, as if she was finally arriving home, to the place she was meant to be for the rest of her life. ‘I’m so sorry I ran away from you. I was just so scared of having my heart broken again.’
‘I can promise you, Rose, I’ll never hurt you, or leave you.’ Ty pulled her closer still. ‘I honestly don’t know how to do life without you by my side.’ He pressed his lips to her forehead, kissing her softly.
Relief rushed through her as she gave a shuddering sigh before drawing back a little from his embrace. ‘Let’s go home, Parker.’
With her heart and soul finally at peace, and her head resting on Ty’s shoulder, Rose almost drifted off to the rhythmic sound of the windscreen wipers arching back and forth as they made their way back to Wildstone Station. Leah had gone to Townsville with Delilah, in preparation for her giving birth in a week’s time, so they were home alone.
No sooner had they climbed from the LandCruiser, traipsed up the steps hand in hand, and into the homestead, Rose had her back against the wall, with the man of her dreams pressed up against her.
‘I don’t want to talk, Rose.’ He put his forehead against hers. ‘All I want right now is to make love to you.’
She ignited beneath the intensity of his gaze. ‘I want that too.’
Ty stepped back a little, and she rested down from her tippy toes. They stood facing each other and, for the longest of moments, they just held each other’s eyes and hands. The look he settled on her was filled with meaning and promise and so much undying love. Then, slowly, he brought his lips to hers. Unlike when their lips had last met, his kiss wasn’t gentle and yielding. This time, it was deep and demanding, hungry and possessive. Her fingertips sliding inside his shirt and trailing down his chest and abs, she whimpered as longing engulfed her. When he finally dragged his mouth from hers, and she fought to catch her breath, she knew right then and there that there’d be no turning back. Relief flooded her veins with this understanding, and almost brought her to tears.
Lifting her from the floor, he carried her down the hallway, up the stairs, and into his bedroom. Placing her down at the foot of the bed, he switched the lamp on, and soft light spilled over the room.
‘Oh my gosh, Ty! You have enough cushions on there to start a haberdashery shop,’ she said with a light chuckle.
‘What cushions?’ He swept them to the side and, as he took her back into his arms, they tumbled onto the bed. ‘Are you sure you’re ready for this, my beautiful Rose?’
Her heart swelled with so much longing. ‘I’m more than ready.’ She traced her fingertips down his chest and paused just above the top button of his jeans. ‘How about you, Mr Parker? Do you think you’re ready for this?’ She tipped her head. ‘You know I can be a right handful at times, right?’
He brought a finger beneath her chin, and tipped her face to his. ‘I most certainly do, and that’s one of the many things I adore about you.’ His smile was evocatively suggestive.
She slipped her hands beneath his shirt, quivering when she met his warm skin – she couldn’t wait to feel all of him, on top of her and inside of her.
He inhaled a ragged breath. ‘You’re a wild woman, Rose Jones.’
‘I’m your wild woman now, Ty Parker.’
‘In that case.’ He grabbed her and rolled her beneath him. ‘Let me show you all the things I’ve wanted to do to you since the very first second I laid eyes on you.’
Raising her hips, she bit her bottom lip as he tugged her jeans down and off, tossing them to the floor. Sliding her hands around the back of his neck, her hunger for him sent her pulse rampant.
Running his tongue along her lower lip, he caught it gently between his teeth as he trailed his fingers over her waist. Then he kissed her, softly at first, lingering on her lips as if tasting the sweetest of fruits for the very first time. Then the kiss gradually became deeper, longer, beyond sensual. Flames burned through her, heating her insides, until she felt like a wildfire.
Their desire for each other unleashed as hungry hands explored and the kisses intensified. Sliding his mouth down her neck, he kissed along her collarbone, then down to her breasts. When his mouth finally closed over her nipple and his teeth pressed down just hard enough to teeter her on the edge, she cried out, begging him to be at one with her.
‘Soon, Rose, I want to take this as slowly as we can.’ His voice was rugged, husky.
He brushed his lips downwards, searching out the places that made her gasp and groan. Then, reaching her pleasure zone, he took his time, and slowly kissed his way inwards. His tongue found her centre and he pressed inside of her so achingly slowly, she almost tore the sheets gripped tightly in her hands. Her eyes squeezing shut, she writhed beneath his skilful lips and tongue as he brought her closer to the peak. Then, seconds before she reached the pinnacle of euphoria, he stopped, and came back to face her.
As her hands traced over him, he slowly slid inside of her, inch by glorious inch, and once he was deeply buried inside of her, he stopped again. In that breath-held moment, they dissolved into each other, body, mind and soul, and her heart filled to bursting. Sliding her legs around him, she linked her feet together on his lower back and clenched around him. Nuzzling her neck, he groaned in her ear as they moved rhythmically, in union, riding the waves of ecstasy at the perfect tempo.
As his fingers tangled in her hair, she allowed him to take her to where he wanted. The soft strokes gradually built to hard thrusts, each one pushing her closer to the edge until she couldn’t hold back any longer. And neither could he. Their fingers entangling in each other’s, they tumbled into the oblivion of ecstasy, as thunderous waves of indulgence ached and pulsed between them. Then, quivering, they held onto each other tightly as they gasped for the breath they’d just lost.
For the longest of moments, Ty held her close as she gently floated back to earth. They said nothing for a while, lying in each other’s arms, grateful, sated, happy, and completely oblivious to the outside world. When they finally met each other’s gazes again, there was a smile in his eyes she hadn’t seen there before.
Ty lay one hand over where her heart raced and, taking her hand in the other, placed it over his heart. ‘We’re bonded now, you and me.’
She smiled softly. ‘We were from the minute we met.’
A raspy chuckle escaped him. ‘I like that you think that, because one day, Miss Jones, I want to make you my Mrs Parker.’ He rolled on top of her and pinned her to the spot.
Rose smiled from the inside out. Could she be any happier? ‘I love the sound of that.’
And with his open-hearted declaration of a lifelong promise, her lips were his to take, as was her body, and so he did. His hunger for her was so deep, and so strong, it took her breath away. She ached with raw need for what he had to give her, and only her. With her allowing him to take control, to be the alpha male he was, he pulled her even closer still, and pressed himself up tightly against her.
Cupping the back of her neck, he held her so she was unable to draw away from him, nor did she want to. If anything, it still wasn’t close enough. She wanted him inside her, at one with her, making her gasp and beg like only he knew how. Revelling in the feeling of him pressing between her thighs, his bare skin pressed against hers, she returned his passionate kisses with fever. The moment was so precious, so surreal, she had to bite back the urge to cry.
She wrapped her arms around him, and he didn’t need any more of an invitation. He took her with the force of a man hungry for her heart and soul. Clinging to him as he buried himself inside her, over and over, slow then fast, fast then slow, the fire between them built until she could barely stand the heat of it – the longing to tumble into euphoria was a raging fire within the deepest parts of her. Feeling more in love than she’d ever been, she surrendered to the desire spiralling through her as he lifted her to blissful heights, his teasing teetering her in a place that only she and he were privy to. Her moans and whimpers mingled with his growls and groans as her core clenched against him, every thrust driving her higher. Crying out in ecstasy, her body burst into a plethora of sparkles, stretching out in endless waves as every part of her throbbed while he pulsed inside of her.
