“Hot chocolate,” she said. “With chili, if possible. I like it hot.”
His gaze went straight to her lips. “Me too.”
Laughing, she tucked her arm in his, and they entered the nearby café, coming face-to-face with Yvonne.
“Susan,” Yvonne said, her smile pleasant and welcoming until she spotted Tyler. “Tyler.” Her voice flattened with disapproval when she spied their linked arms.
Susan thought about jumping into explanations, even opened her mouth to blurt out one before she relaxed. She had nothing to be guilty about.
“I’ll order our drinks,” Tyler said and left the two women together, an awkward silence between them.
“Well, I’d better get moving. My aunt is taking care of the store on her own while I complete errands. She’s likely to bark at the customers and drive them off.” Yvonne half turned away.
“I’ll make sure I stop by before the final filming. I’d love to see you before I go home.”
Yvonne turned back to her. “You’re going home?”
Bother, she hadn’t meant to blurt the info out. “Early next week. This morning they decided to film a final show at home since both Lucy and I are from Auckland. Nolan will fly up and visit his chosen woman.”
Yvonne wavered on her feet, her face leaching of color.
“Are you all right?”
“I…I’m fine,” Yvonne whispered. “I…I’d better go.” She fled the café and Susan watched her race around the corner and out of sight.
“I thought you said Nolan and Yvonne only dated casually,” she said when Tyler joined her at a table by the window.
“They did, as far as I know. They’re just friends.”
“I think there’s more. They both acted a bit weird the other night at the pub and now, Yvonne practically ran away when I mentioned Nolan.”
“I don’t want to talk about my brother.”
An elderly lady carried over their hot chocolates and set them on the table.
“Thanks,” Susan said.
“You’re Susan from the television,” the woman said. Her gaze darted to Tyler and her eyes narrowed. “This isn’t your farmer.”
“No,” Susan said. “This is my friend.” She wasn’t about to explain to a stranger. She met the woman’s accusing gaze without faltering and finally the woman muttered something under her breath and stomped away. The minute she rounded the counter, she started whispering to her fellow server. “I’m starting to understand Ryan and Caleb a bit more.”
“What?”
“Nothing,” Susan said and she picked up her mug. The rich scent of chocolate filled her nostrils and she closed her eyes to indulge her senses. Her first sip had her giving an appreciative sigh. “That is delicious. Do you like it?” Her eyes popped open when Tyler didn’t reply.
His pencil raced across the page of a battered notebook—the one he carried with him everywhere.
“Are you drawing me again?” Faint exasperation rippled through the air. “I’m starting to get a complex.”
“You’re my inspiration.” He leaned closer. “I’d love to paint you. I’d paint you sprawled against satin sheets, your hair loose and messy and your lips swollen from a night of passion.”
“Shush, someone will hear you.” Susan glanced at the cash register and intercepted a scowl from the elderly woman. “I should have brought a hat and sunglasses.” The reality show wouldn’t leave her alone.
“We can buy you a hat,” Tyler said.
“Done deal. That can be our next stop.”
With her new hat firmly in place, Susan followed Tyler around the rest of the buildings, taking more photos to remember the day.
“Are you ready to taste our local wines?”
“Lead the way.” His local wines, Susan thought. Leaving the town of Clare and Tyler was going to be hard. Really hard.
“I know the owners of this vineyard since I went to school with them in Clare. I thought I’d ask them to pack us a picnic lunch, and we’ll stay away from people.”
“Good idea.” No wonder Ryan and Caleb’s band had decided to use stage makeup. People intruding and butting into personal moments made her edgy.
While Tyler rounded up a picnic lunch, Susan started tasting wines, working her way from white to the reds.
“This is our Pinot Noir,” the woman dispensing wines said. “It tastes of plums and summer sunshine. There are also layers of rich chocolate. Do you taste them?”
“Nice,” Susan said, after taking a sip. “I need to take one of everything.”
The woman laughed. “Good, my job is done.”
“Do you ship to Auckland?”
“We ship worldwide.”
“Great. I’ll take six bottles of the Pinot Noir and six bottles of your Sauvignon Blanc, please.” She handed over her credit card. “Oh, I’ll take a bottle of the Sav now. No, make that two.”
“No problem,” the woman said. “I’ll need you to complete this form with your name and delivery address.”
“I’m sorry I took so long,” Tyler said, curving his arm around her waist. “Marissa wanted to catch up on the news.” He lifted the picnic basket in his other hand. “We’re all set.”
“Your friend has a great vineyard. The wines are excellent.”
“You should receive your wine next week,” the woman said.
“Perfect. Thanks for guiding me through the wine list,” Susan said. “It was fun.”
“You’re welcome,” the woman said.
Susan turned to Tyler and caught his frown. Uh-oh. “What’s for lunch and where are we going?”
His frown smoothed away and Susan’s panic subsided. Crisis averted. For now. He grasped her hand and led her to the right of the car park.
“Marissa said we can have a picnic on their property. There won’t be any interruptions. She said we’ll have total privacy.”
“Did she ask why you wanted privacy with a woman who’s meant to be with another man?”
Tyler grinned at the memory of Marissa’s pointed—nah—nosy questions. “She was nosy. She interrogated me, much in the way your friends grilled me when we first met.”
Suzy gave a theatrical shudder. “I’m glad I went wine tasting instead.”
“Don’t worry. She won’t spread any vicious rumors.”
“Someone is bound to start talking soon,” Susan said. “Jennifer said a few papers had contacted her wanting interviews.”
Tyler ignored the stab of pain near his heart, shoved aside thoughts of the show, his suspicions that Suzy intended to leave soon. Somehow, he needed to change her mind.
Today, he’d woo her—charm her with his teasing and conversation, feed her soul with delicious food and wine and when she was weak, he’d fuck her so good she’d never consider leaving him again.
Failure was not an option.
Tyler turned down a narrow gravel path and led Suzy to a clearing by a stream. While it was too cold to swim, the clearing was sheltered, and he intended to get Susan naked. His fingers itched to sketch her with the sunlight and the contrast of shade dappling her body while his cock ached to plunge into her silky depths and pour himself into her until he didn’t know where she ended and he began.
As they veered off the path, the traffic noises receded, replaced by the song of a thrush and the occasional guttural gurgle of a native tui.
“Do you know where you’re going?”
Tyler glanced over his shoulder. “I think I should be insulted.”
“Just checking. I didn’t bring my gumboots. If I’d known we were going bush, I would have chucked them in the car.”
“It’s not much farther.” Tyler started walking again, lengthening his stride in eager anticipation. Once the show ended and the publicity died, they’d be able to walk through town without attracting attention.
He burst into the clearing, satisfaction filling him because his memory hadn’t played him false. This was the perfect place for seduction.
After turning in a s
low circle, he decided on a sunny spot near the water where the ground was fairly dry, despite the recent rain.
“It’s lovely,” Susan said. “Is that a kauri tree?”
Tyler glanced at the tall, straight trunk of the tree to their right. It seemed to dwarf the other trees in the vicinity and he had to crick his neck in order to glimpse the leaves of the lower branches. “Marissa’s grandfather decided to keep some of the native bush instead of clearing the land.”
“Wise man.”
“Come here.” Tyler didn’t want to talk about wise men. Already his dick pressed insistently against his fly. “Are you hungry?”
“Not really.”
“Great.” Tyler opened his wicker basket and pulled out a rug. He spread it on the ground then sat on a corner to pull off his boots. His vest hit the ground near his boots.
Susan let out a croak and he found her staring. Time to up the stakes. His fingers worked the buttons of his denim shirt. He shrugged it off his shoulders and started on his jeans. They slid down his legs with a rasp of fabric while his cock took the opportunity of the extra freedom. By the time, he tugged his boxer-briefs down his legs, he had a fully blown erection.
“What are you waiting for?” His voice was a husky interruption to the silence in the clearing.
Suzy cleared her throat. “Just appreciating the show.”
He grasped his dick with his right hand and slowly stroked up and down, teasing himself while watching Suzy closely. The color that flooded her cheeks and screened her freckles told him she wasn’t unaffected.
“Strip,” he ordered. “I want to bury my cock inside you. Hard and fast until I explode.”
Her body jerked at his explicit words.
“I want to hammer into you and take you like a greedy boy having his first experience. I want to suck on those pretty tits of yours and mark you with my mouth.” Tyler was the one who shuddered this time. He sought her gaze, her wide eyes. “I want to fuck you, Suzy.”
A noticeable tremble shook her hand when she started to remove her clothes and footwear.
“And I want to taste you. I want to fill my mouth with your salty-sweet flavor and tease your clit until you think you’re gonna explode.” Tyler tugged on his balls to the point of pain, scaring away his impending climax. Not gonna happen. He craved the tight fit of her cushioning his dick. His gaze traveled her naked breasts and followed her jeans as she pulled them down her legs. Tiny black panties were all that remained, guarding her feminine secrets. “I never tire of watching you.”
“Likewise.”
Tyler grinned. “And speaking of sex, I ordered some toys this week. I thought about bringing them today, but I want a bedroom, guaranteed privacy before I use them.”
“What sort of toys?”
He tapped his nose. “That’s for me to know and you to wait until I show you.”
“Tease.”
“Off with the panties, Suzy. I want to see all of you. Good. That’s good.” He stared at her pussy and gave his balls another scolding tug. “Lie in the middle of the blanket and part your legs for me.”
Susan followed his instructions and slowly parted her legs until he could see her slit, the swollen folds of her labia and the glistening honey that told of her arousal.
“Tyler.” She held up her arms in invitation, her smile sultry with a solid edge of teasing.
His woman.
Tyler reached for his jeans and pulled out condoms. The way he was feeling right now, he wasn’t sure these three would suffice. He crouched between Suzy’s parted legs, his gaze stroking her jaw, down her neck and settling on her breasts. The faint chill in the air had already pulled them to tight peaks. He continued his visual journey, taking in her narrow rib cage and the sensual flare of her hips, memorizing every part of her so he could sketch her later while in the privacy of his bedroom.
Unable to resist, he ran a finger down her slit, grazing her hot flesh, then swirling his finger through her arousal. His finger glistened when he lifted it and he held her gaze while he licked her juices away.
“You’re teasing me.”
“A little. I don’t want to hurt you.”
“You won’t hurt me. I ache here.” She cupped her mound.
“Touch yourself while I put on the condom. I want proof that you’re ready for me. Suzy, I’m serious. I don’t have much willpower right now. I will take you hard.”
While he ripped open the foil packet, he watched her finger circle her clit, the way her eyes flickered. Then, as if she’d lost a battle, her eyes closed and she chewed on her bottom lip. She inserted one finger inside while her thumb rode her clit. A rose-colored flush started in her breasts and crept up her neck.
Tyler sucked in a hoarse breath. “Enough.” When she was slow to react, he grabbed her hands with his and lifted them to imprison them above her head. Her spicy scent filled every breath, underscored by the earthy smell of the ground and the piquancy of the surrounding trees and plants. Because he could, he kissed her, wild and fast, sliding his tongue against hers and enjoying the hell out of her eager response.
Not wanting to stop, but needing air, he separated their mouths. “I’ve got to get inside you.”
“Tyler.”
“God, Suzy. I love it when you say my name like that.” He pushed inside her, just his tip and the warmth of her made him gasp. There really was no chance of going slow. He pushed inexorably into her and paused, balls-deep and enveloped in her heat, his chest almost bursting with happiness. This woman—she really did it for him, made him feel whole again after Rebecca.
He pulled back, the muscles of his stomach flexing as she ran her hands over his back and pushed at his fragile control. With every stroke, blood crowded his cock, the sting of her nails drawing a raw groan from deep in his chest.
“Suzy. Suzy.”
She clutched his shoulders and buried her face at his throat. The warm suction at his neck was like an erotic caress, and he hummed a note of pleasure, not even caring she’d leave an obvious mark that would draw curiosity.
He pulled back, shuddered at the drag along her inner walls and lost hold of his fragile control. He hammered into her, desperate for the rip-roaring climax that only she could provide. Satisfaction swelled inside, his dick throbbing unbearably.
Pleasure. Pain.
The sensations combined until he thought his heart might fail him, then his orgasm stormed him, body and mind. All he could do was hold tight and ride out the passion storm.
Her hands pushing at his chest dragged him from stupor. “Hell, sorry.” He pulled out of her and yanked off the condom.
She attracted his attention by yanking on his ears.
“Ow, woman. What are you doing?”
“I know the blood hasn’t redistributed properly yet, so you’re not thinking right.” She tugged on his hair this time. “I haven’t come. If you don’t get me off, an essential part of me might drop off. That would make me grumpy because I like sex, and I love orgasms.” She closed her legs in a prim manner.
Tyler stared at her in the seconds it took his brain to function. Humor notched into place next and curled his lips upward. “Can’t have that. I wouldn’t like any of your bits to drop off.” He shoved her legs apart, offering his best pirate grin. “I have treasures to plunder.”
Her snort made him chuckle, and the happiness dancing a jig inside him swelled until his chest ached. How was it possible for one man to hold so much joy?
Tyler slipped his hands under her butt and lifted her to his mouth. His inventive licking stopped her complaints dead. She moaned, the long, drawn out sound like heady music to his ears. His precision work on her clit drew another moan. Time to up the pace. He slipped two fingers inside her, stroking over her G-spot. A shudder pierced her tense muscles. More, he thought. His tongue circled. The swollen nub pulsed, and when he closed his lips around her clitoris and sucked, she shuddered violently and her vagina clenched around his fingers in rapid pulses.
“Tyler,�
� she whispered.
His name from her lips was the sweetest music ever.
Chapter Twelve
Susan stared out the car window at the rapidly darkening sky. She had to tell Tyler before gossip swept Clare and he learned from another source.
But it was so hard.
Tyler was the man she’d always searched for, possessed the qualities she wanted in a husband.
Yeah, right man. Wrong circumstances.
An ache clamped around her chest and communicated unhappiness to her stomach. Soon her gut churned and not even her hand pressed to her belly halted the inner turmoil. Honesty was best. She had to face the truth. Small town life wasn’t for her—not for the rest of her life. She enjoyed the amenities of the city and dance—she couldn’t give that up now that she’d found happiness.
“Would you like to come to my place for a drink?” Tyler asked.
“It’s been a lovely day, but I’m tired and they say we have an early start tomorrow.” She shot him a quick glance and died a little inside at his transparent contentment. “Tyler, I need to tell you something.” Her heart beat a fraction faster, and her stupid stomach dipped and lurched like a boat in a storm. She curled her hands to fists and hid them in her lap.
“Sounds serious.”
She sighed, the sound heavy, full of gloom.
“Should I pull over?”
Maybe that would be best. “Yes.”
“Sounds really serious,” he teased.
Tears welled in her eyes and she blinked hard. Once. Twice. Somehow, she managed to keep them from overflowing. Crying wouldn’t help one single bit.
He pulled over on the outskirts of Clare and switched off the ignition. In the resulting silence, panic clawed at her, fought with the need for honesty. Above all, Tyler deserved her candor.
“Jennifer told us this morning she’s changed her mind about the filming schedule. We’re wrapping up this weekend. Tyler, I’m going home” She couldn’t face him, so she spoke to the front window. “Nolan has to choose either me or Lucy. They’ll film him as he arrives at one of our houses.”
“But I thought—fuck,” he muttered.
Susan didn’t even wince.
“Marry me,” he said. “Tell Nolan you’re off the market and marry me.”
Clandestine Lovers (Friendship Chronicles Book 3) Page 17