All but one.
“Shit, Troy must be in the shower.” The sound of water coming through the walls had Charlie and I looking at each other. “Looks like I’m braving the shower block down at the worker’s shed. G’night, Mackenzie, and…” She paused halfway down the hallway. “If you just want to stay by the rescue tomorrow, I’ll understand.”
“Can’t put me off that easy.” My smile was pure bravado, because I knew I’d dream of those dull-eyed, listless animalstonight, but instead of someone coming to the rescue, they’d linger, unseen, unhelped. “I’ll be up bright and early, ready to help.”
“Your blood’s worth bottling,” she said, and I was left to ponder what the hell that meant as she walked off.
Leaving me to face the bathroom door.
Troy gave me the brush off yesterday. Tired, hot, he didn’t have time for a summer fling and that made sense. So why did my hand reach for the doorknob, twisting it open? Perhaps because some part of me knew I’d see this. Troy, sitting naked on the floor, his head hanging down as the water washed over him. The same impulse that had me reaching out to listless koalas had me opening the shower cubicle door.
“Hey.” He sounded so very tired as he looked up at me. “You don’t…”
“Don’t have to,” I agreed when I peeled my clothes off and slipped into the shower. “But I want to.” Picking up the shampoo, I started to lather it up. “You washed my hair last time. Now I’ll do yours.”
Chapter 21
Troy
Mackenzie was too good for me, and that was a problem.
Protests rose but never got past my lips as I felt her fingers massage my scalp. Last night I’d made the decision to put some distance between me and the pretty American to save both of us from the pain that was coming, but those resolutions shredded to nothing the moment she touched me. Pleasure, not even a sexual kind, rushed through me and it was a drug I couldn’t deny.
“God, that feels good…” I groaned, leaning into her touch.
Of course, that was when she had to go and slide down behind me. All control evaporated as I leaned back against her. Some part of me needed the animal satisfaction that came from human touch.
“You shouldn’t be doing this,” I said, making an effort to pull away, just not a very good one. “Spent the day yelling at my brothers, my workmate, and my dog in that order.” Turning around slowly, I didn’t want to catch the look of disgust on her face, but I knew I needed to see it. Instead, she just sat there, a small smile on her face. “I’ve been a complete arsehole.”
“You’ve had a tough day.” The smile faded. “I know something about that, so…”
Reaching for my hair, she was going to continue, but those first four words were enough to have me facing her. Water pounded into my shoulders as I stared at Mackenzie.
“What kind of tough day?” I growled.
“Oh, you know?—”
She was going to palm me off, but that was never gonna happen. Gripping her hands with mine was as natural as breathing. Squeezing them so she knew she had my full attention came next.
“I don’t know.” My mind start racing again, never able to stay still for a second. Something or someone happened and that was what had her staring fixedly at the shower floor. “Was it Charlie? She gets super intense around heat waves. Or Beau? Did that fuck?—?”
“No.” I could tell she was making herself smile when she finally met my eyes. “It’s just…” The waver in her voice, the way she clung to my hands, I noted every tiny micro expression and then some. “Australia is really tough, y’know? Like the place is so beautiful and the bush is just incredible and the rescue?”
Was it too much for Mackenzie? I thought. I’d talk to Charlie?—
“Is a dream come true, but…” It felt like I was hanging on her every word. “We were picking up heat-affected animals all day or searching for them, and just when I think I’m getting past my city girl ways, I…” When her bottom lip started to quiver, my thumb went out, brushing over the plush surface. “It’s hard seeing koalas all dull eyed and listless, or possums without their moms.” She let go of my hands to move them restlessly. “Joeys abandoned. You can’t help but think about what would have happened if we weren’t there.”
I don’t know if I ever understood a person more than in that moment. Worrying about what you did, what you didn’t do and everything that might happen was my life, and so I was pretty sure I knew what to do. Freed from my own problems, I dragged her closer.
How the hell did I think I could resist this?
The feel of her curled up in my arms, her face pressed into my chest. The ragged sigh of her body every time she took a breath.
“Hey…” My response was inadequate, but rather than bark orders, I kept my voice as low and calm as possible. “Hey… It’s going to be OK.”
“You don’t know that.”
She looked up at me then, a small frown forming, and that forced me to try to smooth it away.
