by Nicola Marsh
‘Comfortable?’
‘Very,’ she murmured, wriggling her butt against his erection to prove it.
‘Good. I’ve heard it’s important to relax while having a good soak.’
He cupped her breasts as he spoke, savouring their weight in his palms, lightly pinching the nipples till they stood out in two jutting peaks.
She moaned, her head lolling back further as he slid his hands down her stomach in a long, slow caress till his right hand rested on her mound and he slid a finger between her slick folds.
‘Relaxed yet?’
‘Getting there.’ She gasped, her voice barely audible as her pelvis thrust upwards in reaction to the leisurely exploration of his fingers.
Empowered by her soft mewling sounds, he grazed her clitoris repeatedly, touching her with the lightest of pressure, savouring the thrill of how much he turned her on.
‘Aidan…’
Her escalating pants encouraged him to pick up the tempo and in a heartbeat she stiffened and cried out, her head digging into his shoulder as her body thrust upwards out of the water before sinking below the surface on a sigh.
‘I’m really getting the hang of this bath caper,’ he murmured, slanting a lingering kiss across her mouth, knowing he’d never be able to step into this room again without remembering the electrifying sounds she made as she came.
‘This bath was supposed to be all about you.’
She stared at him with wonder in her eyes, large, limpid moss-green pools he could quite happily drown in.
‘You don’t think I’m enjoying it?’
He gave a little upthrust of his hips, leaving her in little doubt as to exactly how much he was enjoying it.
In response, she sat upright and flipped around, straddling him before he could blink. Bracing her hands on his shoulders, she leaned forward till her nipples brushed his chest, her breath the barest whisper against his cheek. ‘I want you.’
With blood pounding through his veins and every cell in his body screaming for release, he forced himself to lean back and intertwine his fingers behind his head, the small part of him wanting to prolong the pleasure vindicated by the hungry glint in her eyes.
Sending her a slow smile designed to tease, he said, ‘Then take me. I’m all yours.’
Beth’s breath caught as Aidan’s erection nudged her entrance and she cursed, darting a frantic glance around in the hope a condom would miraculously appear out of thin air.
‘Ah…’ He held on to her tight as he surged out of the water. ‘I think what you’re after is in the bedroom?’
‘Actually, it’s right here.’
Her hand zeroed in on his erection as she slid down his body to stand dripping on the bathmat. ‘But you’re right, the bedroom is a great idea considering what I’d like to do with this.’
She gave him a gentle squeeze and he groaned, his tortured expression leaving her in little doubt he couldn’t hold out much longer.
‘You like?’
Her voice came out a purr and he growled in response, grabbing the nearest towel and enveloping both their bodies, creating an intimate cocoon of hot flesh and barely restrained desire.
‘You shouldn’t tease a man when he’s on the brink,’ he murmured, backing her towards the bed when she didn’t let up her grip.
‘Who said I’m teasing?’
Chuckling, he whipped off the towel as they tumbled onto the king-size bed, its cushiony softness moulding around their heated bodies.
So he didn’t have satin sheets? It didn’t matter considering the star of her every recent fantasy was propped above her, staring at her as if she were one of his prized artefacts.
‘I’m usually a patient man but I’ve got to tell you right now I’m feeling mighty impatient.’
She sighed, loving the way his eyes lit up when he looked at her, loving the bewitching smile playing about his mouth.
Loving?
Though stunned by the depth of feeling Aidan created within her, she quickly amended her thoughts to liking everything about him.
Loving didn’t enter the equation. Not for her. Not when he’d be out of her life quicker than she could say shoe sale.
‘We’ve got all night to take it slow.’ She reached up to pull his head down towards her. ‘Right now, I think I feel the need for speed.’
‘You’re amazing,’ he whispered against the side of her mouth a second before his lips closed over hers in a heart-stopping kiss that left her panting when he momentarily broke contact to slide the top drawer of the bedside table open, grapple with a condom and sheath himself before picking up where he’d left off.
Her body turned to liquid heat as his hands smoothed over her body, exploring every dip, caressing every curve while kissing her the entire time, deep, hungry, passionate kisses that wiped her mind of all thought bar one: how much she wanted—needed—him inside her this very minute.
As if reading her mind he parted her legs with gentle pressure from his thighs and eased himself into her, inch by exquisite inch, his tongue mimicking exactly what he’d be doing to her for as long as she could hold out.
But she didn’t want this time to be slow. She wanted hard and fast and, wrapping her ankles around his butt, she surged upwards, taking him in to the hilt, expanding around him, throbbing with need.
With a loud groan he gave up the last vestige of restraint and started to move, faster, harder, pounding into her as her body strained upwards to meet him thrust for thrust.
Tension coiled, grew, spread upwards and inwards, driving her wild with the mind-numbing pleasure of it all.
She teetered on the verge, hung there for a heart-stopping second before plunging over the other side into orgasmic oblivion, her cries joining his as he skyrocketed to the moon and back right alongside her.
Sinking back into the bed, she welcomed his weight as he lay on top of her for a moment, cuddling her close.
They didn’t speak.
They didn’t need to, two people in perfect sync.
Oh, yeah, she liked a lot of things about Aidan.
As long as she didn’t go getting any crazy ideas about that other L word, she could handle liking him just fine.
CHAPTER TEN
BETH had no problems with the morning-after scenario considering they’d already faced that particular situation twenty-four hours earlier.
However, as she padded down the hallway towards the kitchen, following the aromatic trail of sizzling bacon, she knew this was no ordinary morning after.
This was the morning after the night before she’d realised she was in way over her head with this one.
Aidan liked her, as he’d clearly demonstrated with every touch, every intimate smile, every whispered endearment all night.
But did he like her enough to give up life on the digs for a life with her?
‘Yeah, Dad, the museum’s fine, running like clockwork.’
She paused in the doorway, swallowing the lump in her throat at the sight of him wearing nothing but soft cotton boxers the same dove-grey shade as his eyes, cradling a cordless phone between his ear and shoulder while deftly flipping bacon with the other hand.
His back muscles rippled with every movement of his arm, his long legs sending an instant flush of heat through her as she remembered how they’d felt entwined with hers as he’d slid into her last night…several times…
The sound of his low, harried voice brought her back to the present and she took a step towards the doorway as he spoke.
‘I don’t know what my plans are at this stage.’
She halted in her tracks, knowing she should make him aware of her presence but holding back, surprised by his exasperated tone.
‘Look, I need to get back to South America sooner rather than later so when you know for sure when you’re returning, let me know. Staying indefinitely in Melbourne isn’t on my agenda.’
Her blood chilled and she gripped the doorjamb for support as her knees threatened to buckle.
; He wanted to leave asap.
No matter what they’d shared, how special their connection, she obviously wasn’t on his ‘agenda’. How could she be when she couldn’t hope to compete with his precious bloody job?
‘I’ve got a handle on things down here for now, just make the most of what’s left of your recuperating time and I’ll talk to you soon.’
She tried to back away from the doorway before he caught sight of her, but she was a fraction late as he turned to grab a plate from the breakfast bar.
‘Hey, there you are. Hungry?’
The tenderness in his eyes reached out and beckoned, warm and secure, openly accepting of her.
But she couldn’t do this, couldn’t pretend.
Faking a smile, she bounced into the room rather than running out the front door with tears streaming down her face. ‘Starving. Hope the bacon’s crispy.’
‘I remember how you liked it from yesterday morning.’
He slid a plate piled high with poached eggs—yokes runny, just perfect—crispy bacon and hash browns towards her, accompanied by a lingering kiss that had her stiffening.
‘What’s wrong?’
‘Nothing,’ she said, far too quickly as she concentrated on dissecting her food with a knife and fork, wishing they didn’t have to have this conversation, knowing it was inevitable.
‘Beth, look at me.’
Sighing, she placed the cutlery neatly together in the centre of her plate, her appetite vanishing when she raised her gaze to meet his.
‘Was it something about last night? Because if it was—’
‘This isn’t about something you did.’
She dashed a hand across her eyes, shocked by the sudden sting.
She never cried, just as she never set out to fall for a guy who couldn’t settle in one place for long.
Well, well, looked like today was a day for firsts.
‘Then what? I don’t get it.’
He wiped his hands on the tea towel before flinging it on the breakfast bar and stepping around it, coming to an abrupt halt when she shrank away from him, hands held up to ward him off.
‘What the hell is going on?’
Her arms dropped to her sides and she shook her head, wishing there were an easy way to say this, all too aware there wasn’t.
‘This isn’t what I want.’
A frown creased his brow, confusion clouding his face. ‘What, breakfast?’
‘You know what I’m talking about.’
She slid off the bar stool and headed towards the door, needing some distance between them to deliver her walk-out speech.
She had to do this, had to push him away before he broke her heart completely. Not that it wasn’t shattered already.
But she needed to keep her job, had to make him believe ending this was her choice for any reason other than the real one: she’d fallen for him and wanted him to stay.
‘This little fling we have going on is getting a bit serious.’
Realisation dawned in his eyes as bewilderment gave way to concern. ‘But we haven’t discussed a relationship.’
‘Yet.’
Shaking his head, he braced against the bench-top with his arms, her traitorous body giving a lurch at the way his pecs stood out, the same way they had when he’d been propped over her last night, satisfying her every desire.
‘Okay, so you’re right. I do want to talk about us, about where this is going, perhaps the possibility of dating while I’m here. In fact, I wanted to do it last night but we got sidetracked.’
His eyes darkened to stormy at the memory of what they’d shared, of how amazing it had been, and she blinked, needing to dispel the intimate spell that had descended on them the minute he’d mentioned last night.
Ignoring the intense regret stabbing her conscience, she squared her shoulders and looked him straight in the eye.
‘But that’s just it. We’re not going anywhere. At least, I’m not.’
The tiny scar above his right eye twitched as realisation widened his pupils.
‘So that’s what this is about. You think I’m about to leave?’
‘Well, aren’t you?’
His jaw clenched, his biceps bulging as he gripped the bench-top tighter. ‘I don’t know how long I’m staying in Melbourne but you’re right, it won’t be for longer than a few months. But I thought you knew that and were still happy to start things up? Remember, you were the one who pushed this thing between us.’
‘So I was.’
Determined to put an end to this before the sting behind her eyes fast turned into a waterfall, she shrugged as if she didn’t give a damn.
‘Look, I don’t want to get all heavy on you, but I think we should stick to work for however long you’re staying around.’
He pushed off the bench-top and crossed the kitchen in two seconds flat to take hold of her upper arms, his touch wreaking as much havoc as his words.
‘What’s changed? I don’t get this sudden turnaround.’
Beth couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe with his hands touching her, even in such an innocuous way. Her skin prickled beneath his hands, wanting more, needing more, and she struggled to break free only to have him hold on tighter.
‘You’re not walking out of here until we settle this,’ he said, his grim expression at odds with the hurt in his eyes.
Swallowing the emotion lodged firmly in her throat, she knew there was only one way to end this. She had to hurt him badly enough for him to let her go.
‘Fine. You want to settle this?’
She tilted her chin up, her heart sinking at the flicker of hope that flashed across his face.
‘I want something from you I know you can’t give so that’s why I’m finishing this now, before we get in any deeper.’
‘What’s that?’
She wriggled in his arms, hating it had come to this, hating the wariness in his eyes but most of all hating herself for being foolish enough in ignoring every inbuilt self-preservation mechanism that could’ve stopped her from falling for a guy like him.
‘Do you really want to know?’
She thrust her chin up, challenging him to push this, to take it all the way, for the truth would drive him away once and for all.
‘Yeah, I do.’
With a toss of her head, she swallowed the huge lump of emotion lodged in her throat and went for broke.
‘I want this to be more than a fling. I want you to stick around. And I know that’s not going to happen because you can’t wait to get out of the museum. I see the way you drag your ass in there every morning. I see your boredom every time you have to resolve small management problems. You’re counting down the days till you’re back on some site around the world and I don’t blame you. You love your job. I just wish your eyes lit up for me the same way they do when you check out some of those old exhibits.’
His hands loosened their grip and she took the opportunity to slip out of his grasp, her heart breaking as guilt warred with realisation in his incredible grey eyes.
Swiping a hand across his eyes as if to obliterate the truth she glimpsed there, he shook his head. ‘Archaeology is my life. I can’t give it up.’
‘You mean you won’t give it up.’
She didn’t have to add ‘for me’. The unsaid words hung in the growing silence, waiting to be acknowledged. As if that would ever happen.
‘I tried it once before. It didn’t work out.’
A tiny spark of hope flared in Beth’s helplessness, encouraging her to give it one last shot.
‘You did? Maybe the place you stayed wasn’t for you. Maybe—’
‘There was a woman. Fenella,’ he said, driving another stake through her heart, putting a name to a faceless female she instantly hated for having the power to make him stick around when she obviously didn’t. ‘She was an art critic. She accompanied me on a dig once and hated it so we lived together in London for a year…’
He trailed off and some strange masochistic urge prompted
her to discover the rest. ‘And?’
‘And I can’t do it again.’
‘Just like that?’
He dropped his gaze to stare at the floor and she knew in an instant he hadn’t told her the whole story.
‘Just like that,’ he said, a hint of steel underlying his grim pronouncement, the tiny scar near his eyebrow giving an infinitesimal flicker as he frowned.
‘Well, I guess we want different things, then, don’t we?’
She had no intention of waiting around for his answer, but as she swivelled towards the door he made a strange, almost strangled sound that had her turning back.
‘Beth, we could’ve dated while I’m here. We could’ve seen where this could lead.’
‘Oh, I already know. You’re the one who doesn’t want to take the risk.’
She forced her feet to move, determined to ignore the pain in her chest, the deep-seated ache that she’d tried her best and her best wasn’t good enough, the soul-deep certainty that she’d just lost the best thing to ever to happen to her.
Aidan did what he’d always done when he needed to blow off steam: he dug.
Grabbing an old shovel of his dad’s, he headed out into the backyard and stabbed at the soil in the overgrown veggie patch, enjoying the bite of steel in his instep as he pushed down on the shovel, relishing the twinge in his back as he hoisted a monstrous clump of dirt and flung it as far as he could.
He repeated the action over and over, the mindless repetition soothing as always. With every clump he overturned, his tension dissipated till he leaned forward on the shovel and wiped his brow, sweat pouring off him, feeling lighter than he had in months.
He should’ve been angry.
Hell, he should’ve been downright fuming after what Beth had said, pushing him for a commitment he couldn’t give, taking their relationship from casual to serious in the blink of an eye.
He didn’t like being pushed.
Fenella had pushed…and pushed…and pushed, until she’d pushed so hard he’d had no option but to leave.
She’d hated his job, hated the month they’d spent in Greece, hated everything about it: the dust, the heat, the dirt under his fingernails at the end of another glorious day when he’d discovered a priceless piece of history.
