JustOneTaste (9 page)

Moving downward, David snaked his tongue into her damp
opening, pushing the lacy fabric into her wetness as he did so. He pressed his
tongue in and out, prevented from burying it deep inside by the barrier of her
underwear. It was both delicious pleasure and maddening denial at once. Then he
placed his thumb against her swollen nub and shifted her panties over it,
scraping against her pleasure center as he continued to probe her entrance with
his wet tongue. An orgasm built swiftly like a plane at takeoff, the soaring
height and glorious pressure increasing, ascending inexorably faster and
faster…

Wrenching his mouth from her, David rasped, “Sarah, please.”

“Oh God, make me come,” she whimpered.

“Promise you’ll stay. Two days, that’s all I ask.”

“Yes, yes, yes,” Sarah burst out in frustration. “I’ll
stay.”

The words were barely out before David’s mouth was upon her
again. Through her underwear he sucked her inflamed clit, his lips adept and
purposeful. He burrowed beneath the lace with his middle finger and drove it
deep into her channel and the instant he did Sarah came around him, her inner
muscles going into uncontrollable spasms as her body rocked wildly.

She screamed
yes
, over and over. She shouted David’s
name. She was fairly certain she reiterated her promise to be his for the
weekend. She was, in short, a wild wanton, completely and utterly beholden to
the man who delivered the ecstasy she badly needed.

Damn it.
She couldn’t afford to need David, not even
on a mere physical level. She had a job to do, a life to live that would not
fit around an affair with anyone who didn’t inhabit that life. She couldn’t
need a man who lived out of the city. The logistics alone were enough to give
her a headache.

The risk to her heart, she didn’t even want to think about.

“Jesus, Sarah.” David spoke against her stomach where he’d
moved to begin trailing kisses over her skin. “That was incredible.”

“That’s one word for it.” Fear at her out-of-control
response to David’s ministrations gave rise to ire. With a forceful hand, she
shoved him off her body. “You didn’t play fair.”

Rolling to his side and propping on one elbow, David
regarded her with an expression containing more triumph than remorse. “You’re
right. I guess I’m not above extortion after all. But fair or not, I’m going to
hold you to your promise.”

“You think I’d renege?”

“I think you’d do anything to keep me at a distance. To keep
on pretending all we have between us is hot sex.”

“That
is
all that’s between us.”

“Tell me that when your throat’s not hoarse from screaming
my name and maybe I’ll believe you. Say you don’t have feelings for me in two
days and I’ll never challenge you on it again.”

Sarah gaped at him, at the earnestness in his expression.
Her heart shifted, as if changing positions in her chest. He believed it was
truly possible for her to let everything go and have some kind of ongoing
relationship with him, while Sarah had doubts aplenty. She was wealthy and he
was barely getting by. People would always think he was after her for her money
and she couldn’t protect him from that. She was a city girl born and raised and
it was clear David loved it here in the quiet country. And she hadn’t even
considered her father yet—the father who would take one look at David and see
an opportunist and who’d do anything to expose him as one.

No affair, no matter how wonderful it promised to be, was
strong enough to withstand those kinds of pressures long-term. “A relationship
between us would never work,” she told him sadly.

David pressed a finger to her lips. “Save it for Sunday
night and see how you feel then.”

Chapter Ten

Sarah awoke to the sensation of hot breath on her face. Her
first thought was of David, but if his breath had been a tenth as pungent as
that wafting over her, she wouldn’t have spent half the night fantasizing about
kissing him again. On the mouth, on the neck, along his chest and down toward…

Opening her eyes before her imaginings became too graphic,
Sarah jumped when confronted with the sight of one of David’s dogs sitting on
his haunches staring at her, his tongue lolling out of his mouth as he panted
his stinky doggy breath into the space between them. “Buster, you scared the
life out of me.”

Propping on one elbow, she gave the dog a scratch between
the ears that made him lean his head into the caress in a silent request for
more. She could already tell the two collies apart by the placement of the
patches over their eyes. And while Keaton had kept his distance, Buster had
apparently taken a shine to Sarah. Probably because she was the only one
willing to throw the mutt’s disgusting stick. She moved her hand to the
sensitive spot beneath his chin and caressed it. In response, Buster dropped to
the floor like a felled log, shifting onto his back in an obvious plea for a
tummy rub.

Sarah chuckled. “Boy, you should really play harder to get.”

Advice she could have used last night, Sarah mused as she
satisfied Buster’s need for physical attention. Her own needs weren’t so easy
to sate. The ferocious orgasm David had forced out of her—okay, that she’d
practically demanded he give her—had taken only the slightest edge off her
desire. She wanted more than a swift climax while she was still wearing her
underpants. She wanted David naked, on top of her, inside her, driving brutally
into her body until they both achieved the ultimate ecstasy.

But after he’d compelled her to utter that stupid promise
last night, he’d left her in bed alone to spend the night having erotic dreams
that had her experiencing more than a little tension this morning. All because
he wanted her to say “make love” instead of “have sex”, which was an exercise
in semantics as far as Sarah was concerned.
Darned exasperating man.

“I suppose I’d better get up, hey, boy?” Sarah swung her
legs out of bed and stood, causing Buster to scramble to his feet after her. A
quick scan of the room didn’t reveal where David might have put her suit pants
so Sarah padded in her bare feet down the hall in search of the man who was,
good idea or not, her host for the weekend.

She stopped short when she saw a woman leaning over the sink
in the kitchen, her brown ponytail falling to the center of her back.
Kerri.
She wore another pair of fitted jeans and a long-sleeved polo shirt in navy
blue, and she was washing David’s dishes.

What kind of married woman washed dishes for a man who
wasn’t her husband?

“Good morning.”

Kerri spun around, sending suds arcing off her fingers.
“Shit. You startled me.”

“My apologies.” Sarah couldn’t keep the coolness out of her
voice. Something about the liberties Kerri Sayers took when it came to David
got her back up. “I didn’t expect to see you here. I was looking for David.”

“He had to dash into town first thing. He asked me to come
over and help you out.”

“Help me? With what?”

Kerri grinned. “With clothes. He mentioned you decided on
impulse to stay the weekend and he thought you might need something to wear.”

That was something Sarah hadn’t even thought of. Obviously,
she was spoiled by having a secretary do her dry cleaning, which tended to make
clothes magically appear whenever they were needed. Either that or David had a
way of scrambling her brain. “I still have my suit,” Sarah said. “I could
probably…”

Sarah trailed off when Kerri shook her head. “Afraid you
might have to kiss that expensive suit goodbye. David thought it would be a
nice idea to wash it for you. In the machine.”

Sarah grimaced at the thought of her fine-thread wool pants
and jacket being tossed around in the spin cycle. “That suit is dry clean
only.”

“I know. Men, huh?”

The comment hung in the air, offering Sarah an opportunity
to take up the mantle of sisterly solidarity and in the process find some
common ground with Kerri. She found herself unable to share humor with the
other woman, something about her persistent presence in David’s life sticking
in her craw.

The moment passed in awkward silence. Kerri canted her head
and regarded Sarah curiously. “You don’t like me, do you?”

Being so bluntly called out caused Sarah’s throat to burn.
She absolutely refused to let the rush of blood rise to her face. “I don’t know
you.”

“But you’re getting to know David and don’t appreciate the
fact that I already do.”

That made her sound so mean-spirited and ridiculous. “It’s
none of my concern who David decides to be friends with.”

Kerri’s hazel gaze swept over Sarah, and she was reminded
that she stood in David’s kitchen wearing little more than his sweater. “Are
you planning on making it your concern?”

“I’m not sure what you’re getting at.”

“David’s not like other men.”

Sarah’s hackles rose. “And you’re an expert on what kind of
man he is?”

Kerri’s lips twitched, not in a friendly way. “I know he’d
never dally with a married woman, if that’s something you think is your
concern
.
He’s also not the type to use people. He’s loyal, solid. I’d hate to see him
get mixed up with someone who didn’t appreciate that about him. He’s been there
before and he deserves better.”

In other words, Kerri thought Sarah was here to use David.
The flush that she’d hitherto managed to keep from infusing her face broke
free, burning her cheeks. Wasn’t using David precisely what she wanted to do?
By demanding sex and refusing to give anything of herself in return?

The sound of the front door opening shattered the tension
between the two women. Soon after David came into the room, carrying a couple
brown paper bags. He caught sight of Sarah and smiled. “Hey, you’re up.”

The warmth in his expression, the laser-like quality of his
perusal as it fixed on her and her alone made Sarah’s heart skip several beats.
She was so breathless her reply was barely audible. “Hey yourself. Where’d you
go?”

David held up the bag. “The bakery for fresh cinnamon rolls.
And…a few other places.”

His discomfiture was obvious as Sarah’s notice dropped to
the other bag, on the side of which was the name of a chemist—which she’d
learned was the Australian equivalent of a drugstore. Furtively, David shoved
the bag in a nearby cupboard. Only after that did he finally speak to Kerri as
though seeing her for the first time. “Hi Kez. Thanks for coming over. Did the
clothes fit?”

Kerri cut her a glance. “Sarah hasn’t tried them on yet.”

David’s expression was contrite as he once again addressed
Sarah. “She tell you about your suit?”

He appeared so mortified that Sarah didn’t have it in her to
be annoyed about her clothes. But she couldn’t resist teasing him. “Don’t you
ever read the tags?”

“I think I’d better start doing that.”

“I think so.”

He smiled a smile both cheeky and simmering hot. “Promise
I’ll make it up to you.”

At his insinuation Sarah blushed and had to quell the urge
to toy with her hair like a teenager.

Pushing off the sink with her hip, Kerri shook her head. “I
think that’s my cue to head out to the shop. Our first tour bus arrives in an
hour, Dave.”

David muttered a sound of acknowledgement as Kerri took her
leave, shaking her head all the way. David’s survey never moved from Sarah’s
face until the other woman was gone. Then his eyes burned a path down Sarah’s
body, taking in the length of her bare legs with blazing interest. “You look
good in my jumper.”

“Oh no, that won’t do. This is a
sweater
.”

“You keep forgetting you’re in Australia. We say things
differently Down Under.”

“I don’t care where I am. The word jumper to describe a
sweater doesn’t make sense.”

“Things don’t always have to make sense. Sometimes they’re
right anyway.”

The seriousness in his face told Sarah he wasn’t talking
about clothing anymore.
They
didn’t make sense, the pull between them
was some kind of anomaly that defied logic. Yet it was there and it was so
strong it was all Sarah could do not to sprint across the kitchen and leap into
his arms.

It was strong…but was it right? Kerri’s words jangled
Sarah’s conscience. She had no wish to hurt David or to get hurt herself. Yet
she wouldn’t go back on her word about staying the weekend, no matter how
sneaky David had been about extracting it.

Yeah, that’s why you’re staying, Sarah, because you gave
him your word.

Pushing her niggling doubts aside, Sarah asked, “What’s in
the bag?”

David pulled a couple plates out of an overhead cupboard and
put one roll on each plate. “I told you, cinnamon rolls.”

“Not that one, the other one. The one you hid before.”

“I didn’t hide it.” His coyness was rather intriguing.

“I got the impression you were trying to hide it from me.”

“Not from you, but I didn’t think Kerri needed to know what
brand of condoms I prefer.”

“Oh.” Sarah’s cheeks were now burning so hot she had to put
her cold hands against them. “That’ll teach me a lesson for being nosy.”

“There are plenty of lessons I’d like to teach you, Lady
Sarah. Which is why I suffered through having the nineteen-year-old behind the
counter at the chemist suggest I try the glow-in-the-dark,
ribbed-for-her-pleasure variety before she rang up my sale.”

Sarah couldn’t suppress a snort of laughter. “Oh, poor
David.”

He grinned sheepishly. “I think it will be worth it.”

“So last night, you didn’t have any…glow-in-the-dark
anything? Was that why you didn’t stay with me?”

“That wasn’t the only reason and you know it. But having no
way of protecting you, I figured I couldn’t be trusted to lie beside you all
night.”

It was such an old-fashioned way to put it—
protecting you
—that
Sarah melted a little more even though the sentiment was silly. He needed
protection as much as she did. “You’re pretty sure of yourself, aren’t you? What
if I refuse to accept we can have anything more than casual sex?”

He treated her to a slow smile as he leaned forward,
crowding her against the breakfast bar. “I think you’re underestimating how
much convincing I’m willing to do.”

Cupping her face, David brought her lips to his, slanting
his mouth across hers in a thoroughly seductive kiss. Sarah was helpless to
stifle the moan of delectation that escaped, helpless to stop her body from
responding with embarrassing swiftness. The brush of his lips on hers reminded
her of how those same lips had pleasured other parts of her body last night.
She was living on a knife edge of unfulfilled longing, poised to teeter off at
the slightest provocation.

When David provoked her further by slipping his hands
beneath her sweater—
jumper
—to cup her breasts, Sarah wrenched her mouth
away. Placing her hands on David’s chest, Sarah burst out, “David, I don’t
think this is such a good idea.”

“What? Kissing while you still have morning breath?”

In annoyance, Sarah gave his chest a forceful poke that only
made him laugh. “Be serious.”

“That’s your problem, Sarah, you’re too serious. It’s a
beautiful day. Can you just enjoy it?”

Enjoy the day, enjoy him, don’t think about consequences.
The possibility tantalized her, like the shimmering image of a lake appearing
in the middle of the desert. Sarah longed to run and dive into that lake, even
knowing it was unreal. She made one last attempt to state her case. “I don’t
think I can give you what you want.” She thought of Kerri’s words. “I’m not the
kind of woman you deserve.”

“Why don’t you let me decide what I deserve? And in the
meantime we’ll have breakfast. Coffee?”

“Oh God, yes.”

Chuckling, David released her to move to a silver espresso
machine in the corner.

Sarah nearly whimpered. “
Real
coffee?”

“Yep. It was the one thing I missed when I moved from the
city. There’s one down in the shop too, for the customers who are only tagging
along with the wine enthusiasts and don’t want to imbibe.”

“Kerri mentioned a tour bus. Do you have a busy day ahead?”

“Only a couple of busloads, outfits that specialize in
boutique winery tours. Some overseas visitors and some from interstate. We’ll
probably get a few from Melbourne too, couples taking a romantic drive around
the area, although they tend to come in dribs and drabs on Sunday, rather than
Saturday.” Handing her a steaming cup of espresso, David sent her an apologetic
glance. “It shouldn’t be more than a few hours. You can hang out here and read
or do whatever until I get back.”

“Why would I do that? Perhaps I can help.”

“I don’t expect you to work.”

“I’m used to working. I’d go crazy just sitting on my butt.”

David took a sip of his coffee then smiled at her. “If
you’re sure you want to, I’d like having you around.”

Sarah’s pulse performed a little flutter at that smile and
his words. He sure had a way of making a woman feel wanted. It was nice. He was
nice.

And Sarah figured they were both in big trouble.

* * * * *

David’s plans to spend no more than a few hours manning the
cellar door and then whisking Sarah off for some alone time went seriously
awry. It was much busier than he’d expected, with each minibus filled to
capacity with eager wine tasters. In addition, more of those couples from the
city dropped in than usual for a Saturday. Ordinarily he’d be ecstatic at the
increased business. Now, as nonsensical as it was, he wanted alone time with
Sarah more than he wanted to see Windy Valley get firmly back into the black.