Secrets (Hope Bay)

by Angela Verdenius

  He let go.

  Gladly.

  Let the fire scorch through him.

  Let the ardour lick along his spine with fiery prickles.

  Let the sensation of her slick softness, her tightness, pull him in deeper.

  Rode the curvaceous body beneath him, tightened his fingers around her fingers gripping his tighter in turn.

  Flung his head back and absorbed the hot, rapacious sensations searing through him.

  Lost himself in heat and fire and the warmth of Emma beneath him, their joining, the knowledge that he was deep in her body, that she took him, accepted him.

  Enjoyed him.

  Moved with him.

  Her unbridled sounds of hedonistic pleasure filled the air, swept him along, burned with satisfaction in his ears, his senses.

  Hips thrust faster, urgency riding him as hard as he was now riding her. His thrusts were harder, her breasts swaying with the force, her hips rising and falling to meet him as she pushed against him, her neat little toes digging into the mattress for stability, grounding them even as their souls soared together.

  The fiery furnace was scorching ropes deep in his sac, spiralling upward, spreading out into a fire that ignited his groin.

  Shane pounded into her now, every thrust powerful as he drove deeper into her.

  She took him, encouraged him, her hands on his waist, his back, short nails barely scouring his skin but urging him onwards.

  His blood beat hotly behind his eyes, his heart pounded, the force building up inside him as he flung his head back, shoved hard again, the urgency clawing up his spine, needling deep, forcing itself through him with a voracity he’d never experienced before.

  And even as everything exploded behind his eyes, as the climax tore through him, as hot seed poured forth, he listened for Emma, felt her body shudder, the walls of her cavern clamp down on him as she followed him over the erotic cliff.

  In the final second before he lost every thought, he dropped down onto her, slid his arms around her and held on. Felt her arms go around him.

  It was the last thing he coherently knew.

  Clinging to each other, they were swept away.

  **

  When Shane finally came to, Emma did nothing but sigh dreamily as he pulled away. Leaving her still dreamily lying in bed, he padded to the bathroom, divested himself of the condom, cleaned up and padded back to bed.

  Or he meant to pad back to bed, but what greeted him was a lanky ginger cat sitting in the doorway eyeballing him with happiness.

  CK came prancing up to him.

  Keeping one hand in front of his privates, he bent over to scoop her up under one arm. “Can’t believe I’m actually taking you to the bed,” he informed her as she happily lolled over one arm. “But I don’t quite trust you following me with my man bits hanging out in the breeze, so…” Beside the bed, he paused to observe Emma now lying on her belly, stretching luxuriously. “Oh, now there’s your yummy mummy, CK.”

  Peeking up at them from over her shoulder, Emma blushed. “Um…hi.”

  He grinned at her. “Is that all you can say?”

  CK purred.

  “Even your cat has more to say.”

  “CK is opinionated.” She came up onto her elbows, the pose making her just look sexier.

  “I’m roasting her more chicken.” Shane dropped CK onto the bed and crawled in beside Emma, dragging the sheet up to his waist before propping the pillow behind him to lounge comfortably back against the headboard.

  Emma looked at him curiously.

  He glanced at her. “What?”

  “Nothing,” she said slowly.

  A thought struck him and he arched an eyebrow at her. “Are you kicking me out?”

  “No?”

  “Geez, Em, is that a question?”

  “You asked. I wasn’t sure on the protocol.”

  “Protocol?”

  “I don’t do this.” She waved a hand around.

  He looked blankly at her.

  “This.” Rolling over, she kept the sheet bunched over her breasts while settling herself back against a pillow.

  “This,” he echoed. “This being…?”

  “Shane.” There was a hint of exasperation in her voice.

  That couldn’t be good. He eyed her cautiously.

  CK padded up the bed to nudge her head under his hand. Stroking her, he continued watching Emma.

  She sighed. “You’re my first, all right?”

  Relaxing, he tickled CK under her chin. “I rather suspected that.”

  Emma stared at him.

  “You were kind of…you know…tight.”

  A slow, mortified flush worked its way up her cheeks.

  “I was fine with it.” Shane grinned. “You seemed okay with it.”

  Poor Emma didn’t know which way to look. “I seemed okay with it?”

  “Well, you didn’t yell at me to stop or anything, so I figured it was as good for you as it was for me.” He paused, reconsidered. “Okay, that didn’t come out the way I meant it.” Pulling CK onto his lap, he scratched behind her ears. “Does it bother you that I was your first?”

  “Does it bother you?” she countered.

  “I said it didn’t. Why would it?”

  “Maybe you’d prefer a more experienced woman.” With a shrug, she turned her gaze back to the foot of the bed. “According to what some people say, apparently virgins are as scarce as hen’s teeth.”

  “Do hens even have teeth?” he wondered.

  Reaching out, she smacked his shoulder.

  “Geez.”

  “I’m serious.”

  “So am I.” Shane shrugged. “You’re not the only virgin out there, Em. For whatever reason, you didn’t sleep with a bloke before now. That’s your decision. I’m just honoured that I was your first.”

  She glanced sideways at him.

  “And your last?” he ventured.

  “Because you were so bad, you mean?”

  Shocked, his mouth fell open. “I was?”

  “Oh my gosh!” Emma burst out laughing. “Shane!”

  “I was that bad?” He didn’t know whether to crawl under the sheet or run for the door. Horrified, he sat up straight, CK falling unheeded to the mattress. “Emma, I thought you were enjoying it! I thought you-” His words were stopped by her hand lightly pressing on his lips.

  Half turned towards him, leaning on one hand, she removed her other hand from his mouth. “I did enjoy it. It sounds corny, but you rocked my world.”

  Relief coursed through him.

  She shook her head. “Geez, Shane, and you think I have body issues.”

  “I’ll have you know I’ve never had performance issues until just then.”

  “Then relax, because what I meant was did you think I wouldn’t want to do this again because you think you were bad?”

  “Why would you think I meant that?”

  “Because you asked if you were going to be my last.”

  “Oh, thank God.” Shane flopped back against the pillow. “I was asking if you’d make love to no other man except me!”

  “Aw.” Her face softened. “Really?”

  “Yeah,” he replied wryly. “Really. But apparently I spooked you.”

  “Me?” She started to laugh. “It was you who got spooked!”

  “Are you laughing at me?” he demanded.

  She just laughed harder.

  “Right!” He dived for her, catching her and taking her back onto the mattress.

  Emma giggled and shrieked.

  “Teach you to laugh at me!” Shane dropped kisses across her face.

  She tried to push him away. “No! Shane!” Only to dissolve into more giggles.

  Just when Shane was starting to think their wrestling match was going to lead to something more hotly entertaining - yes! - he felt a sudden weight land on his bum and then - “Argh!”

  CK shot off the bed leaving Shane to clap a hand to his backside and wince, “My arse!”
>
  “What the-” Emma jerked upright in bed to see CK disappearing around the door. Her gaze flashed back to Shane lying on his side clutching his bum.

  Expecting some sympathy, maybe a little kiss and cuddle, he made a sad face. “I have claw marks on my arse.”

  A small smile appeared on Emma’s face.

  That wasn’t what he’d expected.

  “Match your scar, won’t it?” she said. And started laughing again.

  Shane sighed. “I should never have shown you my arse.”

  When she continued laughing, he grinned wickedly. “Revenge is a bitch, honey.” And he grabbed her.

  She squealed, he laughed, they wrestled.

  And then it went a whole lot hotter.

  ~*~

  Shane had promised CK a chicken, and she got it - just not roasted by him personally. Instead, he’d bought her a cooked chook from the local chicken takeaway place. CK didn’t mind, she hoovered down her dinner as though she hadn’t eaten in days.

  By nightfall Shane had left Emma after a kiss, a cuddle, and a cheeky wink. She’d stood at the door watching until the tail-lights of his car had vanished down the road.

  As she walked along the beach front early the next morning, leaving CK to polish off yet more chicken for breaky, she wondered how this was going to affect their work. Having a lover was new to her, and the fact he was also her boss…

  “I mean, what does one say to their boss after they made love yesterday?” she asked a seagull.

  The seagull didn’t give a rat’s arse, it just hungrily eyed her hands.

  Tossing the broken pieces of bread to it, she watching as the bird gobbled it down. The seagull finished and eyed her hopefully.

  “Sorry, mate.” She held out empty hands. “That’s all I brought.”

  The seagull cocked its head to one side, studied her hands and then proceeded to walk off, investigating the shoreline as it went before suddenly taking off into the air.

  “Thanks for the advice,” she said wryly.

  Deciding there was no point worrying about it, Emma headed back home. By eight thirty she was showered, dressed and pulling into the back of the clinic.

  No matter how much she told herself what would be, would be, she was still wired and jumped when she heard Shane’s voice coming through the back door. He and Doc were cheerfully arguing about something, and she quickly found out what when Doc snorted, “White cars are better.”

  “Pale blue,” Shane replied.

  “Pale blue? What kind of sissy drives a pale blue car?”

  “Your car is pale blue.”

  “We’re not talking about my car.”

  “How can you possibly say pale blue is a sissy colour when you drive a car in a sissy colour?”

  “Your mother chose it.”

  “That’s the biggest load of bull dust I’ve ever heard.”

  “How would you know, boy?”

  “Because Mum wanted the red colour.”

  “Red’s too hot in summer.”

  “So pale blue is better?”

  “Pale colours are always better for heat.” Doc tapped the side of Shane’s head. “That brain still working in there?”

  “My brain is fine. You’re the one driving around in a sissy-coloured car.”

  “Blue is a boy’s colour. It’s a manly colour.”

  “Oh, so now pale blue isn’t a sissy colour?”

  “Who said it was?”

  “You did!”

  “You’re brain is like Swiss cheese - full of holes.”

  “Is that supposed to be a joke?”

  “Do I look like I’m joking?” Doc shook his head and disappeared into his room.

  Shane spotted Emma listening in the doorway to the treatment room. Grinning, he walked up to her.

  At the memory of his body over hers, in hers, moving against hers, she couldn’t help the blush that stole into her cheeks. Not to mention the little flare of heat that coiled low in her belly.

  “Aw, so cute.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “How are you feeling this morning, my little CA?”

  “Ah…fine?”

  “Why are you asking me?”

  “I mean, fine. I’m fine. Not sore or anything.”

  Shane looked blankly down at her.

  Oh shit! Horrified realisation smacked Emma right in the head. He hadn’t meant after last night, he’d meant - “From my walk, I mean!”

  “Right. Your walk.” His grin was so wide his teeth would have blinded anyone within eyesight. “Oh, Em, you naughty little piece, you meant after we-”

  “You say one more word and I’ll pull your tongue out and wrap it around your neck,” she threatened.

  “Oh, sweetheart.” He tugged her close to drop a kiss atop her head. “You are so cute.” Before she could reply, he stepped back. “Right, I’m going to change. Catch you later.”

  Swinging his backpack off his shoulders, he disappeared into the bathroom to change.

  Relief coursed through her. He was completely comfortable with her in the clinic setting, so she took her cue from him. Work was work, and outside life was outside. If he could do it, so could she. After all, she was an adult.

  A very thoroughly satiated one after yesterday.

  Grinning goofily, she went back into the treatment room.

  A typical busy Monday morning, time sped by. Come lunch time, Emma had to admit she wasn’t sure how she’d feel sitting with Shane at the table, but he simply smiled at her and talked naturally.

  Her inner nerves eased as she quickly fell into the usual banter and discussions that went around the table while everyone ate. When they all went back to work, she felt so relaxed she could have oozed into her chair through sheer contentment.

  Sitting in the chair, she swung it side-to-side, looking at the solar-powered daisies sitting on the window sill with their leaves happily bobbing away.

  Life was looking up. A job she liked, a house she felt at home in, her cat, good friends, and a boyfriend who made her laugh and feel warm all over. What more could she want?

  Nothing.

  Her smile faded as a thought occurred to her. Well, there was one thing, and now that they were becoming more serious it was something she had to broach. Especially before their relationship went further.

  That had her chewing her bottom lip.

  The phone ringing broke through her thoughts. “Hello?”

  “It’s Harriet.”

  “What’s up?”

  “Katie and that big lug that follows her around like a dog after a bone are here.”

  “Hey,” a deep voice said indignantly in the background.

  “Mitch?” Emma asked.

  “That’d be the one,” Harriet replied. “He’s brought Katie in for a tetanus shot.”

  “Really? Why?”

  “That’s your question, not mine. They’re coming through.” Harriet hung up.

  By the time Emma had brought up Katie’s details, her friends were walking in the door.

  “I can’t believe you made me come,” Katie groused.

  Following on her heels, hands in his dirt-streaked jeans, Mitch just smiled happily.

  “What’s the problem?” Emma queried.

  “Nothing-” Katie began.

  “She needs a tetanus shot,” Mitch stated.

  Checking for blood or injuries, Emma’s gaze scanned her friend. “You look okay.”

  “See?” Katie swung around. “I’m fine.”

  Mitch simply grabbed her shoulders, swung her back around and pushed her into the chair beside Emma’s desk. “She’s been scratched by rose thorns, not to mention I had to dig out several thorns from her palms.” Grabbing her wrist, he held her hand up to reveal several sticking plasters on her palm, as well as some scratches that had been cleaned and had Betadine applied.

  Katie sighed.

  Emma scrutinized the information on the computer screen. “Your last tetanus shot was-”

  “Only a couple of years ago,” Katie
interjected.

  “Eleven years ago,” Mitch stated.

  “How would you know?”

  “Because I remember your mother dragging you here.”

  “I’m sure I’ve been since.”

  “Nope.”

  “Yeah.”

  “No,” Emma said.

  “No?” Katie scowled lowered. “Damn.”

  “Even though you’ve obviously had all your vaccinations, eleven years is still awhile. Plus you work around a lot of different things- dust, cleaning, helping people tidy their yards, etc. You’re at risk.”

  “Gah.” Katie hung her head. “Fine. Just do it.”

  After taking her temperature, BP and pulse, as well as going through the routine questions, the answers of which she entered on the computer, Emma crossed to the ‘fridge. “Did you clean the wounds after Mitch got the thorns out?”

  “Yeah, yeah. I always carry a First Aid kit.” Katie sighed. “Just my dumb luck he came along.”

  “Lucky you,” Mitch replied, totally uncaring of her disgruntlement.

  “Wait here. I just need a second checker.” Emma left the treatment room with the vaccination vial.

  Shane was in the doorway of his room, standing to one side so a patient could enter.

  “Shane, could I quickly borrow a few of your seconds?”

  “Sure.”

  She handed him the vial. “Tetanus booster for Katie.”

  After checking the name and expiry date, he handed it back to Emma. “Katie okay?”

  “She’s fine. Mitch cleaned the scrapes and got the thorns out. She’s just grumpy.”

  “No.” His eyes sparkled in amusement. “Our Katie? Grumpy about getting a shot? I don’t believe it.” Chortling, he walked into his room.

  Smiling, Emma returned to the treatment room.

  “Oh, you’re so happy,” Katie grumbled. “Looking forward to giving me an injection, huh?”

  “Stop being grumpy.” Emma drew the vaccine up into a syringe.

  Katie stuck out her arm. “Bung it in. Just get it over with.”

  “Put your arm down and relax.”

  “You’re not the one getting a needle.”

  “Just do it.”

  Shoulders slumping, Katie gritted her teeth and closed her eyes.

  Amused, Emma glanced at Mitch to see how he was taking her dramatics, saw what he was doing and yelled, “Mitch!”