Outback Blaze (29 page)

Smiling, she slipped her hand between them, wrapped her fingers around him and began working magic. Trying to distract himself from the sensations building within him, he bowed his head and took a nipple into his mouth. He licked, sucked, swirled his tongue and then feeling her lower body arch up towards him, he sank a hand beneath the waistband of her jeans, inviting himself into her underwear. She was hot and wet and ready for the finger he slipped inside.

‘Oh. Drew. More. Now.' So he could properly fulfil her desire, he pulled back for a second to help her out of her jeans and knickers.

‘I like a lady who knows what she wants,' he whispered as he slipped two fingers deep within. Her hand fell from his erection but he didn't care, he was all but ready to explode but he wanted to make her scream first.

Kissing her hard, he moved his fingers faster, grinning like a fool when she began to shudder beneath him. Her hand crept up his back, her fingers dug into his shoulders and she begged, ‘Drew. Inside me. Now.'

He was more than happy to oblige.

‘Just one moment.' Pulling away a moment, he scooped up his trousers and tugged out his wallet where he hoped he still had an emergency condom. As if she was a different person, Ruby grabbed the tiny packet out of his hand and ripped it open with her teeth.

‘Sexy,' he growled, returning to his position between her legs.

‘How's this?' she whispered as she tossed the wrapper away and rolled the rubber down his length.

‘Hot.'

She laughed, wrapping her legs around his waist as he lowered himself and pushed inside. And then neither of them said anything for quite some time.

Ruby flopped against Drew's couch, trying to control the erratic beating of her heart as she recovered from hot, passionate, mind-blowing, off-the-radar sex. It wasn't only better than any sex she'd had before, it was different with Drew than it had been with Jonas or the guys she'd fumbled with before that. For one, she hadn't had to try hard to enjoy it, which was surprising considering how nervous she'd been at the start. How stilted she'd felt when he'd first placed a finger on her. But her hormones had taken on a life of their own and she'd happily gone along for the immensely pleasurable ride. She smiled as Drew shifted above her, the first movement he'd made since they'd both screamed their release. He pressed his hands into the couch, pushing up to take his glorious weight off her. Panic reared in her chest and she almost yanked him back down, scared that once he got up, that would be it.

End of a very generous offer.

But his smile melted every bone in her body. ‘Sorry if that was a bit fast,' he said. ‘It's been a while and I might have got a little carried away. Next time we'll do it in a bed and I promise to hold out longer.'

Sorry? Next time?
His words jumbled together as she tried to make sense of them.

‘Unless, of course, that was enough for you.'

She shook her head. ‘No. It was good – better than good – but I think we might need to do it a few more times just to make sure.'

His whole face lit up. ‘I like the sound of that. Just give me a second.' He kissed her quickly, then carefully climbed off her and trekked to the bathroom.

A second? Was he planning on a repeat performance right now? She wasn't sure what she thought of that or, more to the point, if she could summon the energy required. Shivering at the thought, she sat up and looked at the disarray on the floor. Her clothes intertwined with his, a sweet reminder of how their bodies had been intertwined only moments before.

She suddenly felt a little self-conscious.

Being naked in front of the magnificent Drew was one thing when they were in the throes of passion but the thought of him returning to find her sitting on his couch with nothing but a postcoital blush made her squirm. Gathering her clothes, she dressed quickly and was just zipping up her jeans when he returned. He stooped to collect his uniform, but stepped only into his plain black boxer shorts. Her mouth went dry at the vision and she realised she did have the energy, and then some, to do him all over again.

‘That was amazing,' he said, sitting next to her. He scooped up her hand and pressed the sweetest kiss against the tender flesh of her wrist. ‘
You
were amazing. I feel like I should offer you something to eat after all that, but my cupboard is kind of sad. Do you want to go get a meal at The Palace or something? My shout.'

While on the one hand it was nice that he didn't feel ashamed to be seen out and about with her, she couldn't bear the thought of going out in public tonight. One unkind look from some town busybody would ruin all the good Drew had done in the last hour. ‘I thought I told you that you couldn't live on takeaway,' she said, fixing him with a stern look.

He leaned towards her. ‘Do you have a better idea?'

‘As a matter of fact I do. You cooked me dinner last night, tonight it's my turn. I happen to have a very full cupboard. Do you like pasta?'

‘I have a feeling I'd like anything you made, but yeah, pasta is a favourite. Let me get dressed and I'll follow you over.'

‘I didn't drive,' she told him, glancing at the beige carpet. ‘I wasn't sure if you wanted people to see my car in your driveway so I walked. What I'm saying is you can take your time.' She started to push up off the couch, but he grabbed her hand, pulling her back down.

‘For one, I don't give a damn if someone sees us together. Maybe it'll give those small-minded gossips something else to talk about aside from your parents.'

She laughed, warmth flooding her at his words.

‘For two, no way am I letting you walk home in the dark alone. It's times like this I wish I had a spare helmet for my bike, but as I don't, we'll walk together. Give me five, okay?' Kissing her again, he then reached for the television remote on the coffee table and handed it to her. ‘Make yourself at home. I won't be long.'

She flicked on to some news channel but paid little attention to the images or the accompanying words of the announcer. Had she really just had sex with Drew Noble? She'd had all of three sexual partners in her life and had spent a lot longer than a couple of nights contemplating when the right time to sleep with those three had been. She should feel dirty, cheap, yet she felt anything but. Drew had a way of making her feel sexy and cherished all at once. She only hoped he'd also taken pleasure from their experience.

‘I'm all set.' Drew appeared in the doorway wearing faded jeans, trendy sneakers and a grey hoodie. In his hand he held a black puffer jacket. ‘For you. It's getting cold out.'

‘What about you?' She stood up, loving the thought of his jacket wrapped around her but she didn't want him to freeze.

‘I'm English.' He paused and smiled. ‘What I should have said was that temperature out there is getting cold for you weak Aussies, but to me, it's practically summer.'

‘Weak?' She shook her head but couldn't stop grinning. ‘Don't let some of the macho farmers hear you calling them weak.'

He closed the gap between them and helped her into his jacket. ‘I can handle them. Now let's go get some dinner.'

He surprised her by taking her hand as he locked up the house. She expected him to let go once they started walking but his grip remained both firm and gentle. It was quite a hike to her place but they chatted about her horses, things he'd like to see in Australia, the upcoming Bunyip Festival, and the time went quickly. He was so easy to be with and although she desperately wished her parents would return or at least make some kind of contact, she couldn't help but be glad they had the house to themselves tonight.

‘I'll light the fire in the lounge room and then start cooking,' she said as she closed the front door behind them in the hallway. She started to shrug out of his jacket, reluctant to do so but hot from the walk, when he intervened peeling it off her and then dropping a quick kiss on the side of her neck.

‘I'll take care of the fire.' Before she could say another word, he headed into the lounge room like he'd been here a million times before. Smiling, she went into the kitchen and stood for two seconds contemplating what to make. She wanted it to be something hearty but special. Carbonara came to mind and she decided to bulk it up with some chicken. She was already slicing the meat when he joined her a few minutes later.

‘What can I do?' he asked, glancing around the kitchen.

‘How about opening a bottle of wine?'

‘I think I can manage that.'

She pointed him in the direction of the wine rack and skipped a breath as he bent over to peruse the choice. Denim tightened over his butt and her mouth lost all its moisture. She swallowed as he straightened up, holding her favourite brand of red above his head like booty. ‘How's this?'

‘Perfect.' She turned to collect glasses and to try to school her facial features. When she felt confident her expression wasn't one of tawdry desire, she swung round and handed them to him. Only to find him caressing the bottle like he'd caressed her not so long ago.

Seemingly oblivious to her discomfort, he looked up and smiled. ‘I miss the good old cork tops. Just screwing off the lid doesn't seem quite as manly.'

‘Trust me, you've been manly enough for me for one night.'

‘Really?' He put the bottle on the bench, took the glasses from her and put them down next to the bottle. Then he stepped right up close and wrapped his hands around her waist. ‘I was kinda hoping you might need me to prove my manliness at least once more before the evening's up.'

I'm really putty in his hands
, she thought as his lips bent to press against the hollow at her neck. Her head fell back. His palms slid up her back, catching her head as he ran his fingers through hair still messy from their last encounter and brought it back up so his mouth could capture hers. And it felt good – better than she'd hoped, better than she'd imagined. Maybe Jonas had been the problem, not her. As Drew pressed her up against the kitchen sink, she forgot about the dinner, the wine, her parents, the fire, her ex, the whole world ceased to exist for as long as his tongue played erotically with hers. Hands went everywhere, his on her breasts, hers mostly cupped around his buttocks. Appetite for anything but him flew out the window so that she almost yelped when he finally pulled back.

‘Let's make dinner before we get carried away again.' He stepped away and she took a moment to return her breathing to some place close to normal while he poured two glasses of red wine.

Her fingers were shaking when she took the drink from him and she didn't know if she was safe to operate a knife, never mind a hot plate, but she wanted to cook for him. Wanted to sit with a little food, a little wine and enjoy him while she had him. Her life was consumed with so many worrying things at the moment and she wanted for just one night to pretend none of the bad things existed.

‘Thanks.' She lifted the wine to her lips and took a sip. Somehow, between more hot kisses, she managed to create a not too shabby carbonara. Because her mother wasn't around to disapprove, they took their bowls into the lounge room and sat on the couch in front of the roaring fire to eat their meal. Conversation turned to other dishes she loved cooking – sushi, her own version of fried rice, vegetarian lasagna – and the few other things in his repertoire – beans on toast, beans on a baked potato and beans with fried egg. It was agreed that if they shared dinner together again, Ruby would play chef and Drew apprentice.

‘I quite like the idea of you teaching me how to cook,' he said, smiling as he placed his empty bowl on the coffee table. He slid along the couch and snuggled up to her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and generally taking her mind off food. She dumped her half-finished bowl of pasta beside his and leaned back into him, quite unable to believe that this was real.

As he toyed with her hair, she glanced up into his eyes. ‘Why did you join the police force, Drew?'

She wasn't sure it was something he'd want to share with her but it was a better bet than the other questions rattling round her head. Three times already she'd had to stop herself asking him how he'd met Jonas. Why? He'd made her promise not to talk about her ex tonight and, although curious, she didn't want to ruin the blissful mood. Then she had questions about the ex he'd mentioned having – the bad break-up – but she guessed that might be information he wasn't willing to share with someone he was merely sleeping with. Correction: had slept with once. He'd indicated he'd like to go at least another round and she didn't want to threaten that by appearing needy or nosy.

He shifted slightly but didn't let her go. And then he sighed. ‘A friend of my mine – my best friend from high school – was killed by a drunk driver when we were young. We were walking back to my place after football practice and this car just swerved onto the pavement and knocked him down.' Although this had to have happened about fifteen years ago, the raw pain could still be heard in his voice.

She took his hand and squeezed it. ‘You don't have to tell me.'

‘It's okay.' He put his glass on the table. ‘The car only just missed me and by the time I realised what had happened, blood was gushing from Ian's head and the car was gone. Another car stopped. The driver was a doctor, he knelt down beside Ian and told me to go for an ambulance. I rang from a pay phone down the street and when I came back there was a whole crowd of people around Ian. I shoved past them all and the moment I saw him, I knew.'

‘Oh God.' Tears prickled her eyes but nothing she could say would be enough.

‘Yeah, it was the worst day of my life, but what made it even worse was that the bastard who killed him got away with it. The car was found deserted a couple of blocks away. It had been reported stolen earlier that day and they found it littered with empty bottles of spirits. They believed the driver was off his face, but obviously not drunk enough not to get away. So someone like that got to live, while someone like Ian – someone so loyal and kind and full of goodness – died.'