“I’m right here.”
He nuzzled my neck, kissing his way across my jaw, my cheek, my lips. “Now you are. Don’t think, just feel.”
And so I did. I felt every touch of his lips, graze of his tongue, caress of his rough, callused hands as he stroked my breasts, my stomach, inching lower, parting my thighs and…
“God, Devon. I’ve missed this.”
I felt his smile against my most private place. A long, drawn-out sigh escaped me, the sound filled with satisfaction and happiness. We barely knew each other sexually, yet already Devon could read the signs that dictated when to speed up or slow down, when to apply pressure and when a featherlike touch would drive me crazy, begging for more.
Pleasuring another human being often took time to learn, and usually involved experimentation, communication, and even then, it sometimes failed spectacularly. Not with Devon. Was this what total compatibility felt like? Was his experience the same as mine, of pure ecstatic joy?
A rush of heat came from nowhere, my body climbing, peaking, and crashing in a matter of a few seconds. I groaned, arched my back, my legs quivering, calves spasming as my body climaxed.
My eyelids fluttered, then opened to find Devon looking down at me wearing an odd expression.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, worry giving my voice a hard rasp.
“Thank you.”
I narrowed my eyes, confused. “For what?”
“For reminding me what happiness is.”
I struggled to sit up. Lost for words, I touched his face, his stubble rough beneath the pads of my fingers. A sixth sense told me that whatever I said next mustn’t scare him off. I felt as though we were on the cusp of change, a serious shift, and if I fucked this up, I’d spend a hell of a long time regretting my ill-thought-out comments.
“I don’t know what’s going on between us, Devon, but I do know that when we’re together, I’m at peace with the world, but more importantly, at peace with myself. And when we’re apart, I feel an ache only you can soothe.”
I paused, waiting to see whether or not I’d made a mistake by sharing the almost-truth of my feelings. When he broke out into another one of those gorgeous smiles that lit up his face, relief swelled within me.
“I miss you, too.”
“Then let’s make the most of these next couple of days before our lives gatecrash the party. You can start by reaching into the nightstand drawer, grabbing a condom, and screwing me. Please and thank you.”
I’d never been fucked where both parties laughed during the entire act.
Guess there was a first time for everything.
I wasn’t a big fan of shower sex. I found it to be one of those fantasies that were always a lot more awkward than you hoped. Too slippery, not enough room, difficult to find a position where the guy’s cock didn’t keep popping out. And we all knew how damned frustrating that could be.
Turned out there was nothing wrong with shower sex. Nothing at all. I’d been doing it with the wrong guys, that was all.
All that soap, hot water, and steam made for very fast orgasms, and lots of them. At least that was my experience on this fine and sunny Monday morning in the beautiful city of Montreal.
We finally switched off the spray and, gingerly, I stepped onto the wet bathroom floor while Devon firmly held my hand. He grabbed a towel off the heated rail and swathed me in it, quickly tied another around his waist, then dried me off. I’d never felt so cosseted in my entire life.
“I’m starved,” I said, quickly rubbing my dripping hair with a towel. “Can you order room service while I blow-dry my hair? We need to leave in an hour.”
“Where is it we’re going again?” Devon asked.
“Nice try, mate,” I said, mimicking his barely there Aussie accent.
He laughed. “Don’t give up your day job. Impressions aren’t your thing.”
I took a swipe at him, but he dodged out of my way.
“Jackass,” I called after him as he snuck through the bathroom door.
“Hot ass,” he teased.
I grinned. Couldn’t stay mad at a guy who thought I had a hot ass.
We ate breakfast and, after Devon quizzed me about what to wear in case it gave him a clue as to our destination—“Jeans are fine, now quit interrogating me”—we headed out. Nerves nibbled on my insides. I hoped Devon liked what I had planned. His sister, Diane, had given me the idea. When I’d asked if he had any hobbies outside racing, she told me he loved rock climbing, and by all accounts, he was extremely good at it. I’d dabbled a little in my teens but wasn’t an expert by any means.
Research had thrown up a place not too far away from where we were staying of a company who catered to climbers of all levels. I only hoped Devon wouldn’t get too bored with the beginner’s route. I’d love to try something more advanced, but I didn’t have the skills. Maybe if we became a ‘thing’, I’d take some lessons. He might even agree to become my instructor.
I drove us out of the city on Autoroute 40 toward Ottawa. Devon gave me the occasional sly glance, but when I remained unusually tight-lipped, he spent the time looking out of the window at the passing scenery and making a comment here and there about how beautiful it was.
After forty minutes of driving, I turned off the main road and onto a narrow street with a four-foot hedgerow on either side. As we neared our destination, the road grew narrower until it was only marginally more than a car width.
I spotted a few people hanging around chatting as I pulled into the parking lot. Driving into a space, I cut the engine and hit Devon with a broad grin.
“We’re here.”
Devon didn’t return my smile. “What’s going on, Reilley?”
I frowned, wondering what the hell was wrong with his face. “I’ve arranged for us to go rock climbing. Now, I know you’re far more experienced than me, so I hope you don’t get bored because we’ll have to do the rock climbing equivalent of a nursery ski slope, but when Diane told me this was your passion, outside racing, that is, well, it seemed like such a fun thing for us to do together.”
He rubbed the back of his neck, his face blotching with patches of red. “I’m not going climbing with you.”
“Don’t be silly,” I said, playfully punching his arm.
I climbed out of the car, the warmth from the sun beating down on my head. The leaves rustled from the gentle breeze, and birds tweeted and sang out of sheer joy. I took a deep breath of mountain air, the smell so clean and pure. God, the peace. Rarely did I get to enjoy nature.
I linked my fingers and raised my arms overhead, stretching out my back muscles. Only then did I notice Devon still sitting in the car, staring straight ahead. I poked my head back inside.
“Come on. It’s a gorgeous day. Let’s not waste it.”
“We’re not going climbing, Reilley,” Devon said, his jaw clenched tight, a nerve beating in his cheek.
And he still wouldn’t look at me.
Irritated now, I huffed. “Fine. Sit here and sulk for whatever goddamn reason you have and yet don’t want to share with me. I’m going climbing.” I swirled the car keys around my finger. “And I’m taking these with me, so you’ll have to amuse yourself for a few hours.”
I slammed the car door. Asshole. What was his fucking problem?
I set off for the spot where a crowd had gathered around who I assumed to be our guide, judging from the amount of equipment at his feet. I hadn’t gotten far when Devon’s large hand grabbed my wrist, hauling me back.
“Get in the damned car, Reilley,” he snapped. “Do it now.”
I shook him off and planted my hands on my hips. “I don’t take orders, from you or anyone. Now get your hand off me before you lose it.”
“You’re making a scene,” he growled, his voice dangerously low. “Now get in the fucking car.”
I poked him in the chest. “You’re the one making a scene,” I hissed. “Screw you, Devon. Screw. You.”
I stomped off, tears pricking my eyes.
Devon had ruined my surprise and hurt me in the process. He could damn well walk back to Montreal for all I cared.
Devon darted in front of me, his face twisted in agony. “Please, Reilley. If you feel anything for me at all, don’t do this. I’m begging you.”
I pulled up short and narrowed my eyes, my female intuition firing like crazy. “Devon, what’s wrong?”
His lips thinned, his gaze tortured as he stared off into the distance. He’d disappeared into his head, where he didn’t have room for me.
I placed my palm over his chest. “Talk to me, please.”
He refused to meet my gaze, his head softly shaking from side to side. He stepped back, out of my reach. “If you do this, we can’t be together.”
Devon
Words. I needed to find the right ones, except none came to mind. I couldn’t breathe properly, the nightmare of my past colliding with the present. The moment I’d realized what she had planned, paralyzing fear invaded every limb, every nerve, rendering me unable to move—until she’d set off toward the group of climbers gathered around the guide.
Then I’d moved all right. At lightning speed. I could not let her do this. Not for me. Not to please me.
Anger rushed through my body. Anger at me, at Charlotte, at the failed pin that had changed my life forever. All that rage erupted, and I gave Reilley an order. Ha! Only an idiot ordered a woman like Reilley around. Meek, mild, and submissive she was not. By laying down the law, all I’d done was intrigue her. Actually, that wasn’t true. I’d pissed her off at first. Now, though, with my last comment, her brow furrowed in worry, her moves tentative, halting.
She reached out, jerkily, her hand gently wrapping around my wrist. With care, she unfurled my fingers where they’d formed a tight fist, then held my hand, her skin so soft against my roughness.
“Devon, what are you talking about? What’s happened? Please, tell me what’s going on.”
I snatched my hand from hers and spun around, seeking to regain control of my feelings, my body, my mind. I needed my wits about me before I answered Reilley. She’d see through an outright lie in a second, but I couldn’t tell her the truth.
Keeping my back to her, I said, “I almost fell once. A few years ago. I lost my nerve. I told myself then that I’d never climb again, and I don’t plan to change my mind.”
Even to my ears, the lie sounded weak. True climbers would never be put off by a simple mishap. Hell, over the years, I’d had plenty of near misses, but my belief in my own ability always won out over any groundless worry about an imminent demise.
Until Charlotte.
I turned around slowly, searching her face for clues as to whether my story had convinced her. “I’m sorry I ruined your surprise, and I’m even sorrier I shouted at you.” I gave her a thin smile. “We could go hiking, if you want. I’m sure the climbing guide could direct us to some nice, gentle routes.”
Her eyes flickered between mine, switching from left to right, then back again. Staring, searching, seeing far too much.
“That must have been really scary,” she said, either choosing to believe my lie or deciding to shelve the discussion for now. “I’m sorry. I wouldn’t have suggested it, except Diane told me you loved climbing, and I wanted to make you happy, for us to have some fun. She didn’t mention you no longer climbed.”
Relief that she’d chosen to drop the subject was tempered by my utter fury at my sister. I am going to fucking kill Diane.
I held out my arms, pushing away the shame that reared up at my subterfuge. Reilley folded herself inside them, squeezing my waist, her lips at my neck.
“A hike sounds good. And maybe a pub lunch afterward.”
I stroked her hair, then kissed the top of her head. “Sold.”
We spoke to the guide and said we’d changed our mind. He cheerfully offered us a couple of leaflets detailing some decent routes that we could hike right from the car park, one of which had a nice pub three quarters of the way around. By the time we reached it, both of us were bitterly regretting the wrong footwear, although my shoes were slightly more appropriate.
Reilley flopped onto a wooden seat in the outside garden that overlooked the valley below. She unfastened her laces, kicked off her boots, and groaned as she rubbed the underside of her foot.
“Damn, my poor feet are killing me.”
“I’m not surprised. Your boots were built for fashion rather than hiking.”
She grinned, then planted her foot in my lap and wiggled her toes. “If you like me, you’ll give me a foot massage.”
I shoved her leg down and gave an exaggerated shrug. “Meh.”
Her outraged expression pulled a bark of laughter from me. She pouted, her eyes narrowed, probably thinking up some form of retribution. She had extra time, because the server brought over our food and left another jug of water with sliced lemons floating on top.
I picked up my burger and took a large bite. “Tastes almost as good as you,” I said.
The corner of her mouth twitched. Reilley never could stay mad at anything for long. She sliced off the corner of her tuna steak and slipped it into her mouth, making a sound of appreciation low in her throat.
“This is magnificent.” She swallowed. “Tastes better than you.”
I smiled broadly. “Not what you said this morning.”
“You hadn’t refused to massage my sore feet this morning.”
I snatched up her foot before she could blink, planting it right in my groin. I shifted my chair so any interested patrons wouldn’t be able to see what we were up to.
“Ever tried picking up a roll of coins with your toes?” I asked, waggling my eyebrows.
She ran the tip of her tongue over the edge of her top teeth. My erection thickened further. Her toes curled, and she moved her foot up and down. I bit down on a groan.
“You have,” I murmured.
“Actually, I haven’t,” she said.
She squeezed harder. I briefly closed my eyes, sucking in a deep breath through my nose. “You’re good.”
“I know,” she said softly. Abruptly stopping, she planted her heel on my thigh, warm laughter in her eyes. “Now rub.”
“Yes, ma’am.” I dug my thumbs into the arch of her foot. She moaned loudly, drawing several interested looks from nearby diners. I flashed them an apologetic look. “Keep it down, woman. We’ll get thrown out at this rate.”
Reilley glanced around, spotted we’d garnered attention, then said in a loud voice, “Keep going, baby. Yeah, just like that.”
I couldn’t help laughing. Reilley didn’t care what people thought of her or who she offended. She was a free spirit, an indomitable life force.
The woman I was falling for.
I popped my head around the bathroom door to find Reilley up to her chin in bubbles, a folded towel behind her head, and a glass of wine resting on the rim of the bath.
I bent over to peck her lips. “Need anything?”
She smiled up at me drowsily. “To stay here for a month.”
I chuckled. “How about an hour?”
She tsked. “I supposed that’ll have to do.”
As I went to move away, she captured my wrist. “I can make room if you want to get in here with me?”
I’d spent all day holding back my simmering temper, but the time had come to have it out with Diane. “Got a few calls to make. You relax. Anywhere particular you fancy for dinner?”
“Surprise me,” she said huskily.
My cock twitched. “Are we still talking about dinner?”
She gave a teasing laugh. “I’ll leave you to figure that out, lover boy.”
I gave her another kiss, then left her to it, but the second I closed the bathroom door behind me, the smile I’d worked hard to keep in place all day fell.
I grabbed my phone and slipped out onto the balcony. After a quick check of my watch, I calculated the time difference between here and Melbourne. By my reckoning, Diane would be getting home right about now after
dropping the kids off at school.
I called up her contact details and dialed, pacing the tight space while I waited for her to answer. I couldn’t believe she’d been so stupid. Why? Why had she mentioned my love of climbing to Reilley? I’d purposely omitted telling her that during any of our interviews because all it did was open up the possibility of her finding out about Charlotte. And now, I’d had to tell her an outright lie, something I didn’t feel good about. Even if she had accepted my thin explanation, she might want to include a section in the book on climbing now, which had the potential to open a door that wouldn’t easily close.
Fucking hell!
“Well, well. Has this call come out of the blue, or has Reilley given you a nudge?”
“Why the fuck did you tell Reilley I liked to climb? For God’s sake, Diane, of all the stupid, idiotic things. At least you didn’t go the whole hog and tell her about Charlotte,” I blasted on a half whisper, not wanting Reilley to overhear. “I guess I should be glad for small mercies.”
“Hang on,” she said, indignant. “You said I could talk to her about anything but Charlotte. And that’s what I did.”
“About anything connected to Charlotte,” I stated. “Connected, Diane. Like, oh, I don’t know, climbing.”
“Jesus, Devon. She asked if you had any hobbies, anything outside the racing world. Until Charlotte had her accident, you’d been climbing since you were a teenager. I didn’t see the harm in telling her.”
I ground my teeth, curling my free hand into a fist. “Want to know what we did today, Di? Reilley decided to organize a little surprise. She arranged for us to go climbing in the mountains outside Montreal. And just so you know, she’s a complete novice. Exactly like Charlotte.”
“Oh, hell.”
“Precisely,” I gritted out.
“What did you do?” Diane asked, her voice much more contrite now that she understood.
I pinched the bridge of my nose and released air slowly from my lungs, slowing my heartrate as my earlier panic made a comeback. “I completely lost it, Di. I freaked out. Naturally, Reilley wanted to know why.”
The Full Velocity Series Box Set Page 49
