Tangled Vines: An Australian Rural Romance (10 page)

“You can’t deny you want this as much as I do.”

He groaned in her ear. “You are one wicked lady.”

“This is only just the beginning.” Jordan slipped her hand beneath his briefs and ran her fingers over his hard cock. Within seconds of her touching him Kyle grabbed her hand and pulled it out.

“Just for that I’m going to torture you.”

A shiver of anticipation ripped through her.

“Show me,” she taunted.

Jordan had never flirted this way with any other person she’d been to bed with. Not even Don. She couldn’t deny it heightened the sexual tension between them and made her more aroused than she’d ever been before. She wanted Kyle’s hands and lips all over her.

His hands moved to the bottom of her shirt and pushed it up. “Never let it be said that I ignore a woman’s wish.”

He pulled it over her head in one quick movement. Before she had a chance to catch her breath, his fingers were at the button and zipper of her jeans. She held her breath, waiting for the moment when there would be nothing between them.

Once Kyle stripped her of her jeans, he pulled her in his arms and rolled so that she lay over him. Their bodies aligned perfectly. His erection rested against her belly and her breasts nestled against his chest.

She brushed her lips against his. “I can’t think of a better place to be.”

“Me either,” he responded before sinking his fingers into her hair, cupping the back of her head to prevent her from moving.

As if she was going anywhere.

Jordan lost herself in his kiss. Her body relaxed into his. She rolled her hips and he groaned at the friction of their bodies grinding against each other. His hand moved from her head to the clasp of her bra. With a quick flick he had it undone. She lifted one arm then the other to allow for the scrap of lace and satin to be tossed away.

She wrenched her mouth from his and arched her back as his hands cupped both her breasts.

“I’ve been wanting to touch you since I saw you in the shower. It’s so much better than I imagined,” He took one nipple in his mouth, swirling his tongue around before sucking on it.

“Oh, feels so good.”

“I’m just getting started, baby.”

He turned them so they both lay on their sides facing each other. Jordan liked this position as it gave her free rein to run her hands all over Kyle. This time when she reached his briefs she took hold of the fabric and pushed them down, his erection springing out into her hand. She once again gripped the hard flesh. She smoothed her thumb over the tip, enjoying Kyle’s sharp intake of breath. She stroked her hand up and down, cupping his sac before moving back up to his tip.

A sense of feminine triumph coursed through her as Kyle threw his head back and sighed in pleasure. She increased her pace, enjoying knowing he was as lost in the moment as she was.

She released him and his eyes flew open, arousal giving them a slumberous look. “I want you, Kyle.”

He smiled softly. “Me too, baby. Me too.”

Kyle put a hand in the middle of her chest and pushed gently until she lay on her back. Using the same hand, he grabbed the waistband of her panties and tugged. She lifted her hips to allow him to remove them. Then he was, once again, over her, his lips finding hers in another hot, opened mouth kiss.

His fingers dipped between their legs until he found where she was waiting for his touch. This time it was her moaning in pleasure as his fingers parted her silken folds. She knew she was wet for him; she could feel the dampness between her legs.

He surrendered her lips as he inserted one finger in her. Her breath hissed out as he slowly stroked in and out.

Jordan gripped his shoulders, her fingers digging in at the sensations he created within her. Her whole body burned and only his possession could temper the flames.

She reached between them and, gripping his erection, she directed it to where his fingers were still playing her like an electric guitar.

“Now, Kyle. Take me now.”

He pulled out his fingers and nudged her entrance. She lifted her hips, ready to take him, but he cursed before pulling back and reaching over to grab the condom. Before she had a moment to catch her breath he had the packet open and was rolling the latex over his cock.

“Now where were we?” he asked with a smile before sliding effortlessly into her.

She cried out in delight at having him inside her.

“So good. You feel so good.”

He withdrew a fraction. “It’s going to feel much better. Trust me.”

“I do,” she moaned as he slid back inside of her.

Kyle moved in and out of her, quick movements before slowing down to draw out the pleasure. She cried out for more. Jordan ran her hands over his shoulder, lifting her legs higher around his hips to increase the depth of his possession of her.

Her climax built. Her muscles tightened in anticipation of the moment of ultimate completion. Kyle quickened his pace and she moved her hips in perfect harmony with him. Their breathing grew ragged. Her climax was within touching distance. As if sensing that, Kyle reached between them to where they were joined. He found her bundle of nerves and massaged it gently. Her legs shook. Her cries grew louder and louder until she tensed before careening over the edge into her orgasm. Kyle joined her moments later, her name a hoarse cry ripped from deep within him.

Jordan’s legs slipped off Kyle’s hips, having lost all strength to remain gripped snugly around him. Kyle collapsed on top of her for a second before he shifted so that he was on his back and she sprawled over the top of him.

“Thank you,” he sighed in her hair.

She closed her eyes, savoring this moment of closeness between the two of them. She felt safe and secure—hopefully, Kyle felt the same way.

Kyle woke in the early hours of the morning. Images from his dream teased the recesses of his mind. He closed his eyes in the hope of bringing the dream back to life. His mum had been smiling at him. Telling him she was so proud of him. Telling him to move forward with his life. Telling him to let go of his anger and guilt.

Jordan stirred in his arms and he tightened his hold on her. He liked holding her. Having her in his bed. Something he’d never thought possible, especially not at this house.

“What are you thinking about?” Her sleepy question woke his senses, and his body stirred to life between them.

“About having you here. In this house. In my arms.”

She wiggled her hips against his growing erection. “Seems a certain part of you likes what you’re thinking.”

Kyle slipped a hand over her hip to the juncture at her thighs. He stroked her soft flesh. It would be easy to slip into Jordan. Her body was ready for him. And the way her ass wriggled against his cock, she wanted it as much as he did. He reached over to the open drawer of his nightstand and fumbled around until he found another foil packet. With an ease of practice, he had the condom on and was sliding home.

A sigh whispered out of Jordan as she reached behind her and ran a hand down his leg, digging her fingers in with every stroke he made.

Kyle took his time, enjoying the sensations building up inside of him. Jordan’s breath came faster as her hand clenched his thigh. Her head fell forward as he reached up and played with her nipple.

He couldn’t hold back any longer. He increased his pace and within seconds Jordan was crying out her release and he joined her moments later.

Kyle had never wanted a woman as much as he wanted Jordan. Something about her calmed him. Gave him a reason not to lose himself at the bottom of a scotch bottle.

He slipped out of her and went into the bathroom to dispose of the condom. He stopped at the mirror to see if anything had changed after he’d spilled his soul to Jordan. He looked the same. Could it be that simple? Could he move on and start to live his life guilt free? Just like his mum told him to in his dream?

No, he couldn’t forget the role he played in the deaths of his parents and sister.

“Kyle? Are you okay?”

He turned and saw Jordan standing in the doorway; she’d wrapped his shirt around her.

He grabbed a towel and wiped his hands on it before taking her by her elbow and leading her back to his bed. “I’m fine.”

“You didn’t look it a moment ago.”

Kyle adjusted the blankets to cover Jordan, and he laid an arm possessively over her. “I was just thinking.”

A warm hand landed on his.

“About your parents?”

“Yeah.”

“You never did tell me what happened after you ran from the house you slept at. Did you find your parents at all?”

Kyle took a deep breath. “I couldn’t get to the hotel because of the water. No one knew if another wave would hit. No matter how hard I tried to get through to the authorities that my whole family was down there somewhere, they wouldn’t let me pass. I had no choice but to wait. With the amount of people trying to get to higher ground I kept getting pushed further and further away.”

He closed his eyes and continued speaking. “I’d never felt so helpless as I did that day. So many people cut and bruised walking past me. People carrying dead relatives or the severely injured. I’d never been in a war zone, but with the chaos going on all around me, I figured it was what one would look like.”

“How long before you could get to the hotel?”

“It wasn’t until the next day. The water level had receded and people started making their way back to what was left of their homes.”

“I imagine it was pretty devastating for everyone.”

She had no idea the devastation water could cause. Everyone said the exact same thing she did. Everyone underestimated the reality. “I’ve surfed six foot waves and I’ve been dumped by those waves. I knew water could be powerful, but never could I have imagined the absolute devastation the tsunami caused. Trees were pulled from their roots. Cars and trees were twisted together like some modern art creations. Boats rested in a pub I’d spent some nights drinking in. So many businesses lost.”

“Anyway, when I got to the hotel, I expected to see it a mess like a lot of the other buildings I’d seen.”

“And was it?”

“There was a bit of damage, but it was built by a big hotel chain, you know, so it appeared to withstand a lot of force from the water. Maybe it was because it was closer to the beach, and the more the wave collected debris as it moved inland, the more deadly it became.”

“So I bet you were expecting your parents to be safe.”

 “I did,” he whispered around the lump in his throat. “I raced through the foyer, past the people trying to stop me, and headed for the stairwell. I climbed the stairs faster than I thought I was capable of. Once I reached our room I realized I didn’t have a key to get in. I pounded on the door, but there was no response. I figured if they were okay they’d probably be looking for me because I hadn’t seen them for two days. I headed back downstairs to reception, hoping they’d left a message or something. Anything to let me know they were okay. I was directed to a table set up by the authorities where you could check in and enquire about relatives.”

God, he hated this walk down memory lane. He’d come so far with the story. He couldn’t back down now. No matter how hard he found it.

“You don’t need to continue if you don’t want to, Kyle. I don’t need to know the whole story.”

He lifted Jordan’s hand and kissed the top of it. “I think I need to continue. It’s been too long to not say anything.”

“Okay, but if you need to stop, I won’t mind.”

“There’s not much more to tell, really. I enquired with the check-in point.” He smiled. “This is where I met Shey and her husband, Nate, manning the desk. I almost collapsed when I found out my parents and Emily were listed amongst the missing. Nate came around the table and caught me. He led me over to a chair and stayed with me until my head stopped spinning. I’ll never forget how he just sat next to me, not saying anything, thank Christ, because placating, empty words were the last thing I needed.”

“Why were Shey and her husband there?”

“They were on holiday, a tenth wedding anniversary trip. They volunteer with the Red Cross here in Perth so they immediately answered the call for help. They were staying in a little bungalow up in the hills,” he smiled wryly. “They wanted their privacy. It ended up saving them.”

“I’ve been to Thailand; it is really beautiful. I can imagine staying in an isolated cabin would be wonderful.”

“They go back every couple of years. Visit the families they helped during that time. They really are an amazing couple. I have so much to thank them for.”

“From my interactions with Shey, it sounds like she’s been there for you when you needed her.”

“Yeah, I don’t know what it was about me, but after that moment, Shey and Nate provided me with support I probably didn’t deserve. It was like they’d worked out that I needed a surrogate family and no one would do as good a job as them. Shey’s only eleven years older than me. She treated me like a kid brother, not like I was one of their sons.”

“I’d like to meet both Shey and her husband. I’ve only spoken to her on the phone.”

“Trust me, I think the feeling is mutual. Anyway, they were with me when I got the news that they’d found some victims who fitted the description I’d given of my parents and Emily. I didn’t want to go identify them. I still held out hope that they were somewhere safe, even though it had been ten days after the disaster. They were unrecognizable. They’d been battered by debris and their bodies were covered with bruises. Emily … oh God, Emily, my sweet little sister.”

Kyle tried to hold back the tears and failed. This was why he never talked about what he’d been through. He wanted to remember her happy, smiling, innocent face. How she’d looked on Christmas Day. All he remembered now were bruises and cuts. So many she was almost unrecognizable.

Jordan held him tightly and rained kisses over his cheeks. He let himself be held.

“I’m sorry, Kyle. So very sorry that you had to go through that.”

“It was my fault. My fault,” he mumbled over and over. “I found out they were headed to the beach to look for me. They didn’t stand a chance when the wave hit. I want to believe they didn’t suffer. But after seeing their bodies, I can’t help but think it would’ve been a violent death for them. Emily would’ve been so scared. I should’ve protected her more. Why wasn’t it me?”