Just for Now (26 page)

Harry stood, knees bent, hands together above his head, at
the edge of the deck. Jenna could see him taking a deep breath, gathering his
courage. The first dive of the day was always the hardest, she knew. He pushed
off at last, landed in the water with a splash.

“Swim to me,” Jenna urged him as he bobbed up. “Come on.”

“You did great!” she congratulated him when he reached her,
sweeping him into her waiting arms.

His grin was huge. “I did it!”

“I’m going now,” Sophie called out from the deck. She
performed her own dive, swam to join the two of them.

“Excellent,” Jenna approved. “You both tucked your heads so
well. Let’s try it again, and think about keeping your legs together as you
jump off.”

This was the fourth day of their swim lessons. After
enjoying her own ocean swims so much the previous week, Jenna had determined to
use these final few days of the spring holidays to get a start on the
instruction she’d promised. Both children seemed to be getting something out of
them, and the pool wasn’t as crowded as it would become during the summer
months.

She was watching Sophie practice her crawl when she heard
the familiar deep voice from behind her.

“Can anybody join this party?”

“Dad!” Harry swam to his father, laughed as Finn swept him
up overhead. “Toss me!”

Finn tossed him a couple meters, smiled with pride to see
Harry swim back to him. Sophie demanded her own toss, shrieked as she sailed
through the air.

“Didn’t get enough training at the gym, huh?” Jenna asked,
coming to stand next to him. “You needed to add some more weight lifting?”

“Decided I needed to see the progress,” he told her.

“Let’s see this diving you’ve been telling me about,” he
said to the kids. “Show me what you’ve learnt.”

“Very impressive,” he commented, watching the two of them
take off with the increased assurance they’d begun to show. “You’ve done a lot
in four days.”

“That’s the best way,” Jenna agreed. “Daily lessons. It
gives them confidence, making that rapid progress. And your body remembers
better, if it’s going through the same motions every day.”

He grinned at her, and she blushed. “Sorry,” he apologized.
“Can’t help it. It’s seeing you in your costume. Gets my mind on that track. But
you’re right. That’s how we train too.”

“Yeah, well. This’ll give them a good start. They can work
on it more during the summer holidays, now that they have the basics down.”

“Time to get out,” she told the kids. “We’re all becoming
prunes.” She held out her wrinkled fingers for inspection. “Let’s see yours.”

“Yep,” she decided, looking at Harry and Sophie’s little
hands. “Definitely prunes. Time to hit the showers.”

“I get to take a shower with you, right, Dad?” Harry asked
excitedly. “I don’t have to go in the ladies’ with Jenna, right?”

“Too right,” Finn agreed. “We men’ll meet you girls out
front in a few minutes.”

“Need to talk to you, at home,” he told Jenna in an
undertone, helping her gather towels to wrap around the shivering children. “An
idea I have.”

“Jenna.” She heard the knock, the low voice at her door,
opened it to let him in as she finished tightening the drawstring on her
running shorts.

“Ah.” He looked at the sturdy athletic bra. “Exactly what I
came to talk to you about.”

“What? My chest?” She went to the drawer for her running
top, pulled it over her head. “I’ve noticed you like it, but I’m not sure how
much it has to offer as a discussion topic.”

“Your limited lingerie selection, I mean. I went out for a
coffee with a couple of the boys after the gym. And we walked by a boutique on
High Street. The Pajama Company, it’s called. Made me have some thoughts about
that. Not sure what you have planned for this afternoon, but I’m thinking you
might do a bit of shopping for me.”

“You want to wear ladies’ lingerie?” she asked, opening her
eyes wide. “Why, Finn. This opens up a whole new dimension in our
relationship.”

He laughed. “Getting pretty saucy, aren’t you? Nah, you know
what I mean. I’d like you to buy a couple of things. I saw a bra and thong in
the window. Lacy. An aubergine color that I quite liked. I thought you might
get that, maybe another set as well. Looked like they had some pretty nighties,
too.”

“I know the shop you mean,” she admitted. “But their things
are a little pricey for me. My employer pays me pretty well, but French
lingerie isn’t in my budget.”

“Which is why I went by the bank,” he told her, pulling out
his wallet and extracting a sheaf of $100 bills. “Call it my birthday present.”

“Is it your birthday?” she asked with shock. “You should
have told me.”

“Nah. Months away. Call it my Unbirthday present, then.”

“I don’t know,” she hesitated. “It seems a little . . .
mistressy, doesn’t it?”

He sighed. “You have a beautiful character. I admire and
respect you. You’re an awesome swim teacher. And I want to watch you walk round
my bedroom tonight in a thong. Can’t help it. It’s my own Neanderthal brain, I
reckon. You want to watch me tackle, and I want to take lacy undies off you.”

“Well, if you put it like that . . .” She smiled up at him, took
the money he held out. “You’ve got me.”

“That’s what I’m hoping.”

“Could make me late fixing dinner,” she warned, putting the
cash safely away in her wallet. “It’s going to take me a while to do that
shopping. You’d be surprised how long it takes to find bras that fit.”

“That’s what they make pizza for.” He opened the bedroom
door, stepped into the hallway. “Oi! Kids! Who wants pizza tonight?”

“Me! Sophie cried, shooting out of her room.

“Pizza!” Harry shouted. “Yay!”

“All right,” Jenna laughed, coming to join him. “
And
salad,
though.”

“Go do your run,” Finn urged. “And this afternoon, you can
take yourself out to lunch, do your shopping. I’ll give these hungry beasts
their lunch.”

“
Dad,”
Harry complained.

“I can make sammies,” he protested. “One of my few talents.”

She took some extra time in the shower that evening, then
used some of the Manuka honey body butter she’d bought to complement her new
lingerie, massaging it in until her skin was soft and glistening. Then dressed
in the bra and thong set he’d requested, inspected herself critically in her
bedroom mirror, twisting to look at the rear view. She wouldn’t have chosen,
personally, to display that much of her backside. But he seemed to like it. As
long as he didn’t have too many lights on, she supposed it was all right.

It looked good from the front, anyway. He did have fair
taste. The blue lace overlay on the deep purple background was striking. And
the balconet bra made the most of her considerable assets. She smiled at
herself in the mirror. She knew he’d appreciate that.

She gave herself one last look to make sure everything was
adjusted properly, then slipped on her dressing gown and made her quiet way upstairs
to his room. Found him lying propped against the headboard, fully dressed, an
open binder in his lap.

Locking the door behind her, she leaned back against it and
looked at him. “Studying, huh? All Black stuff?”

He closed the binder, set it on his nightstand. “Yeh. A
bit.”

“Still want to do this tonight?” She suddenly felt a little
shy. He’d obviously imagined how she’d look in this outfit. She hoped the
reality would measure up. “If you have work to do. . . .”

He laughed. “Nah. Just trying to distract myself.” He swung
his legs off the bed, came across to her, slid his hands under her hair and
took her mouth in a long kiss.

“You took your time, eh.” He smiled down at her. “Making me
wait for it.”

It was going to be all right. She had this. She reached down
and untied the sash of her dressing gown, lifted her shoulders and slowly shrugged
the garment off so it fell to the ground near her feet. Stepped out of it.

“Was this what you had in mind?” she asked him.

“Shit, yeh,” he breathed, standing back to look. “That’s
it.”

“Want me to take it off, then?” she teased. Raised her hands
to the hooks at her back, hesitated there. “Oh, wait, that’s right. I forgot.” She
came to him, wrapped her arms around his neck, pulled his head down for a kiss.
“You said you wanted to be the one to do that, didn’t you?”

“Bloody hell. Going to do more than that.” He took her hand
and pulled her across the floor, not to the bed, but to a spot near his
mirrored closet door. He kissed her again, and she opened her eyes to see him
watching her reflection in the mirror. She’d been right. The amount of backside
on display in those panties seemed to work for him.

“Going to ask you to do something,” he told her, his hand
moving to a breast. “Can I say that bit again first? About respecting your many
fine qualities, and that?”

“Oh, boy. I can tell this is going to be good,” she sighed, tilting
her head to allow him access to her neck, feeling herself melting as he kissed
her there, his hand inside the lacy bra now. “You know you can ask. I told you.
Anything.”

“Right, then. Want you to get on your knees for me. I want
to watch in the mirror while you take me in your mouth.”

“Ah. That’s your fantasy, huh?” She smiled slowly. “I can do
that for you. Oh, yeah. I can do that.”

She reached under his T-shirt, ran her hands over his
abdomen, then slowly pulled the shirt up. Kissed his chest as she uncovered it,
ran her tongue over one flat nipple, heard him suck in his breath.

“Yeh,” he got out. “That’s one I’ve thought about a fair
bit.”

“Mmm,” she agreed, pulling the shirt over his head. She
spent a bit more time on him, her hands and mouth working on his neck, his
chest. Only when she could see the sweat beginning to glisten there, hear his
breath coming hard, did she reach for his belt buckle, then his zipper. She
pulled his jeans down his hips, together with his underwear.

“Step out,” she breathed against his chest. “Give me some
room to work here.”

He groaned, did as she asked. Kicked the discarded garments
aside. She took him in her hands then, ran a palm down the length of him.

“Sure you want this?” she asked, closing her mouth over his neck
again, using her teeth as her hand continued to stroke. “Last chance to back
out.”

“Oh, God,” he moaned. “Please.”

She smiled again as she dropped first to one knee, then the
other. “Is this what you had in mind? Good enough view?”

His only answer was to wrap his hands around her head,
fingers threaded through her hair. “Trying not to shove you here,” he gritted
out. “But I need this.”

“And you’re going to get it,” she promised. Then bent her head
and gave him what he wanted. Slowly, taking her time. Letting it build for him.

Finn fought the urge to close his eyes. Because looking down
at her working on him, watching her reflection in the mirror, was almost as
good as what she was doing. He lost himself in the feel of her mouth, her
tongue, her hands on him. The sight of her.

He was almost too far gone when he forced himself back. This
wasn’t all he wanted to do right now. While he had her in front of the mirror.

“Jenna. Stop.” He pulled her head gently back. Almost
changed his mind as she let go of him, sat back on her heels and looked up at
him. Her hair disheveled, mouth soft, eyes huge. He made his decision, dropped
to his knees, reached for the strap of that aubergine bra.

“This has been working so hard,” he said, unfastening the
hooks and pulling it off her. “Time to give it a rest.” He took a breast in
each hand, heard the hitch in her breath as he caressed her. “Feels good, eh.”
He looked into her eyes, pupils dilated with passion. “I think you got something
out of that too. But you need something else now, don’t you?”

“Yes,” she told him. “Yes. Please.”

He smiled, reached down to pull off the thong. “Let’s get
this off you, then. So I can give it to you.”

She wriggled out of the lacy strip. “Tell me what you want
from me.”

“I love it when you say that.” He bent his head to kiss her,
reached down to touch her. “You’re so wet. So ready for me. Get on your hands
and knees, then.”

He moved behind her. Another perfect view, he realized. From
where he knelt, and in the mirror. He looked down, froze.

“Shit. Condom. Stay there,” he commanded. “Exactly like
that.” He raced across to the bed, pulled out the nightstand drawer, grabbed
the packet. Came back to her.

“Bloody hell. You’re so gorgeous. Waiting for me, just like
I asked you to.” He pushed inside slowly, felt her response. Watched as her
head dropped. Looked at her hands supporting her, his hands on her hips as he
moved in her.

“Reach your hand back here,” he gasped. “Touch yourself.
Because I need to feel you come while I’m doing this to you.”

She moaned, did as he asked. He watched in the mirror as she
began to caress herself. Felt the change in her, the shift at the added
stimulation. She was panting now, and he could sense her spiraling up, feel her
tightening around him.

“That’s right,” he told her, his breath exploding from him.
“Come on, Jenna. Give it up. Give it to me.”

She was pushing back into him, crying out, and he was over
the edge. He grabbed her harder, thrusting into her so forcefully he was moving
her across the floor. He felt her going over, the contractions surrounding him,
pulling at him as she sobbed out her release, and he lost control, joined her
in sensation, tumbled with her into a long, powerful orgasm that seemed to draw
everything from his body.

“Aw, geez,” he gasped at last. “I’m squashing you.” He
rolled to his side, pulled her against him. “All right?”

He felt her sigh against him, a long drawn-out sound. “Yeah.
Good.”

He ran a hand over her, felt the goosebumps form. “Go get in
bed. Give me a sec.” He got up, went into the bathroom to get rid of the
condom. Looked at himself in the mirror. He was wrecked. Shattered.