Heat Wave (3 page)

I couldn't answer. I wanted to be honest, but the sad tale of my last so-called relationship was a sordid and depressing story I didn't want to sully such a perfect night. ‘Um …'

Suddenly, fireworks exploded over the harbour, as if I'd conjured them from sheer desperation. ‘Wow, look Tanner! Oh!'

I stopped at the side of the pier, resting a foot on the solid wooden sleeper at the edge and leaning on the railing. Awed, I stared up at the bursts of brilliant blues and ruby reds. Tanner threaded his arms through mine, pressing into my back. ‘Somehow, I just knew that you still loved fireworks. That lil' girl I loved is still a part of you, ain't she?'

‘Honestly? She never grew up.' With Tanner intertwined around me, the fireworks lighting the sky before us, and the promise of sex in the air, I was the happiest I'd been in a long time.

Tanner's breath heated my ear, sending flames racing down my neck and arm. His lips grazed the soft part of my lobe as I raised a hand to his head, clutching at his hair. As he sucked the lobe into his mouth, I moaned, my knees buckling. Tanner held me tight, one arm supporting my hips, the other on the plane of my belly.

My senses were overloading. Between the spontaneous meeting and the fireworks and the beauty of the night and the way my body cried out for him, I was beginning to wonder if I wasn't in my own version of the Matrix.
Maybe I fell down the Opera House stairs and cracked my head open, and all of this is some elaborate coma dream.

But the intense reality of my tingling skin and the sense of rightness reassured me it was all real. Relaxing back against Tanner's chest, I arched my back slightly, overwhelmed by the raw lust I still felt for him after so many years.

He murmured in my ear, ‘You still smell the same, Maddie-girl. Like fruit and sunshine.'

I shivered at the use of his pet name for me, at the amount of information he'd stored away. Spinning inside his embrace, I turned to face him. ‘And you're still the cowboy who gave me my first kiss.'

He kissed my forehead as the fireworks continued behind us, forgotten. ‘Are you ready to head up?'

‘Head up where?'

‘To my room.' Tanner gestured behind us to the stunning Park Hyatt Sydney, a luxury hotel right on the harbour, a place so fancy and expensive, I didn't even feel worthy enough to use their lobby bathroom.

My mouth dropped open. ‘You're staying here?'

Tanner blushed, the same way he used to as a teen, but what was cute on a seventeen-year-old boy was downright sexy on a grown man. ‘Yeah. I didn't book it, the company did.'

‘God, hold onto that job,' I said, astounded. ‘The last hotel my work booked me into was a B&B in New Zealand. I had to share a bathroom with a bunch of Norwegian backpackers and the bedframe collapsed on me in the middle of the night.'

He laughed and drew me forward. ‘Well, tonight you get a bathroom to yourself. The toilet even plays music!'

‘Oh my word, I've always wanted one of those!' Throwing all reality to the wind, I ran behind him, giggling through the foyer doors and into a world of marble and crystal.

I had every intention of jumping Tanner in the lift, but an elderly couple rode up with us, holding hands and asking politely, ‘Are you two having a nice night? Isn't the weather wonderful at the moment?'

‘It certainly is,' Tanner replied for the both of us, his drawl stronger. ‘Y'all are so lucky down here in Oz! Have a pleasant evening, ma'am, sir.'

We all stepped out on the top floor; the other couple went right and we went left. Padding down the soft carpet, we stopped at the furthest room where a shiny gold placard on the door read
Sydney Suite.

‘Tanner, are you kidding me?' Flabbergasted, I clapped both hands to my mouth. I had read about the room in an article on Australia's top five hotel suites. I never thought I'd see the inside of it. ‘This is your room?'

‘It's pretty nice,' he conceded, scanning his card and opening the door wide.

If there was ever a less appropriate use of the word nice, I would have been amazed. Walking into the suite tentatively, I couldn't help but gasp at its beauty.

Every piece of furnishing was elegant and lavish. From the creamy white lounges, to the massive bouquet of scented flowers, to the warm wooden floors and cavernous fireplace, it was a haven of open flowing space.

But the view was what made it the most spectacular lodgings I'd ever seen. Floor-to-ceiling windows displayed a magnificent view of the Opera House we'd just left, the sparkling white sails like a bright banner against the night sky.

A fast moving furry shape barrelled towards us. ‘Hey, boy!' cried Tanner, crouching to ruffle the ears of an old but very happy Blue Heeler.

‘Blue?' The dog caught my scent and loped over to me. ‘Oh my God, boy, how are you?' I leaned down to hold him in my arms and he licked my chin. ‘I can't believe you're still going!'

‘Yep, he's a tough old thing,' said Tanner, his voice proud. ‘I won't travel anywhere without him.'

‘They let you keep him here?'

‘Sure. John walks him twice a day for me.'

‘John?'

Tanner had the grace to look bashful. ‘Uh … the butler.'

‘Ah.' At a whopping $16,000 a night, I wasn't surprised that the suite included a dog-walking butler and a singing toilet. ‘It's good to see Blue, anyway.'

‘He remembers you,' said Tanner. ‘I can tell.'

We stood again, letting Blue stroll off, and bunker down in a dog bed in the corner. Tanner let his arm fall casually around my back and I leaned my head on his shoulder, amazed at how easily we'd slipped back into familiarity with each other—even if I was feeling completely out-classed by the surroundings.

‘I'm gonna order something to drink,' said Tanner, kissing me swiftly on the top of my head. ‘Any requests?'

‘I don't mind.' I wandered out onto the balcony as he picked up a phone and spoke quietly into the receiver. Sitting on a long sunlounge, I tilted my head so I could watch Tanner out the corner of my eye.

He shed his boots one a time, hopping in a small circle, then pulled his socks off to expose his bare feet. A knock at the door and Tanner strode over to let in a man assumed was John, bearing a bottle and two flutes. ‘Aw, thanks so much for that, John. I really appreciate it.'

The butler nodded at Tanner. ‘Very good, sir. Call if you require anything further.'

‘I think we're good, thanks, buddy.'

Tanner brought the drinks outside, and I marvelled at his total ease with his surroundings. As a teen, he'd been so unsure and uncultured. He'd struggled to read or write, trapped in a cycle of being called stupid by teachers when he was anything but; no one had ever bothered to try, because they assumed he was a half-wit. Even though his personality was sweet, he never felt as if he deserved anything special, and he knew almost nothing about the world outside his tiny little town.

But the man before me was a dominant force, a suave traveller with cash to spare and certain expectations about his treatment, to the extent that bringing his farm dog along for an international trip didn't seem like a big deal. I couldn't put the two sides of Tanner together in my mind.

He picked up on it. ‘Hey, are you okay, Maddie-girl?' he asked as he untwisted the wire on the champagne bottle.

‘Is that Cristal?'

‘I'm not sure.' He popped the cork, the sound suddenly loud against the soft harbour noise. ‘I just asked John to bring me something special for me and my girl.'

Feeling very small and very poor, I accepted the glass of sparkling liquid. ‘Oh.'

‘To my first love,' he said, his eyes creased in happy wrinkles.

‘And to mine.' I tipped my flute against his, and the crystal rang in a perfect note.

We sipped our champagne for a few minutes, chatting about more old times, but I was still feeling uncomfortable. When I knew Tanner in Texas, we were both just kids. Now, I felt as though he was hopelessly out of my league.

I excused myself to the bathroom, where the toilet played music while it massaged my butt with a heated seat—none of which helped my feelings of inferiority.

Exiting the mammoth bathroom, I took a wrong turn and ended up in the master bedroom. The sumptuous king-sized bed was angled to take in the stunning view of the harbour, the bridge hanging like a skeleton in the sky. Lamps shone softly from the corners and there was a subtle scent of vanilla in the air.

I sighed. ‘Beautiful.'

‘It is,' conceded Tanner. He walked up behind me and reached for my hands. ‘But it's a lot more beautiful with someone to share it.'

I tried to keep my wits as his fingers traced lines on my back. ‘Tanner, this place, it's incredible.'

‘You're incredible,' he said, brushing my cheek with his knuckles.

‘Seriously, what is it that you do, anyway?' I had to know. Even if the answer was something wild, like he was a lottery winner, or a motivational speaker, or a hired hit man for the Yakuza.

He splayed his fingers along the curve of my butt cheeks. ‘Do you really wanna talk about work right now?'

With my skin dancing happily under his hands, I knew my answer. ‘Not really.' I leaned in and kissed him, the sweet feeling of his lips against mine so achingly familiar. The room and the wealth and the unanswered questions fell away, and it was just him and me.

Chapter 3

We kissed for an age, starting slow and soft, like hesitant sweethearts, progressing to the level of the horny teens we'd once been. Tanner's breath filled my insides like liquid heat, and I opened my mouth wider, pressing my tongue against his, searching and seeking.

While Tanner kept his hands chastely above my clothes, I had no such qualms. I wanted to see the man he'd grown into, every inch of him. Running my fingers under his fitted sweater, I found acres of smooth, firm flesh. Scraping my fingers down the warmth of his back, he groaned into me and I kissed him harder, loving that I still had the power to make him tremble.

Needing more, I pulled his sweater over his head in one smooth movement. With his entire torso exposed, my core clenched at the sight of him. He was cut like a marble sculpture, his abs deep and his biceps pronounced. My hands flew to him, exploring every inch of that gorgeous physique.

Tanner responded by removing my tee, and my skin goosebumped under his stare. As he trailed his fingers over my simple black Bonds bra, a deep stirring inside me sent wetness flowing from between my thighs. My nipples hardened into taut buds, craving his touch.

Reaching for his pants, I pulled the fastening loose and unzipped him. As they pooled to the floor, I gasped at finding him bare underneath. Close against him, I couldn't see the hardness pressing into me, but my hands curved around to his backside, delighting in the smooth globes that twitched under my touch.

A growl escaped Tanner and he suddenly swept me up and laid me on the bed. With the lights silhouetting him from behind, I could only see his outline and the intensity of his chocolate eyes. As if I were a precious flower, he removed each of my boots with care, dropping them to the plush carpet, then unbuttoned my jeans, dragging them down and away.

Exposed, my breath grew shallow. Tanner moved beside me, his warm form my comfort, and he rolled me towards him, kissing me again. This time, the kiss was darker, with intent of acts to come. Moaning, I submitted to his touch, allowing him to unsnap my bra and release my breasts to the air.

Helpless to resist, my body fell limp as Tanner lowered his mouth to my nipple. Delicately, he kissed the tight nub and bliss spiralled out, a hot tension building within me. The kiss became a nibble, Tanner using his teeth to tease and torment the bud, and I mewled quietly, swept up in his ministrations.

His hand found my other breast, and he rolled the nipple between his thumb and forefinger. With the dual sensations powering through me, I arched my chest, wanting to give him everything.

His fingers left my breast, dancing their way down my belly and pausing over my cotton panties. The heat of his hand burned through to my smooth mound and another burst of my desire poured from my core. With a terrible, wonderful slowness, he hooked his hand inside the band of my panties and pulled them away. I lifted my hips, partly to assist, mostly as an unconscious reflex, my centre now in control.

With his mouth still sucking and biting my nipple, he stroked the outside of my shaven lips; my thighs fell open, parting for him.
Will he remember?
There was a move only Tanner had ever used, one he knew drove me crazy during our heavy petting sessions, and the memory of his knowing fingers had me wound tight.

With his thumb, he pressed one lip to the side. He used his middle finger to spread the other, leaving me open to him, my core weeping freely and my clit peeking out from under its hood. For a long moment, he sucked hard on my nipple without moving his fingers at all, and I squirmed from the delicious anticipation, the same waiting that used to torment me as a teen discovering my sexuality with him.

Just as I was about to beg, Tanner snapped his finger down onto my clit, the nerves in the tiny bud shrieking in ecstasy. ‘Oh,
God!
' I cried out, overwhelmed by the fact he'd remembered, and was still as deft as he'd always been.

In slow drags, he began to work his finger up and down my sacred folds. His were the first fingers to ever explore me, and they knew my centre intimately. My eyes rolled back as my throat made noises I wasn't responsible for, a beautiful climax looming.

Just before I came, I opened my eyes. Tanner lifted his head from my breast and stared deep into me. And just like that, I was back on the tartan blanket beneath the oak tree in his back field, the sun setting behind us as he coaxed my first ever orgasm forth. The intimacy of that first moment melded with the sweetness of the new one, and I felt apart under his fingers.