She didn’t return the courtesy. He imagined that she was considering his offer. But Brody really didn’t expect her to follow through. Not tonight. But maybe tomorrow night. A grin curved the corners of his mouth. He could be bloody persuasive when he wanted.
THOUGH SHE WAS EXHAUSTED, Payton couldn’t sleep. Her head spun with thoughts of Brody. She wanted to go to him, to crawl into his bed and into his arms and just fall asleep with him beside her. The need was so acute it had become an ache.
Cursing softly, she tossed aside the bedcovers and swung her legs off the edge of the bunk. Gemma had come in an hour before and Payton had assumed she was asleep, but then she spoke.
“Can’t sleep?” she called from across the room.
“No. You can’t, either?”
“No.”
A moment later, the light on Gemma’s headboard came on. She sat up, crossing her legs in front of her, then ran her hand through her thick auburn hair. “Would you care to talk?” she asked. “I’m a good listener. All my friends tell me so.”
“It’s complicated,” Payton replied.
“I can handle complicated. Is it Brody? You two seem to be…attracted.”
“That’s putting it mildly,” Payton said. She crawled out of bed and crossed the room, then sat down on the edge of Gemma’s bunk. “Can you keep a secret?”
“Of course.”
“A month ago this last Saturday, I was putting on my wedding gown in Fiji and getting ready to walk across the beach and get married.”
Gemma gasped. “Oh, goodness. What happened?”
“I got scared and ran away.” She frowned, searching for the words to explain her actions. “I just wasn’t sure he was the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. There was no…fire. Do you know what I mean?”
Gemma nodded. “Yes,” she said. “I know precisely what you mean.”
“So I grabbed a few things, stuffed them in my bag, exchanged my honeymoon ticket for a flight to Brisbane and…disappeared into the outback.”
“And here you are,” Gemma said.
“Yes.”
“Have you called your family?”
Payton shook her head. “I left a message at the hotel in Fiji after I landed in Australia. I said I’d call them soon, but they’re going to be so angry with me that I don’t even want to think about that now. The embarrassment and the expense of the wedding. The gossip will be awful.”
“What of your fiance?”
“I can’t imagine what he’s thinking. I’m sure he doesn’t want anything more to do with me. Not that I want him to. I made my choice and I can live with it.”
“Well, there it is, then,” Gemma said cheerfully. “As Callum would say, no worries.”
“Oh, I have plenty to worry about. Like this thing with Brody. I’m sure it’s just a reaction to what I did. I was a little…repressed and now I’m testing my boundaries. And the attraction will probably fade soon. But then, I’m not sure I want it to.” Payton paused. “He’s like a rebound guy, but I think he might be more.”
“A rebound guy?” Gemma said. “I understand. But wouldn’t any man who came after your fiance be a rebound guy? So, in theory, it would be better to go out with some git after you break up so you don’t waste a good bloke as a rebound guy.”
“I suppose that would be sensible. So you think I’m wasting Brody?”
“Or perhaps, you could consider the possibility that fate has put this man in your path and the reason you ran away from your wedding is that you were really meant to be with him all along.”
“No,” Payton said, the notion too absurd to consider. “You think so?”
“I think it’s silly to try to figure out a relationship before it’s really begun. Maybe you should just let it happen.”
Payton considered Gemma’s point, then slowly stood. “Thank you,” she said. She walked over to her bunk and grabbed her jacket from where it hung on the bedpost. “I’m just going to visit Brody for a few minutes. Don’t wait up for me.”
“I won’t,” Gemma said with a sly smile.
Payton slipped her shoes on and pulled the jacket over her T-shirt and flannel pajama bottoms. The night was chilly as she ran from the bunkhouse to the main house. Mary had left a light burning over the sink in the kitchen, but the house was silent. Tiptoeing through the kitchen, she headed toward the stairs. But when she reached the top, she was faced with two choices.
Brody had said his bedroom was the first door at the top of the stairs, but she couldn’t remember if he’d said on the right or the left. She reached for the door on the right and opened it carefully. To her relief, she found a linen closet stacked with towels.
Drawing a deep breath, she opened the opposite door and slipped inside. The bedside lamp still burned and Brody’s hand rested on a sports magazine that he had been reading before he fell asleep. He slept in a tangle of blankets, his chest bare and his hair tousled.
Payton slowly undressed, dropping her clothes on the floor. When she was naked, she stepped to the side of the bed and gently moved the magazine from beneath his hand. He looked so relaxed, almost boyish. His brow, usually furrowed into an intense expression, was now smooth, and his lips, so perfectly sculpted, were parted slightly.
Payton carefully pulled the covers back and slipped into bed beside him. He awoke with a start and stared at her for a long moment before he comprehended what was going on. Then, with a soft sigh, he rolled her beneath him and kissed her.
There was no need for words. They communicated with taste and touch, with soft moans and quickened breathing. Payton slid her hand down and wrapped her fingers around his rigid cock and at the same moment, he found the damp spot between her legs.
All the while, as they teased each other closer to the edge, he kissed her gently, murmuring her name and telling her how good it felt to touch her. At first, Payton was a bit inhibited talking about such things. But then, she let her insecurities go and began to take part in the highly charged conversation.
She could feel his body tense as she brought him closer, his breath coming in short gasps. Carefully, Payton drew him back from the edge, becoming more skillful with every caress. Brody took his cues from her and did the same until they were both almost frantic for release, writhing against each other, their limbs tangled in the sheets.
And when her need finally overwhelmed her, Payton knew that it was exactly what she was searching for. He surrendered a moment later, her hand becoming slick with his orgasm.
Brody’s mouth found hers and he kissed her gently. Such a simple thing, Payton mused. And yet, every time they surrendered to each other, she felt the bond between them growing. It wasn’t just sex. They were discovering each other and with each new experience, Payton found herself wanting more.
“Are you going to stay?” he asked, his lips brushing against hers as he spoke.
Payton nodded. It would be easy enough to sneak out before morning. But then, why even bother to deny what was happening between them? They were both free to enjoy each other. They were both consenting adults. Any shame she might have felt about sleeping with a man she barely knew was just residual guilt left over from leading a rather sheltered life.
She wasn’t the same Payton who had flown to Fiji for her wedding. She wasn’t even the same Payton who had run away in the middle of the ceremony. Every day she was on her own, she was learning more and more about the woman she really was inside.
She’d spent so much time in familiar surroundings, safe among family and friends, her every need met, her every worry soothed, that she hadn’t really bothered to question who she was or what she wanted. But now, each day was a choice, a choice to go backward or to move forward.
“You’re not a dream, are you?” Brody whispered, running his fingers through her hair.
“No,” she said.
“You won’t be gone the next time I open my eyes?”
