Brody

by Kate Hoffmann

  Payton leaned back against his chest and drew his arms around her. “It is funny how things work out. We’ve both lived such different lives, and then they touched for a moment in that jail cell. If you hadn’t drunk so much beer or I’d paid for my meal, we would never have met. Gemma thinks it was fate.”

  “Maybe it was.”

  Payton turned in his arms and then pushed up on her toes and kissed him. She slipped her arms around his neck and drew him more deeply into the kiss, loving the way he tasted, the way his mouth fit so perfectly with hers. Just a simple kiss was all it took to ignite her desire.

  She reached up and tugged his jacket down over his arms, then moved to work on the buttons of his shirt. They’d undressed each other so many times that it had become second nature to them. There was no longer any hesitation or embarrassment. They felt more comfortable out of their clothes than in them.

  When they were both naked, he took her hand and led her into the bathroom. The shower was surrounded by glass block from floor to ceiling. He opened a door and stepped inside, turning the water on and then helping her inside when it was the proper temperature.

  It was a shower made for a man who came home with bruises and sore muscles: a variety of showerheads angled in all different directions. The door kept the steam inside and before long, the moisture created a fog around them both.

  His hands smoothed over her body and she closed her eyes and enjoyed his caress. He turned her around and pulled her against him, his growing erection pressing against her backside. His palms slowly ran the length of her torso, from her breasts to her belly and then to the juncture of her thighs.

  He delved between the soft folds of her sex and when he found the spot, began to touch her in a way he knew so well. Payton arched back, wrapping her arm around his neck and pulling him into another kiss.

  But he wasn’t content to just touch her. His mouth moved over her shoulder, his tongue tracing a path to the curve of her neck. Brody gently urged her to sit on the low bench at the center of the shower. And then he knelt in front of her, spreading her legs and continuing the seduction with his tongue.

  Payton had always felt this was the most intimate expression of desire and until now, they’d both been satisfied with other things. But Payton let go of the last shred of inhibition, surrendering to Brody, the shudders rocking her body. And as she surrendered to him, she realized that this was no longer just physical. She’d grown to need him in so many other ways.

  She felt tears press at the corners of her eyes, but when he met her gaze she forced a smile. How could she ever consider living without him? He’d become part of her life, the new life that she’d found in Australia.

  But was she really ready to walk away from her past, from her family and everything she’d known, to stay here with him? Payton reached up and brushed his wet hair from his eyes. She didn’t need to tell him how she felt. It was understood between them, communicated by smiles and sighs and soft kisses in the dark.

  Brody drew her slowly to her feet and then led her out of the shower. Her release only made her exhaustion more acute and when he wrapped her in a thick cotton towel, Payton closed her eyes and leaned against him for support.

  They ended up on the bed, Brody stretched out beside her, his fingers gently stroking her cheek. “Tell me about him,” he said softly. “Why did you love him?”

  “That’s a question,” she said. “I’m not sure I have an answer.”

  “Try,” he said. “Please?”

  “I thought he was right for me. And I knew my parents would love him. I always tried to do what I thought they wanted me to. I was a very good girl.”

  “But there must have been something about this guy,” Brody said.

  “We were together so long, I guess I forgot what it was that attracted me in the first place. He was supposed to be perfect for me.”

  Brody was silent for a long moment, then drew a deep breath. “Do you still love him?”

  “I’m not sure I ever did,” Payton said. “At least not the way a woman should love the man she marries.”

  He seemed to take comfort in that answer. But did it make a difference? She was here, with him, running away from all her problems. She hadn’t thought about how this might end between them. It was so simple to believe they would just continue, without any difficulties. They were living off the high of their infatuation. Real life hadn’t intruded yet. But it would soon enough.

  7

  “P ADDLE, PADDLE, PADDLE!” Brody shouted. He gave the surfboard a final shove, sending Payton off into the set of small waves on Cottesloe Beach. They’d practiced on the beach first and then he’d caught a few waves with her in front of him on his board. But she was determined to do it on her own.

  “Pop up!” he called.

  To Brody’s surprise, she nimbly got to her feet. Steadying herself, she slowly straightened, her arms out to the side. Brody shouted as she rode the wave. There wasn’t much that Payton couldn’t do once she set her mind to something.

  She stayed on her feet all the way to the shore, hopping off the board just before she hit the beach. She looked at him, waving and jumping up and down in excitement. Then she turned the board around and paddled back out to him.

  The weather was perfect for a winter day in June. The sun was shining but the water was a bit chilly, so they both wore wet suits. Brody had made a gift of the surfboard and wet suit, hoping that they’d be staying in Fremantle long enough to enjoy them.

  Life was certainly simpler here than it had been at the station. Their days and nights belonged entirely to them. They strolled the streets, stopping to eat or browse through a shop when they wanted. They went to the movies and a concert in the park and rented bicycles to tour old Fremantle.

  Brody had planned a trip to Rottnest Island for the next week, booking a room in the old hotel in case they wanted to spend a few hours alone together during the day. Though he knew she might decide to leave at any time, he wanted to believe she’d still be with him in a week.

  They kept themselves busy during the day, but it was the nights that Brody found most satisfying. Blessed with absolute privacy, they had the time to explore the limits of their passion. Sex ranged from a silly romp, to a frantic drive for release, to a slow, methodical seduction-and all in one day.

  “Did you see me?”

  “I did,” Brody said as she paddled up to him. “You were great.”

  “I was! It was so much fun. I want to try a bigger wave.”

  “All right, hang on. I’ll just put in your order.” He looked up at the sky. “Can we have some bigger waves, please?”

  She splashed water in his face. “I meant, we should go to another beach with bigger waves.”

  He splashed her back, then reached out and grabbed her, both of them tumbling off their surfboards. Treading water, Brody pulled her into his arms and kissed her, his mouth searching for hers through the saltwater that dripped from her hair.

  There was nothing more satisfying, he mused as he teased at her tongue. The fact that he could kiss and touch her whenever he chose to was something he had come to appreciate. In truth, he couldn’t imagine doing without it.

  He drew back and looked down into her eyes. Droplets of water clung to her lashes. “We’ll find some bigger waves tomorrow,” he said. He helped her back onto her board, then straddled his. “We need to get you in to shore and put some sunscreen on your face. You’re starting to burn.”

  “Let me try one more wave. Then we can go.”

  “Only if you kiss me again,” he said.

  She leaned into him, her feet dangling off the sides of her board, and placed a quick kiss on his lips.

  He frowned. “You can do better.”

  With a dramatic sigh, she leaned in again and this time, treated him to a full-on tongue kiss, her mouth warm against his. She knew exactly how he liked to be kissed and she used that knowledge to her advantage. When she drew back, she arched her eyebrow.

  “All r
ight,” he agreed. “One more wave. I’m not going to give you a push this time. I’m just going to tell you when to go.”

  She lined her board up, watching over her shoulder as the next set rolled in. “Tell me when,” she said.

  “Go,” he said. “Paddle hard. Paddle!”

  This time, she got up right away. But she was so excited that she threw her arms over her head and disrupted her balance. She wobbled and then tumbled off the board into the water. Brody waited for her to come up and when she didn’t, he paddled over to her board, cutting through the water in strong, even strokes.

  By the time he reached her, she was up and coughing water, clinging to the edge of the board. “Are you all right?”

  She nodded. “Water up my nose.” She coughed again. “That was bad.”

  “You shouldn’t have put your hands up,” he said. “You were doing so well.” He held her board as she climbed back on. When they reached the shore, he helped her tuck her board under her arm before walking onto the beach.

  “It’s getting late,” he said. “We should get some lunch.” He jammed the surfboards into the sand, then peeled his wet suit down around his waist.

  Payton took a deep breath and turned her face up to the sun. “I love it here. It’s just like California. Only no earthquakes.”

  “I wish it was spring,” he said. “We could go bush-walking and see the wildflowers. Western Australia is known for that. Miles and miles of flowers.”

  “Maybe we can,” she said.

  Brody knew it was just an offhand reply, that her words contained no promises. They hadn’t made any plans or given any pledges to each other, beyond the promise of unbridled passion in the bedroom. He didn’t want to think about that now. Instead, he was determined to show her exactly how much fun life was with him here in Oz.

  “What do you want to do with the rest of the day?”

  “I want to enjoy the good weather.” She glanced over at him. “I noticed there’s a football game this weekend. Could we go?”

  “Why would you want to do that?”

  “I’m just curious to see what you used to do for a living.”

  “I don’t know,” he said, shaking his head. “I haven’t been to a game since I got dropped from the club.”

  “It’s all right,” she said. “If you don’t want to, we don’t have to.”

  He thought about her request for a few seconds. Denying her anything was impossible. And what did he have to lose? It might be fun to explain the game to her. There was nothing quite like Aussie football. “All right. I’m going to call and see if I can get us some decent seats.”

  She grinned. “Good.”

  “Any other requests?”

  “I heard there was a nude beach around here.”

  “Yes,” he said. “Swanbourne Beach.”

  “I’ve never been to a nude beach. I think I should try it at least once. I was really good at skinny-dipping, so I think I’d do well at the nude beach.”

  “You do realize you’d have to take off your clothes and go naked in front of strangers, don’t you?”

  “Yes. That’s the point. I’ve never done that. I’m trying new things. Trusting my instincts. And it might feel good, liberating, don’t you think?” She reached out and ran a finger down his chest. “It’ll be fun.”

  “No,” Brody said emphatically. “I’m not taking you to Swanbourne. You can go on your own if you like, but I’m not going.”

  “Prude,” she teased. “You have a very nice body. And you’re well endowed. There’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

  “That’s not it. You know exactly what happens to me when you get naked. And I’m not going to walk around the beach with a throb in my knob.”

  “I’d find that visual very entertaining,” she said. She glanced down and fixed her gaze on his crotch.

  “Stop,” he said.

  “What? I’m not doing anything.”

  “Stop it. You’re going to get me all worked up.”

  “I’m not doing anything,” she repeated in a voice filled with mock innocence.

  “There’s no extra room in this wet suit,” he said. “So just knock it off.”

  She looked up at him and gave him a devilish smile. “I have such amazing powers,” she said. “I surprise even myself.”

  He pulled her against him, wrapping his arm around her neck in a playful headlock. “Why don’t we go home and you can give me a demonstration of your powers.”

  “I’d be happy to,” she said. “I think it’s important that I share my powers with as many people as I can.”

  “Now you’ve gone too far,” he said, kissing the top of her head. “There will be no sharing.”

  They gathered their things and walked back to the car, Payton’s hand tucked in his. It had been another perfect day, he mused as they strapped their boards on the BMW’s roof rack. Brody couldn’t imagine life getting any better than this.

  P AYTON CLUTCHED the program in her hands as they walked through the crowds of fans to their seats. Brody’s appearance seemed to cause quite a stir among those in attendance and he was stopped again and again with requests for autographs and photos. Payton waited patiently, watching as he handled each request with surprising grace and enthusiasm, giving special attention to the younger fans.

  She hadn’t realized how famous he was and she found herself regretting her request to come. It couldn’t be easy to answer all the questions about his injury, about the chances of him playing again, about the plays that everyone remembered him making.

  When he finally pulled himself away from the fans, she held on to his arm and gave it a squeeze. “I’m sorry,” she said.

  “For what?”

  “For asking you to come here. I didn’t realize how difficult it might be for you. It was selfish of me.”

  “No,” he said. “Actually, I’m doing all right. I thought it would be a bit dodgy, but it’s not that bad.”

  They found their seats and settled in. Payton took a good look around, then turned to him. “All right, give me the scoop.”

  “You want ice cream?” he asked.

  “No, the scoop. The skinny. The 4-1-1. Tell me what I need to know.”

  “Oh, all right. Well, this is the Subiaco Oval. And that’s the team, my former team, out there warming up.”

  “The field is round,” Payton said.

  “Oval.”

  “I like the outfits,” she added, observing the players on the field. “Not as hot as chaps, but pretty sexy. Nice short shorts. And sleeveless jerseys to show off the muscles.” In truth, she could imagine Brody running around in that uniform. “Maybe you could take out your old outfit when we get home and we could play footballer and the surfer girl.”

  Brody laughed, glancing around to see if anyone had heard. “Better yet, I’ll buy you a guernsey, you wear it and nothing else, and I’ll show you some of my moves.”

  “A guernsey. Is that like a jumper or a cardie?”

  “Jumper,” he said. “Cardie has buttons down the front.”

  “And what is the team called?” she asked.

  “Their official name is the Fremantle Football Club, but everyone calls them the Dockers. See, they have an anchor on their jumpers.”

  She nodded. “So, what’s the deal? How do they get points?”

  She listened as he explained the rules. Eighteen players on a side. The aim was to kick the ball through the poles on each end of the field. They could throw, kick and pass the ball to move it downfield, but they weren’t supposed to hold on to it. When they kicked the ball through the center pair of four posts the team scored six points. But Payton became hopelessly confused when Brody tried to explain something called a “behind.”

  The game began and the crowd immediately grew noisy. She’d never been to an American football game, but she couldn’t imagine more of a party atmosphere than she was experiencing now. There was music and cheering and dancing in the stands, along with a lot of beer. And incredibly dang
erous activity on the field.

  The players wore no padding or helmets, yet they seemed to slam into each other on a regular basis. Men were thrown to the ground and bloodied by flying elbows and knees. Payton was grateful that Brody was sitting safely next to her. She couldn’t imagine watching him and not worrying herself sick.

  Brody cheered the team, shouting out his displeasure at good plays by the opposition. As the game went on, he continued to explain the intricacies of the plays and by the time it ended, Payton actually could follow each play as it developed on the field.

  The Dockers lost, but Brody didn’t appear to be too upset by the result. In truth, he seemed to be quite happy that they’d come. Payton wrapped her arm around his waist as they walked out of the stadium.

  “Brody Quinn!”

  They stopped and Brody turned, then smiled as an older gentleman approached them dressed in a polo shirt with the Fremantle team logo stitched on the chest.

  “Simon. How are you?”

  “I’m well. You look grand. Healthy. Keeping fit, I see.”

  “Trying,” Brody said, rubbing his abdomen. He turned to Payton. “Simon, this is Payton Harwell. Payton, this is the team doctor, Simon Purvis. He helped me through my rehab.”

  Simon held out his hand and Payton took it. “Pleasure,” he said. “Did you enjoy the game?”

  “I did,” Payton said. “It’s a little rougher than I expected, but it was fun to watch.”

  “We’re a tough lot here in Oz.” Simon grinned. “So, you’re from America. I recognize the accent.”

  “I am,” Payton said.

  “Where do you call home?”

  “Connecticut. Though I live in Manhattan. New York City?”

  “Ah. New York Giants. New York Jets. Interesting. Almost bizarre, that.”

  “What?” Brody asked.

  “I just met a scout for the Americans. For their NFL. He’s come looking for kickers. I wasn’t about to send any of our guys to see him. But you might want to give him a tingle, Brody.”