Star Kissed: A Crane Series Romance (3 page)

“Welcome to Australia.”

He grinned and clicked her glass with his own. “Thanks. And thank you for this meal. It looks great.”

“It’s barramundi, a whitefish you won’t find in North America.”

“Wonderful. I’m starved.”

She tucked in, happy that the fish tasted as good as it was supposed to.

“Hey, what’s that bird?” he asked, staring past her shoulder. She glanced over to where he pointed and laughed.

“That’s not a bird. It’s a flying fox. There must be a fruit tree around somewhere. They’re fruit bats, really. They sleep all day and then go feeding at night.” Even as she spoke several more of the dark-winged creatures flapped past.

“I read about them, but they’re so much bigger than I thought.”

He sounded carefree in that moment, when he lost himself in the thrill of a new sight. The breeze whispered by her cheek, warm and soft as a lover’s caress. In the distance, she heard good-natured, back-and-forth joking coming from the beach. Closer in, she heard the steady hum of traffic below. The scent of barbecuing meat traveled over from next door; recognizing it, she laughed.

“That’s what you almost got. Lamb. You’ll probably get that tomorrow.”

He smiled, but a crease formed between his eyes. “I don’t want to be rude about this, but you won’t be here tomorrow.”

“I didn’t say I’d cook it for you, did I?” she said, exasperated. “I’ll shove off,” she paused, leaned forward, and said slowly, enunciating each word, “if you don’t want me.”

She knew damn well he did want her. As she wanted him. Although she’d wanted him a lot more before she’d heard his plan to be a lad about town.

Mark drank a lot of the fancy bottled water she’d put on the table, but he drank his share of the wine, too, she was pleased to note, and he seemed to relax. “So, what do you do at Crane?” he asked.

“I’m with the product marketing team. We’ve got the lion’s share of the Oz and Kiwi markets, but we’ve been really busy since Jennifer Talbot arrived. She’s come up with some great ideas for the American launch,” she said with enthusiasm, then could have stabbed her tongue with the fish fork as Mark’s interested gaze clouded over. “Anyway,” she babbled on, “I’m also the head designer for our women’s clothing line, which mostly means I get to boss about the real designers.”

“Do you like working for Crane?”

She wasn’t certain whether he meant Cam or the company in general, but having stuffed up once, she played it safe and decided to assume he meant the company.

“I love it. The people are mostly young and really fun. We all love surfing. That’s a prerequisite of working there.” She looked over. “Do you surf?”

“Not since I grew up.”

“Right.” She imagined that insult was leveled at Cam and not her. Still, it rankled. “You’d be surprised how many adults do love to surf. It’s our biggest growth area.”

“Forget the job, what about you personally?”

“I grew up right here in Sydney. Mum was from the country, but after her first husband was killed in a machinery accident, she moved here and worked in an office. That’s where she met my father. He’s an engineer.”

“Brothers or sisters?”

“A half-brother.”

Cam was her half-brother, and she was surprised Jen hadn’t mentioned that when she’d told Mark about the job. Although, since she’d dumped him, they probably didn’t chatter a lot about office gossip. The last thing Bron wanted was to bring Cam’s name into the conversation. The less they talked about Jen or Cam, the better.

“He’s eight years older, so I grew up more like an only child.” She shrugged. “I took clothing design at school and now I have a good job and some great mates. When I’m not working, I love to surf and party. That’s my life.”

“Is there a man in your life?” he asked.

This was more like it. Moody purple shadows darkened his eyes, and once more she felt that elemental and unexpected connection between them.

“No.”

“I’m surprised.”

She laughed lightly. “I’ve always believed there’s a perfect person out there. I haven’t met him yet.”

“You’re a romantic.”

“Well, what’s the alternative?”

“Intimacy with strangers.”

She reached out and touched his hand, which had been idly toying with the stem of his wineglass, then she raised her eyes and captured his gaze just as deliberately, letting the waves of attraction build, feeling her heart speed up.

“Well, until Mr. Right comes along, I can go along with that.”

“Bronwyn . . .”

He was going to turn her down when she knew how much he needed her. He was gorgeous and sweet and hurting, and she wanted to kiss everything better.

“My friends call me Bron,” she said softly and rising, walked around the table. Then she leaned over and kissed him.

He muttered a protest that she muffled with her mouth. For a moment she felt his struggle, wanting her and wishing he didn’t, and then his arms went round her and he pulled her to his lap. Now things were going better. She smiled into the kiss, liking the way they fit together. He tightened his hold and kissed her back with meaning. His protest had been so weak and easily overborne that she knew he wanted her as much as she wanted him. Her pulse picked up as excitement skittered everywhere like a bag of dropped lollies. He felt good—lean, but muscular—and she couldn’t help but remember how he’d looked when he’d arrived home after his run, his lightly bronzed skin gleaming with sweat and pulsing with the warmth of a workout.

“Bronwyn,” he mumbled against her lips, “we should talk about this.”

“Absolutely,” she purred, and nibbled his bottom lip until his tongue was hers once more.

It had been a very long time since a man had made her so hot so fast, and they were both still fully dressed. He had a way of kissing her that was more about giving than taking, and it gave her a lot of confidence that once they hit the bedroom, her pleasure, rather than his, would be top on his mind. Very nice. He felt so good, so warm and strong and dependable somehow. And he smelled good, too—a little foreign, no cologne or aftershave or scented product that she could identify, just clean, excited male. Her favorite kind.

He pulled away, dragged in a breath, and said, “Bron, we had an arrangement, I expect you to—”

He groaned helplessly as she shifted her bottom against the ridge of an impressive erection. He grunted something incomprehensible and gave up on his attempts at conversation. About time.

“I want to see you,” he muttered thickly, reaching for the hem of her shirt. “Been thinking about it for hours.”

“Oh, yes,” she sighed, tipping her head back.

She pictured him peeling off her tank top, her breasts free to the night air, making love out here where . . . Wait a minute! This is where things always started to go wrong for her. Next thing she knew, offended old people would be watching, police would be banging at the door, or a riot would start outside. She shuddered. No. She had to be sensible for a change. If she caused trouble at the company house, Cam would kill her. So she slipped her hands down to cover Mark’s.

“Upstairs,” she said gently, and slipped from his lap, never letting go of his hands so he followed her, his front to her back.

They managed a respectable bit of rumba as they mounted the stairs still pressed together. They were both breathing heavily when they reached the top of the stairs, and she didn’t think it was from the elevation. They reached his bedroom and he turned her to face him, not lunging as she’d expected, but taking a moment to study her face as if he were about to go blind and had to memorize it forever. Slowly, she warned herself. Maybe she should take this slowly. But even as the thought flitted across her consciousness, she knew somehow that for all his rash talk about bedding every straight woman in Sydney in the next fortnight, Mark was essentially a one-woman man. And that he’d never deliberately hurt her.

“You’re so beautiful,” he said softly. For all that his eyes were red-rimmed with fatigue and his skin pale with tiredness, she thought he was beautiful, too. His fingers skimmed her breasts, bringing them to tingling life. “Now can I see you?”

“Get on the bed,” she said, deciding to make tonight so special he’d never forget his first night in her country. “I promised you some sightseeing didn’t I?”

His eyes took on a wicked glint that matched her own reckless mood. Even for her, things were moving a little fast here, but he felt so safe somehow, so right. She was going to make love to this man because her body gave her no choice. But she wasn’t going to be stupid about it, either. She’d protect her body and her heart. What could go wrong?

Knowing that once she’d stripped in front of him, there’d be no turning back, she said, “Make yourself comfortable, I’ll be right back.”

She slipped out of his room and ran to her own to grab a handful of condoms. She stopped in her bathroom long enough to clean her teeth and run a brush through her hair, then, with every part of her tingling with anticipation, she reentered his bedroom.

“And now, for one of the most highly prized sights in all of Sydney,” she announced, grabbing the hem of her tank and preparing to bare her breasts.

A gentle snore answered her. Mark Forsythe was stretched out on the bed, gloriously naked, and sound asleep. Before her horrified gaze, even his proud erection put itself to sleep. Torn between frustration and laughter, she approached the bed.

“Mark?” She shook his shoulder. “Mark?”

He was so deeply asleep she doubted the crowd at a footie grand final would wake him. She placed the bright foil packs on the bedside table and stood there, gnawing her lip as she watched him sleep. His clothes were in an untidy heap on the floor, and even one day’s acquaintance told her this was not his usual behavior. So she picked up his clothes, tossed jocks and socks in the hamper in the bathroom, and hung his pants and shirt in the closet, where a row of crisp pants and plain-colored, short-sleeved shirts hung in precise order.

She could go back to her room and finish the night in a bed far too big for one person, or she could crawl in with Mark and hope all he needed was a short nap. Maybe if she snuggled her naked body against his, he’d wake. So she shucked her own clothes with a lot less showmanship than she’d planned and crawled in. She flipped the fancy light cotton cover over both of them. There was a moment’s rekindling of excitement when she pressed against him and he grunted, turned, and captured her breast in his hand. But the slow deep breathing of sleep wafted against the back of her neck, and she felt he was cuddling her the way he would his teddy bear.

Mark woke with his heart pounding, wondering where the hell he was. Something didn’t feel right. He took a moment to breathe, and let himself come to full consciousness. Of course. He wasn’t at home in his San Francisco townhouse. He was in Sydney, Australia. In a corporate house. All that fit with what he knew. What didn’t fit was the naked woman sleeping beside him. No wonder his heart was pounding. What the hell was that about? What had happened? He raised onto his elbow and gazed down at the woman beside him.

Everything fell into place as he recognized Bronwyn, her hair a sexy mess down her back, her skin smooth and fresh, her lips parted slightly in what looked like a smile. A naked and beautiful woman beside him in bed with a smile on her face was a good thing. What wasn’t so good was that he had no memory of the night. None at all.

He touched her hair and wondered what had happened between them in this bed. It would have been nice if the earth had moved. It would be terrific if she’d cried out three or four times in ecstasy; it would be stellar if one of those times, preferably the last, he’d cried out with her. And it would be goddamn stupendous if he could remember any of it. No wonder his heart was pounding. He didn’t expect to be Mark, the Wonder Stallion every time out, but he liked to think he never left a woman unsatisfied.

Could his complete mental blackout of the night before mean he’d humiliated himself as a lover and a man? Okay, he said to himself, get a grip. He ran his hand in a light exploratory fashion over her back. Nice back. Long and muscular. It didn’t ring any bells. But it did cause her to shift in sleep so her back pressed intimately against him. Casually, he put an arm around her and ran his fingers lightly over her breasts and belly. Ooh, nice, nice, nice. She had full, firm breasts with pointy nipples, and her stomach had the tightness and tone of a professional swimmer.

Whatever sense impressions his brain was receiving came across as brand new ones. He felt as though he’d never touched those particular contours before—all the textures and angles that made up her body. Odd to be so clueless about a woman you’d made love with. The only thing in his life he’d ever blocked out was having his wisdom teeth extracted. Having decided against general anesthetic, he’d gone gamely into the oral surgeon’s chair and to this day didn’t remember a thing about the experience. He knew the procedure had been completed, since he was sans wisdom teeth, but he had no memory. Like certain shock victims who blanked out intensely painful experiences. Had last night been one of those?

His hand froze, claw-like, against her naked breast. Oh, God. Had he been so terrible in bed that he’d blocked the experience from his memory? Would Bronwyn have all the women of her acquaintance squealing with laughter over his performance while he was forever in the dark about what happened? He squinted at the clock on the bedside table. Nine. Sun streamed in the windows, suggesting it was morning. He rolled to his back and blinked hard a few times. What day was it? Sunday, he thought. It must be Sunday.

Sneaking out of bed, he headed for the bathroom where a nice long morning pee relieved his mind somewhat as well as his bladder. While he brushed his teeth, then splashed cold water on his face, he tried to pull himself together. If she was still in his bed, the night couldn’t have been a complete disaster, otherwise she’d have sneaked out of bed sometime in the night. Wouldn’t she?

He walked back into the bedroom and watched for a moment as she slept. She had the kind of natural beauty that’s as potent first thing in the morning as it would be when she was all made up to go out somewhere. Her shoulders were lightly tanned against the white of the sheet, and he wished he could see the breasts he’d so recently touched. She shifted and made what could be a waking-up noise. Panicked, he didn’t want to be caught standing there naked staring at her, and his robe was hanging in the closet. Her eyelashes fluttered. He dove back under the covers beside her and rolled up behind her in his previous position. A bit of sighing and then a kind of morning stretch that had her spine elongating itself against him from shoulders to ass in a way that made him want to bash his head until his memory returned.

“Morning,” a sleepy and very female voice said beside him.

Oh, no. Reckoning time. And he wasn’t ready. “Morning.”

“Sleep well?”

“Yes.” He said politely. “You?”

“Fantastic.”

She leaned over and kissed him lightly on the lips. That had to be good, didn’t it? Mark glanced over at her with her sleepy morning skin, golden hair tossed over the pillow, a twinkle of humor in her eyes. It was the humor that did it. If he’d made an ass of himself last night he needed to know. Insane as it was, he’d torture himself forever if he didn’t have the truth. He cleared his throat. “I had a great time last night.”

Her smile dazzled him. “Me, too.” Well, she looked happy.

His sigh had more to do with relief than satisfaction. “I wasn’t sure how good a time you really had, last night being our first time together.” He sucked in another breath for courage. Since he had no idea what had happened, he was going to have to finesse the details out of her.

“Our first time?”

“As lovers,” he said. Surely he’d managed penetration. Never in his life had his body let him down that badly.

“Right,” she said, shaking her head so her hair tossed about. He wanted to smooth it back off her face, but held himself in check until he knew more.

“Sorry,” she said. “I’m not much of a morning person.”

He could let it go and forget about dragging the details of his performance out of her, but for some reason he really had to know.

“I was just wondering, about last night, when we made love . . .” This was a lot tougher to talk about than he’d imagined. It had been a long time since he’d been with anyone but Jen, he realized; he had no idea how to go about this.

“Which part did you like best?” she cooed, that smug little smile annoying the hell out of him, as did the fact that she got the question in before he could. Damn it. Panic flooded his brain. He had no idea since he couldn’t remember a thing. Bluffing was his only option.

“Oh, um. The part where you . . .” he made a vague gesture with his hands, “and the part where we,” he made another equally meaningless hand motion.

“Mmmm,” she sighed, clearly interpreting the gesture and imbuing it with meaning. “Me, too. We were something, all right. I never remember coming so many times in one night.”

Relief washed over him like an unexpected summer rain. Pure, cleansing, cooling. His pounding heart slowed. His panic receded. It was a tragedy that he couldn’t remember last night, but at least he’d satisfied this woman. More than satisfied her. All right! This Australian plan was already working out better than he could have imagined.

“And you,” she said dreamily, her fingertips trailing down his chest to his belly, “well, I never knew American men could be so . . . creative.”

When she got to the last word she did a pretty creative move herself and wrapped her fingers around his cock, which had already perked up nicely with all the flattering talk. She said they’d been spectacular together. Damn, he wished he could remember it. Maybe if he stopped trying so hard, it would be easier, or maybe if he started the day in his favorite manner he could bring it all back. He rolled her over until they were pressed together.

“Think we can be just as good the second time?” he asked, kissing her.

A tiny sound of pleasure escaped her lips as their mouths met. He let his hands stroke her sleep-warmed skin. Her shoulders, down her arms, up her belly to her breasts. They fascinated him, those generous mounds with the proportionately large nipples. He was dying to see them, taste them. So he did. Easing the sheet down her body caused a soft sigh that was a caress to his ears. They were gorgeous breasts. Tanned all over, the tips dark apricot. When he sucked a nipple into his mouth, unable to wait, her back arched and she reached her arms above her head like a cat stretching in the sun. He ran his tongue around her nipple, then sucked lightly, delighted to feel the peak harden against his tongue.

Amazing he hadn’t remembered the touch and taste and responsiveness of her body. He must have been more tired than he thought. Her skin tasted warm and a tiny bit salty as though all her time on surfboards and in the sea air had imprinted her with the flavor and scent of the sea.

“You taste like a mermaid,” he mumbled and felt the taut muscles of her belly shift as she giggled softly.

She moved as sinuously as a mermaid, too, when he took his tongue down her belly and she groaned as his ultimate target grew closer. Her shallow breaths of excitement spurred him on and heated his blood so he thought of nothing but plunging into that wet, pulsing heat. Moving down the bed until his head was between her legs, he noted that her tan was smooth and even all over. He pictured her naked in the sun, imagined how the light would glint dark gold on the curls he was currently nuzzling.

She was as plump and juicy and succulent as ripe fruit. When he licked her, he felt her quiver, felt her glory in her own body and her pleasure in her own sexuality. He toyed with her gently, building her up slowly, exploring her mysteries with lips and tongue and fingers. Her intimate flesh grew plumper and firmer under his ministrations. He licked at her, teased her, eased the tip of his tongue inside her, and her body pulled it into her like a riptide pulling an unwary swimmer. He was aching with the urge to let her suck his cock into her body in the same way. His own breathing grew harsh as he stoked her excitement. She was panting, moaning, her lower body making crazy figure eights as he swirled his tongue over and around her hot button. “

“Now,” she cried, grabbing his ears and pulling. “Now!”

As much as he wanted to feel her come right in his mouth, he wanted more to be pumping inside her body when she came, so he slid back up, grabbed one of the condoms off the night table, sheathed himself in record time. Considering he’d made love so recently, he felt as eager as he’d ever felt in his life. He was about to plunge into her in animal frenzy when he stopped himself. He never acted like an animal. What was wrong with him?

Aching all over with the effort, he slowed down, kissed her softly and sweetly and eased himself into her like a lover rather than a madman. That lasted about a minute, then she started doing that crazy figure eight thing again and madness gripped him and wouldn’t let go. He plunged and bucked, driven half-mad by the scent of her, the sound of her, and the wild way she gripped him. She stayed right with him. Under him, while her panting grew loud and sweat sheened her forehead, she wrapped around him and they flipped, changing the angle but not the crazy speed now that she was in control. He felt the squeeze, watched her eyes grow blank, and doubted she was even aware that her fingers gripped his shoulders like claws, her short nails still managing to make respectable dents.

He kissed her when she climaxed, taking her wild cries into his mouth. He flipped her again, thrust deep, rode out the aftershocks. Then she flipped them. For a wild second they teetered on the edge of the bed, but it was a losing battle between passion and gravity. Mark hung on to just enough sense to grab her hips and hold her to him so that when they hit the floor they were still joined. She fell on top of him with a laugh and even though the breath was knocked out of him, he laughed up at her.

God, she was gorgeous. She leaned back, giving him a view that would be imprinted on his mind forever. Her position also gave him easy access to her sweet spot. He played her with his fingers, bringing her up again. As much as he wanted to drag the loving out, he couldn’t. When she came the second time, he was lost. Maybe his grunt wasn’t as musical as her cries of release, but it was heartfelt. He came deep inside her, burying his face in her neck when she slumped on top of him.

In the five years he and Jennifer Talbot had been together, he’d never considered another woman. He’d imagined growing old, faithful and true to his wife through thick and thin, richer and poorer, sickness and health. Now he’d slept with someone new. Not only that, but it had been incredible. Even as he breathed in the wonderful fresh scent of the woman he’d met and bedded within twenty-four hours, he was conscious of a desire to get to know her better. To make love to her again and again. She was sweet, a little goofy, too gorgeous for words, and there was something about her that made him relax and have fun.

He’d turned down all her offers yesterday to get outside and enjoy life, and forced himself to work. He’d spent more time wishing he’d said yes, than actually working, and since his reason for saying no was to keep his hands off the woman, it hadn’t worked anyhow. Today, he was going to make up for lost time. He and Bron were going to have some fun.

“Have you seen the enormous bathtub in your bathroom?” Bron whispered in his ear, ending the question with a nibble on his earlobe. “It’s a good size for two people.”

Oh, she was fun all right. And that creative mind of hers didn’t stop at designing beach fashions. He ran his hands up her back, still slightly damp with the sweat of their mutual morning workout, and said, “I am a big believer in conserving water. Let’s go.”