by Lisa Ireland
‘Nice sort of a greeting that is,’ Jenna said, raising her eyebrows.
‘Jenna! Is Maggie okay? What are you doing out here?’
Jenna’s face softened. ‘Relax, Luke,’ she said with a smile. ‘Maggie’s fine. She sent me to give you some lunch. She would have come herself, but she had an appointment at the hospital.’
Luke blew the air out of his lungs in relief. ‘Yeah, I forgot she was going to Mynyip today. How come you didn’t go with her? You could have visited Brooke.’
‘I’m going later with Charlotte. It’s not visiting hours yet and they’re pretty strict about that sort of thing at the hospital.’
Luke nodded as he eyed the basket of food on the back seat of the car. ‘Gotta admit I’m getting kind of hungry. What’s in the hamper?’
‘I don’t know. You’ll have to check and see.’
Luke was already dragging the wicker basket out of the car. He lifted the folded picnic rug out of the basket and saw an array of sandwiches, biscuits, fruit and a thermos. What was Maggie up to? There was way too much food for just him — and a picnic rug? Since when was that standard issue for a working lunch?
It was almost as if Maggie was deliberately pushing them together, although he couldn’t imagine why. Surely she could see that no good could come of that sort of folly?
Jenna was standing patiently, waiting while he rummaged through the contents of the basket.
So much for avoiding her today.
‘There’s tonnes of food here. Way more than I can eat. Do you want to stay and share it with me?’
She shook her head. ‘No thanks. I have things to do.’
‘You’ve got to eat, right?’ he said with a smile.
‘Luke, let’s not do this,’ she said softly.
‘Do what?’ he asked, but he knew what she was thinking.
‘Let’s not pretend that there’s nothing between us. We both feel it, the…’
He waited while she searched for the right word.
‘Chemistry,’ she said eventually. ‘We’ve already agreed that this…feeling between us can’t go anywhere. I’ve got a life back in Melbourne and you — ’
‘You’re right,’ he said, not giving her a chance to finish. He didn’t want to hear her assessment of his emotional shortcomings.
‘I’ll leave you to it then.’
He looked at the basket brimming with food. There was no way he could carry that back on horseback, not with all the tools he was already carting. ‘I hate to ask this, but would you mind bringing the basket down to the shed just near the main road? I can’t carry it on horseback and I don’t want to eat here in the blazing sun.’
‘Sure,’ she said.
‘I’ll meet you there and take what I need. Then you can cart the rest back to the house, if that’s okay?’
Jenna nodded and got back into the car as Luke loaded the basket onto the back seat. She took off the moment he closed the door.
As Luke rode towards the shed he made a mental list of all the reasons why he couldn’t allow himself to touch her, no matter how strong his desire. Every tender moment they shared just made it harder to accept that she would never be his. Most likely she would be gone within 48 hours and then he could set about the task of wiping her from his memory. How hard could that be? After all, he was an expert at keeping his emotions under wraps.
Chapter 11
Jenna found the shed with ease. It was, as Luke had said, just off the main road. She parked in the shade of a clump of cypress pines and waited. It wasn’t long before he rode into view.
He pulled the horse up beside her and dismounted, slipping the bridle off Marmalade as soon as his feet touched the ground. The saddle came next and the mare shook herself in obvious pleasure. ‘Go on girl, have yourself some fun,’ he said, slapping her rump affectionately.
Jenna got out of the car. ‘Aren’t you going to ride her back?’
‘She’ll come when I whistle. She’s a good girl.’
Jenna pulled the basket out of the car. ‘Where do you want this?’ she asked.
‘Here, let me take that,’ he said. He reached over and placed his hand on the basket’s handle, grazing her hand in the process. A now familiar jolt of electricity coursed through Jenna’s body. She pulled her hand away quickly.
‘Sorry,’ he mumbled, not looking her in the eye. ‘There’s a bench in the shed. I’ll just take this in and grab some things out. I’ll bring it back to you in a minute.’
Jenna wandered over to sit on a fallen log under the trees while she waited. It was quite pleasant, sitting in the shade, and for a moment she considered taking Luke up on his offer of sharing lunch. But she knew this would not be a good idea. Whenever they were left alone it seemed they ended up either fighting, or falling into each other’s arms. Neither of these outcomes held much merit at this stage.
She sighed and reached up to fix her ponytail, which had loosened, probably from all the bouncing around on bumpy roads. Her hair tumbled down around her shoulders as she pulled out the elastic and gave her head a quick shake. As she went to flip her hair back into the band, her finger slipped and the elastic ricocheted off into long grass to the left.
Damn. It would be nearly impossible to find the tiny elastic in there.
Sudden movement in the grass caught her attention. A long, striped snake was slithering past, only metres from her feet. An involuntary scream escaped her throat. ‘Luke!’ she yelled hysterically. ‘Oh my God. Help!’
The snake darted off into the bush at lightning speed as Luke came running from the shed. ‘What’s wrong, what’s happened?’ he asked.
‘Snake,’ Jenna said, pointing off into the bush.
He shoved his hands into his pockets and raised his eyebrows. ‘Have you been bitten?’
Jenna shook her head.
Luke began to laugh. ‘No harm done then. A snake won’t attack you just for the sake of it. You’d have to step on it, or really annoy it, for one to strike.’
Jenna bit her lip in frustration. How could he laugh when she had been given such a fright? And what if she’d gone to look for her hair band? She could easily have stood on the snake and been bitten. Her heart began to palpitate. ‘Thanks for your concern,’ she said, dismayed to hear the waver in her voice.
‘Jenna, I’m sorry. It’s just that snakes are no big deal out here. I didn’t mean to upset you.’ His words were softly spoken, his tone tender, but it didn’t change the fact that he’d made fun of her fear.
How could he be so casual about the fact that the ground was possibly teeming with slithering, slimy beasts? Her stomach churned at the thought. ‘It’s fine,’ she said, folding her arms across her chest in an attempt to disguise the fact that her hands were shaking. ‘Can you just get the basket so I can get back to the house? I have things to do.’ She turned on her heel and made for the car. The muscles of her face began to slacken and she found herself unable to coax them back to form a composed appearance. All the pent up feelings of the past few days seemed to rush to the surface at once, and she was unable to stem the flood of tears streaming down her face as she strode towards the Volkswagen. So much for escaping with her dignity in tact.
‘Wait,’ he called from behind her.
She fumbled with the car door handle, desperate to escape without further humiliation, but the damn thing wouldn’t open. Luke’s breath was hot on the back of her neck as he covered her hand with his. He gently peeled her fingers from the handle and turned her to him. ‘Don’t go.’
A sob forced its way out as she crumpled into his arms. He took her face in his hands, kissing the tears as they slid down her cheeks. ‘I’m sorry,’ he whispered.
Great sobs shuddered from her chest as he pulled her closer and began to stroke her hair. The sensible thing would be to pull away, but her legs had turned to jelly. She rested her cheek on his chest and breathed deeply.
‘Luke,’ she said, as he put his hand to the small of her back and pulled her closer. ‘I do
n’t think — ’
He pressed his finger to her lips. ‘Shh. It’s okay. Just relax.’
For a moment she did as she was told. The tension in her shoulders eased as he held her against his chest. Her shuddering breaths steadied, keeping time with the rhythmic thud of his heartbeat. His hand rested lightly against her neck, his thumb gently caressing her skin.
With their bodies meshed together Luke’s desire was obvious. She knew he wouldn’t act on it. It wouldn’t be the smart thing to do. Their attempt at having a meaningless fling had been a miserable failure, and anything more was impossible according to Luke.
The trouble was their bodies seemed magnetised, physically drawn to each other, in spite of their protesting minds.
‘Luke, we should — ’
His mouth covered hers, stopping her words of objection mid-sentence. The kiss was demanding; hard and raw, unlike any other they’d shared. He wanted her, there was no doubting that. Something in him had shifted. His reluctance to engage in a physical relationship had clearly evaporated. Maybe it was her vulnerability that had finally cracked his hard shell of restraint.
The decision to stop this going any further rested with her. Self-control was her forte, the quality she prided herself on, but right now its merit seemed elusive. He wanted her, damn it. And she wanted him. To hell with being sensible. To hell with self-denial. For the first time ever she would trust her body’s judgement.
She leaned back against the car as he pushed against her, his hands in her hair as his lips moved from her mouth to her neck and back again. She kissed him back, matching his intensity, and slid her hand up under his T-shirt. His heart was hammering beneath his smooth, muscular chest. A tug of his shirt exposed his taut, tanned stomach. Her nipples hardened against his chest as his hands moved greedily over her body. In one swift movement he pulled his shirt up over his head and tossed it aside.
She put her hand against his chest and pushed him backwards, creating a space between them. His forehead momentarily creased in confusion, but as she slowly began to peel off her singlet top an appreciative smile settled on his face.
For a moment they stood apart, not touching.
‘My God you are beautiful. I want you so much.’ Luke’s voice was raspy, thick with desire.
Her response took her by surprise. ‘Take me, then. I’m yours.’ The words were true. Despite all her attempts to remain impassive, Luke had stolen her heart. Relinquishing control felt surprisingly good.
Her hands reached behind her and released the clasp of her bra. She let it fall to the ground and stood still for a moment as she basked in Luke’s appreciative gaze, before stepping forward and pressing herself against him once again.
‘Wait,’ he said, his voice coming out thick and raw. ‘Not here. Let me get the picnic rug and put it under the trees.’
She nodded her approval. ‘Hurry.’
He didn’t need to be told twice. Moments later the rug was spread beneath an ancient gum tree and the two of them lay entwined upon it. He covered one breast with his hand, gently grazing her taut nipple with his palm as his mouth sought out her other breast. Her breath caught in her throat as he took her in his mouth, sucking gently at first, then more insistently. As he began to flick her rock-hard nipple with his tongue she cried out with pleasure.
Jenna’s hand went to his zipper. In seconds she’d undone his jeans and slipped her hand beneath the elastic of his boxer shorts to release him. As her hand encased him and moved slowly down his rock-hard shaft he let out a low groan. He tugged his jeans and underwear off and rolled Jenna onto her back. She parted her legs and wrapped them around his hips, drawing him towards her.
‘Hey beautiful, not so fast.’ He moved onto his side and trailed his fingers gently along the inside of her thigh before sliding his hand between her legs on his way to the waistband of her shorts. He yanked at the clasp clumsily, Jenna laughing at his awkward attempt to free her from her clothes.
‘Let me,’ she said, and he momentarily lifted his hand to allow her to remove them. Now all that lay between them was a pair of pink lace panties. He placed his hand on her again and she gasped at his touch, pressing herself against his fingers through the damp satin. The smooth fabric moving over her mound made her quiver with desire. She parted her legs and thrust herself against his hand as she reached for his cock. His low moan signalled his pleasure.
She could feel her breath coming quickly as the heat between her legs increased. The familiar feelings of her imminent orgasm began to intensify. ‘I think I’m going to — ’
Luke’s hand stopped stroking and he kissed her softly. ‘Not yet,’ he whispered.
As her hands moved over his hard torso, she fought the desire to wrap her legs around his waist and draw him to her. She wanted him inside her, filling her, completing her. But Luke was right to slow things down. She too wanted this feeling to last as long as possible.
His mouth began to move slowly down her body, trailing soft kisses from her neck to her breasts and down onto her stomach.
A knot of panic formed in her belly. Surely he wasn’t going to…
His lips moved down to her pubic bone.
No!
‘Luke, stop. I can’t… I’ve never…’
He raised his head. ‘You’ve never let a man go down on you?’
She shook her head. ‘I can’t. It just seems so…intimate.’
He smiled. ‘Do you trust me, Jenna?’
Did she? How could she answer that question? In truth she barely knew him, but her gut instincts told her he was a good man. All the evidence pointed to it, too. His dedication to Maggie, his desire to always do the honourable thing even when it was difficult, showed he was a man who was true to his word.
‘I want to trust you, but…’
‘Would it help if I told you that I haven’t been with a woman for a very long time? You’re the first since…in a long time. I feel like I’ve been in a coma for the past six months. I’ve felt nothing, wanted no one. Then you came along and suddenly I’m alive again.
‘Jenna, I don’t want to do anything you are not comfortable with, but I want you to feel how good it can be when two people really…care about each other. I want to give this to you. I promise I’ll stop if it’s too much, if you don’t like it.’
She hesitated. She knew this was supposed to be every woman’s fantasy, having a man pleasure her with his tongue. She didn’t think of herself as a prude, but somehow the idea of a man burying himself in her most intimate parts felt too revealing, too much like she was giving a part of herself away. She’d never let any of her other lovers pleasure her like that. Not that any of them had ever really seemed to care; in fact Simon had never even bothered to try.
Luke cared about her. His actions as much as his words told her that. When she’d kissed him today she’d made up her mind to abandon herself to him, to this overpowering desire between them. Letting go of her tightly-held control was working out pretty well so far, but what if she repulsed him? Or she didn’t like it?
She took a deep breath. Saying yes was giving Luke permission to access her most private self. Suddenly she realised that she wanted him to have that. She gave a tentative nod.
‘Relax,’ he said. ‘I’ll take it slowly.’
She lay back on the rug, feeling tense and exposed as Luke peeled off her underwear. He gently stroked her with his fingers until she was pulsing with desire once more. He lowered his head and began to trace the top of her pubic hair with kisses, his fingers gently probing and stroking as he did. Slowly he removed his hand and began to move lower with his mouth, soft butterfly kisses tantalising her skin as he edged closer to the peak of her intimate folds. Then she felt the light touch of his tongue gently prising her open.
She could hear herself moaning and yet the noise seemed to come from somewhere else, somewhere far away. He’d found the peak of her desire, his tongue lightly stroking her until she could stand it no more. This time her climax was unstoppable.
Her hands went to his head and she raised herself to him, pushing herself hard against his mouth. His tongue darted inside her and suddenly she was rising and falling, spinning and flying. Her breaths came hard and fast before the world went black and there was nothing and everything all at once.
When her breathing had calmed, he began to gently trail his fingers over her body again. At first his touch made her tremble, it was almost too much to bear. Sated and dreamy, she wanted no more. But soon his tender caresses caused her breath to quicken and her pulse to throb once more. Now there was no question of slowing down. His touch became more urgent, more insistent, until she finally parted her legs and drew him to her.
‘Do you have protection?’ she breathed.
‘What?’
‘A condom. We can’t…’
Luke pulled back slightly. ‘Oh hell, you have me so turned on I almost forgot.’
‘Well?’
‘Hang on a minute.’ He fumbled around for his jeans, eventually pulling his wallet from the back pocket. He grinned as he pulled a foil packet from one of the wallet’s compartments. ‘Is this what you’re after?’
Jenna snatched the packet from him without answering. She tore it open and slid the condom on expertly, smiling at Luke’s moan of approval.
‘I need you, Jenna,’ he said as their bodies melded into one.
Each thrust took her higher than she could ever have imagined. She pressed against him, desperate to be fused with him, to be filled entirely. Incredibly she was soaring again, this climax even more intense than the first. How was this even possible? Never before…
Luke’s guttural groan brought a smile to her face. He collapsed on top of her and they lay happily meshed together.
Chapter 12
Luke was not sorry. This past week he’d done his best to avoid a physical encounter with Jenna and now for the life of him he couldn’t think why. How could he regret something so raw and beautiful, so perfect?
He propped himself up on one elbow and traced a finger along her jawline. She opened her eyes and looked up at him with dreamy eyes. ‘Happy?’ he asked.