Just This Once (23 page)

It was too much. With a cry that was almost a scream, she
exploded against him. He didn’t stop, wringing out every bit of passion that
had built so slowly, so agonizingly.

When her spasms had slowed, he pulled off the panties at
last, and reached up to pull the bra from around her so she was as naked as he
was.

“Time to test this bed,” he told her, moving back up to kiss
her as his fingers ripped open the condom packet.

“Thought we did,” she gasped. “I’m not sure how much more
testing I can take.”

“Oh, we’re just getting started,” he assured her. “I’m a
very thorough tester. Turn over.”

 She obediently turned, and he pulled her up to her hands
and knees. “I need to do this,” he told her. “Need to see this, and feel it.” He
pulled her back by the hips, and slid inside.

The pace quickened. He had been telling the truth, she
realized. He needed this. She could feel the urgency as he rode her hard,
shoving her towards the head of the bed. She put her arms out in desperation,
felt for the headboard, put her head down and held on as he thrust.

He reached around her, holding himself up with one arm,
while the other hand pressed and stroked, pressed and stroked where she was
still swollen. She felt her own excitement rising, caught from behind and in
front, moaned, stretched her knees wider, and finally gave in to the spasms
once more.

He wasn’t done yet, though. As soon as she finished gasping
and jerking against him, he pulled out of her and flipped her to her back
again. Then entered her again, holding himself up on both hands so he could
look down into her face, watch her response.

 She pulled her knees up high, wrapped her legs around his
back, forced him back down on his elbows.

“More,” she urged him. “Please. Harder.”

The last of his self-control left him. He pumped into her,
faster and harder, as she arched her hips towards him in response. Took her
hands in his, pulled them above her head. Holding her like that, the way he
knew she loved, watching her respond to him, took him almost past the point of
reason. When she started to cry out again, he felt himself being dragged over
the edge with her, freefalling into a shuddering, gasping climax that took him
to the limit of sensation, into a pleasure that was almost pain.

He collapsed onto her, quickly rolled so he wouldn’t crush
her, held her against him as they both fought for breath.

“Wow,” she said shakily at last, still trembling as she lay
against his chest. “I’ve never felt anything like that before. That was
incredible.”

“Mmm,” he agreed, stroking her smooth skin, soothing her.
“That was. Are you all right?”

“I think so,” she said tentatively. “Was that what you had
in mind, then?”

He laughed, feeling not completely steady himself.
“Something like that. Wasn’t quite expecting all that, though. I bought the
right bed, admit it. It worked.”

“I admit it,” she agreed, relaxing against him.  “I’d say
this bed has proven it’s up to your weight. You win the bed-buying trophy.”

“Got the girl in the bed, anyway. Reckon that’s what
matters.”

“Now that you’re settled, with a good bed and all,” Drew
suggested the next morning over breakfast at her new kitchen table, “want to
come to a barbecue at my mate Hemi’s place? He and Reka decided to take
advantage of the bye, get some of the boys and their partners together.”

“Sure,” she said slowly. “I have to admit, though, I’m a
little nervous about meeting people. Reka’s the one who helped you pick out my
Christmas present, right?”

“That’s the one. And no choice, I’m afraid. She’ll never
forgive me if I don’t bring you along so she can have a look. Badgered me,
didn’t she.”

“How reassuring,” she answered wryly. “But I’d like to meet
your friends. So yes, please.”

When she walked up the shallow stone steps with Drew to Hemi
and Reka’s big house near Takapuna Beach, Hannah was surprised to find the door
opened to them not by a rugby player, but by a short person. A
very
short
person. An adorable four-year-old with dark ringlets called out, “Uncle Drew’s
here!”

She held up her arms to be picked up, and Drew obliged.
“This is Ariana. Ariana, this lady is Hannah.”

Ariana stared at her. “Are you a fairy?” she asked, eyes
wide.

“No,” Hannah smiled. “Sorry about that. Do you like
fairies?”

“I
love
them. They’re my very favorite. But you have
fairy hair,” the little girl insisted, reaching out to touch the long spirals.
“Just like in my book.”

“I have a fairy bedroom,” she offered. “And fairy dolls too.
Do you want to see?”

“I do,” Hannah told her. “Will you show me?”

Ariana wriggled to get down, then put her hand in Hannah’s
and pulled her into the house. Drew followed, smiling and giving Reka a kiss as
she hurried up.

“Sorry, Drew. I was in the kitchen. Where’s Hannah?” she
asked, looking around. “Couldn’t she come after all, then?”

“Been dragged off to see Ariana’s bedroom. Apparently she
looks like a fairy.”

“That would do it,” Reka agreed. “I hope she doesn’t mind.
But come in and have a beer. I’ll rescue her in a minute.”

Ariana did indeed have a fairy bedroom. Her small bed was
swathed in white and covered by a canopy. A fairy wallpaper border ran around
the white walls, with several framed pictures of woodland fairies hanging
below. A group of tiny fairies hung from the ceiling by fishing line in one
corner, above a small painted table with three chairs. A big, comfortable
armchair sat in another corner, and Hannah could guess that this was Ariana and
her mother’s special spot.

Hannah didn’t have to feign her delight. “It’s beautiful,”
she told Ariana, as the little girl darted around the room pointing out all her
favorite possessions.

Ariana ran forward at last to pull a large picture book from
a basket. “This is my fairy book. Will you read me a story?”

Reka came into the room, followed by a two-year-old boy with
the same dark curls. “The lady’s here to see the grown-ups, love. She can’t
read you a book tonight.”

“Maybe I could read a story later, at bedtime,” Hannah
offered. “How would that be?”

“That’ll do you, Ariana,” her mother ordered. “Come on now,
let Miss Hannah get back to the party. She’ll read to you later, if you’re a
good girl and get ready for bed with no fuss.”

“Read me too,” the little boy demanded.

“We’ll see,” Reka temporized. “Come on.”

“Sorry about that,” Reka offered as she showed Hannah out to
the back garden, where a large wooden deck spread under sheltering awnings,
amid plantings of native cabbage trees, ferns, and flowering plants. “Those
monkeys. My boy’s Jamie. And I’m Reka, by the way. I’m their mum, for my sins.”

Hannah laughed. “They’re great,” she assured Reka. “No need
to apologize. Besides, I owe you something, don’t I? For helping Drew pick out
my Christmas present. The combs are perfect. I’m wearing them, see? I wanted to
show you.” She touched one delicate ornament proudly.

“They’re gorgeous. He picked them out, you know. I just
helped with the size.”

“Well, now that I’ve seen your hair, I can see how you knew
what to buy,” Hannah said admiringly. Reka’s hair was pulled back into a large
knot, but Hannah could tell it was as long and thick as her own, its glossy
black a contrast to her own light curls. The other woman’s luminescent brown
skin, large almond eyes, and rich figure were a beautiful testament to her
Maori origin.

“Maori hair,” Reka agreed. “We know something about holding
up thick hair, don’t we.”

“I’ve heard so much about you,” she went on. “I’ve been
dying to meet you. Let me introduce you to people now, though.”

To her relief, Hannah realized she knew several of the men
already, from her brief introduction in the gym.

“Good to see you again,” redheaded Kevin greeted her.
“Didn’t know you were back in the country.”

“I’m working here now,” she explained a bit
self-consciously. “I have a new job that starts on Monday. I’m just getting
settled in now.”

She found herself being included easily in the relaxed
conversation. She had worried that the women would be so glamorous that they
would look down on her. The only examples she had been able to come up with of
football players’ wives were supermodels and celebrities. If the women were glamour
queens, she had thought, she’d be sunk. She would have no idea how to converse
with a group of trophy wives.

But, she found, there wasn’t too much to worry about. The
women were certainly attractive. But everyone was fairly casually dressed, and
seemed to know each other well and be comfortable. Some of the men even entered
into discussions about children, to her surprise, rather than separating solely
along gender lines. She found herself relaxing and enjoying herself as Hemi
manned the barbecue and Reka offered drinks and what she called “nibbles.”

They sat down to eat at last, spreading out among several
comfortable small tables around the deck area.

“Your teammates can certainly put away an amazing amount of
protein,” Hannah marveled to Drew, watching the men dig into the huge steaks,
quartered chickens, and sausages. “Not to mention everything else. What’s this,
though?” she asked, indicating the vegetable she was eating. “It looks like a
sweet potato, but it’s purple.”

“That’s kumara.” Drew seemed amused. “Didn’t we feed you
kumara when you were here? Maori sweet potato. The original staple food. And
still a staple for all Kiwis. Red, orange, purple. Wait till winter. You may
wish you’d never seen a kumara. Or a pumpkin.”

“Too right,” Kevin agreed. “Reckon our meat’s the secret of
our success, though.” He grinned at Hannah. “Beef, lamb, pork, venison. Best in
the world. Builds rugby players, eh.”

“Wow,” Hannah marveled. “So successful . . . and so modest,
too.”

 Drew laughed. “Reckon she’s got you there, Kevvie.”

“I have a rugby question too,” Hannah went on. “I keep
meaning to ask you, Drew. Why do the All Blacks have that white feather on
their uniforms? What does it stand for?”

She couldn’t have said anything more amusing, she saw with
dismay. Everyone at the table laughed, looking at each other and continuing to
chuckle as Drew reached an arm around her, pulling her against him with a
smile.

“That’s not a feather, sweetheart,” he told her. “That’s the
silver fern. The national emblem of New Zealand.”

“Oh.” Hannah felt herself turning red, but had to laugh at
herself in her turn. “You have to admit, though, it looks like a feather. I thought
it was some kind of bird or something. A kiwi, maybe. And I’ve never seen a
silver fern, have I?”

“It’s the underside,” put in Jonah, a teammate who was
clearly partially Maori. “Of the ponga—one of our fern trees. If you turn the
leaves over, you’ll see they’re silver. Warriors used to put them upside-down
in the bush when they went out hunting, or to war. When they returned by
moonlight, the fronds would shine in the moonlight like beacons. Like arrows.
The silver fern will always point the way home. That’s the idea, eh.”

“Thanks,” she said gratefully. “You should see how little I
know about rugby, if you think that’s bad. I’m hopeless.”

“Never mind,” Drew said comfortingly. “It’s part of your
charm.”

“What, ignorance? I’m not so sure about that,” she answered
ruefully.

“So much to teach you, isn’t there,” he grinned at her.

 She kicked him under the table as he continued to smile,
then turned with relief at a tug on her sleeve.

“Miss Hannah?” It was Ariana, ready for bed in her pink
nightgown, with her little brother by her side in Bob the Builder pajamas.
“Will you read me the fairy book now?”

“Read me too,” Jamie demanded.

“I’ve been summoned,” Hannah excused herself. “Back soon.”

She returned at last from Ariana’s room and met Reka in the
hallway, coming to check on her.

“Both in bed,” she assured the young mother. “We
compromised—we read a fairy story and
then
a truck book. Twice.”

“I’ll just give them a few minutes to settle, then.” Reka
moved with Hannah to the corner of the lounge, where Drew was talking football
with Hemi. “Come sit on the couch and talk to me. I’m ready to sit down. Did
Drew tell you I’m expecting another baby? I’m flaked out.”

“That’s wonderful,” Hannah exclaimed. “Not that you’re
tired,” she added quickly. “You do have lovely children, though. They’re so
sweet.”

Reka laughed. “Trying to impress you, that’s all. They’re
not so lovely, some days. But I reckon I’ll keep them. This one’s about three
months along. I should begin feeling better any time, and none too soon. You
must have nieces and nephews yourself, though. To be so good with kids.”

“No, but I helped raise my brother and sister. I used to
read a lot to them when they were younger. It’s nice to have the chance again.”

“You’ll want kids of your own, then, someday,” Reka guessed.

Hannah smiled. “I don’t know. I certainly enjoy them. Thanks
for letting me borrow yours for a while.”

“Don’t you miss your family, being here now?”

“I do,” Hannah sighed. “It was a tough decision to make. But
it’s only for a year or two.”

Reka raised her eyebrows at that. “But you moved down here
to be with Drew, didn’t you?” He had been half-listening, and turned now,
moving towards them on hearing his name.

“Sounds like it’s serious,” Reka went on.

“I’m not sure,” Hannah answered, just as Drew said, “Yes.”

Hannah flushed, confused. “I mean, I just got here.”

Hemi laughed. “You don’t have to answer her, you know,
Hannah. Doesn’t know when to stop, does she.”

Drew came to sit with Hannah, taking her hand and squeezing
it for reassurance.