‘She loves it. And everyone deserves a treat now and then, even if it isn’t good for them,’ Nic blithely declared, setting the dish on the floor in front of Cleo who instantly showed approval of this particular treat.
‘Now you…what would you like? A taste of everything?’
She laughed at the tempting twinkle in his eyes. ‘Why not?’
‘Why not indeed?’
He put scoops of each flavour into their two dishes and returned the tubs to the freezer. She was standing in front of the bench, about to pick up her dish and take it to wherever they were going to eat when he moved behind her and rested his hands on either side of the bench, encircling her in that space, grazing kisses across her shoulder.
Serena forgot the ice-cream, sucking in a quick breath as her heart battered her chest. The seductive heat of his mouth on her skin aroused a flood of sensitivity that paralysed any thought or action.
‘What do you want to taste first?’ he murmured, bringing her mind back into focus on the dishes in front of her.
‘The…’ She had to think hard to remember the selection. ‘The macadamia and honey.’
‘Uh-huh.’ He was nudging her hair aside with his chin to kiss her neck. ‘Go ahead. You can spoon some up to me, too.’
She did, and continued to do so at his insistence, even though she was hopelessly distracted with him moving closer, fitting himself to the cleft of her buttocks, stroking her thighs, spreading his hands across her stomach, gliding them up to cup her breasts, fanning her nipples with his thumbs. It was incredibly erotic, the cold creamy taste on her tongue, the hot excitement of his touch, spooning ice-cream up to both of their mouths while he orchestrated the intensely sensual friction of their bodies.
‘Hmm…I think I like the strawberries and cream best.’ The words were softly blown into her ear, making it tingle with excitement, too.
‘Not…not the chocolate?’ It was wild, talking like this, pretending to ignore the slide of his erection, reaching up to the pit of her back.
‘Or maybe the honey…’ His hands left her breasts and moved down to the triangle of hair between her thighs. ‘You’re like honey, Serena. An endless store. And I want every bit of it.’
She couldn’t answer. He was so good at caressing her, tantalisingly gentle yet knowing exactly what was most exciting. She wanted him, every bit of him, too. It was all she could think of.
‘Lean over. Elbows on the bench.’
She didn’t grasp what he meant to do. She just did as she was told on automatic pilot, unable to bear any halt to the intense waves of pleasure he was inciting. His arm encircled her hips, lifting her off her feet. The initial shock of the position he was taking was instantly obliterated by the deeper shock of penetration, fast and deep, explosively exciting.
He held her pinned to him as he pumped a fast, compulsive, almost violent possession, and somewhere in Serena rose waves of fierce, primitive satisfaction. Her feet curled around the back of his knees, giving her some purchase in the driving rhythm. He clutched her breasts, moving them to the beat within. It was wild…wild…and a wildly lustful exultation swept through her as she felt him come, spilling himself deep inside her in uncontrollable bursts, the aggression melting, shuddering to a halt, his breathing reduced to harsh gasps blowing through her hair.
‘I lost it again,’ he said in a tone of shell-shocked bewilderment. His hold on her shifted to bring her down onto her feet, once more standing with her back to him. ‘Sexiest bottom in the whole damned world,’ he added as though he needed some excuse to make sense of losing it. ‘I think it’s time we had a swim. Yes. A long, cool swim. Out to the pool.’
And Serena found herself being swept up and carried, but she didn’t feel so limp and dazed this time. She felt exhilarated. Here was Nic, falling into the role of caveman on the loose, though he seemed to want to deny the more hot-headed—or hot-bodied—aspects of that role, and Serena had to admit she was revelling in not only being the object of his desire, but also the reason for his apparently much stronger than usual sexual impulses.
‘Maybe we should stay out of the kitchen,’ she suggested, unable to contain a smile. ‘Kitchens can be very dangerous places.’
He frowned down at her happily teasing eyes. ‘You’re a provocative little package of dynamite, Serena Fleming.’
‘So what should I call you? Nuclear fusion?’ she tossed back.
‘That’s about right!’ he said rather grimly.
‘Actually it’s incredibly marvellous.’ She lifted her head, kissed his ear, and whispered, ‘No one has ever made me feel…so much.’
It stopped him. He looked at her with burning eyes, searing away any glibness from that statement. ‘Well, fair’s fair,’ he said with satisfaction. ‘Can I take it you’ll be staying the night? You’re not going to hop in your car and leave me flat?’
She laughingly shook her head. ‘How could I walk away from this?’
‘A bit difficult when I’ve got your feet off the ground.’
‘Do you make a habit of sweeping women up to get your own way with them?’
‘No. But you’re very slippery so I’m holding you fast. Only way to guarantee keeping you with me.’
‘I want to be with you, Nic.’
‘You’re not going to make some excuse about having to go home to your sister and niece?’
‘They’re away for the night.’
‘Aha! So you came here planning to seduce me.’
‘I did not!’
He grinned, triumph dancing into his eyes. ‘Got you then.’
It struck a bad note with Serena, bursting her bubble of joy. ‘Is that what it’s all about to you, Nic? Winning?’
He looked taken aback, as though she wasn’t supposed to realise that. It chilled Serena into firing another arrow from the same bitter bow. ‘Am I just another notch on your bedpost?’
‘Another notch?’ he repeated incredulously. ‘There’s never been a notch like you in my entire life. You can take that as gospel!’
Relief swept through her. He was so emphatic she believed him. Even more so when his eyes flashed dark resentment, as though she had totally wrecked his comfort zone by not conforming to any standard amongst the women he’d known.
Fair’s fair, Serena thought elatedly.
He probably shouldn’t have told her that, Nic thought, as he walked on across the patio. Gave her even more power over him. None of this was turning out how it was supposed to. He’d only meant to play an erotic game with the ice-cream, get her melting for him, give himself the satisfaction of knowing she was totally on heat before leading her out to the pool, wiping out any thought she might have had of dressing and going home. Instead of which…