Summer Sins

Never, Hayley thought as she looked into his smouldering gaze. She had given up denying her attraction towards him. There didn’t seem any point fighting it when all she wanted was to be in his arms for as long as he wanted her there.

‘Haven’t you had enough of me?’ she turned his question around.

He pressed a bruising kiss to her mouth as he sank even deeper into her silky warmth, moving in and out slowly but tantalisingly. ‘Not yet,’ he said. ‘I’m still discovering things about you.’

‘What things?’ she asked, running a fingertip over the arch of one of his dark brows, her body on fire as he thrust deeper.

He captured her hand and sucked on her fingertip for a moment before answering. ‘I had no idea you talked in your sleep,’ he said, his thumb rolling over the underside of her wrist as he held her gaze.

Hayley felt her stomach drop in alarm. What had she said? Had she inadvertently revealed her feelings towards him? ‘What did I talk about?’ she asked, trying her best not to sound too concerned.

‘I’m not sure I should tell you.’ His dark eyes twinkled. ‘It might embarrass you.’

Twin pools of colour began to heat her cheeks. ‘I was probably having a nightmare or something.’

He didn’t elaborate, instead he picked up his pace until she was breathlessly trying to keep up, her body tightening around him, her senses spinning as he took her on a rollercoaster ride to paradise.

She floated back down to earth a few minutes later, her body slick with sweat.

Jasper eased himself away and, brushing back her hair off her face, pressed a kiss to the tip of her nose. ‘Do you feel like going on a picnic?’ he asked.

‘Where to?’

‘To a private beach,’ he said. ‘I’ve organised a gourmet picnic hamper. I’ll pick it up while you have the first shower.’

Hayley soaped her body a few minutes later as the water cascaded down, her flesh tingling all over as she saw the bruise-like fingerprints on her thighs where Jasper had held her to receive his driving force. She shivered all over as she recalled the almost primal possession of his mouth on their tenderness. Her hands drifted to the seam of her body, the flesh still tender and swollen from his demanding lovemaking, her awareness of her femininity an awakening in itself. She felt like a priceless musical instrument that only his hands could play with such exquisite harmony.

She was dressed in a bikini and sarong and sandals when he came back with the picnic and they spent a glorious afternoon lazing on one of the private beaches, sipping wine and sharing the sumptuous feast.

Jasper had even stopped to pick up two stinger suits so they could swim and snorkel in the tropical water without fear of being stung by the deadly box jellyfish.

The afternoon drifted into evening, where after a fabulous dinner they sat together in the private spa, sipping even more champagne as they looked over the silver ocean below, its surface wrinkled by a light warm breeze.

Hayley gave a contented sigh as she stretched out her legs. ‘I wish I could stay here for ever.’

His feet began to toy with hers beneath the bubbling water. ‘With me?’ he asked with a sexy smile.

She smiled back at him coyly. ‘I suppose there could be worse people I could get stranded on a tropical island with.’

‘I must have moved up on that list of yours,’ he said, stroking her inner thigh with his foot. ‘Wasn’t I the last person on earth or something?’

She splashed some water at him, but he captured her hands and pulled her towards him so she was straddling him. Her breath halted when she felt the hot probe of his erection, her body instantly on fire.

His eyes locked down on hers. ‘You know something, Hayley?’

‘What?’ she breathed raggedly as she gazed at his mouth as it came towards hers.

‘I think it’s been far too long since we last made love,’ he said, brushing her mouth with his before adding, ‘It’s been about three hours at least.’

‘You’re right,’ she said, her tongue darting out to flicker teasingly against his lips. ‘So what do you suggest we do about it?’

His dark eyes glinted as he cupped her face in his hands. ‘I was thinking something along the lines of this,’ he said as he covered her mouth with his.

The next six days passed in a blur of blissful contentment as Hayley lapped up the luxury of the island paradise and the heady magic of being in Jasper’s arms. Her body sang to the tune of his touch, her senses leaping whenever he looked at her with one of his lazy I-know-what-you’re-thinking-about smiles. She couldn’t help shivering with delight when she thought of the sensual heights she had scaled under his expert tuition, and in her darker moments wondered how she would live without such breathtaking excitement in the days to come. He hadn’t mentioned the end of their marriage again; she didn’t dare hope it was because he was having second thoughts about ending it at the agreed time. And in an effort to prolong the harmony they were sharing she mostly stayed clear of touchy subjects, trying to make the most of the time together so she could have some memories to keep that weren’t tainted by their usual bitter bickering.

She found it surprising how much she enjoyed his company when she wasn’t trying to score points off him. He seemed to relax as well, the shadows that lurked in his dark eyes gradually fading and the tension she’d grown used to seeing in his body visibly easing.

But to her dismay they had only just landed in Cairns to pick up the connecting flight back to Sydney when Hayley noticed a change in him. He had briefly turned his mobile on to check for messages and as he scrolled through them she saw a dark curtain come down over his features.