Читать книгу Sins & Secrets - NICHOLA HARVEY - Страница 9

THE ATROCIOUS ACHE in my head matched my guilt. I’d call that karma; one for drinking too much, and two, for rejecting the man I loved. Again. And why I asked myself? Because I’m an idiot, that’s why.

Downing a few more glasses of champagne, I had floundered around the yard looking for Ari only to be left dismayed as a slurring Audrina informed me that her beloved son had departed much earlier. Not without painfully adding, despondently too.

Now, as I threw myself into a shower and leaned my back against the cold herringbone marble tiles on the wall, the karma continued in the way of torturous thoughts.

Light droplets of tepid water glided, reminding me of Ari’s grazing fingers over my bare skin. Our lips as they brushed, his so soft and so tender. That darkened gaze had seen me like no other, searing so deep, I felt the burn in the depths of my deep, dark soul.

Then there was his body. A firm muscular body with a prominent bulge that kept pressing against my thigh, an image so delicious, it had left me filled with a desperate want, and need, for an orgasm.

Imagining Ari’s long fingers as they slithered between my silken folds, caressing the soft flesh, I palmed both breasts, rolling my stiffened peaks between my fingers.

A loud bang on the bathroom door suddenly ripped me from my sensual daydream.

“Theodora! Are you drowning in there?”

Bloody sisters, they’re such a pain in the arse! Frustrated, I yelled, “Yes, I am! And don’t call me that!” If there was one thing I despised in this life, it was the use of my full name. “I’m trying to drown away last night’s embarrassing behaviours.”

“Well quit feeling sorry for yourself and join us outside for brekky. Make sure you put on a bikini too; we’re swimming our hangovers away in the pool. It’s a beautiful day outside!” she singsonged.

“Okay, I’m coming!” I winced. Shouting did not help when one’s head was pounding. Now, I was starting to sound just like Ari, so damned English.

To appease my nagging sister, I hurried in and out of the bathroom, slipping on my favourite blue halter neck bikini and covering myself with a white knitted cover-up. I may have lost my dignity at Audrina’s party, but I wasn’t about to lose it at the table. I also slid my feet into a pair of Havaianas and ran a brush through my hair, leaving it to hang loose in soft waves around my shoulders before hastily walking through the house.

I had barely reached the French doors off the family room when Scarlett piped up. “About time, you joined the living.”

I swore my sister lived to torment me, a ritual that started the second she woke each day.

Although Scarlett was right to nag me, the day was beautiful.

For this early in the spring, temperatures had become unseasonably warmer. If it meant wearing less than the thick coats required for Melbourne’s bitterly cold winters, I had a feeling there weren’t going to be too many complaints. That glare though, damn it was blinding.

Slipping my sunglasses over my eyes, I joined the girls on the alfresco patio with Adele’s soulful voice faintly serenading us in the background. I winced. It was far too early, even for music.

“I feel far from alive, let me tell you,” I moaned plonking down into one of the softly padded chairs surrounding the eight-seater timber table and tucking a leg beneath me.

Scarlett’s eyes rolled as her attention diverted back to Dominique. I shook my head in disgust. I despised gossip, something the pair of them did too well.

Leaning forward, I grabbed one of the fresh blueberry Danishes from the platter in the centre of the table and zoned out, preferring to fantasise about a future with Ari instead. That’s all it would ever amount to anyway. Fate had kept us apart for a reason. With my present lifestyle as well as an unsavoury past, to include Ari in that equation, it would be disastrous. A toxic mix.

Where he longed for white picket fences, I yearned for something else entirely. I blamed my upbringing.

My childhood wasn’t the dream most children wished for thanks to the complicated relationship with our parents, our mother more than our father for the most part. That altered too when everything in my world horrifically changed.

Our grandparents, on the contrary, were an entirely different story. They adored their grandchildren and often expressed their affections, more so when something was worth celebrating. Hence the double-fronted early Victorian cottage, an overly generous graduation gift from both sets. Most presumed it was because I’d graduated University, with honours. Alas, no, it was only high school. Admittedly, I had received the DUX award, giving them another reason to be incredibly proud.

Nonetheless, I’d always thought small gifts were a given, such as a necklace, or even a fancy pen; I assumed wrong — big time. So, not only was I presented with the house, they renovated it too, front to back, to my style, of course, sparing no expense either.

Besides not experiencing life living at RMIT alongside other students, the time spent on campus, I enjoyed it anyway. Studying Architecture and Design, as well as Interior Design, I had surpassed all expectations surprising even myself. The high recommendations from each of my professors and the Dean, were the icing on the cake, and thus, landing the job at Bricks and Mortar.

Then, there was Ari. I loved him, always had. My sixteenth birthday was the day I had planned to ask Ari to wait for me until I turned eighteen. It was a day that never came, nor was it celebrated. Instead, I locked my feelings away, building impenetrable walls around me, making it impossible for anyone to breach beyond them.

Finally, after ten long years, that day had arrived. With the right amount of encouragement, I had been ready to drop a part of that wall and take a precarious leap of faith – and like the coward, I was, and still am, I ran away leaving the one man I’d yearned for confused. Desolate. A decision that left me wracked with feelings of guilt and regret — the thought of not repairing that damage souring my already dampened mood. I’d call him later.

“Teddy, wake up!”

My head jerked towards a curiously frowning Poppy. “What?”

“What, or should I say whom, were you daydreaming about?”

“Nothing in particular,” I replied shrugging dismissively.

Poppy smirked as I reached over the table, grabbing another Danish. Lucky, I loved her.

When a stunningly attractive male visitor stepped outside, his hand awkwardly rubbing the back of his freshly washed hair, my hand paused mid-air as my jaw dropped in shock. Oh, it was the jock. What’s worse, he’d stayed here with Dominique. Oh. Oh, her domineering brother would not be pleased one little bit.

A shy smile formed blinding us with glaringly white teeth. “Um, hi.” He clumsily took the seat beside a beaming Dominique at the table, his gaze nervously darting between our gaping mouths and us.

“Whoops! Sorry girls, did I fail to mention I had company? Girls, this is Damien. Damien, girls,” she said casually. A bit late for introductions, I thought. “Close your mouths, you all look like codfish.”

The front doorbell began ringing incessantly. I ignored it in the hope someone else would think to answer the door. Not gonna happen by the looks of it.

I tried yelling out. “Can one of you get that, please? I’m kinda busy here!” Not one reply, typical. I sighed and ducked my head glancing outside. The probability of anyone amongst that rowdy lot hearing anything over that blaring music was nil anyway.

I had barely tipped the last of the ice cubes into the jug of homemade iced tea when the bell shrilled once more.

“All right, I’m coming!” Yelling, I had just enough time to shove the tea into the fridge before it rang again. “I hear you, as can the neighbours down the street.” I marched towards the front door, my footsteps thudding on the floorboards beneath my feet. I reefed it open, huffing, “Impatient mu…ch.” Oh, it was Ari. On the porch. My porch. Like a deer caught in headlights, I stilled, my voice gone. It had probably disappeared out the door and taken off up the footpath along with my manners.

His mouth twitched at the state of my obvious fluster. “Hi there.”

My brows creased at the black sports bag slung over his right shoulder. Had he planned to move in already? Perhaps he was using it as a ploy so I’d give in to him. Don’t be paranoid, Teddy.

I cleared my throat and found my voice. “Ari, what...what are you doing here?”

Pushing his tinted sunglasses off, he slid them through his unruly hair to the top of his head, allowing his darkly hooded eyes to roam unashamedly. My body responding naturally as my nipples hardened beneath the scorching gaze.

If we kept this up, we’d never move past the porch. Wouldn’t that give the neighbours something to talk about over their afternoon tea? The thought made me smile.

I intentionally cleared my throat, raising his ogling gaze off my chest. “Ari, why are you here?”

“I um...came to see you.” He was just as nervous as I felt, that much was obvious. “To chat, about us and what happened, or didn’t last night.” Of course, he was, you idiot.

My face flamed; this dancing around each other had to stop. “Well, you had better come in then.” Smiling softly, I opened the door wider and stepped back, waving my hand at him. “After you then.”

A charming crooked smile formed. “Thank you.”

“We can go to my bedroom; at least we won’t be interrupted in there.”

His eyebrows shot up in question as he stepped over the threshold into the foyer. “Does it have a lock on the door?”

I let out a small laugh gently closing the front door behind us. “Actually, yes, it does. So, there’s no chance of your sister barging in on us this time.”

“Well, after you.” He politely gestured, following me into the bedroom.

I stood back, watching his soft gaze quietly soaking in every detail. Stylishly decorated in various shades of blues and whites, my room had remained soft, yet feminine. It was my sanctuary.

“Why do women love pillows?” he muttered, shaking his head at the piles neatly stacked against the diamond-tufted headboard. I giggled. I loved my pillows. If he didn’t, then too bad.

His gaze then drew upwards to the room’s centrepiece, an antique crystal chandelier hanging from the centre of a decorative ceiling rose. From the architrave to the wide skirting skimming darkly stained Baltic timber floors, every feature in the bedroom was entirely original, painstakingly and lovingly restored, including the fireplace that faced my king-sized bed.

Ari’s eyes lit up like the bright lights on a Christmas tree. “There’s something to be said about a warm fire on crisp, winter’s night, wouldn’t you say?” His wandering gaze openly ravished me. I swallowed tightly.

“Um…yes, I suppose there is.” I had to shut his advances down before he went any further.

“Sit, please.” I indicated for him to sit in one of the two striped wingback chairs beside the bay window. He promptly sat. “I want to start by apologising for taking off without explanation last night,” I began, perching on the edge of the bed and crossing my legs, “I have secrets, and, well...they’re quite dark.”

“We all have secrets we don’t like to share.” Convincing him to back away was going to be harder than I initially thought.

I shook my head vehemently. “I can’t imagine you having anything deep or dark for that matter. If I do choose to divulge, you may change your mind about me – and about us.”

“Don’t worry; there may be certain aspects you might not like about me. Isn’t that what relationships are all about?”

“I suppose so.” I closed my eyes and sighed. Dammit. Opening them again, I peered up at him. “To honestly answer your question from last night – yes, I do like you...and have for some time now. But…” Before I had the chance to finish explaining, Ari’s lips were on mine. A hand rested on my shoulder, pushing me back onto the mattress. His kiss was seductive and skilful, and the more he kissed me, the more I gave in. His hands roamed every inch of me, caressing my shoulders, my breasts, my midriff, over my thighs, and back up again.

Despite myself, I weakened. I gave up, giving in to a lifelong yearning. Passion and desire soared, burning through my core with each passing minute.

My body had betrayed me.

Breathless, Ari’s heated kisses slowed. He pulled back, looking down at me with his tender gaze. “You have no idea how long I’ve waited to hear those words from you, and about last night, let’s not talk about regrets. Let’s live in the now, as if these wasted years never occurred.”

Embracing his touch, I leaned into the hand, cupping my cheek and slid my fingers through his hair, massaging his scalp with the tips as I tugged him closer reconnecting our mouths in a hard, deep kiss.

Agile fingers tore at my bikini top. “So, beautiful,” he murmured, curving his palm around my breast, and rolling a pebbled nipple between his fingertips. His head dipped, clamping onto the other breast, his lips suckling gently to elongate the nipple. Delightful shivers coursed through my body, making me crave so much more.

As if he read my mind, Ari stealthily untied my bottoms, his fingers probing the delicate flesh between my thighs. I felt one long digit slide inside of me and gasped as he began palming my clit.

“Shouldn’t…we take…this slower?”

“What?” His head jolted upwards, his confused gaze staring incredulously. “You ask me that now? When we’re practically naked?”

I cocked my head. “You aren’t.”

“Fair point,” he murmured glancing down at his clothes before swiftly pushing off me and standing at my feet. I avidly observed as he tugged his shirt over his head and threw it to the floor. His chino shorts and boxer briefs instantly followed, my teething sinking into my bottom lip as his ravishing cock sprang free. Damn. That’s impressive.

Ari inched closer to the bed and spread my legs wide, crawling between them. His rigid length bobbing against my aching cleft as he grasped my head and flipped us over.

I sat back and straddled his thighs, rhythmically skating my fingers along his silky shaft.

“What about contraception?”

“You ask me that now? When we’re about to have sex?” I huffed in exasperation. “I’m on the pill and have been for a long time.”

“Touché.”

My eyes narrowed as my stroking paused. “You did that on purpose.”

He grinned wolfishly and reared up, sweeping his arms around my back. “I did.”

“Arse. Now fuck me.”

He chuckled. “Your wish is my command.” Likewise, his touch and the zeal in his kisses told me he was just as desperate. It seemed he also wanted to enjoy the moment and was taking his sweet arse time.

As he skimmed his lips along my jawline and down my neck, my frustration grew. “Ari, please, delayed gratification isn’t my style!”

His chest rumbled. “I noticed.”

Loud groans echoed as he suddenly lifted me impaling me over his hardened length, stretching and filling me. Ari felt just as I imagined he would, unbelievably amazing. He grunted loudly as my inner muscles contracted around his shaft, squeezing tightly, more so as I attempted to undulate my hips.

“Don’t move, just feel,” he murmured, quietly clinching me at the waist.

“Ari…” I mewled in protest.

“I know.” He flipped us back over and hovered his bulky weight above me. His heated gaze locked with mine as he pushed off his elbows.

The pleasure I felt was indescribable. My fingers lightly skimmed up and over Ari’s body matching the slow drawn out rhythm. The sinuous feel of the veins bulging in powerful forearms as he thrust forward, past his flexing biceps and over strong shoulders to trail along the soft curve of his spine. I paused at his perfectly rounded rear and splayed my hands, relishing in the feel of the muscles contracting beneath each cheek with each slickened movement. Somewhere in my clouded mind, it felt like he wasn’t close enough and began rocking my hips, my legs lifting to suck him in deeper.

Ari grunted and sped up, leaving sheets of sweat drenching the broad width of his back while each hard lunge stroked my inner wall bringing me closer to the precipice.

My back bowed off the mattress as an intense climax suddenly rippled through me, my mouth gaping as I cried out. Regardless of the slowing thrusts, the continual caress of Ari’s cock inside me triggered shuddering aftershocks. Suddenly, they hardened, thumping into me as he stilled, spilling his warm seed inside of me before collapsing breathlessly into the valley between my breasts and nuzzled my flushed skin with his nose.

“Wow, that was…unexpected.”

Raking my fingers through his dampened hair, I peered down at him. “Why was it?”

Ari leaned up on his elbows, his provocative gaze staring as he pushed a dampened strand of hair off my face. “I came here to talk, and somehow we ended up here.”

“Are you complaining?”

His sculpted mouth curved wickedly. “No, not in the slightest. We needed to deal with years of pent-up feelings, therefore explaining my inability to last longer.”

An inappropriate giggle erupted, and Ari cocked his head eyeing me quizzically.

“What’s so funny?”

“You pretty much confirmed what the girls had said all along.”

“Enlighten me, please.”

“Somewhere in their warped minds, they all decided whenever we're around each other, this supposed sexual tension between us is capable of blowing a roof of its rafters.”

Ari let out a small laugh. “Really? According to Eve, if we were any hotter, everyone would be on fire.”

I chuckled. “Well, now we can happily inform everyone there’s no need to go calling the fire brigade, or a builder.”

“About bloody time too.” He chuckled rolling off me and onto his back, his forearm coming to rest across his eyes. “We really should leave this room before someone comes looking for us.” Running a hand over his damp face, Ari blew out a disgruntled sigh. “Namely my sister.”

Considering us sleeping together hadn’t been part of my plan, I sadly agreed, “And mine. It seems our sisters’ have an uncanny knack for bad timing. I’m amazed they aren’t banging the door down right now.” Rolling into his side, I drew circles through the smattering of dark hair across his chest.

“Give it time,” he groaned, stretching out his limbs along the length of the bed.

I furtively peered up at him. “Maybe we should make the most of the time alone? Persuading you to stay in bed for the rest of the day shouldn’t be too hard, should it?”

“Generally no…” he remarked candidly, darting a dark gaze down at me before sitting up and swinging his feet to the floor. “But we need to make an appearance before they do.” He twisted at the waist and skated a hand along the top of my thigh. “Come on.”

“Gimme a minute.”

“Okay.”

As Ari moved about the room, my intrepid gaze followed. Well-defined muscles in his arms and back rippled, flexing underneath flawless skin with each fluid motion. He bent down to scoop up his discarded clothes off the floor, and my head tilted, highly appreciating the lovely sight of his rounded rear.

Slipping his shorts over his feet, he tugged them the rest of the way up wearing a knowing smile. “What’s the matter? Is my hair a mess?”

“You have seriously bad bed hair,” I teased, my amused gaze watching him as he approached the mirror and adjusted the thick strands, so they were just so. And here I thought I was terrible.

“Better?” he asked, swinging back to me.

“Much. Now come here.” I crawled to the foot of the bed and rose to my knees in full view of Ari’s searing gaze. Although slickened with his seed between my thighs, I couldn’t help but want him again. “Make love to me again.”

A long finger stroked my cheek as curious eyes studied me. “Demanding little thing, aren’t you?”

“Always,” I whispered, grabbing the edge of his shorts to haul him back to the bed. That time, my mouth and tongue commanding him.