He shrugged. ‘Seeing you. You made it very clear you hated me.’
‘I didn’t hate you. Well, maybe for a bit.’ She smiled to herself, wondering how she could have stayed away from him for so long. Warm and cosy in this unfurnished house, the shock of Tiger’s near death was wearing off too, although she was missing him. ‘The ambulance crew were great, weren’t they? And the vet.’
‘Yeah, although I did feel like a knob doing gym moves to warm up on the beach while everyone else went off for a three-course meal.’ He asked her to shift up so he could place a second quilt over their legs before joining her on the floor.
As they snuggled under it, she put the drink down, feathered her hair and secured it on her head. ‘There’s one thing I don’t understand. Tiger loathes water. How did he end up in the sea?’
‘He went in after the duck,’ Nic told her.
‘Ah, now I see. But it wasn’t even hump hour!’
‘Has that continued? Remind me what time it begins these days because I’m very much up for it.’
She noticed afresh how attractive he was, his wicked smile and copper-bottomed eyes giving her the urge to touch his face.
‘I really am sorry, Aria, about your cabin.’
She held up a hand to stop him. ‘The settlement fee will allow me a fresh start. The demolition was a terrible shock, but in the long run this has helped me move on.’
‘So, what now? For us?’
She shrugged. ‘Well, I’m here. Something I couldn’t conceive of before the wedding.’
‘And I’m sticking around too. It’s hot under these covers. Perhaps we have too many clothes on?’ He said it tentatively like he was worried he might overstep, but she lifted the duvet and fiddled with the waistband of the sweatpants she’d retrieved from his house. Her smile invited him to loosen a stubborn knot and together they pushed them down before she kicked them off. As he whipped Aria’s sweatshirt over her head, he sucked in a sharp breath, realising she wasn’t wearing a bra. Kissing and grazing on her nipples, he trailed his hand down her stomach. Wriggling to meet it, she let the delicious feelings build, as he circled ever closer to a point that made her squirm. He continued stroking and teasing, all the while nibbling at her breasts, till she cried out in frustration. Then he spread his fingers out on her pubic bone, homing in on her centre with his thumb. Now his hand became a paintbrush, stroking a rainbow of feelings into every nerve ending.
‘You like this?’ he asked. She did, she told him with a moan. The sensations swirled and grew as his lips traced down her body to join his fingers. ‘And this?’
She communicated yes with a nod and a whimper, savouring every moment.
‘Ohmygod, ohmygod…’ she mumbled as he entered her with one finger then two, searching for a sweet spot he was desperate to reach for her. Endorphins flooded her body and heat travelled from her head to her toes. This was obviously as much a turn-on for him as it was for her as he stopped to ripoff his t-shirt and kick off his shorts. Now they moved up a gear, changing position as she ground against his erection while clawing at his hips. All of her senses were thrumming – his familiar smell stimulating her, the sound of his moans exciting her as they moved as one, hurrying on the inevitable.
‘Wait!’ he said, but she was ahead of him, reaching for the sweatshirt she’d discarded earlier. In the pocket were two small packets she’d taken from his bathroom cabinet, and she enjoyed seeing his surprise at her intent. ‘Pre-planned? I like it when you take control, Aria Wilson.’ She enjoyed the jut of his cock and his happy sigh as she helped him smooth on the condom. ‘But it’s my turn now,’ he smirked, climbing over her and pinning her down. He kissed her deeply and satisfyingly. She sank into it, hungry for every part of him, and cried out a muffled yes as he sank himself into her body. She felt every inch of his shaft and wanted it all. Checking she was OK, he started to thrust. Feeling very OK, she moved with him, urging him on with the whole of her body and being. They came together, crying out as one.
62
They slept peacefully, entangled together as night became morning. Waking suddenly, Nic looked at his watch and wished there was fresh water on hand. His restlessness woke Aria, who declared she had a twisted ankle after stumbling to the compost loo in the dark.
‘Good call,’ he said, popping outside. He walked back in to be greeted once more by Aria’s gorgeous smile and body.She was a goddess. ‘We can check on Tiger and pick up some breakfast afterwards,’ he said. ‘But first, there’s something I want to show you.’
‘You already did that, but yes, please, I’d like you to show me again,’ she replied, reaching out.
He laughed, realising she wasn’t grasping for his hand.
‘Well, if you insist, I am willing to take one for the team,’ he joked, lifting the cover of the makeshift bed, climbing in next to her. He lay back, welcoming her lips on his. Her hands explored his body until she reached the destination she was looking for. Teasing him through his clothes, she smiled, satisfied as he hardened and lengthened in response to her touch. ‘It’s going to be over quickly, if you carry on like this,’he grunted, as she straddled his legs and pulled at his shorts. He groaned in appreciation – taking one for the team wasn’t a huge hardship, after all. He’d do it again in a heartbeat, or as soon as she was ready.
***
After they’d had breakfast and Aria had paid the bill for Tiger, they returned to the lake and took the dog for a walk. Nic told her the show home was on the market again. ‘Theo thought I’d lost the plot when I decided to hang on to it.’ He nodded at the kit house. ‘I’ve come to the conclusion that’s more my thing.’
Aria looked shocked. ‘You? Live in a place like that? But it’s—’
‘Simple and charming. And part of my new grand plan.’
‘What grand plan?’
‘To stay in the Lakes,’ he shrugged. ‘To make a home here permanently.’
‘But your life is in London.’
