“In a moment,” she said, “I’m going to go down on you, Niall.” Her eyes came up to look into his, filled with heat and desire. She put her mouth close to his ear and continued to stroke him as she spoke huskily. “I’m going to take you in my mouth, and I want you to close your eyes and think about how you’re plunging between my lips. I want you to think about my tongue teasing here…” and she rubbed her thumb over the moisture on the end, “and how I’m going to lick this up.” She grazed her teeth on his earlobe. “And I want you to imagine how it’s going to feel when you finally come and fill up my mouth. You know what? I’m going to swallow it, and I’m going to love every minute of it.”
By now, he was so hard he thought he could have come just listening to her erotic words. But she was obviously determined to do more than just describe the act. Her grip was firm, her touch sure, and when she finally shifted again in the seat and lowered her head, he was unable to do anything except let his head fall back on the headrest and stare up at the roof of the car.
She covered the tip with her mouth, and the sensation of being encased in warm, wet heat caused a long groan to escape him. Sliding her lips down his shaft, she explored him with her tongue. The rough surface stroked across every vein and ridge before she teased the bead of moisture that had formed on the end with the tip of her tongue.
She’d tied her hair back into a ponytail, and he wound it around his fingers before placing a hand on her head, feeling it dip as she slid her lips up and down. Fuck, that was sexy. He clenched his fingers, tightening his hold on her hair, and she moaned and sucked harder.
“Jesus. Gin.”
But she wasn’t done with him yet. While one hand massaged his shaft with firm strokes, she set up a relentless pace, taking him deeper in her mouth every time. To his surprise, she lifted her other hand, placed it on top of his where he held her head, and pushed lightly.
Up to that point, he’d let her be the guide as to how deep she took him, not wanting to hurt her or make her gag, but he didn’t have to be told twice. His breathing turning ragged, he held her in place and gave in to the urge to push up his hips, sending him deeper into her mouth. She moaned, coating his erection with saliva to ease his passage inside.
Heat built inside his balls, and his fingers tightened in her hair as she deep-throated him, the first time a woman had done that for him. Just the thought of it would have been his undoing—the act itself was enough to fast forward his climax, and it hit him like a baseball bat. He came hard, feeling jet after jet spurt into her waiting mouth, which she promptly swallowed down, her throat contracting around him.
“Fuck.” The word was vehement and heartfelt, and he was far from apologizing for it. He leaned his head back and groaned as his muscles continued to pulse while her mouth milked every last drop out of him.
When she eventually lifted her head, he was like a wrung-out dishcloth, empty and exhausted. He continued to stare at the roof of the car for a few moments longer, then rolled his head to look at her with a mixture of wonder and exasperation.
She wiped delicately at the corners of her mouth. “Mm.”
“Fucking hell.” He looked back at the roof, shaking his head.
She laughed. “What?”
“I just… I can’t… Jesus. You’ve scrambled my brain.”
Leaning forward, she kissed his cheek. “You taste heavenly.” Chuckling, she kissed up his jaw to his ear. “Do you need me to drive?”
“I want…just…give me a minute.” It was like being on a rollercoaster—he needed to regain his equilibrium and wait for the world to stop spinning. “Holy fuck, Gin, where did you learn to do that? No, wait, don’t tell me.”
She gave a wonderfully girlish giggle. “You’d never believe me.”
He raised an eyebrow. “If it involves stories about practicing on other men, I really don’t want to know.”
“Oh, it’s not that. When we were first in the Army at Linton base together, some of the girls found an article in a woman’s magazine about training yourself not to gag.”
His eyebrows rose even higher. “Seriously?”
“Yeah. You have to practice on a vibrator. Take it deep into your mouth and hold it there a few times a day. After a while the instinct to gag becomes less strong. We used to practice together. We’d have competitions.” She fought a grin, and lost at the look on his face.
“Far out. If you’re going to tell me stories about practicing on each other again you’ll have to wait—I think I might have a coronary.”
She laughed. “No, I’ve never been into that. Guys all the way for me. But there’s nothing wrong with fantasizing.”
He opened his mouth, then shut it again. Shock filtered through him. He’d been about to say I love you, but managed to catch himself.
It had only been a dude’s reaction to her raunchy talk, he told himself, and it wouldn’t have been fair to say something like that to her. Not yet, not when he didn’t know where this was going. Still, the ease with which the words had formed on his lips surprised him. This girl was so open and easy to be with, so wonderfully sexy and giving. It was no wonder he wanted to pour his heart onto a plate for her.
“No,” he said, “there’s nothing wrong with fantasizing.” He lifted a hand to stroke her cheek, and she turned her face to kiss his palm. His heart swelled. For a moment, he let his mind wander, imagining that after their stay away they might return home to his place on a permanent basis. Genie would tell him she’d decided to leave the Army, and she wanted to stay at home for a while, and she’d be there every day when he got home from work, waiting for him.
Then reality kicked in, and he shoved the thought away crossly. I suppose you also want her barefoot and pregnant, he scolded himself, letting her go so she could clip her seatbelt back in. You’re like a bloody caveman, Brennan.
But as he turned on the engine and pulled away, he could only think that the scenario he’d envisaged wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Niall pulled up outside a complex of white-washed buildings around a couple of courtyards paved with terracotta tiles. Genie looked at the sign, Whakanga.
“Oh,” she said, “Billie works here, doesn’t she?” She knew it was some kind of health resort, and that Whakanga meant “relax” in Maori.
“Yeah.” He slid the car into a space opposite the main reception and turned off the engine. “I remembered that when we talked at the speed dating night, she mentioned body art.”
“They have an artist here?”
“Not quite.” He smiled.
Genie’s heart skipped a beat, the same way it had every other time he’d smiled at her lately. This man was gradually dismantling her sanity piece by piece—her ability to think clearly and logically was ebbing away every time he fastened those green eyes on her, eyes that told her he was thinking about stripping her naked and doing unspeakable things to her.
At least she’d got some of her own back in the car. His cheeks still retained the flush that had appeared there as she’d pleasured him with her mouth. She’d wanted to shock him, to prove to him that he wasn’t as in charge as he thought he was, and she thought she might have succeeded. When she’d finally sat up, licking her lips, he’d looked at her as if she’d just won an Olympic medal, his expression filled with admiration and even awe. It had made her melt. She wanted him to look at her like that all the time, as if she were a treasure he’d discovered on the beach, something precious that he wanted to put on a pedestal so he could admire it every day.
She shook her head, trying to dislodge the foolish notions that insisted on plaguing her brain, and got out of the car. Testing her knee, she debated whether to leave the cane, and decided she would as she had Niall to hang onto. Slotting her hand through his arm, she let him lead her into the building.
Billie was on duty, and as she looked up, delight lit her face when she saw who her customers were. “Hey, you two! Who’d have guessed it?”
&n
bsp; “You promised.” Niall pointed a finger at her. “No teasing.”
“I did.” Billie swiped a finger in a cross over her heart, but her eyes still danced. “Lovely to have you both here and thank you for coming. We have a great day planned for you, and an even better evening.” She winked.
Genie’s face grew hot. So much for keeping it a secret. Still, she didn’t think Billie knew Niall’s parents, so hopefully Sinead wouldn’t get to hear of it.
Niall signed the paperwork while Billie collected the key, and then she took them along to their suite. It was amazing, by far the best place Genie had stayed in for a long time. The large living room had a cream tiled floor with a turquoise-colored suite, and the walls were painted with pretty pastel scenes of fish and corals, giving an under-the-ocean feel to the room. There was a kitchen and a small dining table and chairs.
At the front, in a nook surrounded by windows that faced the garden, was a large square space. The tiles were topped with a yoga mat, cushions, and a low table to one side. The gardens were gorgeous, large and sweeping down to the ocean, the lawns carefully tended and the borders filled with colorful tropical flowers and fountains, as well as larger open areas where exercise classes obviously took place.
The bedroom was just as nice, the bed draped in a dark blue quilt, the walls painted in light blue edged with dark shadows of trees, with pale shining stars and a full moon on one wall.
“It’s very unusual,” Genie said, turning around to look at the beautiful hand-painted scenes. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Niall and Billie exchange a smile, but before she could ask what was going on, Billie walked back into the living room and started speaking.
“Our couples’ day has a busy program starting at three o’clock with a yoga class in the garden, so I’ll leave you to settle in and then hopefully you’ll join us shortly.” Giving Genie a last wink, she left the room and closed the door behind her.
“A couples’ day?” Genie arched an eyebrow.
Niall shrugged and came closer to take her in his arms. “It looked interesting, and I thought it might help you relax.”
She started to say she didn’t need relaxing, but bit back the words at his hopeful expression. He’d organized this for her, wanting to help her. Although she didn’t always wake up, she knew she’d had a nightmare every night she’d stayed with him, and once or twice she’d woken to feel his hand stroking her back while he murmured to her in the darkness. He knew she was suffering, and although they hadn’t talked about it, he was trying to help.
“Okay,” she said graciously. “I do appreciate it, Niall.”
“Oh, I expect payment.” He tightened his arms around her and kissed her.
“I thought I’d already given you a generous advance.” She licked her lips.
“Indeed you have, but this night away was very expensive, and it’s going to take you a good few weeks to pay me back.”
Genie smiled, but she felt the first twinge of unease. She was due to return to the camp at Linton at the beginning of March, and then she would be posted on, probably to Afghanistan again. Having a relationship with a soldier was no easy task, and she’d never be able to ask Niall to be an Army husband and travel with her. His life was here, with his boat and his dolphins, and it would never work.
Still, she wasn’t going to think about that now. They had an interesting day planned by the look of it, and she wanted to make the most of him while she had him.
In the end, it turned out to be a lovely, relaxing day that took her by surprise. Neither of them was into things like yoga or aromatherapy, and Niall had always been a typical guy, interested in rugby and football, so the notion of him practicing asanas and having a foot massage was comical.
But to her delight, he threw himself into the afternoon with enthusiasm. They took a yoga class together, and although the notion of some of the positions was obviously alien to him, he surprised her with his flexibility and poise. In the meditation class, whereas it took her a while to stop fidgeting and calm her mind, he was surprisingly quiet, although it seemed that every time she opened her eyes to peek at him, she found him watching her with a small smile.
After that, they had an aromatherapy massage together. Genie stripped off for it nervously, pleased to find it was Billie who was doing her massage rather than a stranger. She didn’t find out until later that Niall had asked Billie to do it, and had explained that Genie might be apprehensive. It did puzzle her that Billie showed no sign of shock at all at her scars. The girl massaged her with an expert touch, and she paid extra attention to her thigh and calf muscles, which were always tense. At the end of it, Genie felt like a piece of boneless chicken, all floppy and relaxed. It had been a treat, too, to watch the other girl massaging Niall’s fit, tanned body. She’d thought she might be jealous seeing another woman’s hands on him, but both Billie and her friend were practical and professional, and in the end Genie felt only satisfaction at knowing that at the end of the day, she would be the one who was taking him to bed.
They had a brief rest, then went to the restaurant for dinner, both choosing light pasta dishes and salads from the menu of healthy food, although they did succumb to a couple of glasses of crisp, cold sauvignon with their pasta.
After a small break to let their dinner go down, a gentle beginner’s Tai Chi class followed. Genie watched Niall whenever she could, captivated by his serious face as he carried out the positions. She found a simple pleasure in watching the movement of his body, the bunching and furling of his muscles and the controlled poses. It showed a side to him she hadn’t known before. She’d always thought him active and restless, and it touched her to see this calm, thoughtful side of him.
Did he feel the same way about her? She caught him watching her occasionally, too. She knew she’d been quiet the past few days, since her conversation with Josie by the river. Josie had been shocked by Genie’s confession, and she’d begged her to open up to Niall and tell him the truth. Genie had felt better to finally admit to someone what had been bothering her, but she had no intention of telling Niall. That would definitely bring about the end of their relationship, and she wanted it to last as long as possible.
A walk in the garden finished off the day, and Genie was conscious that by the end, she was hardly limping at all. For the first time, she felt as if she might be on the mend.
“You’re walking better,” Niall said, confirming her thoughts.
She brushed her fingers across the leaves of the hostas and watched a dragonfly skimming over the lake. “I feel better.”
“Do you?” His face lit up. “I’m so pleased.”
“It’s due in no small measure to you, Mr. Brennan. I’ve had a lovely day. Thank you so much—it must have cost you a fortune.”
He shrugged. “Billie gave me a discount. And anyway, it’s not over yet. We have one last activity to do.”
The sun was setting, the complex fading into darkness, there being very little twilight in the Northland. Moths blurred at the solar lights strung along the fence, and the song of cicadas had replaced the singing of the birds in the trees. Genie’s heart rate began to speed up at the notion of returning to their rooms with Niall and spending an evening alone. What did he have planned?
When they arrived back at their suite, someone had turned all the lamps on, and the rooms glowed with light. On the low table by the windows were a flat box of crayons and a page of instructions, along with a couple of lit candles.
Niall took a handful of his T-shirt at the back of his neck, pulled it over his head, and dropped it onto the sofa. “Come on,” he said. “Time for some body painting.”
While she took off her clothes, he poured them both another glass of cold white wine from the fridge. He took them over to the window, then stripped off the comfortable jogging pants he’d worn for the Tai Chi lesson. Wearing just his boxers, he took out his iPod, selected a playlist, and slotted the Pod into a set of speakers on the table. Bic Runga, a Kiwi artist, starting singing sof
tly and telling them she was listening for the weather, and warmth spread through Genie—he knew it was one of her favorite songs.
She joined him in the nook, dressed in just her bra and panties.
“You might want to take that off.” He gestured to her bra. “Don’t want to get paint on it.” His eyes twinkled.
Genie’s lips twitched, but she unclipped the bra and dropped it on top of her clothes. “Okay. What now?”
He pulled a couple of large cushions close and sat cross-legged on one of them. He patted the other. “Now we paint each other.”
Genie walked up and sat before him. Her knee didn’t usually like her sitting on the floor, but some of the stiffness had gone, and she found she could sit cross-legged the same as him quite easily.
She picked up one of the crayons and examined it. “What do we paint?”
“Whatever design we want. It’s about being intimate rather than creating a masterpiece. Afterward, we’ll have a shower and wash it all off.”
She nibbled her bottom lip. “Okay. Do you want to start or shall I?”
“I’ll start.” He moved a bit closer to her, so their legs were touching, picked up the red crayon, and smiled. “Ready?”
Chapter Thirty
Niall lowered the crayon to her skin and began to draw a pattern. Starting on her left shoulder, he trailed the paint across her body above her breasts, then swirled around them, making loops and curls seemingly at random.
“It tickles,” she said, and he watched her nipples tighten.
Grinning, he paused to sip his wine, tipping his head as he surveyed her lazily before reaching out a finger to touch the taut peak. He circled around the tip, then brushed his finger over the end. She inhaled, sending every nerve ending throughout his body tingling.
It had been a strange afternoon. He would have thought that her going down on him in the car would have removed the sexual tension he’d felt, but it had only heightened it. All afternoon, he’d watched her as often as he could, as she moved gracefully through the yoga and Tai Chi poses, and as she relaxed on the massage table, murmuring contentedly when Billie ran her hands up her sore leg. She seemed to have enjoyed herself, which pleased him no end, but he’d been unprepared for the heat in her eyes that had been there all day.
A Secret Between Friends: A New Zealand Sexy Beach Romance (Treats to Tempt You Book 6) Page 21