Текст книги "His Temporary Fix"
Автор книги: Sofia Grey
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Текущая страница: 6 (всего у книги 8 страниц)
Chapter Twenty
The drive back to Jasper’s was silent. Zack gripped my hand where it lay on his thigh, and I clung to him, trying to reassure him with my presence. I kept thinking about Marnie and her missing boyfriend. Of the elegant Steph and how she fit into Zack’s life, and of Marnie’s cat. The cellar had reeked of cat piss; had her beloved pet returned home when Marnie died? She’d only moved a few streets away by all accounts, and cats were notorious for finding their way back to their old homes.
There were too many thoughts rattling around inside my head, and I was relieved to get back to Jasper’s and the simple chores that awaited me. Zack helped. The dogs would be fine without a walk tonight and so we just fed them and then made our supper. None of us were particularly hungry, and we picked at toasted sandwiches as we sat around the kitchen table.
Jas looked pale and ill, and after a couple of mouthfuls, he pushed his plate away. “I can’t believe she’s gone. I should have done more. If I hadn’t been so careless…”
I was confused. “What do you mean?”
“I helped her move, right? And I meant to stop by every day, just to see if she was okay. Make sure Barry wasn’t giving her grief. But I didn’t.” He tugged at his hair and then turned to me, his eyes full of pain. “The night after, I was driving over the hill in a fuckin’ foul mood and not paying attention to the road. And yeah, next thing I’m in hospital, and I didn’t think about anything but myself for the next two weeks. I didn’t even text her.”
I knew how much pain he’d been in, how he’d been dopey for days while they fixed up his leg. I touched the back of his hand. “You weren’t texting anyone, Jas. You were barely even speaking at first. You can’t blame yourself.”
“Easy to say.” Jas shrugged. “If I hadn’t crashed my car—”
“And if I’d paid attention, I would have done something about it years ago.” Zack’s face was a mask. “You did a fuck sight more than me. The only thing we can do now is make sure that bastard faces justice.”
“I’ll do everything I can.” My brother and my lover stared at each other and seemed to reach a silent understanding. We didn’t speak any more after that. Zack helped me clean up, and then I went to grab my toothbrush and a clean pair of panties for the morning.
When I returned to the kitchen I noticed an odd atmosphere, a new tension that hadn’t been there earlier. Jas stood by the table, crutches under his arms, glowering up at Zack. He, in turn, stood quietly, hands at his sides. I’d heard the buzz of voices without paying attention to what they were saying, and I lurked now in the doorway, curious about their conversation.
“You hurt my sister and you answer to me. Got that?” Jas sounded menacing, and I stared in amazement. Zack was taller and wider and could probably snap my deluded brother in half if he felt so inclined, but he stayed calm and nodded earnestly. I felt a wave of affection for my little brother. His heart was in the right place.
I cleared my throat, and they both jerked to attention and turned to face me, matching false smiles in place. “What are you two doing?”
Zack straightened his shoulders and held out a hand to Jas. “I’m leaving early in the morning, so I might not see you again.” They shook hands, all very formal. “Thank you for taking care of Marnie. I owe you for that. If you ever need my help…” He left the sentence hanging but Jas nodded.
“Yeah, and good luck to you. Stay safe.”
…
We walked slowly back to Zack’s place, and I listened to the night creatures around us, the only sounds apart from the padding of our feet and the ever present rumble of the surf. The night was warm and humid, and I wondered if a storm was approaching. It was unseasonably mild, and I considered again why Marnie might have been going for firewood. Why she was even on that property. Something else didn’t add up, but I hesitated to say my thoughts aloud.
Her boyfriend was supposed to have found her when he came home from work, but the meal abandoned on the kitchen table had been breakfast.
I gave myself a mental shake. There was no point in saying anything. Zack was hurting enough already. Instead, I squeezed his fingers and inched closer for the last few meters. There was one question I had to ask, though, and I fumbled for the right words. “I want to ask you about Steph.”
“Steph?” His nose wrinkled as though puzzled. “What about Steph?”
“Your, uh, mother said something.”
His brows tugged together in confusion and created a furrow on his forehead. I wanted to kiss it away. “What’s my mother got to do with anything?”
I felt embarrassed now, and my cheeks heated. “She told me Steph was, quote, practically your fiancée, unquote.” I shrugged, but inside I cringed.
“No way. She’s just a kid.” He lifted our linked hands to his mouth and kissed my knuckles. “I’ve never seen her as anything other than Marnie’s friend.”
I breathed deeply and pushed back my anxiety. She didn’t mean anything. It was just his mother making trouble. Steph visibly adored him, and maybe was even in love with him, but Zack had no feelings for her. That’s all I needed to know.
…
Inside the rental cottage he flicked on the kitchen lights, grabbed two tumblers from the draining rack, and then opened the freezer door. “Don’t know about you, but I need a drink.” The half-empty vodka bottle appeared in his hand, and he set it all down carefully on the table before tugging out a chair for me. Without waiting for my reply, he poured two generous measures, leaving the bottle open.
I lifted the glass he nudged toward me and took a cautious sip. Straight from the freezer it had an oily feel to it, was thicker and more viscous. Even more potent. The alcohol hit the back of my mouth and stole my breath, making me gasp. Zack was unaffected. He knocked back the drink in two gulps and poured another. My eyes were watering from the icy burn, and he must have misunderstood.
He groaned, abandoned his drink, and pulled me up and into his arms. “Don’t cry, Hol. There’ve been enough tears today.” He nuzzled against me, seeking my mouth and pressing his lips to mine, his tongue demanding entrance. My senses were flooded with the sensation of vodka again, mixed with the unique taste that was all Zack.
Gentle at first, it was as though something flicked a switch inside of him, and he turned up the heat. One hand tangled in my hair, the other curled around my hip. He pulled me against his lean body, his erection nudging my belly. I acknowledged the pressure on my hair and lifted my head to meet his lips full-on. Hot and hungry, he controlled the kiss, held me in place, and then slid his hand down across my butt before tugging at my skirt.
I knew the exact moment he discovered my continued panty-less state. Warm fingertips skated over the curve of my ass and paused, a strangled groan emerging from his throat. “God, Holly. I have to be inside you.”
I sucked in a breath through lungs that were forgetting their basic function and curled my hand around his neck to pull him back to me. Every inch of me ached for him, for the feel of him moving inside me, possessing me. Making me whole.
Zack walked me backward a step, and another, and one more until I came up against a wall. I didn’t care. I wanted him so badly, so much, I’d strip naked in the city center if that was the only way to have him. My inner thighs were slick with arousal and every moment he made me wait, the tendrils of desire wrapped tighter. At this rate, I’d come the second he entered me.
“Don’t move.” He took hold of both wrists and lifted them above my head, then yanked at my shirt, the mother-of-pearl buttons scattering under his fingers. Finding my bra underneath, he pulled down the cups to expose my breasts. They looked even bigger like that, the nipples swollen and aching. “Oh fuck.” Zack paused, his lips moving with no sound. “You are so fuckin’ perfect like this, Holly.” His whisper made me squirm with anticipation. He palmed the sensitive flesh, the slight calluses on his hands creating a delightful friction. “All mine.”
“Hurry. I don’t want to wait for this.”
He kissed me again, branding me with his mouth and burning a path straight to my soul. His hands disappeared from me, but only to dig into a deep pocket and extract the condoms. I fumbled with his pants while Zack ripped into the foil, and within seconds he was sheathed. This was going to be a wild ride.
Chapter Twenty-One
The mechanics of what we were about to do were hazy. I’d never had sex standing up before, but when Zack hauled up one of my thighs and looped his arm underneath it, I saw in a flash how it’d work. He pushed into me with a steady precision, and I moaned, completely lost in this, in him.
He stretched me wider than before, the angle giving rise to an almost painfully deep penetration, and my knees trembled. Already, I hovered over the cusp of my climax, and I clenched around him, trembling and greedy.
I leaned back, using my shoulders to support my weight as I tried to take Zack even deeper. It’s like my body was on autopilot. Take Zack. Take everything. I couldn’t get enough air into my lungs, and I panted, unwilling to pause for even a moment. Christ, that felt good. Thick and oh so hard, he filled me and brushed against every sweet spot with ease.
He flattened his free hand on the wall by my head, vodka-scented breath flashing over me. His eyes were half closed, a look of total concentration on his beautiful face, and he shifted position slightly, changing the angle. I gasped, the move driving everything from my head apart from this. The heat and hardness of Zack hammering into me, relentless and unstoppable.
A myriad of sensations burst across my skin in a vibrant cascade. His chest rubbing against my hypersensitive nipples. My clit tormented by every movement, every plunge and withdrawal. The hungry mouth that claimed mine, nipping at my lower lip. His scent wrapping around me. My heart bursting.
“Holly,” he moaned, lips against my cheek. I was close, trying to delay my climax until the last possible moment, dragging out the intensity of this coupling to relive it later. He closed his mouth over the sensitive flesh at the base of my neck and dug his teeth into the skin.
I could have been a fly stuck in a spider’s web, unable to move, pinned by his bite and his cock. Shudders racked my body, the orgasm erupting in every cell, heating my blood to boiling and robbing me of breath and sight. He followed me, thrusting once more and trembling from the violence of his release.
Slowly, I caught my breath, my heart still racing. Zack rested his forehead on mine, the intimacy cracking through another layer of my heart’s shell. At this rate I’d do something majorly stupid before the night was out. I couldn’t fall in love with him. What if he never came back? And I wouldn’t be here, anyway. I needed to go back to London and salvage my promotion. Or if he came back and didn’t want me? I’d never survive.
He withdrew and left me instantly empty, then released my thigh and helped me stand on unsteady legs. “I’m going to fuck you all night long. Just so you know.”
After disposing of the condom, he took my hand and led me silently to the bedroom. My skirt was bunched around my hips, bra pulled down, and shirt hanging off my shoulders, but I’d have followed him down the street like this if he’d asked. He paused next to the bed and cupped my cheeks. “Slow this time,” he murmured.
True to his word, he removed my clothes with gentle fingers, dropping them in a heap by my feet, and kissing every fresh area of skin he found. He spent a long time crouched behind me, petting and kissing my butt and the dip at the base of my spine. Every time I tried to touch him, he shook his head. “No. I need this.”
His breath tickled the nerves in my stomach, and I trembled, but he didn’t stop. He took his time, every brush of his lips lighting a new fire inside me. Eventually he kissed his way up to my mouth, but still in his lazy, unhurried fashion. At last I could slip my arms around his neck and then help him to undress. He slid the condom packet onto the bedside table before abandoning his clothes with mine. Still he would not be rushed.
I admired his body, the muscles clearly defined in the soft light from the bedside tables. The tattoos on his chest and arm, the dark fuzz of hair that led down to his proud, hard dick, and the molten look in his eyes, all added up to an irresistible package. And tonight he was mine.
I’d examined the inked seagulls this morning—a lifetime ago—and now I used my fingertips to trace the complex pattern on his arm. Most of it was made up of the traditional Maori swirls and loops, but on the inside of his arm I found a quotation. “That which does not kill us makes us stronger.” I frowned as I searched my frazzled brain for the source of the words. “Nietzsche?”
“Yeah, I think so.” I pressed a kiss over the letters and heard his indrawn breath. “It’s my squad’s motto.” I avoided mentioning the crosses on his spine. I didn’t want to remind him of other losses. I sank to my knees and gazed at his dick. A pearl of pre-cum oozed from the slit, and I had to taste it.
“Holly.” There was a yearning in his whisper, and I glanced up to meet his gaze. I wanted to pleasure him every bit as much as he’d cared for me. I wanted to make him lose control.
I flicked my tongue over the head, which drew a moan from him. He tasted salty but sweet at the same time. Delicious. Closing my mouth over him, I cradled his heavy balls with one hand while taking a firm grasp of his cock with the other. It was a larger beast than I’d handled before. Slowly, with all the time in the world, I took it into my mouth as far as I could, all the while stroking and caressing him and, within seconds, I felt him tense and stiffen.
“Jesus, Holly.” His voice was strained. “That’s good. So good, baby.”
I sucked hard, flicked the crown with my tongue and then drew him in even farther. His hiss of breath confirmed he was enjoying it, and I carried on, little increments at a time. He whimpered, this big, strong man finally giving up control to me. I felt privileged—even more so when he tangled his hands in my hair and forced me to stop. “I’m going to come in a minute if you don’t stop.”
I jerked my head free and continued, picking up the pace and stroking the delicate skin underneath his balls. They tightened, and he moaned again, but I wasn’t stopping now. He came with a muffled shout, hot splashes pulsing down my throat, and I hummed my approval. I’d enjoyed it every bit as much. I hoped I’d get another chance to pleasure him before he left.
Zack eased himself free, dropped to his knees, and kissed me deeply. “I’ve never had anyone do that before. Swallow, I mean.” There was a sense of wonder in his voice. He ran a thumb across my lower lip, and my heart swelled.
“I’ve never swallowed before.” I’d never wanted to.
There was that hint of a smile again. “What am I going to do with you, Holly Jacobs?”
It hadn’t been said like a question, but I nuzzled against him and answered anyway. “Fuck me all night long.”
…
We drank more vodka, nibbled on crackers and cheese, and fucked. Long and slow, face to face, every movement a caress. Animal rutting with him taking me from behind again, fierce and all powerful. We slept a little, too, tangled together in his bed, hands linked and legs entwined. He woke me while it was still dark and made tender, intense love to me, drawing yet another orgasm from my exhausted body. My bones were melting under his touch and yet, the moment he kissed me, I wanted more.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“Holly.”
I closed my eyes tighter at Zack’s sleep-roughened voice. If I stayed asleep, he wouldn’t leave. I could spin this out forever.
“Baby. I have to go soon.”
No. This was the moment I dreaded. All the things I’d wanted to do, to talk about, to learn from him. I’d meant to ask him about Steph, his friends, his fellow soldiers. I wanted to share my funny childhood stories with him, my amusing tales of backpacking across Europe. I longed to make him smile, to see his eyes grow soft, to hear his laughter. Had I heard him laugh? Not properly. There hadn’t been time.
Panic curled up in a tight ball inside my belly. I had to play it cool. Two nights he’d promised me, and my stupidity had robbed me of one. He didn’t intend anything more than that. It’s only sex.
Without opening my eyes, I snuggled closer, to drape myself over his chest, my fingers trailing down his stomach. He caught my hand and held it still.
I knew then, it was over.
“It’s still early. Will you walk on the beach with me?” Oh, that was a surprise. I forced my leaden eyelids to lift and blinked at the near darkness.
“How early?”
A soft huff of laughter above my head signaled his amusement. “Almost six.”
Earlier than I’d been rising recently, and I didn’t normally have so much vodka. Or so little sleep. I groaned and squeezed my eyes shut again. “When do you have to leave?”
“I’m on a ten o’clock flight from Wellington.” Shit. I calculated rapidly in my head. He’d need to leave here no later than eight-thirty. Two and a half hours left. It wasn’t enough.
“We could stay here a little longer.” I dotted tiny kisses over his chest but, again, he stopped me with a gentle hand around my chin.
“Come with me. The sun will be rising over the hills soon.”
I contemplated staying in bed and knew I wouldn’t waste a single minute of my time left with him. “Okay.” I rubbed my eyes and yawned. “I have to warn you, I’m grumpy before I’ve had coffee.”
“I’ll de-grump you.” He kissed me, a kiss full of promise, and then tugged my disheveled hair. “But first we go and watch the sunrise.”
Sitting on the edge of his bed, I stared at my abandoned skirt and wrecked shirt. I wasn’t exactly dressed for a walk on the sand, but Zack had a solution. He handed me a soft and much washed mud-brown army T-shirt to pair with my skirt. “Wear this, and you can borrow my jacket.”
He slung an arm across my shoulders and tucked me close into his side as we left the cottage. The early morning air was crisp and cool with the threat of rain later, but Zack kept me warm. “How are you getting to the airport? I could take you.” I could hold on to you until the very last second.
“One of my buddies from Linton is coming to collect me.”
“It’s a long way for him to come. I could drive you there.” I made my voice light and careless.
“Ah, he’s staying locally. He’s got family around here.”
He didn’t suggest I come along to the airport, and I didn’t offer. How was I supposed to behave? I had no experience to suggest what I should say, whether I should be blasé or caring. Disappointment flooded me, leaving a bitter taste in my mouth.
“Here we are.” Zack stopped with his back to the wind, facing the hills, and guided me to stand in front, his arms wrapped around my waist. With his warm breath on my neck, we stood there as the sun crept higher. Fingers of gold dispersed the cool grayness and, as light flooded the skies, his arms tightened around me. “That was perfect.” He said I was perfect last night. Was his memory of me going to be as fleeting as the sunrise? As easily forgotten?
I was glad to be facing away from him. I didn’t want him to see the tears that trickled over my cheeks.
Walking back to the cottage, I clung to Zack on the pretext of being cold, and he hugged me back. The countdown ran in my head. Two hours at the most until he left. He’d need to shower, pack, have breakfast. Should I leave now? After all, I was just a temporary fix. A distraction. I wouldn’t want to cause him any embarrassment in front of his friend. I scrubbed at my eyes, angry at the tears escaping. I wouldn’t do this, let my heart break with him watching.
We climbed the steps up to his deck, and I braced myself. This was it. I left him in the kitchen while I went to find my shoes. We’d both gone barefoot on the sand, but I needed shoes and to take the remnants of my shirt. Should I give him the T-shirt back? It was standard army issue. Surely he would get a replacement easily. What else had I brought with me?
I shrugged out of his coat and left it on the bed. My phone was here somewhere. Yes, on the floor beside my shoes. I checked it for missed calls and there were two: Sam had called half an hour ago and Jasper in the past few minutes. Jas had also sent a text:
Sam wants to see Zack. He’s on his way over.
