Biding His Thyme: 4
Page 22
“Janaya said I’m not allowed to feed you, no matter how pitiful you look.”
The dog grumbled a protest, almost as if it were talking to her. Sorrel carried her glass of wine out to the deck and sat watching the night push the day away, shrouding everything with darkness. Soon, the stars twinkled into prominence, and in a nearby stand of trees, a Morepork owl hooted its mournful cry. More pork. More pork.
Sighing, Sorrel washed out her empty glass, stacked it in the dishwasher and retreated to bed. A glossy magazine sat on the nightstand. Cure loneliness, one of the subtitles on the cover practically screamed.
“Rub it in,” Sorrel muttered.
The tub of Dream Cream sat near it, and Sorrel decided to do some work. She’d try out the final version of her cream, get out one of the new vibrators Gaby, one of the inventors had asked her to test and squeeze a sliver of pleasure out of this crummy night.
“I’m going out tomorrow,” she told the dog who had followed her to her bedroom. “You’re not watching. Out you go.” Sorrel closed the door after the grumbling dog and stripped off her clothes. After a quick shower, she retrieved the test vibrator and the relevant paperwork from her handbag. Then, with a pen and the test questionnaire close at hand, she opened the tub of dream cream. The perfume of carnations filled her lungs, sweet and fragrant. Unexpected, yet perfect. Maybe not everyone’s choice of scent, but she delighted in it. They’d tested citrus and discarded the scent in favor of the more unusual.
She dipped her forefinger into the tub. The cream was thick in consistency and almost solid. Body heat softened the cream, helping it to disperse and produce the wonderful tingles and stimulation.
Her forefinger trailed around the outer edge of her areola, and the effect was instantaneous. Her breath caught, prickles of pleasure streaking across her breast.
“Yes,” she whispered. She stroked her body, coating a little cream on her other breast and working it into her nipples until they stood to attention, taut and aching. Taking her time, and cataloguing every sweet sensation, she parted her legs, the cool air against her swollen pussy ramping up her excitement even more.
Languidly, she dipped her finger into the tub again. Her digit slipped across the surface of the cream, and a whiff of carnations hit her along with a hint of her own musk. Sighing, she ran her finger down her folds and back up again. She could feel the silkiness of her arousal, the tightening in her belly as her excitement built.
The cream worked rapidly. Sometimes too quickly if the user took a liberal amount of cream and applied it to the clitoris. Her eyes fluttered closed to better concentrate on the buildup of pleasure, the quickening of her breaths.
She rubbed lazy, languid circles around her clit with the odd sweeping path across to make the swollen bundle of nerves sit up and pay attention. Oh yes. This was perfect. The only thing that would make it better was a man.
Jake.
Not gonna happen.
She might as well do what Alice said and stop putting this part of her life on hold. She fumbled for Gaby’s newest vibrator design and switched it on, thankful for Gaby’s foresight in providing batteries. Turning it off again, she spotted a few dots of the cream along the shaft of the device since rigorous testing had shown internal use worked well too. She slid it languidly in and out, enjoying the sense of fullness, the stretching. The initial coolness of the shaft warmed to her body temperature.
She could feel the coil of excitement in her belly tighten, and she closed her eyes again. She thumbed the power switch of the vibrator, and moaned as the clit tickler came into direct contact. “Yes.”
Nice and quiet. Oh yes. She liked this vibrator. It was perfectly shaped. Just perfect. Sorrel bit her bottom lip, her hips lifting off the bed. She moved the vibrator a fraction, and a streak of pleasure shot down her legs. Mentally she reached for her orgasm, but the coil tightened even more. Her pulse raced, and another groan escaped. The sensations tugged at her almost painfully. She didn’t know if she could bear the direct contact any longer, yet she thought stopping would kill her. Balanced on the precipice, her body fought for release, struggled for satisfaction.
A hoarse breath squeezed past her clenched teeth.
A sharp yank on one nipple zapped the coil of tension with pain and she toppled over into orgasm, sharp, hard waves of pleasure rippling through her pussy.
She gasped, fighting her lethargy to open her eyes. A man stood by the bed. Tall. Dark. Hungry brown gaze fixed on her. Pretty. He was familiar yet not.
“Jake?”
“In the flesh, sweetheart.”
Still spasms of pleasure rippled to her womb, the combination of the vibrator and the cream drawing out her release.
“I thought…” She swallowed and tried again. “I thought you—”
“Didn’t want you?” he asked in a harsh voice, lined with a definite note of emotion. “There hasn’t been a day go past without me thinking of you, wanting you in my arms. You kept me going.” While he spoke, he lost his clothes. His shirt came off, his movements awkward and jerky. A snow-white bandage covered one biceps.
“Are you all right?” She removed the vibrator, switching it off at the same time. Her cheeks turned red, now that she could think properly.
“I am now.” He stooped to remove his boots and peeled his jeans and underwear down his legs in one move. His lips came down on hers, cool from the night air, but his first hungry kiss went a long way to shoring up her confidence. “God, I missed you so much.”
She stroked his bare cheek and decided he was right. He was pretty without his beard. Stars, she’d missed him, was so glad to see him, touch him. “You didn’t email me.”
“I couldn’t. The assignment they gave me went to crap. Before I met you our team was ambushed and Greg, one of the team died before we could get him out. We had the chance to round up those responsible for Greg’s death, but it took a lot longer than I expected. My team was caught behind the lines.”
She fingered the edge of his bandage, concern rippling through her. “You’re hurt.”
“A flesh wound. My vest saved me from the worst. We did what we went for, and that’s all that matters.” Satisfaction shone in his face. He kissed her again, his tongue stroking deep, twining with hers and pushing a spark of desire alight in her. Her hands wrapped around his neck, holding him close, savoring the solidness of his body.
“Do you have to go back?”
“I’m finished. I’m here for good—if you want me.”
“Jake,” she whispered, the one word saying so much more than she could articulate at present.
She heard a car outside and Janaya and Luke talking as they walked inside. The dog barked a lot, and she wondered why it hadn’t barked at Jake’s arrival. The noise ceased, and footsteps sounded in the passage outside her bedroom.
“That your car out there, Jake?” Luke asked through the door.
“It’s me,” Jake said.
“All right then,” Luke said. “Good night.” His footsteps faded as he walked back to the kitchen.
“Why didn’t the dog bark at you?” Sorrel asked.
“I don’t know. She must’ve recognized me.”
“I didn’t hear you. How did you get in?”
“Luke told me where he puts the spare key.” He brushed a lock of blonde hair off her cheek. “I’m not surprised you didn’t hear me. You were moaning.”
Heat flooded her face again. “I was testing out some Fancy Free products,” she said, striving for dignity. She missed by a country mile, her voice emerging breathless with a side note of huskiness.
“Can I help?” He shifted a fraction, allowing her to feel the hardness of his erection against her leg.
“Now?”
“Yes,” he rasped.
“Condoms are in the side drawer. Try a little of the Dream Cream. Rub a smidgeon on the head of your cock before you roll on the condom. Not too much.” She slid her finger across the surface of the cream and showed him before applying it t
o her clitoris.
“This first time might be quick,” he said. “I haven’t touched a woman since I left.”
His words were a gift, his expression serious and without guile.
“I can keep up,” she said. “The cream will take care of me.”
Jake grabbed a condom and rubbed on some cream under her direction. A shudder racked his large frame, and he swallowed audibly. “Maybe I should have waited to test your cream.”
“We have loads of time. This one is for you.” And with her words came the sense of freedom, of flying into a new chapter in her life. She realized she’d allowed her fears to multiply into doubt and distrust. He’d come back for her just as he’d said.
Jake rolled her under him, pushing into her with one seamless thrust.
“Feels way better than the vibrator,” she said.
Jake laughed. “Good to hear. No man likes to think of a machine replacing him. God, I’ve missed you.”
He made love to her, tender touches morphing into urgency and then she was flying apart, Jake’s arms keeping her safe.
“I love you,” he said. “I wanted to tell you before I left, but I worried about things happening too quickly. “I want a future with you. Marriage. Children. The whole works.”
“Jake,” she whispered, the weight she’d dragged around on her shoulders for the last months falling away. “Yes. I want that more than anything.”
“If it’s okay with you, we’ll make a home here in Sloan. I’ll get a job with one of the building companies based here, and you can keep working at Fancy Free. Will that work for you?”
“Oh yes. I love you, Jake.” And it was true. They mightn’t have known each other for long but sometimes the heart knows. Jake was strong, but he allowed her to be her own person. “I can’t think of anything better.”
“Okay,” Jake said.
And they didn’t do any more talking for a long, long time.
About Shelley Munro
Shelley lives in Auckland, New Zealand, with her husband and a small, bossy dog named Scotty.
Typical New Zealanders, Shelley and her husband left home for their big OE soon after they married (translation of New Zealand-speak: big overseas experience), a year-long adventure lengthened to six years of roaming the world. Enduring memories include being almost sat on by a mountain gorilla in Rwanda, lazing on white sandy beaches in India, whale watching in Alaska, searching for leprechauns in Ireland and dealing with ghosts in an English pub.
While travel is still a big attraction, these days Shelley is most likely found in front of her computer following another love—that of writing stories of romance and adventure. Other interests include watching rugby and rugby league (strictly for research purposes *grin*), being walked by the dog and curling up with a good book.
Shelley welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email addresses on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.
Tell Us What You Think
We appreciate hearing reader opinions about our books. You can email the author directly or you can email us at Service@ellorascave.com (when contacting Customer Service, be sure to state the book title and author).
Also by Shelley Munro
Best Man
Currents Run Deep
Curse of Brandon Lupinus
Ellora’s Cavemen: Dreams of the Oasis III anthology
Fallen Idol
Fancy Free 1: Fancy Free
Fancy Free 2: Christmas is Coming
Fancy Free 3: Feeling the Buzz
Fringe Benefits
House of the Cat
Issy’s Infatuation
Last Wish
Lovers at Last
Lynx to the Pharaoh
Make That Man Mine
Middlemarch Mates: Lightning Strikes Twice
Middlemarch Mates 1: Stray Cat Strut
Middlemarch Mates 2: Peeping Tom
Middlemarch Mates 3: Scarlet Woman
Middlemarch Mates 4: Assassin
Middlemarch Mates 5: Cat and Mouse
Middlemarch Mates 6: Cat Burglar
Middlemarch Mates 7: Leticia’s Lover
Middlemarch Mates 8: CatNap
Middlemarch Mates 9: Tiger by the Tail
Middlemarch Mates 10: Blue Lady
Middlemarch Mates 11: Twin Trouble
Playing to Win
Price of Love
Resisting Tamaki
Sex Idol
Sex, Spies and Sapphires
Soldier of Fortune
Summer in the City of Sails
Talking Dog 1: Talking Dogs, Aliens and Purple People Eaters
Talking Dog 2: Never Send a Dog to Do a Woman’s Job
Talking Dog 3: Romantic Interlude
Unforgettable
Wanderlust
Wanna Do Bad Things with You
Print books by Shelley Munro
Ellora’s Cavemen: Dreams of the Oasis III anthology
Fancy Free 1: Fancy Free
Middlemarch Mates: Feline Lovers
Middlemarch Mates 1 & 7: Lion’s Share
Middlemarch Mates 2: Peeping Tom
Middlemarch Mates 4: Assassin
Middlemarch Mates 5: Cat and Mouse
Middlemarch Mates 6: Cat Burglar
Middlemarch Mates 8: CatNap
Naughtiest Nuptials anthology
Provocative Pearl anthology
Risque Ruby anthology
Sex Idol
Summer in the City of Sails
Talking Dog 1 & 2: Romancing the Alien
Ellora’s Cave Publishing
www.ellorascave.com
Biding His Thyme
ISBN 9781419944512
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Biding His Thyme Copyright © 2013 Shelley Munro
Edited by Rebecca Hill
Cover design by Valerie Tibbs
Photos: Kuikson/Shutterstock.com and RobCarter1234/Dreamstime.com
Electronic book publication March 2013
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Table of Contents
Blurb
Titel Page
BidingHisThyme
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
About Shelley Munro