Extra Time (3 page)

She felt her stomach give another flip as she remembered Jim touching her that morning, waking her up with a kiss before pulling her against him, stroking her breasts and kissing her neck as he’d gently pushed inside her from behind. Oh, Jesus, why had she started thinking about that now? She could feel the tingling between her legs already taking effect and it really wasn’t the time or the place for that to be happening.

She shook out her hair, taking a deep breath at the same time, looking up again at the trickle of people still filtering out of arrivals. And then she saw him – all tall, dark and handsome, dressed casually in a pair of dark trousers and a white shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, his hand-luggage holdall slung over one shoulder, his sunglasses perched in his short, dark hair.

He saw her almost immediately, his face breaking into a wide grin, his pace quickening as he approached her. Amber couldn’t stop her heart from beating faster as he got closer, dropping his bag on the floor as he scooped her up in his arms and hugged her tight, kissing her quickly on the mouth.

‘Hey, gorgeous! How’s my beautiful new work colleague doing?’

Amber repositioned her sunglasses on the top of her head as she smiled at him. He’d picked up a bit of a tan since they’d last seen each other, and it suited him. ‘I’m doing just fine, thanks. You?’

‘Yeah, things are okay. They’re okay.’

Amber frowned slightly as she watched him pick up his bag and sling it back over his shoulder.

‘Been looking forward to heading out here, though,’ he went on, shoving his hands in his pockets, his eyes now fixed firmly on hers. ‘Kind of itching to get back to work.’

She raised a questioning eyebrow. ‘Really?’

‘Yeah,’ he laughed, following her as she headed out of the airport, bracing herself for the wall of heat that was going to hit them the second they stepped outside. ‘Really. How’s it all going over here, anyway?’

They were both due to cover the Newcastle Red Star match in Tenerife, although Amber had a feeling her new employers were easing her into her new job gently by giving her this particular trip to cover. Her best friend had just joined her to give her a bit more support, and she’d had her husband by her side all the way. But she didn’t need ‘easing’ into anything. She’d managed fine so far. Still, she wasn’t complaining. She was going to be apart from Jim a lot more than she really wanted to be once the new season kicked off, so any time she could spend with him, no matter what the circumstances, was precious. She wasn’t going to knock it.

‘It’s all good, Ronnie. Jim’s incredibly relaxed, which means the squad is relaxed, so the atmosphere is really nice. Oh, and the hotel is amazing!’

Ronnie smiled as they crossed the road and headed back towards the car park. ‘So married life’s suiting you, then?’

She looked at him as they walked, throwing him a sideways smile. ‘Yeah. It is.’

He arched an eyebrow and she couldn’t help but laugh.

‘Here we are,’ she said, pressing the key fob to open the doors of the small white Citroen hire car. ‘Climb in and I’ll take you to the hotel.’

‘Do you fancy stopping off for some lunch first?’ Ronnie asked, throwing his bag onto the back seat of the car. ‘I’m starving, and we don’t have to go back to the hotel straightaway, do we? And, we’re not technically at work again until tomorrow.’

She looked at him over the roof of the car. ‘Yeah. Okay. It can’t do any harm, I suppose.’

‘Of course it can’t do any harm, what are you talking about? Come on. You’ve been here a couple of days now, you must know somewhere decent to grab something to eat.’

She smiled at him before climbing into the driver’s seat. ‘Yeah. I do.’

He climbed in beside her and shut the door, sitting back and letting out a huge sigh as the air-con kicked in almost immediately. ‘Then take me there, beautiful. I’m gasping for a pint.’

Chapter Two

The last of the evening sun beat down on the balcony as Ryan stepped outside, pushing a hand through his dark hair as he stared at the stunning view that greeted him, at the island of La Gomera out in the distance. The sun was just beginning to set, and the colours it created as it began to dip below the island were just beautiful, turning the sky a mixture of red and gold as the light changed at the rapid pace that was common in the Canary Islands.

He was really starting to appreciate shit like this now, after everything that had happened, everything he’d been through. It had opened his eyes to what was important in life – to a point, anyway, because Ryan Fisher hadn’t turned into a saint. He still liked a drink, still loved the women – and the women still loved him, and being here, on this holiday island, well, it was like being in some kind of human sweet shop where he could have access to anything he wanted at any time. He only had to step outside the hotel and women of all ages were suddenly surrounding him. Once upon a time that would have been a dream come true, but there were times now when it just felt like something he had to do in order to keep up an image he was slowly becoming tired of. But even though he had someone back home who would quite happily help him to settle down – he only had to say the word – he just couldn’t bring himself to take that step forward. He just couldn’t seem to let it all go, not yet. He’d tried it once and it hadn’t worked, so why put himself through all that again?

No, he was quite happy just to let things tick along the way they were. Commitment wasn’t something he was thinking about right now. Serious relationships had been put very much on the back-burner. He was going to start living again, start enjoying himself, start making the most of this new beginning he’d been lucky enough to salvage from what could have been one hell of a mess. A mess the old Ryan had created. And despite the old Ryan being someone he couldn’t completely say goodbye to just yet, he wasn’t altogether sure he was that person anymore – the one who partied ’til all hours, slept with as many women as he could before breaking their hearts as he told them goodbye without a second thought to anyone’s feelings but his own. He couldn’t say he wanted to leave
all
of that behind him, but it wasn’t as exciting as it had once been, because it had been that lifestyle that had pushed Amber away. The old Ryan had made her leave and he regretted that every single minute of every single day.

The phone ringing back inside his room made him jump slightly, pulling him back from his thoughts of a life he hadn’t realised he’d wanted, until it was way too late. A more settled life. A life with Amber.

He wondered whether he should answer it – he wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone right now. He’d been looking forward to a bit of time alone before they all met for another squad night out – Jim had organised dinner for them in a sea-front restaurant not far from their hotel in another of his pre-season ‘team-bonding’ sessions, and Ryan needed time to prepare himself for the fact that Amber would be there, with Jim, doubtless looking beautiful and elegant and sexy as hell. And she wasn’t his anymore. His own fault.

Whoever was calling him was certainly persistent, and he turned and walked back into the room with a heavy sigh, closing the door behind him to keep the air-conditioning working. He sat down on the edge of the bed and picked up the phone.

‘Yep.’

‘Ryan, it’s me.’

He didn’t know whether he was glad to hear her voice, or slightly angry at her for bothering him when he’d really wanted to use this time away from her to grab a bit of space. ‘Hey, babe. How you doing?’

‘I miss you.’

He closed his eyes, the pause he left adding nerves to her voice.

‘Ryan? You don’t mind me calling you, do you? Only…’

‘No,’ he sighed, opening his eyes and staring out at the beautiful sunset that was happening right there in front of him. ‘No, of course I don’t mind. It’s good to hear your voice. Everything okay back home?’

It was her turn to pause, and when she spoke again the nerves were back. ‘I wouldn’t know. I’m not
at
home.’

Ryan frowned, running a hand along the back of his neck as he continued to stare out at the now rapidly setting sun. ‘Huh? Where are you, then?’

‘I’m here. I’m in Tenerife.’

The cool water lapped around Amber’s thighs as she waded into the small but private pool on the terrace of their plush and rather spacious hotel suite. The sun was about to set and the sky carried the most incredible rust-coloured glow as the island got ready to turn from another hot and sticky day into a warm and balmy evening.

Despite the darkness that was about to descend, the pool was lit up by the terrace’s low lighting, making it seem all the more ethereal, almost. Peaceful. Perfect for a swim before she had to shower, change and get ready for Jim’s team dinner. It’d be the first time she and Jim had gone out with the rest of the Newcastle Red Star squad since they’d arrived in Tenerife, and she’d be lying if she said she wasn’t apprehensive about being so close to Ryan. He wasn’t somebody she deliberately made a point of being around, not if she didn’t have to be, and so far, on the whole, she’d managed to avoid it. What they’d shared and the things they’d gone through, it all still felt quite raw sometimes, but Amber knew their relationship had been one that could never have worked. So many obstacles had stood in their way, making it impossible to move anywhere or go any further forward. But she still cared about him, still loved him, in some strange kind of way.

Shaking all thoughts of Ryan Fisher from her mind, she ran her hands through her hair, pushing it back off her face as she stared out ahead at the sun falling rapidly behind the island of La Gomera. Everything felt so calm here, so serene, with nothing but the sound of the sea and the muffled noise way off in the distance of a holiday island getting ready for another night of fun.

She loved the fact it was still so warm, even with darkness descending. There was no air to speak of, the humidity was seeing to that, but the coolness of the water felt good as she finally dipped under for a few seconds before pushing back up to the surface, shaking the water off her barely-clothed body.

‘You have no idea how incredibly sexy that looked.’

The sound of that low American accent caused her to swing round as fast as she could waist-deep in water. Jim was crouched down beside the edge of the pool, ready to join her in just his beach shorts, his tanned and toned body exposed. For a man of forty-nine he was extremely fit, and even now he still took Amber’s breath away. Her beautiful American man. Her wonderful husband. The man she’d waited to be with for over twenty years.

She smiled at him, pushing her hands through her hair again, watching as he slid into the pool, joining her in the water. Her heart was already beating out of her chest, anticipation flooding her body. Sometimes it felt like he only had to look at her and she wanted him like crazy, but she guessed that’s what being away from him for so long had done to her. All those years of missing him, wanting him, it was bound to build up, wasn’t it? All that frustration, that sexual tension. They had all that missed time to catch up on.

She backed up against the pool wall as he swam over to her, stopping right in front of her, their eyes locked together as he reached out to gently push a stray strand of wet hair from her face.

‘You look hot,’ he whispered, his mouth almost touching hers and she could feel her heart beating even faster now, pounding away like some out-of-control drum as his fingers slowly moved down from her cheek, running lightly over her collarbone. ‘So – fucking – hot.’

She threw her head back as he kissed the base of her throat, his fingers running down over her arm, his touch so feather-light it caused a million goose bumps to appear out of nowhere, despite the heat and the temperature outside.

‘Jim…’

He shut her up with a kiss, and Amber had no choice but to respond, sliding a hand round the back of his neck as his mouth pressed harder against hers, their tongues touching, moving around each other in some kind of erotic dance. What this man did to her she just couldn’t explain. And to think she’d almost lost him; that she’d tried to fight these feelings, push him away, when it was only ever going to end up with them being together. It was their fate. She truly believed that.

The kiss left her breathless, and she pulled away slightly, flinching just a touch as she felt his fingers start to snake up her spine, gently tugging at her bikini top until he’d loosened it completely, pulling it away from her and discarding it on the poolside. It was quite a liberating feeling, to be slowly stripped naked, outside, on this humid night, and even though neither of them were totally aware of exactly how private their terrace was, they didn’t really care. Amber certainly didn’t. They weren’t hiding anymore. Nothing was a secret.

‘Oh, Jesus, Jim…’ she gasped, throwing her head back again, pushing her breasts hard against his hands as he cupped them before slowly rubbing his thumbs over her nipples, causing them to harden immediately. That’s what his touch did to her. And it felt so good!

‘Let’s take this one step further.’ He slid both hands down under the water, loosening the tie-sides on her bikini bottoms, pulling them away from her in an instant. ‘Let’s face it, honey, they were so small you might as well not have been wearing them in the first place.’

A shiver ran right through her as he kissed her again, a kiss so deep and beautiful; a kiss that turned her on so much she thought she might come before he’d even touched her, before he’d had a chance to make love to her. And she ached to feel him inside her, so she had to hold back, had to let him take the lead.

His hands were on her hips now, gently lifting her out of the water, sitting her down on the very edge of the poolside, and Amber knew exactly what was coming next. She knew, and her entire body tingled with the anticipation.

He pushed her legs apart, touching her first with his fingers, stroking, probing, running them through a wetness that wasn’t caused by the water alone. She closed her eyes, her hands palm-down behind her to steady her as his fingers probed harder, deeper, before slipping inside her for just a matter of seconds, but long enough to make her cry out loud with a mixture of pleasure and pain. He was touching her, inside and out, and it felt amazing!