Vet's Desire (5 page)

Cindy wondered
if anyone would ever look at her own overly generous hour-glass
curves like that, but somehow doubted it. Oh well, it was something
that she never allowed herself to dwell on if she could help it.
She’d made her decision a long time ago to enjoy life and live it
to its fullest, and not worry about what other people thought. Most
times she managed it. Life was too short.

Definitely too
short not to appreciate Tim’s body as he stood side-on, then slowly
pivoted around to face them.

Yeah, the man
was lean of build all right, tall and almost lanky, but there was
surprising strength in that lean body. His pectorals were defined,
as surprisingly was the hint of a six pack stomach. Wow, who could
have guessed that?

Cindy actually
blinked in surprise and, yes, appreciation. Those jeans hung low on
lean hips, and his biceps and triceps bunched as he wiped his hands
on a rag he’d pulled from a back pocket in his jeans.

A light
smattering of dark hair went from his pectorals down to a thin line
on his stomach to disappear in a tantalising trail into the
waistband of his jeans. No doubt an arrow to Big Hammer, she
thought with a grin.

“Like what you
see?” Tim drawled.

Her gaze
snapped back up to meet his, but not a blush rose in her cheeks as
her grin widened. “Not bad. Not bad at all, sunshine.”

“I think that
falls under the context of sexual harassment.” Shoving the rag in
his back pocket again, Tim walked forward in that long, lanky, easy
stride he had that was so natural.

“Hey, you don’t
want me to look, don’t flaunt it.”

“Definitely
sexual harassment.” Stopping right before her, so close she could
feel the heat from his body, Tim reached out and plucked a carton
of iced coffee from her hand.

Rather than
move politely back, he stayed right where he was, his gaze steady
on her face, studying her with deliberate leisure. A gleam of
amusement was more than evident in his brown eyes as he dropped his
gaze to her lips, then her throat and lower. Deliberately lower in
a movement she just knew was an attempt to unnerve her.

Good thing she
wasn’t the kind of girl who got unnerved. She’d just have to ignore
the little coil of something unmentionable that slithered through
the lower - very lower - regions of her stomach. The cream she’d
had that morning must have been bordering on sour.

Placing one
hand on her ample hip, she took a deep breath, pleased when Tim’s
pupils dilated a little as her breasts swelled against the low
neckline of her bodice.

“Like what you
see?” she retorted brazenly.

His gaze lifted
and the heat in them was almost a shock. “Show me more sometime and
I’ll let you know.”

Good
grief.
“Is that an invitation?” No way was she backing
down.

“Unless you
want to -”

“Right.” Mike
stepped in-between them, grabbing the last iced coffee from her
hand while shoving Tim back unceremoniously. “Thanks for the
coffee, Maddy. It’s a bit hot out here-”

“In more ways
than one,” Tim interjected from behind Mike.

“And I think
Cindy needs to go indoors.” Mike frowned down at her. “Now.”

Cindy’s mouth
dropped open in surprise. “But I don’t feel hot.”

“Maddy.”

Just that one
word from Mike had her friend placing a hand at her back and
steering her back the way they’d come. “It is a little warm. Hope
you get the car fixed, boys.”

“I’d like to
fix something,” Tim said. “But I don’t think it’s the car-
oof
!”

“Get back in
your box,” Mike growled, and he didn’t sound happy.

Cindy glanced
back over her shoulder to see Tim watching her while rubbing his
abdomen. Or rather, watching the sway of her ample bottom. His gaze
lifted to meet hers and the corner of his mouth quirked a
little.

The bastard
must have found the sight of her ample bottom humorous. That heat
she’d imagined was just that, imagined.

Maddy
practically shoved her through the door and her hand at Cindy’s
waist just kept pushing until they were both in the kitchen.

“What the hell
was that?” Maddy demanded.

“What?” Cindy
took refuge in picking up the can of Diet Coke.

“Sticking your
boobs in Tim’s face?”

“Hey, he asked
for it.”

“To be sexually
harassed?”

“Come on, he
sexually harasses everyone with his shirts.” Cindy laughed.

“This is no
joke,” Maddy said sternly. “Playing with a man like Tim is out of
your league.”

Cindy sobered.
“As in a man like Tim Clarke wouldn’t find me attractive?”

“That’s not
what I meant.”

“Then what do
you mean?”

“Tim isn’t a
man to mess with. His kind of women are…hard.”

“He dates
cold-hearted bitches with figures that could slip down a drain if
they stood on it sideways, I get it. No plus-sized chicks like me.”
Annoyed, Cindy plopped inelegantly down into the chair at the table
and crossed her legs. “As if I wanted to attract him, anyway. As if
he could be attracted to anyone like me.”

Maddy frowned.
“Don’t get snooty. Even a blind man could have seen the heat in his
eyes when he looked at you. Or rather…” She gestured towards
Cindy’s chest. “Your bosom.”

“It’s just been
awhile since he last saw a pair the size of mine.” Not wanting to
fight with her best friend, Cindy leaned back in the chair and blew
out a sigh. “Look, Mads, Tim isn’t interested in girls like me. I
don’t fit his profile. It was just a harmless bit of teasing.”

“I don’t want
you hurt.”

“No chance of
it.” Cindy took another sip of Diet Coke.

Quietly, Maddy
studied her.

“What?” Cindy
finally asked.

“I’ve never
seen you so blatantly flaunt yourself like that before.”

A little
uncomfortable now that she thought back to it, Cindy shrugged.
“Spur of the moment thing.”

“Yeah.” There
was a hint of foreboding in Maddy’s voice.

“Look, when
someone
blatantly
sets out to embarrass me-”

“I think he was
just teasing. At first.”

“Tease,
whatever, I give it back. It wouldn’t have gone any further.”

The expression
on Maddy’s face wasn’t so sure.

“Look, don’t
worry about it,” Cindy said. “Tim and I don’t often meet, and when
I see him at any pubs, clubs or dinners, I promise not to give him
a look at the girls, okay?”

“The
girls?”

“These.” Cindy
palmed her breasts. “The twins, fantastic as they are.”

Maddy rolled
her eyes.

Laughing, Cindy
circled the base of the drink can on the table. “So what are your
plans for the week?”

Taking the
hint, Maddy changed the conversation.

~*~

“What the hell
are you playing at?” Mike demanded.

“What?” Tim
took a mouthful of iced coffee, his mind still on Cindy’s
impressive bosom - and that luscious behind that swayed with every
step she took in those sexy stilettos.

“You damned
well know what.”

“Cindy?”

“Yes, Cindy. My
Maddy’s best friend. Jesus, I thought you were going to rip her
clothes off and take her here on the garage floor!”

“Really?” Tim
arched a brow. It didn’t sound half bad. “It’d be a change.”

“Cindy is a
lady.”

“Even when she
pushed her delectable - you know.” He cupped his hands in front of
his chest and moved them a fair way forward. “At me?”

Mike’s nostrils
flared. Uh-oh.

“Kidding.” Tim
walked back to the car and stuck his head under the bonnet. “So, we
should get this sorted out pretty quick. It’s straightforward now
we know the problem.”

When silence
met his words, Tim glanced up to find Mike staring at him, his
pale- eyed gaze holding a threat. And hulking Mike with muscles
like boulders in a threatening mode was a little scary. Good thing
Tim was his best friend, though that wouldn’t save him from a blood
nose if Mike thought he was going to hurt Cindy.

“I won’t touch
her,” he assured Mike.

“Not just
touching.”

“I wouldn’t
hurt her.”

“Not
physically, no, but emotionally.”

“Seriously?
We’re discussing emotions? Two blokes? Oh wait, I forgot.” Tim
slapped his forehead. “This is Mike I’m talking to. The man who
loves to talk out his feelings. Shall we go inside and have a chat
while painting our toenails?”

“How about we
have a chat over my fists?”

“How about we
don’t? Maddy wouldn’t like blood on her bonnet.”

Mike stabbed a
forefinger in his direction. “Don’t play with Cindy.”

Personally, the
very words conjured up all kinds of interesting images. Weird. Tim
shook his head.

Mistaking the
gesture for agreement, Mike grunted and turned his attention back
to the car.

Personally, Tim
had no intention of playing anything with Cindy. The woman was off
limits as far as he was concerned. Not only was she Maddy’s friend,
but she wasn’t the kind of woman around whom he hung. She might be
brazen, but she wasn’t hard, and hard were the only kinds he played
with, then he didn’t have to worry about hurting anyone’s
feelings.

Nope, Cindy
definitely wasn’t on his play list.

It didn’t stop
him thinking of her bountiful bosom, however, nor that swaying
walk. She had a generous backside and he’d found it more than a
little fascinating, especially after having a good eyeful of her
cleavage. Nothing wrong with a little fantasizing - as long as Mike
never found out.

Not to worry,
unlike him, Tim never found it necessary to share his feelings. In
fact, he shelved them and took them out later when he was alone to
examine. Or fantasize about.

Grinning, he
glanced up to catch Mike’s narrow gaze and he gave his friend the
thumbs up.

“I’m watching
you,” Mike growled. “Don’t forget it.”

“I didn’t know
you cared.” Tim placed his fingertips coyly over his nipples. “I
think I’m getting a little self-conscious.”

Mike gave him a
last glower before returning to the work at hand.

Grinning, Tim
followed suit.

The time passed
companionably and by the time they had the car going it was late
afternoon. Leaving the garage, Tim pulled his t-shirt back on and
walked out into the sunshine. Cindy’s car was no longer parked in
Maddy’s driveway and he wondered when she’d left.

Maddy came down
off the veranda. “Thanks for helping, Tim.”

“No worries.”
He bent and kissed her cheek. “Thanks for the muffins. When you
come to your senses and leave Mike, my door is always open.”

“Shame you’ll
be dead inside the house.” Mike came up behind Maddy to slide his
arms around her waist and pull her back against him.

She tilted her
head back to smile up at him, and the love was plain on both their
faces.

“I feel ill,”
said Tim.

“Then don’t
look.” Mike placed a kiss on the tip of Maddy’s nose and
straightened, still keeping her hugged against him. “Thanks for
your help, Tim.”

“No worries.
Now you can take Maddy out for her birthday dinner. Though you
could have gotten a taxi, you tight-arse.”

“Me?” Mike was
indignant. “I mentioned it and Maddy was against it.”

“We need the
money to finish the renovations,” she reminded him. “We’re not
wasting it on taxis.”

Tim frowned a
little. “I could help out.”

Mike and Maddy
levelled their gazes at him.

“Or not.
Definitely not.” Tim crossed to his car, pulling the keys from his
pocket. Just before he slid inside, he looked seriously at his
friends. “I know you won’t accept help, but if anything ever really
bad happened, you’d come to me, right? There would never be strings
attached, you know that, right?”

Mike looked
down at Maddy, and she slid out of his hold and walked across to
Tim. Placing her hands each side of his face, she tugged gently and
he bent down. Giving him a kiss on the cheek, she whispered, “We
know.”

He glanced up
at Mike, who nodded.

And that was
all that needed to be said and done.

Feeling a lot
more cheerful, Tim got into his car and drove home. Pulling into
his garage, he closed the door remotely behind him and got out.
Entering the house through a side door, he listened to the silence.
Everything smelled clean, a hint of lemon in the air. His
housekeeper had been and gone, and everything was in its place. He
could even smell the remnants of his cooked meal.

Going into the
kitchen, he picked up the notebook that he and Janet, his
housekeeper, used to leave each other messages, and read it.

‘
Dinner is
in the ‘fridge, just put it in the oven and heat at 180 for half an
hour. Dessert is trifle, and it’s in the ‘fridge as well.
Janet.’

Straight and to
the point. Dropping his wallet and car keys onto the counter, he
stretched and yawned while making his way upstairs to his bedroom.
Kicking off his sneakers, he yanked off his socks and walked into
the big, marble bathroom. The twin shower heads were a bit of a
waste of time, as far as he was concerned. He only ever used one.
The shower was made for two people but he’d never brought any woman
home with him. His home was his personal oasis and no one was going
to crash it. It was the one place he could relax and forget about
the outside world for awhile.

After a brisk
shower, he dried himself and debated what he was going to do for
the evening. The options were to go out and see if he could get
lucky with a hot chick, or stay indoors, eat the dinner his
housekeeper had cooked for him, and watch TV.

Towel low on
his hips, he regarded his reflection in the mirror. He knew he was
good looking without being obnoxious about it. It wasn’t just his
money that attracted women, though it certainly helped. He suddenly
found himself wondering what Cindy thought as she’d looked at him.
There had certainly been interest in her eyes, appreciation even,
and he wondered if she’d felt even a smidgen of interest that
bordered on sexual attraction.