Beside the Brook (13 page)

When the kiss was over he straightened again and looked down at her. “I’m sorry, but I really wanted to do that, before I started drinking.”

“Wow.” Kirsten breathed out slowly, not sure where to look. Jamie laughed then took a sip of his wine. “Say something.”

Kirsten smiled and stared back at Jamie. “You never cease to amaze me. I’m
never
lost for words. But you have this habit of catching me off guard at every opportunity.”

“Is that such a bad thing?”

“I’m not sure.” Kirsten took a generous gulp of wine. The bubbles went straight to her nose and she screwed up her face in protest. “Why did you want to do that
before
you had something to drink, might I ask?”

Jamie put his glass on the bench and lifted his hand to her face, bringing her gaze back to his. “Because I didn’t want you to think I had to be under the influence to make the first move.”

“You are such a mystery Jamie Grainger. I don’t know if I’ll ever figure you out,”

Kirsten sighed.

“Does that mean I haven’t scared you off?” He grinned.

“It would take a lot more than that to scare me off,” Kirsten smiled.

“Oh, is that a challenge?” Jamie raised his eyebrows.

“You take it how you want,” Kirsten whispered.

Jamie lowered his head and Kirsten closed her eyes as he murmured against her lips,

“Okay, I will.”

She moaned as he pushed her back against the bench and his mouth moved over hers with blatant desire. His hands were in her hair; pulling at the scrunchy she had keeping her ponytail in place. The smell of him wafted around her, enveloped her, making her giddy, as his mouth, insistent against hers continued. He lowered his hand from her waist and grabbed hold of her bottom, and she arched her back against him, whined in surprise at the feel of his hands holding her so tight. With both hands he lifted her up onto the bench top, and she fumbled with her wine before it spilled. Settling the glass onto the counter, she wrapped both arms around his neck as he pushed himself between her legs, still kissing her all the while. Then he moved to her neck, kissed his way down to the edge of her shirt, moved back up to slide his tongue around the rim of her ear. She gasped with pleasure and pushed her head back, as her hands pulled him by the neck toward her.

“God, I’ve wanted to do this since the first time I saw you,” Jamie murmured as he buried his head in the crook of her neck. She found his hand and laced their fingers together.

“You mean when you thought I was Tyler’s bimbo girlfriend?” she smiled. Jamie laughed softly. “That didn’t stop me from wanting you.” He lifted his head and looked at her. “With your wild hair and fiery eyes.”

“Oh, is that what it is?” she taunted. “You think you can tame me?”

He laughed and his lips glistened in the pale light from the kitchen halogens. “Why would I want to change you?”

Kirsten shimmied her weight to the edge of the bench and spliced her ankles together behind his back. Then she pulled his tie from under his collar and discarded it onto the counter.

“Seriously,” she asked, “are you sure you want to do this?”

Jamie smiled. “Why do you think I kissed you before the wine came out? I don’t want this to be a drunken encounter Kirsty.” He lifted her hand and kissed her fingertips. “I can’t promise anything beyond this, but right now I can’t think of anything I’d rather be doing.”

It was enough for Kirsten. She carefully unbuttoned his shirt and slipped her hands inside against his skin. He had a small spattering of golden hairs on his chest and she moved her hands under his arms and over his shoulders, gripping him so their bodies were pressed together.

Jamie groaned and his breath quickened as he kissed her hungrily. She could feel his heart beneath his chest, beating wildly, and it fueled her own desire. In one swift movement Jamie lifted her off the bench and swung her around, taking her through the lounge and into the main bedroom.

“Are you sure Sarah’s asleep?” Kirsten asked.

“She’s out like a light. You saw her.”

“Okay.” Kirsten accepted as Jamie lowered her to the ground, placed her on the floor with her back to the bed. She pushed his jacket from his shoulders and threw it onto the mattress behind her.

Jamie found the buttons on Kirsten’s shirt, his big fingers fumbled nervously as he undid them one by one. Then he slipped it off her shoulders, kissed her neck and cupped her breast with one hand. She reached behind her back and plucked her bra strap open, and Jamie raked it from her chest. He pushed her back onto the bed and she wriggled her way up to the pillows, watched him crawl onto the bed after her. The bulge in his trousers was evidence of his desire and he loosened them quickly, kicked them to the floor then straddled her in his open shirt and underwear. His lips moved over her nipples and they hardened as a heat rose in her belly with involuntary force. She arched her back and sighed against him. His warm hands were on her waist, cupping her breast, tugging at her neck, as he covered every inch of her with his mouth. Warm and wet, his mouth moved fervently over hers and she pushed her tongue between his lips, fingernails dug into his shoulders as she pulled him down to her. His fingers found the dome on her jeans and he popped it without hesitation, unzipped and pulled them from her legs before he cast them across the room. A handful of coins jangled from the pockets and rolled onto the floor, hitting the wall like metal confetti.

“Oops.” Jamie smiled.

Kirsten giggled. “The cleaners will have fun with that tomorrow.”

“Ah-huh,” Jamie murmured as he kissed her again.

Kirsten wrapped her arms around his back, slid her fingers down the length of his torso and felt the curve of his spine disappear into the soft mound of his fleshy buttocks. She felt him tense beneath her hands as she tugged at the elastic of his cotton boxers and slid them gently down around his thighs. She dropped one hand to his front and cupped him into her palm. Jamie groaned as he pushed his upper body upright to remove his shirt and dangling underwear. He knelt over her, now naked, his body bronze in the dim light which emanated through the door from the television. She looked down at her own porcelain skin, her legs held firmly between his own as he hovered over her. He bent again and took one of her nipples between his teeth, teasing it to a hard peak, his hand

manipulating the other breast until she cried out. The heat in her groin rose again, making her squirm beneath him, and he slid one hand into her knickers, pushed the soft cloth aside. His fingers found her already wet inside. He lifted his leg and pushed one knee between her trembling limbs, slipped his finger gently inside her. She gasped and arched her back as her breast pulsed up into his waiting mouth. He teased her nipple with his tongue as his fingers slid in and out of her, bringing her pleasure to a crescendo she could not return from.

Kirsten raked her fingers through her own hair. Sweat beaded her forehead as she writhed beneath him, her pelvis rising and falling with the timing of his hands between her legs.

Her body quivered as she whispered, “I want you inside me.”

Jamie moved back to her face, watching her with eyes she had never seen so alive before. He smiled, but his hand continued to work her seductively. His hair, tousled and damp at the temples hung down and framed his face with soft shadows. She looked down at him, he was so hard and ready, her pleasure bringing him to his own. She put her hand down to take off her underwear, but he held her fast, so instead she took his erection into her hand and gripped it tightly. Jamie moaned, closed his eyes, lowered his head and kissed her, his breath coming in short gasps. She softened her grip and massaged his shaft gently. All her senses seemed to collide into one, muted and melded into a completely new sensation that was all Jamie.

“God, you’re so wet,” Jamie murmured in her ear.

She moaned, “Take me, Jamie.”

“I love the way my name sounds on your lips.” He traced the outline of her mouth with one finger, while the other hand pushed her clinging knickers from her body.

“Jamie,” she whispered against his fingertips.

He answered her by pushing himself between her legs, and as he entered her she cried out. He was so firm and full. He pulsed into her then withdrew slowly, teasing her with every movement.

She threw her arms out to either side of her, clutching at the blankets as she pushed her head back into the pillow. As he slid himself inside her again she moaned and grabbed him by the shoulders, pulling him back down to her. Her lips found his neck and she grazed her teeth over the muscular flesh between his neck and shoulder. He quickly withdrew and entered her again, the pressure of her teeth increasing with his own mounting urgency. They moved together, settling into a slow rhythm of pulsating pleasure.

She could feel his excitement rising, their bodies moving autonomously, steaming together in corresponding harmony. He shifted his weight and moved his mouth down over hers. She felt him reach the point of no return and she tilted her pelvis up, letting her muscles contract around him as he climaxed. She closed her eyes and felt him quiver then relax against her. The only sound was their breathing, short and laboured, his heart throbbing against her through his gleaming chest. When their breathing had slowed he lifted his head and kissed her, letting his tongue fall into her mouth with soft expectation, as if they had come full circle. Kirsten sighed and smiled. “You’ll have to watch yourself. I’m beginning to think you’re not as cranky as you make out to be.”

“Oh, you haven’t seen me cranky yet,” Jamie teased. He laughed and Kirsten felt the vibration all the way to her toes.

Withdrawing, Jamie turned and lay next to her on the other pillow. She rolled and snuggled into the crook of his arm. His hand found the small of her back and he rubbed the skin there with his fingers. He pushed himself back, tugged at a second pillow to prop under his shoulders and Kirsten let her head fall onto his chest. As he moved, his jacket fell from the end of the bed, landing with a thump onto the floor. The sound was more than Kirsten would have expected to be just the soft cloth of his jacket.

“What do you have in your pocket?” she murmured against the fair hairs around his nipples.

“Oh shit, I forgot about that.” Jamie squeezed her around the waist. “That’s for you.”

“What?” Kirsten pulled back onto her elbow, resting her head in the palm of her hand as she looked up at Jamie.

“Yeah.” He grinned. He slid his arm from under her and moved to retrieve the jacket from the floor. He pulled a small black velvet box from the outside pocket and threw it across the bed. “I saw you admiring them today at Michael Hill, and seeing as you wouldn’t let me compensate you for this weekend, then this is my way of saying thanks.”

Kirsten stared wide-eyed at the box. She smiled as she opened it. A small pair of silver rain drop shaped earrings, implanted with tiny emeralds, twinkled in the dim light of the bedroom. She was stunned. She did remember seeing them, even paying particular attention to them as they passed, but she had no idea he had watched her, or that he even knew which pair she had been admiring.

She looked up at him, her eyes misting slightly as she said, “Jamie, you’re amazing.”

“Why thank you.” Jamie climbed back onto the bed beside her, looking pleased with her reaction.

She reached over and smacked him with a kiss. “I can’t believe you did that. Thank you.”

“Hey, gotta keep you on your toes.” He smirked as he took her into his arms once more.

“Well, you certainly do that.” she frowned. “You’re so full of surprises I’m not sure what to expect next.”

“I think next we should think about sleep. I hate to be the realistic one here, but Sarah will be awake early.”

Kirsten giggled and crawled beneath the blankets while Jamie got up to turn off the lights and the television. She placed the earrings on the night stand.

“I can go back to the other room if you’d prefer.” Jamie stood in the doorway, looking down at Kirsten.

“No, don’t be silly.” Kirsten patted the pillow. “Please.”

Jamie climbed into the bed next to her and she pushed herself back into his arms. His body curved around her and his arm encircled her waist. She took his hand in hers and cupped it to her chest.

“Jamie?”

“Yes?” His mouth was close to her shoulder and she could feel his quiet exhalation on her back.

“What happened with you and Leigh?”

She could tell by the way his body moved he was laughing. “How did I know you were going to ask me that?”

Kirsten smiled in the dark. “Sorry, you don’t have to answer.”

Jamie sighed. “It’s not as exciting as you might think. I met Leigh in Nelson about three years ago. When I took her home she met Tyler, who consequently offered her a job in one of his restaurants. I guess his bed was warmer than mine, because that’s where she ended up. Tyler did everything he could to lure her away from me. He’s despised me ever since I married his sister.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, he and Brook were extremely close. He always treated me as though I came between them.”

Kirsten sighed. “I don’t understand that.”

“Well, he’s always been overbearing and protective when it comes to Brook. She was molested by their father and I think he’s always thought he had to protect her.”

“Beth told me about that.” Kirsten cringed as the lie rolled from her lips. She certainly didn’t want Jamie to know she had heard it from Brook herself.

“They both had counseling for a long time, but sometimes I think Brook got over it better than Tyler did.”

“Well, possibly he felt partially responsible. A lot of people close to the victim do in those kinds of situations. They hold a lot of guilt for not preventing or even being aware of what was going on.”

“You sound a lot like Freud.” Jamie laughed. “Whatever it is, he can’t let it go. Even now Brook is dead.”

Kirsten shivered as she thought about Brook. She had been Jamie’s wife, and now Kirsten was here with him, sharing their intimacies.

“What was she like?” Kirsten whispered.

“Brook?”