by Janet Woods
Yet when her fingers closed on his hair it was to keep him there, not to pull him away. She was, she realized, slightly tense and inhibited about this. The exquisite pleasure he was giving her now was insidiously erotic, yet cruelly soft. She allowed her body to relax, lulled into an almost hypnotic sense of well-being by the gentleness of it.
Her brain seemed to shut down, leaving only one specific portion of her body still living. How alive she was to this secretly intimate caress, she thought as she drifted off to a world of pleasure and warm moist caresses. No, not warm ... sort of sensual ... and mind blowing ... and
‘ .... That’s exquisite, Leo ... that’s absolutely ... Oh, my God!’ She groaned, giving a long ecstatic shudder. Totally annihilated, she could only lie there in helpless abandonment when he came up for breath.
His eyes were dark and enigmatic as he pinned her hands to the pillow with his. She rose up to meet him, wrapped her legs around his hips and gazed into his eyes.
They made love like that, long and hard, her eyes gazing into his until the very last few ecstatic moments, when he slid his hands under her buttocks and supported her against his thrusting energy until they both climbed into a soaring climatic explosion.
A little later, when his breathing had slowed and she snuggled against his side, he whispered in her ear. ‘That was some entree, Mrs. Price. It calls for a celebration. I’ll fetch some champagne whilst you imagine what the main course will be like.’
She began to imagine whilst he threw on his robe and headed for the kitchen. She heard a cork pop, and then a few minutes later Leon handed her a glass of champagne. ‘Here’s to you, Darcie, you’re everything I ever dreamed of.’
She wished he’d said that he’d loved her, instead.
She gazed into his eyes as she sipped the bubbling liquid, enjoying its tart taste on her tongue and the cold trickling river that traced through her insides. She felt like laughing with sheer exhilaration
When the champagne was gone, Leon leaned forward and circled her mouth with the tip of his tongue.
Desire leapt like a tiger into her breast when he whispered, ‘I’ve got something really exotic on my mind ...
Chapter Eight
Far from being tired, Darcie was charged with energy when she woke.
It was early, the mist still rose from the surface of the river in eerie pale blue swirls as she eased the curtains across the windows so the morning light wouldn’t wake Leon.
Her eyes followed his outline under the covers. Some man she’d married - some lover! She caught herself grinning as she tiptoed from the room. Her imagination had never carried her half as far as he’d taken her.
After a quick shower she went through to the kitchen, stopping only to haul the lounge suit and side tables back to their original positions.
Georgie rose from his basket to greet her, stretching back and front legs before taking up position at the door - an old sneaker dangling from his jaws. Anna must have given him them to play with, as the other, its sole hanging off, was in his basket.
‘I’ll see you at breakfast, huh!’ she called out as he bounded across the lawn, tossing the sneaker up in the air, and snatching it up again as soon as it reached the ground.
Making a pot of tea she carried it through to the bedroom, and placed it on the small table in front of the French windows.
‘Milk, no sugar,’ Leon said without opening his eyes.
‘I thought you were still asleep.’
His eyes opened just a chink. ‘It could be a fantastic dream, I suppose. Tell me, Darcie ... did I imagine us indulging in the most exquisite lovemaking I’ve ever experienced for most of the night?’
Married women shouldn’t blush, she told herself as she took his tea over to him. Yet she couldn’t believe she was married, couldn’t believe she’d spent most of the night making wild, glorious love with this tousled haired, sleepy-eyed stranger. What had she been thinking of?
Who was she trying to kid? It hadn’t been making love; it had been having sex - and a feast of sex, at that! He’d gratified some of her secret fantasies - and she had plenty more he could indulge her in.
As she felt herself grow moist, the tips of her ears turned pink. She should have denied him - she shouldn’t have unlocked the door to the sensual side of her nature after keeping it under control for so long. Had he thought her too easy?
Don’t go prim and proper on me, Darcie. All the things nature designed you to enjoy, like lust and passion, are normal and healthy. Besides, you’re married. The ring he put on your finger makes it respectable.
She bristled for a moment. Who asked you for a lecture? I didn’t marry Leon to have respectable sex. Let me tell you ... he wouldn’t have had to try very hard to get me into bed, with or without the legalities.
That’s because he knows women and senses the heat in you. He wants children, and has more of less said that he regards you as a brood mare.
Some stallion! As she gazed at Leon’s taut reclining body a wave of carnal hunger shook her. She wanted to fall upon his body, sink her teeth into his flesh and eat him for breakfast - buttered on both sides like a toasted crumpet.
She gave a tiny shamed grin as her fingers reached out all by themselves, to touch his hair, to caress the sensuous curve of his mouth. The fine tremor he gave transmitted from her fingertips through her body. His heat reached up and surrounded her - overpowered her. She’d read somewhere that men had the same component in their scent to attract the female, as roses had to attract bees. Pheromones it was called.
Leon’s pheromones had honed in on the receptors in her brain, making her nerves thrust lascivious little darts into her female bits.
Settle down ladies, you’re being too obvious!
It didn’t get any better when he lightly caressed the inside of her wrist after she set the cup shakily on the bedside table, and catching her gaze - kept it locked to his.
Everything in her became weak and there was no need for words - which was just as well because she was struck dumb by the thought that her sexual desire didn’t need anything but one look from him and a shove from those powerful pheromones.
Tea forgotten, they gazed at each other while he loosened her robe and slid his palms gently up over her hardening nipples. She stood quietly, letting him touch her until the ache of her wanting was a silent scream inside her and couldn’t be contained.
Gradually, she eased the sheet from his beautiful, aroused body, straddled herself across him and abandoned herself to the eroticism of his caresses.
But she wanted more than his hands, and leaned forward to place her aching breasts against his receptive mouth. His palms cupped each of her buttocks, easing her over him. Slowly teasing, he lowered her again, allowing her to accept him gradually until they were joined.
His fingers were busy at her breasts again, bringing her nipples to tingling erectness before teasing a trail gradually downward over each erotic point.
He watched her reaction, his eyes deep and serious, a grin touching his mouth with each successive shudder she gave.
She felt helpless under that gaze, unsure and exposed. She closed her eyes for a second, giving an involuntary ecstatic little sigh as his fingers caressed their ultimate target.
She didn’t know how long she could stay like this, with his eyes watching her reaction, making aware of her feelings - of her helplessness in the face of nature. It was something she couldn’t control, as if Leon was intent on stripping every last inhibition from her, and was exposing it for what it was - a sham.
He succeeded wonderfully, revealing to her how sexual a being she was by demonstrating that thoughts didn’t matter, only feelings.
And she felt ... possessed by him, by her own cravings. Though she tried to bite it back, she couldn’t stop the wild ecstatic cry that left her lips, or the way her body began to move against his - as if it was trying to devour him. Five incredible minutes later she was cuddled in his arms absolutely spent - and they were smiling into e
ach other’s eyes.
He gently kissed both of her eyelids. ‘That was a great way to wake up.’
‘To be honest, I don’t quite know what happened,’ she said weakly.
‘We happened.’ Leon had a self-satisfied grin on his face. ‘I knew we’d be compatible.’
A tiny niggle of annoyance jiggled at her. Sexually, Leon couldn’t fail to please any woman ... and probably had. A man didn’t get to be this good without his pheromones getting plenty of practice! She didn’t like the thought very much and gave him a dirty look. ‘How many women have you been to bed with?’
Shock came into his eyes. ‘Excuse me?’
‘I said ... how many –’
‘I haven’t kept a count.’ His smile was replaced by a bland look as he pushed her aside. Scrambling out of bed he shrugged into his robe and strode towards the en-suite. He stopped in the doorway, saying just before he shut it, and with definite emphasis, said, ‘And I’m not about to satisfy your curiosity by doing so.’
‘Hah!’ she said, despite knowing it was a stupid thing to have asked him. Face burning she turned on her side and decided that going back to sleep would be less embarrassing than having to apologize.
But she couldn’t sleep, because the sound of the shower running kept her awake. After that Leon came back into the bedroom and opened and shut cupboard doors. A faint perfume of soap reached her nostrils as he moved about. Then came the slithering noise of arms being thrust though sleeves, and a zip being zippered.
‘Have you seen a pair of sneakers anywhere?’
‘Be quiet, I’m trying to sleep,’ she snapped.
‘Three-thousand, six-hundred and eighty-two and a-half,’ he said. ‘I hope you don’t expect me to name them all.’
‘What!’ She struggled up in bed and glared into his laughing face.
Suddenly his hands shot under the covers and gripped both her ankles. She gave a squeak of alarm, and then she was flat on her back and sliding rapidly under the covers.
She emerged from under the twisted bedclothes fighting mad, but he simply wrestled her arms above her head and held her there until she began to laugh, then he gently kissed her and let her go.
Tangled amongst the covers she watched his bare feet carry him towards the door, and remembering the sneaker clutched in Wee Georgie’s mouth, she grinned. Leon was bright, he’d soon figure it out.
He was cooking breakfast when she made her way through to the kitchen. The intimate grin he tossed her made her blush. ‘I figured you’d require a hearty breakfast to keep your energy levels up.’
‘Where’s Anna?’
‘I’ve given her a few days off.’
She smiled. At least she’d be able to cook the meals.
Leon flipped an egg over in the pan then grabbed at a couple of slices of toast springing from the toaster. ‘We can eat out if you like.’
‘I can cook.’
He slid her a dubious glance. ‘Really? You didn’t strike me as being all that good in the kitchen. By the way,’ he said before she could answer. ‘Did you move any of the lounge furniture around yesterday? I tripped over something in the dark last night and nearly broke my neck.’
He sounded a bit peppery about it. ‘Does it look as though it’s in a different position then?’
He slanted her a glance. ‘Should it?’
‘Perhaps you were in too much of a hurry to get to the bedroom and misjudged things,’ she suggested, her eyes gleaming.
Grinning, he laid two crisp strips of bacon next to the egg and tomatoes before setting the plate in front of her. ‘I must admit I was in the mood to throw you over my knee.’
‘So, what stopped you?’
He dropped a kiss on her head. ‘I’ve decided to save the punishment until you really step out of line. If you intend to move the furniture again, let me know in advance -and if you wish to lie convincingly you should get rid of the evidence, like the drag marks on the carpet.’
‘Thanks, I’ll remember that.’ She gave a gurgle of laughter. ‘I hope you didn’t hurt yourself. I was just trying it in a different position.’
His faintly mocking grin made her blush. ‘I understand, Darcie. You’re a bird who wants to build its own nest. Change things if it makes you feel more comfortable.’
‘No. It’s a very nice house.’ What was the use of changing it when she wouldn’t be living in it long enough to matter? Of more relevance to her ... ‘What’s the house like that you’re building at Petrel Point?’
‘I’ll show you the plans when we get back.’ Leon picked up his knife and fork. ‘Eat up before it gets cold, then we’ll take Georgie for a walk. Where do you fancy going for dinner tonight?’
She gave him an indignant glance. ‘Right here.‘
‘Are you really sure you can cook? You didn’t exactly make the grade as kitchen hand.’
‘And look where that got me.’
His smile was whipped cream sprinkled with spice. ‘You haven’t complained so far.’
‘Neither have you.’ She out-creamed his smile with a cheesecake one of her own. ‘Are you scared my cooking will bump you off and leave me a wealthy widow? Live dangerously, Leon. Name your poison.’
‘Italian.’
‘Simple.’ She allowed her eyes to wander in the direction of Wee Georgie’s basket, gave a small scream and widened her eyes. ‘Oh dear, Georgie seems to have commandeered your sneakers.’
‘As if you’d only just noticed,’ he murmured, smearing egg yolk over his toast.
‘I’ll buy you a new pair with my new credit card if you like.’
Everything in her melted when he sent a sizzling smile her way. ‘That’s very generous of you, Darcie. Size ten.’
Leon spent most of the morning on the telephone - and by lunch time came back with a frown creased between his brow. ‘I’ll have to go to a meeting with my lawyer this afternoon. Do you mind?’
‘No. I intend to go out and do a bit of food shopping anyway.’ She placed her finger against his frown and smoothed it away. ‘Is it all going badly?’
‘Nothing I can’t handle.’
He kissed her, slowly and lingeringly. Lust leaped like a tiger into her body. So easily did her desire come to the surface that she found herself murmuring shamelessly, ‘How soon must you go?’
‘Not until after lunch.’
He kissed her again, robbing her of her senses, then with his breath shivering against her ear he hoisted her into his arms, whispering, ‘But I’m not quite ready for lunch yet, are you?’
‘I guess not.’ She feathered tiny licks against his mouth until he stopped to capture her tongue in a tingling kiss that seemed to go on forever.
For the first time in his life, Leon was late for a business meeting. He dropped Darcie off at the local shopping center on his way out - and watched her walk away with a contented smile on his face, until she was lost in the crowd. Darcie headed for the bank, where, as if by magic, a large amount of money seemed to materialize out of the teller machine at her command - as if she’d just won the jackpot on a poker machine.
The amount Leon had credited to the account made her feel slightly guilty. He’d already provided her with enough clothes to last her a lifetime - what else did she need except for a few dollars in her purse for emergencies?
The shops in the trendy suburb were filled with high priced specialty goods. No supermarkets here to spoil the atmosphere, no garish adverts, just a discreet row of shops and beauty salons with unobtrusive toffee colored paint-work and dark green gables with gold lettering, all situated in a brick-paved mall.
The cafes had outdoor tables shaded by vine-covered pergolas and sailcloth umbrellas. Manicured plants in tubs graced the shop doorways. The center of the mall was shaded by Ash trees. The shoppers looked well dressed and relaxed - the pace was unhurried.
Darcie made her purchases quickly, placing them in the basket she’d brought with her. She was tempted to treat herself to a coffee, but knew she’d have felt out
of the place amongst the well-dressed women who chatted familiarly together in pairs or groups as they sipped at their coffee.
Besides ... she smelled of Leon’s aftershave and intense love making, she excused, grinning as she strode back home. She didn’t want to make these smart women feel jealous.
The phone started to ring as soon as Darcie let herself in. She kicked the door shut with her heel, dumped her basket on the kitchen table and rushed through to the study just as the answering machine cut in.
‘Leon, darling. I got your message. I’m sorry I couldn’t make it this afternoon. I’ll be in after eight, a few friends are coming over so why don’t you join us if you can get away from ...’ Helen gave a light trill of laughter. ‘Well, you know who?’
The message clicked off just as Darcie snatched the receiver up to tell Helen that you-know-who had a name. A tidal wave of jealousy rolled over her. ‘Find yourself another man, you liposuctioned alligator,’ she muttered before slamming it angrily down again.
She missed the receiver rest and hit a row of buttons. The contraption lit up like New Year’s Eve at midnight and began to hum like a constipated alarm clock. After five unfruitful minutes of button pushing she impatiently turned it off at the wall socket, waited a few seconds then tentatively turned it on again. Fax paper rolled out of the slot and the display flashed on and off. Losing patience she flicked off the switch, tore the meter of dangling fax paper off, took it through to the kitchen with her and stuffed it in the bin. That problem solved, she turned her attention to the next one.
Wee Georgie was half way through eating one of the crusty loaves she’d brought home. ‘You thieving glutton,’ she scolded, making a dive for the basket he’d dragged on to the floor. She heaved a sigh of relief as she retrieved a paper-wrapped package. ‘At least you haven’t touched the mincemeat, but if you’d waited you could have had garlic butter on the bread.’
By the time Leon came home it was almost seven, and dinner was ready. She’d used the kitchen instead of the dining room. The table was set with a red checked tablecloth. A candle sputtered in a straw encased bottle with wax artfully trailed down the neck. A bottle of red wine breathed fire on the dresser.
