‘Because you only paint happy.’
Something tugged at her insides. ‘Yup, I only paint happy, and I just felt kind of empty. I didn’t want to fill the gap he’d left and run round laughing like everything was suddenly OK again.’
‘I won’t make you sad.’ He was all serious and even closer, and she wanted to believe him, she really did.
‘You won’t mean to make me sad. But I don’t think it’s just about happy and sad. I think I just need to feel free. If I’m all wound up with someone it just doesn’t happen. I can’t just shut it away in a box.’
‘So you’re all wound up with me?’ His voice was soft as he traced one finger slowly down her cheek.
She swallowed hard, trying to resist. ‘I didn’t say that.’ But I’m getting close, so close.
‘Maybe it’s just if you’re all wound up with the wrong kind of person it’s a problem? Have you ever thought of that?’
And how do I try that without risking fucking it all up again and losing everything? ‘I don’t know.’
‘I’d never try and trap you.’ He stood up, moved round until he was standing next to her. He was so close now that the heat of his body was warming her, and he’d kiss her soon and she’d kiss him back …
‘This is about me, not you. It’s all in my mad, artistic head.’
‘I like you just the way you are, Hayley.’ Her nipples prickled against her T-shirt as he ran his thumb over her lips. ‘Including your artistic head.’
‘You’re already in my head, stopping me thinking straight.’
‘Then paint what’s in your head.’
‘You really don’t want me to do that.’ What was in her head most of the time was pure porn when it came to him.
His lips were on her forehead, on her nose, and the swelling want in her breasts was trickling down lower, pooling in the base of her stomach. ‘Paint what’s in your heart.’ He was nibbling her bottom lip, and each tug was shooting a message straight between her warming thighs. ‘I promise I won’t try and trap you –’ his tongue skated along her teeth, making her shiver ‘– if you promise not to shut me out.’ The last words drifted into her mouth as his lips came down gently on hers in the softest, most sensual kiss she could ever imagine. ‘We can just have fun, enjoy each other.’ He cradled her face in his hands as he teased her, tempted her into opening her lips wider, into exploring his mouth with her tongue, and as the taste of his lust started to play with her senses her whole body melted against him. His hair was soft under her fingers, soft and silky, and as she wound her fingers in deeper he groaned. She pressed her body harder against his, and he wrapped his arms round her and pulled her in tight, his kiss deepening but still so gentle that it made her ache with want.
He pulled back slightly and kissed her on the nose, then traced down it with the lightest touch of his finger. ‘You are so damn hard to resist, you know.’
OK, she shouldn’t have glanced down at his crotch, but she couldn’t help it. She wanted him desperately, every bit of her screaming out for him.
‘Don’t even think about it, Hayley.’ She could have sworn there was a tremble in his voice. ‘Go back and do your silly artistic head stuff and I’ll see you later. I just came because you sounded like you needed someone. But I’m taking you out tomorrow whether you like it or not, so be ready at 8 a.m.’
‘Out, where?’
‘Heaven.’ He grinned. How he disentangled himself so quick and shot down the stairs she didn’t know. She was still tingling and hoping as the heavy clunk of the door shutting behind him echoed through the house.
Chapter Five
‘Are you OK in there?’ Tom leant in closer to the firmly shut door and swore inwardly at the sound of her unzipping the jumpsuit, hoping she wasn’t taking it off and looking for an escape route. But at least she wasn’t puking up, which he’d seen more than one person do.
‘I’m fine, go away.’
There was the slightest edge to her voice that he hoped was excitement, but his stomach dipped as he considered the other alternative. Fear. But he’d thought she’d be up for it, was so sure her eyes had shone when he’d told her where they were heading. Maybe it was the gleam of tears. Fuck. Just because he enjoyed jumping out of planes didn’t mean she would. ‘You don’t have to go through with it.’
‘I want to. Now will you just bugger off?’ She sounded cross, not scared.
‘You’re not shut in there because you’re scared and planning a runner, then?’
‘I’m shut in here because I’m bloody excited.’ He heard, felt, the clunk of her head against the door on the other side. ‘I’m wound up, excited …’ There was a crack in her voice, a definite crack. ‘I just need …’ She’d gone kind of distant. If she wasn’t being sick and she wasn’t using the toilet … A rush of blood headed straight to Tom’s groin. ‘I just need …’
‘A wank?’ He hadn’t meant to say it quite that loud.
‘Shh, someone will hear. And that’s a horrible word.’ She seemed to be struggling to get the words out, which meant … He groaned and felt his cock stiffen.
‘There’s no one else here. You’ve got your fingers in your damp pussy, haven’t you?’
‘No.’ She gasped, and not the kind of gasp you normally hear from a toilet cubicle.
‘You’re wet, aren’t you, and you’re rubbing your clit, rubbing round and round.’ The smallest of moans seeped through the door. ‘God, I wish I had my fingers inside you, filling you, stretching you.’ He cupped his hand round his cock. ‘Don’t you wish I was filling you with this big, hard cock –’ her stifled gasp caught him right in the balls ‘– thrusting deep inside until you scream out.’ A small sound midway between a moan and a gasp sent an ache right to the base of his stomach, a familiar sound that had been locked in his mind since they’d met at The Gallery, a sound he wanted to hear so much more of, the sound of Hayley coming.
He took a steadying breath. ‘Want a hand with your zip?’
‘Go away while I have a wee.’
He laughed. ‘And what if I want to listen to that too?’
‘You’re weird, now bugger off.’ But she was smiling; there was a tease of it in her voice.
He grinned and headed back into the morning sun, and hoped his hard-on went before they jumped, or he might do himself a serious injury.
‘Will you stand still a sec?’
‘I’m trying.’ She was jiggling from foot to foot in anticipation and grinning, which made him want to kiss her. Except kissing her was seriously bad news for his heart rate, and the direction of his blood flow. He snapped the harness into place and checked the straps.
‘You’re supposed to be scared; you’re supposed to be clinging to your strong, manly protector.’
‘My what?’
‘Your hero, the one who’s going to look after you.’
‘Oh yeah, you mean that gorgeous, hunky pilot.’
‘You, girl, are asking for a spanking.’ Her eyes shone and the grin widened. He shouldn’t have said that, he really shouldn’t have said that. He fought the urge to smile, to kiss her, to drag her back to the restroom. ‘Me, right? I’m your hero.’
‘Really?’ Her eyes widened. ‘Well, if you’re sure.’
‘I’m sure. Now you remember everything we went through?’ He tugged at her straps again. God, he was more nervous than she was.
‘Yup, I think I need another wee.’
‘Oh no you don’t, I’m not standing here thinking about your fingers in your pussy again just before we get in the plane.’
‘A wee, I said a wee.’ A trace of pink etched its way along her cheekbones, and for the first time she looked slightly worried. So he let himself kiss her, just once, just lightly on her soft lips, ignoring the invitation as they gently parted.
‘Come on, you’re going to love this.’ Tom couldn’t help but smile as he helped her in. This was the best part, as the plane taxied, took off, and headed up into the sky. It didn’t matter how many times h
e did it, how many times he went for the perfect jump.
The thrum of the engines reverberated through him. This was the part when the anticipation built, the thrill started to creep through his body, and from the way her hand was tightening in his it was getting to her too.
‘We’ll go at 15,000 feet, OK?’ She gave a small nod, a whisper of a smile as he clipped her harness to his. ‘Look.’ He wrapped one arm round her, pointed with the other over towards the horizon, and in that moment he felt the sigh of satisfaction that ran through her, that moment when wonder overtook fear, when she relaxed her slight body against his. The grip of her hands eased slightly on her harness straps, colour edging back into her knuckles.
And then they were out, into the blue and her body formed the perfect position without him saying a word, her head lifted as they went into freefall and became part of the sky.
They floated, hung above the world, and only the buffeting of the air against his face told him that they were moving, told him that any second now he’d have to release the canopy and snap the perfect moment. You only get one minute, he’d told her, one perfect minute at most, and he pushed to get as close to it as he could before they were jerked to a halt as control took over from freedom.
‘That was …’ Hayley struggled for a word as she curled her fingers into the damp grass. ‘Incredible.’ There was a snap as he unclipped her harness from his and she made to get up, but he stopped her, rolled her over as he leant back so that she lay on top of him in the long grass.
‘You’re incredible.’ She could live on that warm as chocolate voice, that intent look in his tawny eyes.
‘Thank you.’ He pulled her down tighter against him and her voice went to a whisper as his hard lean body pressed into hers. ‘For jumping with me, not saying …’
‘I want more than that, Hayley.’ He pulled her goggles off, threw their helmets to one side. ‘I want you.’
‘You want to shag me?’ She slid herself along his body and he groaned. ‘You want to shove that big, hard cock of yours inside me?’
‘You’re a witch.’ His hands cupped her face fiercely, and he lifted his head slightly so that his lips met hers. Firm, hard lips that tasted of mint, of coffee, and of lust. She could sense his restraint, feel the power, and she wanted it. She met his tongue with hers, pushed back harder, and suddenly, with a groan, he let go and was kissing her with a bruising intensity that made her forget she was in a field.
He rolled her over, his hands tugging at the buckles of her harness, tearing at the zip of her overall, and she did the same, fighting with the hard plastic and webbing that was keeping his body from her hands. She was panting by the time she got past enough of the fastening to get his cock in her hand, his hard, bulging cock. She ran her thumb over the silky, velvet tip and he groaned.
‘No way, Hayley.’ He grabbed her wrist, tugged the jumpsuit free of one of her legs, and then his fingers were pushing her soaked knickers to one side as he moved between her legs, as he teased her for a split second with the head of his cock, and then he was in and she was already pulsing and wrapping her legs round him, yelling out and rocking as her greedy pussy trembled around him.
‘Shit, Hayley.’ His face was tight, his eyes glazed as he looked down at her, then three hard thrusts and he came, bathing her insides with his warm juices. ‘Sorry, I can’t believe I did that. I feel like some bloody randy teenager.’
‘What?’ She couldn’t stop the giggle, or the way her pussy tightened around him as she laughed, sending a last sizzle of sensation through her body. His eyes narrowed.
‘Carry on laughing and I might start again.’
‘Mmm, that would be nice.’ Shit, why was her voice that soft? It wasn’t her. Then he was looking at her, those tiger eyes burning inches away from hers, and it was as still as it had been that moment before they’d jumped. That second when he’d been there, looking after her, when she’d trusted him enough to go for it and she’d been freefalling. No one holding her, but someone there.
Hell. She shut her eyes. ‘Can we do it again?’
‘The shag?’
‘You have a one-track mind. The jump, Tom, and then, well, maybe the shag.’
‘You have a body that deserves a one-track mind.’ His tongue traced a hot path along her neck, sending a shiver through her, making her cunt clench around him. He twitched inside her and she pushed her hips up harder against him, grinding her pelvis against his.
‘I love your one track-mind.’ This was the moment when it went wrong. She froze, hoping it would go away. That she hadn’t just said what she knew she had.
‘Only my mind, not my body?’ His voice was soft, as though he knew, and then he shoved rudely against her, making her laugh. ‘I think we should do this plenty of times again if it makes you this horny.’ He bit her neck and she squealed.
‘That hurt, you bugger. Stop it.’
‘Mmm, I think I’ll eat you.’
‘’Cos you’ve gone too soft to shag me?’
‘Cheeky, I can soon alter that. But –’ he paused ‘– I suppose I should report in properly.’
‘You buying time, big boy?’ She was greedy to have him again, and his grin said he knew, and he was backing off on purpose. But he was growing inside her, his cock twitching, filling her, and she wrapped her legs tighter round him, pulling him close.
‘Did you like your bit of heaven, Hayley Tring?’ His voice was serious as he looked down at her, his hips gently rocking so that he was touching parts of her inside that she hadn’t known existed.
‘I loved it, Thomas Holah, but– ’ she paused and bit her lip, watching the trace of anxiety creep into his face, shadow his eyes ‘– it’s made me very randy.’
‘Which can’t be bad.’ His lips brushed her neck, her eyes, finally reached her lips with a tenderness that made her whole body ache. ‘Not bad at all.’ And his mouth took hers with a caress that every taste bud in her mouth seemed to be savouring, and his hips moved slowly, steadily, so that with each long stroke he seemed to touch another part of her. The gentle rocking built up until she closed her eyes, until her tongue stopped dancing against his, and all she knew was the heat building, spreading inside her, and she came in a gentle ripple of want that made tears prick at the back of her eyes.
‘And what would you like to do next, Miss Tring?’ He pulled her gently to her feet and tugged the zip of her jumpsuit back up, right to the top.
‘Paint.’
Chapter Six
Something about that day freefalling with Tom had triggered a need in her to paint, to prove to herself that she could do it. Even if he was there in the background, even if bit by bit every hard block of resolve was melting away and being replaced with need and want and something she really didn’t want to put a name to.
The large paintings for his office reception area had taken on a life of their own; all she had to do was imagine, feel, and the colour and form flowed on to the canvas.
Each morning he supplied her with croissants and coffee before heading off to his office, and each evening he’d be there with beer or wine and a wicked, sexy smile that short circuited every bit of common sense. A smile that made something deep inside her clench tighter, and made the battle to get the picture for his office done that much more like fighting heat with fire.
She’d get up in the night and pad barefoot up to her study to rework lines, screwing her eyes shut to try and block out every facet of his face, even though she’d just left him in her bed and the heat of his body still warmed her. Trying to stop the images that crowded her head from leaking on to the canvas and make it all go wrong. And he didn’t comment or ask when she was wound up and scratchy, he just pulled her close, wrapping her in a cocoon of two. Which made it worse and better all at once. But now she had to stop. Share.
‘So what do you think?’ She’d dragged him straight up to the studio, too twitchy to wait, and now he stood in front of the canvases. With maddening deliberation he tugged his tie loose an
d undid his top button. She could scream, but it probably wouldn’t help.
‘Those are …’ His gaze never left the pictures as he dropped his jacket onto the chair. ‘They’re spot on, brilliant.’ He grinned and sent a tingle straight down her spine. ‘Very clever.’
‘You think they’re OK?’
‘I love them.’ He somehow got a step closer and slipped his arm round her waist, hitting the spot that never failed to send a shiver of want though her. ‘And I think I …’
He was too close, looking at her too intently. ‘They’re not quite finished yet, I just wanted to give you an idea.’ She was babbling, but sometimes babbling was good. Sometimes it stopped things you didn’t want to hear.
‘You are giving me ideas.’
The panic subsided. ‘Rude ones, I bet?’
‘Rude and very crude.’ He turned back to the pictures and a whoosh of relief escaped from her lungs. ‘I do really like them; they’re kind of fresh and new, but not too much in your face, if you know what I mean.’ Relief mixed with emptiness, like she’d turned off the radio before the song had finished.
‘I know. That’s what I wanted, new but almost traditional. A twist so that you’d start to walk past them and then suddenly realise they were different and you might go back for a second look. I’ll finish them properly next week. And this –’ She hesitated, as doubt grabbed at her gut. She’d known those pictures were good, she’d known he’d like them, they captured every emotion, every feeling she’d wanted them to. But this was different, this was the one she’d fought with and still wasn’t sure if she’d won or lost. The personal touch. ‘This is the one for your office.’
It was hard to flip the cover from the canvas that she had a love/hate relationship with, harder still to wait as the silence grew. Hardest of all to look at him, meet the look in his eyes head on. But she could do hard. She always had. Just like the crags in the picture. ‘You don’t like it, do you?’ The grit in her voice fought a losing battle with the hard lump in her throat.
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