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Chapter Thirty-Nine

A bi deliberately avoided Mackenzie as much as possible during the day. He seemed distant and focused, and it was important for each of them to be alone occasionally. His construction phases were his time. She’d also decided not to bring up the cake again. It obviously hurt him to talk about it, and it was Mackenzie’s choice whether he told her about it or not. She knew though, by the way he touched it, that the scar on his chin had something to do with it.

Her day had been filled with swimming, reading, and writing in her diary and she was plucking feathers from the carcass of a yellow bird when Mackenzie called her.

“Abi, come look.” His voice was packed with excitement.

This was it. She knew from previous experience that he thrived on her initial reaction. Placing the half bald bird onto a metal plate, she wrapped it with a T-shirt and placed it into a cockpit compartment.

She walked around the wreck and her heart jumped into her throat at the sight of him.

He stood completely naked in front of his construction. His teeth were brilliant white against his thick beard, and he looked majestic, like a tribal warrior standing proud and confident alongside his conquest.

“Get your gear off. It’s bath time.” He waved her forward. “Come on, while it’s hot.”

She wiped her hands on her pants—a pair of cargo pants she’d borrowed from Toni’s luggage—as she walked toward him. Her heart pounded louder with each step and the moisture in her mouth evaporated. She couldn’t speak. Stopping before him she chewed on her bottom lip and willed herself to look into his honey-coloured eyes, searching for his thoughts and confused by her own.

“Feel it.” His smile grew even bigger.

Her mind raced, but then she realised he was talking about the bath and swallowed hard.

Control yourself, girl .

She dipped her fingers into the water. “It’s warm.” She couldn’t remember the last time she’d relished warm water on her body; it was a slice of heaven.

He reached toward her. “Shirt off then.”

She held her arms above her head, allowing him to remove her top and she proudly stood bare breasted before him. A tantalising shiver covered her body with goose pimples as she watched Mackenzie’s eyes, eager to see if he peeked at her. But he flung her shirt aside as if this was something they did every day, barely even glancing at her.

She chided herself. Her desires were deluded.

Mackenzie wouldn’t be interested in a woman ten years older than him.

“I’ll get in first, okay?” Mackenzie held her shoulder as he climbed into the bath then he turned and shuffled to one end. Abi was mesmerised by the movement of his bottom. Cheeky and muscular. She couldn’t drag her eyes away.

When he turned, she soaked up every inch of his stunning body. His skin radiated a healthy tan, his abs rippled and the line of hair below his neatly sculpted navel drew her eyes. Heat burned within her, and it took all her might not to look any lower.

He’s not interested, Abi .

As he eased himself into the water, he closed his eyes and sighed, obviously absorbed in the ecstasy of the moment and longing for him to invite her in, her body tingled with anticipation.

Finally, he opened his eyes. They appeared lost, distant. “Come on, your turn.” His voice was a husky whisper .

She slipped out of her underpants and focused on her yearning for the warm water, rather than her nakedness. Mackenzie was the first man to ever see her naked for longer than a couple of seconds. She’d gone to great lengths to ensure Spencer never saw her body.

Sex was always with the lights off.

Mackenzie placed his hand under her elbow, and she eased one foot into the warm water. The sensation sent shivers up her spine, and she giggled. “Oh, wow, this is heavenly.”

“Well, get your lily-white ass in here.”

She braced herself and slipped her other foot into the warm water and now stood between his legs, naked and exposed and for the first time in her life, unashamed of her body. He smiled up at her, reigniting the desires she was trying to push aside.

A sigh released from her lips as she lowered into the water and savoured the sensation of warm water caressing her skin. She shuffled back until she rested against the other end of the bath and pulled her knees above the water.

Abi rested her hands upon Mackenzie’s knees, her fingers playing with his coarse leg hair. Her breasts bobbed salaciously above the water line and her wanton nipples peaked as the sensation of the warm water and the cool air teased her skin.

Mackenzie placed his hands over her hands and the warmth emanating from his palms cruised up to her heart. She closed her eyes and was absorbed in the immeasurable pleasure of a simple bath.

His hands splashed into the water and his fingers caressed her calf muscle. She opened her eyes. He was watching her. His honey eyes drew her in. Her heart beat faster and heat rose from within her core. As he devoured her with his gaze, she wondered what he was thinking.

He licked his lips. “Would you like a foot massage?”

She swallowed hard, unable to answer.

Without taking his eyes off her, he lifted her foot from the water, and she chewed on her bottom lip in an attempt to curb the fireworks racing through her body. Her breath deepened more with each toe he massaged, and she melted away when he ran his thumbs along her instep. Her heart quickened as she experienced one of the most sensuous moments of her life .

An exquisite pulsing between her thighs surprised her.

She wanted him to touch her more, but she had no idea if he wanted her too. As she looked into his eyes she wondered if he was thinking the same thing. Never before had she wanted to be with someone so much.

A kookaburra broke the silence, laughing at the ridiculous sight of them.

She cast her pointless desires aside. “This is so wonderful.” The words came out as a faint whisper.

“Mmm.” Mackenzie moaned.

“I’ve had many luxury spas in my life but none of them as good as this.” She thought back to her most recent spa at Palazzo Versace on the Gold Coast. The palatial bath, surrounded by Italian inspired columns and inconspicuous lighting, was large enough to cater to twenty people, but only she and Spencer had luxuriated in it at that time. Abi recalled being angry at Spencer but couldn’t remember why and she now regretted ruining the moment.

She shrugged off the ill-timed memory. “I don’t think I’ve ever been this relaxed in a bath before. I always worried about getting my hair wet or how fat I was.”

He cocked his head, frowning.

“But look at me now.”

“I am.”

“And?”

“You’re lovely.”

Wow. She glowed on the inside. “All my life I’ve struggled to lose weight, but I think I’ve lost at least fifteen kilos out here. And my hair is so soft. You wouldn’t believe the amount of money I’ve spent on hair products over the years. Now I just use plain water.” Her giggle rippled the water.

Mackenzie laughed with her and rested his hands upon hers again.

“You know what?” She turned her palms over to meet his.

“What?”

“This crash is probably the best thing to happen to me.” She paused, letting her bold admission set in. “I’ve found myself.”

“I like what you found. Better than the woman I first met.”

She splashed him. “Really?”

“Really.” He splashed her back. “So, aren’t you going to ask me about the cake?”

“No.”

He did a double take. “Really?”

Did Rodney know the story? Of course he did. Mackenzie shared everything with him. She liked that Mackenzie wanted to tell her too.

“You’ll tell me if you want to.”

Mackenzie huffed. “Who are you? And what did you do with the real Abi?”

She chuckled. “Very funny. Besides, I think I already know what happened.”

He cocked an eyebrow. “Go on then. Tell me.”

Abi wanted to be delicate, but there wasn’t a delicate way to say it. “I think your dad threw the cake at you. That’s how you got the scar on your chin.”

His mouth dropped as his thumb traced the scar. “How the hell do you know that?”

“I’ve become more observant, I guess. When you mentioned the cake, you touched the scar, just like you’re doing now. And the look on your face, well it almost told the whole, sad story on its own.”

He frowned at her. “What else have you noticed?”

“You twirl that lovely ring on your necklace when you think of your mum.”

He did exactly that and his eyes drifted off somewhere into the past.

“Do you want to tell me what happened?”

He dropped the necklace, and his warm hands cupped her knees again. When he blinked, his eyes were on her again. “As I said earlier, Mum had just baked a cake. But Dad came home right when she put it on the kitchen bench, and I raced off to my bedroom. I always did that.” He shrugged. “I’d wait to see what kind of mood he was in before I came out.”

Abi turned her palms over and he moved his hands from her knees to her hands.

“He wasn’t home for very long when he called me, and I knew straight away he was in a bad mood. I remember walking up our hallway, completely terrified, and thinking it was like walking along the devil’s throat. When I saw Dad’s hands, spread out on the kitchen bench I knew things were about to get nasty. I don’t know what it was, maybe the way he was standing, the look on his face. Not sure. He had huge hands, all tobacco stained and dirty nails.” He shook his head. “Disgusting. And his B.O. was just foul.”

“He sounds awful.”

“He was. And he was always looking for a fight. Anything would spark him off. But this time I wasn’t going to give it. But you know what he did?”

“What?”

“He picked up the cake tin, didn’t even notice it was boiling hot. I heard the sizzle on his hands and smelled it burning his skin.” Mackenzie screwed up his face.

“Oh my God.”

“He dumped the cake into the sink and stabbed it until it disappeared down the hole. So even though I didn’t fight with him that time I still lost anyway.”

Abi looked into his eyes, seeking confirmation he was okay. But he was distant again, back with his mum in the kitchen. She waited for the rest of the story, knowing the worst was yet to come. His eyes returned to her, and she smiled at him. He squeezed her palm and then touched his scar.

“He threw the cake tin at Mum, and I jumped at it, thinking I could catch it. But it whacked me in the chin instead. It’s weird. It would’ve only touched my skin for a second at the most, but the scar’s lasted forever.”

“Your mum must have been so proud of you.”

“Yeah. When Dad finally took his beer and left us, she hugged me so hard I could barely breathe. Her heart pounded in her chest and yet in front of my dad you could’ve sworn she was as calm as ever.”

“She sounds like an amazing woman.”

“She was.”

Abi couldn’t sleep that night. The feelings she’d had in the bath still pulsed through her, torturing her body and confusing her mind. She decided to read Charlie’s next letter instead. Mackenzie had already started breathing deeply in the bed beside her when she crawled out.

She was drawn to Charlie’s words. They were often as cruel as they were compassionate. After selecting the next pink envelope, she settled by the fire. The first thing she noticed was the envelope didn’t have ‘return to sender’ written upon it. Then she noticed there was no stamp.

Charlie never posted it.

“Oh Charlie,” she whispered, glancing at his grave. “Don’t tell me you gave up?” With a heavy heart she flipped open the seal, removed the folded page and spread it out on her lap. His distinctive, slanted script was as beautiful to look at as his words were to read. He’d sketched an elaborate flower in the top corner of the page and Abi recognised it as the oriental lily, her favourite flower.

She sighed before she began to read.

My dearest Holly,

You looked picture perfect today. Your wedding dress was the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. I know brides always look amazing on their wedding day, but you were truly heavenly. Your new husband looked so proud and dashing in his grey suit. I noticed that you chose white lilies as your flowers. Did you know they are my favourite too? I bought them for your mother all the time. Where are you going for your honeymoon? Somewhere exotic? Or secluded?

I’m so happy for you both and I hope one day you will see it in your heart to invite me in. I’m sure your mother has filled you with poison about me that simply isn’t true. I desperately wanted to hold you today, to tell you I love you. But your mother demanded that I stay away from your special day. You looked very happy. I’m so proud of you.

I love you, always will.

Your father,

Charlie

Abi neatly folded the letter into quarters and returned it to the envelope. “Good for you, Charlie.” Holding an imaginary wine glass up to toast Charlie, she pictured him hiding in thick bushes and smiling as his daughter emerged from her wedding car.

Instinct told her he hadn’t posted any more letters, though. He would’ve chosen to leave his daughter alone instead.

She was angered by his silence .

Krystal’s image entered her mind. Would she have the opportunity to be at her daughter’s wedding and if so, would Krystal want her there?

Abi’s shoulders sagged.

Her situation was very similar to Charlie’s.

Except she never tried hard enough.