Restoration Hearts Page 7

  “Where have you been, and what are you doing here?”

  “I just got back from Moree and heard you were in town.” He lifted his gaze to the house. “Denise’s old place, hey?”

  “Yeah.” Perie’s reply was demure as she thought about the aunt only she loved. She turned to the two younger men. “Dad, you remember Flynn and Vaughn?”

  “Fellas.” Jack shook both men’s hands.

  “You gave Perie quite a fright, mate,” Flynn said.

  “Sorry about the intrusion. I meant nothing by it.”

  “It’s alright, Dad. Would you like to stay for dinner?” Perie grabbed his arm as though to make sure he was real.

  “That sounds nice. You don’t mind?”

  “Not at all.” Perie shook her head and led him into the house.

  ***

  Flynn glanced at Perie. From her spot on the edge of the verandah, she peeled vegetables over the bowl in her lap and threw glances in the direction of her dad and Vaughn, who were getting the fire started. He knew she was happy to see Jack, but history showed that he was never one to stick around for long. Though Perie tried to hide behind a smile, Flynn knew Jack’s nomadic life hurt her. Lowering himself down behind her, Flynn slid his legs either side of her body and rested his hands on Perie’s shoulders. “Hey, Per.”

  She smiled up at him and rested her head against his shoulder. “Hi.”

  Their legs dangled over the edge of the verandah and eventually linked together. “You need a hand?”

  “Nuh-uh.” Perie shook her head. “But you can hang out with me if you want.”

  “I’d like that.” Flynn picked a bean out of the bowl and bit into it with a crisp crunch. “What’s it like seeing him again?”

  “It’s good . . ..” Perie couldn’t disguise the tentative tone in her voice.

  “But?”

  “But it’s Dad. We both know what he’s like.” With a shrug, she flashed him a half-smile.

  Flynn locked his elbow around her neck. He pulled her back against him and planted a sloppy kiss on her forehead. “You know I’ll never do that to you again, don’t you?”

  “I know.” Perie lowered the peeler and the carrot into the bowl and closed her eyes as these strange new feelings towards Flynn overtook her once again. She breathed in the scent of him and couldn’t resist turning into him and brushing her lips over his collarbone ever so lightly.

  Flynn’s breath hitched. “What are you doing, Per?”

  “I don’t know. I never know anymore . . . at least, not when it comes to you.” She pulled away and there was a guilty glint in her hazel eyes. “Sorry. I shouldn’t be starting anything in front of Dad.”

  Flynn couldn’t help but notice the lack of a mention of Vaughn in that sentence. While he didn’t entirely ignore it, he did feign indifference. He picked up the carrot and peeler and finished it up for her. “These’ll taste good on the fire.”

  “Yep,” Perie agreed.

  Flynn got to his feet and offered his hand to Perie. “Up you get.”

  Perie let him lead her down to the backyard just as Vaughn and her father were putting some lamb chops on to cook. Perie’s mouth began to water at the thought of wood-fired lamb and vegetables. Nothing could be better. Once the food was on, everyone sat down on the grass together, beers in hand.

  “How long are you in town for, Dad?” Perie asked.

  “Just for the night, sweetheart. I’ve got a job up in Roma for a month helping a mate get some camels ready for the overseas market. It’s becoming a big business and the less camels out there, the better.” Jack waved his hand in the general direction of the Red Center.

  “The feral population is out of control up there,” Vaughn recalled as he lifted his beer to his mouth.

  “A few people are starting to farm them now. There’s a big market for them in the Middle East, and a fair bit of money in it, too,” Jack continued.

  “Roma will be a change for you, won’t it?” Flynn asked.

  “No, not at all. I’ve been way up to the Top End a few times now. Done all sorts of things.”

  “You can’t even stay for a couple of days?” Perie asked.

  Jack shook his head. “I wish I could, but Brett and I are heading out tomorrow night. If I can get an early start, I should be up there around lunch time.”

  “Oh, right.” Perie nodded nonchalantly and tried to hide the hurt expression on her face.

  Flynn narrowed his eyes on the old man. “Can’t you tell this Brett you’ve been delayed? That you need to spend time with your daughter?”

  “I can’t, mate. It’s good money.”

  “You haven’t seen her for years!” Flynn exclaimed.

  Shock registered on Vaughn’s face. “How many years?”

  “Guys, it’s fine. Dad made a promise to a man. I can’t expect him to simply drop everything,” Perie interrupted.

  “Thanks, Miss P. I knew you’d understand.”

  Perie chewed the inside of her cheek. When the tears threatened to spill down her cheeks, she excused herself. “I forgot to get some plates. Silly me.”

  She pushed herself up and raced off. Vaughn dashed after her, leaving Flynn to have a go at her flighty father.

  Vaughn caught her by the arm before Perie could race into the house. “No. Vaughn, stop—” She squeezed her eyes shut in an attempt to stop her tears.

  “How long has it been since you’ve seen him?” He nodded towards Jack.

  Perie sniffled. “Five years.”

  “Five years?” Vaughn exclaimed.

  “The one and only time he came to Brisbane . . .. He avoids cities like the plague. He says they do his head in.”

  “What a bullshit excuse.”

  “I guess so. But there’s no changing his mind. Dad’s a stubborn old coot, and he always has been. Mum could never get him to stay in our lives for long, and she eventually got sick of that, so she left him.” Perie pushed her hair behind her ear and stared down at the grass beneath her boots.

  “Where’s your mum now?”

  “England. She’s doing the nursing exchange thing. She was only supposed to be gone a year, but she met a man and . . . I don’t know when or if she’ll ever—” Perie let out a strangled sob and rolled her eyes. “God, I must look like such a needy idiot. But it was always me, Mum, and Flynn, you know?”

  “I get it. You’re feeling abandoned,” Vaughn observed.

  “I clung to Aunty Denise, I know I did. Probably too hard. I needed a mother figure and she was there. She filled the spot willingly and we became so close in the end. And now that she’s gone . . . sometimes I just feel so alone,” Perie confessed.

  “Perie, you’re not alone. Flynn sticks to you like Velcro.”

  Perie managed to laugh through her tears. It was a truth that had existed for their entire lives.

  “I want to be like that, too,” Vaughn whispered as he cupped Perie’s cheek. She closed her eyes as his thumb traced her lip. He brought his other hand up to cup the other side of her face. “I feel like I’ve never been away from you, Perie-Berry. Like nothing ever changed.”

  Perie stroked Vaughn’s stubbly jaw, enjoying the scratchiness of it against her palm. “I wish it hadn’t. No one’s ever come close to you, Vaughn.”

  This time Vaughn’s eyes closed as he rested his forehead against hers. He squeezed them tight, vowing to himself to stay in control.

  “Except maybe one,” she admitted.

  “Flynn.”

  “We have sex. A lot. It’s not new, but lately . . . well, something has changed.”

  “You’re in love with him.” Off her gobsmacked expression, he added, “I can tell by the way you are around each other. He loves you, too. I think I’m intruding.”

  Perie shook her head, her eyes widening into saucers. “No! No, Vaughn, I-I want you . . .” she couldn’t tell him she wanted him, “here! I want you here.”

  “Perie.”

  She and Vaughn stepped away from each other as Fly
nn joined them.

  He squeezed her shoulder. “You okay?”

  Perie took a deep breath and sent him a reluctant nod.

  “I know it’s not fair and it’s not easy, but your dad’s only here for a night. Come and have dinner with him,” Flynn suggested.

  Perie puffed her cheeks out. “I have to get plates.”

  “I’ll get the plates. You go and freshen up.” Flynn brushed his thumb across Perie’s cheek and wiped away a lingering tear.

  Perie glanced from one man to the other. Being in the presence of both of them was beginning to become more confusing. But, in this moment, she could admit she had never felt more comfortable. Two feelings that ought to have contradicted each other seemed to melt easily together in this instance, and Perie wasn’t sure what to think of it. One thing was certain, though—the three of them were going to have to sit down and have a serious discussion. Perie didn’t want a repeat of year twelve. She would not lose either of them again.

  DINNER WAS A DIFFICULT affair. The conversation was generally one-sided, filled with nothing other than Jack’s adventures. Perie found that she had little in common with her wayward father. His stories were wild and fantastic, sure, and as a child she once found them wondrous. But now, all she heard behind them was the sound of a man who never found his place in life.

  Jack Miller was lost, eternally lost. He was a man who would never stay put, because he was a man who could never fully commit. Not to anything or anyone. Remind you of anyone? Perie glanced at Vaughn, her high school sweetheart, the boy she couldn’t get over. She gave up much too easily on him, running away instead of dealing with the situation.

  The same happened with Flynn, too, she thought as her gaze flitted to her hot, blonde friend. It was happening now. She’d been stringing him along their entire lives without admitting how she felt about him.

  Perie was Jack’s daughter, alright.

  She nibbled on the bone of the chop she had eaten, focusing on tearing every last scrap of meat off with her teeth. She felt like she was going loopy, sitting here squirming internally while her father prattled on and on.

  Once the bone was clean, Perie threw it into the fire. “Well, as fun as this has been, I’m about ready for bed. We’ve got a big day tomorrow. I want to rip that bedroom wall out to make way for the windows.”

  “Which bedroom? Denise’s?” Jack asked, leaning forward on his elbows.

  “Yep. I’m turning it into a big bathroom.”

  “It’ll be a bloody huge bathroom!” Jack exclaimed.

  “That’s the plan. There’s going to be a claw-foot bath and a fireplace and under tile heating. It’ll be magical.” Perie wasn’t sure why she smiled dreamily at Flynn and Vaughn, but she shifted uneasily when they sent her smiles of their own. Her body shivered as sudden thoughts entered her mind about sharing that bathroom with them.

  Perie got to her feet. “Where are you sleeping, Dad?”

  “I’ve got a swag in the back of my ute.” Jack jabbed his thumb in the direction of his vehicle.

  “Good to hear. Goodnight.”

  “’Night, darl.”

  Perie climbed the stairs and took herself to the old bathroom for a shower. Standing under the spray, she allowed the hot water to wash the tension from her body. It massaged her muscles and cleaned away the grime from the day’s work. When she stepped out of the stall, she realised she had come in without thinking to bring her towels and pyjamas with her. Normally, she wouldn’t care about parading around nude if it was only Flynn about. But with her father and Vaughn in the vicinity, things were different.

  Opening the door a crack, Perie listened for sounds of activity close by. Hearing nothing, she took a tentative step out of the bathroom. She took another. And then another. Then she broke into a jog and dashed into the living room/soon-to-be master bedroom. She grabbed one of her towels off the wire chair it was hanging over and wrapped it around herself. As Perie dug through her suitcase for her set of PJs, she was alerted to some strange sounds echoing softly from Denise’s old room. Perie snuck over to peer through the crack of the door and was met with the sight of Flynn bent over Vaughn’s naked crotch. Although she didn’t have a direct view of Vaughn, she knew exactly what was going on by the motions and the groaning.

  With a loud gasp, panic swelled within Perie’s chest, making it hard for her to breathe. She tried to hold back a sob, but it echoed loudly through the cavernous old room. Damn the acoustics of these old houses.

  “Perie?” Vaughn’s voice echoed out.

  Perie backed away from the door and proceeded to trip over her suitcase. She tried to get up but tripped a second time.

  It was happening again . . .. It was all happening again.

  Tears blurred her vision as she felt Flynn’s familiar hands grip her arms.

  “Perie,” he murmured, “are you alright?”

  She shook him off and pushed herself to her feet. She hightailed it out of the house, ignoring the calls of her name. As she made her way along the back verandah, Perie heard the echoes of their footfalls pounding their way after her.

  “Perie, stop!” Flynn demanded, his sharp voice piercing its way through her anger.

  Perie spun around. Angry tears burned her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. “What the fuck, Flynn? All this talk of not letting Vaughn get between us, yet you somehow can’t keep yourself off him?”

  Flynn shook his hanging head.

  “And you!” She waved her finger at Vaughn. “Why are you so . . .?”

  “So . . .?” Vaughn queried.

  “So fucking irresistible? Why can’t either of us keep our hands off you?”

  Vaughn tried to hide his smirk by scratching his thumb nail across his top lip.

  Perie’s eyes narrowed. “See, even that’s sexy. You should be illegal.”

  “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

  “So . . . what is it with you guys? I know you aren’t gay, because . . . well, for obvious reasons.” Perie blushed as her hands flew between herself and Flynn.

  “Not gay, Per.” Flynn glanced at Vaughn. “Well, not entirely. A teensy bit, maybe?”

  Vaughn shrugged as his gaze passed between Flynn and Perie. “I’m equally attracted to the both of you. Always have been.”

  Perie gaped at him. “Does that mean you’re bisexual?”

  With a single nod, Vaughn said, “Yeah, I think so.”

  “This doesn’t change my feelings for you, Per. You’re everything to me. But for some reason, my feelings for Vaughn haven’t died,” Flynn said.

  “The stuff that happened back in school, this same stuff, isn’t because I’m trying to cheat on anyone or ruin your lives. I’m not that kind of guy. I never was.” Vaughn sent Perie a pleading glance but took a step back. “But if I’m getting between the two of you again, then I’ll leave. Tomorrow, when I can get my car back to town.”

  Perie dashed towards him—it was such a rapid response. “Please don’t.”

  Flynn looked at her in surprise. “Perie?”

  “Well, do you want him to go?” Perie demanded.

  “No, I don’t,” Flynn replied quietly. Desire-filled looks passed between the three of them.

  “Stay, Vaughn. Please?”

  A slow smile grew on his face. “How can I refuse a beautiful woman in a towel?”

  The husk in his deep voice sank to her core, making Perie squeeze her legs together. Oh, this was ridiculous. She peered over the verandah to the backyard, where the fire was now out. “Where’s Dad?”

  “Passed out in his ute,” Flynn answered.

  “Good.”

  Both men’s jaws dropped as Perie opened her towel, exposing her deliciously perky breasts and lickable pussy to them. She dropped the towel onto the deck and leapt at Vaughn. He groaned in surprise as her lips pressed against his. He was quick to scoop his hands under her arse cheeks and carry her back towards the house. Vaughn responded to her searching tongue, brushing his own against the delectabl
e thing jiving in his mouth. He broke away from her long enough to yell over his shoulder, “Brewer, get your arse in here!”

  Perie giggled as she nibbled Vaughn’s ear.

  He shuddered. “God, woman.” The desire was thick in his deep voice.

  He dropped Perie onto the old bed in Denise’s room and she froze. “Not in here . . ..”

  “What?” Vaughn queried.

  “Not in here, please.”

  “It’s her aunty’s bed,” Flynn explained.

  Understanding spread across Vaughn’s face as Flynn extended his hand to Perie. “I get it. Where then?”

  With a devilish smile, Perie took Vaughn’s large hand in hers and pulled the men into the living room. Vaughn watched as her fingers worked the buckle of his belt.

  Flynn came up behind her and slid his fingers over the slick lips of her pussy. Perie moaned and arched her ass towards him, an automatic response she had no control over. She was already so wet; he could easily slide two fingers inside her. Vaughn’s pants hit the floor, revealing his hard cock to his two horny companions. Perie stroked Vaughn’s eight inches, and then slowly lowered her mouth onto him. He tasted salty, a little sweaty from the day, and smoky from the fire—he was delicious.

  Flynn’s mouth watered as he watched his girl work Vaughn. He wanted that cock, too. But then he squatted behind her and took in the beauty of her glistening pussy. Oh, yes, this was just as delectable. Spreading her arse cheeks, Flynn buried his face in Perie’s pussy, his tongue delving into its depths, his lips teasing her. She groaned around Vaughn’s dick, but managed to keep her rhythm going.

  “Oh, yes. That’s the way, baby,” Vaughn moaned. Gathering Perie’s tresses into his hands, he fucked her mouth gently, relishing the suction she gave him on the out pull.

  Eventually, the pleasure got to her and she had to pull off Vaughn when a tiny spark of passion zinged through her from Flynn’s attentions. The blonde hottie drove her to a small orgasm, just enough to whet her appetite for now.

  Kneeling beside her, Flynn took over Vaughn’s cock. Perie watched in dumbstruck awe. She didn’t seem to know what to do next, so Flynn pulled down his shorts and rested her hand on his dick. He pulled off Vaughn for a moment and begged, “Make me harder, Per.” He tenderly stroked one of her boobs as he returned his attention to Vaughn. “Mm-hm.” His approval came out in a low moan when she began to pump him with her fist.