by the traffic the few times I’ve driven in, I think the train probably gets me there in less time than it takes you in that fancy car.’
True. ‘Where did you move from?’ So much for shutting up.
‘Adelaide. Before that, Perth.’ The pebble flicked across the path as she turned away. ‘I’m heading inside for some sleep. Thanks for bringing me home.’
His heart skittered. What was wrong with his last question? ‘Wait.’ What the hell for? Despite the tightening in his belly and groin brought on by those curves outlining her jacket and trousers, he had to let her go. He wasn’t ready for this. He’d bet Molly wasn’t either.
She paused to look over her shoulder. ‘Go home, Nathan. Get some sleep too. Being Friday, tonight’s bound to be hectic.’
Ignoring that, he said, ‘You want to come with me sometime when I take this…’ he waved at his car ‘…for a blast along the highway?’ What happened to not ready, and thinking things through? Damned if he knew, other than he wasn’t giving up that easily now that he’d started.
She stared at him as if he’d just asked her to fly to the moon in a toy box.
He waited, breath stalled between his lungs and his nostrils, hands tightening and loosening. What was the problem? He’d asked Molly to go for a spin, which meant sharing the small space and breathing her scent some more. No big deal. Yet it felt huge. It was a date. So what? About damned time. There’d been the occasional romp in the sack with women who understood that was all he was offering.
He knew instinctively that Molly would not want that with him. Then again, maybe she would, and he could have fun and walk away afterwards. Shock hit him in the gut. He didn’t want that with this woman. All or nothing. No half-measures. All had to be out of the question. She wasn’t his type. So it had to be nothing. About to withdraw his offer of a ride, he got a second shock.
Molly was grinning at him, and it was the most amazing sight. Beautiful became stunning, quiet became gorgeous and cheeky. ‘Only if I get a turn at the wheel.’
His heart must’ve stopped. Nothing was going on behind his ribs. His lungs had seized. It didn’t surprise him when his knees suddenly turned rubbery. How could he refuse her? Leaning back against the car to prevent landing in a heap on the damp asphalt, he asked, ‘You like driving fast?’ Fast and dangerous? He hadn’t thought dangerous would come into anything Molly did. She appeared too cautious. Appeared, right? Not necessarily correct.
‘Strictly safe and sensible, that’s me.’ The grin dipped.
Phew. He could get back on track, be the colleague who’d brought her home—and ignore the challenge he’d set himself. If only Molly’s mouth hadn’t flattened, because that got him wanting to make her smile again. ‘I promise I’ll be so safe you’ll want to poke me with needles.’ He straightened, took a tentative step and, when he didn’t fall over, began walking up to the main door, making sure Molly was with him.
He got no further than the entrance.
‘Thanks, again.’ Molly punched a set of numbers into the keypad.
‘I’ll see you to your apartment.’
‘I’m on the third floor. Think I can manage,’ she muttered. ‘See you tonight.’ The lock clicked and she nudged the wide door open. ‘I’m glad I went to breakfast. It was fun.’
Warmth stole across his skin and he had to refrain from reaching out to touch her. ‘Glad you came. Now, I’d better get going. I’ve got things to do before I pick Cole up from the airport.’
A frown appeared between those fall-into-them eyes. ‘I thought he wasn’t going to be around for her birthday.’
‘It’s a surprise. He managed to wangle a weekend’s leave. The rest of his contingent is on the way home via Darwin, while he’s coming direct from KL.’
‘There goes the shopping.’ Molly smiled. ‘She can’t work tonight.’
‘I organised that without letting slip what’s going on. I’ll tell her when I drop Cole off.’
‘Good on you. It’d be awful if she had to waste this opportunity of having time out with her man.’ Though filled with longing—for what, he had no idea—at least Molly’s sigh was better than her quiet, mousy look.
Not mousy. Not any more. Sauntering towards his car, he called over his shoulder, ‘See you tonight.’ Time to put distance between them before he did something silly, like ask why it had taken weeks for her to front up and socialise with the people she worked with. That would put a stop to getting closer.
Nathan remained beside his car until Molly went inside and the door had closed behind her. Then he got in and drove on to Coogee and his small piece of paradise, his mind busy with all things Molly. She’d tipped him sideways by wanting little to do with him.
Except go for a spin in this beast.
No matter what else came up, he’d find time to follow through on that. Hopefully this weekend, so he could get to spend time unravelling the façade Molly showed the world.
Don’t think that’s going to happen in a hurry.
Better remember to get her number tonight.
Pulling up at traffic lights, Nathan tapped the steering wheel in time to the rock number playing on the radio. A strident ringing from the passenger side of the car intruded. Leaning over, he fossicked around until his fingers closed over a phone. Had to be Molly’s. His finger hovered over the green circle, but of course he couldn’t answer it. If for no other reason than she’d kill him.
A smile slowly spread across his face. Now he had a reason to return to her apartment and speak to her, and get her phone number at the same time.
‘HOT DAMN.’
Molly leaned back against her apartment door as it clicked shut and tried not to think about Nathan. Like that was going to happen.
A grin spread across her face. What a morning. They’d gone from grumping to talking to smiling and then he’d driven her home and insisted on walking to the entrance with her. He’d have come up here if she’d let him.
She looked around the tiny space, smaller than Gran’s chicken coop, and sighed, glad he wasn’t seeing this. The shoddy apartment block would’ve already given him reason to wonder why a nurse on a reasonable wage would choose to live here. But it was ordinary, wouldn’t attract attention.
She kept the apartment simply furnished with the bare basics in an attempt to make the rooms feel larger. The polished wood furniture came from her grandmother’s cottage after Gran died. The furniture had lain in storage until Molly had moved to Adelaide and set up house on her own. The only good thing about Gran’s passing was that she didn’t get to hear she had been right about Paul. She would’ve gone after him with her sewing scissors.
No one came to the apartment. Lizzie, her best friend back in Perth, kept saying
