Persuading Spring: A Sexy New Zealand Romance (The Four Seasons Book 4) (14 page)

Bridget let him, losing herself in the
sensual press of his lips, the slide of his tongue against hers. This was
heavenly, and she didn’t regret it at all, but she had to be careful not to
entangle her emotions along with her physical desire. Aaron had a lot on his
plate, and neither of them needed the complication of a long-distance
relationship. It just wouldn’t work, and neither of them wanted to move. This
was an interlude, a beautiful escape from their confusing lives. A hot fling.
And it was best she remembered that.

They stayed in bed for an hour or so,
talking, sipping wine, and just enjoying being with each other. At least Aaron
hoped she was enjoying herself. She certainly seemed relaxed and happy, and
there was no sign of the regret he’d suspected might appear after they made
love.

For himself, feelings of relief and
satisfaction combined to fill him with a warmth he hadn’t felt for far too
long. He’d thought he could survive without this—without companionship and sex—but
it was only now he realized how much he’d missed it, and how much he wanted it
to be a part of his life.

He couldn’t stay in bed all evening, though.
“I need to walk the dogs,” he said reluctantly. “I know it’s a bit late but I
usually take them out for one last walk before bed.”

“Of course.” She placed her wine glass on
the bedside table and threw back the duvet.

“You can stay here if you like. I won’t be
long.” He liked the idea of coming back to a warm bed and a warm woman. But she
was already getting up and pulling on her jeans, so that was obviously it for
the night.

“That’s okay—I’ll come with you.” She
tugged on her top and smiled at him.

Pleased the evening wasn’t quite over yet,
he dressed, fetched the dogs’ leashes, and clipped them on, and then they went
out into the cool night. It would be a few months before the temperature would
stay warm and balmy all night, and the fresh sea air cut across the town,
bringing with it the salty smell of the ocean combined with the aroma of curry
from the Indian restaurant down the road.

“Mmm,” she said as they began to walk toward
the sea. “That smells gorgeous. I might have to try it out.”

Her hand slipped into his, and he felt a
swell of hope and pleasure that she wasn’t talking about leaving immediately.

“It’s a fantastic restaurant,” he said.
“They do a terrific Chicken Madras.”

“Ooh, my favorite. You’ve talked me into
it.”

He closed his fingers around hers, thinking
that there was little he needed in life more than this—taking a late walk in
his favorite town with a gorgeous girl and two dogs.

They walked down to the beach and along The
Strand, past the bars and restaurants that were still going strong, past the
pier with its lights that glowed like stars in the darkness, and right along to
Pompallier Mission.

“It’s a pioneer printers and tannery,”
Aaron told her. “It was the headquarters of the French Catholic mission to the
Western Pacific in the nineteenth century. The brothers translated religious
works into Maori here, and they printed them then bound them into books.”

“I feel ashamed that I don’t know more
about our history,” she admitted. “I can remember bits and pieces about the
Treaty from school, but I never took history as an option. We’re right in the
birthplace of New Zealand up here, aren’t we?”

“Kind of, yeah. Maori probably settled in
the thirteenth or fourteenth century, although archaeologists have found rat
bones they’ve dated to around 150AD, so it’s possible there were people here
earlier.”

“Why do rat bones mean people were here?”
she asked, clearly puzzled.

“Because no mammals are indigenous to New
Zealand and rats can’t swim great distances, so they must have come over with
people on canoes or boats.”

“But those weren’t Europeans?”

“Probably not. The first Europeans were the
Dutch in 1642, but they didn’t stay, then of course there was Captain Cook in
1769. Missionaries began to settle in the early nineteenth century, up here to
start with. The Stone Store in Kerikeri is the oldest stone building in the
country.”

“You know so much about it! You’re a vet,
and you’re interested in astronomy, and history… You make me feel positively
lazy.”

He laughed. “All it means is that I talk
about myself a lot. You haven’t told me that much about yourself.”

“There’s not much to say. I’m not very
interesting.”

“Of course you are. You fascinate me.”

Even in the semi-darkness, he saw her
blush. “I don’t know why,” she said.

“Because you’ve come through terrible
adversity with a smile on your face and an inner beauty most women can only
aspire to.”

“Jeez, Aaron, you’ve already got in my
panties. I’m a sure thing, okay?”

He laughed. “I mean it. Losing both your
parents at such a young age would have made many people bitter or cynical, but
you’re so bright and bubbly.”

“Am I? I wouldn’t have described myself
like that. I wasn’t bright or bubbly when you found me on the quay.”

“True, but I could see beneath your
unhappiness. The real you shone through.”

He didn’t like the way she put herself
down. It was difficult to think that wasn’t connected to the way her ex had
treated her.

“Tell me about your job,” he said as they
began walking back along the beach.

She shrugged. “I run the Four Seasons shop.
Not much more to say.”

“Come on.” He put his arms around her
shoulders. For some reason her spirits had dropped, and he couldn’t have that,
not after what they’d just shared. “I want to know more about women’s
underwear.”

That made her laugh. “What do you want to
know?”

“You run it with your friends?”

“Kind of. We all took the same business
degree at university. Callie—she’s the one who’s just had the baby—has a real
head for business, and we made her the CEO, if you like, of Four Seasons. She’s
very good with people, and she’s the one who contacts shops around the country
to see if they’ll stock our brand. Rowan’s the designer, the dreamer. Hitch is
a nature photographer, and when the two of them travel around the world it
gives her ideas for all kinds of patterns and styles for her lingerie designs.”

“What about the other one, Neve, wasn’t
it?”

“Yeah, she specializes in marketing and
advertising and handles all that side of things.”

“And so you run the actual shop?” He
wondered whether she chose to do it or whether the others took the more
interesting roles and left her to do the donkey work of daily sales.

“I do.”

“The most important bit,” he said, and
smiled.

“On the surface of it, it must sound crazy
that I have a degree and yet I’m pretty much just a shop girl, but there is
more to it than that. I’m in charge of the Four Seasons stock so I have to
liaise with the factory and work out how much we need in what styles and sizes.
We also stock other brands so I have to keep an eye on what’s selling well so I
can pick up on any trends. We’re right in the high street, but that doesn’t
mean people will automatically come in. With Neve, I organize the displays, and
we come up with regular promotions together.”

“That sounds like fun.”

“It is.” She perked up a bit, her face
showing her enthusiasm. “For example, we have a ladies’ only evening on a
Thursday where we have cheese and biscuits and a complimentary glass of wine,
and we have our own little fashion show where a couple of models demonstrate
the new Four Seasons designs. We always choose models with… um… generous
proportions, shall we say. It’s one thing to see items on skinny models in a
magazine, but it’s sometimes nice to see what they look like on women who look
like you.”

“You sound like you enjoy your job.”
Although she’d begun by making it sound as if all she did was take people’s
money, clearly she had a far bigger role than that, and he suspected the other
girls in the company had seen that she had an eye for the displays and the
organizational skills for the promotions.

“I do. I love it. I miss it, actually.
Although not enough to give this up.” She wrinkled her nose and squeezed his
fingers.

“I’m glad you’re having a good time.” He paused
to let Tycho and Kepler sniff around an oak tree. It was a gorgeous evening,
made even more so by the blonde beauty by his side. He still couldn’t believe
she’d wanted to go to bed with him. Part of it must have been a need to be
reassured and comforted, but equally she really seemed to like him. She
appeared to enjoy his company, and it was a joy for him to be with someone who
was so restful, warm, and relaxed, so that he didn’t feel on edge all the time.

He cleared his throat as they came to the
junction that led to the bed and breakfast where he’d picked her up. “That’s
the way to Jacaranda Lodge.”

She released his hand and stuffed hers in
the pockets of her jacket. “Okay. Well, I’ve had a wonderful evening.”

“Me too.” He put a hand down and stroked
Tycho’s velvety ears. “How long do you think you’ll stay up here?”

She poked at a stone with her toe. “I’m not
sure. I have next week off work too, and it’s such a beautiful place… I thought
I might spend a few more days here.” She nudged the stone again, and then her
gaze flicked up to see his reaction.

Tycho licked his hand as if saying
Go on!
Aaron cleared his throat. “I’d love to see more of you while you’re here. And I
also thought… Um… Look, feel free to say no and I’ll understand, and of course
I know you’ve booked the B and B, and you’ve come away to have some time to
yourself so you might want to be alone…” He was waffling.
Spit it out, Reed.

He cleared his throat again. “It’s just
that we’ve had such a lovely evening, I wondered if you’d like to come back
with me and stay the night.”

She met his gaze, and then a beautiful
smile spread across her face, lighting it up as if one of the moon’s rays had
slanted across it. “Are you sure?”

“I wouldn’t ask if I wasn’t.”

She gave a happy nod. “I’d love to.”

“It might mean more sex later,” he
clarified. “I feel I should point that out.”

She chuckled. “I was counting on it.”

He moved closer to her and dipped his head
until his lips brushed hers. “I hope you don’t feel I’m taking advantage of
you,” he murmured. “I like you, that’s all. I enjoy your company, and I don’t
want the evening to end.”

“Take advantage of me all you like,” she
whispered back. “It’s been a while since I’ve felt like this about anyone,
Aaron.”

He kissed her, trying to ignore the rapid
tattoo of his heart at her words.

“Do you need anything from the B and B?” he
asked when he eventually lifted his head.

“Actually my bags are still in my rental
car. I’ll pick up the smaller one if that’s okay as it has my toothbrush in
it.”

So she collected her bag, and Aaron
insisted on carrying it for her as they walked slowly back.

On the way, he called in at the Four Square
corner shop, leaving Bridget outside with the dogs. Feeling like a
sixteen-year-old, he picked up a packet of dog chews and a bottle of soda, and
approached the counter. Rosie was serving. In her forties, she brought her
Labrador into his surgery on a regular basis, so he’d gotten to know her quite
well.

He put the chews and soda on the counter.
“Evening.”

“Hey, Aaron.” She smiled and added up the
items. “How goes it?”

“Yeah, good thanks.” He glanced over his
shoulder. Another of his clients, a younger woman called Julia, stood behind
him, and she smiled as he looked around. He turned back and cleared his throat.
“Can I… um… have a pack of twenty condoms please?” he mumbled.

Rosie met his gaze for a moment, then
glanced briefly at Julia before turning to get the box. He could see her
fighting not to smile as she rang it into the register.

“You can both stop smirking,” he said,
getting out his card and casting them a wry look.

“We’re not,” Rosie said, laughing. “Who’s
the lucky lady?”

He liked them both too much to tell them to
mind their own business. Although they were being nosey, he could tell they
were pleased for him. It was one of the disadvantages of living in a small
town, but the comfort that a close community brought him more than outweighed
it.

“I have a friend staying. She’s up from
Wellington.” He paid with his card.

“How long is she here for?” Julia asked.

“A couple of nights, probably.”

“Wow,” Rosie said. “Ten condoms per day?
I’m impressed.”

He laughed and took the bag as they both
chuckled. “See you later.” Leaving to the sound of their giggles, he made his
way outside, knowing they were craning their necks to see who he was with.

He shook his head as Bridget raised an
eyebrow at his smile. “Don’t ask.” He couldn’t deny that he didn’t mind people
knowing he was having sex with a pretty girl. It made him feel like strutting.

They walked slowly up the hill to his
house. Once there, he fussed the dogs and settled them in the living room, then
joined Bridget in the bedroom. She’d already changed into a pretty pink silky
nightie that made his hands itch to slide over her, and he stood next to her in
the bathroom as they brushed their teeth.

It was strange having a woman around after
being on his own so long. He’d wondered whether he would feel guilty when—or if—he
ever slept with a woman other than Nita, but he discovered that he just felt
happy. Nita was sexy, sensual, and passionate, but she could be like a black
hole, sucking all the light out of him until only darkness remained. Bridget
was like a shooting star blazing briefly through his solar system, bringing
only light and beauty. She made him feel good about himself, and it was a long
time since he’d felt like that.