He circled her clit while grinning on her body and running his tongue between her silky folds. He teased the entrance of her core with his finger, moving it through the slickness and into her, as she inhaled as he placed his lips over the tight nub. She cried out and raised her hips in an attempt to get more. While still enjoying the sound of her moaning and another finger being gently inserted into her, Brian sucked harder on her clit. She resisted, counterpunching his thrusts with her own as he scissored his fingers into her to provide more pressure. She fisted her hands into his hair, drawing him in closer as he increased the tempo at which he licked at her clit. Her inside muscles started to contract, and her breathing grew frantic, and he felt the beginnings of her orgasm. As he curled his fingers within her to press against the walls of her core, he straightened his tongue and increased the pressure. She screamed angrily, "Oh, fuck," as his fingers were pinched by her se
Cassie groaned as the bright light pierced through the delicate skin of her eyelids. Her head was pounding and her mouth was dry, but her body felt wonderfully satiated. She blinked her eyes open cautiously, squinting at the offending sunlight and it took her a moment to remember where she was. She looked around the room, slowly remembering the events of last night and she smiled to herself. As far as rebound sex went, that was pretty awesome and she wouldn’t mind another round with him. She felt the warmth stirring in her belly at the memory of those intense green eyes and the way his beard felt against the inside of her thighs and how it brushed against her waxed mound. She squeezed her thighs together, relishing the throb of desire and stretched languidly. The suite was quiet and she wondered where he was. The bed beside her was cold, although the indentation on his pillow assured her that he had slept there. She sat up and listened, straining to hear any noise that might indi
His chest had been dusted with dark hair and his happy trail was like a lighted path leading the way to his junk. The tattoos that wound their way over both shoulders and down both arms, ending at his wrists, added to his dangerous look and she wished she’d studied them more closely. She wasn’t normally a beard and tattoo girl - she liked a bit of scruff and maybe the odd bit of ink - but on Irish, the thick, dark beard and full sleeve tattoos were hot as fuck. She’d even liked the little dark stud that he had in his ear. But as gorgeous as he was, and as amazing as he was between the sheets, he wasn’t Nathan, more’s the pity. Nathan was who she wanted, had always been who she wanted. Nathan thought that she’d had other boyfriends, but there had been no one but him for a while. She had lived for their weekends together and spent way too much time planning their annual week-long vacation. Well, that wouldn’t be happening anymore. Nathan might be able to swing a weekend here and there
Brian sighed and pinched his eyes. They felt gritty and dry and he was bone tired. It had felt like days since he’d slept and he couldn’t remember the last time he’d eaten. As if summoned by his empty stomach, Madeline knocked on his office door lightly before walking in and placing a wrapped sub on his desk. He looked up and thanked her with a tired smile. She was a good - no, great - assistant and knew him better than he knew himself most of the time. “There’s an email from the PR firm in Melbourne that I need you to look over and your mother is on line two.” “Thanks Madeline,” he replied. “Are our flights home booked for tomorrow?” She nodded and smiled. “Yes, the pilot has been notified and we are cleared to take off at five. Your last meeting is scheduled for three-thirty and a car will be waiting to take us straight to the airport as soon as it wraps up.” “Excellent,” he said, unwrapping the sandwich. “Thanks.” She nodded and left the office. Colleen Aviation had off
Five months later…Cassie drank her second vodka cranberry while relaxing in a cozy leather chair in the Colleen Aviation waiting area. She was an anxious flier to begin with, so the fact that she was attempting to disrupt Nathan's wedding one week before the big day added to her anxiety. She drank two vodkas—one to calm her worries about what she was about to do to Nathan and the other to prevent panic when she was thirty thousand feet in the air speeding through the ether in a tin can. She wasn't simply anxious when she flew; she actually detested flying and tried to avoid it at all costs. Driving the eight hundred miles to the wedding was not an option, but Colleen Aviation, a relatively new client, had offered her first-class seats on one of their brand-new domestic commercial flights. If she didn't feel like she was crammed in like livestock on the way to the slaughtered, perhaps she would like flying more. Her empty glass was removed from the little table in front
She gave him an anxious glance as her heart raced in her throat and her eyes blinked quickly. She greeted him with a gentle, husky "Hello, Irish," just as he recalled. It's been a while. He ought to be angry, but instead, he was simply so unbelievably happy to have found her once more. One night with her had not been sufficient, and in the months that had followed, he had failed to find it in himself to pursue anybody else. He was unable to hide his dismay as he replied, "You didn't call." She lowered her eyes from his and gave a sorry expression. She said, "I know, I'm sorry. He looked down at her empty glass and noticed the scarlet dregs at the bottom as she spoke a bit mumbled. How many had she had, he pondered. He didn't want to scare her away because he had just reconnected with her by asking, "So, what are you doing here?" He observed her watery eyes and dilated pupils as she raised her head to face him. In answer, he scowled, fearing that she was i
She clutched to his palm as the jet started to taxi, despite the heat in his fingers causing a visceral reaction in her rebellious body. You really dislike flying, do you? He questioned as he sent a worried gaze her way. She gave a headshake. "We as human beings were never meant to be flung through the air with such careless abandon," the guy said, referring to flying as "some kind of evil magic spawned by Satan." He laughed when his shocked lips fell open. A grin pulled at her lips as she watched him laugh so loudly at something she said. It wasn't simply a polite chuckle. He corrected her by saying, "First of all, it's physics, not magic, and I believe the Wright brothers would take offense to being called the spawn of Satan." She acquiesced, "Maybe, but I stand by the conviction that if we were meant to fly, we would've been born with wings." Do you view all modes of transportation with the same amount of disdain, or simply air travel? Just air travel, although I do h
As the flight attendant came back and set their food in front of them, she said, "Okay." "How about you, though? Don't you already have plans, and will you even be at the proper place? While she waited for his response, she took a bite out of her sandwich and groaned gratefully. She didn't notice how hungry she was since her anxiety made her focus only on the journey ahead of her. He inquired, "Where's the wedding?" After swallowing, she said, "On the Sunshine Coast." An hour away from the Coast in Brisbane, the plane they were aboard touched down. She would be picked up by Nathan, and they would continue driving. His eyes glowed as he grinned at her. What a coincidence, I'm going there too, he remarked. She questioned, "Business?" He gave a headshake. Long needed a getaway. "And you'd give up that for me?" It was her. He simply smiled and kept eating his sandwich. She gave a headshake. He was simply too nice to be true. She responded, "I'm not going to sleep with yo
Six Months Later…Everyone he loved was in the room. They were celebrating. Barry and Becky had finally set a date. Lisa and Mason wouldn’t be far behind. Brian and Cassie kept sneaking glances at one another that they thought nobody else noticed. He thought he knew what was going on but he didn’t want to ruin the surprise. It was their news to share and he was happy to wait for them to be ready to share it. Liam and Loretta were here too. He’d been slowly getting to know them. There was a lot of hurt to work through, but they were getting there. Jonathon quite enjoyed having a younger brother even if it was only in small doses at the moment. Devi and Kirra were also there. Kirra was graduating in a couple of weeks and then she would be hopefully attending one of the universities close to home. She wouldn’t know if she got accepted until the new year, but Jonathan was quietly confident that she would get into her top pick. And then there was Emma. Every day with her was
“I know it’s too soon,” he said, cupping her cheek. “But I want you to know that I am in this for good. I want to spend my life with you Emma. I want us to be a family. You, me, Kirra, Devi, Liam, and Loretta—” “Loretta?” “My mum. I want one big, messy family with you and me at the heart of it. Tell me you want that too.” She pressed against him and brushed a kiss on his lips. “I do,” she said before putting the remaining half of the chocolate in her mouth and grinning. The wheel came to a stop and he drew Emma to her feet, moving them both over to the window. The entire city of Melbourne was spread out below them, but it dimmed in comparison to the woman in his arms. “I love you, Emma,” he whispered before kissing her while they stood on top of the world.He took her home. He couldn’t not. They had stuff to work out and a relationship to manage. He had a family to get to know and she had her mother’s illness to navigate and her sister’s final year of sch
He stepped into the pod and waited for the door to close before holding the final box out to her, his mouth dry. She reached for it but he snatched it away, lifting it beyond her reach. “Before I give this to you, I need to explain.” She looked from the box to his face and nodded. “Okay.” The wheel started to move and Jonathon moved them over to sit on a bench. He exhaled roughly. “Okay, so I don’t know how much of this you already know, but how about I just start at the beginning?” She nodded again. “My mother left when I was two. I always believed she left us for a man with money. I’ve recently found out that wasn’t true.” He took a deep breath and her hand rested gently on his chest as she moved closer to him. He took strength from her closeness. “Someone was impersonating me—” “Liam?” He nodded. “Right. Liam. It turns out Liam is my brother. He was trying to draw me out and get me to notice him. He ultimately wanted to meet his father. He didn’t
“Are you looking for this?” the security guy asked, holding out an old-fashioned paper ticket. Emma laughed as she snatched it from him, waving it over her shoulder as she jogged toward the front doors of the building. She slid into the car and Brian looked at her expectantly. “Um…” Emma looked between Brian and Cassie. “I want to say Luna Park, but I don’t think that’s right.” “Why Luna Park?” Cassie asked. Emma held up the ticket in her hand. “We went to a fête in Merveille and rode the Ferris wheel.” “The Melbourne Star,” Brian said, his voice gruff. “Of course!” Cassie cried excitedly, leaning over to give Brian a smacking kiss. “You’re brilliant.” Emma could barely keep still as Brian drove them across town toward the Docklands and the giant observation wheel. As much as she was enjoying herself, she wanted to see him. She had already forgiven him for his lie and now she desperately wanted to ask his forgiveness for her stupid, fearful, erratic
She walked around the corner expecting to see Jonathon outside the patisserie, but there was no one there. She stepped inside breathed in the sweet scent of pastries and chocolate and looked around, hoping to spot him, but he wasn’t there. “Are you Emma?” a lady asked. “Yeah,” Emma said, turning to the woman who sat at a small table with a familiar little box in front of her. “This is for you,” the woman said, standing and walking away. Emma sat and took the box, pulling at the bow and opening it to see another chocolate truffle, this time it had an ’S’ written on top of it in dark chocolate. She didn’t need the little ‘Eat Me’ note to know what to do. She put the truffle on her tongue and closed her eyes. The chocolate coating melted away to leave behind a cake center with the sweet tang of apricot jam. “Sachertorte,” she mumbled to herself as she sighed and opened her eyes. Emma picked up the note that had nestled beside the truffle in the box.The first time we made lov
Dear Emma,The first time we met I wanted to kiss you. I knew I couldn’t. I knew it was stepping across a line both personally and professionally, but still, I couldn’t deny the attraction I felt.Our relationship has had an unconventional start, a bit of a rocky middle, and an absolutely appalling ending, but there were some real high points along the way. Let me remind you of how good it was between us and how good it could be again.Do you remember our first kiss? I don’t think I will ever forget it. I thought I knew what I was getting myself in for when I leaned down to brush my lips across yours, but I was a fool. You were so much more than I ever thought I would ever experience. You took my breath away and I lost a little bit of my heart to you at that moment.If it meant as much to you as it did to me, meet me there at the place where we first kissed.Jonathon.Emma could feel the wetness on her cheeks and she sniffed as she wiped at the tears. “Well?” Cassie asked, rocking o
It was the first Saturday morning Emma could ever remember that had the three of them sitting around the kitchen table eating pancakes and laughing. What would have been a simple, family Saturday morning ritual for some was something out of a fairy tale for Emma. She knew they were a long way from being a happy family, there was still a lot of hurt to navigate and broken trust to overcome, but it was a start and for once in her life, she was willing to just go with it. On this day, Devi was back to the woman she vaguely remembered from before Tom died and Emma wanted to soak it up and memorize it. From pancakes, they’d gone to gardening. Emma shared her plans with Devi and Kirra. She would let the lease go on her flat and move back in here permanently. It meant she would be on hand if Devi needed her and hopefully give some stability for Kirra’s final year of school. After she graduated and went off to uni, Emma could look at what would happen next. They all agreed that if they were
Emma wanted to believe her, but it was tempting to turn away and close her heart off so she couldn’t be hurt again. Except it would hurt anyway. If there was one thing she learned through this whole saga with Jonathon it was that closing your heart off to others was a mistake. You ended up hurting everyone that way, not least of all yourself. She put her arm around Devi and hugged her. “Good for you mum,” she said.Jonathon worked all night and most of the day. He tried calling Emma but when she didn’t pick up or reply to his texts after the first twenty or so, he gave up. What he had to say needed to be said in person anyway. Inspired by the woman he had fallen irrevocably in love with, he had spent the night holed up in his test kitchen creating the perfect set of truffles. Anybody could buy a box of chocolates or a bunch of flowers but only he could create an entire set of truffles that spelled out just how much he loved her and how much she had impacted his life. He had words
Kirra said when Emma finally made it home. Emma had been wandering around the city trying to come to terms with what all this meant for her life going forward. She had made some hard decisions, but she felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. It hadn’t helped with the pain in her chest where her heart was currently crumbling away to dust, but at least she knew that she wasn’t going to end up like her mother just because she had fallen in love. Life was always going to throw her curve balls and she just learned something about herself. Despite her previous belief, she was actually strong enough to withstand them, even swing the bat at them, and make the best out of a bad situation. “Hey, yourself,” she said, sitting at the table opposite Kirra. “Where’s Zoë?” “She had to go and run some errands.” “Where’s mum?” Kirra bit her lip and her eyes teared up. “I don’t know.” “She’s not here?” Emma asked, sitting up straighter and leaning forward. “When I got home, Z