A flood of longing gripped Lucy and warmth fluttered in her lower belly. A shared look between them was all it had taken to get her feeling like that. With Garth lying there, looking so innocent and attractive, a powerful surge of desire rocked through her. When she’d been a teenager, she’d blamed the constant need to touch him on rampant hormones. This time, she knew it was the attraction he held for her, as a man. He was kind and considerate, thoughtful and a very giving person. She’d sensed his embarrassment when he’d talked about his work, yet he should be proud of what he’d achieved and of his plans for the future.
Garth McKenzie was a good man. And one who was going to be very hard to leave behind when she went back to Sydney. Lucy yawned and put her hand over her mouth. It wouldn’t be fair to wake him up and expect him to drive her home. She crossed to the kitchen and opened the door quietly, before stepping onto the verandah and pulling her phone out.
Chapter 14
Garth’s internal body clock always woke him before sunrise each morning. He woke with a start this morning as the first rosy tinge of dawn tinted the sky. The ceiling fan was swirling lazily and he yawned as he watched it. He lay there for a moment and then jumped up when he remembered Lucy.
‘Shit,’ he muttered beneath his breath. He crossed to the window but his ute was still there. Lucy hadn’t borrowed it and he hoped she still had enough country savvy not to walk home last night. Her computer was still plugged into the wall and open on his desk, and Garth ran his hand though his hair in frustration.
How did she get home? Bloody hell, how rude can a man be.
He padded silently to the kitchen and looked around. Both of the coffee mugs had been rinsed and were draining on the sink. He frowned. Her bag was still on the bench where she’d left it last night, and a smile crossed his face. Her boots were by the back door where she’d slipped them off last night.
He crept up the hallway and checked the guest room, where there was a queen size bed. He’d never made it up; but the bed was empty. He pushed open the door of the second bedroom where there were two single beds but they were both empty too.
With a frown, and hope unfurling in his chest, Garth pushed open the door to his room. Cool air from the spinning fan greeted him and he peered into the dim room; the blinds were closed. He closed the door quietly behind him and walked across to the bed. A bare slender leg greeted him where the sheet had been pushed back. Lucy lay on her side, her cheek resting in her hand. As he watched her eyes opened slowly and she stared up at him.
‘Good morning, Goldilocks.’ His voice was husky as he met her gaze.
‘I hope you don’t mind me sleeping over. I didn’t have the heart to wake you up last night. It was after midnight when I pulled the pin.’
Garth sat on the edge of the bed and reached over and pushed her tousled hair back from her rosy cheeks. ‘Not at all. I’m sorry I was such a rude host.’ He frowned. ‘Won’t they be worried over at Prickle Farm?’
Lucy rolled over onto her back and stretched. Garth tried hard not to look at the peaked nipples clearly outlined by her tight T-shirt. He looked away and his attention landed on her jeans lying on the floor beside the bed.
Bloody hell. Lucy Peterkin was in his bed and semi-naked.
‘No, I called Jemmy and told her I was staying the night.’
‘But won’t they think—’
Lucy sat up and put her finger over his lips. ‘Ssh, I’m a big girl now. If I want to spend the night in a man’s bed, that’s my choice. Nothing to do with anyone else.’ Now her voice was husky and held a teasing note that sent his blood pressure rocketing up near the fan.
He lifted his hand and held her fingers against his face. Slowly and gently he turned it over and placed his lips on her open palm. Her skin was warm as he murmured against it. ‘No one else? What about the man? Does he get a say in the matter?’
‘Depends on whether the man wanted me in his bed or not.’
‘Hmm, let me think.’ Garth ran his hand along her arm, until his fingers reached around to the back of her neck, and he gently tipped her head back until her eyes met his. ‘I guess it depends on whether the lady wants to be there or not.’ With each word he moved his head closer and watched as Lucy’s lips parted.
‘I think she does,’ was the reply he wanted to hear. Garth let his lips hover over hers, her breath warming his lips.
‘I think she’s got too many clothes on,’ he whispered.
‘I think he has too.’ Eye to eye, his breathing quickened as Lucy dropped her hands to the bottom of his T-shirt and pulled it up slowly. When his chest was bare, he reached for hers.
‘Fair’s fair.’ His hands moved behind her back and lifted her T-shirt over her head. He threw it to the floor to join her jeans and pushed her gently back onto the pillow. Her pert breasts filled his hands and he gently stroked her soft, silky skin. Lowering his head, he let his tongue flick around her nipple until she gasped. He drew it gently into this mouth and as he sucked and twirled his tongue around the rigid peak, she arched her back beneath him. Her body was soft, pliant against his and he drew a shuddering breath as he lifted his head. It had been a few months since he’d last been with a woman, but it was more than the time between sexual encounters that was fuelling this need in him.
‘Are you sure, Lucy-Lou?’
‘I’m sure.’
Garth stood and pulled the sheet back. He dropped his jeans and stood beside the bed looking his fill. A skimpy pair of pink lace panties was all that was between him and heaven. Hell, he was so close to coming by just looking, he was going to have to hold himself back. As he watched, Lucy gave him a cheeky smile and slowly lifted her hips, hooking her thumb into the side of the lace. His gaze followed the scrap of lace as it flew through the air and as he returned his gaze to the delectable body in his bed, soft fingers encircled his cock and he groaned as Lucy tightened the pressure.
‘Oh no, you don’t, you minx. I haven’t forgotten your tricks.’ His voice was throaty with need and he held her gaze as she pushed herself up with her other hand, and her lips followed the trail of her fingers.
Garth tilted his head back as Lucy worked magic with her tongue, laving and sucking and drawing back as his cock tensed beneath her lips. With an almighty effort, he stepped back and shook his head. ‘We’ve got plenty of time.’
She moved across on the bed to make room for him, but he put one leg between hers and gently pushed her thighs apart. The tip of her tongue peeked out and licked her lips as she stared at him and a fresh surge of need rushed thought him.
‘Slow, Luce. We’re going to take it slow.’
Her mouth was soft beneath his, their first real kiss for so long bringing memories of her sweetness; no one had ever come close to Lucy. He ran his lips over her mouth, her cheeks and her forehead, before pressing kisses on her eyelids. As he returned his tongue to the curve of her lips, she opened her mouth and sucked in his tongue with a sweet pressure. The blood surged to his cock and he was harder than he’d ever been. Aching, needing to fill her, needing to seek completion, but he took a deep breath as he lifted his head.
‘Your turn, now,’ he said softly as a hazy look filled her eyes. He lowered his head until he found her breasts again, but with one playful, teasing swirl on the way past, his lips moved lower seeking their sweet destination. He paused at her belly button and smiled as his teeth tugged the small sapphire hanging on a short length of silver chain.
‘Mmm, sexy,’ he murmured.
He kissed his way lower and she squirmed beneath him as he licked the hollow at the top of her thigh. Slipping one hand beneath her soft rounded bottom, he lifted her slightly as he pressed his palm against her sex.
‘So wet. And hot.’ Garth lowered his head and slowly swiped his tongue along her cleft. Slowly, slowly, up until he found the hard little nub and he sucked it between his lips, rolling his tongue over the rigid hardness as Lucy’s hands grasped his shoulders. Her flesh grew tighter and he cupped her bottom with both
hands. As he pulled her closer, a soft moan left her lips and as she came, he sucked in time with her little contractions.
##
Lucy came back to reality with one long exquisite shudder. She opened her eyes, and the ecstasy receded as Garth stopped tasting her and lifted his head. Need rushed though her as he smiled at her, and she managed to gasp out a single word.
‘Condom?
He slowly crawled along her body and paused; his erection hard against her, huge and throbbing against her stomach.
‘Not yet.’ His magic fingers moved down to her still throbbing core. ‘I think you need to come again first.’
‘Please?’ Her breath hitched as she begged.
‘Please what, sweetheart?’
‘I want you inside me. I need you inside me.’ She arched her hips and pressed herself against his leg, the rough hair rubbing against her. Emotion pulsed though her as Garth lowered his fingers and parted the lips of her sex; seeking, looking for the key to her pleasure.
‘Oh, God.’ Unerringly he found it, and another intense orgasm rocked Lucy. His mouth took hers as she cried out and he slid his finger inside her again.
Perspiration ran down her neck and she closed her eyes as the exquisite waves of pleasure faded, and she sighed beneath his lips. Garth reached across her and opened the drawer set in the side of the bed. She hadn’t noticed it before. Her gaze feasted on him as he leaned back, snapped open the packet and rolled the condom onto his erection. His chest rippled with muscles as he worked it on, and Lucy reached up and squeezed his hard bicep. The teenage Garth had had a wiry frame but the man filling her vision had grown into a strong and muscled body.
‘Your turn,’ she whispered as he lay beside her. Before she could think, Garth rolled over onto his back and lifted her above him so that she was straddling him. The press of his thick shaft against her sent another quiver through her and she tilted her head back and closed her eyes. She didn’t need to see where she had to go, where she had to move. Sensation flooded her as his tip nudged at her and she sank down onto him, taking him in, in one slow and sensuous movement. A moan of pleasure ripped from her as he swelled inside her, filling her and sliding in and out as his hands cupped her bottom. Lucy lifted herself in time with his hands, reaching behind her and gripping his tense thighs with her fingers. She rode him hard and fast, as he drove in deeply, touching her core and she screamed as a third orgasm gripped her. Garth tensed in the same moment and called out as he came with her.
Chapter 15
The second time Garth woke up that morning was the most satisfying. Lucy’s bare butt was against his thighs and as he nuzzled his lips against her neck, his cock stirred to life again.
‘You are going to wear me out, woman. I’m not nineteen anymore,’ he murmured against her soft skin.
‘No, you’re sure aren’t.’ She turned around and grinned at him as she gripped his arms. ‘I like you much better just as you are now. And wear you out? I honestly don’t know if I’ll be able to walk today.’
Garth smiled and glanced at the clock on the wall beyond the end of the bed.
‘Damn, look at the time.’ He brushed a kiss along her lips and sat up. ‘As much as I want to stay here all day, we’re going to have to move. I’ve got to go over and talk to the contractors. They’re due to finish up this afternoon.’
He headed for the shower and smiled as Lucy padded along behind him. He switched on the jets, thanking his designer for advising a shower built for two with the biggest shower head you could buy. When she opened the door and joined him, her expression was cheeky.
‘Seeing you’re in a hurry, would you like me to wash you?’ Lucy picked up the flannel that was hanging over the tap, and pressed the shower gel dispenser and soaped it up. She dropped to her knees on the tiles and ran it slowly up his leg from his ankle to mid-thigh and then across to the other leg, stopping at mid-thigh and looking up at him with a cheeky grin. He grabbed her and pulled her up and kissed her hard, their naked bodies pressed against each other, with the warm water running sensuously over them. Skin on skin, slippery soap, and Garth was lost.
Her soft breast pressed into his chest and he lowered his hand and cupped her sex. ‘You are such a bad woman,’ he said between kisses. ‘I don’t keep condoms in the shower.’
‘And you don’t want to get that lovely bedroom carpet wet, so we’ll have to improvise. She pulled back from his mouth and met his eyes, her own full of desire. ‘And I know you are in a hurry, so you just get washed and I’ll wash myself too.’
His mouth fell open and his breathing quickened as she ran the flannel over her breast and her nipple peaked beneath his gaze. Cupping her hands, she filled them with suds and and lowered her hands to her stomach, her fingers rubbing circles on her skin, getting lower with each movement.
Every nerve ending in Garth’s body pinged as she lowered her hands and rubbed her clit with one finger, tipping her head back.
‘Oh, God. Lucy.’ He sprang from the shower and pulled open the drawer beneath the vanity. There was another packet in there somewhere. ‘A ha!’ Within a second he was back in the shower and, sheathing himself quickly, he lifted her, the warmth of her body surrounding him. In one swift stroke he pushed inside her, as far as he could, and she put her arms around his neck. She braced her hands against the tiles as he held her steady, until she gasped and buried her head in his neck. Garth let himself go, his release consuming him, physically and emotionally as his heart swelled with love for this woman who had come back into his life.
No matter what it took, he wasn’t going to let her go.
##
Lucy stood in the kitchen as the bright morning sunshine flooded the kitchen. Even though they had made love, and slept and then had an extended shower it was still only eight o’clock. Probably late for Garth to start his day, but if she was at home she’d only be having her first coffee on the balcony of her tiny little apartment before she headed for the computer.
She stared out at the sweeping paddocks as far as she could see. The horizon was distant and the land was flat and brown, where the wheat had been harvested, broken only by the red ribbons of dusty roads. The difference between her usual start to the day, and this one were worlds apart.
And not only because of the mind blowing sex. Garth had certainly learned some skills over the years and knew how to pleasure a woman. The difference was the environment and the pace of life. There was no noisy traffic roaring past and the air was fresh and pure. The silence was broken only by the bellow of a beast rubbing up against the fence, and the barking of the dogs as Garth went out to feed them.
She turned away from the window and crossed to the kitchen and switched on the fancy coffee maker as the door opened and Garth came back inside.
‘The dogs were most indignant about their late breakfast.’ He shot her a lazy grin. ‘I told them it was your fault.’
‘I need breakfast too.’ She opened the fridge and peered in. ‘Got any yoghurt?’
‘Nope. But I’ve got bacon and eggs.’
‘No thanks. Not for me.’
Lucy munched on a piece of toast and shook her head as Garth devoured three poached eggs and four strips of bacon. He drained his coffee and stood up.
‘Sorry to rush you, but I’ll run you back home and then I’ll head down the back.’
She crossed to the desk and unplugged her computer. Her email had downloaded while Garth was getting dressed; she’d get to work back at Prickle Farm. Unless Gran had some jobs for her to do first.
Her bag rested against the door while she slipped her boots on. ‘I’m ready.’
‘One more kiss before we leave.’ This time, Garth’s lips were soft and gentle against hers, and his hands held her lightly. ‘Come back over tonight? I’ll cook you a real dinner this time.’
Hesitation laced her words; things were moving a bit fast and she needed to pull back a bit. ‘I’m not sure.’
Disappointment crossed his face and she relented. �
��Just let me check what Gran has organized and call in when you finish over here.’ It was only sex; it didn’t mean she was going to have to spend the rest of her life out here in the country. If she made that quite clear and Garth had no expectations, the next three months would be more than bearable.
A secret smile tilted her lips. Way more than bearable.
Chapter 16
‘Have a good night, Luce?’ Seb looked like the cat who’d swallowed the cream as the screen door slammed behind her. Her three cousins and her grandmother were all sitting at the kitchen table finishing off their breakfast.
Lucy had lived by herself since she’d moved to Sydney, and she wasn’t used to “morning after” post mortems. Not by anyone, not unless she’d chosen to share her private life with a close girlfriend, which she hadn’t done very often. And certainly not with her cousins, and even worse not from her grandmother. God forbid!
‘Yes, I got a lot of work done over there.’ Lucy ignored his teasing. ‘It was late when I finished my work and Garth had gone to bed, so I bunked down over there.’
Just a little white lie. Heat ran up her neck as Liam stood and crossed to the sink with his cereal bowl, flicking the side of her face with his finger on his way past.
‘Nasty rash you’ve got on your neck, there, Luce. Tell Garth I can lend him a razor if he needs one.’
‘Oooh. You two. Stop teasing.’ Lucy glared at them but her lips twitched. Being an only child, her cousins had provided the only teasing as they’d grown up and even though it had been a few years, she was well used to it.
‘Half her luck, I say.’ Jemmy’s voice was soft as she looked up over her tea cup. ‘Any more gorgeous neighbours live nearby?’
Loving Lucy: A Prickle Farm Romance Page 8