She was still panting, still caught in a grip of pleasure when he swung over her, nudged her thighs apart, arm hooking behind one soft knee to bend her leg. His shaft slid between the labia, lodged at the slick entrance to her body.
Coming over her, he looked down into her face. “Open your eyes.”
She moaned softly.
“Open your eyes, Charley.”
The long, thick lashes fluttered.
“Look at me.” His order was harsh, hoarse.
She obeyed, eyes hazy with pleasure, the aftermath of a strong climax.
It was all he wanted, needed. Poised, he waited for recognition to appear.
As soon as it did, he drove into her.
Drove in hard and deep, burying himself to the hilt, feeling the tight passage part before his hardness, the walls clasping his shaft erotically as he tunnelled forward.
She whimpered, her neck arching, head tipping back as he withdrew, generous breasts swaying with his next hard thrust and the next.
God, he could drown in her - her scent, her touch, her skin, her heat and body.
Desire rode him as hard as he rode her, slamming into her, balanced on one forearm, biceps and triceps bulging as they took his weight, his other hand clamped on her thigh, gripping her, holding her beneath him as he pounded deep.
Sweat slicked down his spine, fire burning in his blood, a wash of heat that flooded his body, arced and spiralled, molten lava spilling through his sac, roping through his shaft.
Harder he pounded, rewarded by her other leg lifting, bending, giving him greater access, giving him silent permission to continue the punishing pace.
Charley didn’t cry out in protest, didn’t try to stop him, her cheeks flushed with fiery passion, her eyes hot and wild, nails scratching along his back to dig into one hard buttock and pull in silent command to continue the hedonistic rutting.
Rutting? Making love? It was different and yet the same.
His heart was pounding with the ferocity of the sex, his blood on fire from arousal and something more, the roughness tempered with the knowledge that it was his Charley, his Sunflower, in whom he was buried, but it was the same knowledge that kept his hips thrusting vigorously.
The tide built, ardour boiling up, a hot release of seed that shot forth, caught in the latex even as the orgasm shook him.
Pushed up on one hand, muscles bulging, fingers hooked into the sheet, Blue threw his head back, teeth clenched, fingers of his other hand digging into Charley’s thigh as his hips stopped pistoning, shaft buried deep within the shivering walls of her hot, clasping sheath. He strained, back arching as the storm hit, fire pouring through him, sucking him into a furnace of fire and heat before spilling him out in a rush of desire, further out into a wildness before he was rolled under in a splintering shower of spent desire.
Chapter 8
Coming awake slowly, Charley felt deliciously exhausted. Drowsy, she blinked at the curtain moving slightly in the early morning breeze, the plain dark blue velvet outlining the fine, white lace - Wait. Dark blue?
Blinking, she stared at the window. Her curtains were pale blue with a tiny yellow flower print, not plain dark blue. In fact, this room was distinctly male in its heavy furnishings and…
She gulped. The warmth at her back… The heavy arm draped across her waist beneath the sheet… The hard thighs tucked behind hers… Oh boy.
Turning her head slowly, she saw the brawny shoulder in her vision, the muscled pecs partially covered by the sheet.
Oh God.
Oh God, she was in Blue’s bed. His naked body was curled around hers.
She was being spooned by Blue Wells!
Along with that knowledge was the realisation of just how she’d ended up so deliciously exhausted. That made her flush both hot and cold in turn. But mostly hot. The memory of him seeing all her - well, all of her - made her heart stutter and a blush steal through her cheeks.
Oh cripes.
Okay, there was no need to panic. No need at all. She was an adult, he was an adult, they’d been intimate. That was all. She was his girlfriend, he was her boyfriend and - oh boy. She didn’t do this kind of thing, not so soon.
The arm around her tightened fractionally, the heavy thigh shifting behind hers as Blue sighed and resettled. She only relaxed when he kept sleeping.
Now what? Did she slip from the bed and hope he didn’t stir? Could she slip from the bed and not wake him? For sure, she really wanted some alone time to think.
A little head peered around the bedroom door, followed by a tabby and white body. Kitty gave a happy mrrp upon seeing that Charley was awake. Tail in the air, she trotted across the carpet to jump up onto the bottom of the bed and quickly disappear behind Blue’s back.
No worrying about how she was going to slip from the bed unnoticed, it was too late because Kitty trod along the top of the pillows, making them dip.
Charley cringed a little as Blue gave a humph, shifted, then he yawned loudly in her ear before rolling onto his back, his heavy arm shifting from her waist as he sat up. “Hey, girl.”
Kitty meowed.
The mattress dipped a little, silence settling in, and she wondered if he was looking at her or the fluff ball that had just foiled her escape.
“Come on, Kitty, let’s get you some breakfast.” The mattress dipped and rolled again as he got out.
Maybe she should say something instead of lying doggo. Coward.
“While I get you food, Charley can run for her room to hide.” There was definitely amusement in the deep tone.
Before she could do more than come up on one elbow while clutching the sheet to her naked bosom, a heavy hand smacked her bum lightly. “Hey!”
“’Morning, Sunflower.” Blue strode around the bottom of the bed clad in boxers and nothing else, Kitty tucked under one arm. He winked at Charley. “Feel free to do a runner.”
Feigning nonchalance, she sat up and drew her knees to her chest. “I wasn’t thinking any such thing.”
“That’d sound better if you hadn’t been pretending to be asleep.” He continued to the door.
“Wasn’t,” she mumbled.
“And you’re all red-cheeked.” Going through the doorway, he stuck his head back in to leer. “You look mighty fine lying naked in my bed. If you’re still there after I’ve fed Kitty, I’m coming back to join you.”
No sooner had he withdrawn than Charley was out of the bed, yanking on her discarded nightie and hurrying from the room.
“I heard that!” Blue yelled from the kitchen. “Chicken!”
“You can’t see this,” she retorted, “but I’m giving you a rude gesture!”
“Charming.”
Grabbing fresh clothes, she ran into the bathroom, shutting the door and breathing a sigh of relief. Regarding her reflection with the messy hair and sleepy eyes, she groaned. “You don’t look loved-up. You look wrecked.”
The warm water was a balm for her thighs, the muscles of which were twinging a little. No doubt from the unaccustomed position. She both blushed and shivered in remembered pleasure.
After shampooing and soaping, she rinsed and lingered a little under the water before finally turning it off. Sooner or later she had to face Blue, stop being a nong, and try not to go too red when she looked into his eyes.
Finally, dressed in a floaty pair of shorts that danced around her knees and a t-shirt, feet bare, hair already starting to dry in the rising heat of the summer day, Charley left the bathroom, folded the nightie under her pillow and marched determinedly into the kitchen with her head held high.
Standing on the other side of the kitchen counter sipping from a cup of steaming tea, Blue noted her entrance with a raised eyebrow and a distinctly amused grin flirting around his firm lips.
Determined not to blush and stammer, she walked over to the ‘fridge, took out a tin of Diet Coke, popped the tab, turned to face him and took several swallows while watching him over the rim.
She almost choked when h
is gaze slid over her in appreciation, but managed to breathe evenly and return his gaze coolly. She hoped.
“Okay,” he said. “I don’t know whether to kiss you or bow.”
“Huh?”
“Last night I made love to a hot little firecracker, this morning I awoke to a soft little cuddle-bun that froze up, and right now I just watched an elegant woman sweep in with her head held high and a challenge on her face.”
“Really?” She blinked. “Elegant? Me?”
“No, not really. Sorry. I was just trying to make you feel better.” He grinned. “It did resemble more of a desperate challenge.”
“Desperate?”
“How about we stick with elegant? We can do elegant.”
After staring at the teasing twinkle in his eyes for several seconds, she sighed. “Am I that obvious?”
“Which part? The firecracker in the bed? The cuddle-bun that froze? Or the desperate challenge?” He laughed outright when her shoulders slumped.
“Bugger.”
“Poor baby.” Placing his mug on the counter, Blue strode over to her, sliding his arms around her waist and tugging her into him, dropping a kiss on top of her head. “Come here, Sunflower. Hide your poor flushed little face against my manly chest.”
Now that sounded good. Charley rested her forehead against said chest and sighed again.
He rubbed her back comfortingly. “Want to tell me about it?”
“What, you can’t guess?”
“Well, you’re obviously a little shy this morning.”
“Yes. No. Maybe.”
“And decisive. Definitely decisive.”
Without removing her forehead from his chest, she held up one hand and flipped up her middle finger.
His chest shook with his bark of laughter.
“Let’s just say I’m not used to waking up in a man’s bed.”
“Duly noted.”
“Don’t you mean ‘noticed’?”
“Well, yes, that too.”
“Let’s just stay like this for a few minutes.”
“Because you like being in my arms?”
“So my red face can cool off. And stop laughing at me.”
That only made him laugh harder.
Grinning ruefully, she slung her arms around his lean waist to link her hands together at the base of his spine. “Just give me a minute. I’ll sort myself out.”
“It’s all good, Sunflower.” His chin rested atop her head. “I have a plan to distract you.”
“And that is?”
“Let’s go for a walk.”
“A walk?” She tipped her head back to survey him.
He smiled down at her. “A walk. We’ll wander over to the café a few streets away and I’ll buy you breakfast.”
That actually sounded like a good plan. She nodded. “Okay. But I’ll buy you breakfast.”
“I had first dibs.”
“That has nothing-”
“You can buy the next box of condoms.” At her dumbfounded expression followed swiftly by scarlet cheeks, he laughed again. “You are so easy, Charley.”
Her mouth fell open.
“Not that kind of easy, either, so don’t take offence. Now, I’m going to have a quick shower and then we’ll go.” He smacked her bum lightly, released her, side-stepped and strode out of the room.
“Hey!” she called. “What’s with the bum smacking?”
“It’s a delectable bum,” he called back. “You’re lucky I don’t take a bite out of it.”
Feeling immensely better and definitely not so self-conscious, Charley looked at Kitty giving her face a post-brekkie wash near the back door. “I think you have a plan, too.” Charley picked her up, snuggled her close. “Was that your plan, Kitty? To get Blue and me together?”
Kitty purred.
“Because I think it was a good plan.” She kissed the top of the cat’s head. “A great plan. But don’t tell Blue.”
Ears pricking up alertly, Kitty glanced past her out the security screen. Charley spotted the bird standing on the veranda rail. “Yeah, sorry Kitty-cat, no birds for you.”
Paws on Charley’s shoulder, Kitty stretched her neck to see better, her pupils dilating.
“I reckon that’s probably what my eyes looked like when I saw how yummy Blue was,” Charley whispered with a grin. “But back to you. I promise I’ll make it up to you with some chicken tonight, okay?”
She left Kitty making chittering noises while staring longingly out the screen door at the bird.
She was just finishing the Diet Coke when Blue reappeared in his usual summer casual attire of cargo shorts, t-shirt and thongs. On his head he had a cap with ‘World’s Sexiest Bloke’ printed across the front.
“Seriously?” she asked.
“Absolutely. I’m the sexiest.”
“And the most modest.”
He winked. “You’ve noticed. Awesome.” Tucking his wallet into the front pocket, he jerked a thumb in the direction of the front door while slipping on dark sunglasses. “You ready?”
“I’ll just get some thongs on.” Tossing the empty soft drink tin into the bin, she passed behind him.
Acting on a sudden urge, she smacked his bum as she passed, only to shoot off with a squeal when he rounded on her with a “You’ll pay for that, missy!” His rumble of amusement followed her right to her bedroom.
Grinning, she quickly put her hair up into a ponytail, slung the strap of her small bag across her shoulder, slid her feet into a pair of thongs and plucked up a small white straw hat with a yellow flower stuck in the band. Plopping it onto her head, she slid on her own sunglasses while returning to the kitchen, only to stop in the hallway when she heard Blue talking.
“In gratitude for unwittingly helping me get Charley into my bed, I’m going to give you a big feed of chicken tonight, Kitty. Yes I am.” She half expected him to start baby-talking, but instead he added, “I had no friggin’ idea when the right time was, or how to know, or how to broach it without scaring her off, so you did me a huge favour. I’m repaying that favour with the biggest chook you can think of. Maybe a turkey.”
Looked like Kitty was going to have more chicken than a cat could handle at one time.
Hearing Blue’s thongs slap across the lino floor, Charley quickly ducked to the front door, pretending she was checking her bag when he appeared. “Ready?”
“Yep.” He eyed the hat. “Cute.”
“You think?”
“Loving the flower.”
“Too much?” She fiddled with it.
He opened the door. “You and flowers go together perfectly.”
“Aw, you say the sweetest things.” She waited on the veranda while he locked the doors.
“I know, right?”
“Did you take lessons in being a gentleman?”
“Dad drummed it into us pretty good.”
Hand-in-hand, they walked down the pathway onto the street. He shortened his stride so Charley could keep up.
“Your family is really close,” she observed.
“Yep.”
“You’re lucky.”
Your family isn’t close?”
“Oh, we’re close all right. We’re just kind of scattered.”
“We’ve never spoken about your family.” He was openly curious. “Tell me.”
“Well, there’s Mum and Dad, she’s a receptionist and dad’s a dentist. I have one older sister who is an accountant and a younger brother who is a pharmacist and married with two kids.”
“They live where?”
“Rob’s in Wongan Hills, Bec works in Eucla, and Mum and Dad live in Warburton.”
“Wow. That is scattered.”
“Yep.”
“Do you see your family much?”
“I try to see Mum and Dad a couple of times a year. It depends.” She shrugged. “Sometimes they come here. Sometimes Bec and Rob come.”
Several minutes passed in contented silence as they left the street, turning onto the foo
tpath along another street heading for the highway.
“So you don’t mind being alone?” Blue queried.
“Not really, no.” She admired a flower-laden garden as they passed it. “I have my life, they have theirs. Life is what you make it. I don’t need a lot of family and friends around all the time to entertain me. As long as I see my family now and again, I’m happy.”
“I noticed that apart from seeing Mikki and Izzy now and again, you don’t seem to have a lot of friends.”
She glanced up to find him watching her curiously. “That worries you?”
“No.”
“You think I’m a hermit?”
He regarded her thoughtfully. “I think you’re a homebody who likes her own space.”
“Does that worry you?”
“No.”
“You know,” she said casually, “you don’t seem to have a lot of friends, either.”
He shrugged, big shoulders moving easily beneath the soft material of the t-shirt. “Well, I’m away a lot. The friends I had in school, we kind of lost touch over the years. I have my family when I’m home.”
“And what about when you’re at work?”
“I have friends. My squad. Some others in the platoon.”
“I guess being under such extreme conditions will bring out a mateship.”
Blue smiled slightly. “Some friends, some arseholes.”
“Friendly arseholes?”
He laughed. “Them, too.”
“But you like it regardless?”
He was quiet, walking steadily, his hand firm around hers even though the heat of the day was starting to make her fingers a little sweaty.
Letting him muse, she patiently walked beside him.
“I joined the Army to serve my country,” he finally said. “I saw what was happening, the terror in other countries, the threat to our own, innocent people caught up in bad things. I wanted to do something more than just sit at home and swear about it. So I joined up.”
Gently, she bumped his arm with hers. “You still believe in it?”
“Yes.” His answer was direct. “Yes, I do.” He glanced down at her. “You?”
The Wells Brothers: Blue Page 22