by Nicola Marsh
‘This place belongs to my folks. I’m crashing here while I’m caretaker CEO.’
She couldn’t fathom the strange look he got every time he mentioned his family, an almost furtive guilty expression that darkened his eyes with pain.
‘Mum wanted the appliances, though goodness knows why as she rarely cooks. As for all the plates and other paraphernalia, she’s a hoarder from way back. Collecting old stuff goes with the territory of being a historian.’
Bemused by the cynicism in his voice, she tucked her feet under the stool rung and wriggled till she was comfortable. ‘Considering your job you must be into hanging on to old stuff too. What do you collect?’
He paused, sending her a wicked grin that curled her toes. ‘Hotties, just like you.’
Twirling a strand of hair around her finger—wishing she could do the same to him—she leaned forward and lowered her voice. ‘I’m guessing you’re not referring to the ceramic type.’
‘You mean like your extensive collection?’
They laughed as Beth wondered how she’d ever thought she could convince him she was conservative enough to do that.
‘You know, Lana actually does collect ceramic hot-water bottles.’
‘Really?’
She nodded, surprised by the swift stab of jealousy at the sudden interest in his eyes, glad when his gaze dipped to her cleavage briefly before returning to her face, scorching in its intensity.
‘Personally, I’m into hotties that collect shoes.’
He pushed off the bench-top, his biceps bunching deliciously as he strode across the kitchen and offered her his hand, his smile giving those damn butterflies in her stomach a new lease of life.
‘Come on, I’ll give you the grand tour.’
‘Is this your less than subtle way of getting me into your bedroom?’
Heat pooled in her belly at the thought as she slipped her hand into his, powerless to resist this sexy guy at his flirting best.
He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, the action so ludicrously exaggerated she laughed.
‘No, it’s my way of taking my mind off exactly how hot you are and stopping myself from getting down and dirty with you right here, right now.’
‘Oh,’ she managed as all the air whooshed out of her lungs, and as she took a deep breath his spicy scent mingled with the fragrant cooking aromas, making her mouth water more than ever.
‘Let’s go before I change my mind and lose the chivalry act.’
He nuzzled her neck, sending shards of pleasure through her body and she sighed out loud when he pulled away all too quickly.
‘You didn’t have to go through all this trouble to get me into bed,’ she said, gesturing towards the stove-top, the wine and the cosy table for two set in the corner. ‘I’m a big girl. I don’t need all the trappings.’
His right eyebrow shot up, the small scar adding to his comical surprise. ‘Where did that come from?’
She knew.
She’d known the instant she set foot in this room and seen Aidan looking so comfortable, seen the results of his culinary efforts, the effortless way he treated her, a heady mixture of light flirtation with innuendo.
This entire scene was too seductive but not in a sexual way. Seeing him like this, relaxed, contented, casual, scared her more than she’d anticipated.
Sharing a home-cooked meal, having him lavish attention on her with the tempting promise of so much more was terrifying to a girl who craved this more than her next breath, to a girl who normally couldn’t think beyond tomorrow, let alone contemplate more than a few dates with the same guy, yet here she was, wishing for for ever with Aidan.
Her stomach churned, her heart flip-flopped and her palms grew sweaty, physiological responses to a psychological problem she was all too aware of.
She might have dated guys who went to loud parties, dance clubs and who wouldn’t know coriander from a blade of grass, guys who were like her on the surface: brash, fun, party guys. But each and every time she’d hoped for more, had been on the lookout for the right guy to share a future with.
What if her search had ended? With a guy who had as much chance of sticking around as she did of travelling to Timbuktu with him?
Oh, yeah, she knew exactly why she’d sounded so snippy, but there was no way she’d tell him.
‘Sorry, didn’t mean to bite your head off. I’m just not used to being spoilt.’
His grip on her hand tightened as he tilted her chin up to stare deep into her eyes.
‘Maybe you just need the practice?’
She gulped, captured in the heat radiating from him like warming rays from a welcome winter sun, frightened by how much she wanted to be spoiled by this incredible guy, terrified he’d virtually verbalised her greatest fear: she wanted more from this—thing…fling…whatever they wanted to pass it off as—than he did.
Breaking the hypnotic eye contact by stepping back and swinging their linked hands like a preschooler, she said in an all-too-bright voice, ‘Let’s take a look around.’
To his credit he didn’t push her for answers despite the curiosity clouding his eyes, and tugged her towards the door.
‘Lounge room.’
He pointed through a door on the left and she darted a quick glance around, taking in the pine floorboards, Persian rug, tatty cream sofa, crammed bookshelf, open fireplace fanned by a gold peacock guard, a model of an old steamship and a mantelpiece adorned with several rather ugly statues and figurines, immediately struck by how different this was from her place.
Old versus new, antique versus contemporary.
The contrasts served to reinforce the yawning gap between the two of them. Aidan versus Beth.
The thought saddened her more than she’d thought possible for a carefree type of girl who’d bounced into this relationship with a spring in her step and hope in her heart.
‘Study’s next.’
More antiques, more bookshelves, more old paintings.
‘Spare bedroom.’
She barely gave the boring beige room a glance, feeling increasingly nervous as they reached a rather ornate door that had to lead to the master bedroom.
‘My room.’
Closing her eyes for an instant, she pictured black satin sheets, ruby-red scatter cushions and mirrored ceilings.
So a girl could fantasise, couldn’t she?
‘It’s not that scary.’
His amused tone alerted her to the fact he’d sprung her daydreaming.
‘Says you. For all I know you probably have a fully equipped dungeon in there.’
His eyebrows shot up and she laughed at his horrified expression.
‘Relax, I’m kidding. Somehow, I can’t see you as the bondage type.’
His eyes darkened with mystery and she swallowed, all too aware of their proximity and the fact there was probably a bed with their names written all over it behind the door.
‘I’m not. Though the odd silk scarf or two might come in handy…’
Her breath caught as he slid an arm around her waist and drew her close, slanting a slow burning kiss across her lips, the type of kiss designed to stoke her fire, a kiss that turned her into a quivering mess with the barest flick of his tongue against her lips.
‘Have you ever been tied up?’ he whispered against the corner of her mouth, his breath sweet from the wine, his piquant blackcurrant scent intoxicating.
Her eyes fluttered shut as he kissed his way towards her ear lobe, and the instant they closed she could see the two of them in vivid detail: naked, her lounging back on satin sheets, Aidan over her, tugging gently on purple silk binding her to a wrought-iron bed…
‘You don’t have to answer if it makes you uncomfortable.’
He pulled away as she opened her eyes to find him staring at her with concern.
She chuckled, not surprised her laugh had a slight hysterical edge considering she couldn’t get the erotic image of the two of them and those sexy silk scarves out of her head.
‘You’re full of surprises. You’re the quiet charmer, I’m supposed to be the wacky, zany one, remember?’
Relief evident in the immediate relaxing of his shoulders, he sent her a quick wink as he threw open the door. ‘Haven’t you heard the quiet ones are always the worst?’
‘I stand duly warned,’ she said, exhaling as she stepped into the rather bland room, not sure if she was disappointed or relieved at the lack of satin sheets and silk scarves.
However, her imagination took flight again as he led her into the most gorgeous room in the house, a room at complete odds with the rest.
‘The en suite,’ he said, in the same conversational tone he’d used to announce the rest of the rooms.
‘Oh, wow.’
She released his hand and headed straight for the monstrous Jacuzzi mounted in the far corner. ‘This is amazing.’
She let her hand drift along the pale green marble, the gold taps, the border edged in exquisite mosaic. ‘You must never want to get out of this.’
He propped in the doorway, amused at her drooling over a bath tub.
‘Actually, I can’t remember ever having a bath.’
‘Here, you mean?’
He shook his head, joining her at the tub. ‘Ever.’
Aidan saw the confusion in her eyes and felt compelled to explain.
‘I showered as soon as I could stand up.’
She snorted. ‘You don’t know what you’re missing. This is one serious bath tub.’
He shrugged and perched on the edge of it. ‘Personally, I don’t see the attraction.’
‘You’re kidding.’
With a snap of her fingers, her eyes lit up and she yanked open the vanity cupboard, ducking her head into it and letting out an excited squeal.
Covering his eyes with his hand, he said, ‘Don’t tell me, you’ve found evidence my folks aren’t the couple of old fuddy-duds I imagine.’
Straightening so fast she almost hit her head on the washbasin, Beth faced him with a cheeky glint in her eyes and a teasing smile playing about her mouth.
‘Don’t worry, there aren’t any silk scarves if that’s what you’re worried about.’
He groaned, quickly blotting out that ghastly image. ‘You’ve got a dangerous look in your eyes.’
She advanced towards him, sashaying across the incredibly large bathroom.
‘Dangerous, huh? Perhaps you should be afraid.’
She hooked her hands around his neck and pulled him down for a swift, scorching kiss that had all the blood in his head instantly heading south. ‘Very afraid.’
He needed little encouragement to prolong the moment, his excitement skyrocketing as she opened her mouth to him again, her tongue slowly meeting his in an erotic, sinuous dance that had him wishing they could stay like this for ever.
For ever?
Oh, no, no way, uh-uh. He didn’t do for ever.
The only long-standing commitment he had was to archaeology and he wanted to keep it that way no matter how much he’d like to get to know this crazy woman, every gorgeous, spontaneous inch of her, how much he’d like to spend more than a few months with her.
But he couldn’t do it. He’d trodden the relationship road once before and the fallout had sent him high-tailing it back to his digs and he hadn’t stopped running since.
Rattled by the startling realisation of how much he wanted more from her than just sex, he backed her against the vanity cabinet, kissing her longer, harder, deeper, hungry kisses that fuelled his fire for her and obliterated the dangerous thoughts of wanting more.
This mind-blowing physical connection they shared he could handle. As for anything more permanent…it just couldn’t happen.
‘Mmm…’
Her appreciative moan sizzled through his blood and he almost lost it.
However, this wasn’t what he wanted from tonight. At least, not till later, after he’d wined her and dined her, chatted and flirted with her, charmed her as she deserved.
Last night at her place had been amazing and he’d replayed it like a XXX movie through his mind all day. But he’d wanted tonight to be about more than sex, about exploring the possibility of the two of them dating for the short time he was in town, and to do that he knew he had to take this slower despite every horny cell in his body telling him otherwise.
Disengaging his mouth with reluctance, he pulled away just enough to trace her lips with his finger, to watch her shining green eyes haze over with passion.
‘I need to check the stove before my efforts to impress you go up in smoke.’
She smiled, trying to draw his finger into her mouth but he was too quick, snatching it away before she undid him completely.
‘You’ve already impressed me and it has nothing to do with your cooking skills.’
Battling a raging libido was hard enough without this incredibly sexy woman staring at him as if she wanted to eat him alive, but he managed to take a few ragged breaths before stepping away.
‘How about we eat first and do some serious searching for those silk scarves later?’
Her answering smile, laden with promise, had him thrusting his hands into his pockets—what little room was left—to stop from reaching out and grabbing her.
‘Deal. Though you have to promise me one thing.’
‘Anything.’
Leaning closer, her breasts brushing against his chest with exquisite torture, she whispered in his ear. ‘You give me ten minutes in here later. I think I’ll have a surprise you’ll really like.’
‘Make it five?’
Laughing, she slipped her hand into his and turned towards the door. ‘You never cease to amaze me.’
He squeezed her hand in response and tugged her towards the kitchen.
He amazed her, huh? Wait till she saw what he had in mind for after dessert.
‘Ready or not, here I come.’
Aidan heard a muffled, ‘This isn’t hide and seek,’ from behind the bathroom door before it creaked open and Beth stuck her head around it.
‘You’re wearing too many clothes for what I have in mind in here,’ she said, her cheeky grin in contrast to her mock frown as her gaze slid down his body. ‘Way too many clothes.’
‘Easily rectified.’
He whipped his T-shirt off in record time and flung it on a nearby chair, his fingers snapping the top button of his jeans undone before she reached out and stilled his hand.
‘On second thoughts, I’ll take care of that.’
Opening the door wider, she stepped aside and gestured him in with a theatrical flourish.
‘What the—?’
‘I know it’s not a guy thing, but you said you’d never taken a bath so I thought now was as good a time as any.’
His jaw dropped as he took in the candles of all shapes and sizes strategically placed around the bathroom to cast an inviting glow, the rose petals floating on the steaming water filling the bath and the topped-up wineglasses within easy reach of the tub.
‘I know it’s probably not your thing but I thought—’
‘It’s great. Really.’
He cupped her cheek for a moment, impressed with the effort she’d gone to, blown away by how much thought she’d put into this. ‘I take it you got all this stuff from under the vanity?’
‘Uh-huh. I’m sure your folks won’t mind.’
He didn’t care if they did. Right now, all he wanted to do was immerse himself in that tempting body of water, followed by the tempting body of the woman who’d done all this just for him.
‘So are you going to step into the bathroom or stay out there all night?’
Smiling, he let her lead him in by the hand, inhaling sharply as a delicious aroma reminiscent of freshly baked sweet rolls slammed into his senses.
‘Vanilla and cinnamon bath essence,’ she said, reading his mind as he breathed in several lungfuls of the heady fragrance, wondering if the scent would linger on her soft skin after they bathed together, knowing it would tempt him to tast
e every inch of her all night long.
Reaching out, he snagged his finger into the top of her flirty skirt and tugged. ‘What were you saying a minute ago about me wearing too many clothes?’
‘Patience…’
They’d reached the tub and he forced himself to stand perfectly still, his arms loose by his sides as she stepped closer, her fingers toying with his zip while she stared up at him with a naughty glint in her eyes.
‘You’re killing me,’ he muttered as she slid the zip down centimetre by centimetre, the rasp of the metal teeth drowning out his whoosh of air as she completed her task, slid her hands inside the waistband and gently eased the denim off his hips.
‘You can’t rush a good bath.’
Her sizzling look from beneath lowered lashes would’ve fried him on the spot if he weren’t already near boiling point.
Standing back, she tapped her bottom lip with her finger and stared directly at his crotch. ‘Hmm…still too many clothes.’
However, as she reached for his boxers he grabbed her wrist.
‘Not so fast. Seeing as this is the first time for me, I’m a little nervous. I think I need my hand held in that tub.’
Her lips curved in a provocative smile. ‘Bet that’s not all you need held.’
His chuckles died as she shimmied out of her denim mini and jade halter top in a second, leaving her standing less than two feet away from him in a skimpy lace thong the exact striking colour of her top.
‘Last one in is a rotten pterodactyl egg,’ she said, peeling the lace down her long legs with the panache of someone at total ease with her body before stepping into the bath and sinking below the waterline, ruining his view of the good stuff completely.
Shucking his boxers in record time, he joined her in the bath, his sharp intake of breath having little to do with the hot-water temperature and everything to do with Beth sitting up to make room for him, bringing her nipples to the surface of the water.
‘Turn around,’ he commanded, eager to feel her flush against him, eager to fill his hands with her.
‘Jeez, you’re bossy.’
However, she did exactly as she was told, settling her back against his chest, resting her head on his shoulder as they both lay back and let the soothing water overlap them.