Aged to Perfection (5 page)

He groaned. “Let’s get that food so we can get back here.”

Eager to be free of the icy blast, he quickly flicked his wrist to shut off the frigid spray,
 
grabbed her hand and propelled her out of the shower. He pulled two towels off the heated towel rack and slid one around his waist. He wrapped the other one around her shoulders. The warm towel enveloped her body and she sighed in pleasure. “I love that towel rack. Before today it was my favourite purchase for this bathroom.”

“Oh yeah? What’s your favourite now?

“The second shower head. I always thought the massagers on the wall were great, but, man, the things you did with that shower nozzle today. Wow!”

He eyed her speculatively. “The wall massagers, huh?”

A blush swept across her cheeks and upper chest, and Rachel slapped her hand over her mouth. “Oh God, I can’t believe I said that.”

“What? So you masturbate in the shower. Big deal. Who doesn’t?” he asked. “I just hadn’t thought about using the wall massagers.”

He began conjuring up all sorts of images in his mind. “That has some definite possibilities. I’m really seeing the benefits to that deluxe shower system you have there.”

After they dressed, Rachel led him into her backyard. Mark scanned the area then flipped up the clipboard in his hands. He quickly sketched a rough drawing of her yard before turning his attention back to Rachel. “Alright, so give me a basic run down of what you’re looking for.”

Rachel had imagined her dream backyard so many times she could practically see it in front of her. She couldn’t believe she was finally going to be able to make it happen. She walked down the steps as she talked. “I think a bluestone path, or some type of real rock, would look great curving towards the back.” She swept out her arm and pointed to the back fence.

“Then sort of out in the back area, I would love some type of wood—I don’t know teak maybe—gazebo that I could put some lounging furniture in. You know the type, metal frame with huge cushions that you just sink into?” she asked, looking at him for understanding.

When he nodded, she continued walking. “Then maybe back here in the corner, one of those great Italian plum trees.” She closed her eyes, imagining the fresh fruit she could have in the summer. She opened her eyes and grimaced when she saw Mark watching her. “Sorry, got kind of lost in my own imagination”

“No, don’t apologise. I think it’s great that you have this so thought out. It’ll make my job easier.” He turned his attention to the high, cedar fences. “I love your fences. Twelve feet. It already gives you great privacy. Ever suntan naked back here?” he asked, quirking his eyebrow in question.

Rachel ducked her head down, sure that her face was beet red.

“You do! Nice!” He looked around the yard. “Alright, I think I get what you’re looking for. You want a place to just kick-back and relax in complete privacy.” He turned back to look at her. “A sanctuary right?”

She smiled. “That is exactly what I’m looking for. But I would love it if you could keep my little garden over there.” She indicated the side of her house where she had her vegetable garden tucked away.

He nodded as he added more drawings and notes to his clipboard. “We could definitely keep that.”

Mark’s stomach rumbled loudly, and he smacked his hand against his belly. “We’ve got to go eat. I think I have an idea of what you’re looking for. Now that I’ve seen it, we can talk some more over dinner.” He grabbed her hand and steered her towards the deck. “I’m in the mood for pizza. Does that work for you?” Mark asked.

“Sure.”

“Great, I know the best pizza place. You’re going to love it,” he told her confidently.

She nodded. Something about the powerful way he carried himself made him seem so much older than he was. The man was so completely self-assured. Every decision, every movement seemed to be made with such effortless confidence. She envied that.

While Mark ordered pizza, Rachel opened up a bottle of wine and poured two glasses, then handed Mark one. She inhaled the fruity bouquet, enjoying the aroma of fragrances that combined into one delicious flavour. Her appreciation for wine was the only thing she really had taken away from her marriage.

Mark placed his wine on the island and wrapped his arms around her waist. “So do you have plans for tomorrow?”

She glanced over her shoulder. “Not really, why?

Mark shrugged. “I don’t know. I was thinking maybe it would be fun to check out the flea market.”

Shock raced through her body. He didn’t just want this to be a one-night stand? “So you want to see me again?”

“Of course. I don’t know about you, but I don’t generally have that kind of connection with a woman in the bedroom the first time we are together. Do you?”

She shook her head. “No. But I just kind of assumed it would be a one-time deal with you.”

“Why would you assume that? Did you want it to just be a one-time thing?” His voice laced with disappointment, he sighed.

“No, of course not, but I don’t know. I’ve never done anything like this before. I don’t really know how it all works.”

Mark turned her around. He placed his finger under her chin and forced her to look at his face. “Relax Rachel. Let’s just have fun and enjoy this for as long as it last okay?”

She nodded moments before his lips descended on hers. The minute his mouth touched hers, she melted into the kiss. Needing to taste him, she pressed her tongue into his mouth, tangling her tongue with his. She wound her fingers through his hair.

Mark’s hand caressed her back, his hand slowly easing up her shirt.
Oh yeah, this was exactly what she wanted.
She pressed her hips tightly against him and groaned when she felt his erection.
She dipped her finger into the waistband of his pants but before she got any further the doorbell rang.
Damnit, the pizza guy.

Over pizza, they discussed places they had travelled, things they still wanted to see. Rachel told Mark how she had always wanted to go to
Scotland
and
Ireland
but Roger never wanted to so she had never been. She had dreamt of going there since she was a little girl listening to her grandfather’s stories of the standing stones and the magic of the Celtic ruins. The mystery and romance of it all called to her soul.

“You don’t sound like you had much in common with your ex,” Mark commented after listening to her story.

“Well, I guess that explains why we aren’t together,” she joked.

Mark set his pizza plate on the coffee table and slid closer to her. “No, really, why did you guys break up?”

“You honestly want to get into this already?” she asked him, puzzled. Flings didn’t usually discuss past relationships.

“Yeah, I want to know. Obviously, he was an ass, but other than that, what happened?”

“I don’t know. We were married for thirteen years, and somewhere along the way, I just lost myself. I became the perfect little society wife with no opinions of my own. Like I thought Roger wanted.” She shifted on her seat. “Turns out what he really wanted was his twenty-two-year-old secretary.”

She stood and took their plates back into the kitchen and returned with the bottle of wine. “Now, can we change the subject? Because I thought you wanted to have fun and talking about my ex is not fun.”

Mark stood, took the bottle from her and topped up their wine glasses. Setting the bottle on the table, he handed Rachel her glass, grabbed his own and took her hand. “Oh, I can definitely think of something more fun,” he said, taking her hand he led her down the hallway.

C
hapter Five

Every day, Mark worked tirelessly on her yard, and every evening, he worked just as tirelessly pleasuring her body. Two weeks into their relationship and Rachel hardly recognised herself. Gone was the sexually repressed woman who never initiated anything, the woman who had never even had an orgasm during sex with a man. Now she greedily demanded multiples.

Rachel stood at her counter, mixing a batch of lemonade for Mark and his workers. The sight of him working in her backyard
made her heart race, and the urge to feel his hands on her body sent tingling pulses of lust between her legs
. She had enjoyed watching him work for the past couple of weeks. It was nice coming home and having someone around, rather than the empty silence that normally filled her evenings. The easy camaraderie as they shared a meal when he was done working for the day was something she had never experienced in all the years she had been married.

With a tray filled with a pitcher of lemonade and glasses, she stepped outside. Her gaze immediately honed in on Mark. With his shirt off, his muscles glistened with sweat. It was all she could do not to jump him right then in her backyard with his workers around.

“Mmm.” The man was just too yummy for words.

From her place on the deck, Rachel called to the men. “Guys, I’ve got lemonade if you want it.”

Mark’s head lifted up, and his gaze connected with hers. A smile lit up his face as he began walking across the yard towards her, with his staff trailing behind him. “Hey, Rach, when did you get home?”

“Oh, just a few minutes ago. Long enough for me to change and make something to drink.”

He stepped close to her. Even though they weren’t touching, Rachel’s body was on high alert, unable to look away as he brought the glass up to his full lips for a drink. A droplet of water dripped off the bottom of the glass and snaked its way down his chest. Rachel bit her lip to hold back a groan. She wanted to follow the droplet of water with her tongue, licking her way down his body.

Mark set the glass down and pushed his damp hair out of his eyes. When he looked back at her, the smirk on his face told her he knew exactly what she was thinking. Not breaking eye contact, he rubbed a hand across his bare chest then down his stomach. “It’s hot out here.”

“Mm hmm,” she replied in a daze. If this kept up, she’d need a cold shower just to handle being around him.

Rachel clasped her hands together. “Alright then. You guys look like you have the yard under control. It’s already looking fantastic and it hasn’t even been two full weeks.” She turned her attention back to Mark. “I won’t be in the way if I work on my garden, will I?”

With a glance over the railing at the garden, he shook his head. “Nope, you should be good.”

Rachel pulled her attention from Mark and flashed a quick smile at all the workers then hopped down the steps. Everything about tending her garden relaxed her. There was nothing better than the feeling of accomplishment she got when her garden was completely weed-free and tended. She glanced at the half-filled garbage bag and smiled. The monotony of pulling weeds soothed her soul.
Engrossed, with her fingers in the dirt, she jumped when hands clasped around her waist.

The warmth of Mark’s breath brushed her neck. “Do you have any idea what watching you on all fours for the past hour has done to me?” He knelt behind her and pressed his hips against her outstretched bottom.

The feel of his erection against her body was incredible. She wiggled her ass and pushed back against him. “Did I distract you from your job?”

“And then some. I had to send the guys home. I couldn’t take it anymore.”

Rachel turned her head and glanced around her yard, realising for the first time that they were alone. Heat stole across her cheeks. Thank God, his workers had gone home. It was so unlike her to get caught up in the moment and not take any notice of her surroundings. The chemistry she had with Mark was stronger than anything she had ever experienced.

Mark slipped his hands into the waistband of her sweat shorts and pulled them down. At the feel of warm air touching her bare bottom, Rachel squealed. “You weren’t kidding around about being ready to go.”

With a groan, he trailed his fingers along the cleft of her ass and dipped to her wet core. “Jesus. As much as I want to fuck you right now on all fours, I’ve kind of been imagining you in that single seat hammock all afternoon.”

Her eyes widened in shock. The very idea of having sex in her hammock made her instantly wet. Desire thrummed through her body. “The hammock seat, huh?” She eyed the single seat hammock hanging from her tree and tilted her head. It definitely had some real possibilities.

Mark picked her up. Her shorts slipped to the ground as he carried her and placed her naked bottom in the chair. The silky nylon of the hammock caressed her skin. Shifting her body, she positioned herself so the strings of the chair dragged across her sensitive flesh. She smiled up at Mark as she pulled her shirt over her head and dropped it on the ground.

With her body naked, bared open before him, Mark growled and quickly stepped out of his jeans. He grabbed the edges of the swing and pulled her up towards him, using the hammock like a sex swing. His ingenuity shocked her. Before Mark, she would never have thought to use her swing for anything but a chair.

He squatted down and lifted the swing up to his shoulders, leaving her entire body on complete display. She could only imagine what her pussy must look like with the hammock strings pressed against her on either side of her lips, another string pressed between her cheeks, working its own sensuous magic.

Mark brought her up to his mouth and dipped his tongue inside her body. He usually started out slowly, so the instant penetration with his tongue was so deliciously unexpected Rachel squirmed to get closer to his face. The heat of his breath against her made her so wet, she couldn’t wait for him to lick her. Being outside, naked in her chair, made her feel so decadent and naughty Rachel’s orgasm was already close. He flattened his tongue and lapped her pussy, tasting all of her with each stroke.