by Johnson, Cat
Alex’s tongue came next and any inhibitions I may have had washed away. I clutched at the sleeping bag below me. He drove me to the edge and then slowed his movements. He moved his tongue down to where his fingers were entering me, groaning when he tasted me. Knowing he was enjoying this as much as I was sent me closer to the edge. Slowly his tongue returned to my clit, circled it and began the movement again. I pushed myself onto his fingers as he sucked my clit. My feet pushed into the ground as I tried to anchor myself, body arching as I clenched around his fingers. I cried out his name as he sucked and thrust until I was spent and collapsed beneath his hands.
“Fuck, you’re hot,” he said taking one last lick before pulling his briefs off. The anticipation was killing me. I wanted to drag him back up to me. I wanted him inside me.
Warm, wet lips kissed their way back to my mouth. His dick found my entrance and he pushed himself in, my body welcoming him. I stretched around him as he sank in deeper. His lips stilled as he groaned. He moved slowly, cautiously, as if he went any quicker, he might finish before he even started.
“You feel so good,” I said, breathless. I couldn’t get enough of him.
Gradually, he picked up pace. I opened my legs wider and lifted my hips so he could sink in further with every thrust. The force of it made me gasp. I dug my nails into his back as I matched his moves. I tightened myself around his dick increasing the intensity. Each thrust brought me closer to my climax.
“Alex, I’m going to come.”
The muscles under my hands tightened. He was holding back, waiting for me. I took hold of his shoulders making sure his forceful thrusts didn’t push me away. We were already hitting our head on the tent walls. A guttural groan left his lips as I clenched around him. His body stilled, then tensed as he emptied himself inside me.
“Fuck,” he said, as he collapsed on top of me breathing heavy.
Fuck all right. That was the best sex I’d ever had.
“I’m never going to leave you again.”
I hoped not. But I wasn’t ready to admit that out loud. “Well, I guess the sex was pretty good.”
I felt his smile more than I saw it as he rolled off me. “Now let me make sure I have it right…we’re going to have a house by the beach and three children who love to surf as much as us.”
“And a cat and dog.”
“Who love to surf as well.” He chuckled.
I fell into the fantasy way too easily. Way. Too. Easily. “And we won’t ever have to work again because that cat and dog will make us famous.”
“And our children will be so adorable that we will want to have more.” He gave me a soft nudge.
“I think three will be enough.”
“But we can still practice, right? I mean how can you resist having sex that good?”
I couldn’t resist. Not him or the sex. “Of course.”
10
Alex
Chloe and I walked hand in hand into the Argyle Diamond Mine. I found it hard not to touch her, to relish in the feel of her so close. After five years apart I didn’t want to think about being without her again. But I wasn’t fooled. Yes, we were close. Yes, we spoke openly about things. Yes, we had amazing sex, more than once. But we still had a long way to go. I had five years to make up for and trust to rebuild. The quicker I spoke to her about the offer I’d received, the better.
“The mine produces 20 million carats of diamonds each year,” our tour guide said, jarring me out of my thoughts. “We’re the largest supplier of coloured diamonds in the world, especially the rare pink diamond.”
“Holy shit,” I said to Chloe as we stood at the top of the open pit and looked in. The size was beyond belief. Terrace after terrace of red dirt led deeper and deeper into the ground. It was like a hole dug out for a high-rise.
“How much further could they possibly dig?” Chloe asked.
The guide turned to us. “They mine underground now. It’s a whole new world down there. There are kilometres of tunnels. It’s like a big factory with walkways, hundreds of metres of electrical cables and conveyor belts.”
“What would happen if there was a cave in?” I asked.
“There are rescue chambers with compression and regulated air to keep everyone safe.”
I shook my head. It was incredible.
“Does anyone know the Dreamtime story about how the diamonds were created?” the guide asked.
We all shook our heads.
“One day some Aboriginal women chased a barramundi. It came near here, to a cave. The barramundi was trapped. It did the only thing it could think of to escape.”
Chloe held my hand tighter as we waited for the rest of the story.
“That barramundi swam straight towards the Aboriginal women. The fish jumped high. High over the women.”
I shifted feet as I waited to hear what happened next.
“She shed her scales. They fell into the water making diamonds of all colours.”
Chloe smiled. “Just like fish scales are all colours—white, yellow, cognac, champagne, blue, red, and pink.”
“I like pink the best,” I said to her.
“Me too.”
I knew she would. Pink was her favourite colour. One day, when I’d proven myself to her, I would put a pink Argyle Diamond ring on her finger. Before that though, we needed to talk about our immediate future.
11
Chloe
I walked out of the service station and towards the car. Alex was walking Rex on the lawn while talking on the phone. The closer I got the more I could hear.
“I’m not ready to discuss it yet. It’s my sister’s wedding tomorrow. I want to enjoy that.”
Who was he talking to? I stopped so he wouldn’t be alerted to my approach.
“No, I won’t give you an answer yet. I want to spend time with the people I love.”
An answer to what?
“I’m not on army time now. I’ll give you an answer when I return from leave.”
My stomach dropped. I thought he’d left the army but he was only on leave. Everything that had happened over the past few days was based on a lie. I should never have let that sliver of hope into my heart. I should never have trusted him. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.
In a few hours we’d be in Kununurra. Sam’s wedding was the next day. I didn’t want to tell her that her brother was an arsehole and have her be disappointed on her wedding day. No, I had to pretend everything was great. At least until the wedding was over. Holding back my tears, I nodded to myself. I could pretend. For Sam.
Rex turned and alerted Alex to my presence. As he turned and smiled at me, I bit my cheek. The harshness of the bite stopped the tears that were welling in my eyes.
“I’ve got to go. I’ll speak to you soon.”
I walked back to the car without acknowledging them. Before Alex could say anything to me, I hopped into the passenger seat. How was I going to do this? How was I going to pretend everything was OK when just looking at him broke my heart?
“What’s up?” Alex asked when he got into the car.
“Nothing. I’m just tired.”
“Yeah. We’ve had a big few days. Why don’t you have a nap?”
“Good idea.”
How pitiful was I? I was that desperate to be loved that I’d let him walk back into my life and break my heart all over again.
12
Alex
Something was off with Chloe. She hardly spoke as we put up the tent. She barely even looked at me. And smiling was non-existent.
“I want Rex to sleep in the tent tonight. It’s the big day tomorrow. I want him to be at his best.”
“OK.” I didn’t know what else to say.
“I’m going to bath him.” Her voice was flat. There was more to this than just feeling tired.
“I’ll come with you. What do you need?”
“I’d rather do it alone, thanks.” She walked off before I even had a chance to protest.
I sat and waited for their re
turn. I couldn’t believe that bathing a dog could take so long. When they came back Chloe was talking to Rex. She stopped a few feet away, took a deep breath and plastered a smile on her face. I’d never seen anything so fake in my life.
“Rex is all clean now. Best we have an early night so we can get up bright and early. Wouldn’t want to do a Chloe.” She was rambling. I’m sure even to her own ears her joke fell flat.
She unzipped the tent and moved things around. By the time I got there she had moved Rex’s bed from where I’d put it on the side to the middle between us.
I bit my lip. “Chloe, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing is wrong. Everything is perfectly fine.”
She didn’t look perfectly fine. She looked like any moment she was going to break to pieces.
“No, it’s not. You won’t even look at me.”
“I think it’s better if we just pretend. I’m sure you can manage. It’s what you’re good at.” I recoiled.
“What are you talking about?” I stepped into the tent and sat on my sleeping bag.
“For fucks sake, you can stop with the lies.”
“What lies?”
“Let’s start with the fact that you haven’t left the army.”
“No—”
“What about the bullshit you sprayed about wanting a future with me?”
“Chloe, I—”
“Maybe we should talk about the biggest lie of all, that you love me.”
“Chloe—”
“Don’t fucking ‘Chloe’ me. I’ve listened to your piss poor excuses before. I even let myself forgive you. I can’t believe I was such an idiot.”
I waited to make sure she was finished talking before I spoke. I wasn’t sure I was even going to be able to break through her resentment. It would be best if I chipped away at it. I couldn’t start with the fact that I hadn’t officially left the army. I had never told her I had left. Even when I’d spoken to the couple on the bus, I’d said I would find it hard to adjust when I left. But I couldn’t tell her she was wrong. If I did, she would close her ears to the rest of it. Yet I couldn’t lie about it either.
I sighed.
“When I told my major I wanted to leave the army he suggested I take leave to consider my options.” I rubbed the back of my neck. I rushed my words wanting to get them out before she shut me down. “All I wanted was to rebuild my life with you. I couldn’t do that and still be in the army. I mean, how could I? I’d convinced myself for five years that you, me and the army weren’t a good match.”
Her attention was on me but I couldn’t be sure if what I was saying was breaking through her defences. Her eyes were focused one moment and then lost. I was desperate for her to understand.
“I couldn’t stay in the army and have you. If I did, then I’d have to face that for the last five years I’d been nothing but a hypocrite. And that I’d wasted five precious years.”
I moved closer to her. I needed to get to the next point quickly before she shut down.
“I want a future with you, Chloe. I want that more than anything. The army is my past. You are my future.”
“Then what was that phone call about today?”
“That was the major. Before I went on leave he presented an offer to me, to be a trainer at the Special Operations Training Centre. He wanted to know if I’d made a decision.”
“Have you made a decision?”
“I’m not making any decisions without you.”
“Then why didn’t you tell me about it?”
“I wanted you to feel secure about us. So when I asked you, you’d feel safe enough to tell me no, if it’s not what you wanted.”
“I don’t believe you. You’re worse than my dad.”
I flinched. Did she really believe that? He was the worst person in her life. Oh God, what had I done?
13
Chloe
Alex closed his eyes. He did that when he was trying to compose himself. I crossed my arms while I stared at him. Anger sizzled in my blood. When he opened his eyes, he reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. He took something out and handed it to me. My stomach squeezed when I saw my face.
“I’ve kept that with me for five years. Every day I looked at it.”
I turned the photo around. Written on the back in his handwriting was I’m coming back to you.
“Even on my darkest days, you gave me hope.”
I glanced at him and was surprised by his tentative smile.
“Whenever I was sent out on a mission, sometimes alone with no back up, you came with me. You kept me safe.”
I’d always said prayers for his safety. Even through my most angry times I’d hope he was OK. I didn’t wear it anymore, but I kept his seashell locket close by, in my top drawer. He’d given it to me the first time he said ‘I love you’. I feared if I cast it aside, I would be casting him aside.
Alex took my hands in his. “I love you, Chloe. If you told me to leave the army tomorrow, I would. If you told me you were moving to Antarctica, I’d follow.”
I smiled at him as a memory came to the surface. “No surfing in Antarctica.”
“I do recall it was on our list of places not to live.”
Yet, he’d follow me there.
And truth be told, I’d follow him there too.
14
Alex
Chloe and I stood outside Sam’s room. I knew she had to go in and fulfill her bridesmaid duties—she’d braid Sam’s hair in some fancy style like she did for their school formal, and any nerves that Sam had would be washed away by Chloe’s presence. But even being away from her for an hour or two felt like it would be too long. Pulling her close to me I kissed her.
Rex barked but I ignored him. The feel of Chloe in my arms was all that mattered.
The door opened and Chloe and I pulled apart. Sam stood there in her wedding dress, hands on hips.
“Do you two realise what time it is?”
I backed away. “Time for me to escape the wrath of a bride?”
“Too right it is.”
I handed Chloe Rex’s lead and leant in for one last kiss. “See you soon.”
Sam stood grinning at us. “I see my plan worked.”
Rex barked, circling us.
“You’re as smart as you are beautiful.” I replied.
“Best wedding present ever,” Sam said, clapping and then shooing me away.
“And we weren’t late,” Chloe pointed out.
Epilogue
Chloe
Six months later
I took hold of my surfboard and ran to where Alex was waiting for me on the beach. He’d caught another wave in and beaten me. He grabbed my waist and pulled me close to him. His lips found mine in an instant. My stomach tightened at the eagerness of his kiss.
When we’d started, the sun had been just rising and the air had still been cool. A couple of hours had passed, and the beach had the familiar warmth of a summer’s day.
“Ready for breakfast, Mrs Bach?” Alex asked as our lips parted.
“That depends, are you my breakfast?”
Alex laughed before kissing me again.
“Can you two give it a rest?” Sam called out. “Some of us are sick of seeing you sucking face.”
We broke apart and walked hand in hand to where our family and friends were standing around the food tables.
“I’m still trying to make up for the five years I missed.”
“Yeah, well, we all suffered through those five years. We don’t need to suffer again.”
Rex barked. And then thought he hadn’t said enough so barked again. Sam patted him.
“I know, Rex. You suffered the most having to listen to them get it on in the tent.”
I threw a bread roll at her.
“Come on, you nearly made Rex late for my wedding because—”
“She wasn’t late for our wedding though,” Alex said, as he put his arm around my shoulders.
“Only because she wanted t
hat fancy pink diamond on her finger.”
I looked down at my finger. I had to admit it was a darn good ring. It was a simple rose gold band holding a stunning Argyle pink diamond with a white diamond on either side.
Alex put his hand on his heart and looked at me in shock horror, before turning me in his arms. “Tell me that’s not all you want.”
“Not in a long shot.”
He kissed me hard. I couldn’t wait to get him home.
About the Author
Cynthia Terelst is a contemporary romance author from regional Queensland, where the sun shines at least 283 days a year.
She likes to share a little history, some Australian scenery and a whole lotta love in her novels. While difficult topics are discussed, hope and love are the main themes.
https://www.amazon.com/Cynthia-Terelst/e/B07ZCTX8SB
Sweet Tooth
K.D. Elizabeth
We’ve resisted each other in the office for twelve months—until today.
1
Marco Vitale, my demanding boss, suddenly slides into my rideshare. It’s Friday morning and all I want in this world is to crawl back under my covers and sleep.
Surely I’m still dreaming, because even exhausted I can think of at least three reasons he’d never get in a car with me. One, the real Marco, the surly CEO of Vitale Media who stars in all my dirtiest fantasies, is definitely already in the office, slaving away, assigning more work to whichever poor soul most recently finished a project.
Two, there is no way, even in the parallel universe in which Marco Vitale isn’t already in the office, that he would somehow be in this part of upper Manhattan. This is where normal people live, people who can barely afford to make ends meet in one of the most expensive cities on the planet. People like me.
