Alison Kelly - Irresistible Attraction

‘Have you had much experience with accounts work before?’

‘On and off. I’ve worked on several occasions for my brother’s building firm and I also did a stint with a film company in Greece. I’ve done both computer and manual processing, so I don’t anticipate any difficulties here.’

‘Good, because I can’t spare the time to give you anything more than a basic explanation of how things operate; you’ll be on your own with the books. This all the luggage you got?’ he asked, holding a battered leather suitcase.

‘That and this,’ she replied, pulling a small backpack from the front seat. ‘When you’ve done as much travelling as I have you learn to pack economically. ‘Struth, it’s hot!’

Bart made no response to her observation of the climate. He wasn’t one to waste his breath making irrelevant comments or endorsing accurate ones. The woman seemed to have no such reservation.

‘You’re obviously used to this heat. At least it’s dry heat and not that oppressive humidity you get up FNQ! Is that exhausting!’

As they reached the top of the porch stairs, Alessandra became aware of the close scrutiny of the man next to her.

‘Is something wrong?’

‘FNQ?’ he enquired in a slow drawl, accompanied by a look that suggested he wasn’t sure he wanted to hear the translation.

Alessandra laughed.

‘Far North Queensland. FNQ. Sounds like an obscene way of saying “Get lost”, doesn’t it?’

She turned, catching the smile her reaction had caused, and was stunned by the transformation in his face. Strong white teeth were exposed from behind the previous thin line of his mouth, and deep grooves appeared at the sides. The fine lines spreading from the corners of his eyes, no doubt created by years of squinting against the sun, suddenly became laughter lines, lending a boy-like roguishness to his face. When he smiles, she thought, he is almost more than conventionally good-looking!

She accepted his offer of a cold drink and sat quietly in the air-conditioned comfort of the kitchen as he busied himself at the refrigerator.

All the mod cons were evident and in sparkling condition. Grey Formica benching and cedar cupboards ran the length of three walls, separated by a strategically placed stove, refrigerator, microwave and the largest domestic freezer she had ever seen! Soft grey walls complemented the black slate floor.

‘Here you are.’

She turned in response to the rich Texas drawl.

‘Uh…thanks.’ She barely restrained a sigh as she accepted a glass of what was obviously lemonade and watched him pull the top off a can of beer. Oh, well, she’d suffered lemonade before and it hadn’t killed her… Mind you, it wasn’t likely to kill her thirst, either!

Leaning against the bench, Bart watched her take a tentative sip from the glass. He wondered what whim had possessed her to bleach her hair to stark white, or for that matter why she wore it so short. It was completely straight and cut into a bob that ended an inch below her ears with a fine fringe just tipping her eyebrows. The hair, along with the elfin chin and fine, turned-up nose, created a pixie-like look that seemed in total conflict with the sensual blue eyes, rimmed by bluetipped lashes.

As the father of a teenage daughter, he was only too familiar with the use of mascara and kohl, but he’d never struck anyone who used blue ! Why would anyone want to have blue eyelashes?

‘You’re staring, Bart.’

The truth in her words startled him back to reality.

‘Sorry, I just noticed you weren’t really enjoying that drink.’

‘Well, it’s pretty damned hard to enjoy a lemonade when you’re watching someone drink a frosty-cold beer!’ she responded cheekily.

‘Oh!’ Bart felt chastised. He hadn’t thought to offer beer, since none of the women he knew drank it. ‘Would you prefer a beer?’

She grinned. ‘Can a duck swim?’

‘Sorry, I’m not used to women drinking beer. Here.’

Alessandra smiled at the speed with which he put a can on the table.

‘I’ll get you another glass…’

‘Don’t bother, a can will do me.’

She was already lifting the beer can to her mouth and a hot spark of sensation shot through him as she took two long swallows. He wondered how watching a woman do something as unladylike as guzzling beer from a can could be physically stimulating.

‘Ahh!’ She gave a blissful smile. ‘Now that felt good enough to call orgasmic!’

Bart sent her a startled look, wondering whether some cosmic force was putting them on to the same wavelength. The notion didn’t bear thinking about!

‘I have to get back to work. I’ll show you your room, since I’m sure you’ll want to rest.’

‘What I’m hanging out for is a swim. Although I’ll settle for a shower.’

‘I’m afraid the swim will have to wait till Lisa can show you a safe spot in the stream.’ At the dejected look on her face he only just stopped himself from offering to take her there himself. He didn’t have time to pander to the whims of someone who was here to work for him. ‘Dinner is at seven-thirty. We don’t usually dress for it unless we have guests.’

‘Righto! I’ll remember. Dinner in the nude at seven-thirty.’

Bart gave a wry smile as he desperately pushed away mental images of himself trying to eat a meal while a naked Alessandra MacKellar sat opposite. Already he felt the effects of heartburn.

‘Listen, will you do me a favour?’ she asked.

‘If I can,’ he said tentatively, picking up her bag to take upstairs.

‘Smile more often,’ she said. ‘You have one helluva sexy smile, Bart Cameron!’

Bart was sure he was the only thirty-eight-year-old man ever to blush!

More tired than she’d realised, Alessandra awoke to find she had only twenty minutes until dinner. She felt sure Bart Cameron’s don’t-dress-for-dinner rule wasn’t flexible enough to allow her the luxury of arriving at the table in a satin and lace camisole. Time to unpack.

Packing and unpacking wasn’t difficult for Alessandra; in fact she could manage to make herself at home in a new place in a little over ten minutes. Rolling from the bed, she lifted her suitcase on to it and proceeded to do just that.

Her meagre wardrobe consisted mainly of jeans and trousers which she teamed with either brightly coloured T-shirts or sweatshirts, as climate dictated. There were two hand-embroidered calf-length skirts she’d bartered for in Israel and a length of colourful hand-painted silk, purchased last year in Hong Kong, should she need something more dressy. Alessandra had never been one to get overly hung up on fashion, probably due to growing up with a tribe of brothers, and her only concessions to feminine vanity were expensive underwear and a collection of gold and silver jewellery, which she’d gathered from various parts of the world over the last nine years.

The last items she pulled from her case were three brass-framed photographs, which she set on the dressing-table. One was of a smiling middle-aged couple against a backdrop of ocean. She had taken the snap four years ago when, following her father’s retirement from his plumbing business, her parents had moved to the north coast of New South Wales.

The second photograph was of her five brothers— Greg, Drew, Scott, Brad and Matt. Scott and Matt were both single while the other three were married with seven children between them. The remaining snap was of the children and their mothers.

Bart waited for her as she descended the stairs.

‘Settled in?’

‘Yes, thanks.’ She gave him a wide smile. ‘It never takes me long.’

‘Good. Lisa has dinner ready, so we better get in there.’ He stood aside to allow her to pass, hoping she didn’t have a sensitive stomach—his daughter’s cooking was definitely an acquired taste!