AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She gave a quiet laugh, and her shoulders loosened again. “I’m a cat person. But not in that creepy, old cat lady kind of way.” He could feel the rumble of her laughter through his hands. “We’re not allowed one where I live at the moment, but I want to get one when I move out. My family still has a cat, a brown Burmese we inherited from the previous owners. She’s old now, but still so beautiful and graceful. I love how independent cats are. But Burmese cats love to be around people, too. Coco used to sleep in my bed with me, her head up on my pillow and the rest of her body tucked under the covers next to me. It was so cute.”
Dale listened to the sound of her voice. Listened to the nostalgia in her words. The slightly raspy depths of her tone. Listening to her speak of her early life, imagining her tucked up in bed with her cat, eased some of his own tension.
She still had her head tipped forward, her hair falling to either side and exposing her long, slender neck. Almost against his will, he stroked a finger downward, following the curve over her shoulder. She made an appreciative sound, like she was enjoying his touch. Her skin looked soft and inviting. He found himself leaning over, inhaling the aroma of her hair. It reminded him of the billabong, fresh, with a hint of the crushed grass they’d been standing in as they fished. She had an earthiness about her; there was no artifice. She wore no fake perfume to confuse him. It was merely her.
His lips landed lightly on the back of her neck, trailing kisses along the bumps of her spine. She stilled beneath him, as if she’d stopped breathing. But she didn’t tell him to stop, or shake him off. Should he take that as permission to keep going?
His mouth worked down the side of her neck and over to the mound of bare skin at the top of her shoulder. Her skin was warm and welcoming. He trailed his fingers down her arm to her elbow, letting his lips follow. Her skin was faintly salty, but he liked the taste. Slowly, Daisy lifted her head and turned her face toward him. Stopping his lazy exploration of her arm with his lips, he looked up to meet her gaze. Large eyes regarded him as she twisted farther around to stare at him directly.
Would she stop this? Tell him he was dreaming and to get away from her?
Her tongue came out to moisten her lips as she stared at him. Then her mouth collided with his as her hand came around his neck to tug him in. Scooting off his basket, he got down on his knees on the floor, pulling her up to meet him. They were both kneeling on the cement, their bodies hard up against each other as they kissed. She was hot, opening her mouth to his, and his cock bulged against the zip of his jeans uncomfortably. She ran her hands up beneath his shirt, digging her nails into the soft skin of his lower back, making him shiver with desire. She wasn’t holding back; she was making it abundantly clear that she wanted this as much as he did; wanted him as much as he wanted her.
He broke their kiss, staring down at her for a second, panting like he’d just sprinted a hundred meters. Green eyes so dark, they were almost black, regarded him in return. She was breathing nearly as heavily as he was. What was happening here? It felt like he was losing all his self-restraint. As if another version of himself was in the driver’s seat tonight. An audacious, rebellious version who didn’t care about the consequences of what he was doing. A version being driven by a passion so strong it practically obliterated his logical mind. This woman had taken control of his senses. And he liked it.
They came together at the same time, lips clashing. He fumbled under the hem of her tank top, running his fingers up the contours of her stomach to cup one breast through her bra in his palm. She gasped as he squeezed gently, and he loved the feel of the soft, rounded plumpness. His cock went so hard, he thought it might bust loose from his jeans. He pressed his erection into the curve of her hips.
He turned, then slowly lowered himself to the floor, bringing Daisy with him, not letting go of her lips for even a second. Daisy followed him down, using his body to cushion herself as she half-fell on top of him.
The sound of shattering glass cut the air. Daisy raised her head and swore softly.
She must’ve knocked over her glass of wine with her foot, and it’d splintered into tiny pieces on the cement.
The moment was broken into as many tiny pieces as the glass lying at their feet. Her eyes lost their soft fervor, the look replaced by the sudden realization of their reality. They were lying on the hard floor of the laundry building. About to do something they probably shouldn’t.
Slowly, Daisy levered herself off Dale and stood, offering him her hand to help him up, a regretful smile playing over her lips.
Damn, he probably shouldn’t have let this get so far. Dale made a silent vow. If he ever made love to Daisy, it wouldn’t be like this. It would be somewhere worthy of making love to her. Because she was a special woman.
“Sorry about the glass,” she said.
He waved away her apology, looking down at the broken glass and wine all over the floor. “Not a problem.” He hesitated. “Look, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have started that. We were both upset by what’s happening and this probably wasn’t the right place or the right time, or…” He trailed off, suddenly afraid to look at her.
“Don’t apologize for kissing me,” she retorted. His head snapped up, and he stared at her. “I would’ve stopped it if I wanted to. That was one of the hottest kisses I’ve ever had, and I’m not afraid to own it.” She stared at him, as if daring to disagree.
A slow smile formed on his lips. “I’m glad about that. And I’ll own the fact that I was enjoying myself way more than perhaps I should’ve been.”
“Good.”
“Good.” At least they agreed on one thing.
“Let me clean this up. Do you have a dustpan and broom?”
Dale opened a tall cupboard and fished out the dustpan and a mop. “If you sweep up the glass, I’ll mop up the wine.” He hoped the red wine wouldn’t leave a stain and give away their late-night exploits.
“I should get to bed,” Daisy said, as she tipped the shards into a nearby trash can.
“Sure, I’ll walk you over.” Dale rinsed out the mop and returned it to the cupboard, hiding his faint disappointment behind a smile. He shouldn’t be disappointed that Daisy wanted to go to bed. And that she didn’t want to stay here with him. Perhaps do some more kissing. Because he hadn’t been mistaken when he said that it was the wrong time and wrong place for them. Even though Daisy had admitted the kiss had been hot as hell, it didn’t mean they should necessarily repeat it. Dale had too many other things going on right now. And she was merely concerned about getting back to her work and her colleague, probably hoping to leave all this madness behind.
They emerged into the dark night, and he was immediately hit with the heavy, humid air. The rain might’ve washed the place clean, tamped down all the dust and given the station a new, green tinge, but it also ramped up the sultry, sticky atmosphere.
Daisy followed him across the rear grassed area toward the staff quarters, her footfalls silent behind him. He wished he knew what she was thinking. Stopping at the main door, he held it open for her. The others must already be in their rooms, asleep, as no light came from under any of the doors. He checked his watch; it was later than he expected. Dale didn’t blame them, it’d been a long, terrible day.
“Goodnight,” he whispered as she took the small step up to the door.
“Goodnight.” Surprising him, she leaned in and kissed him lightly on the lips. “Sleep tight,” she murmured, then she was gone.
He held the door open until she got to her room and flicked on her light, then he gently closed it and stomped off toward the side entrance to the family wing. Somehow, he doubted he would sleep tight tonight. How anyone could sleep after what they’d been through today was beyond him. But there was one tiny silver lining. He could distract himself from thoughts of murder and deceit by dreaming of Daisy’s lips instead. He smiled as the moonlight beamed down upon him.
