by Diana Fraser
He nodded, a half-smile curling around his lips as if aware of what she was doing. “Right.”
The chair scraped back on the wooden floor as he pushed himself up and walked towards the bed. Still facing her, he stripped off his shirt and t-shirt in one sweep. Her eyes widened in fascination and she looked away quickly and stared at the fire. She heard him unzip the fly of his jeans and, before she could stop herself, she looked up once more.
She was met with a lazy smile and the sight of his stomach, ridged with muscle below a broad chest, tanned and golden. The golden hair that covered his chest narrowed over his stomach and tailed down into his jeans, the zip of which now lay open.
She turned away quickly. “Sorry, I…”
“No need to apologize. You can watch all you want.”
She shook her head and put her hand to the side of her face for good measure. “Thank you, but no. I didn’t mean to, you know, watch you.”
“Night then. Oh, and before you come to bed, you’ll need to damp the fire down.”
Damp the fire down? He must have mistaken her for someone who knew what she was doing.
“Sure. I’ll just. Umm.” She stood up and peered at the fire expectantly until she heard him sigh and step towards her.
“Come on, move out the way. I’ll do it.”
She moved and then she saw the sweep of his back curving toward his jeans, which rested on his hips. Firelight flickered on the muscles, carving out hollows, as he maneuvered the damper. She swallowed hard, pressing her hand to her thudding heart and turned to look the other way.
“That should do it.”
She turned back to him again. Despite the warmth in his eyes, her gaze fell to his body, muscled by sheer hard work, richly tanned and gleaming in the firelight. Her fingers itched to touch him, to press her hand flat against his tight stomach and lower, to where the top button lay open. She shouldn’t look, she shouldn’t. But her eyes didn’t seem able to rise from the fly of his jeans that grew tighter as she watched, until a definite hardened form pressed against it.
She suddenly realized what was happening and looked away as a hot blush swept her body.
“Gemma, we’re alone and you’re a very beautiful woman. I’d be inhuman if I didn’t react to you. But I’m not going to act on it unless you want me to. Okay?”
She shook her head, still unable to look him in the eye. “I don’t,” she shrugged not knowing what to say, “I won’t…”
“Sure.”
She kept her head down, acutely aware of his movements as the wooden bed creaked as he got into it. Her heart settled into a rapid beat that didn’t let up even as she closed her eyes, trying to rid her mind of the image of his semi-naked body. But, somehow, the image only intensified. She opened her eyes once more and focused on the flames that surged and retreated, searching for the oxygen it had just been deprived of.
What the hell was she going to do? She was no innocent virgin but just the thought of getting into bed with him made her blush. She was determined to wait until she couldn’t keep her eyes open before going to bed.
Slowly the fire died down to a steady glow, allowing a chill to seep into her body and darkening the room so she could no longer see him. But she could hear his deep and steady breathing. She assumed he was asleep. She shivered at the sound of the wind that gathered in the trees around the hut, whining and shrieking like the stirring of lost souls.
A huge yawn wracked her body. Her watch might be telling her it was only eleven, but she’d missed a night’s sleep and she was exhausted.
He sounded fast asleep. Quietly she rose, spread out her clothes before the fire to dry and tiptoed over to the bed. She lifted the duvet and gently crept in beside him. She wasn’t touching him and the duvet was huge.
She lay completely still, staring up at the roughly plastered ceiling, intersected by dark, shadowy beams from which thick strands of cobwebs hung, watching the last of the firelight flicker over its surface. She shivered. She’d been stupid to sit out in the chilled room for so long. She was so cold and she felt his warmth just beside her. Out of reach. She battled the shivers that ran through her body until sleep slowly overtook her. But it wasn’t long before the chill dreams of early sleep gave way to ones of warmth and comfort.
Gemma awoke with a start and felt him against her. Somehow she’d managed to move away from the edge of the bed and was now curled up in his arms, her back pressed against his chest, and her bottom? It was pressed against the soft material of his shorts and something else. And her t-shirt, rather than covering her, had ridden up high around her waist. Dear God! How was she going to get herself out of this?
She closed her eyes and felt the pulse of heat fill her with a low thrum that didn’t let up. She tried to wriggle away but his arm tightened its hold around her waist pulling her hard against him and he moaned lightly in his sleep.
Slowly she brushed her fingers over his, before clasping their tips and pulling them gently away. She managed to slip his hand off her stomach and pull his arm away. But his hand slid under her t-shirt and came to a full stop on her breast.
She closed her eyes and drew in a sharp breath as powerful sensations coursed through her body. She didn’t dare move, but felt her nipples harden against his calloused palm. He sighed, moving closer to her, his hand rubbing her nipple as he stirred in his sleep. She arched her neck back and opened her eyes once more. She should jump up, get away from his touch. She should…but she didn’t. Was he still asleep? She waited, listening to his regular breathing. He wasn’t moving now, but his hand grazed her sensitive breast every time she moved slightly.
She moved again—on purpose this time—and couldn’t prevent a groan of pleasure emerging from her lips.
His breathing didn’t alter. His hand stayed where it was but something hard pressed into the soft flesh of her bottom. She gasped and wriggled away from him, nearly falling out of bed in the process. She stood up as he propped himself up on one arm.
“You said… you said you’d leave me alone.”
“And I did. It was you who couldn’t keep away from me. My body reacts, like it or not.” He grinned. “And you didn’t seem to mind.”
“I thought you were asleep.”
“I’m a light sleeper, particularly when I have a beautiful woman in my arms.” He sighed. “Come on, it’s still too early to get up, come back to bed. I promise your virtue will be safe with me.”
She didn’t believe him. Since when had any man she’d known ever done what he’d said he’d do?
“It’s okay. I’ll sit it out here.” She pushed the two chairs together.
“Now, you know I won’t let you. If you insist on doing that I’ll be forced to be the one out of bed, trying to sleep on those two chairs.”
“No, I—”
“Is forcing me to sleep on a chair any way to repay me for saving your life?”
“Well...” He had her there. She shook her head.
“Trust me, Gemma. Get back into bed and sleep.”
He shifted to the far side of the bed and she climbed back in, careful to keep a good distance between them. He turned his back to her and slowly she began to relax, her eyes growing heavy and closing as she drifted into an unquiet sleep, full of dreams of water, wind, fire and passion.
The grey tones of dawn had already begun to filter through the shuttered windows when Gemma awoke, feeling blissfully rested despite the raw nature of her dreams. She stretched and was suddenly aware her head was supported by Callum’s arm. She shifted around to look at him but he was fast asleep.
He lay on his back, one arm by his side and the other under her head. She’d been using it as a pillow. It was a wonder his arm hadn’t gone to sleep. They’d been close again, but not so close that her bottom had been bumped up against his groin, thank God. But still… The sense of being cradled in his strong arms warmed her, made her feel more secure than she’d felt for a long time.
She didn’t know how long she lay, watching the strong lines of hi
s face become imperceptibly clearer as the light grew. But it was long enough to realize how different he was from Paul in every way. Paul would never have been so courteous, so caring as this stranger. But it wasn’t just that. Seeing his chest, rising and falling, the golden hairs, the dark nipples, the tanned skin, made her skin prickle with awareness, sharpened her senses, made her drink in the warm, deliciously male smell of him, made her body shiver with desire…
She should jump out of bed. Now. She should get up. The storm had blown itself out. There was no sound outside. She could rise, get dressed and they could be on their way. Now. But she didn’t move. No matter what her brain told her to do, she stayed, unable to tear herself away.
She watched as his eyes flickered open, the dark lashes brushing upwards as he first looked up at the ceiling. She watched as the shadows of sleep slowly disappeared and he turned to face her with his characteristic deliberate movement. His lips slowly curved into a smile and in his eyes she saw a reflection of her own desire. And she knew then, that she wasn’t going to get out of bed.
“You’re still here.” His voice was a sexy rumble that vibrated through her skin, thrilling and warming her deep inside. She shifted her hips instinctively.
She nodded.
“And you’ve been watching me sleep?” His smiled increased.
She nodded again.
“Can’t have been exciting.”
She swallowed. “Exciting? Well, I…” She couldn’t deny it entirely, seeing as how her body had reacted so intensely.
He narrowed his gaze. “Or was it?” He shifted to his side, his arm still under her head. They lay, looking into each other’s eyes for a few moments. He pushed her hair back from her face and traced her cheek with his finger. She watched as his eyes followed the path of that finger, its calloused pad leaving a faintly scratchy path that ratcheted up her responses even further. When his finger came to rest on her mouth she opened it and licked her lips. The tip of her tongue touched his finger and suddenly his gaze lifted and held hers.
Slowly, so slowly, he moved his face to hers and touched her lips with his own. She gasped and he pulled away immediately. Her gaze dropped to his mouth.
“I’m sorry, Gemma.” She shook her head, not understanding. “Why don’t you get out of bed, take the first shower.”
She frowned and cupped her hand around his head and brought that mouth, which was talking too much, back against her own. She felt the slight smile against her lips as he kissed her more strongly this time. She held her breath as all her thoughts and feelings focused on the movement of his lips against hers. His groan rumbled against her mouth and reverberated through her body, fanning into flames the heat that slumbered there.
His kiss deepened and his tongue flicked against hers as he caught her body in his strong hands and brought her towards him. His hands swept under the t-shirt, sliding around her bare skin until they were splayed around her back, pulling her even closer to him, before sliding down and around her bare bottom.
Desire ground deep inside her as she pressed closer to him, feeling his hardness through his shorts against her barely covered hips. His hand pushed up and cupped her breast, his thumb sweeping over her tightening nipple, causing cascades of sensation to tear through her body. She squirmed her hips and blatantly rubbed against him, all thought forgotten as desire ripped through her body.
Suddenly he lifted his mouth from hers and turned her so she lay flat on her back on the bed, with him above her. For one shocked moment, she wondered what he was going to do. Then, still holding his body away from her, he pushed up her t-shirt, that had already ridden high, dipped down and placed his mouth to her nipple, covering her small breast and sucking, elongating the nipple with a force that drove her beyond thinking.
She pushed the palm of her hands against the soft mattress, about to lever herself back, away from his insistent mouth, but the ache of desire sank lower until it deepened into a wet, pulsating warmth that robbed her of her need for distance. She couldn’t move even if she wanted to. Her initial need for distance was swept away by the incessant flow of sensation that shot through her body, shattering all thought. She arched her body, pushing her hips close to his.
His lips nipped and sucked lazily at her breast, each rasp of his tongue sending shooting sensations down into her body, deep inside, creating a need of which she hadn’t been aware. The inner tension grew, compounding and heating, as his hand trailed down her stomach, his fingers raked through her hair and curved over her sex. She thought she’d explode with need. She pushed against his palm, astonished at the strength of her own bodily craving.
Then his mouth followed the path of his fingers and he moved further down the bed. She pushed her nails in his golden hair, further stimulated by the sensation of his curls against her finger tips. Simply touching him, feeling the strength of the hair, the shape of his head, intimate to her fingers, was a new experience. But still he moved down. He looked up at her then with eyes that blazed with a dark passion, before he pushed her legs apart and dipped his head and explored her sex with his tongue.
She pressed herself back on the bed as pure, white electricity shot through her and she surrendered to the shock of the powerful sensations that swept her body. Tension, absorbing and compelling, coiled and surged within, increasing, building, insistent. Heat flooded her body and her breathing came shorter, panting, out of control. She gripped his hair once more, holding him there, needing more. Suddenly she cried out as light exploded within and her body reeled with the spasms that shook it.
She flung her arms behind her, luxuriating in the wanton release of her body and of her mind. She lay still, trying to regain her breath as he moved back up her body, laying a trail of kisses on her stomach as he went.
“That was amazing,” she whispered as he looked up at her.
He licked both nipples before shifting up to her neck. “Glad to be of service,” he whispered huskily into her ear, before nipping it lightly, causing her gut to flip with excitement and the tension to slowly coil once more.
She groaned and slid her palms tightly around his shoulders, relishing the curves of the muscles and sinew, their tautness and texture, before slipping down, cupping his shoulder blades and smoothing down into the small of his back, under his shorts, and over his buttocks that clenched under her touch.
They locked eyes in the soft grey light and she knew then that she wanted more. She’d never experienced such an orgasm with Paul, she’d never felt so intimate emotionally as she did with this stranger.
She pushed off his shorts and pulled him to her, feeling his sex rub against hers, wanting more than he’d given her. She wanted to feel him completely, within her body. He kicked off his shorts and his lips were upon hers before she could move towards him. His tongue plundered her mouth, leaving her breathless with arousal. Greedily, she slickly caressed his tongue with hers, as their bodies moved against each other.
She shifted her legs so that he fell between her. He pulled away and rolled onto his side, his head resting on one hand as he stared into her face, a smile playing on his lips as he caressed her breasts. She tried to pull him back into position but he stayed put.
“Sorry, I can’t.”
Perplexed, Gemma simply stared at him. “Can’t? What do you mean?” ‘Can’t’ wasn’t a word she’d come across before in connection with sex.
“I have no protection here.”
“I don’t need protecting!” Just the mention of the word ‘protection’ made her angry, reminding her of the over-protective, claustrophobic world she was raised in, and the stifling virtual imprisonment of living with Paul. The anger made her bold and she reached down for that part of him that she wanted inside her and held it between her hands, watching him close his eyes with pleasure and roll onto his back. The intense desire his kiss had triggered insisted on release. Besides, that was what she’d come to New Zealand for, wasn’t it? To shed the shackles of her former life, to do as she pleased. Well, at the mom
ent, this certainly pleased her. Besides, her periods were as regular as clockwork and she was at her safest point in her cycle. “I don’t need protecting,” she repeated. “I want you.”
She knelt on the bed beside him and, watching intently, ran her finger up and around him, feeling the contrast in the textures of the skin. She encircled him with her hands and moved closer. He’d used his tongue so why shouldn’t she? Tentatively she darted her tongue to lightly touch the top. He moved to her automatically and his tip slid into her mouth. His body trembled and she was suddenly conscious of her power. She touched him again with her mouth. Just the thought of him inside another part of her, made the deep, hot throbbing inside her swell further. She wanted him inside her. She wanted to make love to her new home, a new man, a new life.
But first she’d have to make him overcome his inhibitions about protection.
She lapped her tongue up and down his length, exploring him with her mouth, listening to him groan with pleasure, as her hands held him firmly. When she sensed his control weaken, as his breathing came faster, she lifted herself up and straddled him, feeling his tip against her sex. She kissed him then, dominating his mouth with her tongue, this time, teasing him, flicking his lips with her tongue, penetrating and then withdrawing as she teased him below, feeling her own wetness against his tip, rubbing him against her.
She could wait no longer and slipped onto him, quivering with delight as she took in his full length a little at a time, shivering as the movement rubbed against her sensitive skin. He still wasn’t completely inside. He was so large, for a moment Gemma wondered if he’d fit. He didn’t move, allowing her to take full control and she lifted herself slowly up, and then down, allowing her own moisture to ease herself over him a little further. And then again. Slowly she slid further and further on to him until he was deep inside her. She nearly came again as he shifted slightly and sensation shot through her body.
He lifted his hands and cupped her breasts and she let her head fall back as he rubbed his thumbs over her nipples. She wriggled against him and slowly lifted and fell down again. His hips lifted to meet hers as he thrust deep inside. She felt as if she were being annihilated, as if her body had turned to liquid, as if there were nothing but the sensation of him inside her, thrusting deep, again and again.
