“Where?” It was not the most romantic of places but then nor was a freezer. Yet being with this man was all that mattered. The time and the place were irrelevant at that moment.
Tor walked her over to a nearby desk, pushing her back on it.
“Ouch, stapler.” Waverley jerked up as the hard plastic prodded into her back. Tor cleared the surface and pushed her back down.
“Okay?” He wrenched off his jeans and shoes, kicking them across the room. He then lifted her legs up to his shoulders.
Waverley was totally exposed but he was at her command. Not that she would have said “no” at that moment, but she knew if she did Tor would respect that. And the damnable thing was he was only in her life for a short time.
“Please, Tor.” Waverley wanted to make every second count. She shrieked as he plunged into her in one hard, hot stroke. It was exactly what she craved. How did he know her so well? No words had to be said between them as he thrust deep and hard inside her. Their eyes were locked on each other and everything they felt was reflected there. Waverley clutched at his hips as she matched his rhythm, loving the fact that he knew just what she craved. She caught her breath as the orgasm tore through her. It was so intense she could not help digging her fingernails into his flesh to hold on for fear of exploding. “S-s-sorry,” she gasped out, but still did not let go.
“You’ve marked me for life and I like it,” Tor growled as he continued pumping swiftly inside her until he jerked and shuddered and fell forward into her arms. “Bloody hell.” They lay panting against each other. “What?” he asked as he looked at her.
“Is this rational?” Waverley already knew the answer to that. It wasn’t, but then was anything rational in life? “We barely know each other and yet we’ve had sex twice. You don’t even know my surname.”
“It’s wonderfully irrational, Waverley—”
“It’s Astor.”
“And I am falling in love with you, Waverley Astor.”
“You are not.” She slapped his chest, loving the hard male heat under her hand. “Sex does not equal love.”
Tor picked up her hand and kissed it. “But this is not just sex. I want to know everything there is to know about you.”
If only life was as simple as believing the intense look of emotion in his eyes. She could almost believe Tor loved her. But he didn’t and she was naked with him in a storeroom and she doubted fairy tale romance happened that way. It was not the stuff dreams were made of. Waverley tried to pull away from him.
“Why? It’s not like you’re going to stay in Brisbane. You run a national business.” National did not mean hanging around in one city when your empire was based in another. Although many had tried, Waverley was pretty sure that all the great sex in the world could not compete with market forces.
“No, Brisbane is not home,” Tor admitted as he watched her intently. “I only came here to set up the latest store of Lickety Split. I will have to leave and go back to Sydney.”
At least he was honest. Waverley did not want to get all caught up in someone, knowing there was no future in it. Already she knew Tor was a man she could get too involved with. It was better to call it mutual, spur-of-the-moment sex and move on.
“So what’s the point?” Waverley did not want to move from where she was. He was still inside her and it felt so good, so right.
“Does there have to be one?”
“Yes because I don’t want to get all silly over you and have you leave.” Waverley wondered why Tor was not moving from her. Did this mean more to him? The look in his eyes made her think so but maybe that was the look of an accomplished lover. He wanted to make women feel good.
“Are you getting ‘all silly’ over me?” Tor caressed her face.
The look of hope in his eyes both scared and pleased her. Regardless of that, she wasn’t one to play with another’s feelings.
“The thing is, I don’t want to.”
“Can’t live for the moment, precious?”
As moments went, Waverley had to admit this was one of her finer ones. Wild, knee-wobbling sex with a gorgeous hunk of a man who seemed to crave her as much as she did him. That did not happen to her. So it was a moment to savor.
“Not when you’re declaring you love me.” How could he love her when he knew nothing about her but her name and body parts?
“I own ice cream parlors.” His voice was teasing and seductive.
“Don’t try to blackmail me with my weakness.” Though free ice cream for life wouldn’t be a bad thing.
“What do I need to do for you to be with me?”
Very bloody little if you remain naked and keep looking at me that way.
“I think it’s better we stop this before we get too deeply involved.”
“That’s already happened.” Tor pulled out from within her.
As his body left hers, she felt the loss. I am already silly over you. She sat up and watched him. He could make even removing a condom look hot. Be still my heart. He was beautiful. It was like Michelangelo’s David had come to life without the tiny, stylized penis. Had Michelangelo run out of marble or what?
“What are you thinking?”
“Michelangelo…” Waverley muttered as she looked at Tor. “Just get dressed, will you?”
Tor gave her a wide, charming smile. “Why? Does my being half naked bother you?”
“Yes.” Why deny it? She wanted to look and touch and taste, but where would that get her other than alone when it all ended? “Now let me out of this damn storeroom.”
Tor retrieved his jeans and found the key. “Going to get dressed first, precious?
When he’d bent over to pick up his jeans, the sight of his taut ass nearly made Waverley swallow her tongue. So this is lust. I like it.
“Why? Does it bother you?” All of this bothers the hell out of me.
“What do you think?” He tossed his jeans back down and walked back toward her with a definite look of intent on his face.
Waverley scrambled off the table. Having sex with Tor again would be fantastic but it would make it harder to leave. She caught the key he threw to her.
“I’ll see you soon.” His words left no doubt of his intentions.
Waverley caught the key. She knew there was no way they were likely to meet again. She had no intention of punishing herself by coming to Lickety Split again but that did not mean she would not remember this man forever.
“While I understand the Tor Arnett principle of lickety split and the cosmos, I have to live my life in the real world and that does not include you.” She liked how strong she sounded in voice if not actions. “Thank you for whatever this was but it’s over.”
Chapter Four
“Oh what are you doing here?” Why now? She had spent the previous night shoring up her defenses by telling herself it was a good thing she would never see Tor again and yet here he was. At her home. Him. The man she wanted against all good sense.
“Before you ask, your friend Martha dropped me a note with your address on it. She thought you might choose to disappear from me.”
Damn. That had been her plan. The whole walk-away-and-don’t-look-back thing. Bloody, pushy Martha. Waverley felt her heart skip a beat as she looked Tor up and down. Delicious, edible and standing at her front door as if he were hers for the taking. She pulled her robe closer to her body. It was Sunday morning. Waverley hadn’t been expecting visitors, especially not someone she had planned on never seeing again.
“So… What’s in there?” She pointed at the large brown paper bag bearing the Lickety Split red-, black-and-white logo.
“Triple swirl caramel ice cream.”
Waverley clutched at the doorframe. It was eight o’clock on a Sunday morning and in her mind never too early for ice cream.
“Oh you know how to get to a woman.” It occurred to her then and there that she could quite easily fall in love with Tor. Only he would be smart enough to understand ice cream and not flowers was the way to her heart.
“I’m not interested in just any woman.” He moved closer to her. “Can I come in?” Tor waved the bag before her eyes.
And the diet once again starts tomorrow.
“Aren’t you worried about the ice cream parlor and those thefts?” Waverley stepped back to allow him inside her home.
“I have security at the store doubled.” Tor kicked the door shut behind him. “Besides no one but you eats ice cream at eight o’clock in the morning.”
“I can’t help it if I am unique.” The smile Tor gave her made Waverley feel hot all over. That was a bad thing. That kind of heat was addictive. “What about your girlfriend?” How rude would it look to snatch the bag and push him out the door before she did something she would regret?
“I don’t have one, precious.” Tor looked around her place with interest.
“You know, the skinny one who was draped all over you at that premier of something or other. It looked like she was too starved to walk.” Waverley just knew women like that did not eat ice cream.
“Melissa?” He turned to look at her. “She is an old friend who has trouble letting go.” Tor waggled his eyebrows at her. “Jealous?”
Waverley crossed her arms defensively over her chest.
“No, why would I be?”
“’Seems like you’re checking up on me.” Tor came to stand before her.
Well, of course she had. Like any woman worth her salt, Waverley needed to know more about the man who was in her thoughts.
“The magazine was open at the newsstand, so naturally I looked.” Bought and devoured the article on “Australia’s hottest bachelor”.
“Is it the same one that’s on your coffee table?”
Bugger. Waverley knew there was no way she could deny that. But she did anyway.
“I have no idea what you are talking about.”
“You are so cute.” Tor tweaked her nose. “Now take off your clothes, precious.”
Waverley’s head jerked back at his words.
“What? Just like that?” If any other man had said it she would have told him to get out. But Tor, well, he was Tor and the possibilities of being naked with him once more were exciting. “I’m not having sex with you again.” Waverley winced at the whiney tone of her voice.
“Yeah you are. We both know it, so drop ’em.”
“Why?”
“Why do you think? Actually, Waverley, don’t think. You do that too much—just act.” Tor placed the bag on the table and lifted up his shirt, pulling it over his head. “I want to feed you ice cream.”
Waverley caught her breath. She still couldn’t believe this man with the six-pack abs wanted her.
“And I need to be naked?” She licked her lips in anticipation of stroking her tongue from his chest down. Tor unbuckled his jeans and let them drop to the ground. “Oh my,” she sighed breathlessly. The man was naked and Waverley knew there was no way she could resist the fine flesh that was on display.
“What?” he asked as he kicked his clothes away.
“You’re beautiful.” Waverley had never thought any man so until this moment.
Tor raised his eyebrow at her knowingly.
“Saying that to flatter me to get to the ice cream?”
“Maybe.” Though her eyes were not on the bag but on the luscious man before her.
“Your turn.” Tor laughed at her expression. “Strip and you’ll get the ice cream and anything else you want.”
Waverley pulled at her robe. Part of her wished she had something more glamorous than her ratty old purple nightshirt on underneath.
“I’m not used to being naked so much.” She shucked it off before she could chicken out. Waverley stood before him, naked. The thing that amazed her about Tor was he looked at her body as if he wanted to devour it and not offer her a gym membership. It was sweet and liberating.
“Get used to it. And I like the no panties. Excellent.” Tor pulled her to his side and picked up the bag. “Where’s the bedroom?”
The feel of his naked flesh on hers made her tremble. Waverly looked up into Tor’s eyes and saw two things. Reassurance and passion. She pointed out the direction of the bedroom. She knew to do anything else would have been insane.
Once inside her bedroom, Tor smiled as he let go of nervous yet willing Waverley and walked around, taking in her environment.
“This is exactly what I expected.” Waverley’s bedroom was sensual and soft with its pinks and reds. But it had a flirty edge with wild splashes of purple that seemed to come out of nowhere almost like the lady herself. To think Tor almost decided to eat the hotel food where he was staying instead of venturing out to buy something microwavable to cook on that day they met in the freezer section. He was tired of fried and overdone food. Being on the road with his business, Tor did that a lot. To think I could have missed out on meeting Waverley.
Tor felt an all-consuming wave of tenderness for the woman who stood so shyly before him. She was so beautiful that looking at her made his heart skip a beat. That some fool of a man would tell her that the lush curves of her body needed work was insane. Tor wanted to spend a lifetime with this body and this woman. He had always thought the idea of being “complete” with someone was pop psychology used to sell self-help books. But now with Waverley and the things she made him feel, Tor was beginning to wonder. No other woman made him feel both lustful and protective at the same time. He knew in his heart it was love and it made him strong.
“You can tell a lot about someone from their surroundings.”
“Like what?” Waverley shifted her stance in an uneasy way.
Tor went back to her and stilled her hands as they fluttered nervously as if wondering what to expose or cover.
“That you have a passionate self that you hide. That you want to let go and be wild but you hold it in because of fear.” Tor knew he was right by the trembling of the hands he held in his. At that moment he made a vow to protect her forever. Maybe it was crazy to fall in love with someone after mere hours but forever with Waverley was what Tor planned. Now to get the lady to agree.
“Tor, I—”
“On the bed.” He gave her a gentle push in that direction, admiring the fleshy curve of her ass. Tor was pleased to see the bed was the old-fashioned type with a headboard and footboard. “Lie on the bed and put your hands over your head.” He opened the bag and pulled out some silken cords he had brought for their mutual enjoyment.
“You’re going to tie me up?” It was something that Waverley had always wanted a lover to do to her but it was not a normal thing to ask of someone. The idea of having no control was both frightening yet exciting. She lay on the bed and extended her hands over her head. Her body was stretched out for him to admire. Waverley was vulnerable yet no other lover had made her feel so confident at the same time. She was woman. His woman.
“Yes, because you want me to.” Tor got on the bed beside her and started tying her hands.
“How do you know?” Waverly asked as first one then the other was secured. To think she had almost traded in her old-fashioned bed for a sleek new one without places to tie a person up. Lucky. She looked at the cock bobbing in excitement beside her. Oh yes, very, very lucky indeed.
“I can see it in your eyes, precious.” Tor pulled her legs apart and tied each foot to a post.
Waverley stiffened suddenly when she realized that she was totally immobile. Fantasy was one thing but reality was different.
“Tor?”
“Don’t be scared, precious.” Tor nodded his head as if satisfied she was secured to his satisfaction. “You look stunning.” He ran his hand over her body and smiled as she moaned. Tor then reached for the bag and pulled out a carton of caramel ice cream and a spoon then took the lid off. The ice cream had gone soft enough for him to spoon it up. He held a caramel-covered spoon to her lips.
Waverely eagerly opened up and let the cool ice cream slide inside as his other hand rested on her stomach, stroking it.
“Want m
ore?”
“Oh yes.” He fed her another spoonful. The heat of his hand and the cold of the ice cream were amazing. Waverley watched as he opened the bag once more. “’Got a rabbit in there?” She joked then gasped when she saw him pull out the silver, egg-shaped bullet. “Oh…” Words failed her at that moment.
“You like?”
Oh yes indeed.
“You’re not going to…” Please do.
Tor eyed her in mock concern. “Would it worry you having a hard, vibrating thing inside you?” He moved between her legs and toyed with the bullet, flicking it on and off.
Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy. This was so terribly naughty and Waverley loved it. That Tor was secure enough in himself as a man and a lover to give her pleasure however she needed it showed a confidence few men possessed. She gave a soft cry as Tor placed the vibrating egg on her clit. She closed her eyes as intense pleasure flooded her body.
“Keep your eyes open, precious, or you’ll get no ice cream or anything else you may desire.”
Her eyes snapped opened. Waverley did not want to miss anything on offer.
“’Want more?”
“Yes, please.”
Tor removed the bullet from her clit and slowly inserted it inside her vagina. As much as he longed to trade places with this battery-powered dildo, he wanted to tease and please Waverley more. Once it was almost fully inside, he turned the dial up to medium and pushed it home. He smiled as her body tensed with excitement. He leaned over until they were face-to-face.
“I dare you not to come.”
Waverley’s eyes widened as his words. “But—”
“If you come without me inside you, then that’s the only treat you will get today.” Tor drizzled some of the melting, caramel ice onto her breasts. Her body twitched and shivered. He dropped his head and lapped up the sticky substance from her nipples and the tender undersides of her breast. Tor was rewarded by a strangled moan.
“Oh Tor,” she sighed as she thrashed back and forward on the bed.
Worried that she was going hurt herself, Tor held his body over hers to still her.
Lickety Split Page 4
