Driftwood (28 page)

Dragging Jay with her, she paddled over to a huge flat rock that poked out from beneath the waterfall, slid herself on top of it, and then turned around to face him, enjoying the splashes of water against her back as the waterfall crashed behind her. With a flutter of her eyes, she gestured for him to wash the front of her. Hands already slippery from the soap, Jay started at her feet, rolling the balls of his thumbs pleasingly over them as he slowly made his way upwards, halting briefly on her thighs, teasing her as he massaged her.

Jay squeezed more soap onto his hands. He took his time to reach her breasts, wanting to feel all of her gorgeous skin. Taylor moaned as he began to massage them, Jay teasingly avoiding her firm nipples as she writhed gently on the rock beneath his touch, her lips parted as she breathed deeply. Then, pulling his body out of the water, he straddled her, his manhood pressing against her as he brought his mouth down and kissed her erect nipples. She grabbed his hair, begging for him to bite them gently. He did, and her gratification at doing so almost tipped him over the edge.

Sliding his tongue down to her bellybutton he kissed around it then slowly inched his way down further, stopping provocatively as he breathed warm air upon her. Taylor screamed out his name, pleading for him to taste her and begging for him to be inside of her. Jay took his time, wanting to savour every second. Submerging half his body back into the water, he feathered his lips over her then unhurriedly ran his tongue upwards, stopping at her ultimate pleasure spot then rolling the tip of his tongue around it in circles, allowing himself to taste her exquisite pureness.

Taylor panted as she reached out and gripped the sides of the rock, her hips arching into Jay's lusciously warm mouth, his tongue and lips seducing her into seventh heaven. Her eyes closed in ecstasy as she teetered on the edge, her entire body quivering. How could a man send her into a sexual trance so beyond the normal realm she felt as though she was floating into an abyss? Finally, succumbing to his enchanting mouth, she toppled over the edge of self-control and screamed out his name, pulsating against his ravishing tongue as she climaxed to the point of breathlessness, every centimetre of her shuddering.

Lying in an otherworldly bliss, she sighed, her entire body electrified. Jay swam around behind her, giving her an upside down kiss. She slid her body off the rock and into his arms.

After drying off with some towels that Jay had thoughtfully put beside the swag, they entwined once again, kissing hungrily as they edged down and onto the sheets, a glass of red wine balanced in their hands. Taylor rolled the pinot noir around in her mouth, relishing the depth of it before she swallowed. Jay plucked a chocolate from the box and placed it to her lips. It was delicious, sending her into sensory overload. She delighted in the gorgeousness of their surroundings and of Jay.

Drinking the last of her wine, Taylor pulled the length of silk from beneath her and ordered Jay to lie down. It was time for her to indulge in him and she couldn't wait to discover every bit of his muscular body. Jay did as she asked, his yearning for her evident. She wrapped the silk around his eyes, and then tied it at the back, happy he couldn't see her as she wanted his sense of touch to be intensified. Straddling him, she lingered kisses on his lips, luxuriating in the firmness of them, and then trailed her mouth down his neck and chest, stopping to kiss and bite him along the way. Jay's breathing intensified as she ran her tongue over his stomach and then edged her way down his firmness, spiralling her tongue the entire way as she savoured the taste of him in her mouth. Jay called out her name, his voice gorgeously husky.

Pushing herself back up, Taylor took his manhood into her hands and edged it slowly inside her, until he was deep within. She began to roll her hips, unhurriedly sliding Jay in and out. She trembled with the euphoric sensation, not wanting to hurry the moment, relishing every second of it, every thrust, every gasp, every shiver, every moan. For this, right here, with Jay, was her ultimate fantasy.

Jay ripped off his blindfold and gripped her hips, seizing her gaze with his own. He slowly slid out then pushed himself deeper into her, halting every time, stretching out the moment of mind-blowing, body-tingling bliss. Taylor arched her body into him, her cascading curls bouncing around her firm full breasts, her beauty taking him to a place where all that mattered was him and her, in this moment. God, how he wished he could stay like this for an eternity, the love he felt for her encompassing him and filling him with a sense of belonging, of him to her and of her to him. Being here with Taylor, enraptured by her essence, was what he envisioned true love to feel like. A love he would fight for, kill for and die for. And now she was showing him it could be his reality. And it was a reality he wanted to live out for the rest of his life. He would do anything to be with her, forever.

Entangling their arms, they rocked and swayed until they hovered on the brink, crying out, reaching the tip of the summit and freefalling together, the rapture possessing them and stealing their breath as they quivered, tingled and pulsed, hearts hammering loudly in their chests.

Physically defeated and emotionally high, they melted into each other's embrace, catching their breath and savouring the erotic elation. Jay rested back, taking Taylor with him in his arms, the mosquito net now tangled among the bed sheets, entrapping them effectively within its confines. Taylor rested her head on his chest, inhaling his addictive scent, still floating among the clouds as she admired the sheath of glittering stars now emerging in the black, velvet-draped sky. Jay stroked her hair, the silence between them harmonious, and the sounds of the bush enveloping them as it crept into complete darkness, the flicker of the candles now their only light.

‘Tays?'

‘Yeah?'

‘I love you more than all those stars up there in the sky.'

‘Jay?'

‘Yeah?'

‘I love you to the moon and back.'

6 MONTHS AFTER CYCLONE IVA

Taylor sat in the dappled shade of one of the many waratah trees now swathed in bold scarlet flowers and bit into her piece of watermelon, wiping at the sticky juices as they dribbled down her arm and cheek. She relished its coolness and sweet taste as she watched her treasured horse, Dolly, prance around in the paddock with Boomerang. Dolly's palomino coat glowed in the sun, her exquisite goldness accentuated by her pure white mane and tail that had been groomed to perfection by Taylor. In sharp contrast was Boomerang, with his bay coat, black tail and mane and bold white blaze down his face. The pair of horses were like chalk and cheese but they got along and were now almost inseparable, whickering to one another if they were ever separated.

Slipping into deep thought, Taylor sighed softly, wondering just where the time had gone. The saying, ‘Time flies when you're having fun', was so very true in her life. Four months had passed since she'd gotten Dolly back, however it only felt like yesterday that Jay had blindfolded her and guided her out towards the horse float, revealing its contents with a jubilant ‘Tah dah!' He'd apparently spent countless hours trying to track down who had bought Dolly from Taylor's stepdad, and eventually he'd succeeded. He'd had to pay top dollar for her return to Taylor. It was so typical of Jay, being so thoughtful.

The rumble of a bike broke her daze and Taylor waved as Patty whizzed past on the four-wheeler, beeping animatedly, an overzealous Buster and Floyd running behind her. Taylor smiled broadly, returning Patty's cheerful grin. It was great to see that Patty had found her zest for life again, her passion lying in her newly discovered love for painting, which she spent hours doing out in the paddocks with both dogs for company. She was extremely gifted, too, already selling a few of her paintings at the Driftwood markets. She was nothing like the heartbroken woman Taylor had first met, and hadn't touched a drop of drink for almost seven months. It showed, her skin now glowing, her long hair lustrous and her eyes twinkling. Although Jay and Taylor were both suspicious about the twinkle in Patty's eye — her regular weekly dinner in town with Sergeant Frank had occasionally become all-nighters. Patty declared tiredness as her reason for staying in Frank's spare room, and when prodded further, denied anything was happening between them. Jay and Taylor didn't buy her excuses for a second. In fact, they both hoped there was something going on: Patty was too young to live out the rest of her days without love in her life. And they both adored Frank; he was a good-hearted, decent bloke.

Gazing out past Dolly and Boomerang, Taylor's eyes came to rest on the ridge, excitement bubbling in her belly like a bath bomb in warm water as she spotted the glinting roof on the house she and Jay were having built. Not long now and they'd be moving in so their life together could take another leap forwards. She couldn't wait for the privacy. Not that she minded living with Patty; Jay's mother was very easy to live with, always conscious of giving her and Jay time to themselves. But it wasn't the same as having their very own place, somewhere they could make their home.

Taking another bite of watermelon, Taylor found herself awed once again by the potency of the countryside that had gripped her heart so tightly. It had the power to disengage her from everything in the outside world, allowing her to just be, and yet it was so alive it communicated with her in ways only other country lovers could understand. This was one of the many special bonds she and Jay shared, both of them taking delight in being able to just sit and listen to the land. It was a living, breathing entity in its own right and one they both took great pride in looking after, together.

Reaching out, Jay wiped at her cheek with his thumb and then licked the juice from it. ‘You're always spilling your food down the front of yourself, Tays. I'll have to buy you a bib.'

Taylor tenderly rubbed her prominent belly beneath her overstretched T-shirt, giggling. ‘Well, if we wait another three months I can just borrow one of Skye's. What do you reckon?'

Jay raised his eyebrows then kissed her protruding bellybutton before rolling onto his back, his hands clasped behind his head. ‘Good thinking, ninety-nine.'

Taylor eased herself backwards onto the grass, resting her head beside Jay's as she watched a cloud float leisurely across the expanse of blue. ‘I'm
really
nervous about Mum coming today. Even though I've spoken to her on the phone a few times I haven't seen her for almost a year now.'

‘You'll be fine, Tays. I honestly reckon it's your mum who's going to struggle. She sounds really sorry for what she did to you and Tom, and I'm guessing she'd be paying for it big-time with guilt.' Jay propped up on his elbow, chewing on a grass stalk. ‘And my guess is that she's probably been paying for it all your life. Every time she looked at you, she would have seen Tom's face.'

Taylor pouted, crossing her arms resolutely across her chest. ‘And so she should agonise over what she did, taking that twenty-five thousand dollar cheque from Grandad to run away from Dad with Charles. And all because my evil grandfather thought Dad was bad news 'cause he didn't wear a suit to work and he didn't own his own house. In his opinion, Charles was the better candidate just because he was a university graduate
and
his best mate's son,' Taylor huffed. ‘Ha, talk about an arranged marriage. I reckon the old coot paid Charles too. He was always a stuck-up old bastard, Grandad, believing that money bought happiness. I never could stand being around him. Now I know why. I mean, for Christ's sake, he even made her change both our names by deed poll, cutting ties to my dad completely. It's no wonder Tom couldn't find us.' She smiled dryly. ‘I cannot believe my mum's name used to be Evelyn; I've only ever known her as Grace.'

‘Hmm, it is a bit weird. Kind of like me thinking about your name being Skye — I've only ever known you as Taylor. But, to be honest, Tays, if I were you, I'd be laying blame on your grandfather, not your mum. She was young and naive when she followed his advice, just shy of nineteen and harshly controlled by your grandfather's heavy hand, from what Tom's told me. She was petrified of her own father. Could you imagine it? Your grandfather should have known better, really, than sticking his nose in where it didn't belong. And when it comes to hitting women, well, I've got no time for a bloke who does that.'

Taylor sighed. ‘Oh, bugger it, I know you're right. It's just, well, I feel like I have to be angry at someone for all the years I lost with Dad, and seeing Grandad's dead, there's only Mum left to blame. Now I know what Grandma wanted to tell me all those years and couldn't. There were many times she'd go to talk about something and then stop. Grandad would have beaten her if her if she did, so I can't blame her.' She rubbed her face, exhaling heavily. ‘I know I have to stop being so bloody stubborn. Tom's found forgiveness in his heart for her so I suppose I should too. He's told me about how he used to stick up for Mum when Grandad hit her, but it didn't do any good. Poor Mum, really. It must have been terrible.' Taylor rolled over to her side and laid her head on her outstretched arm, facing Jay. Their baby girl kicked like a champion rugby player and Taylor's already stretched tummy moved.

Jay grinned, laying his hand on her belly, laughing as it bounced about from Skye's energetic gymnastics. ‘She's already a little ball of energy. Just imagine what she's going to be like when she's a toddler.'

‘Oh, trust me, I've already thought about it.' Taylor placed a lingering kiss on Jay's lips. ‘Thanks for agreeing to name her Skye. It really means a lot.'

‘I know it does and like I always say, whatever makes you happy, makes me happy. I genuinely love the name, especially seeing it was yours originally, and Tom's pretty chuffed about it too.' Jay rolled his eyes. ‘I can't get over how excited he is about this baby, almost more so than us — if that's possible.'