Thank you! He silently thanked her for diverting the conversation into easier waters. The heat in his cheeks started to recede.
“I’ve got a month planned in the U.S. I needed a break.” God, was that the truth. He felt like he had been working nonstop for ten years. Which he pretty much had.
“That sounds good. You’re traveling by yourself?” Michelle glanced up as she asked the question. She looked curious now.
Rob couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face. He may as well address the obvious questions now.
“Yes. I don’t have a wife or girlfriend to drag me around, so I just decided to pack my bags and see where life led me.” He tossed over the wisdom of saying what was on his mind, but almost a bottle of wine later, he wasn’t playing safe. “And life seems to have led me to you. So I’m pretty rapt at the moment.”
Michelle blushed and dropped her eyes, the prettiest picture he had ever seen.
“Where are you staying tonight, Rob?” she asked, pushing her half eaten burger away from her and picking up her glass of wine.
The second bottle was half gone and Rob was feeling the effects. His inhibitions were lowered, yet he knew exactly what he was doing.
“I have no idea. I saw some of the airport staff pulling out mattresses and blankets and things. Do you want to go find one and camp out on the floor with me?”
Michelle dropped her eyes again and Rob’s stomach clenched painfully. Maybe that had been the wrong thing to suggest. He shouldn’t have been so forward.
“Well, you don’t have to of course.”
Michelle shook her head. “No, that’s not what I was thinking.”
Her pink tongue darted out of her mouth and wet her full bottom lip. Rob’s belly tightened once again. He glanced at the bottle of wine and decided he didn’t need another glass; he was already too relaxed. He had to say something to her before he said anything really stupid.
“Look, Michelle, I understand that after what has recently happened to you, it must be hard to trust anyone. Especially a strange man you’ve never met, but I promise you can trust me. I’ve never intentionally hurt anyone in my life, and I’m not about to start.”
Michelle’s beautiful brown eyes filled with tears and she blinked rapidly to dispel them.
He waited for her to recover, a knot of fear wrapping around his stomach until she smiled at him and that feeling disappeared as though it had never been.
“Ah...I… Thank you.”
She cleared her throat loudly and fidgeted a little with her napkin.
A waitress placed their bill down on the edge of the table, and Rob retrieved his wallet and threw a note down.
“Thanks so much.” He pushed it back at the waitress.
“No, I want to pay half.” Michelle’s strong protest was exactly what Rob had been expecting and it made him even more determined to win.
He shook his head. “No way, you saved me from a nightmare dinner out with the masses. Plus, you’ll soon learn two things about me. I never let a woman pay for dinner, and I work too much. I’m pretty easy about everything else.”
Michelle slowly put her purse away and stared at him for a long moment. “What do you do?”
Rob sighed. Work seemed so far away at the moment and he kind of liked it that way.
“I’m a doctor, a surgeon actually.”
He held his breath as Michelle’s eyebrows rose high whilst she processed that piece of information. He hated this part. Waiting for someone’s response to his job. Then she smiled her cute little smile and said the last thing he expected to hear.
“I’m a scrubs nurse. At Royal Melbourne.”
Rob laughed. It was comical. Almost like a bad joke. “Well then you know what sort of hours we keep.”
She nodded. “Yes, what’s your specialty?”
Rob grinned. He couldn’t believe his luck in finding a woman who didn’t go all gaga over the whole ‘doctor’ thing. “Ortho, but stop trying to distract me. I still want to know what you were thinking before.”
Michelle pushed herself out of her booth and stood up on shaky legs.
Rob slid out and grabbed her hand to steady her. “Are you okay?”
She giggled. “Yes, I just don’t usually drink this much.” She pointed to the second bottle. “I can’t drink any more. Do you want to finish it?”
Rob shook his head. “No way.”
He grinned at how relaxed she was and let his other hand rest on her waist. She didn’t flinch; she actually moved closer. “I don’t usually drink that much either, but it’s an unusual night.”
Michelle nodded, her brown eyes shining mischievously. “Yes, a moment out of time.”
Rob liked the sound of that and couldn’t help the way his eyes dropped to her lips. He became bolder. Maybe she would spend the night cuddling with him on a mattress somewhere.
“Where are you going to stay tonight then?”
She stepped a little closer and squeezed the hand he held. “I was lucky enough to get a hotel voucher. The one directly opposite the airport. Would you come back there with me?”
Rob’s brain did a double take and his mouth dropped open. Had she just said what he thought she had? His body leapt at the idea, screaming hell yes! at him, but his brain held the reins. He couldn’t take advantage of her now.
Chapter Three
Michelle’s brain was happily swimming in enough red wine to make sure all of her insecurities were on the floor beneath her flat black boots.
Wow. Rob’s even yummier up close. He was tall, over six foot, and broader across the chest than she first thought.
He was frowning at her though.
Why is he frowning?
She reached up a hand and used her fingers to smooth the wrinkles from his brow. The frown disappeared immediately, and she liked the idea that he would respond so quickly to her touch.
“Why the face?”
Rob squeezed her hand. “You know I would love to, but I think we’ve both had too much to drink.”
Michelle’s disappointment was keen, slicing through her like a knife. She dropped her hands away from him. How could she have been so wrong? It was the first time she had ever taken the initiative in a sexual situation and she had been shot down.
“I’m sorry. I thought you might want to.”
Rob stepped closer and pulled her into his arms, bending forward so he could whisper into her ear.
“I do want to, so badly.” Michelle shivered at the caress of his lips and hot breath against her ear. He then pressed his pelvis into her and she felt the hardness beneath his jean fly. Michelle gasped and pressed herself closer. This was what she needed, to feel wanted.
“So come back to the room with me.”
Rob pulled her tighter still, both of his hands gripping her waist. “But if I go back to your room with you, I’ll want to make love to you.”
Michelle dropped her head and kissed Rob’s neck. “I want that too.”
Rob stilled, his hands and body freezing.
Michelle counted her heart beats as she waited. One. Two. Three.
He finally spoke. “Let’s go, we’ll talk more on the way.”
Michelle nodded, a shiver passing over her once again as he interlinked their fingers and picked up his backpack from the seat.
Gripping her own bag tightly, Michelle forced her legs to move and walk beside the man she had just picked up for a one night stand. She was having a one night stand!
They raced through the airport. Michelle clung to Rob’s side, his protective arm cradling her as they moved. There were people everywhere, whole families camped out on the floor. Michelle felt guilty, horrible even. She had a comfortable bed to sleep in and these people didn’t.
Then her horror of a year returned in flashes. Inside her mind she saw her parents’ funerals, the way the shiny black caskets had caught the sunlight as they were lowered into the ground. Then, as though she were her own director, her brain cut to a scene showing her walk
ing in on her boyfriend in bed with someone else.
Shaking her head to clear the images she resolutely kept walking. She needed this one night more than anything. She had been so close to giving up on everything lately. This was the first time she had felt alive in months.
By the time they stopped to use the bathroom and checked in, Michelle’s head had cleared a little. The old insecurities were back. Rob was older, successful, and gorgeous. Why would he want her? She wrung her hands and shifted her weight from foot to foot. Maybe she should head back to the airport and let Rob use the bed?
Rob slipped the card into the slot and pushed open the hotel room door. Michelle stumbled in and threw her bag onto the bedside table. No, she couldn’t run away. Maybe she should drink more wine to dull some of the fears that had arisen? She stared sightlessly at the bed, worry gnawing at her.
“Michelle...” Rob’s smooth voice made her turn to find him studying her with his intense blue eyes. “I don’t want you to regret this.”
Michelle turned fully and stared right back at him. Was he kidding? Taking a deep breath, she pushed her worries aside, switching off her inner critic.
“Rob, I may have had more than I should to drink, but I’m not drunk. The only thing I will regret is me not making love to you.”
She could feel her cheeks flushing again. Whoever this fearless woman was who had emerged, Michelle liked her. She unzipped her black cotton cardigan and dropped it on to the floor.
Rob pulled his own grey sweatshirt over his head, revealing glimpses of beautifully tanned skin.
“Are you sure?”
Michelle wanted to stomp her foot in frustration, but instead, she held out her arms.
He walked straight into them and cupped her face in both of his hands. His blue eyes searched hers as though seeking the truth before he sealed their promise with a kiss.
His lips were soft yet insistent as they coaxed hers apart and his tongue slipped inside. She moaned, low in her throat and wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him closer.
His hands dropped away from her face, yet his lips remained, as he reached down to her waistband and tugged at her T-shirt.
Michelle braced herself for the next part. I wish I’d put on prettier underwear this morning! Lifting her arms, she allowed Rob to pull her top off.
He returned to kissing her immediately, caressing the skin at the base of her spine in long strokes. It was soothing and erotic all at once.
Michelle wanted him naked, now.
She pulled at Rob’s white T-shirt and broke their lips apart so he would help. With a crooked smile, he pulled his top over his own head and Michelle stared. Wow. He had taut pecs, huge shoulders, and the flattest stomach Michelle had ever seen in real life.
“You’re beautiful.”
Rob chuckled and began to undo her jeans. “No, you’re beautiful. And I can’t wait to see more of you.”
Impatient and confident in his need for her, Michelle brushed aside his hands. She pulled her own jeans, boots, and socks off.
Rob followed her lead until they were both in their underwear.
Michelle knew what would happen next, a little petting and he would be inside her. With her ex, sex had not always been pleasant, but Michelle could feel her need for Rob, her body wet and ready. It’s wouldn’t be the same as it had always been with her ex.
She pulled back the covers on the double bed and lay down on the farther side.
Rob stared at her for a moment, so Michelle patted the bed next to her. What was he waiting for?
He crawled onto the bed and pushed her flat, his heavy weight welcome. His skin was hot and soft, his muscles hard beneath her hands. She wrapped her legs around his waist and kissed him with all the passion she could muster.
His tongue plundered her mouth, his teeth sinking into her bottom lip.
Michelle allowed the storm to carry her away and didn’t fight him when he pulled back to slide her underwear down her legs.
She arched her back and undid her bra, opening her legs and holding out her arms. Oh crap.
“Have you got any protection?”
Rob was busy looking his fill of her full breasts, soft tummy, and fleshy thighs. His blue eyes looked very pleased. Thank God for that!
“Yes.” He crawled back off the bed and pulled out two rubbers from his jeans pocket. “I bought a couple from the men’s toilet.”
“Thank you.” Michelle could not express her true gratitude to a man who actually cared and had the forethought to do something about it. She was still on the pill, but the extra protection was needed too.
Rob crawled back onto the bed and lay between her legs, kissing her lightly on the mouth. “No problem, sweetheart. You can trust me to look after you, remember?”
The words weren’t lost on her, but she was too turned on to really take in their full meaning. Michelle wiggled, Rob’s cloth covered erection digging into the wet, sensitive flesh between her legs.
“Why do you still have your jocks on?”
Rob laughed and moved down her body. “Because they will stop me from rushing this.”
Michelle frowned. What did he mean? “But, I’m ready now.”
Rob dropped his head and kissed her right nipple.
She gasped, flames of pleasure licking their way down her belly. Her hands automatically rose and her fingers threaded into his thick brown hair, enjoying the sensuous feel as well as the need to hold him close.
“I have a feast in front of me. I’m not rushing to dessert.”
Rob dropped his head once again and sucked her nipple straight into his mouth.
Michelle gasped and arched her back, pleasure spearing through her. Tears sprang to her eyes and she squeezed them shut as a wave of overwhelming emotion buffeted her system. This was what she had been missing; someone who cared about her pleasure. Where had he been all her life?
He moved his mouth to the other nipple, and Michelle’s fingers tightened in Rob’s hair, holding him tightly to her.
He was in no hurry and neither was she now as she stroked his skull, enjoying the feel of his soft hair under her fingertips.
Rob suckled and licked, then bit down until she wrapped her legs around him and squeezed.
“Please, Rob, now.” She was panting, her belly tight with wanting. She had never felt like this with a lover before. She wanted him inside her as soon as possible.
He laughed and looked up at her, his blue eyes sparkling with pleasure. “I’m going to make you cum first.”
Michelle shook her head, getting frustrated with him. This was all nice, but she wanted to feel him within her. She needed that connection. “No, it takes too long. Please, I want you now.”
Rob frowned and she blushed. Why was he looking at her like that?
“We have all night, Michelle. Just relax for me. I’m not going anywhere.”
And with that infuriating statement, his head descended to a place no man had kissed before.
One swipe of his tongue across her sensitive, swollen clit and she grabbed handfuls of the sheet on either side of her body. “Oh my God!”
She felt, rather than heard, Rob’s vibrating chuckle against her inner thigh, as he continued to love her body. His tongue flicked across her clit over and over, the pressure inside her building with each stroke. She gasped and panted, her belly shuddering in pre-orgasmic spasms. He moved closer and suckled on the nub, one of his long fingers tracing her entrance before pressing slowly into her welcoming body.
Michelle arched her back on pure instinct and dug her fingers into Rob’s head. Her body tightened to breaking point, and she didn’t know how much longer she could hold out.
“Rob... I...” He suckled her clit harder and curled his fingers to hit her G-spot.
Her eyes squeezed shut and light enveloped her. She let go, tightening her legs around his strong shoulders. She threw her head back and screamed as the coiled spring inside her released.
Michelle came so hard, the spasms r
ippling over and over. Feral sounds ripped from her throat as her body convulsed. She had no control over it. Pleasure saturated every limb of her body until she slowly floated back down and found Rob still gently lapping at her flesh.
He kissed her inner thigh, then moved over to the bedside table. She felt strangely bereft to have him so far away and yet she was too sated to move.
Michelle forced her heavy lids open and watched as he rolled a condom on his rather intimidating length.
She cleared her throat and forced the lethargy away. “Don’t you want me to touch you too?”
Memories of her ex’s demanding ways forced their way into her head, and Michelle pushed them out again. The man in front of her was not her ex, and she shouldn’t compare them. Especially at a time like this. Could Rob be any more different?
Rob shook his head and slid smoothly back on top of her, his muscled body tight and shaking in the circle of her arms.
“No, I’ll never last if you do that.”
Michelle blinked, not able to comprehend what he meant. Why would he want to last longer? And why would her touching him shorten that time? It didn’t really make sense, but she no longer cared as all her attention was pulled down to the area between her legs. He used the blunt head of his erection to part her folds and all thoughts fled.
Her body was so ready. She wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him closer.
He moaned in appreciation and kissed her as he slid in to the hilt.
Sensation exploded through her pelvis as tender and swollen tissues were parted and stretched. “Oh my God!” Michelle cried out again, breaking their kiss to arch her back. He was so big, she felt too full.
Rob dropped his head and bit into her shoulder with a groan. The move was carnal and delicious, sending little shockwaves of pleasure across her skin.
Michelle gasped and ran her nails down his back, digging into his tight, round bum and reveling in the erotic feel.
“Please, Rob.”
And just as though they had danced this dance a hundred times before, they began moving together.
Slowly at first, then harder and faster. There were no words. Just sounds of pleasure as their flesh met and their passions inflamed.
One Perfect Night Page 2
