Chapter Four
Jed watched the woman before him, unable to tell what she was thinking. She looked like she might be about to swim off, maybe to return to her room. He hesitated, wondering how to convince her to stay. Crap, he was useless at this. Not for the first time, he told himself he shouldn’t be such a recluse. Maybe if he’d gone out occasionally, he wouldn’t be acting like a virgin on a first date.
For the past eighteen months, he’d travelled around the North Island talking at conferences like this one, and he knew his speeches off pat. It wasn’t a bad supplementary wage to his physio practice, plus he got to see a few local sights and eat in the best restaurants. His friends and family were worried he was lonely, but after an acrimonious divorce, he was grateful for the peace, plus the novelty of having a room to himself and being able to do whatever he wanted still hadn’t worn off.
He knew plenty of guys who would have taken advantage of the lifestyle—hooked up with single women for one night stands and made the most of the anonymity and transient nature of the job. Jed had never been like that, though. He’d met Maria when he was twenty-two, and they’d been married for fifteen years when she’d announced she’d changed her mind, and having her own children did matter to her more than her marriage. Although things hadn’t been right between them since his accident, he’d tried to make it work—talked about adoption, IVF, even a sperm donor. But she’d been adamant she wanted to have babies the natural way with a partner who would be the real dad, and he guessed whatever love that had remained between them hadn’t been strong enough to counteract his inability to father children.
Despondent and angry at the end of his marriage, he’d withdrawn into himself and focused on his work. Occasionally a woman had made her interest known, but he’d backed off every time, not interested in opening himself up again to hurt.
However, eighteen months—or, more correctly, over two years since he last slept with his wife—was a long time to go without sex. Lately, Jed had developed an itch that he couldn’t scratch himself no matter how hard he tried. And then he’d looked up from his podium and his gaze had fallen on the woman who was currently looking up at him with the biggest brown eyes he’d ever seen.
She was probably involved with someone, he scolded himself. But the way she was looking at him with such longing in her eyes suggested maybe she was in a similar position to him.
Oh, what the hell. Carpe diem, and all that.
“I was wondering…” He stopped and swallowed, his heart hammering like a sixteen-year-old about to ask a girl to the ball. “The hotel has a separate bar on the other side. It’ll be quiet this time of day. I was thinking about getting changed and going over there for a drink. I don’t suppose you’d like to join me?”
She stared at him, and then her face lit up with such a beautiful, mischievous smile that his lips curved in response. “I’d love to,” she said.
“Oh. Great!” He felt a surge of relief. “I’m Jed, by the way, although you’ve probably gathered that.”
She laughed. “Yes. I’m Hayley.”
He’d already spotted her ringless finger, but he had to ask. “Are you married, Hayley?”
“Not anymore,” she said. “Not for eighteen months.”
“Cool.” That mattered, and he was glad he’d asked. “Shall we, then?”
They got out of the pool, and he tried not to stare as she walked over to get her towel. She wasn’t model thin, but her muscles were toned, and she clearly took care of herself.
He noticed that she cast glimpses across at him once or twice. Hopefully she liked what she saw.
They wrapped their towels around them and walked to the exit. Outside, they waited for an elevator, and when inside, he asked her which floor she was on, which turned out to be the same as his.
When the doors opened, they had to part ways.
Jed smiled. “So, I’ll meet you in the bar in, say, thirty minutes? Is that long enough?”
“Sure. See you then.”
He walked off, whistling. He had no expectations of what was going to happen. Hayley was obviously as unused to this kind of thing as he was, and it wouldn’t surprise him if they had drinks and then both chickened out. But it would be nice to have some intelligent conversation, to have someone to go to dinner with for a change, and if the evening ended with a goodbye kiss, he wouldn’t be entirely disappointed.
Chapter Five
Hayley turned the corner of the corridor and broke into a run. Thirty minutes! How could she turn herself into a goddess in only half an hour? She needed three hours to look even halfway decent!
Heart pounding, she fumbled at the door and wrenched it open. Closing it behind her, she paused for a moment, trying to calm her pounding heart, but it was never going to work. Eventually she gave up and headed for the shower.
After washing the chlorine out of her hair and off her body, she dried and dressed in the summer dress she’d brought for the evening. Sleeveless and in a pretty pattern of various shades of blue threaded occasionally with red, it gathered under the bust and then fell to her ankles, simple and yet perfect for a warm evening.
Now she’d calmed down a little, she knew there was no point in making herself up to be something she wasn’t. She dried her hair and left it loose around her shoulders, pinning up one strand on the right side of her head with a small red flower. A dusting of powder across her nose, a touch of mascara on her lashes, and a slick of lip gloss completed the look, natural and yet with a healthy summer glow.
She checked her watch—five minutes to go. Pulling out her phone, she dialed her home number.
“Just checking everything’s okay,” she said when Maisey answered.
“All good,” Maisey said. “We’ve had tea and now we’re watching a movie. Joss is sitting on the floor playing Lego. I think he’s enjoying it more than the kids.”
“And Maggie?”
“She’s lovely. Say hi to mummy, Maggie? She’s waving at the phone.”
Hayley blew out a breath, feeling a pang of homesickness. “Okay. I just wanted to say hi.”
“You okay? Met any gorgeous men?”
“Of course not.” Hayley glanced at her reflection in the mirror. She’d turned scarlet.
“Well, there’s still time. Have a good evening, won’t you?”
“I’ll try. I’ll keep my phone on me.”
“Okay, but don’t worry. We’re all fine.”
Hayley said goodbye and ended the call.
She stood there for a moment. A swell of panic made her grip the phone tightly. What was she doing? She was a respectable mother of four young children—she shouldn’t be prancing off in the middle of the afternoon to meet a strange man in a bar. It didn’t matter that he was nice, that he was single, and that he’d offered no more than a glass of wine and some pleasant company. By agreeing to go with him, she was suggesting she was up for more than that. And she wasn’t.
Was she?
In the mirror, her lips curved up a little.
Reaching for her earrings, she slotted them into her ears and then fastened the matching necklace. They were little pohutukawa trees, painted scarlet against a sky blue background, and they complemented her dress perfectly. So she was up for a little fun—what of it? She wasn’t hurting anyone. They might not hit it off, anyway—at the end of the evening he might give her a chaste kiss on the cheek and walk the other way, and that was fine. This was all about the knowledge that her whole life didn’t revolve around being a mother. She loved her kids and she was happy with her role, but equally, she was more than that too, and this was a chance to prove to herself that she was still young—ish—and still attractive enough to draw a good-looking stranger’s eyes.
Placing her phone in a small bag, she pulled the long strap over her head and let it rest on her hip. Then she took a deep breath and left the room.
*
She saw him as soon as she walked into the bar, which was practically empty apart from a couple of busine
ssmen in the corner. Jed was in the process of ordering a drink. He’d changed into a pair of black trousers and a casual dark blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up. The gray streaks at his temples stood out against his dark hair, which curled damply at his nape.
He turned as she approached, and her heart leapt as pleasure spread across his face.
He held out a hand, resting it briefly on her back as she approached. “Hey. What can I get you?”
“White wine, please,” she said, perching on a stool.
“Sauvignon, Pinot Gris, or Riesling?” asked the barman.
“Sauvignon, please.”
Jed smiled at her while the barman poured their drinks. “You look nice,” he said.
She glowed at his compliment. “Thank you. You too.”
They took their drinks, and Jed gestured at the large deck outside. It overlooked the lawns, and the umbrellas gave plenty of shade from the hot late-afternoon sun. “Outside?”
“Yes, that would be nice.”
They chose a table at one end and took a seat opposite one another. Hayley sipped her cold wine, enjoying the Northland’s humid heat. Normally she’d have to worry about making sure the kids were slathered in sun cream and wearing hats, but today she only had to concentrate on herself.
“So tell me a bit about your job,” Jed said. “What do you like about it?”
They began to talk, and after a while Hayley became aware he was deliberately steering the conversation away from anything too intimate. They talked about their careers, about where they’d travelled, about music and books and movies. When he discovered she loved rugby, they chatted for a long while about that, discussing the latest All Blacks lineup and how they were going to fare against the Wallabies in the upcoming test. But they didn’t talk about their marriages, and he didn’t ask if she had children, so Hayley didn’t tell him.
It was exciting—it felt as if she were playing a part in a play, like a female James Bond whose purpose was to seduce the Russian ambassador. The thought almost made her laugh, but it did feel slightly unreal. It was an escape, she thought, an adventure, performed against the backdrop of the gorgeous landscape. Cicadas played their summer symphony in the surrounding bush, and at one point two rosellas swooped across the lawns, resplendent in their rainbow feathers. It didn’t matter how this ended up—she was enjoying just being Hayley again, rediscovering herself.
But all the while, Jed watched her, his eyes as sultry as the weather, and the tingle that had trickled down her spine refused to go away.
Chapter Six
They were supposed to join the main group for dinner at seven. Jed checked his watch. Sitting with a group of strangers discussing health and safety issues was the last thing he felt like doing at that moment. He’d had a terrific hour with Hayley, talking about everything under the sun, and he didn’t want it to come to an end. She was incredibly easy to be with—she didn’t ask him demanding personal questions, and she was content to enjoy the quiet evening without minding the occasional silence.
“Oh,” she said, obviously seeing the time as she checked her phone. “Dinner.”
“Yeah.”
Their gazes met. She gave an impish smile. “I don’t suppose you fancy skipping the big banquet?”
“I would love to skip the big banquet. I am hungry though. Want to see what the bar offers food-wise?”
“Sure.”
He asked the waiter for a menu, and they chose a platter to share—home-made bread, local cheese, sliced meats, and dips. As the sun gradually descended into the sea, flooding the world with orange and purple, they ate their meal and drank more wine, relaxing into each other’s company.
The minutes ticked by and turned into another hour and then two, and Jed felt the stirring of something deep inside him, like the lazy stretch and yawn of a bear waking from hibernation. Hayley was on her third glass of wine, and although she appeared far from drunk, a light flush touched her cheeks.
Instead of sitting upright with her hands in her lap as he imagined her mother had taught her, now she sat back, her feet resting on the opposite chair. She’d seemed nervous at first, but that had gradually dissipated, and now the looks she kept throwing him were filled with laughter and longing. She gave all the signs he’d learned to read when he was young—twirling her hair, biting her bottom lip, sub-consciously playing with her necklace to draw his gaze to her breasts.
Still, he hesitated to make a pass at her. What if she said no? Ultimately, it wouldn’t matter—after tonight they wouldn’t see each other again anyway. But all the time he didn’t ask, she couldn’t refuse, and there was something delicious about drawing out this sensual dance he felt they were in, as their comments gradually became more flirtatious.
She finished off her wine and placed the glass on the table. He’d already asked if she wanted coffee and she’d refused, so there wasn’t really any need to stay in the bar.
“Would you like to go for a walk?” she asked.
He raised his eyebrows. He hadn’t expected that. “Okay.”
He’d already told the barman to put the bill on his room—she’d protested, but he’d gently insisted, and he was old-fashioned enough to be pleased when she acquiesced.
Leaving the deck, they headed down to the beach. The gravel path wound through the lawns, lit by the occasional solar lamp. Insects fluttered by, and it would have been the perfect opportunity for her to shriek and clutch his arm, but he was oddly glad when she seemed unbothered by them, even though he wouldn’t have minded her touching him.
They reached the small beach and slipped off their shoes. The warm sand filtered through his toes. The sun had nearly set, and the Pacific Ocean shimmered, a deep reddish purple in the dying light. When they splashed through the shallows, the warm water coated their feet like molten silver. The moon hung low in the sky, a few days off full.
He looked back up at the hotel. The main restaurant glowed like a beacon way off to their right. Smaller lamps in the bar and the rooms on the floors above looked like fireflies in the night. Hidden as they were in the semi-darkness, he doubted anyone knew they were there, and nobody would be watching them.
“Jed,” said Hayley, and he turned to face her. Her expression was hesitant, and she chewed on her bottom lip.
Reaching out, he touched the back of his fingers to her cheek, brushing up to her ear.
Her eyes widened, but she didn’t protest. Encouraged, he slipped a hand into her hair, and bent and kissed her.
Her lips were soft and cool, a tiny bit sticky where she’d recently applied lipgloss. After he’d pressed his mouth to hers two or three times, he lifted his head and ran a tongue across his top lip. “Mm. Strawberry.”
She laughed and touched a hand to her cheek, drawing his attention to the flushed skin. “I haven’t blushed like this in years.”
“I’m glad.” Placing his hands on her hips, he moved in closer and kissed her again.
This time, he took it slowly. Each time he pressed his lips to hers, he let them linger, kissing from one corner of her mouth to the other and just enjoying the feeling of being close to someone again, being intimate. Hayley murmured, her eyes closing, and her hands splayed on his chest before snaking up around his neck and into his hair.
He touched his tongue to her lips, asking permission, and she sighed and opened her mouth, allowing him access. Sliding his tongue against hers, he tasted the chocolate dessert she’d had along with the sweetness of the sauvignon. His hands slid around her of their own accord, resting politely on her lower back. To his delight, she pressed her hips to his, molding her body against him.
Fireworks exploded in his head, the bear inside him snapping awake, and hot desire coursed around his system, firing up his blood. He deepened the kiss, and Hayley responded with a sexy moan, mirroring the plunge of his tongue with darts of her own, her teeth grazing his bottom lip. One of her hands sunk into his hair, her fingers tightening and her nails scraping lightly down his scalp, and he shivered,
his body hardening in response, preparing itself to take her.
Whoa, slow down boy… He tried to scold himself, but Hayley seemed as eager as he was, her other hand slipping to the base of his shirt. She slid it up, over his stomach and around his ribs, exploring his muscles. His fingers itched to do the same to her, but he didn’t want to strip the dress off her, not yet.
He lifted his head and surveyed her, noting her hooded eyes, the flush on her cheeks, the way her lips were already swollen from his kisses.
“Hayley.” His voice sounded hoarse with desire, even to his ears. “I’m so out of practice with this. I don’t know the correct way to do it because I’ve never done it before, so I’m just going to say it. Come back to my room with me.”
She exhaled in a rush. “Thank God. I thought you were never going to ask.”
A wave of relief left him light-headed, but he laughed and pretended he’d known she was going to accept. “You could have asked me,” he teased.
“I’m out of practice too, Jed.” Her breasts rose and fell with her rapid breaths, and he sensed a hint of anxiety beneath her obvious pleasure.
He cupped her face and kissed her one last time. “Then we’ll take it slow and find our way together.”
Chapter Seven
When they returned to the hotel, Jed asked her which room she would prefer to go to.
“Yours,” Hayley said. Taking him back to her room would have felt too intimate, as if she were somehow letting him into her life. Going to his room continued her fantasy that she was acting out a part in a play, and that none of this was real.
They walked through the hotel foyer, and Jed paused. “Ah…can you wait one second?”
“Sure.”
He hesitated. “You’ll still be here when I get back?”
She laughed. Now she’d made the decision to go ahead with this, there was no way she was going to back out. “Of course—but be quick!”
No Way to Treat a Lady Page 2
