Summer Fling (14 page)

Chloe’s heart thudded. His eyes were
troubled, but also intense, and the last time she’d seen them like that had
been on the beach, before he kissed her.

Clearly, he had something similar in mind
now. He stroked up her arm, all the way to her shoulder, his lips curving as
she shivered in response. Then he slipped his hand to the nape of her neck and
leaned across to kiss her.

He brushed her lips with his tongue, then swept
it into her mouth as she opened it. Her breasts tingled in response and her
nipples tightened, and she reached up a hand to slip her fingers into his hair.
His arms tightened around her, and she relaxed into the embrace, content to let
him kiss her for as long as he wanted.

After a while, he pulled back and looked
down at her, eyes gentle as he stroked her cheek.

“What was that for?” she asked, breathless.

“Just checking.” He smiled then. “Would you
like to come to lunch? Orion wants to meet you.”

Delight welled inside her. “I’d love to.”

“Come on then.” He fastened his seatbelt.
“I’m hoping you like dogs. He can be a bit boisterous sometimes. He’s a boxer.”

“I love dogs. And boxers are beautiful.”

“Don’t tell him to his face—it’ll only give
him a big head.”

She laughed and joy surged through her at
the thought of spending some more time with him.

He drove into Paihia along the seafront
with its shops and restaurants, then left the town behind and took the coastal
route toward Opua. They chatted as they drove, buoyed by the beautiful weather
and the prospect of additional time together. At one point she offered him a
chocolate from the box in her bag. He shook his head with a smile, and she
shrugged and ate one herself.

When they reached the small town, Garth
turned off and headed the car along a drive to a house perched on the edge of
the hill over the bay. He pulled up on a large piece of tarmac at the back of
the house behind a small convertible, and Chloe got out, eyes wide at the size
and beauty of the house.

“Wow.”

“I know. I decided I needed a place I could
feel comfortable in, first and foremost—and that means space. It’s the only
thing I’ve spent any money on really, apart from Sky High.”

She followed him to the door. He opened it
with his key and a brindle bullet shot at his chest at a million miles an hour.

“Careful, crazy.” He pushed the dog down
and crouched to give him a hug and stroke his ears. “You nearly knocked me
over.”

“This must be Orion.” Chloe smiled and held
out her hand to the boxer. He came over immediately, eager and curious to
explore this new person to his master’s house.

“Friend,” Garth said, and put his hand on
Chloe’s. “Be nice now.”

Chloe let Orion sniff her hands then
stroked his head and scratched his ear as she’d watched Garth do.

“Oh, you’ll be his friend for life if you
carry on like that.”

“Does the same thing work on his master?”

His lips curved and his eyes grew hot, but
before he could answer, a guy appeared in the doorway and looked at Chloe with
interest.

“Kia ora,” he said.

“Kia ora,” she replied shyly. The man was probably
the same age as Garth, she thought, blushing at his amused stare.

She didn’t miss Garth’s warning look to him
as he said, “Hey, Tim. This is Chloe. She’s come back for some lunch.”

“Ah,” Tim said. “So you do exist.”

“He told you about me?” Pleasure surged
through her.

“Oh, yes.” Tim came forward to shake Chloe’s
hand. “Lovely to meet you.”

“Everything all right?” Garth asked.

“Yeah, cool. Orion ate, like, six bowls of
dog food in the space of about an hour.”

Garth rolled his eyes. “I told you, one
only.”

“He pleaded with me. He told me you’ve been
starving him.”

“Yeah, he looks half starved.” Chloe patted
the boxer’s round stomach.

Garth laughed. “You want to stay for
lunch?” he asked Tim.

“Nah, I’ll be off. Going over to Waitangi
for a party.” Tim studied them both mischievously. “Did you have a good time
yesterday?”

“Yes, thanks.” Garth grinned. “I actually
socialized.”

Tim smiled. “Glad to hear it. Enjoy your
afternoon. I’m off to get plastered. Nice to meet you, Chloe.”

Garth let Orion run past him into the
house, gesturing for Chloe to follow him. She waved goodbye to Tim as he got in
his car, excitement and nervous anticipation threading through her at the
thought that now she was alone in the house with Garth, bar the dog of course.

She followed him in, through a large
hallway that opened up into a huge, open-plan kitchen and living room, the
whole front of the house made of windows that offered a splendid view over the
bay.

“Wow.” She stepped down from the kitchen
area to the living room and crossed to the far side. Tim had left the sliding
doors open, and she walked out onto the large deck to lean on the waist-high
railing. “This is just beautiful.”

Garth leaned next to her, and they looked
at the curve of the harbor below them, the Pacific Ocean glittering blue in the
sun.

“I fell in love with it as soon as I walked
in,” he said.

She turned around and studied the polished
kauri wood floors, the minimalist furniture, all of which conspired to give the
place an atmosphere of light and space. “It’s perfect for you. It must make you
feel free.”

“Like you, Chloe Jackson.” And then he
pulled her to him, and his lips were on hers, and he was kissing her so
soundly, she didn’t have a chance to say anything else.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and
gave herself up to the kiss. He rested one hand on her butt and pulled her hard
against his hips, aroused and very ready for her.

She pushed on his chest and looked up at
him, dazzled by the speed and depth of his passion. “Garth, I… I shouldn’t.”

He blinked, frowned with disappointment,
and ran a hand through his hair. “Oh, Christ, I’m sorry, I thought…” He looked
embarrassed.

Chloe laughed. “No, I didn’t mean I don’t
want to, only that I usually shower in the morning and I feel all sticky and
salty and yucky.” She looked over her shoulder toward where she could see a
bedroom at one end of the house. “I wonder if I could take a quick shower?”

He studied her. Gradually, a smile spread
over his face. “I’ve got a better idea than that.”

Taking her hand, Garth led her through the
house and into his bedroom. He left Orion outside in the kitchen and told him
to go lie on his bed, then closed the door.

She paused to look up at the ceiling. “Oh
lord.”

“I know.” A huge skylight above the bed
meant that when he lay there, he could look up at night at the stars.

She glanced at him. “Freedom.”

He nodded, and his throat tightened at the
thought that she understood him so well. He hadn’t spoken to anyone about how
he felt since he returned to New Zealand, not his family, not even Mat, who
knew most of what had happened, but not so much how he felt about it.

Her sky blue eyes looked down, and a flush
appeared in her cheeks as he ran his gaze along her body, taking in the soft
curves of her breasts and waist, the long, pale length of her thighs. He wanted
her, badly, and he wasn’t prepared to wait much longer.

Saying nothing more, taking her hand again,
he led her into the bathroom, opened the shower door, and switched it on.
Leaving the water to heat up, he turned back to her and grasped the bottom of
her cotton dress in both hands. Fixing her with his hot stare, he waited until
she raised her arms obediently, and then he drew the dress up her body,
dropping it on the floor.

He stripped off his own T-shirt, then his
swim shorts as she removed her bikini bottoms, and finally they stood there
naked, facing each other in front of the large mirror that was slowly beginning
to steam up.

Moving closer, he rested his hands on her
hips. The peaks of her firm breasts were swollen and soft as dusky pink velvet.
Keeping her gaze locked to his, he brushed them with his thumbs. Her lips parted,
and then as he squeezed her nipples gently, her eyes closed and a sigh escaped
her lips. The velvet tips tightened to firm buttons in his fingers, and he hardened
in response.

He kissed her, and then he opened the
bathroom cupboard and took out the box of condoms he’d bought when he returned
from Afghanistan, before he’d found out his wife had left him for another man.
He pushed that thought to the back of his mind, unwrapped the box, and took out
a condom.

After removing the clip from her hair, he took
her hand and led her into the shower. Closing the shower door, he moved her
under the spray. She tipped her head back and led the warm water soak her hair,
arching her back automatically as she did so, her breasts lifting toward him. Garth
swallowed. This woman severely tested his self-control.

He poured shampoo into his hand, smoothed
it onto her hair, and massaged it in, enjoying the feel of the silky locks.
Then he turned her head under the water and let the spray rinse the golden
strands clean.

She did the same to him, washing his short hair,
and he closed his eyes as she massaged his scalp, her fingers firm and slow. He
rinsed his hair, then got the bottle of shower gel and squeezed some onto his
hands.

Chloe leaned back against the tiles,
looking up at him with wide eyes, and he smiled wickedly. Her body gleamed like
cream-colored porcelain, glazed and shining. He was going to enjoy this. He
wanted to arouse her slowly, languorously, torturing her until she begged him
to take her.
Mine
. The word flooded his brain, and the possessiveness
that accompanied it surprised him. He might not be her first, but he damn well
wanted to be her last. He didn’t ever want another man touching her like this.

But he wouldn’t think about that now. He
had to concentrate on the moment. The slide of the water over their hot bodies,
the sensual silkiness of her skin under his fingertips, the spicy smell of the
gel as he rubbed it over her body, the taste of her as he kissed her. She
plunged her tongue into his mouth, and he tasted cherries and the creamy warmth
of cocoa. He’d never be able to eat chocolate again without thinking of Chloe.

He smoothed the lather over her arms and down
to her hands, back up again, and over her body. He circled her breasts, his
hand gliding over wet skin. After squeezing more gel onto his fingers, he
lathered them and slid his hands over her back and down to her butt as he
kissed her. The warm water poured over their chests while his tongue played
with hers. He was desperate to be inside her, but he waited as long as he
could, wanting to enjoy the moment.

He trailed his fingers across her stomach
and smiled as it quivered under his touch. Then he rubbed some of the lather
into her pubic hair, circling his fingers. Her mouth opened beneath his as he
brushed his fingers downward, and he nipped at her bottom lip as he teased her
with small strokes, eliciting tiny gasps from her. He smiled and slid his fingers
deeper into her.

He groaned as he found her swollen, the
folds of her skin slippery with her moisture, and hot desire flooded through
him, turning him hard as a rock. He stroked her slowly, enjoying the way her
eyes fluttered shut and her breathing grew erratic, and when he bent his head
and took one of her nipples into his mouth, she cried out, her hands tightening
in his wet hair as he sucked.

It was no good—as much as he wanted to draw
this out, he couldn’t wait any longer. He lifted his head and reached for the
condom he’d left on the shelf, tore off the wrapper, and rolled it on. Then he turned
her around. She placed her hands on the tiles and he moved back, bringing her
with him so she bent at the waist. He slid a hand to the inside of her thigh, pushing
gently to indicate he wanted her to spread her legs. She did so, breathing
quickly, her pulse rapid in her throat.

He moved his erection beneath her, held her
hips, and gave short shallow thrusts for a while, stroking the tip along her
swollen sex, arousing them both until she begged him, “Garth, please.”

Hot with desire, he guided himself
underneath until his tip push into her soft folds, and she tilted her hips. He
glided straight into her and groaned, digging his fingers in her skin. Holding
her tightly, he waited for her to adjust before he started to give long, slow
thrusts.

Her hands tightened into fists. “Oh, Garth.”

“Is that nice, sweetheart?” He placed a
hand on the tiles next to hers and leaned forward to slip his other hand over
her breasts, then down between her legs, where he stroked her, thrusting inside
her all the while.

Her head fell forward, and she turned it
slightly toward him. She bit her lovely, plump bottom lip, her eyes closed with
pleasure. “Oh, that’s fantastic. Don’t stop.”

“There’s not much chance of that.” Lust fired
through him at how turned on she was. He kissed up her wet shoulder. Her pulse
raced beneath his tongue, and he sucked hard in the crook of her neck, teeth
grazing.