Let Me Love You (Australian Sports Star Series Book 2) (15 page)

Tamara moved her hands up his chest, starting to unbutton his shirt. She slowly peeled his shirt off his shoulders, taking the vest with it at the same time. With both hands, she explored his chest, tracing the line of hair down to his stomach before she bent over and lightly kissed him.

“I missed you,” he whispered.

“Show me,” she said, her eyes gleaming with challenge. “Show me how much you missed me.”

In one quick motion, Oliver scooped her up with her legs wrapped around him, and carried her to his bed.

He kissed her again, this time as lightly as the touch of a feather, and she shivered with the sensations that poured through her. A surge of physical sensation flooded her as he caressed her body with his hands, tracing the plane of her stomach, before his fingers traced the bottom curve of her breasts.

“That’s just the beginning of how much I missed you,” he whispered to her, as he left a trail of kisses down her throat to her shoulders.

Arching into him, she said, “It’s nice to be missed.”

He stopped, and she looked down only to find him cocking a brow at her. A grin spread across his face, and a hint of mischief showed in his eyes. That was when she noticed just how much she’d missed him. There was also something else stirring in her. Something different. Somewhere along the line, she’d accepted the fact how much she loved him. It felt good, and it felt like she was right where she belonged.

“Thank you for making me feel again.” She smiled as she traced his brow with her finger.

He gave her another of those breathtaking smiles before he continued to caress her body with kisses until his warm breath seeped between her legs. Tamara caught her breath as his tongue touched her at the very spot.

Her body shook and trembled as waves of pleasure washed through her. Oliver continued to stroke her with his tongue until she was about to come. Reaching over to the bedside table, he grabbed a condom and rolled it on. Then, in one smooth motion, he slid inside her until all her nerve endings twitched and tingled. It didn’t take long for her to shudder in his arms, and she gasped as he thrust into her one last time. She pulled his face down to her and with a gentle kiss told him how much it meant to her to be with him. To show him that being with him was everything she’d wanted for the last few months.

For a long moment, they stayed locked in each other’s arm. His fingers traced a path down her spine, and there wasn’t another place she’d rather be. Lying against his warm solid chest with his strong arms wrapped around her, she felt safe. When she was with Oliver, she was able to be herself, to let go of her past and her fear. With him, she could live in the moment, but above all, being with Oliver made her want to be happy again with someone, despite of having lost it all before.

As she traced his lips with her finger, heat rose from deep inside, remembering how they felt against her skin.

“Again?” she asked, hoping for more.

***

The next morning, Oliver watched Tamara as she stepped out of the bathroom with only a towel wrapped around her. It was a sight he couldn’t get enough of. He had explored her beautiful body over and over the previous night until they both had fallen asleep in each other’s arms. With his hands crossed under his head, he watched her dress. It stirred something inside him.

A sense of contentment settled in his chest, and he felt a small, hopeful sliver of happiness. The thought that he’d never see her again had eaten at him the last months, and it had caused an ache inside he’d never known before. It’d been like the moment when he’d seen Erin’s dead body. But that had been only a moment. Trying to move on from Tamara the last few months had been one moment after another. Now he started to understand the pain he’d caused her by following her to Perth, by not giving her enough time to deal with her grief and not enough time to heal inside. He understood when he’d needed sex to forget, she needed to remember that Jason was no longer with her and that moving on, whether it was after a short period of time or longer, moving on was the natural progression.

Holding up the dress with her hand, she looked around, searching for something.

He grinned. “Looking for this?” Oliver asked as he held up her bra.

A smile spread from her mouth up to her eyes as she came back to bed and straddled him. She reached for it, but he held it out of her reach.

Oliver traced lightly across the top of her breasts and down her cleavage.

She said his name, yet it sounded more like moan to his ears, and he loved it. A smile tugged at his lips when he met her gaze.

“Right here, cupcake.”

“I really need to go.”

He touched her lips with his as he whispered. “I know.”

“I need my bra.”

“I’ll trade it for another one of your kisses.”

He found himself mesmerised by the way her lips quirked up into a smile. Slowly, she came closer until her lips touched his. Oliver closed his eyes, enjoying her passionate kiss.

Until she pulled away—with her bra in her hand.

“I need to get to Mum and Dad and let them know—” With a couple of smooth motions, she slipped on her bra. “Well, let them know that I haven’t fallen off the earth.”

“When will you fly back?”

Her gaze went into the distance, and he knew it wasn’t something she wanted to talk about.

“Tonight.”

“Already?”

“Oliver?”

He looked at her and saw all the emotions in her eyes.

“What is between the two of us?” she finally asked. “I mean, I want this to be more than just sex. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t need a lifetime commitment, but something to give another move to Melbourne—”

Now she had his attention.

“Come over here,” he said in a low husky voice.

She came closer, spellbinding him with every little move she made. Every little part of her body was like a drug to him, he couldn’t get enough of, and he never wanted to let go of her again.

He slid his hand into her hair, cupping the back of her head. “There’s an us,” he said as he tilted her head and lowered his lips to hers. When he broke after a long moment, he added, “You and me. This is more than sex.”

“No other women?”

Cocking an eyebrow, he stared at her.

“I’m sorry.” Letting out a long sigh, she traced his brow with her fingertips. “I think I’m scared.”

His whole body responded at the mere touch of her finger. Something inside told him she needed him. She needed to hear the right words to comfort her. Yet, he wasn’t sure what the right words were, and it scared him. How could he convince her to move to Melbourne to be with him, but most importantly, how could he convince her that she was the one for him?

“When’s your flight exactly?”

She met his gaze. “Six o’clock.”

“Do you need a lift?”

She sat back, and the expression in her face changed. The shift in conversation wasn’t what she expected, but he had a plan. The perfect plan to convince her he was the right man for her, and that she didn’t need to be scared anymore.

“Trust me,” he said.

Suspicion written all over her face, she let it go. He hoped she trusted him, because that was the foundation for what he had in mind.

Fifteen minutes later, he was in the kitchen drinking his coffee. Tamara had left without breakfast, telling him she’d grab something to eat at the hotel. It was harder than he expected to say goodbye, and it seemed even harder for her.

While having a quick shower, he replayed what had happened the previous twelve hours. He couldn’t believe they’d kissed like that in the toilet. The night they spent together, her body…and then she’d asked for
more.
His heart had jumped, and then and there, he’d fallen for her again. She was it for him. Tamara was the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

Chapter Eleven

Tamara’s whole body still buzzed with sensation and adrenalin. It was like a dream she didn’t want to wake up from. Being with Oliver made her complete, and even though the thought of what lay ahead of her was unknown, she trusted him. Tamara trusted him, as much as she’d ever trusted anyone. They were good together. There was chemistry between them, and she enjoyed each moment she spent with him.

Deep inside, she knew moving back to Melbourne wasn’t the problem. She’d loved her short time in the Victorian city, but she wasn’t sure how she’d cope if she got hurt again while so far away from her parents.

Shaking her head, she laughed. “You sound like a little school girl,” she said to herself.

There’d been something in his eyes, though, that made her believe in his words.

Tamara parked the car outside the hotel and took the stairs to her room. Not that she needed the exercise, because her legs were still weak from the lovemaking with Oliver.

She walked past her parents’ room and stopped. Initially hesitating, she knocked.

“Good morning, Tammy,” her mother greeted her when she opened the door.

“Have you had breakfast, yet?” Tamara asked.

Britt smiled. “We were about to head to the café. Will you join us?”

“I’d love to.”

“Very well. And you can tell us all about last night.”

Tamara wasn’t sure whether she imagined it or whether her mother had a little grin on her face, but it could’ve easily been the grin on her own face she was aware of.

Twenty minutes later, they all sat at the table in the café and drank some coffee, waiting for their breakfast.

“Was it a beautiful wedding?”

Tamara nodded. “And considering the money he’s got, it was very low key. Katie looked stunning, though. Such a gorgeous bride.”

“I suppose being an AFL player helps to pay the bills. Did they do one of those magazine deals?”

Tamara laughed. “No, I don’t think so. Mum, haven’t I told you about Katie? She’s very humble. They’ve got a small house on a nice block north of Melbourne.”

There was a moment of silence while the waitress placed their breakfast on the table.

“Anyway,” Britt said, “What we want to know most, obviously, is…tell us about that handsome man who came to Perth.”

Heat crept up in Tamara’s cheeks.
Oh yes, he was handsome.

“Keep it clean, please,” her dad said as he picked up his fork and knife.

She took a deep sigh and leaned back. Her gaze went out the window, watching the early morning rush on the streets. Having a moment of contentment, she remembered the days she’d struggled through the Melbourne traffic, cursing it, but at the same time enjoying the time to listen to her audio books.

Meeting her mother’s gaze, she said, “I’m moving back to Melbourne.”

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed her dad stopped his fork halfway to his mouth, as he simply stared at her.

“Are you sure?” her mother asked.

She choked back a chuckle. “No, I’m not.”

Britt placed her hand onto Tamara’s, and with a warm smile, told her that she would support her no matter what.

“I’m scared, though.”

“Darling, of course you are. You’re stepping out of your comfort zone again.”

“Moving in with this guy?” his father asked with a full mouth, which earned him a gentle slap from his wife.

Tamara shrugged. “I don’t think so.” She sighed. “I feel really good around him. Safe. But I’d say we need to take it one step at a time.”

As she sipped her coffee, she thought that they had taken their biggest step already, and it shouldn’t be all that hard from now on. Yet, she knew if he’d asked her, she’d say yes to moving in. Tamara had loved his house from the very first minute she’d seen it.

“I’m so sorry for causing so much trouble. This moving back and forth must be a strain on you as well.”

Her father placed his knife and fork on the table and crossed his arms across his chest. “It was when you were five and you still wet the bed. It was stress when you were seven and decided school wasn’t what you had in mind for your future.”

Tamara laughed.

“It was stress when you were in your teenage years and this pimply boy with braces stood in front of our door almost every day. Even more stressful when you two just turned adults, and I saw him sneaking out of your room in the middle of the night.”

“You did?”

His deep laughter brought a smile on her face. Then he leaned forward and placed his hand on hers. “It is no stress whatsoever to help you in any way possible to find love again. That’s what we are here for, to guide you through life.”

That nearly did her in. “I love you, Dad.”

“We love you, too. No matter how old you are, we’ll be there for you.”

Tamara’s dad picked up his knife and fork again and mumbled, “My grandkids will play football or cricket, though, and not this American stuff.”

Tamara smiled, and as she met her mother’s gaze, they shared a moment of contentment together.

The rest of the day flew by. Tamara wasn’t able to concentrate on anything and literally threw her clothes into the suitcase. She’d tried to call Oliver a couple of times, but only got his message bank:

I’m currently not able to take your call. Just leave a message. If you’re the one who’s supposed to trust me, I hope you still do.

Tamara disconnected the call and smiled. It was hard to trust, especially when she wasn’t able to talk to Oliver, but she would. Picking up the suitcase, she grabbed her handbag and made her way to check out.

***

Oliver was about to head out when the doorbell rang. He tried to ignore his visitor, but the person was persistent. He checked his watch and knew he didn’t have much time if he wanted to get his plan into action.

When he opened the door, he saw Sarah standing in front of him crying. Without hesitating he pulled her into a hug.

“Timmy?” he whispered.

Shaking her head against his chest, she let out a long sob.

“Come on in, sweetcakes.”

Oliver gently pushed her inside the house towards the kitchen.

“Family?” he asked.

Another sob, before she met his gaze. “Nope.”

“Saz, I need a bit of help here unless you only want to have a little cry. If that’s the case, let’s move into the lounge room so I can watch the news while you do so.”

Listening to Sarah’s problems, he had an idea he wasn’t able to rush through this conversation and with another quick check of the time, he saw he still had enough time.

When Saz agreed to a beer, Oliver knew she really needed him. They sat down in the lounge room and she spilled her problem. All the while, he kept an eye on the time. He was sure he could almost hear the seconds ticking away in his head now.

In the end it wasn’t a crisis at all, simply a little hiccup in her relationship with Markus, but in typical female fashion, she’d made a mountain out of a molehill.

Yet, when the phone rang, and the answering machine recorded Markus’ message, he wasn’t all that sure about his first assessment anymore.

Another look at his watch.

He let out a few curses through his gritted teeth as he stood.

The phone rang again, and Oliver was about to answer.

“If it’s him, tell him to go to hell.”

“Saz—”

Holding up her hand, she said, “I don’t care.”

The caller wasn’t Markus, though, and she placed a kiss on his cheek and left.

“Mum, I love you dearly, but you only have thirty seconds.”

He heard something like a chuckle and shook his head. “Mum. Twenty-five.”

“Are you with Tamara?”

“Nope, but I’m hoping to catch up with her before she leaves tonight.”

“Oh my. Give me the short ten second version.”

Oliver placed the phone between his shoulder and ear as he walked into his bedroom to grab his shoes. “We’re good.”

“That was one second, darling. I need another nine.”

“You’ll get a whole day if you just let me go and do my thing.”

There was a moment of silence, before she whispered. “Good luck, Oliver.”

He stopped and focused on the words. Good luck? Why would she wish him good luck? And why—

“Mum?”

But she’d hung up already.

Occupied with his idea of convincing Tamara that he was the man for her, he rushed through the house, grabbed his car keys, and headed down the main streets. He knew exactly what he wanted and even had an idea where to get it. As usual in Melbourne, traffic was a nightmare, especially at this time of the day. As he stopped and went through the traffic, he dialled Markus’ number, but only got his answering machine.

“Mate, I got your message. I’m kinda busy right now, but will catch up with you later on.”

It took him much longer than expected to get to find a park.

He checked the time again.

Damn it!

Rushing through the crowd, bumping about every second person, he finally made it to his destination and forty-five minutes later, he was back in his car en route to the airport.

More traffic and more cursing.

***

Tamara pulled her little carry-on suitcase behind her. She still had the
afterglow
smile on her face, which she couldn’t, and in all honesty didn’t want to, wipe off her face.

After lunch with Erik and Jenny, they’d finally made it to the airport. They’d checked in and were now enjoying an early dinner.

“Erik said that Oliver fought a few demons as well,” her mother said.

Tamara nodded. “Yes, he has.” She sighed. “And I know he’s not perfect. But I know he understands me, or at least he’d come to understand why I closed the door on him in Perth. I think initially I needed Oliver to move on from Jason.”

“You had to have sex to move on?” her father asked.

“Daaaad.”

He shrugged. “That’s how it sounded to me.”

“No.” She met his gaze and noticed his struggle with a smile. “You’re teasing me, right?”

“Yup.”

They ate for a moment before Tamara said, “I don’t know how to explain it. Everyone’s told me to move on, to move past the guilt that Jason’s gone, and I’m still here. I know Erik is worried, because he thinks Oliver is a charmer, but not worth keeping. If that’s really so, at least I have him to thank for starting this whole
moving on
business.” Lifting her shoulder in a shrug as she met her mother’s gaze, she said, “But somehow I think there’s more to him than just charm.”

Britt placed her hand on Tamara’s. “And most of the time it’s our gut instinct that is right.”

They ate in silence until Britt nodded towards someone behind Tamara. “Isn’t that…”

Tamara turned and spotted Oliver straight away in the crowd. “What on earth?”

Her dad turned as well. “Is that him?”

Tamara nodded and slowly stood. “Excuse me for a minute.”

Not waiting for a reply from her parents, she walked towards Oliver. Happy to see him, but nervous at the same time she stopped in front of him.

“Hi. Fancy seeing you here.”

Oliver took her hand and, without saying a word, led her through the crowd towards the toilets. Stunned, she just followed him, not really knowing what to say or think.

She trusted him.

That simple realisation that she was able to trust someone to follow a person blindly gave her a rush of peace within.

Although, for some odd reason, that was to the toilets at that moment.

He gently shoved her inside before he closed the door behind them. Placing his hand around her waist, he pulled her closer, brought his free hand to the side of her face, and kissed her. Not just
a kiss,
but a kiss so intense it spread warmth all the way to her toes and other vital parts of her body.

He slowly broke the kiss. “Christ, I'm glad I found you.”

Still stunned by what just had happened, she simply smiled.

Looking around before he met her gaze again, he said, “I know this isn’t the perfect place to do this, but considering what happened last night—” He shrugged.

“Oliver?”

Instead of a reply, he gave her another kiss that left her breathless and melting against his body.

She reluctantly withdrew from his kiss. “Not that I would complain, but I have a flight to catch.”

“Right.” He grinned as he pulled out a little box from his jeans pocket. Everything inside her stilled.