Summer Fling (20 page)

He wanted to devour her, to bury his mouth
and fingers inside her and drive her to the edge with his tongue. He rose up
and pulled off her panties, smiling as he had to peel them away from her hot
center, and then divested himself of his own clothes. He grew even harder as
she ran a hand down her body, moving her fingers to touch herself.

“Oh yeah.” He knelt by her feet for a
moment while she swirled her fingers in her pubic hair and then stroked
herself. He pushed her knees up and her legs apart, loving the way she blushed
as he exposed her to his hot gaze. “Don’t stop.” He lay on the bed on his
stomach, turned on by the way she dipped her fingers inside and brought them
up, slick and coated, to caress her swollen folds.

He lowered his head, inhaling her musky
scent, and then ran his tongue up to where her fingers circled at the top. She
gasped, withdrawing her hand, and he covered the tiny button with his mouth,
sucking gently, enjoying the small cries that escaped her.

Dipping his head, he brushed his tongue
down, sliding it inside her as far as he could, licking and exploring her. His
blood surged through his body as she gave small thrusts of her pelvis in time
to the thrusts of his tongue.

He licked her slowly, thoroughly, and then
returned to the bud at the top. He grazed his teeth on it and sucked it, gently
at first and then harder, and she responded with heartfelt groans, sliding her
hand into his hair as she encouraged him on.

He continued to arouse her with his lips
and tongue and occasionally his teeth, and her body tensed like an elastic band
twisted between two pencils, tighter and tighter. She was close to coming—her
impending orgasm hovered, ready to claim her.

And then, as her breathing grew irregular
and her gasps lengthened, he stopped.

He moved up the bed. Her cheeks were
flushed, her eyes glazed, and her breasts rose and fell with her rapid breath.
She looked confused, clearly wondering why he hadn’t continued until she came.

“Don’t you remember what I told you on the
phone?” He fixed her with a hot stare. “I told you, I’m going to tease you with
my hands and mouth until you beg me for release.”

Her mouth parted, and he kissed her hard,
knowing she would be able to smell her own arousal on his lips, the thought
turning him on. He wanted her so badly, and he wanted to show her how strong
the attraction was between them. Maybe then she’d realize they were meant to be
together.

He rolled her onto her front, pulled down a
pillow, and tucked it under her hips. Then he pushed up one of her knees,
exposing her butt and swollen skin to his view. He took a condom from the
bedside cabinet and put it on. Bracing his hands either side of her shoulders,
he moved her silky blonde hair around to the side so it exposed her neck and
fastened his mouth there, sucking hard, and she gasped. Then he reached down a
hand and guided himself to her warm, wet opening.

“We’re going to do this slowly,” he
instructed.

“Please,” she begged. “I’m so close.”

He ran his tongue around her ear then blew
on it gently. “You’ll come when I’m ready.” He pressed the tip of his erection
into her. “Understand?”

She looked up at him over her shoulder, her
eyes challenging. “Don’t boss me about.” Her voice sounded resentful, even sharp.
But her eyes turned pleading, and she lowered a hand underneath herself. “It’s
making me ache.”

He caught her wrist and brought her hand
back up. “I know. Deal with it.” He held both wrists tightly, pleasure flooding
through him as she moaned, and then he pushed forward with his hips so he slid
slowly into her.

They both inhaled. She was wet, tight, velvety
hot. Beautiful. Exquisite. He rested his forehead on her shoulder for a moment.
This wasn’t going to be as easy as he’d thought. But he was determined to draw
the pleasure out for them both, to show her how much he wanted and desired her.

He began to move slowly inside her, short,
shallow thrusts that made her sigh and close her eyes. Every now and again, he
pushed deeper, and she gasped. Then he withdrew until the tip of his erection
slid out of her. She complained and he laughed, moving his hips so only the tip
slid in and out, teasing her sensitive opening. She shuddered, trying to push
her hips back, but he held her tightly, forcing her to wait until he was ready.

Catching both wrists in one hand, he slid
his other hand beneath her and brushed her nipples lightly, flicking his finger
over the ends until she groaned and tried to grind her hips against his. He
withdrew from her and waited until her breathing leveled out, then did it
again, short thrusts as he plucked at her nipple, withdrawing as her groans
deepened.

She swore then, frustrated and aroused,
trying to free her wrists, but he was too strong for her, and when he thrust
forward suddenly, she stopped and squealed, parting her legs wider to let him
sink in deep.

“Oh yeah,” he said gruffly in her ear,
starting to lose control himself. He wouldn’t be able to hold on much longer.

He dropped his hand underneath her and
moved his fingers either side of where he was sliding in and out of her, then
brought them up to brush her most sensitive spot. She moaned and swore as she
widened her legs even more and melted against him, lifting her hips to let him
plunge deeply inside her.

“Ah, Jesus, Chloe…”

“Garth,” she begged, “please…”

“What do you want?” He paused, even though
it took every ounce of self-control he possessed. “Tell me.”

“Let me come,” she pleaded, squirming in a
delicious agony.

He bit her ear, then her neck, and withdrew
for a moment, his hands curling on the duvet with the effort of controlling
himself.

“No,” she protested.

“What do you want?” He turned her head to
capture her lips and plunged his tongue into her mouth, needing her to want him
as much as he wanted her.

“You,” she said, nearly crying. “I want
you, Garth. I can’t help it, I want you. Please…take me. I’m yours, honey, I’m
all yours, just take me.”

With a satisfied groan, he slid right into
her, thrusting hard. The orgasm hit her immediately, and her body tightened
beneath him, clenching around him as he buried himself to the hilt in her soft
flesh. She cried out, and heat rushed up him. He exploded into her, exclaiming
triumphantly, knowing at that precise moment that he wanted to be able to do
this every night for as long as he lived, and if he ever had to let her go, it
would be the end of him.

Afterward, Chloe lay exhausted while Garth
withdrew and disposed of the condom, and then he curled around her, bringing
her into his arms. She felt physically and emotionally wrung, and vulnerable
from his overwhelming ability to control her arousal. She hadn’t expected
that—hadn’t wanted it. She’d wanted brief physical gratification, a fun,
lighthearted affair. Instead, she’d got intense desire. She was like a scrap of
paper fluttering dangerously close to a naked flame. Part of her hungered for
him, wanted to be consumed by him. But the other part of her was frightened by
what it meant.

Shivery, tearful, she rolled away from him
and pushed herself upright. She searched the ground for her panties, retrieved
them, and pulled them on.

“Chloe?” Garth sat up as well and caught
her arm. “Are you okay?”

“Fine.” She smiled brightly—too
brightly—and reached for her bra. “It’s getting late.”

“Wait. Don’t go yet.”

“I’ve got a busy day at work tomorrow. It
would be best to get going.”

He sat back and watched her get dressed. As
she pulled on her cutoffs, he said, “What’s going on?”

“Nothing.” She tugged on her vest.

He pushed himself to his feet and put his
shorts on, moving to stop her as she went to walk out of the room. “For God’s
sake, wait. Talk to me.”

“There’s nothing to say.” The knot in her
stomach had grown until it weighed like a boulder inside her.

“Chloe…” He cupped her chin and lifted it
so her eyes looked into his. He smiled. “Honey, it’s okay. I know this is
difficult for you.” Sighing, he took her hand and walked her over to the
sliding doors. After unlocking them, he slid them open and brought her outside
with him, onto the deck. The sky had grown dark, and stars spangled in the
blackness while cicadas sang in the bush.

Standing behind her, he put his arms around
her and nuzzled her neck. “Thank you for tonight.”

She quivered, not knowing what to say.
Already her body responded, turning toward him like a flower to the sun. The
devil urged her to take him in her arms, but the angel made her stand still.

He placed a kiss on her neck. “I know you
have demons that make you scared. So do I. It was never going to be easy for
the two of us. But I can honestly say I’ve never felt like this before.” He
turned her to face him. “I know we haven’t known each other very long, but you
mean the world to me. And I want to prove to you that I’m not a
fly-by-night—that I’m serious about you.”

Oh no…
The
devil cringed.

He sighed. “I can’t believe I’m doing
this.” To her shock, he dropped to one knee. “Chloe Jackson, will you make me
the happiest man in the world and marry me?”

Chloe stared at him. Her heart hammered. “
What?
”

He grinned. “That’s not the reaction I was
looking for. Say you’ll do it, honey. The thought of you leaving tonight makes
me ache. I want you by my side all the time. In my bed every night. Say yes.”
He bent to kiss her fingers.

She pulled her hand out of his. “No, Garth,
Christ, no!” She moved backward, and he stood, frowning.

“I don’t understand. I thought you’d like
the idea of commitment.”

“No! That’s completely the opposite of what
I want.” He looked so puzzled that she wanted to cry. “How on earth can we talk
about spending the rest of our lives together when we’ve known each other less
than two weeks?”

“Chloe, I knew the moment you sat in front
of me on the plane that I was in trouble.”

Still backing away, she met the wall with a
bump. “That’s crazy. This is just a…a summer fling, that’s all.”

“It’s a lot more than that.” He stopped
before her and tipped his head. His lips curved. “I love you. Does that really
surprise you?”

“Don’t.” A tear rolled down her cheek. “You
can’t love me. Love doesn’t appear overnight, like…like mould on bread. It
develops and matures, like whisky or cheese.”

“Trust you to compare me to food. I’m only
surprised you didn’t use chocolate as a metaphor.”

“Garth. I’m serious. You don’t love me. You
can’t.”

His eyes took on a steely glare. “Are you
telling me how I feel?”

“I’m telling you you’re mistaken.”

“I’m not. I love you, and I want to spend
the rest of my life with you.”

“Stop it. That’s ridiculous.”

He stepped closer to her, clenching his
fists. “Are you going to tell me you don’t feel anything for me?”

“Of course I feel something for you—that’s
the problem. It’s all physical, and when it wears off there’ll be nothing left
and it will all be a huge mistake.”

He put his hands on his hips. “This is
about your mother, isn’t it?”

“I’m not going to be the same as her,
Garth. I won’t declare my love for a man two seconds after meeting him. I’ve
seen how it ends.”

“You’re not your mother, Chloe.”

“No.” She made herself calm. “I’m not.
That’s why I’m going to say goodbye to you now.”

As she turned, he moved forward and grabbed
her arm. “You’re not going.”

She snatched it away. “What are you going
to do, chain me to the chair?”

He raised a teasing eyebrow. “Don’t tempt
me.”

“Stop it.” She was openly crying now. “It’s
not a joke.”

The humor faded from his face and it
obviously dawned on him. She was serious, and she was finishing it.

“This is crazy.” He ran a hand through his
hair, looking incredulous. “I’ve never been with anyone who makes me feel like
you do.”

“I’m sorry Garth, but it was a mistake to
fall into bed as quickly as we did. Maybe if we’d taken it slower, dated
properly… I don’t know. But I don’t want to carry on like this. I’m going to
end up with a broken heart.”

Even as she said it, she knew she was
kidding herself. Her heart was already broken. Part of her was aware she was
being foolish to destroy the best thing that had ever happened to her. But
she’d seen her mother’s relationships fail too many times for her to trust that
what she felt for Garth was anything other than physical attraction.

She walked past him into the house, picked
up her handbag, and went to the front door. Orion came up to her, stumpy tail
wagging, but she refused to look at the dog, knowing she’d cry even harder if
she saw his hopeful face. Garth had followed her in, and he stood watching her
now, dumbfounded, clearly distraught. “You’re really going?”