"Very much so. That was good."
"Shall I continue?"
"Please do. Just for your information, we don't need protection. I'm all good."
Jonas nodded then nuzzled her neck and spread her thighs with his knee. Zoe lifted her butt and reached down to guide him inside her body. He filled her in one stroke and stilled to absorb the warmth surrounding him. He was in heaven and this was where he belonged, laying with the only woman he had ever loved.
Zoe moved her hips, pushing him to a steady rhythm. He held her face and plunged his tongue in her mouth as he moved inside her. Then he raised himself onto his hands and watched as his cock moved in and out of her body. The sight made him move faster until with a final deep thrust he came.
***
Zoe pulled him down onto her and rolled them both on their sides. She watched him, her eyes sleepy and happy. Kissing his nose, she grinned at him. "That was just what the doctor ordered."
"I sincerely doubt it but it was what you ordered and I suppose your needs are the main thing."
"Hmmm. Best sleeping aid out there is, Jonas, you know the truth of my statement from experience. Better than anything Doc can give me anyway." She nuzzled into his neck closed her eyes.
Jonas pushed her away and sat up. "We have to talk."
"No, let me sleep. I can't think straight right now."
"There is nothing to think about. Hell, get over it will you." He ran his hand through his damp hair getting off the bed. He looked down and her and then walked away. When he came out of the bathroom he was wearing a towel around his hips. She watched the sway of his butt and bit her tongue. The damp towel could easily be removed with a flick of her wrist, but sex had never fixed anything. But it was what had kept them together longer than it should have and got them both into trouble.
When Jonas had refused to let her get pregnant and their relationship had started to sour she should have walked away then but the lure of the sex they shared together kept her going back for more. Sex with him had always been extraordinary to say the least. She was wanton in her desire for him and his body. The games they played were for them alone. Zoe had never deemed it acceptable to play any of them with her other boyfriends. Probably because she never felt comfortable being so exposed with anyone other than Jonas.
"Look, there is still something between us and you know it as well as I do. It's not just the sex, it's something more Zoe, something that hasn't soured with you being so far away. We're older now and one would think a fair bit wiser." He leaned on the door frame and folded his arms. Her inner goddess screamed for her to rip the towel from him and torture him the way he just did her. "If it hadn't been for Lucy pulling the wool over both our eyes we would still be together probably a couple of kids around our feet. I can't let you throw away another chance because of your bloody pride."
Zoe closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Now would be a good time to tell him but for some reason she held back. She opened her eyes and pushed down the urge to give into him. She pulled herself up to sit on the side of the bed.
"It would be so easy for me to just say 'yes, fuck it lets be together again.' But I can't do it. Call it a displaced sense of shame or whatever you want but I have to deal with this in my own way." Zoe looked at the floor, the sight of his bare chest making her mouth water all over again. "Can you just give me a chance to sort out my own tangled sense of right and wrong, please?"
And let me pluck up the courage to tell you what I did to us both, what I've deprived us of for the last ten years.
"Do I have a choice here?" Jonas walked over and cupped her chin in his hand. Leaning down her kissed her lips gently, brushing his lips over her hers. "Now I really think that you should have a rest. That wasn't exactly what the doctor ordered and you are a little bit pale still."
Zoe smiled and let him lay her back on her bed. He tucked the blankets under her chin and smoothed her hair on the pillow. "Sleep for a few hours and if you want we can eat out on the deck tonight. I can make anything you want for dinner. What do you fancy?"
"You."
"Your call, honey, you know that. But seriously, what do you want for dinner?"
"Surprise me." She closed her eyes and opened her mouth in a wide yawn.
"We've overdone it. Sleep now." She snuggled down and didn't even bother to try and fight the need for rest.
Chapter Nine
When she woke, the sky outside was growing dark. Zoe stretched out her arms and sighed. Her headache was all but a distant memory and the throbbing was now down to a mild tapping inside her brain. She looked over at her bedroom door. Jonas must have closed it when he had left her sleeping.
Zoe threw back the blankets and lifted herself up. She was naked. Her skin prickled when she remembered the sex session that started in the bathroom when he was helping her to shower and ended in her own bed. It was a given, considering she could never keep her hands from him at the best of times. Standing naked before him had been too much for her and Zoe had pounced. She smiled at the memory. Poor Jonas never stood a chance against her when she was in the mood for sex which was more often than not.
She slid her feet to the floor and stood with her arms out testing her balance. After a few sways Zoe managed to keep upright. Taking a relieved breath she sat back down on the edge of the bed and breathed deeply. Should I try to walk to the closet by myself?
Before her mind was made up the door opened and Jonas poked his head in.
****
"I was wondering when you were going to wake up." He walked in and ran his gaze over her naked body appreciating how her nipples budded up as she sat there looking far too tempting. "What do you want to wear?"
"Um, would it be wrong to want to put on some flannel pajamas? It's only us and Brandon isn't it?"
"If he comes home, yes."
"Oh like that is it?"
"Yes, like that. What drawer are your P.J.s in?"
"The bottom one, thanks."
Jonas pulled out a pair of cow print P.J.s and held them up to her for approval.
Zoe laughed and nodded.
He walked over and shook out the top. Holding it out to her, he let Zoe slide her arms in and knelt down to do up the buttons. He tried to ignore the blush creeping up her cheeks and concentrated on the job at hand. Grabbing the pants he let her slide one, then the other foot into them.
"I think you need to stand up for this."
Jonas held her hands and helped her stand. Reaching down, he grabbed the elastic and pulled her pants up over her butt. He ran his hands over the soft mound of her behind pulling her close against him. Jonas kissed the soft skin of her throat before pushing her back.
"I think dinner is ready. Let's go eat. I decided to eat inside because the mosquitoes are getting quite wild outside." Jonas scooped her up in his arms and headed out to the kitchen. He placed her on a chair at the table and once she was settled, turned to the dinner. A roast chicken was sitting in the oven keeping warm with vegetables and all he had to do was make the gravy. Flicking the switch on the kettle he tipped a generous amount of gravy powder in a jug and waited for the water to boil.
Zoe watched him and smiled. The attention was destroying his composure. Jonas was a little bit self conscious. "What is that grin for?"
"I just never took you for the domestic type. I mean, you are the high powered business man these days if the media is to be believed. I bet they would have a field day if they could see you now."
He growled at the suggestion. "They get very little right ninety percent of the time." The switch flicked off on the kettle and he turned back to pour the hot water into the jug, stirring briskly with a fork. When the gravy was smooth, Jonas carried it to the table and placed it on a mat in front of Zoe. Then he brought out the dinner he was keeping warm in the oven.
"That looks pretty impressive." Zoe reached over and took a piece of chicken, popping it into her mouth. She closed her eyes and smiled. "That is the best roast chook I have had in ages."
"A man of many talents. Now, more importantly how are you feeling?"
"Pretty good considering. I mean, I expected to wake up with a pounding headache and all I have is a gentle thump. I reckon it will be all but gone by tomorrow."
He served her chicken and vegetables, pouring lashings of gravy over her entire meal, just the way she liked it when she was younger. Sitting down beside her he served himself. "That's good. I might have to go out tomorrow but only if you are better. I still want you to follow doctor’s orders though. No going out of the house for any reason."
"Yes, boss." She speared a piece of roast potato dripping in aromatic rich brown gravy and put it in her mouth licking the drip of gravy that rolled down her lip. "What's the problem?"
"With all of the stock we managed to get in, there wasn't one young bull that was acceptable for the auction. What we have is okay but not for breeding for other farms. We can keep them for beef. What we offered was around twenty head of prime boys so we need to come up with the goods. I just want to scout around in the chopper and see if I can spot a few. If it's not too hard, I'll try to guide them in otherwise the guys can go out and round them up."
"Well that's a piss off. I thought we did well with the muster."
"We did, but Pete has checked the bloodlines and isn't happy. I must say I agree with him." He poured gravy over his vegetables before taking another bite of food. "We have much better out there; we both know that so it's just a case of finding them. One of the bonuses of the chopper is being able to do a quick search and find mission."
"You won't be out long then?"
"No, I shouldn't be more than an hour or two at the most. Brandon should be home tomorrow though if you need anything and don't forget Pete is down at the sheds. You take it easy and relax and I might take you out for dinner in a couple of days once we get everything sorted."
"Sounds like a plan." Zoe licked her fork and put it down on her plate. She raised her eyebrows at him and asked, "Is there anything for dessert. I'm really hungry. I missed lunch."
He put his knife and fork down and after wiping his mouth with a napkin, met her gaze. "Zoe, we need to talk about us."
"No, don't spoil it, Jonas. You said I could work it out myself." She gazed over at him, her eyes huge in her still pale face.
Jonas sighed. If he pushed her she would probably dig her toes in and turn him down. "Fine. I'm giving you a limit though Zoe. You have one week to get over your misplaced feelings and decide if we are going to be together. I love you, you know that and we have a great future together. As much as I like the sex, I want more. I want it all." Jonas smiled at her trying to ease the bite of his words. "I regret every day that you didn't give me the chance to put things straight with you, every day. You know the truth now. Neither of us were to blame."
"I didn't trust you Jonas."
And you don't know the truth.
"I know but we were young. People make mistakes, deal with it." He nodded his head toward her plate. "If you want dessert you need to eat more than that."
She gave him a heartbreaking smile and put a juicy piece of chicken on her fork, pushed it through the creamy gravy and put it in her mouth. Zoe kept her gaze on him while she finished her dinner.
"Oh, that was so damned good." Leaning back in her chair she rubbed her hand over her full belly. "I don't think I can fit anything else in to be honest."
"No problem. I only had ice cream anyway. You can always have some later if you want to." Jonas stood and took their plates to the sink. He rinsed them and turned back to Zoe. "Fancy a movie? We can curl up on the couch and relax for a while."
****
Zoe willed her inner sex goddess to sit down and stop with the cheering and pom pom routine. Curled up on the couch with Jonas used to mean only one thing. Sex.
"Um, yeah sure. That sounds like fun." She tried to keep her face bland and not let him see the heat in her eyes.
Yes, I want to drag him to bed but I won't, no matter what my inner goddess slut has to say. I need to hold off for just a bit longer and forgive myself before I jump into another relationship with him.
Zoe watched him move around the kitchen clearing up dinner.
Then again, having sex is hardly a relationship. Get a grip girl, you can be tough and not give in.
****
Zoe woke then next morning when Jonas placed a cup of tea on her bedside table and brushed his lips over hers.
"Mmm, I was having a lovely dream," she murmured. She opened her eyes and gazed into his face. Reaching up, she wrapped her arms around his neck. "Be careful out there."
"I'll see you before lunch. Rest up." Jonas kissed her lightly on the lips again and left her lying back on the pillow, her heart thudding.
Closing her eyes, Zoe went back to sleep. When she woke the sun was pouring into her bedroom. She looked over at the alarm clock sitting beside the now cold cup of tea and sighed. The morning had slipped by without her even being aware of it. It was almost twelve o'clock and she was still in bed. Unheard of for her to sleep this late, even on the weekends. She threw back the covers and sat up swinging her feet over the edge of the bed. Her head was pain free except for a small pull where the stitches were. There was no fogginess now and she felt almost normal. She stood and made her way to the bathroom. After a quick shower, Zoe took her cold tea into the kitchen and put the kettle on for a fresh one. She gazed out of the kitchen window while she waited for it to boil and noted the dark clouds forming over the horizon.
The farm was bustling with activity. Chickens scratched in the yard around the sheds and dogs pulled at their chains keen for work. She watched some of the roustabouts head out on their horses, waving their hands in front of their faces to disturb the ever present flies.
Zoe tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and poured the water into her cup. She leaned against the bench and watched while she sipped. Jonas would be back soon and it was lunchtime so she would get a meal ready.
She searched the fridge and decided to use some of last night's chicken for sandwiches. Tomatoes, cucumber and lettuce were washed, sliced and left to drain while she grated cheese. Zoe pulled the meat from the chicken bones and made a large plate of sandwiches in case Brandon arrived hungry as well.
When she was finished she covered the lot in cling wrap and placed it in the fridge. Zoe glanced at the clock again, a small twinge of apprehension grasping her stomach. She walked through the lounge fluffing up pillows and straightening magazines on the table watching the clock every few minutes.
By the time the hands reached one o'clock she had made up her mind. Shucking off her shorts, she pulled on work jeans and an old shirt. With socks in her hand she headed to the back door, grabbing her hat. Hopping around the kitchen, she pulled them on with her boots before running down the stairs out to the yard.
"Pete, Pete where are you?" Zoe ran to the office throwing open the door only to find it empty. She ran round to the machinery shed and looked in there and found that strangely empty of people too. Standing hands on hips and her heart racing, Zoe took stock and looked around her. Everyone was gone. The yard was now strangely silent.
She shook her head and ran to the stable for Midnight, she could do this on her own. She opened the stall door and called his name only to bounce back with a strangled scream in her throat.
A hand reached out to steady her. "Whoa, Zoe. Steady on love."
"Holy fuck, Pete. You scare the crap out of me." She stood her hand at her throat, her breath coming fast.
Pete put the curry comb he had been using on the ledge of timber by the stable door. "Why are you in such a panic, girl? I thought you were resting up." He gazed at her and reached up a hand to brush the hair from her stitches.
"I'm fine, really. I was worried about Jonas. He said he would be back before lunch."
Pete glanced at his watch, a frown marring his brow. "Hmm, he said he would be back by now. Time got away on me again, let me try to contact him before you go off
half cocked girl."
He took her arm and led her to the office where he pushed her into a chair before sitting at his desk. He flicked a switch on the two-way radio and spoke into the mike. "Jonas, do you copy."
Zoe held her breath for an answer, her stomach turning into a bundle of knots and doubt.
"Do you copy, Jonas, over?" he repeated. When there was no reply he looked over at her his eyes worried and forehead drawn in a frown.
"I'll saddle up."
"No, Jonas said you have to take it easy. The boys will be back in soon, they're scattered all around the farm but won't be long. I can send them out searching."
Zoe stood and ran out of the office and back to the stable. She grabbed her saddle and led Midnight out.
Pete came up and put a hand on her shoulder. "I can't let you go, honey. Brandon and Jonas would never forgive me if you came to grief out there. Hell, I couldn't live with myself. Let me call your brother."
"No. I'm going, Pete and that's that. I feel fine, honestly. Can you grab me a two way and a swag please while I saddle up? You should probably grab a Drizabone too looking at those black clouds rolling in. I doubt this storm will pass us by and you know how much rain could fall in the next few hours."
Pete walked away to do as she asked muttering and cursing about independent stubborn females as he went. When he came back loaded with her gear, Zoe was ready to go. She took the swag and tied it on the back of the saddle and slid the first aid kit into her saddlebag. He slid a water bottle in the other side and when she was mounted, Pete handed her a satellite phone and a two way radio.
"More range with this but the battery won't last forever. Use the two way when you can and leave this off until you need to contact me in case you are out of range. The boys will be here soon and I'll try to make contact with Brandon." He placed a rough hand on her knee. "Take care, Zoe. I don't want anything to happen to either of you. Safety first, okay?"
"I'll be fine, stop worrying." She told him what direction she was heading to then smiled at him and turned her horse to the drive before taking off at a steady gallop.
Outback Thunder Page 10
