by Lee, Miranda
“Zoe?” he called out, hoping against hope she’d just gone to the bathroom. Or the kitchen, maybe. “Zoe, are you there?”
No answer. There was no noise but the sound of gulls and waves slapping against the sand.
Throwing back the quilt, Aiden jumped out of bed and raced over to the window which gave him a view of Nigel’s cottage and the road above it.
Her car was gone. Zoe was gone.
He swore.
She’d run away. Back to Sydney. Back to a lover who didn’t love her. Back to a life which had obviously been making her miserable.
Aiden swore again.
She hadn’t been miserable last night. She’d been in heaven.
He’d been in heaven, too. He’d never known a girl like Zoe before. She’d been so…he couldn’t think of a word to describe her. Or to describe what making love with her was like. All he knew was he’d never experienced the like before.
One night simply hadn’t been enough.
Yet it would have to be enough, wouldn’t it?
Zoe had made the decision to leave what they’d shared at a one-night stand. To chase after her would be ridiculous.
Yet that was what Aiden was tempted to do.
“Don’t be such a romantic fool,” he muttered, and threw himself back into bed. “You’ve been given the perfect out from getting further involved, so be grateful for small mercies and forget her.”
But forgetting Zoe wasn’t all that easy, especially with the sheets still smelling of her female body. In the end, Aiden was forced to get up and try to rid the room of that tormentingly musky scent.
Stripping the bed clean, however, was no cure for what was ailing Aiden. Zoe was still there, in his mind. Finally, he resorted to pacing around the house, haranguing himself with cold hard logic.
“Get this straight, you dumb fool! You’re nothing special to Zoe. Sleeping with you was just an impulse. She was feeling lonely and unloved and you were just there, ready, willing and able to give her a little of which she needed most at the time. Okay, a lot of what she needed most,” he added testily. “That still doesn’t mean a thing. Get real, man. Last night was just a one-night stand to her. Face it and forget it. Forget her.”
But even as he said those last words, his memory was propelling him back to the night before and all that had transpired between them.
He hadn’t made love that many times in one night for donkey’s years. He just couldn’t seem to get enough of her. He’d never known a girl so responsive, yet at the same time so surprised by her responses. That was what got to him the most. The look in her eyes when he touched her. The sounds she made when he entered her.
They were addictive, those sounds. He wanted to hear them over and over. Those initial gasps of surprise. Then those soft moans of pleasure. But most of all the way she cried out when she came.
Aiden’s male ego was fiercely flattered by the intensity—and frequency—of Zoe’s orgasms.
Was he deluding himself in thinking she would not have found so much pleasure with any other man? And was he deluding himself in thinking he couldn’t experience the like with any other woman?
Common sense insisted yes, he was deluding himself. To both questions. If Zoe had been seriously blown away by last night, she would have stayed. She would not have upped and scampered back to Sydney.
As for himself….
He’d had some great sex in his life, with a lot of different girls. Probably, the only reason his experience with Zoe stood out was because it came at the end of six months’ celibacy. Naturally, he’d enjoyed it to the nth degree. What red-blooded man wouldn’t?
He really had to put what had happened between them into context. They’d been ships passing in the night. For whatever reason, Zoe had needed a man and he’d obviously needed a woman. There’d been no special connection. No romantic overtones. It had been a strictly sexual encounter.
Aiden mulled over this last thought. If it had been a strictly sexual encounter on Zoe’s side, then why had she run away? Wouldn’t she have stayed the rest of the weekend in his bed for more of the same?
He was to think about that question for the rest of the day.
THE DRIVE BACK TO Sydney was a blur, but Zoe made it in good time, owing to the light traffic and excellent weather. It was just on ten as she let herself into her apartment.
Mel immediately emerged from her bedroom, dressed in her favorite blue silk shortie pajamas. “When you said you were getting on the road early this morning,” she said, pushing her long blond hair out of her face, “I didn’t think you meant this early. No, you don’t have to worry. Ron’s not here. I didn’t let him stay the night and he was seriously displeased. But that’s another story. Want some coffee?”
Zoe found a smile from somewhere. “That would be lovely.”
“You look tired,” Mel threw over her shoulder as they both made their way down to the kitchen. “No sleep, or difficult drive?”
“Bit of both.” No way was she going to tell Mel about what had happened with Aiden.
Not that Mel would make a big deal out of it. No doubt she’d be very understanding, but she’d also want to know every single sordid detail. Zoe didn’t want to relive what had to be the most shameful night of her life. The only positive aspect to come out of her disgusting behavior was that she finally and completely understood what Drake meant about a “just sex” encounter.
“So what have you decided to do about Drake?” Mel asked as she made them both a mug of coffee.
“I’m going to forgive him. If he’ll forgive me, that is,” she added ruefully. “For what?”
Several images came to mind, and it was a struggle not to blush. “For going away without telling him where, of course,” she answered. “He still hasn’t rung? Or called here personally?”
“Not a peep out of him.”
Zoe frowned. “I wonder if he rang me at work on Friday afternoon. I’ll call Fran later and find out. So what’s all this about you not letting Ron stay the night?” she asked, deftly changing the subject. “That’s not like you.”
Mel pulled a face. “Oh, he started getting all jealous and possessive last night. You know how I can’t stand that. Frankly, he irritated me all evening and in the end, I simply didn’t want to sleep with him. He wasn’t impressed, I can tell you.”
“Are you sure you weren’t just finding fault because you want an excuse to break up with him?”
“Why on earth would I do that?”
“Because of that other fellow,” Zoe said dryly. “The rich one you don’t feel attracted to.”
Mel blinked, then laughed. “You know, you might be right. I’ve been thinking about that arrogant so-and-so quite a bit this weekend. I simply hadn’t made the connection with my feelings toward Ron.”
“Be honest, Mel. You told me yourself that once you start noticing a new man, the old one is history.”
“Yeah, you’re right. Hard to make love with one guy when your mind’s on another.”
Zoe’s mind flew immediately to Aiden. How long, she agonized, would she continue to think of him? How long before the memories of that incredible night faded to nothingness?
Never, she had to accept. Sex like that was impossible to completely forget.
But it was still only sex. And casual sex at that. The sort of sex Aiden indulged in whenever he felt the need.
Zoe was no man’s fool. Not anymore. She knew exactly what kind of man Aiden was. A beach bum. A surfer. He didn’t aspire. He had no ambition other than what wave he would catch that day. He made no solid plans for the future, leading a free-and-easy life with no responsibility and no commitment. Clearly, he had no regular girlfriend, either. He probably just picked up a girl whenever he felt horny. It might have been a while since he’d had sex, but he’d been well prepared, hadn’t he? All those condoms at the ready!
Which was why, when she woke this morning in his arms and was tempted to stay, Zoe forced herself to get up and get out of there. She doubted he’d be to
o angry when he finally woke and found her gone. After all, he’d been well satisfied the night before. Frankly, she hadn’t known a man could make love that many times in one night, or that he could find so many positions without leaving the bed. She’d especially liked it when he turned her sideward and…
“Excuse me,” Mel said. “Snap. Snap. Here’s your coffee, dreamy Daniels.” And she plonked a steaming mug on the kitchen counter in front of where Zoe was standing.
“Thanks,” Zoe managed to say without looking as hot and bothered as she was suddenly feeling. Damn Aiden. Why did he have to be such a fantastic lover? It was just as well he was living up at Hideaway Beach, well out of reach. Goodness knew what she would do if he’d been a Sydneysider.
She lifted the mug and started to sip.
The front doorbell ringing had Zoe’s head jerking up from the drink. “Are you expecting anyone?” she asked Mel.
“No. And I’m not dressed, so I can’t answer it. If it’s Ron, tell him I went home for the day. He’s dumb enough to believe anything.” And she scuttled off to her room, taking her coffee with her.
Zoe’s heart raced as she approached the door. Logic insisted it couldn’t be Aiden. For one thing he had no idea where she lived. He didn’t even know her second name.
Yet perversely, she wanted it to be him.
She held her breath as she swept open the door.
It wasn’t Aiden. It was Drake.
She stared at him for a long moment, thinking he wasn’t a patch on Aiden in the looks department, even with his smart clothes and perfect grooming.
When Drake stared right back at her, Zoe suddenly remembered she had no makeup on and her hair was a mess. She had showered after leaving Aiden’s bed, and thrown on some shorts and a T-shirt, but that had been the extent of her efforts.
“So I was right,” he snapped, stalking past her into the apartment. “You didn’t go off to some secret destination for the weekend at all.” He spun ‘round to face her. “That wretched Fran insisted you had when I dropped by your office late on Friday, and I actually believed her. But I got to thinking over the weekend and I finally realized it wasn’t at all like my Zoe to do something like that.”
Any intention Zoe had of being apologetic and forgiving was temporarily sidelined by his pompous and almost patronizing attitude. She swung the door shut and crossed her arms, struggling to keep her irritation under control. “I did go away,” she informed him curtly, biting her tongue lest she add she’d done a lot more than go away for the weekend. She’d gotten herself well and truly laid, and by a far better lover than him!
Guilt consumed her the moment this last thought entered her head. For in all honesty, Drake was quite a good lover. It was just that she was different with Aiden than she was with him. More relaxed. And consequently, far more orgasmic. And how!
“I just got back,” she said, not wanting to think about that.
He looked her up and down again. “You look a bit travel worn. Back from where, might I ask? Or am I not to be told where you went as part of my punishment?”
Zoe sighed and uncrossed her arms. “I wasn’t trying to punish you, Drake. Not really. I just needed time to think.”
“Then tell me where you went.”
“Does it matter?”
“It does, if you want us to get back together again.”
Zoe stiffened. “I don’t like ultimatums.”
“And I don’t like being given the runaround. Either you love me or you don’t. Either you forgive me or you don’t. Either you want us to have a relationship or you don’t. I’ve apologized for what happened down in Melbourne. And I’ve promised you faithfully not to do it again. I can do no more. Now the rest is up to you. So I’m asking you again, where did you go this weekend?”
For a split second, Zoe was tempted to tell him to go away. But then she remembered how lonely life would be without him. It wasn’t as though she had any future with the likes of Aiden. No doubt he was at this very moment very relieved that she’d done a flit and left last night at a one-night stand. Men like him ran a mile from commitment, or complications.
“At a little beach near Port Stephens,” she confessed. “I…I stayed at a motel.” Zoe thought it best not to mention she’d stayed at Nigel’s weekender. Drake didn’t like Nigel one little bit. He was scathing about all men—and women—who weren’t straight.
“I see.” His head cocked on one side and he smiled one of his most charming smiles. “You know…I rather like your hair like that. I didn’t realize it was naturally curly.” He reached out and picked up a curl, winding it ‘round his finger, then looping it behind her ear. “You should wear it like this more often on the weekends. It looks sexy. You look sexy. You’re not wearing a bra, either, are you?” he said, his right hand sliding up underneath her T-shirt toward her left breast. She gasped when he touched a nipple which was still hard and aching from the night before.
“God, I’ve missed you, Zoe,” he groaned, sliding his other arm around her waist and bending his head to nuzzle at her neck. “There’s no one like you. I love it that you haven’t slept around, that you’re so sweet and nice.” His mouth traveled up her throat, and all the while his hand was cupped around her breast, his thumb pad rolling over the sensitized peak.
A moan escaped her mouth. But the feeling was more discomfort than pleasure. Soon she was screaming inside her head. When his lips finally covered hers and his tongue started to push into her mouth, she gagged and wrenched herself away.
“No!” she cried out.
“What?” For a moment he looked stunned, then merely angry. “More punishment, Zoe? Is that what this is?”
“No,” she said shakily, shocked by her reaction to Drake’s lovemaking. “I…I just don’t want to. It’s too soon. I…I need a bit more time. I can’t stop thinking about you and that blonde.” Which might have been the case last Friday, but no longer. What Zoe couldn’t stop thinking about this morning was herself and Aiden.
“When do you think it will not be too soon, then?” he bit out.
“I don’t know.”
“Don’t cut off your nose to spite your face, Zoe. You were enjoying what I was doing just then. Your nipple was like a rock.”
She didn’t have the heart to tell him the truth. That it wasn’t him who’d aroused her.
“I love you, Zoe. And I need you. Don’t make me wait too long.”
“Is that a threat?”
“No. A fact. When a man loves a woman as I love you, he wants to make love to her.”
Zoe stared at him. He was right, and vice versa. Why, then, didn’t she want to make love with him anymore? If she loved him, she would. Maybe it was just too soon. Maybe a bad conscience was the culprit here, that’s all. Maybe in time, everything would be all right.
Drake looked belligerent before suddenly backing down, his eyes softer. “Look, I do realize I hurt you. A lot. And yes, I can understand you might need some time to completely forgive and forget. How about I leave you in peace this week and give you some space to get over things?”
“I’d appreciate that,” she said.
“But come next Saturday night, I’m having one of my parties, and I’d really like you to co-host it, as you have for the last few times. I don’t want to have to explain my girlfriend’s absence to my clients and colleagues. Would you do that for me?”
Zoe could not think of a reason to refuse. “Of course I will.”
“You’re a doll. And you’ll help get the food and every thing ready that day? As you know, I do have to work on Saturdays. It’s our busiest day of the week.”
“If you want me to.”
“If I want you to! I’d be lost without you. You’re such a wonderful organizer. And hopefully, by then, you’ll feel comfortable about staying the night.”
“Maybe…”
“I promise I won’t press if it’s still too soon.”
Zoe suddenly realized Drake was bending over backward to be understanding and ac
commodating. Guilt consumed her anew.
“I’m sorry for being so difficult.”
“That’s perfectly all right, darling. I understand. Honest. The fault was all mine.”
Zoe wished he wouldn’t say things like that. It made her feel rotten. She would just die if Drake ever found out what she’d done.
Thankfully, there was little chance of that. She had no intention of confessing, and the chance of running into Aiden down here in Sydney was minimal. Even if by some incredible coincidence they did, Zoe doubted Aiden would make an embarrassing scene the way that blonde had done. That wouldn’t be his style.
Drake pulled out his wallet and counted out five hundred-dollar bills. “Here,” he said. “Buy yourself a smashing new dress for the party.”
“Oh, no, no, I couldn’t,” she protested, shaking her head and refusing to take them.
“But why ever not?” He seemed genuinely perplexed. And he had every right to be. It wasn’t the first time he’d bought her clothes and she’d never objected before. “Well, I…I…”
“Don’t be silly,” he said, and pressed the money into her hands. “Just make sure it’s not too revealing. Can’t have all those playboys I sell penthouses to lusting after your perfect little body and trying to chat you up. Not that you’d look twice at any other man. That’s the thing I value most about you, darling. Your lovely old-fashioned standards. I could trust you with any man in any situation. But I’ll get going now and leave you to have a rest. You do look a little tired. I’ll be in touch before Saturday by phone. That okay?”
“I guess so,” she said weakly.
“Great. Look after yourself and don’t work too hard this week.” He bent to peck her softly on the cheek. Then left.
Tears filled Zoe’s eyes by the time she shut the door behind him.
I could trust you with any man in any situation.
Oh, Drake. If only you knew.
9
AIDEN DIALED THE ONLY telephone number committed to his memory and waited for his mother to answer. It rang several times before she picked up.
