Lovers Unmasked: The Complete Series

by Nicole Flockton

  Andrew answered her with a sexy smile. “How can I argue with such a determined woman?”

  “It’s at your own peril if you ignore her.”

  “Really? I might have to test that theory.”

  She chuckled, enjoying the banter that was passing between them. “Maybe today?”

  To show him that she was eager for his touch, she reached between them and encircled his hard length. He groaned in her ear as he reached around and unclipped her bra.

  “You’re playing a dangerous game there.”

  “I like danger,” she whispered and stroked his hard length.

  He laughed huskily pulling at her bra, the fabric trapping her hands against his length. “I could keep your arms trapped, but I want to be inside you.” Andrew pushed her back gently, making her release her hold on his hard length and allowing him to remove her bra.

  “A girl can’t argue with that,” she said, and lifted her hips to help him take off her last piece of clothing. Whenever she was with him, she felt like a completely different person. The person she was meant to be.

  He left her side and reached for his pants to deal with the necessary protection. He was back beside her before she could catch her breath.

  “I don’t think I can ever get enough of you.” He took hold of her lips again and moved so that he was lying over her. She couldn’t wait for that moment when he took possession of her. As she waited, she knew in her heart that she loved him. She wanted to tell him, but was afraid if she did, it would scare him away. As he drove into her she bit her lip so that she didn’t blurt it out, but she screamed it in her mind.

  She lifted her hips with each of his thrusts. As Andrew built the momentum, she gave herself over to the thoughts in her mind, letting her love for him pour through her body. She wasn’t going to say it but she hoped he could feel it. She couldn’t hold on any longer, and she cried out her completion as he joined her on her journey to oblivion.

  • • •

  Dawn stirred and for a moment was a little disorientated as her stomach growled loudly. She couldn’t help the giggle that erupted from her.

  “I thought I’d fed you?” Andrew muttered sleepily beside her.

  “You fed my spiritual side, not my physical side.” She sat up and poked Andrew in the ribs. “Besides, I think I recall you saying something about cooking?”

  “That was your other boyfriend that said that.”

  She laughed. “I don’t have time for two boyfriends.” She pushed the covers aside and got out of the bed. She reached down for her dress and pulled it back on sans underwear. Behind her she heard a groan and a secret smile broke out over her face. She was glad she had her back to him so he couldn’t see it. She figured he’d appreciate her lack of underwear.

  She turned back at the bed and pulled the covers away from him. “Come on, hot shot. Feed me.”

  “Fine,” he said as he reached down and pulled his boxers on. Then he grabbed his t-shirt and pulled it over his head. “Do you like Chinese?”

  “Oh no,” Dawn said and placed her hands on her hips. “You’re not cheating and calling for takeaway. You said you’d cook and I want you to cook.”

  “But I’m not at my house am I?” he countered.

  “I’ve got food.”

  “I didn’t realize what a demanding soul you were.” His tone was light and filled with amusement. Clearly he was enjoying this banter between them as much as she was. But as a yawn stretched through his body, she took pity on him.

  “There’s an Asian restaurant menu under the phone, will that do?”

  “Yep, I’m easy.”

  “Hmm, don’t I know it.” She tossed a pillow at him, which he deftly caught and threw back on the bed.

  “I might get lost on the way to the kitchen.” He held out his hand toward her. “Can you show me the way?”

  She rolled her eyes at his antics. He’d been to her place enough times to know where her kitchen was. “As if you’d get lost, you had no problem finding my bedroom.”

  He winked at her. “Yes, my radar was on point. But kitchens aren’t my strong suit. When it was my turn to cook on the boat, most of the guys would pass and just cook toast.”

  Dawn leaned into his strength as they walked from her bedroom to the kitchen. “Guess I escaped a fate worse than death tonight?”

  “No, I was planning to grill. I know how to cook a steak.” As they reached the kitchen, he reached past her and flicked the light switch. “Besides, I was going to get you to make the salad.”

  “You’re hopeless,” she said as she walked over to where her phone was situated and extracted the takeaway menu from the drawer. She held it out towards him. “Here, you choose, but my favorite dish is Lemongrass Beef with steamed rice.”

  “Right.”

  While Andrew looked the menu over, Dawn went to the fridge to see if she had anything to offer him to drink. She hadn’t thought she would be home this evening, so she hadn’t bothered to stock the fridge with any drinks. She spied a bottle of beer from one of the other times Andrew had come over and pulled it out. She grabbed a can of soda for herself before kicking the door shut with her foot.

  “Have you decided yet?”

  “Well, considering the way your stomach rumbled like a volcano about to erupt, I’m thinking we’ll need more than some gourmet dish.” He gazed over the menu at her. “How about you go sit in the living room while I order. That way dinner will be a surprise.”

  “Okay, but don’t forget to order my dish,” she warned as she walked out.

  She was still chuckling when she turned the lights on to her living room. The picture of Brody and Tom caught her eye. She wandered over to it and picked it up. She waited for the familiar punch of guilt that always assailed her when she looked at the last photo taken of her two boys. It didn’t come. Only peace and contentment filled her. She smiled and replaced the picture, glad that looking at it hadn’t dampened her mood. She knew now that she was fully healed and Andrew was the reason for it.

  “Are you okay, honey?” Andrew’s soft voice whispered over her like a gentle summer breeze.

  She turned around and faced him. “I’m more than okay. I’m fantastic.”

  If she didn’t know better, she would’ve thought that was a look of relief crossing Andrew’s features. But it had been so fleeting she couldn’t be sure.

  “So are in you in the mood for music or television?” she asked him.

  “Music. I don’t think there’s anything on the box at the moment. Nothing I’m interested in anyway.”

  “Okay, music it is.” Dawn wandered over to her sound system and set her iPod on shuffle. The strains of some classical music filled the room. She turned the volume to a reasonable level so that the music wouldn’t intrude while they talked. She realized that she hadn’t told him about her meeting with Sophie — the main reason for them getting together that evening. But she didn’t regret the quick sojourn in the bedroom.

  As she sat down on the sofa she patted the space beside her. “How long before the food arrives?”

  “They said it will be about forty minutes.” He sat beside her and she placed her hand on his thigh, the muscle twitching beneath her fingers.

  “Darn, I was hoping it would be quicker.”

  He laid a hand over hers and entwined their fingers together. “Anticipation makes it all the more tastier.”

  They sat there for a few minutes, listening to the music as it changed from classical to a recent hit.

  “You want to tell me what happened with Sophie today?” Andrew’s words broke the little daydream she was having, where this was the usual evening for them, sitting together after a full day of work.

  “Why don’t I wait until the food arrives? I don’t want to get halfway through my story and then have to stop
.”

  “I think I can wait a bit longer.” He stood and picked up his empty bottle and her empty can. “I’ll get some utensils — do you want chopsticks or a fork?”

  “I’ll have chopsticks, thanks. They’re in the second drawer to the right under the island bench.”

  “I’ll find them.” He paused in the doorway. “Want another drink?”

  She shook her head. “I’m good, thanks. But I think I may have a bottle of red in the wine rack in the front room. If I do, why don’t you open that and we can have it with dinner.”

  “Okay. I’ll be right back.”

  As he walked away, Dawn couldn’t help but wonder how domestic the scene was. How comfortable she felt around him. A buzzing sound filled the room. It took her a moment to realize that Andrew had brought his cell phone in and had laid it on the coffee table to the side of her armchair. She went over to pick it up. The name “Dean” flashed on the screen. Her stomach dropped and the very idea of touching the phone wiped from her mind. Why was Dean calling? Was Andrew about to take him up on his offer to join that crew? She didn’t want to believe it. She wanted to be able to trust Andrew but the seed of doubt had been planted and was taking root. What would she do if he decided he wanted to join the racing circuit again?

  Chapter 13

  The phone stopped buzzing, but still she held it. Another vibration a few seconds later told her that a voicemail had been left. Dawn put it down and walked back to the couch, distancing herself from the device.

  She tried not to think negatively about it. Dean could’ve been calling to say hi. It could’ve been anything. It didn’t have to mean that Andrew was going away again. Not after the way he’d made love to her tonight, as if she was his most precious possession.

  Dawn pushed the negative thoughts away. She wasn’t nineteen anymore. She could ask him what he was doing and what he had planned.

  Andrew walked back into the room as she was still lecturing herself.

  “What’s wrong?” he asked as he placed the utensils and the glasses he’d gotten on the table in front of her.

  “Why would anything be wrong?”

  “Because you look like your world is about to end again.” He sat beside her and took her hand in his. “So tell me what’s wrong.”

  “Your phone rang.”

  Andrew looked confused at her response and she could understand why. It was such a random answer to his question, but it was the only answer she could give.

  “My phone rang and that’s what’s causing your distress?” He got up and went over to the phone.

  “Dean called,” she blurted out as he picked up the device.

  He stopped mid motion of entering his pass code and looked up. “Dean called? And this has upset you? Did you speak to him?”

  “No, I didn’t speak to him.” She withstood his steady gaze as he put the phone to his ear and listened to the message. She wished for the doorbell to ring so she could leave the room and Andrew’s scrutiny.

  “So do you want to tell me why Dean’s call upset you?” He asked once he’d finished listening to the message.

  “It didn’t upset me.” She regretted the words the moment she said them. She held up her hand to stop the outburst that she knew was coming. “Okay, sorry, yes, it did upset me, alright?”

  “Why? You met him for all of five minutes; I don’t understand any of this.” As he thrust his hand through his hair the doorbell rang and Dawn was glad for the interruption.

  “Saved by the bell, I guess,” he said with an ironic smile. “But when I get back, we will finish this discussion.”

  She breathed out her relief when he went to answer the door. She had to get control of herself. It was a stupid reaction to have and she had to try and explain it so that Andrew could understand where she was coming from. She would have to be convincing.

  • • •

  “Thanks,” Andrew said as he passed over cash to the delivery guy. The aromas from the bag were so enticing and even though he was annoyed, he couldn’t wait to taste it.

  He walked back into the living and when he saw Dawn sitting there looking forlorn, he almost wanted to let the whole situation with Dean’s call go. But he needed to know why she was so upset by it.

  “Are you ready?” he asked as he emptied the bag of its cartons. He handed Dawn’s to her along with a pair of chopsticks. “It smells good.”

  “Sure.” Her reply was half-hearted but she accepted the items from him.

  “How about we table the conversation about Dean’s call until after we eat,” he suggested before taking a mouthful of his seafood dish.

  “Are you sure?”

  “I’m not going to let it drop,” he said. “But I don’t want it to spoil our dinner.”

  Her demeanor changed but he noticed a determined look enter her eyes.

  “I appreciate what you’re trying to do, Drew. But I’ve spent so long not facing my issues and wiping them under the carpet. So here goes.” He saw her take a deep breath. “I’m scared you’re going to join the crew Dean told you about and sail away, leaving me alone again.”

  Her words were the last thing he expected. He’d phoned Dean today and told him he wasn’t interested in his offer and to stop calling him. He’d had no idea that Dawn feared he’d leave her again. But he supposed it was a valid fear, considering their past.

  He put his food down and grabbed her hands, his thumbs drawing circles on the top of her hands. “Dawn, honey, I phoned Dean today to ask him to stop calling me and to tell him, for the hundredth time, that I wasn’t interested in joining a crew again. My days of competitive around the world sailing are over.”

  He let the words sink in, hoping that she would believe him. From the way her gaze remained unchanged, he knew she wasn’t completely convinced.

  “You don’t believe me?”

  “I want to, I really do, but I saw the way you lit up when we went sailing that day. You loved being in charge of the yacht. And then on our weekend away when you were surfing, you loved pitting yourself against the ocean. Proving that you could best it.”

  Andrew sighed and released her hands, picking up his meal. Her comments were valid. He had enjoyed testing the elements when he was surfing, but knowing Dawn was on the beach waiting for him — well nothing compared to that feeling, not even surfing the perfect wave.

  He acknowledged that if he couldn’t surf or sail again he’d be happy, just so long as Dawn was by his side. He was falling for her. No, he’d already fallen for her. He loved her. He hadn’t stopped loving her.

  • • •

  Dawn waited. Andrew still hadn’t acknowledged what she’d said. He was just putting food into his mouth, lost in his thoughts. She wanted to believe him with her whole heart that he was done chasing adventure across the world. But she couldn’t be too sure.

  “Dawn, I mean it. I’m done with racing. It’s not all it’s cracked up to be. Months at sea with the same group of guys. Tempers getting frayed because wherever you turn, you’re not alone.”

  “If you felt that way, why did you keep doing it for as long as you did? Why didn’t you just do it for a couple of years before coming back?”

  “Because I didn’t know what I wanted to do. Sailing had been my be all and end all. So I kept doing it and before I knew it ten years had passed.”

  “What changed for you to come back to live here? Why a career as a paramedic? Although, I guess going to certain situations can fuel your adrenaline junkie tendencies.”

  He laughed at her words — clearly that thought hadn’t crossed his mind before. “Not quite the reason for me getting into emergency services.”

  Andrew put his container down and picked up the bottle of wine and filled her glass and his. The precision of his movements was of a person trying to formulate what they were pla
nning to say next. He handed her a glass; once she took it, he picked up his food once again.

  “Thanks.” She took a sip and let the mellow red wine slither down her throat.

  “I got into emergency services when I realized how selfless those guys are. How they are committed to putting their lives on the line to save someone elses.”

  Dawn stilled in her movements of bringing her chopsticks to her mouth. It wasn’t the first time he’d alluded to something happening to him. May be this was the perfect time for him to share that story with her. She had been so caught up in their new relationship that she hadn’t given it too much thought. Now she wasn’t going to let it go.

  “Until you need them, no one realizes what paramedics do,” she said. “Oh, you can get a certain idea from television shows, but people don’t know if it’s authentic or not.” She then took the plunge to ask him what had happened. “Did you or your crew have need for a paramedic?”

  The sharp intake of breath was the only sign that she’d hit a raw nerve with him. “There were occasions when we required medical intervention.”

  His tone was light, but he placed his food back on the table. For someone who was hungry before, it was a telling sign.

  Dawn placed her hand on his warm thigh. “I’m speaking from experience here; it helps to talk about whatever happened.”

  She waited. She didn’t think he was going to say anything as the silence lengthened between them. She couldn’t help feeling disappointed that he didn’t want to share his story with her. Especially after everything she’d bared to him.

  “It was almost twelve months ago. We were in the middle of the Atlantic. There was a slight swell, nothing unusual. It had been windy but it seemed to have died down. There was no warning. It came out of nowhere — a huge king wave swamped the boat. One minute, I was walking along the deck, the next minute, I was surrounded by water. I didn’t think I’d ever surface but when I did, it took me a moment to realize what had happened. I looked around and saw nothing. It was like the wave hadn’t happened. But I was in the water and I knew that it had.”