Chapter 12

Sally closed the door of the guest room behind her. She knew that Sol was almost asleep, and it wouldn’t hurt him to sleep off the remedial work she’d done.  Leaning with her back against the door, she closed her eyes and stood in the dark room.

Never before had she had such a reaction to the body of a client—or indeed to the body of a lover, not that there’d been many of them. The feel of Sol’s warm skin, the whipcord toughness of his muscles, and the long smooth plane of his bare back beneath her fingers, had sent exquisite warmth to her lower belly.  She’d almost not been able to finish the massage because her legs had been shaking so much. The temptation to climb up onto the bed and press herself against him had been strong, but she’d talked herself down by going through the chakras. It had knocked some much needed sense into her.

Never before had she been so aware of a man.

He was beautiful.

 In every way. He was a good man, he had a sensitive soul, and once you got past that shaggy haircut and the old fashioned clothes, he oozed sex appeal.

Sally swallowed and went into the small bathroom that was off the guest room. She ran the cold water tap and after running cool water over her wrists, she filled her hands and sluiced her face. As she reached for a towel she looked into the mirror. Her eyes were bright, her cheeks were pink and she could see the pulse beating in her neck, as her heart beat in time with the nerve endings that were firing right though her body.

She pressed the towel to her face and shook her head. All she wanted to do was go back into the bedroom next door.

No. It wasn’t the right thing to do.

With a sigh, she pulled back the bedspread on the single bed, plumped up the pillow and tried to ignore the overwhelming fragrance of mothballs as she sank on to the soft mattress. She lay on her back and closed her eyes. There was no sound from the room next door so she assumed that Sol was fast asleep. She rolled over and thumped the pillow and buried her head.

Three hours of tossing and turning did nothing to ease her frustration. In the early hours, she drifted off and dreamed of Sol. They were in a meadow with flowers and soft green grass. His head came closer and the warmth of his breath tickled her cheek. She could smell flowers . . . and fish.

Sally’s eyes flew open.

A slimy dollop of dog slobber landed on her cheek seconds before a huge silver body snuggled onto her pillow next to her head.

‘Oh. yuk.’ She sat up and pushed Otis off the bed. ‘Get off. Beds are for humans. Not dogs.’

He put his paws on the side of the bed and licked her cheek.

‘Okay, you’re gorgeous but you have to go out while I have a wash.’  She climbed out of bed and padded across to the door, with Otis beside her. When she opened the door he backed away, but she grabbed his collar and pushed him into the hall before shutting the door firmly. After finishing in the bathroom, she smoothed her hands down her T-shirt and jeans; maybe sleeping in her clothes hadn’t been such a great idea after all.

The house was quiet. She peeked in the main bedroom on the way past but Sol wasn’t in there. Otis was waiting for her on the mat in front of the fire, and the smell of coffee tickled her nose. As she reached for a cup, she heard a car engine, and walked across to the back door and opened it.

Mac’s work truck was in the driveway and Sol was sitting in the front of his car. As she watched, she saw him give a thumbs up to Mac, and a cloud of grey smoke puffed from the exhaust.

When Sol came inside with a grin on his face, she was sitting at the table hugging her coffee.

‘All good. Gertie’s got a new battery so we can head off whenever you’re ready.’ He went over to the sink.

‘How’s your back?’ she asked.

‘You’re a miracle worker. You’d never know that I’d hurt it.’ He half-turned his head as she scrubbed his hands. ‘Ever thought about giving away the yoga instruction and taking up massage?’

Heat ran into her cheeks as she shook her head. The few massages she’d done when she’d been at college, she hadn’t enjoyed. She’s always felt self conscious touching another person so intimately. But last night, she’d enjoyed every minute of smoothing her hands over his skin.

‘Um no. I prefer yoga.’ She fanned herself with one hand. ‘The coffee’s hot.’

‘Well you’re good at it. I slept like a baby. Did you sleep okay? ‘

‘Like a charm,’ she lied. The last thing she wanted was for him to know that she’d stayed awake half the night resisting the temptation to go back to his room. ‘I’ll just gather up my notes and I’m ready to go.’

‘Okay. I’ll feed Otis and grab my computer.’ He frowned and crossed to the back door as the sound of a car reached them.

‘Great! Dave’s home. I wasn’t expecting him until the weekend.’ He opened the door and let Otis out. ‘Means I won’t have to drive back up here tonight.’

‘Have you got somewhere to stay?’

‘I can always go home.’ His eyes danced. ‘Unless I get a better offer. Do you know when your sister’s due home and you want me to come and stay?’

‘No. I haven’t heard from her yet. I tried to call a couple of times but she’s not answering her phone.’

‘Would she be on the way back yet?’

‘No, she’s got a few more days yet.’ Sally shook her head but her lips twitched into a grin. Knowing Sonia she would have found a man by now; that’s why she wouldn’t be answering her phone

Half her luck, she thought. 

She tipped her head to the side. ‘If you want to stay while you get your thesis sorted, you’re quite welcome. ‘There’s plenty of room there.’

‘Really, are you sure? That’s a way better option than going home to my parents’ place.’

‘Is that where you live? You don’t have a place of your own.’ She stood and put her hand on his arm as he stood by the door. ‘I’m sorry. That sounded rude and it’s none of my business where you live.’

He put his hand on hers and those damn butterflies headed straight to her belly. ‘No, you’re right. It’s way past time that I found myself a place of my own.’

‘Don’t do that. I need you up here.’ The man who stepped through the back door grinned sheepishly at Sally. ‘Hi, I’m Dave. I hope that’s not your car out there?’

She nodded. ‘It is. I’m going to have to sort something out.’

She bit her lip. If the insurance didn’t accept the dog ate my car, she and Sonia were going to be catching buses for a while.

‘Let me know if I can help,’ Dave said before he enfolded Sol in a man hug. ‘Hey, bro. Sorry I didn’t call. I got an earlier flight out of Tokyo, and the meeting in Taiwan was canceled so I came straight back to Sydney.’ Sally watched the exchange with interest. Dave was certainly an interesting character—way removed from the farm owner she’d expected. His hair was swept up into a ponytail on one side of his head, and on the other side of his head, his hair was short and dyed purple. He wore some sort of Japanese kimono in red, over skin tight black jeans with high heeled boots.

‘No problem. I have to take Sally back to Sydney this morning, so at least Otis will have company now.’

Dave looked at her curiously but Sol didn’t say why she’d been staying up here.

‘We’ll head off now. When do you need me next? I’ve got a commitment for the next week or so.’ Sol turned to Sally. ‘Will a week be enough time for the  . . . er . . .favour?’

She nodded. ‘Yes. Sonia will be home by next weekend.’ She picked up her bag and notes off the table. She’d put the massage oil and CD player in there last night.

Sol held open the door and followed her out to his car. ‘See ya, mate.’

Dave held onto Otis. ‘Nice to meet you, Sally.’

As she turned, she caught the wink he directed at Sol.

***

 When Sol started the Land Rover, he glanced over at Sally as she put her head back on the seat and closed her eyes. By the time they reached the turn off at the road to the farm, she was fast asleep. Despite the rough road she slept quietly, all the way to the motorway. Her head rested in the space between the seat and the window, and her hands rested in her lap.

Sol chewed his lip as he turned onto the M1, lost in thought. Even though he’d had trouble sleeping once Sally had left the room, he’d woken up feeling refreshed, and he’d bounded out of bed feeling guilty that he hadn’t even shown her to the guest room last night. He’d tapped on the door but there’d been no answer, and when he’d pushed it open, he’d stood there looking at her for a moment.

She’d been fast asleep, one hand tucked beneath her cheek. Her lips were slightly parted and he watched her sleep before he felt a bit guilty. If she woke up and caught him, she’d probably think he was overstepping the mark. He’d left the door slightly ajar, hoping that the smell of brewing coffee might wake her.

Last night had been amazing. He could still feel her fingers on his skin and the slide of her firm hands up his back.

He wondered what she’d been thinking; a couple of times her voice had been a bit shaky, and he’d wondered if the massage was having the same effect on her as it was on him.

He was in trouble here. And he didn’t know how to handle the situation. She wasn’t his type. The women he’d taken out before had all been university colleagues. He liked them because they were smart and could talk to him about the things he was interested in. They were busy with their own studies and didn’t expect him to take time out of his life for them. Sometimes, he’d spent a night with them, but he’d never experienced anything like the sensual feelings that Sally’s touch had raised in him last night. He’d always accepted he was meant to be a loner.

Sally was whip smart; there was no doubt about that. He grinned as he thought about what his family would say if he turned up with an alternate yoga instructor to a family dinner.

She was beautiful, inside and out; he couldn’t get her out of his head.

He drove while she slept. Through the outer suburbs of Sydney and across the Harbour Bridge, and still she didn’t wake. The day was clear and bright and the harbour was a deep blue, contrasting with the white sails of the yachts that dotted the bays. By the time they were on Oxford Street, Sally began to stir, and he smiled as she yawned and rubbed her eyes.

‘Good morning again,’ he said cheerily as she stared at him through bleary eyes.

‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to fall asleep. She turned to the window. ‘I must have been asleep for ages.’

‘An hour and a half, and you didn’t move once.’ He changed back a gear as the lights turned red. ‘Fixing my back must have worn you out. And I haven’t said thank you yet. I really do owe you.  You’ve saved my skin with the interviews for my thesis, and you’ve fixed my back.’

‘Don’t worry. You’re probably going to be sorry you agreed to my favour when you meet Sonia.’

‘Are you identical twins?’

‘Oh, God. No.’ Sally turned to him and tucked one leg under her on the seat. ‘We don’t look alike. We don’t think alike. We don’t have any common interests.’

‘Interesting. I have a friend at the uni who was doing a longitudinal study of twins over a life time. Behavioural genetics. For a while I thought about studying in that field but psychology won out.’

Temporarily, he thought.

‘You’ve done so much study you must have a great repertoire of dinner conversation.’

‘Nuh, I’m pretty boring.’ He flashed a grin at he let the clutch out and Gertie jerked forward

‘No you’re not! Sonia is going to love you.’

He wondered if that meant that Sally found him a little bit interesting. He doubted it.

‘How long do you want to string her along for?’

‘Oh, only a day or two.’ Sally smiled back at him and his heart did a little flip as her dark eyes held his. ‘I can’t impose on you for much longer.’

He lifted one hand off the wheel and waved it. ‘I’m not in a rush. As soon as this thesis is bound, I’m giving myself some time off. I might even take a holiday.’

‘Where to?’

He shrugged. ‘I don’t know. I haven’t travelled much. Where would you suggest for a good relaxing holiday?’

Sally shook her head. ‘You’re asking the wrong person here. I haven’t taken a holiday since I left school.’

He looked at her curiously. ‘I thought we were different, you know. But really we’re not.’

She sat up straight and folded her arms. Sol knew straight away he’d said the wrong thing.

 ‘What do you mean different? You mean because I haven’t been to university.’

‘No. I didn’t mean that at all. I mean because we . . . because—’

‘Because we come from different backgrounds, and I have a boring life compared to your interesting one.’

‘No.’ Sol frowned. For a moment he considered pulling over. It was hard to talk when he was focused on the traffic but the road was busy and there was nowhere to pull up. ‘Hold that thought. I want to talk about that in a while.’ He glanced over at her, and his heart clenched because she looked so sad.  ‘Please don’t look like that, it’s all good.’

With a shrug, Sally turned and looked out the window as they headed through Bondi Junction, and kept looking out until they reached the beach.