by Sue MacKay
Harper came straight back. ‘You shouldn’t be drinking. You’re pregnant.’
‘Strictly orange juice for me. But thought you might want to join Steve in a beer. If you’ve got time, that is.’
Cody felt laughter beginning to rise up his throat. These White girls knew how to wind each other up something awful and didn’t care who else they caught in the web. He turned to Steve. ‘Do they ever let up?’
‘Better get used to it.’ The guy nodded, then added, ‘If you’re hanging around, that is.’
‘Jeez, you’re no better.’ He should’ve done as Harper had demanded and told the taxi driver to turn around while he’d had the chance. Was he hanging around? Did he want to spend time with Harper? Time beyond today and what they were heading for at his house? Yes. Yes. Oh, hell, yes.
Steve chuckled. ‘The White family is not for the faint-hearted.’
Right now Cody couldn’t give a damn about his heart, faint or not. All he wanted was Harper in his arms so he could do things with her that no one else need know about. ‘That meter’s ticking over,’ he called down the hall.
Suzanne added, ‘He’s impatient, Harper. Better get a move on.’
Steve just chuckled again and headed inside. ‘I’m having my beer.’
Harper burst out the door, nothing more in her hand than the handbag she’d carried inside. ‘Have a great night, you two.’
Get in, be seen to do the right thing and get out: Cody couldn’t argue with that. He caught her elbow and started down the path. ‘See you, Suzanne, Steve.’
‘We’ll see you at Levi’s party,’ Suzanne said.
‘Maybe,’ he muttered, and got a quizzical look from the woman he was hurrying towards the taxi. ‘One thing at a time,’ he told her.
Tonight was about Harper. And him. And that incredible need cranking up again with every step he took away from the nosey sister. Getting Harper into the cab made him hum. Giving the driver his address caused him to pause for a breath, then shrug. He’d already admitted to himself he was more than interested in furthering their relationship. Letting her into his home was another step in the right direction.
*
Cody’s solid timber front door closed with a heavy thud behind them, and Harper gazed around at the wide entrance with massive painted pots filled with flowers placed strategically on either side. ‘Those are beautiful.’ The house was massive. She’d been wrong to think he’d bought a starter house. Unless he was aiming for a castle some time.
‘Did I get the colours right, then?’ Cody asked with a little hitch in his voice.
‘Did you choose these?’ Had he been winding her up about being colour-blind? She turned to look closely at him, wondering about that hitch, and saw nothing but pride in his expression.
‘The pots are my mother’s. She had them for years, since before they were fashionable. Dad gave them to her for their thirtieth wedding anniversary. Unfortunately there’s nowhere for them in her room at the rest home. These need space to be appreciated. As for the flowers, I get the local florist to take care of those.’ His chest lifted on a deep breath, drawing her gaze and reminding her why they were here.
As if she needed reminding, when her body was ramped up and in hot turmoil. Her heart hadn’t stopped its heavy tattoo since they’d been in the pub. Not even seeing that smug, knowing look on Suzanne’s face had quietened it down. There’d been a moment when they’d first pulled up outside her apartment when the heat in her belly had cooled a weeny bit. But one look at Cody, one word spoken in that husky voice, the slightest of touches from his hand and arm and, pow…where were the fans? She flapped her hand in front of her face. Her body needed relief. Relief of the kind that only a man could give, a man built like a sex god. Not any sex god either. Cody. The one and only. To hell with vases and flowers.
Harper reached for him.
He grasped her, those hands heavy and hot on her waist.
Pulling at his shirt, she pushed it up over that magnificent expanse of chest so she could see it, feel it, without the hindrance of clothing. His body was better than her imagination had conjured up.
Cody tugged at her blouse, pulling it free of her skirt, taking it up and over her head, his gaze fixed on her lace-covered breasts. Thank goodness she’d left her plain, sensible bras in the drawer that morning.
Leaning in, she kissed a trail over the warm skin tempting her. She started with one nipple and worked her way across to its opposite number, tasting, sipping, enjoying.
His fingers slid up under her bra, found her breasts and cupped them while his thumbs flicked back and forth over her taut nipples.
It wasn’t enough. Her body craved Cody’s. All of Cody’s. Against her, inside her, with her. Her fingers worked the button of his chinos, then the fly that strained against the throbbing, hard heat pushing between them. Then he was filling her hands with all that hot length. Her fingers wound around his shaft, tightened, loosened, tightened.
Above her head, Cody gasped. His hands groped for her skirt, found the zip and jerked it down, shoving at it until it slid over her hips to pool at her feet. Then she was in his arms, being lifted and turned so her back was against the wall.
Winding her legs around his waist and her arms behind his head, Harper lifted her mouth to his. He was ready for her, his lips swollen and demanding. As she closed her eyes, Harper wondered if she’d fallen into a deep dream. This was beyond great, beyond anything she could dream of. The male scent of Cody’s skin filled her nostrils. Those large, strong hands held her tight yet easy. They touched, teased, tweaked, caressed. They drove her to the edge in a very short time.
Pulling her mouth free, she managed a strangled, ‘Cody…’ before he claimed her again, giving more kisses, taking hers in return. Whatever she’d been about to say was whisked away in a haze of need.
She couldn’t wait any longer. Her throbbing, moist sex was way past ready. ‘Please,’ she begged as her hands found him again, pushing his boxers aside.
‘Wait.’
She couldn’t.
‘Condom,’ he wheezed through gritted teeth. ‘Pocket. Trousers.’
How was it that his chinos hadn’t slid down to his ankles? Not enough movement could be the problem. She grinned under his mouth. Her fingers dug into his back pocket and thankfully it was the right one. She mightn’t be able to last long enough to do a search of every pocket on those trousers.
‘Hold on.’ Cody tore open the packet with his teeth.
Wrapping her arms around his neck and tightening her grip with her legs, she obeyed. And then…then… He was filling her, with heat and movement, himself.
She’d been mad to think she could go without Cody even for the past week. She’d wasted days. Tipping her head back hard against the wall, she gave into the sensations tripping and ripping through her; gave in to the need clawing at her insides; gave in to Cody’s hot demands and accepted his gift as he made love to her as she’d never been made love to before.
*
Cody scooped Harper up into his arms from where they’d finished up sprawled over the floor, precariously close to one of those massive pottery urns. ‘Let’s make ourselves comfortable,’ he murmured near her ear and headed for the stairs that led to his bedroom.
‘Mmm.’ She barely moved, her eyelids stayed closed, but that delicious—yep, now he knew how delicious—mouth curved up into a beautiful smile that sent warmth spearing at his heart.
Whoa. His heart had nothing to do with what had just gone down between them. That would be plain dumb. No matter how great the sex was, how well they got on, what if he gave her his heart and he lost her? He couldn’t guarantee he could survive that a second time. He’d believed after Sadie had been killed that nothing similar would happen to him again. Then along had come Strong and the body packer. Terrifying. Did violence follow him? What if something occurred he couldn’t protect Harper from? He’d failed with Sadie. He wouldn’t risk not getting it right for this surprise package in his arm
s. She didn’t deserve his mistakes.
Harper’s lips grazed his jaw, her tongue flicking over his lips, turning up his blood to race along his veins.
Now is not the time for this, his inner voice snapped. Enjoy, have fun, forget consequences. Just go with the moment.
Not a bad plan, he admitted. At the door of his bedroom, he paused. ‘Now you get to tell me what colour to decorate in here.’
Her eyes slowly opened and she peered around. ‘This is a bedroom? It’s the size of my whole apartment.’ Her head came up off his chest as she tried to take in more. ‘Cripes. I don’t believe what I’m seeing.’ She snuggled down against him again, her eyes now shut and her mouth still smiling. ‘I knew I was dreaming.’
Cody laughed as he gently laid Harper on the bed before crossing to open the windows and let some air in. The room pretty much got all-day sun, which on a day when the temperature had been high made it a furnace.
A light sea breeze obliged him, sending soft tendrils of cooler air over his skin. ‘Feel that?’ he asked as he lay down beside this woman who had him all shaken up. Or was that all melted down?
‘It’s wonderful. So is that finger you’re trailing over my breast.’ Totally uninterested in where she was, and only in what he was doing to her body, she stretched like a cat, her arms above her head, her feet reaching to the bottom of the bed. They were never going to find it, the bed being super-king-sized and Harper being about five-six.
But, now that he’d relaxed again and put other things out of his head, he loved watching those cute feet with their—blue?—nails moving back and forth across the cover. ‘What colour’s your nail polish?’
‘Dark pink.’
‘Not blue, then.’
Those eyes he’d grown very fond of twinkled with mirth. ‘Nowhere near, buster.’
‘For what it’s worth, I like dark-pink-slash-blue.’ He stretched out on his side beside Harper and draped an arm over her waist. ‘It would look good on these walls.’
Her eyes widened and the twinkles just got brighter. ‘Very masculine, I’m sure. You could have light pink curtains to match. Duvet in pink and white. Yes, I can see it now.’ Her gaze roamed the room and her expression got a little serious. ‘What an amazing space. You can do so much with this.’
‘Starting with showcasing the view. I’m planning on bigger, lower windows so I can see out over the bay while lying in bed.’ He still pinched himself that he’d been able to purchase this property. There’d been two other buyers trying to outbid him, but once he’d started he’d had to have it. He’d probably spent tens of thousands too many but as he intended staying put for the foreseeable future he knew it was money well spent. As long as he got the renovations right, as well as the colour scheme.
Harper was giggling. Giggling? What happened to serious? Now very immature and absolutely loveable. ‘Don’t make those windows too low or you won’t be able to do anything interesting in this bed without an audience. Even if you are two storeys up.’
There was his cue, if he needed one. ‘Then we’d better make the most of how things are at the moment.’
‘I like the way you think.’ She rolled into him, all soft, pliant and utterly desirable.
Would he ever be able to get enough of her? He hoped so or he was in trouble. ‘Lie back and enjoy. This is your moment.’
‘But I want to play too.’
‘Oh, Harper, you’re going to play, believe me.’ And he proceeded to show her exactly what he meant.
*
Harper rolled over and put a forearm over her eyes to blot out the sunlight streaming in through the windows. Her body ached pleasurably everywhere, even in places she hadn’t known existed until now. Not that she was complaining. Not at all. They were delicious aches. This had to be the best way ever invented to wake up. Shaking her head, she stifled a laugh. She’d got it bad. Got Cody bad. Crikey, but he’d delivered, more than once. More than twice. Even after taking time out for food, because they’d needed sustenance to carry on playing, he’d known how to keep her keen and willing. The man rocked.
She grinned and stretched, making herself as long as possible, reaching for each end of the bed and not quite making it. Maybe she’d finally found her hobby. One that didn’t give her grazes or bruises, or bored her senseless.
‘What’s making you look so satisfied with yourself?’
‘Oh, you know. It’s Saturday and I’m not going to work. The sun’s shining and the wind hasn’t come up yet. I’ve got nothing I have to do by any specific time.’
‘Zero to do with amazing sex, then. I get it.’ Cody stood at the end of the bed, grinning down at her, that well-honed body just as mouth-watering now as it had been the first time she’d seen it. ‘You won’t be wanting your messages, then.’ He held out her phone.
‘Where did that get to?’ She pushed up against the pillows and took it to scroll through the latest texts.
‘Behind a flower pot and under these.’ He held up her panties and swung them on one finger. ‘Just as well we haven’t reached the technological age where our phone screens automatically show the view.’
‘Drat. I forgot to cancel that.’
‘Cancel what?’ The bed dipped as Cody sat down beside her.
‘A paddle-board. I was going to give it a go but changed my mind.’ She felt a little sheepish as his eyes widened and a laugh rumbled over his tongue.
‘You what?’
‘I figured if I fell off…make that when I fell off…I’d have a soft landing and no scrapes or bruises.’ She stared out at the sparkling blue-green harbour and shook her head. ‘But why spend all that money when I know I’ll only give up after the first attempt? I don’t have a sports bone in my body.’ She could give the board to the kids.
‘I beg to differ. You can be very athletic when you find the right activity.’
When she caught his gaze, she saw amusement gleaming out at her and she blushed. ‘Didn’t even graze my knees.’ Her eyes cruised over him and stopped at his scratched upper arms. Gulp. ‘Did I do that?’ She couldn’t have.
‘Yep.’
Contrition jarred her. ‘I’m sorry,’ she muttered. ‘I don’t… Haven’t… Sorry,’ she repeated lamely and stared at her fingernails. She must’ve been out of her mind with desire. Yeah, she had been. Cody had driven her over the edge easily, often, and she couldn’t be held responsible for her actions.
‘Hey.’ A large hand covered both hers. ‘What’s a few light scratches in the heat of the moment? I didn’t notice until I got under the shower and added soap to the mix.’
‘Now, there’s a thought. A shower.’ Her muscles were in need of a warm soak—a long one, at that.
‘Help yourself. There’re towels on the heated rail. Want to stroll down to Oriental Parade after and find somewhere to have breakfast?’
‘Sounds perfect.’
But as she stood under the jets of hot water she couldn’t help wondering where this was going. One night of sex, the best sex ever, didn’t change everything. She still had to work with Cody afterwards. She still couldn’t give him children—which was getting way too far ahead of things. She still couldn’t trust her heart to anyone either, not even Cody. Again, getting way too ahead of herself. Or was she? The feelings rolling through her at the moment were warm, soft, happy and…exciting.
Rinsing the knots out of her hair, she lathered Cody’s shampoo through while her mind worked overtime. She was definitely getting way ahead of herself. She’d done that with Darren and had believed everything was working out perfectly. She needed to take a back step to protect herself, remind herself what the future held, because already it was apparent she couldn’t have a few nights of sex with Cody and wave goodbye as she’d done with the two previous sexual encounters she’d indulged in since her marriage had caved.
A few nights? Who’d said anything about any more nights together? Neither of them had, but there hadn’t been time. Easy enough to remedy. She’d started the ball rolling yes
terday when she’d hauled him out of the pub. She could, and would, do something similar today if necessary, and somehow she didn’t think Cody was finished with her yet.
She reached blindly for hair conditioner and opened her eyes. None. Damn. Her hair felt hard and icky with only shampoo through it. Suck it up. There wouldn’t be a blow-dryer either. Bad hair day coming up.
Snapping off the water, she reached for a towel, soft, large and smelling of aloe vera. Rubbing her nose against the soft weave, she sighed with pleasure. So the man had taste in towels and soap powder. And she had it real bad. Forget it, Harper. He’s not for keeps. He could be, if she’d had what he needed, but she didn’t.
So, should she dry off, shuck back into yesterday’s clothes and head out the front door with a casual wave and a thanks for the great sex, see you on Monday tossed over her shoulder?
Something like that made a lot of sense.
She always did sensible these days.
A little gremlin woke up fast. So don’t. Be different. Instigate more sex later today. Accept what you can’t change and go for whatever you want anyway.
That could end up with someone getting hurt. Cody. Or her. But the idea of having a relationship expanded as fast as she tried to push it away. After Darren, she’d believed she’d be single for the rest of her life unless she found a man over eighty who didn’t want children interrupting his sleep, and she still thought that. But her conversation with Jason echoed somewhere in the back of her mind. Maybe she could have a different dream. What she could do, and it seemed really wanted to do, was have fun with a man. Not only in bed, or on the floor in the entranceway, but over breakfast on the Parade, going to the movies, playing cricket together with the brat pack, or spending time with her family and getting teased silly. Or choosing paint colours.
‘You going to be all day?’ Cody leaned against the doorframe, hands in his jeans pockets, for all appearances like he had the whole day to wait for her. ‘You left the door open.’
She hadn’t noticed. Warmth stole through her. Not rampaging heat that ended in an orgasm, but soft heat that touched her heart, her toes, her tummy and all places in between. He made her feel good about herself. Not something she’d experienced for a long time. For too long. ‘I don’t suppose you’ve got a drawer full of make-up anywhere?’