White-Hot Christmas (13 page)

“Yes. Not a big one, but hey, size isn’t everything.” He threw his keys onto a nearby table, smiling.

“It’s lovely here, Neon, you must be very proud of it.”

He shrugged, but she could see the compliment had pleased him. He pointed along the hall. “The bedroom’s through there. It has an en suite if you need the bathroom.” He checked his watch. “It’s still quite early. You want to go for a swim?”

“Oh, I didn’t bring my swimsuit, I didn’t think.”

He walked over to her, his eyes alight with amusement. “Who needs a swimsuit?” He kissed her.

“Skinny-dipping? I’m shocked.”

He laughed and disappeared into the bathroom, then reappeared with a couple of towels. “Come on.” He took her hand and led her out the large glass doors and up to the pool. Merle glanced around. There wasn’t a house in sight. To the south, bush led to the Waitangi Forest. Far to the north up the hill, a line of tall trees hid them from the sight of anyone else. Any place less like England she couldn’t imagine.

She turned back to the pool, which was a decent size and made of dark blue fibreglass that sparkled in the sunlight. There were steps at the shallow end. The crystal-clear water looked hugely inviting.

He was already stripping off, dropping his All Blacks T-shirt onto one of the pool chairs. He slid off his shorts, winking at her, and stood there for a moment with his arms behind his head, turning his face up to the sun and stretching, completely naked.

“Oh my.” She pulled off her own top, sighing. How on earth was she going to make it through these four days without jumping on him every five minutes?

He didn’t seem to hear her though, and, walking up to the edge of the pool, dived neatly in, surfacing halfway along, swimming to the end in clean, strong strokes. Once there, he turned and rested on the edge, watching her. “Come on, slowcoach.”

Sighing, she slid off her skirt, doing the same as him, stretching and enjoying the feel of the sun on her body. She felt decadent and naughty standing there naked, but there was no doubt it was a lovely feeling.

Neon watched the sun glinting off her pale body, wondering why he found her so attractive when she was different from the rest of the women he’d been with. Perhaps that was why. He’d never have thought he’d find such white skin a turn-on. He’d always equated tanned skin with healthiness and usually the thought of the pasty complexions of the cooler climes turned him right off. However, standing there, her arms raised in a sun salutation, Merle looked like a carved statue, her skin white as marble, her beautiful strawberry-blonde hair piled on her head like a Greek goddess.

“Is it cold?” she said, finally dropping her arms.

“Nah. It’s like a bath.” He knew she wasn’t the sporty type and wondered if she would be one of those women who had to get in inch by inch, refusing to get their hair wet. But she stood on the edge, her toes curled over the tiles, took a deep breath and dived in nimbly, surfacing and swimming up to him in neat strokes. “You’re a swimmer,” he said admiringly as she touched the side.

“It’s the one sport I’m any good at.” She laughed, lifting herself in the water to sit astride him and kiss him, then pushing off with her legs, leaving him in the backwash.

He caught up with her easily, kissing her leisurely, enjoying the sensuality of the water on their bodies. Then they drifted to the side and looked across at the beautiful view of the forest.

She leaned her head on her arms, droplets of water sparkling on her skin, and studied him, smiling. “No wonder you leave a trail of heartbroken girls behind you, Neon Carter. You’re quite a catch.”

He smiled. He loved the way she liked to compliment him. “You think?”

“You’re a surfer, a rugby player and a firefighter, for heaven’s sake. You own your own home, complete with pool. And your body, well… Let’s say there’s no disappointment in that area.” She smiled. “Of course you’re a catch. The woman who manages to keep you is a very lucky lady. I hope she realises how lucky she is.”

He studied her. Her eyes had turned cool, emotionless, though he now knew that was because she was trying to hide her feelings. “I don’t know. I may never get married.”

“That would be a waste. Don’t you think you’ll get back with Ella?”

“No…” He drew out the word vehemently, making her laugh. “God, no.”

“Have you ever lived with anyone?”

“I’m guessing you’re not including Jake.”

“I was referring to the female half of the species, yes.”

He brushed a couple of leaves off the tiles. “No.”

“Why not?”

He shrugged. “I guess I’ve never met anyone I’ve wanted to do that with.”

“What’s the longest relationship you’ve had?”

He turned to study her. “Six months. Not a great track record, I know.”

“When did you break up?”

“Oh, over a year ago.”

“So she never came here?”
 

He started to smile. “No. I’ve never brought a woman to this house.”

She looked surprised. “Why not?”

He glanced over at the house. “Don’t know. It’s my place. I’ve never wanted to share it with anyone before.”

He looked back at her. She wasn’t smiling now. She was frowning. Had that remark upset her? Was she worrying he was getting all serious on her?

“Of course I’m expecting you to sleep in the garage.” He caught her by the waist and brought her legs around him. “I’ll stick a mattress there and a bucket in case you need it during the night.”

She started laughing and he kissed her. He was curious now. “What about you?”

“What about me?”

“Have you lived with anyone?”

“No.”

“What’s the longest relationship you’ve had?”

“Same as you, I guess, about six months, but it wasn’t serious.” She didn’t elaborate.

He kissed her again. “He must have been mad to let you go.”

She shrugged. “He didn’t seem bothered at the time.”

Neon shook his head, puzzled. “But you’re, like, the perfect woman. What more did the stupid bastard want?”

She burst out laughing. “Nicely put!”

“I’m just saying…” He frowned. He wouldn’t think about some other guy kissing and touching his Merle. That way led to madness.

Hold on,
his
Merle? When had she become
his
Merle? This was only a temporary situation. She was on loan to him—he had to remember that.

She sighed now, running her wet hands up his body. “I’ve never swum naked. It’s a lovely feeling.”

“And it looks great. I love the way these things float.” He cupped her breasts in his hands. “At least if you ever fall over the side of a boat you won’t have to worry about drowning—you’ve got your own water wings.”

“Neon!”

He laughed, wrapping her in his arms. He had all night to play with her and couldn’t believe his luck.

They swam for another half an hour and then got out and went indoors. She grimaced at her reflection. “I might have a quick shower and get the chlorine out of my hair.”

“Sure. I’ll have a half-hour run, if you don’t mind.”

She raised her eyebrows. “After night shift and a swim? Aren’t you knackered?”

He laughed and smacked her butt. “No, not yet. Don’t worry—there’ll be plenty of energy left for later.”

“Where do you run?”

“Oh, I’ve got a treadmill and a few weights in the spare bedroom. I’ll only be half an hour.”

“Okay.” She kissed him and walked off into the bedroom. He sighed. He had to wear off some of his energy or he’d be pestering her all night.

Merle took a long, lukewarm shower and then pulled on a light white camisole and a floaty pink skirt before coming out, dragging a comb through her tangled locks. She could hear the running machine still going and walked through to the spare bedroom to see how he was doing. She stood in the doorway, watching him for a while. Facing away from her, he had both of the large glass sliding doors open to let in the cool air, and he wore buds in his ears, his iPod attached to his hip. He ran at full speed, a deep V of sweat staining the navy T-shirt he’d put on, his strong thigh muscles bunching and straightening as he pounded the surface.

She glanced around the room, seeing a bench for lifting weights and lots of different dumbbells, realising for the first time how much physical work he had to do to keep in shape for his job.

He’d slowed the machine now, so she turned and went into the kitchen and opened the fridge, extracted a bottle of spring water and poured a glass, filling it with ice. She took it into the spare room and leaned against the doorpost. He lay on his back on the bench doing chest presses, pushing up the bar with what looked like extremely heavy weights, straightening his arms easily.

She sighed, watching the beautiful muscles on his arms moving. How strong and in control he was. She must be crazy, agreeing to spend the night with him. Talk about self-imposed torture. It was becoming harder and harder to leave him, but she couldn’t bear to be apart from him. And somehow, she guessed he felt the same way. His comment about never having brought a woman to his house had made her tingle all over. He hadn’t wanted to share it with anyone before, he’d said. Why had he brought her here, then? Was he saying he felt differently about her than he’d felt with the other women he’d dated?

He lifted the weights one last time, locking the bar onto the rests, and sat up, running a hand through his hair, surprised to see her there. He got to his feet and came over to her, smiling. “Sorry, have you been waiting long?”

“Not at all. I was…admiring the view.” She glanced out of the window, but when she looked back, he grinned and she knew he understood what she really meant.

She handed him the glass, and he thanked her and drank it in one go, wiping the back of his hand across his mouth, watching her. She was barefoot, and he seemed so much bigger than her, tall and broad, his tanned skin glowing with sweat, the picture of a healthy, lusty male. She looked up at him, her heart starting to pound as the mischievous look appeared in his eyes. “What?” she said as he smiled.

“Your eyes are like saucers again. That’s how you looked the first time I met you on the beach, and look what happened there.”

“I can’t help it—you look good enough to eat.”

“Well, let me have a shower and I’ll see what I can do.”

“Nuh-uh.” She shook her head, stepping closer to him. She caught the bottom of his T-shirt in both hands, lifting it over his head and dropping it to the floor, revealing his wide chest, glistening with sweat. He was smiling wryly now. She put a hand on his chest and pushed him backward until he met the wall with a bump, then stepped even closer. She put a finger under his chin and lifted it, pushing his head up. He did so, looking puzzled, understanding only when she leaned forward and ran her tongue up his chest to the hollow at the base of his throat, pressing her lips there, tasting him.

“Pheromones, huh?” He slid his arms around her, laughing.

She felt dizzy with desire. “Absolutely. That’s the second time today I’ve felt practically prehistoric.” She took his hand and walked out of the room, bringing him with her into his bedroom. It was a lovely large room with a king-size bed, beautiful paintings on the wall and a gorgeous view across the bush. The warm, humid air closed around them, and when he switched the fan on above the bed, the cool breeze was delicious on her skin.

She turned, putting her arms around him. “Are you too tired?”

“Never, with you.” He ran his hands down her sides, pressing her to him.

“What would you like to do?” She tipped back her head, shaking her hair, looking up at him boldly. “I’m all yours, Neon. If you still want to play with me.”

His warm brown eyes turned hot. “All mine?”

“Do with me as you will. Anything you want.”

“Anything?” He brushed her lips with his.

“Anything.” Her heart hammered. She trusted him and wanted to give herself to him completely. She knew he’d never hurt her or embarrass her, intentionally anyway. How could she feel this way about him when she’d only known him for such a short time?

He smiled. “I know exactly what I want to do with you.” He lifted off her top and removed her skirt, leaving her naked. Getting rid of his shorts, he moved backward to the bed and climbed on. He threw the pillows onto the floor and lay down, making himself comfortable.

He looked up at her and beckoned her over. The mischievous look was back.

She climbed onto the bed and moved toward him. He beckoned her closer. She moved up to his waist, her heart pounding at the intense look in his eyes. He beckoned again. “Closer. Right up here.” He tapped his mouth.

Merle stared at him. Suddenly she realised what he wanted. Her cheeks heated, and she turned, scooting toward the edge of the bed, shaking her head. Oh my, what had she thought about him not embarrassing her?

Laughing, he grabbed her wrist. “Where are you going?”

“I can’t…” She refused to look at him. “Neon, let me go.”

“No.” He pulled her onto the bed and leaned over her, forcing her to look up at him. “What’s the matter?”

She met his gaze, speechless, and he lifted up off her, leaning back against the headboard, shocked. “You’re kidding me?”

She pushed herself up. “Neon…”

“You’re twenty-five and a man’s never gone down on you?”

She almost laughed, he looked so horrified. “They never offered, and I didn’t like to ask…”

“They never offered?” He glared at her. “What the hell? What sort of jerks have you been dating?”

She did laugh then. He fixed her with a determined gaze. “That settles it.” He lay down again. “I’m not leaving this room until that—” he pointed down, “—is on here.” He pointed to his mouth.

The very thought made her grow damp with desire, but still she couldn’t move. “Neon, I…”

His gaze softened, and he held up a hand. “Come here.” She moved forward into his arms, and he held her tightly against him, her head on his shoulder. He kissed her hair, then rolled so he could look at her. “You did promise me anything I wanted.”

“I know. I was thinking more…you know…something that turned
you
on.”

He laughed. “This
would
turn me on, believe me.” He pressed light kisses on her lips, her cheeks, her eyelids. “I want to do this for you. It’s a nice thing, from what I can gather. I think you’ll enjoy it.”