by Sami Lee
Finally, he pushed the last distance, and was home. The second he was fully seated, Summer’s inner walls grasped at him, rippling with the beginnings of her orgasm. Ty started a rhythm, steady and sure, that would fulfill her needs and draw out the pleasure at the same time. She came beneath him, her thighs squeezing his hips. Ty kept rocking into her, waiting, until she cried out again, swearing like a sailor and scratching his chest as the second wall of pleasure hit her.
A man could take only so much. Ty met her in the center of it, wet heat spilling from his body and rapture roaring in his ears like the curl and crash of the perfect wave. He released in a series of bursts, like a multiple bloody orgasm. All the while his disjointed thoughts were forming into one solid mass of certainty.
Mine. She’s mine.
At this rate he was going to end up with another fucking tattoo.
“Seriously, I can’t believe you missed it.” Aaron clapped Ty on the back as he showed him to a seat opposite his desk at his real estate office. “Byron’s seeing some amazing swells at the moment. You missed last Sunday and now this morning. What’s up with that?”
He’d been spending mornings in bed with Summer. She had to work during the day but the nights and mornings were theirs. Ty wasn’t going to give them up to go and chase waves. “Other things to do.”
“Other things?” Aaron shook his head. “Is this the same guy who once said, on camera, that riding the big waves at Waimea Bay was better than sex?”
Ty chuckled. “Same guy, but at twenty-three I may not have known what I was talking about.”
At twenty-three—hell, as recently as last week—Ty had viewed sex as little more than recreation. He felt differently now, like something had shifted in his mind and changed the way he saw things.
Or like something had shifted in his heart and reminded him how he used to feel about things. Not experience, but feel.
Summer.
Ty’s heart performed the odd little flip that had become familiar, yet no less startling, in the past week. Shit. What was he going to do about Summer? It was Friday and he was supposed to leave for Bells Beach on Sunday morning. But right now he couldn’t picture what kind of effort it was going to take to drag himself away from Leyton’s Headland. From Summer and the wild, hungry sex they’d been having every chance they got.
And it wasn’t just the sex that had him in thrall. It was the little things, like watching Summer paint her toenails a soft pearly pink while she complained about the antics of the idiots on the latest reality TV show. Like helping her cook spaghetti marinara, the available space in her tiny kitchen forcing them to brush against each other regularly, creating an intimacy that Ty enjoyed for its own sake. As though he could spend the rest of his days in a kitchen with Summer and love every minute of it.
Hell, he even loved the way her apartment smelled, like spicy ginger with an underlay of honey, some combination of oils she concocted herself and heated in little pottery burners in her living room. Ty figured he’d have to take some with him when he left, so he could sprinkle it on his pillow at night.
Or would that make being without her worse?
Ty came out of his musings when Aaron slid a contract across the table, pointing at the little yellow tags that marked the places ready for a signature. Ty had finally found an investment property he wanted in on, a four-bedroom house in the older part of town. “Geez, mate. Anyone would think you were going to set up camp in this place yourself. It’s a rental house, and I’ll make sure you get good tenants.”
Aaron’s jibing made Ty realize he was hesitating over the contract, the pen poised. Why? Anyone would think you were going to set up camp in this place yourself. Aaron was right, this was only an investment property, not a home.
But without fully realizing it, he’d pictured one day living in the house with the polished floorboards and big airy windows. He wasn’t going to be on the world tour forever, he had to settle somewhere eventually. A couple of weeks ago, he probably would have said he’d live in Kirra Beach, but now…
Now a lot of things had changed. Coming back to Leyton’s had a lot to recommend it.
“Skipping the morning swell and hesitating over a decision. It’s not like you, butthead.” On the other side of the table, Aaron shook his head and smiled. “Who is she?”
Ty knew he should deny the existence of a woman altogether, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. “None of your business.”
“It’s a small town, mate. It’s going to get on the gossip mill eventually. Unless she’s an out-of-towner.”
“Just drop it, will you, Aaron?”
But Aaron was never one for letting go of things that easily. “You left the pub pretty early the other night. One minute you were there and the next… Jesus. You left with Summer Campbell. It’s not her?”
For some reason the disbelief on Aaron’s face irritated Ty. “Why not?”
“I don’t know. She’s kind of…conservative.”
Ty thought about Summer rounding the table, their spaghetti marinara only half-gone, stripping off every stitch she had on and climbing onto him, riding him into oblivion right there in her dining room with the lights on. A smile ghosted over his lips. “Not really.”
“Didn’t you used to date that model a few years back?”
Rochelle Macon. Their “relationship” had been little more than a couple of nights of raunchy sex. Rochelle had been into sex in public places, and with the way the paparazzi tended to follow her around due to her career as a runway model… Well, Rochelle had been the reason Ty had a ticket for indecent exposure on his record.
But he hadn’t thought about Rochelle at all in the three years or so since he’d seen her. He had no idea why she was relevant to this conversation. “I dated a model. So?”
“And that actress…Amanda something.”
The briefest of brief encounters, and it had gotten blown up into something more than it was. After that Ty had stopped dating women more famous than him. The attention he got due to his own profile was plenty more than he’d ever need.
“And even Jasmine was a seriously hot number.”
“What’s your point, Aaron?”
“Next to chicks like that, Summer Campbell seems pretty unremarkable.”
Something cold blew through Ty’s system as he stared at the man across from him. Something cold and surprisingly malevolent. “You need to shut the fuck up.”
The harsh words caused the receptionist at the front desk to start audibly and swivel on her chair. Aaron held up a hand toward her and sent her a reassuring wink. When he turned back to Ty, his expression was contrite. “Okay, I’m sorry. I’m an idiot. I didn’t realize.”
“Realize what?”
“That it was serious between you and her.”
Ty’s heart performed that odd little flip again. “I never said that.”
“You didn’t have to. The fact you were about to tear my head off for saying she wasn’t as hot as a runway model kinda clued me in.”
Only then comprehending how violently he’d reacted, Ty tried to make light of it with a wave of his hand. “Forget that, I’m just tired.” Because he’d rather fool around with Summer than sleep. Or surf, or do anything else at all.
“Yeah, okay.”
Aaron’s dubious response underpinned Ty’s own thoughts. He’d rather be with Summer than surf, for crying out loud. And he was seriously contemplating sprinkling her scent on his pillow.
Christ. It was serious—at least for him. So much for the harmless, chapter-closing affair he was supposed to be having. It felt very much like a new book was being written—Summer crushes Ty’s dreams, the sequel.
He hadn’t pictured himself living alone in that house on the hill. He’d pictured Summer there too. He couldn’t sign the damn contract because she hadn’t seen the place yet and he had to know if she liked it first.
What was wrong with him? They’d only recently hooked up again after ten years apart, a decade during wh
ich he’d done his best to forget she’d once broken his heart. She’d married someone else for God’s sake. He’d kept sex as impersonal as possible since then, refusing to let any woman close enough to hurt him like that.
Now after less than a week in her bed, he was picturing a future with her, when she’d made it patently clear their affair would end when he left town.
What the hell was he going to do?
Well, he had to do something. On that point Aaron was right again—Ty wasn’t the indecisive type. He wasn’t going to sit on his hands and let things crumble around him. “Listen, Aaron, I gotta go.”
“Mate, I’m sorry about what I said.”
“Seriously, forget it.” When he saw the look on his old friend’s face, Ty managed a laugh. “You’re still my agent. Can you hold the paperwork for me, just til tomorrow?”
Aaron’s frown turned into a grin. “For you, I’ll hold it.”
Chapter Nine
The sun outside Aaron’s agency burned bright, and Ty slipped on his shades as he crossed the road, headed toward Summer’s Retreat. The little bell jingled, seeming to echo the thumping of his heart, as he stepped into the cool green waiting area. Summer was at the reception desk, talking to a client. She saw Ty and her voice faltered. She smiled prettily at him, and the woman Summer had been advising turned to see what the distraction was.
He did that to her. Distracted the hell out of her and made her lose her train of thought. Ty smiled, the shit-eating grin he used to let an opponent know they were in big trouble. Clearly flustered, Summer finished her conversation in quick order and led her client out of the office.
At last she turned to face him. Ty let his gaze trail over her, taking in the smooth dark hair he loved so much, her unblemished skin, high cheekbones and tempting mouth. Her bottom lip was fuller than the top, unpainted and pink. The sight of it made Ty’s groin heat.
“Ty, is everything okay? You look kind of serious.”
“Do you know how beautiful you are?”
Apparently stunned by his abrupt question, Summer simply stared. “Um…”
“Honest question, Sum. Do you?”
Summer cleared her throat. “Sure,” she said, ducking her head as she walked past him, headed back to the reception counter.
Comprehension dawned that his question needed clarification. Ty shot a hand out to her arm, stilling her footsteps. “I mean, do you know that you are beautiful.”
She shifted on her feet. “Ty…”
It was like he’d thought, what Aaron’s careless words had made him see. Summer had no idea. She’d spent her life living in Jasmine’s shadow, Jasmine the outrageous one, the sexy dresser, the attention-getter. Aaron can’t have been the only person to think of Summer as unremarkable. Even he had been drawn to Jasmine first, only appreciating Summer’s sweet thoughtfulness and quiet beauty after he’d gotten to know her.
All that must have had an effect on her confidence.
“Ah, hell.” Ty drew her into his arms, fitting her head beneath his chin and holding her close. “I’m taking you out tonight.”
“Oh, are you now?”
Her dubious tone reminded him that he’d suggested it before, but more often than not he’d let his impatience rule and they’d ended up having sex and ordering takeaway. If Summer thought that was because he didn’t think she deserved flaunting, he was going to do his best to correct that misunderstanding.
“Yeah, I am. It’s my parents’ anniversary dinner.”
“I know. You told me. So obviously I can’t go with you.”
“Why not?”
“Dinner with your parents… it’s not a very good idea.”
Yesterday he might have agreed with her. He hadn’t asked her come to his parents’ anniversary dinner because it suggested a level of commitment that went beyond their tacit agreement that this affair was temporary. But now everything had changed. He’d seen the truth, that nothing felt more right than having Summer in his arms. He wasn’t going to spend a moment longer away from her than he had to.
“Come on. It’s at Munroe’s at Byron. It’ll be an excuse for us to wear our fancy pants. You’ll see that I can actually scrub up all right when I want to. And you know my parents—you’ve met them before, so it won’t be weird.”
“It might be. They don’t know we’re seeing each other.”
“They know I’m seeing someone. I haven’t spent a night at their house all week.”
“So they’ll know everything.” Summer groaned. “What will your mother think?”
“Probably that you could do better.”
She scowled at his quip. “She adores you, you idiot.”
“You know, the way you call me an idiot really turns me on.”
“That’s because you’re perverted.”
“Takes one to know one, sweetheart. Now say you’ll come tonight.”
She sighed. “Ty…”
He gave her shoulders a little shake. “Say it.”
“All right, all right. I’ll come.”
Ty figured his grin must be nearly splitting his cheeks. “Great. Now be a good girl and kiss me.”
Her lips twitched, and she looked at him through her lashes in that sweet, sexy Summer way. “Kissing you tends to turn me into a bad girl.”
“That’s bloody fantastic news.”
Ty swooped and captured her lips, making full, thorough contact. Summer twined her arms around his neck and pressed against him, right there in the reception area of her business. He felt the imprint of her hard nipples against his chest through her blouse and his shirt. Damn, she did have a naughty streak, one that was reserved only for him. Ty liked knowing that.
They only broke apart when the little bell jingled, announcing the arrival of another customer. Ty murmured, “My, you’re popular.”
“There’s a first time for everything.”
Her comment brought to mind the other night and how they’d playacted the first time they should have had. If Ty had anything to say about it, he’d have a lot more first times with Summer from here on in.
“I’ll pick you up an hour after you finish. There’s something I want to show you on the way.”
Fuzzy from their kiss now, Summer capitulated without protest. “Okay.”
“Okay.”
Ty left, tipping his head to the woman who’d just walked in and showing her a jaunty smile.
Later that evening, Summer glanced out the car window at the house Ty had pulled up in front of. Set on a hill behind the town, it was in one of Leyton’s Headland’s most established streets. A privacy wall draped with bright red bougainvillea shielded the simple white house from the others in the cul-de-sac. A For Sale sign was staked into the ground way out front, AJ Sanderson’s logo emblazoned across it in green and black.
Summer looked at Ty. “Are we visiting someone?”
“The place is empty.” Ty held up a set of keys. “But Aaron gave me these. I wanted you to take a quick look.”
He climbed out of the car before she could enquire further. Coming around to her side, he helped her out of the vehicle. He kept her hand in his as he led her down the pebbled driveway. When they reached the front door, he unlocked it and gestured for her to precede him through the opening.
Summer felt a bit like a princess being escorted into a castle as she hesitantly stepped over the threshold. She’d bought a new dress in a bold red-and-black floral pattern that made her feel pretty darn sexy, and Ty was decked out in a suit and a pressed white shirt open at the throat. Freshly shaven and smelling like quality cologne, he was so attractive it was heart-stopping. He had been very solicitous so far tonight too, which made Summer wonder what was going on.
Not that Ty didn’t have manners, but tonight he seemed to be taking more care to use them than usual. Now he’d brought her to this uninhabited house for reasons she couldn’t guess. Added to the case of nerves she was suffering at the prospect of being his date at a family celebration, Summer was beginning to fee
l downright jumpy.
Summer wiped her damp palms on the fitted skirt of her dress. “What are we doing here, Ty?”
“I told you I’ve been looking at buying an investment property,” Ty said. “Aaron assures me this is a bargain.”
“You want to buy this place?” Summer looked around the sizeable living room, which was completely devoid of furniture, and the big, refurbished kitchen. “I thought you were talking about something smaller, like a unit in one of the new complexes.”
“That’s where I was looking at first and I suppose that makes sense.” Ty shrugged. “But I saw this place and liked the look of it. What do you think?”
Summer turned back to face him, her heels clicking on the hardwood floor. “You want my opinion?”
“Don’t look so surprised.” He showed her a slow, soft smile. “You’re smart, you have great taste and I’ve always cared what you thought.”
A little breathless from having received so many compliments all at once, Summer turned away, using the excuse of exploring the surroundings. Her footfalls echoed through the house as she glanced into its four bedrooms, all with bright airy windows, and a bathroom that had been refitted in modern black-and-white tile. The house was on the older side, but had been renovated to bring it up to date. Summer walked to the sliding glass doors that opened onto the expansive timber deck out back.
She gasped at what she saw. “Oh, Ty. You can see the ocean from here.”
Ty laughed. “Only just. That’s what Aaron calls in real-estate speak ‘beach glimpses’.”
“I’d be happy with a glimpse like this.” Summer slid open the door and stepped out into the evening air. The view of the Pacific was a strip of dark blue tinged with the deep orange of waning sunset. It was framed perfectly by two long-established palm trees, like a postcard. An easterly breeze came as though direct from the sea, ruffling Summer’s dress. “The deck makes this place.”
“So you like it?”
“I love it. You’ll find tenants for it easily. It’s perfect for a family.”
