He laughed at that. ‘You’re right, if this is happening, it needs to be locked down. No come-hither bedroom eyes. No blowing kisses across the crowded cafe.’
Her lips twitched, turning up at the corners. ‘Come-hither eyes? Man, we need to get you some new catchphrases. Like, twenty-first century new. So you’re saying there’ll be none ofthisover the buffet breakfast tomorrow?’
She lifted his hand to her mouth, keeping her gaze on him as she guided his finger to her lips, tracing it around an exaggerated pout and then nibbling and licking his finger. He shifted in his seat, uncomfortably aware of the straining at his zipper. ‘Maybe not that specifically,’ he said. Even to his own ears, his voice sounded deeper than usual. Raspy, even. Did she know what she was doing to him?
She flashed him a wicked smile. Oh, she knew.
Slowly, teasingly, she drew his finger into her mouth, twirling her tongue around it once and then pulling it out with a ‘pop’ noise that made him groan.
Any notion he’d had that there was an element of common sense to this conversation vanished as she fluttered her lashes, looking like a vamp from a 1920s burlesque film.
‘That’s it.’ She grinned, dropping the facade. ‘That’s the best impression of “come hither” I could muster. And now I solemnly swear not to use that in view of the general public.’
He coughed, buying himself some time, and crossed his legs, hoping his reaction wouldn’t be quite so obvious.
‘And you’re not in the cast of the Penwarra Players because …?’
She quirked an eyebrow. ‘I’m not sure that’s the type of family friendly acting you require.’ She stood then, and held her hand out for his, laughing when he hesitated. ‘No more of that, I promise.’
He put his hands into hers, allowing her to tug him to his feet. ‘Now I’m kinda disappointed,’ he whispered, his face close to hers.
She put her hands on his chest and turned her face up to him. ‘Just so I’ve got this straight, to the world of Penwarra, you’ll be a regular cafe customer and then when you’re not busy teaching or wrangling actors or beekeeping and when nobody is looking, we conduct a hot, passionate, secret affair?’
There was a teasing tone to her voice.
‘I’d still pay for my coffee, obviously.’ He stepped a little closer, captivated by the way her teeth caught her bottom lip.
‘Obviously,’ she agreed with a grin, then her face grew serious. ‘I haven’t been able to get you out of my head, Spencer, and there’s so much going on in my life right now, and my kids’ lives, that this is definitely a terrible idea.’ She took another step closer. ‘Kiss me already, and then I’ll decide.’
Spencer’s hands went to her waist and then there she was, her lips against his, her hands running through the hair at the back of his neck. And once again, he had the feeling this was exactly the way things were supposed to pan out.
He groaned, breaking away. ‘As much as I’d love to continue, I’m officially on duty until Friday arvo.’
She rested a hand against his chest, letting out a sigh of conflicted agreement. ‘The logical part of me agrees wholeheartedly—I mean, I wouldn’t be impressed if I foundout the camp supervisors were romping around instead of diligently supervising my child—but the rest of me is protesting something shocking. How’s a girl supposed to make important decisions without all the required info?’
Spencer lifted her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to the delicate skin on the inside of her wrist. Her heartbeat was strong underneath his fingertips.
Racing pulseandtalking about romping around.Both great signs of a burgeoning relationship,he thought as he walked Clem to her cabin.
‘Can’t rush these things. Though if you hear splashing, it’s me taking a cold dip in the lake.’ He grinned, leaning against the door frame. ‘Good night, Clem Crossley.’
14
The challenge swing was higher than Spencer expected, and it didn’t take long for the more cautious kids to start pulling out when they found themselves at the front of the line.
‘My mum says I’m not allowed to go on anything that dangerous,’ young Lachie said, keeping his arms firmly locked around the shade sail pole at the opposite end of the activity. ‘It’s a medical thing. Even if I wanted to, I wouldn’t be allowed.’
Spencer ruffled the boy’s hair. He wasn’t the only student to baulk at the challenge, but he was the first to refuse to even try on the hard hat or harness. ‘I totally get it. If my doctor said something like that, I’d listen to him too. That’s why we pay them the big bucks, right?’
Lachie nodded, his wide eyes fixed on the student currently being hoisted to gum tree canopy height. ‘And to be honest, if you get the straps wrong, it can be all kinds of painful,’ Spencer added with a grave nod.
‘And dangerous,’ Lachie added.
‘That too, mate.’ Spencer turned and looked at the group. Clem was doing a fine job helping the high ropes specialist with the activity, but he wanted to be the one by her side,checking harnesses and reminding the kids on the ground to keep hold of the ropes until instructed otherwise. Was that harness-slinging hick checking her out?
He looked back at Lachie. ‘It’s totally your choice. But my theory is, you’ve got to do the things that scare you. Forget what anyone else thinks—the haters will have their opinion, whether you do it or you don’t. I was packing my dacks when I did it, if that makes you feel any better, but not a single kid’s fallen from that swing.’
At least, not that the camp staff had admitted in the safety briefing.
