She reached up and tugged his jacket down over his arms, then moved to work on the buttons of his shirt. They’d undressed each other so many times that it had become second nature to them. There was no longer any hesitation or embarrassment. They felt more comfortable out of their clothes than in them.
When they were both naked, he took her hand and led her into the bathroom. The shower was surrounded by glass block from floor to ceiling. He opened a door and stepped inside, turning the water on and then helping her inside when it was the proper temperature.
It was a shower made for a man who came home with bruises and sore muscles: a variety of showerheads angled in all different directions. The door kept the steam inside and before long, the moisture created a fog around them both.
His hands smoothed over her body and she closed her eyes and enjoyed his caress. He turned her around and pulled her against him, his growing erection pressing against her backside. His palms slowly ran the length of her torso, from her breasts to her belly and then to the juncture of her thighs.
He delved between the soft folds of her sex and when he found the spot, began to touch her in a way he knew so well. Payton arched back, wrapping her arm around his neck and pulling him into another kiss.
But he wasn’t content to just touch her. His mouth moved over her shoulder, his tongue tracing a path to the curve of her neck. Brody gently urged her to sit on the low bench at the center of the shower. And then he knelt in front of her, spreading her legs and continuing the seduction with his tongue.
Payton had always felt this was the most intimate expression of desire and until now, they’d both been satisfied with other things. But Payton let go of the last shred of inhibition, surrendering to Brody, the shudders rocking her body. And as she surrendered to him, she realized that this was no longer just physical. She’d grown to need him in so many other ways.
She felt tears press at the corners of her eyes, but when he met her gaze she forced a smile. How could she ever consider living without him? He’d become part of her life, the new life that she’d found in Australia.
But was she really ready to walk away from her past, from her family and everything she’d known, to stay here with him? Payton reached up and brushed his wet hair from his eyes. She didn’t need to tell him how she felt. It was understood between them, communicated by smiles and sighs and soft kisses in the dark.
Brody drew her slowly to her feet and then led her out of the shower. Her release only made her exhaustion more acute and when he wrapped her in a thick cotton towel, Payton closed her eyes and leaned against him for support.
They ended up on the bed, Brody stretched out beside her, his fingers gently stroking her cheek. “Tell me about him,” he said softly. “Why did you love him?”
“That’s a question,” she said. “I’m not sure I have an answer.”
“Try,” he said. “Please?”
“I thought he was right for me. And I knew my parents would love him. I always tried to do what I thought they wanted me to. I was a very good girl.”
“But there must have been something about this guy,” Brody said.
“We were together so long, I guess I forgot what it was that attracted me in the first place. He was supposed to be perfect for me.”
Brody was silent for a long moment, then drew a deep breath. “Do you still love him?”
“I’m not sure I ever did,” Payton said. “At least not the way a woman should love the man she marries.”
He seemed to take comfort in that answer. But did it make a difference? She was here, with him, running away from all her problems. She hadn’t thought about how this might end between them. It was so simple to believe they would just continue, without any difficulties. They were living off the high of their infatuation. Real life hadn’t intruded yet. But it would soon enough.
7
“PADDLE, PADDLE, PADDLE!” Brody shouted. He gave the surfboard a final shove, sending Payton off into the set of small waves on Cottesloe Beach. They’d practiced on the beach first and then he’d caught a few waves with her in front of him on his board. But she was determined to do it on her own.
“Pop up!” he called.
To Brody’s surprise, she nimbly got to her feet. Steadying herself, she slowly straightened, her arms out to the side. Brody shouted as she rode the wave. There wasn’t much that Payton couldn’t do once she set her mind to something.
She stayed on her feet all the way to the shore, hopping off the board just before she hit the beach. She looked at him, waving and jumping up and down in excitement. Then she turned the board around and paddled back out to him.
The weather was perfect for a winter day in June. The sun was shining but the water was a bit chilly, so they both wore wet suits. Brody had made a gift of the surfboard and wet suit, hoping that they’d be staying in Fremantle long enough to enjoy them.
Life was certainly simpler here than it had been at the station. Their days and nights belonged entirely to them. They strolled the streets, stopping to eat or browse through a shop when they wanted. They went to the movies and a concert in the park and rented bicycles to tour old Fremantle.
Brody had planned a trip to Rottnest Island for the next week, booking a room in the old hotel in case they wanted to spend a few hours alone together during the day. Though he knew she might decide to leave at any time, he wanted to believe she’d still be with him in a week.
They kept themselves busy during the day, but it was the nights that Brody found most satisfying. Blessed with absolute privacy, they had the time to explore the limits of their passion. Sex ranged from a silly romp, to a frantic drive for release, to a slow, methodical seduction-and all in one day.
“Did you see me?”
“I did,” Brody said as she paddled up to him. “You were great.”
“I was! It was so much fun. I want to try a bigger wave.”
“All right, hang on. I’ll just put in your order.” He looked up at the sky. “Can we have some bigger waves, please?”
She splashed water in his face. “I meant, we should go to another beach with bigger waves.”
He splashed her back, then reached out and grabbed her, both of them tumbling off their surfboards. Treading water, Brody pulled her into his arms and kissed her, his mouth searching for hers through the saltwater that dripped from her hair.
There was nothing more satisfying, he mused as he teased at her tongue. The fact that he could kiss and touch her whenever he chose to was something he had come to appreciate. In truth, he couldn’t imagine doing without it.
He drew back and looked down into her eyes. Droplets of water clung to her lashes. “We’ll find some bigger waves tomorrow,” he said. He helped her back onto her board, then straddled his. “We need to get you in to shore and put some sunscreen on your face. You’re starting to burn.”
“Let me try one more wave. Then we can go.”
“Only if you kiss me again,” he said.
She leaned into him, her feet dangling off the sides of her board, and placed a quick kiss on his lips.
He frowned. “You can do better.”
With a dramatic sigh, she leaned in again and this time, treated him to a full-on tongue kiss, her mouth warm against his. She knew exactly how he liked to be kissed and she used that knowledge to her advantage. When she drew back, she arched her eyebrow.
“All right,” he agreed. “One more wave. I’m not going to give you a push this time. I’m just going to tell you when to go.”
She lined her board up, watching over her shoulder as the next set rolled in. “Tell me when,” she said.
“Go,” he said. “Paddle hard. Paddle!”
This time, she got up right away. But she was so excited that she threw her arms over her head and disrupted
