Songbird (Songbird, #1) (43 page)

“You look pretty amazing yourself,” I purred. “Would you like some help with those buttons?”

I entered the room, and he turned to face me, shirt still undone, hanging loose. It was such a shame to have to cover up that incredible body. His abs were just as mouth-watering as they had been the first time I’d seen them, but he couldn’t really go to dinner shirtless, so I slowly started fastening the buttons, one by one.

“Can I undo them again when we get back?” I asked playfully.

His eyes met mine, and they were so full of desire that it took my breath away. “We don’t have to go to dinner,” he replied, tracing a finger around the neckline of my dress. “We could just eat here.”

I bit my bottom lip. “I’m surprised you could manage it so soon after our marathon session this afternoon.”

He chuckled at the reference. “You know I can never get enough of you.” He kissed me deeply, and I seriously considered cancelling dinner, but it was his birthday and we needed to eat.

It was going to be a long night.

We were seated in an intimate corner on the veranda of the little restaurant, where the only light was the candle in its glass holder on our table. We held hands and flirted with each other as if it were our first date, and Riley moved his chair around so he was sitting at right angles to me instead of opposite. His hand rested lightly on my knee, and his eyes shone in the candlelight as it slowly moved up my leg. I smiled lovingly at him as he teased me, always knowing that he would remain respectful when we were in public.

The dinner was wonderful and we laughed, and talked about the last two weeks we had spent together. The Christmas lunch and the few days at Ocean Views were highlights, but for me, the best part was just spending quality time together.

Riley’s visit was almost over once again. He would be leaving in two days, and he wasn’t sure when he would be back. He had used up a lot of leave since meeting me, trying to spend as much time together as we could, and he would now have to spend some time in Sydney.

Subtly, I broached the subject of my visiting him in Sydney, but he still wasn’t keen on the idea. I thought it was probably to do with the apartment where he lived. I remembered he had said it was not very nice, and that my little apartment was a palace in comparison, so I suggested an alternative. Maybe for Valentine’s Day, I could come up and we could stay in a hotel, or a bed and breakfast. That idea was met more favourably, and I had excited butterflies in my stomach, knowing that it would only be six weeks until I would see him again.

We strolled back to the guesthouse, hand in hand, along the secluded path, feeling a little tipsy from too much wine.

As soon as we entered the bedroom, I felt his hands on me from behind, grasping my hips. His lips were on my neck and he gently moved my hair to one side so he could kiss my bare back. I sighed, his lips and breath on my back sending shivers down my spine.

He undid my dress and let it fall to the floor, then came around in front of me and paused, sweeping his adoring eyes slowly over my body.

“You are breathtaking,” he said softly, then took me in his arms and nibbled gently on my ear. “I want you,” he whispered, kissing my neck. “I need you.” He ran his tongue up my neck to my jaw. I moaned quietly.

“I love you so much.”

My stomach did a little flip, and I felt myself swoon as his lips met mine.

I had intended to seductively undo the buttons on his shirt, but I couldn’t get it off fast enough. I wanted to feel his body against mine, and I quickly undid the buttons as our kiss deepened. I dropped the shirt to the floor, then reached down to his jeans. I undid his button and slid the zip down, then ran my hand firmly down and back up the front of his boxers, and smiled as we kissed.

“I told you I wanted you,” he said hoarsely, resting his forehead against mine. “I want you all the time. I can never get enough of you.”

“I want you too,” I said softly, and lightly bit his bottom lip.

He drew a ragged breath. “God, Tara, I can’t be without you. I don’t want to spend a day away from you; I can’t go back to Sydney and leave you here.”

Cupping his face in my hands, I kissed him sensually on the lips. “We’ll work it out, babe. We’ll find a way. Okay?”

He nodded and I ran my hands through his hair, placing light kisses all over his face until they found their way back to his mouth.

He kissed me hungrily, his hands running up my body to my breasts, cupping them and pinching lightly at the nipples. He picked me up easily and put me back down on the bed, then began covering my body with kisses. His mouth was all over me, his hands all over me. I tilted my head back and closed my eyes, the sensation igniting every nerve in my body.

He quickly kicked off his jeans as he worked his way down, and then pulled me over to the edge of the bed before kneeling down on the floor between my thighs. The feeling of Riley’s mouth on my most intimate area was amazing, and my body shuddered with every movement he made. He licked me gently until I couldn’t take anymore, and then nuzzled in and devoured me.

I ran my hands through his hair. “Oh God, babe …” I couldn’t hold on as my body tensed and I whimpered. My grasp on his hair tightened, and I lost all control. It wasn’t until the last wave subsided that he stopped and looked up at me under hooded lids, his piercing blue eyes gleaming. His breathing was almost as laboured as mine as he lay up on the bed beside me.

“I want you on top, so I can watch you.”

I kissed him passionately on the lips, which turned him on even more, then straddled his hips and lowered myself onto him.

“You’ll have to go slow,” he whispered huskily.

I could tell from his eyes that he was close already, so I did as he asked, and slowly rocked back and forth. I leaned forward so my hands were resting on his chest, and looked down into his eyes. He gripped my hips hard, controlling the speed, and I started circling my hips as I went back and forth. I could feel his fingers clenching with every backward movement, his eyes positively glowing as he looked up at me.

“You don’t have to hold on,” I told him softly.

He shook his head slowly. “I want it to last. I want this feeling to last.”

He swallowed hard and closed his eyes for a moment, then drew a deep breath. When he opened his eyes again, I could see he had regained some control.

He sat up and ran his hands through my hair, then kissed my chest and breasts before finding my lips. I continued moving back and forth on him, letting my head fall back as he kissed my neck and chest again. I couldn’t keep going slowly; I wanted him too much to hold back. My speed increased and his hands slid down to my hips, gripping them tightly. His breathing was laboured, matching my own as I knotted my fingers in his hair.

I could feel his breath on my chest, and I could hear his pleasure as he groaned and muttered, “Oh God, Tara,” under his breath.

My lips found his again as our bodies pressed together, his arms wrapping around me, holding me tight against him. “I love you, baby, I love you so much,” he cooed between kisses.

My body clenched as he held me tight, and I cried out, the feeling so intense. I felt his arms tighten around me, pulling me in as he groaned loudly, his face buried in my chest.

After a moment or two he looked up, meeting my eyes, and he gave me a crooked smile before kissing my neck, and nuzzling his face in my hair. “You’re amazing,” he said, his hot breath tickling my ear.

I smiled and kissed his head. “Happy birthday, babe.”

He chuckled softly and lay back down, pulling me down with him. “I want a birthday every day if this is the present I get.”

“It doesn’t have to be your birthday. You get me whenever you want. I’m all yours.”

He gazed up at me. I could almost see the cogs in his head turning over.

“One of us needs to move,” he said, studying my face to determine my reaction.

I kissed him lightly on the lips. “Yes, one of us does need to move.”

“I’ll look into it,” he promised, a huge smile lighting up his gorgeous face.

I went to sleep that night the same way I always did when I was with Riley. I lay on his chest while he stroked my hair, then when it was time to roll over, he lay behind me and tickled my back until I drifted off to sleep.

We spent the last two days of Riley’s visit practicing Skype all over the apartment. If one of us was in the kitchen and the other in the bathroom, we would Skype.

Riley even went down to a cafe and Skyped me from there, just to make sure we both knew what we were doing, seeing as we were both technically challenged. We decided that we would text the other one and work out a time so we could both make sure we were in range and available. That seemed like the easiest way to do it.

I drove Riley to the airport, comforted in the knowledge that we would be able to see each other when we talked, and that I would be going to Sydney in six weeks. Of course, seeing each other wasn’t the same as touching each other, but it was better than just hearing his voice.

I parked the car and got out so I could walk in with him, but he stopped me. “Just drop me off, babe, okay?”

“No. Why?” I asked, suddenly distressed. I needed as much time with him as I could get.

He stroked my hair. “Because it’s too hard saying goodbye.”

Looking up at his face, my bottom lip trembled as I tried to be brave.

He had tears in his eyes, but he forced a smile. “Just say goodbye here.” He kissed my trembling lip. “Hey, it will be all right, please don’t cry.”

“You can’t cry either then,” I retorted like an insolent child, then hearing myself, I started to laugh. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and he pulled me tight. “I’ll miss you,” I whispered.

“Not as much as I’ll miss you.” He kissed me longingly on the lips then pulled back, studying my face. “I love you, Miss O’Connell.” Then, with a cheeky grin, he added, “Maybe one day you’ll be Mrs Hammond.”

My eyes widened, and I smiled broadly at him.

“Just thought I’d give you something to think about,” he said with a wink.

He kissed me again and then started to leave, walking backwards and blowing kisses at me, still with a cheeky grin on his face.

I laughed, then with my heart still fluttering, called out, “You know the answer would be yes.”