by Alison Kelly
Her eyes absorbed every detail of his previously hidden lower body as he knelt and edged his jeans down. The thatch of hair narrowed like an arrow head towards the conspicuous bulge in his briefs, and her unspoken phallic analogy only served to moisten the passage of her femininity more. Her body demanded that she touch him, and she obeyed it, rising to her knees in front of him.
Bart froze in fascination as she lightly kissed him then huskily told him not to move. Then slowly, oh, ever so slowly, she kissed every inch of skin from his knees to shoulders. The sensations she was concocting within him were, he was sure, more potent than any mind-bending drug known to science.
No longer could he stand such delicious torture without the threat of prematurely denying her. Taking her in his arms, he eased them both back to the ground.
‘Lord, Alessandra, you’re part witch, I swear…I’ve never had to fight so hard for control…’
‘Don’t fight…go with it…’
‘I will as soon as I get this damned thing on…’
Opening her eyes, it took her a moment to focus on what Bart’s fingers were struggling with, before she recognised the small foil packet for what it was…a condom. She put her hand out towards him, palm upwards, but saw the hesitation in his eyes.
‘Let me.’
He was too bemused to say anything as he watched her tear open the gold foil, then carefully remove and inspect the item to make sure she had it the right way.
‘Mind you, I am on the Pill and I just happen to have my blood-donor card in my wallet if you want to check it out…’ She paused to look at his face.
He shook his head. ‘Put it on.’
Alessandra tried not to show how hurt she was by his insistence. Of course it was only sensible as far as he was concerned—he barely knew her—but then again she only had his word that he didn’t sleep around; still, as surely as they lay here beneath a scorching Australian sun and bright blue sky, if Bart had said it was raining, she’d have believed him.
Her hand was shaking and she motioned for Bart to remove his briefs. When he did so the readiness of him caused her to gasp audibly.
Bart was sure he would burst with pride at the admiration he heard in the quick intake of her breath, but as she began to roll the condom on to him with gentle fingers and slow tenderness his pride wasn’t the only thing he was worried about exploding.
‘For pity’s sake! Alessandra, hurry up…or you’ll…have simply…wasted your time.’
‘Done.’ She gave him a shy smile. It was the first time she’d performed such an action, but doing it for Bart had seemed the most natural thing in the world. He pulled her urgently against him and seized her mouth with a heat that turned her loins to a molten pool of desire. Apart from her lace panties, she was totally naked, and it didn’t take Bart more than a second to discard those. He rolled her on to her back and then proceeded to trail kisses the entire length of her body. Her back arched without any conscious instruction from her brain as logical thought lagged behind her physical need for fulfilment. Her blood seemed to roar as his mouth worked its silken magic back up to her throat and his fingers trailed the inside of her thighs and beyond with insidious slowness.
‘Bart…please. Now…now! I can’t wait!’
‘Just a second, honey…’
She was dimly aware of Bart moving over her, but his entry into her was almost simultaneous.
‘Aahh…’
‘Easy, take it easy…’ Bart wasn’t sure which of them he was endeavouring to slow down, because he had never experienced such a furiously aroused passion. For this first time in his life he was a slave to his most basic instincts. He was stunned by the need she created in him, the need to have more and more of the taste, feel and scent of her, and the sensual thrill of hearing her whispered, ‘Yes…oh, Bart…yes, yes…yes.’
Alessandra was sure that this was as close to heaven as she was ever going to get, yet surely anything this wonderful, this potent, was beyond the powers of an earthly male? Tiny explosives were sparking deep in the centre of her sensuality and gradually growing in intensity…merging as one and moving…moving not just through her body but into her head…She struggled for a second, not quite comfortable with or certain of this foreign, magical feeling, but Bart’s voice reached her…
‘Go with it, honey…enjoy it and just ride it out…easy, easy, honey…’
Bart…darling, wonderful Bart…could he feel this too…? Could he see…the stars and…and rainbows that were so close…so close that if she just rea…ched out she could…?
He held her tightly as the final shudder of climactic fulfilment quaked from her body and only then did he empty himself into her wet warmth, with a rush that refuted his patience until then.
No woman had ever evoked such desperate urgency from his lovemaking. Alessandra MacKellar was something else. He gently brushed the damp tendrils of hair from her forehead and was rewarded with the most incredibly beautiful smile he had ever seen…
CHAPTER FIVE
FOR the first time in her life Alessandra understood how one could be struck speechless, the sheer power of the experience having robbed her of control over her brain and vocal cords. The touch of his hand against her damp forehead drew her eyes back to his and in them she saw the aftermath of his passion. Was he too surprised by the intensity of what had happened between them? Certainly the quiet, easygoing impression he usually displayed conveyed none of the unrestrained enthusiasm or experience he’d shown in his lovemaking. Alessandra was confused for more reasons than simply the fact he’d evoked such an unfettered response from her. Now he seemed uncomfortable with her.
He pulled away and sat up, linking his arms around his knees, his eyes focused on the horizon.
‘Why did you offer to put the condom on?’ he asked.
‘I wanted to…to touch you,’ she said honestly, feeling herself blush.
‘Did it bother you?’
‘Of course not! Did it bother you?’
‘Nope. More like surprised.’
‘Why?’
He shrugged. ‘I guess it’s not something I’d expect of a lady.’
At his words, Alessandra knew she’d just made one of the biggest mistakes of her life. Bart was silent for some seconds, before reaching for his clothes.
‘Come on, we’d better get back.’
The drive home was made in total silence.
* * *
When Lisa told her Bart probably wouldn’t be in for dinner Alessandra’s heart plummeted to her knees. She hadn’t seen him since he’d dropped her off at the house; this unexplained absence and his reserve on the trip home, after their unabashed passion, was filling her with doubts she didn’t want to have. Looking down at the plate of cold beef and salad lying before her, she felt her stomach turn. She closed her eyes, willing the nervous nausea away.
Oh, God, please don’t let Bart regret what happened today. I couldn’t stand it if he were to act as if nothing happened, or…
‘Sorry I’m late. We’re having a problem with one of the mares.’
Alessandra’s head jerked around to where Bart stood, her eyes absorbing his presence as greedily as the desert absorbed water. At first her gaze was returned with one she didn’t recognise, then his face broke into a shy smile and warmed her to her toes. Instantly she decided she wanted to spend the rest of her life waiting for this man to come in for dinner each night.
‘Alessandra, do you feel OK? You’ve been looking awfully strange since we sat down?’
Lisa’s words broke the spell between them.
‘Have I? Funny, I’ve never felt better. In fact——’ she darted a cheeky look at Bart ‘—I feel positively——’
‘You’re imagining things, Lisa,’ Bart deliberately cut in. ‘Alessandra looks fine to me.’
Lisa shrugged and returned her attention to her meal. Bart hovered halfway between the door and the table, knowing the smart thing to do was simply to sit down and begin his meal, but more hungry for th
e taste of the beautiful blue-eyed blonde seated at the table. Yet with his daughter present he really didn’t have a choice. He pulled back his chair and sat down.
‘Have you finished doing the wages?’
‘Yeah.’ Alessandra gave him an impish grin. ‘It took me ages, though. For some reason I couldn’t concentrate on what I was doing.’
Bart tried to smother a smile as Lisa looked in his direction.
‘Speaking of “ages”, you pair spent a long time in town today. What kept you?’
‘Umm…’
‘Your dad’s meeting ran overtime and in the end we had lunch with the Shaffers.’ Alessandra rushed to Bart’s rescue when it looked as if Lisa’s question might cause him to choke.
‘I mean after that. Doug Shaffer rang here expecting you’d be home.’ Lisa was oblivious to the look that passed between Alessandra and Bart. ‘If I’d known you were going to do more than just cash the wages and meet with Doug Shaffer I’d have come along and gone to a movie.’
‘What did Doug want?’ Bart asked, in what Alessandra knew to be a desperate attempt to change the subject.
‘Just said to be sure to tell you that the party starts at eight and that he’s looking forward to showing Alessandra some real Aussie hospitality.’
‘What’s he going to do—lock Rachel in her room?’ Alessandra muttered.
‘Pardon?’ Lisa asked, looking lost.
‘Alessandra and Rachel didn’t exactly hit it off,’ Bart explained wryly.
‘The only thing I’d like to hit off that woman would be her malicious smirk. As for her unfounded accusations…’ Alessandra stopped guiltily. Rachel’s accusations were no longer unfounded. She looked at Bart.
‘What accusations?’ Lisa probed.
‘She said——’
‘You know Rachel, Lisa. Gossip is her middle name,’ Bart said, smoothly interrupting Alessandra.
Lisa laughed and pushed herself from the table. ‘Middle name? Dad, gossip is Rachel Shaffer’s career!’
Bart returned to the stables immediately after dinner and Lisa challenged Alessandra to a game of Trivial Pursuit, but Alessandra’s brain was light-years away from the game. After she’d answered the question, ‘Who’s smarter than the average bear?’ with, ‘Koala,’ and credited Lyndon Johnston with being the first president of the United States, Lisa suggested they abandon the game and go to bed.
‘Dad’ll probably be all night down at the stable,’ she advised from the foot of the stairs.
Hardly the news Alessandra wanted to hear. She needed to talk to Bart. Needed to find out if his hopes for their relationship were the same as hers. Her hopes. Lord, but she’d never felt so insecure or unsure of herself. In the past when her mother had asked, ‘But don’t you want to settle down? Don’t you want to marry and have children? Provide yourself with some security for the future?’ Alessandra had always dismissed the questions with a shrug of her shoulders and, ‘If it happens, it happens, but I’m happy with my life just the way it is now.’
She hadn’t been lying. It was nearly ten years since she’d fled Sydney, in an effort to put Jenni’s death, family demands and her beliefs into perspective. It had taken almost twelve months to come to terms with all that had happened in her turbulent eighteenth year, but finally she knew that if she had to please anyone it was herself. New countries, new friends and new experiences were what excited Alessandra and she’d spent the last nine years pursuing them with unflagging enthusiasm. If at times she felt the need for family, she made a pit stop in Sydney, reacquainted herself with her brothers and parents, and met any new sisters-in-law or nieces and nephews that had cropped up in her absence. Whatever money she managed to save while living at home became her means to securing another airline ticket to adventure. What she’d learned from hands-on experience with other cultures was far more valuable than any university degree. The only security she needed was knowing that what she was doing was what was right for Alessandra Elizabeth MacKellar.
That was until today. Until a man named Bart Cameron had shown her she needed something more than just her freedom and absolute belief in herself.
‘Why aren’t you in bed?’
He stood propped against the door-frame, looking magnificent in filthy blue jeans, a shirt stained from sweat and grime, and with his hair sticking out in all directions.
‘I was waiting for you.’
Bart moved to where she sat on the sofa and gently held her chin. She was beautiful. For weeks he had been haunted by those wide blue eyes and their long blue lashes twenty-four hours a day and now he would be haunted by the memory of her naked flesh against his own and the magnolia scent of her.
‘I need a shower.’
‘I need you.’
Her lips tasted of passion and desire and he gave himself willingly to the kiss. Her tongue darted randomly about his mouth and teased his with its sweetness. The tiny groan she gave, as he eased her down on to the softness of the sofa, ignited his blood. Beneath his fingers he felt the soft skin of her belly grow hot as he stroked a lazy pattern back and forth, but the languid rhythm of his hand quickened as he felt the moistness of her tongue sear a path to his neck. Erotic sensations crept their way through his body and weakened his capacity to breathe evenly or control his desire. Tiny murmurs of delight welcomed his touch beneath the waistband of her skirt, further stoking his passion.
Alessandra felt her muscles contract with excitement as Bart’s fingers moved sensuously closer to the laced top of her bikini pants.. Linking her hands behind his neck, she arched her body as his hand cupped the area between her thighs and her slick dampness told them both of her hunger. His slow, stroking tenderness spiralled through every cell of her body and she could do nothing to decelerate her wanton, desperate need to absorb more of him.
He moved off her so quickly that Alessandra momentarily thought someone must have entered the room, but they were alone.
‘Bart?’
‘I’m sorry, Alessandra.’
‘Sorry?’
Bart’s grim expression told her the moment was gone. Swinging her feet to the ground, she straightened her clothes and waited for some explanation for his emotional turn-around. Her heart shivered as she watched an expression of distaste move across his face, rapidly followed by one of suppressed anger. Was she the cause?
‘Don’t look like that,’ he told her.
‘Like what?’
‘Like you don’t know what the problem is here.’
‘I wasn’t aware there was a problem.’
Bart sent her an aggrieved look, running his hand through his hair.
‘We both know what happened this afternoon was inevitable, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t attracted to you.’
‘But…’ Alessandra prompted, even though the knotting in her stomach told her she didn’t want to hear any more.
‘But I’m not a hypocrite. I can’t preach to Lisa about the shallowness of purely physical relationships while I’m involved in one right under her nose.’
Alessandra gripped her stomach as a wave of nausea washed over her. Strong as the desire was to run from the room, her legs were too weak to comply. She tried to use controlled breathing to block out his voice, but it penetrated with knife-like precision.
‘Unlike you, I’m not used to casual affairs. I know I agreed to you staying on until Mrs Wilcox returns, but in the circumstances it might be better if you left. Naturally, I’ll be happy to give you a reference, and with your capabilities you shouldn’t have trouble getting another job.’
Anger was rising so quickly inside her that Alessandra feared she would explode. Shallow…Purely physical… Casual…Affairs. The key words hammered away at her brain. He’d barely side-stepped whore and trollop, she thought. On top of that he fully expected her to just ride off into the sunset, armed with a recommendation from him that she was good at her job! Then again, he might not even bother to mention her accounting skills, just the fact that she was an easy lay! Oooohh
h! She wanted to kill the sanctimonious pig! She wanted to mince him into little pieces and feed him to his livestock! Instead she got to her feet and forced herself to laugh. It sounded almost genuine.
‘Whoa! Listen, mate, you promised me a job for three months. Now if you want to fire me say so, but don’t expect me to quit a perfectly good, well paying job simply because you’re emotionally stunted! If what happened between us was so bloody shallow, then I can’t see why you’re making such a bloody issue out of it! I——’
‘Alessan——’
‘I’m more than capable of controlling my libido, Mr Cameron, but if you can’t then you’ll have to fire me. Because I…won’t…quit!’
‘Alessandra, are you listening to me?’
Lisa’s voice brought the doctor’s waiting-room back into focus.
‘What? Oh, sorry, I didn’t realise you were through with the doctor. Did everything go OK?’ Alessandra asked, knowing the teenager had been nervous.
‘I guess so. I’ve got a prescription.’
‘Let’s go, then. Do you have any more shopping you want to do?’
‘Only at the chemist’s,’ Lisa said shyly.
‘OK, we’ll do that, then grab a cup of coffee before we head back to the ranch.’
The thick cappuccino reminded Alessandra of the coffee-shop she and her mother often frequented when she was in Sydney. Several times during the last couple of days she’d found herself thinking of Sydney and realised it was because she needed to remind herself that, despite all her travelling, she really did have a home, that Rough Rivers and Bart Cameron would soon fade to nothing more than travel memories. She hoped so at any rate.
‘It’s too bad you had to miss the Shaffers’ party the other night. I heard it was quite a bash,’ Lisa commented.
‘Really? Did your dad say that?’
‘He might have, but who’d know, the way he’s been grunting and growling every time he opens his mouth these days. Do men go through change of life, Alessandra?’
