I laugh as this means nothing to me, but I know I’m about to get a crash course about what we’re watching. “Did you ever play rugby?”
“Yeah, boys in country Queensland are raised on union. I don’t think you could get the ball away from my brothers or me when we were kids.” A comforting smile stretches across his face as he thinks about his childhood.
“What else do you remember from being a kid out in the country?” I smile as I imagine Aiden as a small child running through the paddocks, teasing cattle and jumping into his property’s dams.
“There are so many stories, I’m not sure I’d know where to begin. Out here you learn to play with what’s around you. I always think about the times after harvest, where my brothers and I would climb all over the wheat piles. Roll around in them and play fight for hours. It was so much fun.”
The smile on Aiden’s face makes my heart feel warm. There is so much I want to know about this man. “Tell me more.”
Laughing, he says, “We loved hunting for yabbies along the edge of the dam.”
“Yabbies? What’s that?”
“Oh, I almost forgot you wouldn’t know that. Yabbies are what you would call crawfish. Well, once my brothers and I caught a whole bunch of them. We thought we would try to keep them as pets. Mum was not impressed but figured boys will be boys. We wound up taking them onto the trampoline and bouncing them around with them nipping at our feet before trying to set up a little home in a cardboard box for them. I think we played with them until dinner when mum then decided to cook them up for us to eat.”
“Sounds like you had a fun childhood.”
Still lost in his memories, he says, “I sure did. I hope I can give my kids the same one day.” He pulls me close as he says this, nuzzling his nose into my hair. He presses my head against his chest, making me feel content as well as secure.
We snuggle while he tries to explain the intricacies of rugby, during the first half of the game. As the refs blow the whistle for halftime, I hear his heart beating through his shirt.
He smooths my hair with the palm of his hand as he takes my arm and gently stretches it out against his. His fingers caress the inside of my arm over and over. The slight tickle of his fingertips sends me into a state of deep relaxation and I drift off to sleep in his embrace.
SEVERAL HOURS LATER, I stir, still in Aiden’s arms on the couch. It’s dark outside, so I do not understand why I am awake. I carefully free myself from his grasp and sit up. I listen, but all I hear is the hypnotising sounds of chirping crickets and cicadas in an outback night.
For a moment, I sit and observe Aiden sleeping. He’s a beautiful, gentle soul. I want to know everything about him. My head tells me I shouldn’t be feeling something for my kidnapper, but I do feel something and I can no longer ignore it. My heart cannot explain it to my head though I wish it would try.
A noise I do not recognise breaks me away from my thoughts. The dogs sound riled up, but I’m still not sure if I should be alarmed since this country life is so new to me. Just in case, I gently shake Aiden to alert him.
“Aiden,” I whisper while nudging him.
He comes to explosively, swinging his arms in front of him, as though he’s fending off an attack. His eyes are wild.
Startled, I push myself backwards to get out of his way. I yelp out in fear. “Aiden, it’s me Holly.”
I see reality register across his face as his expression softens from rage to one of shame. “Oh, God, Holly. I’m so sorry. I didn’t know where I was for a second.”
Drawing his attention to a possible problem outside, I tell him, “I think there’s something wrong with the dogs.”
Aiden goes on point and hears the dogs stirred up. Putting his hand on my shoulder, he says, “Wait here. I’ll go take a look.”
He goes into a nearby closet, pulls out a shotgun and goes out the front door. I’m not sure what shocks me more, his reaction when I woke him, or that he just pulled out a gun.
Wait a minute, Australia has tough gun laws. So, why does he have that?
Fifteen minutes later, Aiden comes back inside. “I didn’t see anything, but I might take Dusty out and check again.”
“Aiden, why do you have a gun? I thought there were gun laws here…”
“Don’t be alarmed. Everyone with a property gets a licence to have them. I would never use it except to protect my family, my animals or you.”
I must still look alarmed as he comes close to me, brushes my hair off my face and looks into my eyes. “I will not let any harm come to you, Holly.”
I nod before grabbing his hand. “I trust you.”
“Why don’t you go hop into bed and get some sleep. I may be a while checking things.”
I watch him leave before I go up and get into bed. As I pull the sheet up towards my chin, a flash from my finger catches my eye.
My wedding ring.
For a moment, I am torn about whether I should keep it on or remove it. I sit up in bed and look around the room.
What life would I rather be a part of? One with a man that couldn’t care less or one with a man that seems to care more than I ever could imagine?
With my right hand, I loosen the ring on my left ring finger. It slides easily off and I place it into the nightstand drawer. Taking this off takes me further away from the life I no longer want to lead.
I stretch out my hand, looking at the indentation from where the ring once was. I do not feel sad. I actually feel relief.
Maybe Aiden is right. My marriage, or should I say failed marriage, should not define me any longer.
As I lie back down, I try to fall asleep, but I just can’t. It’s too quiet without Aiden in the house. I miss feeling his presence by me.
Hopefully, he gets home soon so I can have those arms around me as I sleep.
You would think that after all the nights Tom left me home alone that I wouldn’t be bothered being alone now. But I am. Seeing that empty space in bed next to me, I know I want it to be filled with Aiden.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
STRETCHING OUT UNDER those soft, downy sheets, I wake to a sweet perfume wafting through the air. On the bedside table, I see a vase with fresh cut lavender along with some other native flower I don’t recognise. Aiden must have put them here this morning while I was still asleep. I smile at the thought of him always putting fresh flowers around me.
The memory of the roses back in my office flashes through my mind.
Oh, my God, was it Aiden that sent me those flowers?
I slip out of bed to go find him, but all I find is a note telling me he has gone out to do some work. After eating breakfast and taking a shower, I grab the book I’ve been reading and head out to the veranda. Walking through the house, I see the television and decide to turn on the news.
I’m curious if there is anything about me missing. I watch for a bit, but there’s nothing mentioned. As I turn the television off, relief washes over me. I’m glad there was nothing on the news because I don’t want to be found yet. Or maybe I never want to be found?
Well past lunchtime, I see a small cloud of dust on the distant horizon. My stomach flutters knowing it is Aiden returning home. I put my book down to go and greet him.
He has his shirt sleeves rolled up and I can see his flexed muscles as he comes to a halt. Aiden swings down off Dusty and saunters straight over to me. He takes my chin in his hand, tilts my face back and gives me a passionate kiss. “Hi, Love. How was your morning?” he murmurs to me.
“It’s been good. What have you been doing?”
“When I was trying to work out what was upsetting the dogs, I noticed a windmill wasn’t working, so I’ve been out getting her going again.”
“Do you have much else to do today?” I have my fingers crossed in hope he says ‘no’ because I want to be wrapped around him the rest of the day.
“I’ve a couple things to do, but other than that, I’m all yours,” he says with a seductive look that causes my insides to clench
in excitement.
“How about I make us some sandwiches from the leftover lamb chops?”
“If you want, that’d be great. I’ll go take a quick shower first.”
As we walk inside, Aiden unbuttons and takes off his shirt. I cannot help but be hypnotised by the sight of his bare chest. A fire lights up inside me as I see his tanned, hard body and I’m not sure how much longer I can contain it.
I hear him turn the water on upstairs as I make a couple sandwiches in the kitchen. I pour us both a glass of ice water and place them down next to the plate of sandwiches.
Maybe he’s thirsty from being outside all day.
I take a glass of ice water up to him while he’s in the shower. I knock on the bathroom door as I hear the tap being turned off.
Aiden opens the door and he’s standing there holding a damp towel around his waist while a few drops of water slowly fall down the curves of his muscular chest. The towel hangs low enough that I can see his lower abdominal area where it forms a V-shape. It is as though it is guiding me down towards the package my body aches to receive.
I’m fixated by this Adonis standing before me and for a moment, I lose all train of thought of what I had come up to do. “I, uh, thought you might want some water.”
He grabs the glass from my hand and drinks a few sips. I see a bead of condensation from the glass drop onto his chest and roll down over his large, defined pec muscles. I can’t hold myself back any longer.
Reaching out, I trace the line of where the water droplet was to wipe it away and tease this man that stands before me.
Aiden looks at me with an inferno in his eyes. Holding the glass down by his side, he reaches out for me with his other arm, pulling me hard against his body. He kisses me passionately, his tongue exploring my mouth, tasting my sweetness. Without putting the glass down, he lifts and carries me into my bedroom. The strength of this man drives me wild.
He places the glass on the nightstand and lays me down on the bed. He straddles me, hovering inches above my trembling body. The heat between is at boiling point as my flesh aches to be filled with all of him.
His towel now hangs open, halfway falling towards the ground. I want to look at him, take in all of his nakedness. But I’m entranced in that animalistic gaze he’s giving me.
I think he still hesitates, waiting to see what boundaries I have for him. So, I unbutton my shirt and push it open, slowly sliding it off while staying underneath him.
Once I am down to just my bra, only semi-exposed to whatever he wants to do with me, he lets himself drop down against my skin. I shiver at the sensation of his naked chest finally melting against my flesh.
His kiss moves from my mouth down to my neck. With my hands, I explore his muscles, waiting patiently to use my mouth on them.
Feverish, he moves his mouth lower towards my breasts. His arm reaches around my back to pull me up and remove my bra, releasing my breasts from their restraint.
As soon as they are free, he drops me gently down against the bed. Taking my hands in his, he holds them above my head, while kissing my lips again.
His voice is husky and soft-spoken. “Keep your hands above your head.”
I nod in submission enjoying his command over my flesh.
His index fingers roll my nipples around. I moan as they harden between his fingertips. He moves down over my breasts and takes one into his mouth as his hand pays attention to the other. He tongues over each one, giving them equally generous attention. Sucking onto them softly at first, and then harder, causing me to arch my back up against him, aching for more.
Grabbing for his hands, I guide them down towards the top of my shorts. He stops and looks at me to make sure this is what I want. Looking into those alluring eyes, I nod while mouthing, “Make me yours.”
He pushes against my shorts to force them off while I pull the towel away from him leaving him completely exposed. I’m intoxicated by the sensation of his solid body pressed up against my bare chest.
Once he has my shorts completely off, he comes back up to kiss me on the neck. It sends a shiver right up my spine.
The palm of his hand hovers over my panties. I arch my back to force his hand to make contact with me. He doesn’t make me wait any longer. Finally, he places that strong hand against me and I moan from the sensation.
The combination of his kiss moving down my body, and across my breasts as he rubs his palm over my panties, is overwhelming.
Moaning again, my body begs for his fingers to touch under that layer of silk and move deeper inside. Panting, I plead with him. “Please, touch me.”
Aiden moves his position so that his hard shaft is pressing against my leg. I reach out to try to take him into my hands, but he moves it away from my grasp. “Relax, we are in no hurry. I want to take my time with you, Holly.”
Using his hands to push my panties down, he kisses across my stomach, while my body quivers underneath. He moves lower and lower until his mouth hovers right over my exposed pussy lips. He pauses as if he’s breathing me in, but still does not touch me.
Oh, how I want him to use those hands and that mouth to ravish me.
Lifting himself higher above me, he moves on top of me like a lion over its prey. Sexy, seductively, taking his time, deciding where he wants to pounce next.
Studying my body and all the areas he has yet to explore, he teases me by moving back up to kiss me on the mouth.
I groan out in displeasure as I want to be touched below, but he won’t give it to me yet.
He presses his whole body against my naked flesh causing a heat between us that is more intense than I have ever felt with a man before now. He reaches up and grabs my hands, pulling them down towards his body.
He is finally letting me touch him!
I rub my fingers around his rippling muscles, exploring the ridges of his sinewy arms and the tightness of his backside. I cannot help but try to grind against him, though he continues to hold me tight, attempting to delay what I am begging for.
Breaking our kiss, he whispers in my ear sarcastically, “Always in a hurry, aren’t we, Holly?” I moan out beneath him as I want to be filled. “Not so fast, gorgeous. Let me savour you and teach you how here in the outback you can take your time with everything.”
Oh, God!
I don’t know how much more I can hold on. I’m on edge and he has not even touched me there yet.
He kisses my neck again, sending a shiver through me as he moves towards my breasts once more. He sucks on my left nipple and as he rolls it and nibbles it gently between his teeth, I finally sense his finger between my slit.
Oh, touch me deep, please.
He places the base of his palm firmly against the top of my mound while he starts circling inside with his finger. Still sucking and nibbling my breasts, he places a second finger inside me. Still circling and still palming the top of my pussy, I tighten around him.
I’m getting close and I arch against his hand, hoping he will give me what I desire most.
He whispers. “Wait, Holly, not yet. Close your eyes and feel me inside you.”
He reaches over to grab the glass of ice water off the nightstand. He takes a sip, grabbing a piece of ice between his lips. With the ice, he traces a path from the nape of my neck down towards each breast.
Oh, my senses are on overload now.
Hovering for a moment, holding the ice above each nipple, he lets it melt against the heat of my skin. I moan from the sensation as well as the anticipation of where he will go with it next.
Slowly, he moves his ice kiss lower and lower, across my stomach, all the way to my pussy lips. Using both of his hands, he rubs up between my thighs, gently pushing them apart. With his fingers, he parts my folds, exposing my sex fully to him. Leaning down towards me, he begins to tongue me with the ice as he pushes those two fingers back inside.
Oh my, I’ve never felt ice there before.
It’s almost too intense, so I try to push him away from me, but he won�
�t let me move. He enjoys holding me in place, making me submit to him.
He lets the ice linger against me, tracing circular motions all around my clit and my heated entrance. Unhurriedly, he does this in calculated moves until it completely melts into me.
Once the ice has melted, Aiden mouths my clit as he increases the speed of his finger massage inside me. He must feel me clenching tight, getting closer and closer to exploding, because he increases the intensity of how hard and fast he’s circling.
I cannot take it anymore. Moaning out, I grab onto the back of his head and explode against both his mouth and fingers.
After a few moments, I look down at him and I see him waiting above me with a satisfied smile. He doesn’t say a thing but his expression speaks volumes. He is one satisfied man and yet the satisfaction was truly all mine. I’m not used to a man seeming so pleased from the pleasure they have given me.
His hands and tongue have just stoked the fire inside me, leaving me wanting more. Pulling him down against me, I want to get the real prize my body has ached for. But first, it’s my turn to tease and play with him. I must bring him to the edge of ecstasy before completely giving myself to him.
The tables have turned now, Aiden!
After getting on top of him, I begin my assault on his flesh. Taking my time, I kiss and rub every inch of his body. I am careful to not touch his hard cock as I want to tease him and make him wait just as he made me.
I kiss his lower stomach and down each side of the V-shaped ridge created by his lean abdominal muscles. Kissing up the inside of each thigh, I move closer and closer to the base of his shaft.
Breathing that heady scent of earth and sweat drives me wild fuelling the fire between us. Hovering my open mouth above the top of his shaft, I hear him stifle a moan. Sucking him into my mouth, I tighten my lips around his shaft as I take him in. I stroke and massage him with my lips and tongue. Slow at first, then harder and faster. Rhythmically, not breaking a beat.
Taken Outback (The Dusty Rider Series Book 1) Page 14