by Tania Joyce
His hardened groin pressed against her as he tightened his hold. As his hands explored the curve of her buttocks, the length of her thigh and up over her side toward her breast, the want escalated inside her. His tender touch, the deep rumble in his throat and his kisses made her feel … sexy. It had never been like this with Rodrigo.
Troy slid his arms around her stomach and turned her around to stand with her back against his chest. She caught sight of their reflection in the mirror as he nibbled on her ear and trailed kisses down the side of her neck. Her eyelids fluttered closed when his hands crept up over her shirt and cupped her breasts. Arching into his touch, her nipples hardened against his playful taunts.
“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered into her ear.
He nudged his groin into her so she could feel the hardness of his erection. “Open your eyes. I want you to see how sexy you are.”
Hesitant at first, she refocused on the mirror. Under the soft lights reflecting golden off his skin, standing there wrapped in his arms, she felt safe and secure. All her inhibitions fell away.
Troy’s fingers fumbled for the bottom of her t-shirt and hoisted it up over her head and tossed it aside onto the floor before returning to torment her aching nipples. His soft, gentle kneading through the fabric of her bra made her body temperature rise up another notch.
She giggled as her stomach muscles flinched when his hands slid down to the top of her waist, popped open the top button of her jeans and inched the zipper down. Slowly. Gradually. Controlled. His teasing fingers brushing over her cotton panties made every one of her nerve endings stand on end. Circling around in tiny playful movements he tickled her, sought out the edge of the elastic and slipped his fingers underneath. Gentle swirling strokes meandered lower and lower, making their way down to her opening. He slid his firm finger in between the folds of her skin; her whole body quivered as he met her arousal. A guttural groan resonated in her ear while his hot kisses lingered on her fiery skin.
“You feel so good,” he said, stroking through her wetness and tantalizing her sweet spot.
Her legs wanted to curl beneath her but he held her tightly wrapped within his arms. The reflection of him touching her was intimidating at first, but now she didn’t care. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he cupped her breast with one hand while the other lingered down her pants. As his fingers probed deeply in to her, his thumb rubbed relentlessly against her clitoris, her hips started pulsing gently in time with his masterful strokes.
Her breaths became more desperate as she reached up over her shoulder and touched the side of his face. She bit her lip, knowing she was close to coming. His fingers were doing wonders to her as her thighs strained to keep her upright.
As he tweaked her nipple, he applied just the right amount of pressure to the swollen bud between her legs. She gasped as her orgasm ripped through her body. Her legs trembled like an earthquake measuring seven on the Richter scale, but Troy held her firmly against his chest.
“I do like seeing you orgasm,” his breath hot on her neck while he watched her quaking body in the mirror. She turned her head away, embarrassed. “Don’t look away. You’re so beautiful. Can’t you see that?”
“I’m looking at you, not myself,” she said, drawing his attention to other things. Removing his hands from her pants, she turned toward him, placed her hands on his chest and felt his heart race beneath her touch. The sizzle beneath her fingertips had her anxious to feel his skin. His eyes never left hers as she undid the buttons of his shirt, peeled it from his shoulders and started to fold it neatly.
“What are you doing?” Troy asked, his brow furrowed.
“I’m putting your shirt—” She gasped when Troy reefed it out of her hands and threw it on the floor.
“I want to have sex with you. Not fold laundry.”
She was in love with Troy already. Not literally, of course. But he won her over then and there. Rodrigo had always ensured that his designer threads were folded and carefully hung away in the closet before anything went on in the bedroom. Troy’s disregard for his clothing was something she could get used to.
With hungry eyes, she surveyed the hard plane of his chest dusted with a splash of hair. Well-toned muscles rippled in the soft light as he moved. His solid waistline, smooth and firm, flinched as she clawed her nails over the surface of his skin. Hooking her fingers through his belt, she undid the buckle followed by the zipper on his jeans. Feeling his penis bulge beneath her fingertips sent pleasurable shockwaves coursing from her hand, up through her body and right down to her toes.
Boots and jeans were promptly removed before Troy’s hands laced around her once again. Her breath became more erratic as she took in every inch of his flesh. So much for those leathery, callused hands; she was amazed at how his touch was so soft.
He cupped her breast, leaned down and playfully nipped at it through the light padding of her bra. Her head fell back in bliss. With little effort, he unclasped her bra and let it fall away.
He groaned as he took one of her nipples into his mouth and sucked and licked her skin. If she wasn’t careful she was going to come again; she grinned.
She weaved her hands through his hair, tugged on it slightly and drew his lips back to hers. Troy’s hands drew around her, grabbed her ass and pulled himself against her. Carefully he guided her to take a few steps back into the bedroom until her knees butted up against the side of the bed.
Reaching down, she grabbed handfuls of the bedding and ripped the covers aside before returning to kiss the tip of his shoulder and trail her fingernails up his spine in featherlight strokes.
The look in his eyes made her breath catch in her throat. Such intensity. Such desire. Such want.
It was a split second that caught her by surprise. A flash of sadness flickered in his eyes, which made her heart lurch in her chest. Maybe this is what they both needed. A night to forget their problems, their past, their everything. Momentarily, anyway. Tomorrow the sun would rise and reality would have to be faced. Until then, she was going to have some fun.
Hunger returned to his eyes as he gently pushed her down onto the bed. He stood before her and rid himself of his trunks, freeing his hard erection. Oh my Lord! It was impressive, towering in the darkness before her. That thing could do some permanent damage. While grinning, he whisked off her panties and came forward to settle down on top of her. Skin against skin. Mouth against mouth. Body against body.
“Bugger! Stay there.” He pulled away abruptly, jumped off the bed and dashed out of the room.
What the hell happened? Did she do something wrong? She propped herself up on her elbows, looked around helplessly and wondered what was going on. Thank you, she said to the heavens when he returned seconds later with his wallet and saw him remove a condom.
Lucky Troy had one of those, because she certainly didn’t have any. Sex had not been on her agenda at all. What a letdown that would’ve been, to get this far and then, because of a lack of protection wouldn’t be able to … Although … think about all the other activities they could have done that didn’t involve penetration. Hmmm.
He waved the packet around playfully as he crawled back on to the bed.
“Allow me.” She grabbed the condom and smiled mischievously before ripping it open and carefully rolling the rubber down over his steel-like shaft. Her eyes never left his while she listened to his jagged breath. Grazing her fingers through his soft pubic hair and rubbing her hand along his hardened rod, she ensured the condom was in place. So firm. So hard. So ready.
Troy’s reassuring smile was all she needed as she lay back on the bed, drawing him to lie down on top of her. She wrapped her legs around his and melted into the mattress. His naked skin connecting with hers.
Gliding her fingers up along the full length of his arms, his hairs tickled her fingertips as they ran over the surface. Wriggling her hips, she drew her legs wider and felt the warm head of his erection press hard against her. He nudged at her opening. Te
ased her. Tormented her. Tantalized her with his rock-hard shaft. Delving into her arousal gently at first before sliding his full length deep into her. Her eyes widened in shock as her body adjusted to accommodate his size. Oh, yeah. So much bigger than Rodrigo.
As his hand shimmied over her flesh and curled around her thigh, he drove into her slowly, in and out, penetrating her deeper with every thrust. Her inner core clenched around him as he continued to plunge into her. Harder. Her breaths came shorter and sharper as she clawed into his back and tried to pull his body closer. Desperate for more connection. Meeting her demands and with a low rumbling in his throat, Troy buried himself within her.
She gasped when he hit a sensitive spot deep within her. His eyes glimmered with satisfaction as he repeated the same maneuver. The sound of her panting filled the air and her whole body tensed, begging for release. He tilted and jutted his hips against hers again and she was gone.
Digging her fingers into his back, every inch of her exploded as the toe-curling orgasm ripped through her. A guttural groan surged from Troy’s throat as he came; his body quivered above her. Her heart pounded as the seismic pulse coursed through her system. It was as if every knot and bit of tension that had built up over the past month had finally left her body. She should have had sex with a stranger sooner. It certainly achieved her goal of wanting to forget the dramas of the past few weeks.
Savoring the feel of him inside her, the sensual kiss he gave her filled her with tender warmth, sending her heart aflutter. This was new. Maybe this was how great sex was supposed to make you feel. Maybe she’d just had an average sex life and this now raised her benchmark to a whole new level. Maybe size made a difference after all, but Troy’s skill … After a lingering kiss on her lips, he withdrew and fell beside her. With a goofy smile on her face, she cuddled into his arms. “I don’t know about you, but that was just what I needed. Thank you.”
Did you thank someone for sex? Was that what you said on a one-night stand?
“No complaints here,” he said, his pulse still thundering through the veins visible in the side of his neck.
Kelleigh drew the cool cotton sheet over their bodies and curled in next to Troy. Every one of her limbs felt like jelly, all wobbly and useless. She was no expert at lovemaking; hell, she’d only been with a handful of guys in the course of her life to date, but something about Troy was different. The connection. The way he fit inside her. The way her body hummed when his lips were pressed against hers had her questioning her sanity. Troy felt so good and so right. What was with that? She’d only met him the previous day and this was not meant to be anything serious.
All this talk inside her head was silly nonsense and going nowhere fast. Troy was so not her type anyway. He sounded too much like Rodrigo with big plans, new projects and money-sucking ideas. Ha! She’d heard it all before and didn’t want to be near anyone like that ever again. Troy would be out of her bed and gone soon enough.
He rested his cheek against her head as she circled her fingers across his chest. Her eyelids started growing heavy as she listened to the rhythmic beat of his heart and he combed his fingers through her hair. He didn’t have to go just yet.
“Would you like to stay, or is there somewhere else you have to be?” Having him here beside her, holding him close for a while longer, would ward off reality for a little bit longer.
Silence filled the room as his chest rose and fell beneath the touch of her hand. Had she asked too much? A one-night stand was fine with her; she thought for one crazy moment it would be nice to wake up next to him. See those eyes in the morning light. Stupid, right?
“I can stay. That’d be nice because I’m not sure if my legs would be able to carry me out of here at the moment.” He kissed her hair and cuddled her.
She inhaled the scent of his spicy skin and nestled closer to him. This stranger in her bed for one night was just the therapy she needed.
Chapter 6
Troy snuck out of Kelleigh’s room at six o’clock in the morning and successfully avoided running into Grace as he tiptoed down the hallway, out the door to his Landcruiser and headed back out to Gumtrees. What a night it had been. Unexpected. Spontaneous. Hot. He grinned as he rolled his shoulder and stretched out his arm, trying to work out the soreness and stiffness from where Kelleigh slept soundly on it during the course of the night. The ache was definitely worth it.
He’d barely slept a wink. The stirring in his stomach had not settled, along with his inability to think straight, an escalated heart rate and clouded vision. The only way to describe it was like an irreversible chemical reaction had gone off in his head. It had his mind racing; why did he have to have such an attraction to someone temporary? Kelleigh was a one-night fling. That’s all there was to it, because he never wanted to risk another broken heart, disappoint anyone or lose somebody ever again. Life was good as it was.
Pulling into Gumtrees, he parked his Landcruiser in the shed and headed straight for the barn. He gathered two buckets of lucerne chaff and made his way over to the horse yards to feed Mustang and Sterling their breakfast before heading out into the vineyard. Glancing up, he saw Nick striding toward him. Troy tipped the buckets of food into the feed bins hanging on the rails and placed them on the ground as Nick neared him. Troy pushed the rim of his hat up to greet him. “Hey Nick. Morning.”
“Crashed at Harrigan’s again, did you?” Nick smirked, noticing he had the same attire on as last night. “You gotta stop crashing on the couch at Grace’s. Can’t be good for your health.”
“No couch last night, mate.” Troy lowered his eyes and couldn’t wipe the grin off his face.
“Ah. A good night, hey?” Nick slapped him hard on his back and laughed heartily. “Good to see you’re not hung up on Jessica anymore.”
“You should know me better than that. I’m not hung up on her. Haven’t been for ages.”
Troy scratched at his unshaven chin. He couldn’t deny he’d put in a decent amount of effort to rekindle his relationship with Jessica a couple of years ago, but he’d had to admit the spark wasn’t there between them anymore. Twenty years had passed since high school and they’d both grown in different directions. She was all about big cities, the corporate life and the rich lifestyle to go along with it. To see her again after so many years, when he returned to the Hunter Valley, was both wonderful and shocking. To find out he’d left her pregnant the night he took off for America when he was seventeen, and she’d raised their son without him, shattered him to the core. With great effort, they’d managed to become friends again. He may not have won her heart, losing out to Nate Somers, hotel billionaire extraordinaire, but he’d gained a son. Conner turned twenty-two in a few months. Troy still found it hard some days to fathom, but he relished every moment he spent with him.
Jessica would always have a place in his heart, Nicola even more so. No other encounter proved to be more meaningful. But something about being with Kelleigh last night had him questioning his state of mind. He hadn’t felt the need to have a partner in his life. Was that starting to change? But who’d want to be out here? Who’d want to live away from the big city lights in the country? Who’d want a man whose heart was incomplete? Oh no, was this his midlife crisis?
Visions of being with Kelleigh flickered through his mind. The very thought of her made his nether regions stir. She was feisty, mysterious and openly admitted to having a truckload of problems that were best left untouched. Still, it was hard not to think about her.
“On that note, you know Jessica’s coming back in a couple of weeks to run the Wine Trade Festival and wants to stay here. Nate and the baby will be with her, that all right with you?”
“Nate? Sure, it’s all fine by me.” Troy no longer felt jealous twinges at the sound of the man’s name who had won Jessica’s heart. Nate was a good man and the perfect match for Jessica.
Usually Jessica called or emailed him, but he’d been occupied last night and hadn’t been home to check for any messages this morn
ing. Troy hadn’t seen her in about six months; he couldn’t keep track of her whereabouts, with her jet-setting lifestyle and living between England and Australia. Her business, Kick Event Management and Marketing, had expanded successfully overseas since she did the opening of the new Somers Hotel on Darling Harbour two years ago. Her job seemed like too much stress for his liking.
“I also got a call from a property developer. JRL or JLR … something like that. They want a meeting with us next Tuesday to talk about a project they want to build in the region. It sounds like more of a nice meet and greet than anything else. I think you should be in on it. I’ll email you the calendar invite.”
“Okay, count me in.” Troy said. There was so much property development going on throughout the Valley, it would be interesting to see what was in the pipeline.
“You fixed that crusher yet?”
“No. Haven’t found the problem. I’m sure it’s something really simple like a jam. I’ll get to it before the week is out, but today I have to spray the top verdelho paddock, the lower chardonnays tomorrow, and then Conner’s coming up for the weekend. He can help me fix Larry’s fence since he’s sick again and Jett’s away. I only managed a makeshift repair job on Monday afternoon. Time has got away from me since then and I haven’t managed to get back to fix it properly.”
“Geez, Larry’s not well, is he? I’ll go over and visit him later on and see how he’s doing.” Nick rubbed his arm while worry etched his brow, and then changed to his favorite subject. “How’s the fruiting? Later on, can you bring up a sample of the semillon for testing in the lab? We have to watch these babies to make sure the sugar levels are just right for picking. We should only be a few weeks off harvesting.”