perspective? Katrina mentally derided as she showered, then dressed in jeans and a rib-knit top.
It was nine days since she’d moved back into his home, and already she was sharing the same room, the same bed. Despite her voiced avowal to the contrary.
So what did that say about her? That she was weak-willed and malleable? Or merely enjoying the fringe benefits of their relationship?
Neither was true, she dismissed, as she pulled on socks and slid her feet into trainers.
There was a part of her that wanted to block out the turmoil Georgia’s reappearance had caused. The woman’s timing was masterful. Contrived to destroy any chance of what she perceived could lead to a genuine reconciliation?
Was that Georgia’s aim?
Dear heaven. Was the woman desperate enough to resort to deliberate subterfuge?
Katrina didn’t like the way various scenarios were swirling through her brain, and she resolutely put them on hold as she slung a sweater over her shoulders and knotted the sleeves together in front.
She intended to seize the day, and enjoy it as best she could…without introspection or censure.
Nicos took the Great Western Highway to Katoomba, passing through various small towns which often seemed to merge. There they picked up filled rolls, fruit, bottled water, and drove on through precipitous valleys, taking a turn-off leading to a picturesque waterfall where they stopped to have lunch.
Nicos took a rug from the car and spread it on the grassy verge. They sank down comfortably, and began eating in companionable silence.
It was cool, much cooler than Sydney, the peace and tranquillity a direct contrast to city living. It was possible to almost hear the silence beyond the soft rush of water spilling down the rock face.
The isolation was complete, and it wasn’t difficult to imagine another time when life was reduced to carving out an existence, rising with the dawn to take from the day as much as humanly possible.
The evolution of man had advanced into the twenty-first century, but the beauty of nature abounded, often stark, frequently simple…a pertinent reminder of a primitive power.
Katrina finished her ham and salad roll, and bit into an apple.
‘Thanks,’ she said quietly.
‘For bringing you here?’
‘Yes.’ She could feel the tension of the past few weeks begin to ease, and a sense of peace invade her being. The city seemed far distant, as did the stress of everyday living, Enrique’s demands…Georgia. Even her aggression with Nicos temporarily ceased to exist.
He capped his bottled water, and stretched out. His jeans were a soft denim that moulded his legs and clung lovingly to his hips. A thick sweater covered his polo shirt, accentuating his breadth of shoulder, the depth of his chest.
Katrina finished her apple, then rose to her feet, only to have Nicos capture her hand.
‘There’s no rush.’ He tugged her down beside him. ‘Rest for a while.’
She was tired, and perhaps if she closed her eyes for half an hour…
‘Time to leave. It’s going to rain very soon.’
She opened her eyes, saw the overcast sky, registered the rug draped over her incumbent form, and stood to her feet. ‘What time is it?’
Much later than she thought. She’d slept for more than an hour.
A light, misty rain could be seen shrouding the ranges, and soon after Nicos set the car in motion rain began splattering the windscreen. The green foliage took on a dark blueish-green tinge, and once they’d traversed the mountain and reached the valley below the mist cleared and there was sunshine.
For some reason Katrina felt reluctant to have the day end and return home.
‘How do you feel about strolling round The Rocks and eating pizza alfresco?’ he asked.
She turned towards him as they entered the city fringes. ‘Done,’ she agreed with an impish smile.
It became a pleasurable few hours as they examined the many craft and novelty shops, the restaurants and outdoor cafés abounding at the popular Rocks area, topped by the best pizza she’d ever tasted washed down with a glass of wine and followed by strong, sweet black coffee.
There was a sense of anticipation, an expectancy of how the evening would end as Nicos garaged the car, and Katrina entered the house at his side, then ascended the stairs to their room.
By tacit agreement they showered together, taking their time then, both towelled dry, Nicos led her to the bed, tumbling her down onto it with him. A husky chuckle emerged from his throat as she rolled on top of him.
Tonight was his, to pleasure and gift him the ultimate in sensual arousal. His skin tasted of soap and male muskiness as she trailed her lips from the edge of his mouth down the column of his neck, laving each nipple before travelling low…to tantalise the most vulnerable part of his anatomy with her lips, tracing his shaft with the tip of her tongue, and rendering a trail of soft kisses from groin to its acutely sensitive tip.
Nicos’s groan urged her on to take an even greater liberty, and she embarked on a sensual tasting that drove him almost to the edge of control.
Then it was she who cried out as he returned the favour, lingering until she went wild and begged his possession.
Long afterwards they lay together, limbs tangled, her head pillowed against the curve of his shoulder as he buried his lips in her hair.
It was late morning before Katrina checked her voice-mail for messages: Siobhan, suggesting lunch one day through the week; Enrique, demanding she return his call urgently, followed by a second call with a similar request; Harry, who waxed eloquently about soft furnishings and request he discuss them with her over lunch the next day; and messages from two friends suggesting lunch.
She returned each of them, then got on with the day. Allocating, delegating, deferring, with an efficiency that had earned Kevin’s respect. Estimates had been faxed through regarding her plans for the Melbourne site, and she tended to those, checking details and figures with close scrutiny.
For once she managed to leave the office at five, although there appeared little advantage as she sat stationary in stalled traffic, a delay which meant she didn’t reach Point Piper until almost six.
Consequently there wasn’t time for the leisurely shower she’d planned, and choosing something to wear to dinner and the ballet didn’t permit much deliberation.
A bias-cut gown in three layered lengths of red, cyclamen and pink…colours which should have been at variance with her auburn hair, but contrarily complimented it.
Make-up complete, she caught up an evening purse and emerged to find Nicos waiting for her, looking his attractive best in a dark evening suit, white shirt and black bow tie.
The mere sight of him sent a jolt of sensual electricity through her body, and his slow smile made her ache for his touch.
Dinner was a hurried meal eaten at a Double Bay restaurant, and they waived a starter, settled on a main course, and declined dessert in order to reach the theatre before the first act began.
Swan Lake was a graceful, classical style, the music hauntingly beautiful as the dancers completed their practised moves to a level of breathtaking perfection.
One act followed another, each performed with superb artistry, and Katrina experienced a sense of disappointment when the curtain came down at the close of the final act.
Clearing the theatre and reaching their car took a while, and afterwards Nicos drove to Double Bay where they lingered over lattes and watched the social set at play.
Katrina mused that she and Nicos had sat at this particular sidewalk café during their brief courtship, and after their marriage.