Twice in a Lifetime (Carina) (15 page)

“I am reminding you that some kisses are more intimate than sex. This used to be your favourite, before you stopped believing in foreplay. Do you remember, Sarah?” He kissed her left thigh and then the right.

She nodded. She remembered. Liam was the only man she enjoyed it with. She never felt close enough with another man to give in to the wicked pleasure of it. She wanted him now but she wanted a few minutes first to get ready.

“I haven’t had a shower. Let me clean up first,” she begged.

“You had a shower today. That is clean enough for me.” His tone was thick with desire. Without waiting for a response he lowered his head and with his tongue he parted her; in seconds his mouth found her clit. This time he did not make her wait. He sucked gently, his tongue stroking rhythmically.

She gasped at the intensity of the pleasure. Her legs parted farther, opening to him. Her hands struggled against their binds. She needed to feel him inside her. “Liam, please,” she begged. But he continued the assault on her senses. She was almost there, her muscles coiled and ached, ready for release. She was getting closer and closer to the edge. But every time she thought she was there, Liam pushed her higher, the sensation going to levels she could hardly bear. She bit into her lip to stop the scream that was forming deep within her. Then his head went lower still, licking the entrance to her body, the very spot she wanted him to be. She lifted her hips to him again; she was so close; she closed her eyes, bright colour appearing behind her closed lids. Her pelvis rocked against him, begging him to enter her or at least bring his mouth higher and give her some release. But he wouldn’t; he was torturing her, keeping her in a state of acute arousal, the pleasure so intense it was almost painful.

She squirmed, trying to position his mouth, but he refused, instead licking everywhere but the sweet spot. His tongue was so deep inside her, he was making love to her with his mouth. He pulled back his head and lifted himself above her. Her head snapped up. He kissed her; he tasted of her. “Shh,” he said to stop her complaint. “I just want to see your face,” he explained. With a single stroke he pushed into her. She arched her back to meet his thrust.

“Don’t stop,” she said. He slid into her again and her body exploded around him in intense carnal spasms.

He slowed his body until the last tremor faded and then he started the movements again, long slow thrusts. The coiled frenetic energy began again. She cried out from the intensity of it. Her inner muscles contracted around him. With a final thrust he pushed into her and found his own release.

For a few tender moments they lay together, bodies entwined. For the first time since he left, she did not want to be anywhere else. Eventually he pulled himself away. He leaned over and kissed her again before he undid the binds, then he slid in bed beside her, his arms wrapping around her protectively, claiming her. She closed her eyes, the contentment making her drowsy. “See, now you have ruined me for quickies,” she said with feigned annoyance.

“I hope not, because in five minutes we are going to test that.” He kissed her neck.

“Five minutes. The Liam McPherson I knew only needed seconds.” She laughed, her head leaning back into his chest.

“Those are fighting words,” he said thickly. “Good thing I am up to the challenge.”

Liam stared across at Sarah’s sleeping form. He looped a lock of her golden hair around his finger. Christ, she was gorgeous. She was even more beautiful now than when she first arrived in his office. Was that even possible? Could she have got prettier in the last five days? What was he going to do? He didn’t want to let her go again but it was inevitable. Short of tying her to the bed, there was no way of keeping her here. The idea was bloody appealing, but he couldn’t force her into staying any longer. He had already got a week more than he was owed. Staying had to be her choice. To call it a choice was really a misnomer; it was a foregone conclusion that when the week was over they would go their separate ways. His life was here and hers was in Scotland, but it was more than geography that kept them apart. It was Sarah—it had always been her. When she was pushed too hard she ran.

He glanced at the clock. He would love to stay in bed and watch her sleep, but he would not have time to take her for breakfast before his meeting. And he knew for a fact that, for Sarah, a good meal was the only thing worth getting up early for. He smiled at his greedy girl. There was a strange tightness in his heart. He tried to ignore it but it was there. It was the same heaviness that descended on him when he left Edinburgh.

He kissed the back of her neck. “Wakey wakey.”

She groaned as she pulled a pillow over her head. “Go back to sleep. I don’t get up at stupid o’clock.”

“Time to get up, Sarah. I have a surprise.” He took the pillow off her head and threw it to the bottom of the bed.

“I will pay you to let me go back to sleep. How much do you want? Just take my bank card.” She rolled over and pulled the duvet up to her neck. Only a thick mane of hair remained in view.

“Tempting, but I pay your salary so it’s not much of an incentive for me. Maybe you could sweeten the deal.”

“Fine,” she grumbled, without opening her eyes. She pulled the duvet down to her waist, exposing her naked breasts. “Take what you want, just be gentle so you don’t really wake me. Don’t mind if I snore, that just means I am enjoying it.”

“Now there is an offer I can’t refuse.” Liam laughed. He stood up and pulled the covers completely off the bed. “Time for a shower, sleeping beauty.” He lifted her off the bed and carried her into the master en suite.

“Oy,” Sarah screeched. Her eyes flew open. “Liam McPherson, put me down this minute!”

“Or what?” he asked.

“Why does there have to be an ‘or what?’? You should behave without fear of sanctions. The ‘or what?’ is I will be annoyed.”

“But you are really sexy when you are annoyed. I pick fights with you just to wind you up. It’s on my list of top five things to do with you.”

“You are incorrigible. I can guess the other four but I am too much of a lady to say them in the light.”

He laughed and then kissed her head before setting her beside the shower and turning on the water. Once it was the right temperature, they got in. She put her arms around him. “If I am up, we really should be doing the other four things on the list.”

He ignored her, instead squeezed a dollop of shampoo on her wet hair.

“Really? Washing my hair is on the list? You are far kinkier than I could have imagined, Liam McPherson. I can’t wait to find out the top three. I hope that at least one of them involves your penis.” Her soapy hands reached between them and stroked the length of his hard cock.

“Woman, if you don’t stop that, I will have you up against the wall,” he warned. He wanted her. The need to be inside her overwhelmed him. He needed to have her again. When he was inside her she was his; Sarah belonged to him. Things were simple when they were having sex. They were a man and a woman who wanted each other, no questions, no strings, no past.

She smiled through the torrent of water. “That’s my plan.”

Her answer was the only invitation he needed. He told himself to go slow, but his body wouldn’t listen. He had to bury himself inside her. It went beyond desire to something far more primitive. He turned her around, pushing her arms above her head. The hot water sprayed down her back and onto him. He hitched up her leg, allowing access to her body. “I love that you like it hard and fast,” he growled against her ear as he thrust into her. Thank God she was ready for him, hot and wet around his length, because he couldn’t stop himself if he tried. Every thought escaped him. His only focus was feeling her wrapped around him. She was tight but her flesh yielded as he demanded more, as he claimed every inch of her.

One hand steadied her against him, and the other soapy palm found her breast, stroking her nipple in sudsy circles. Her back arched and her head fell back against his chest. His hand travelled lower, finding her clit. She moaned and lifted her leg higher, creating more room, allowing him to push deeper. He thrust into her with frantic need. Her breath hitched, and her muscles tightened around him, coaxing him to release. He held on until he felt her clamp down tight around him, signalling her orgasm. He thrust into her a final time and grunted as he came inside her, an explosion of searing white heat.

He held her pressed against him, still inside her, as the hot water lashed over their bodies. They fitted together perfectly. Their bodies were made for each other, for this. Liam kissed her neck again. A sudden realisation washed over him.

He loved her.

He stood perfectly still, paralysed by the thought. Shit, he loved her. A panic spread over him. He couldn’t love her. That wasn’t part of the deal. She was going home in a few days. This couldn’t last.

His heart squeezed painfully in his chest. He pulled himself out of her, turning quickly so he did not have to see her.

Shit, shit, shit. What was he going to do? He couldn’t let her go. She wouldn’t stay here once she knew Sam was OK. And he couldn’t go back to Scotland. He couldn’t, not even for her. There were too many bad memories. Sarah said everything she loved was there. He could laugh at the irony, because, for Liam, the city represented everything he hated.

He needed to get some space to think about things. “Five minutes, Dr Campbell, and then we are leaving, dressed or no.”

She turned to face him. Her face was bright. “You almost sounded Scottish just then.”

“Must be because I was just in my favourite part of Scotland.” God, he loved her. He had just had sex with her and he was ready to do it again. He could see himself having sex with her every day for the rest of his life and always wanting more. Why Sarah? Why did it have to be so complicated?

She swatted his arm playfully. “See, I told you there were good bits to Scotland. And not just my lady parts.”

“Agreed. I also like your hands and your mouth. Some of Scotland’s finest.”

“Where are we going?” Sarah asked for the third time. She looked out of the window, but all of the city looked the same to her. No, hold that, they were passing Spanish villa-style houses. This definitely looked different from the skyscrapers she had been surrounded by for the best part of a week.

“I told you. We are going to breakfast,” Liam answered without looking up from his phone. He frantically typed a message one-handed, only using his thumb. No doubt, that man was skilled with his hands.

“And room service wasn’t good enough today because you felt the need to drag me kicking and screaming from my cosy bed?”

His only response was a smile, complete with his single dimple.

“This better be some breakfast,” she grumbled and settled back into the soft leather of the seat. The view had turned from houses to white beaches lined with tall palm trees. Boats bobbed along the clear blue water. Even at eight in the morning the sun reflecting off the sand caused her to squint. She reached into her bag and put on her sunglasses.

The car pulled up into a large circular drive. An attendant opened the door for her. “Welcome to the Atlantis, madam,” he said. According to his name tag he was called Salem.

“Thank you.” She smiled as she took his hand.

When he was out of earshot she turned to Liam. “Why don’t you remind me to take my phone when you take me to all these amazing places? I need my phone to take pictures.”

“Love, this is Dubai—just assume I am taking you somewhere amazing every time we go out.”

Sarah spun around slowly to take it all in. When she was a kid she used to stay in on Saturday mornings with her granny watching old episodes of
Fantasy Island
. She half expected Tattoo to rush towards them, shouting, “The plane, the plane.”

“No, this is super amazing and I won’t do it justice when I try to explain it at work. I am properly annoyed that I forgot my camera.” She glanced at the infinity pool. “Like that—how am I going to explain the pool? Wow, that is a huge pool. Where does it end?” She stood on her tiptoes to look round the corner.

“There are shops inside. I will buy you a camera after breakfast.”

“Don’t go all
Pretty Woman
on me again,” she warned, wagging her finger at him.

Liam caught her index finger between his teeth. He bit down gently, his tongue caressing the tip. “How about I use my phone and email you the pictures?” he said when she pulled her hand away.

“Or better yet, send them to my granny. She will eat it up with a spoon. She uses email now, you know. She is all hip with the times.”

Liam walked beside her, guiding her to the entrance of the hotel. Another attendant opened the door and welcomed them.

“I know. She emails me.”

Sarah shook her head in exasperation. “Of course she does. What does she email you?”

“Usually jokes and memes and the occasional chain letter.” Liam guided her around the corner.

“Yep, that sounds like Granny. You better forward on those chain letters or she will worry. You know how superstitious she is.” Through a giant arch there was a large fountain with a massive chandelier hanging above it. Of course there was; this was Dubai. Sarah had yet to enter a building here without those two features. Maybe it was part of the building code. This time the chandelier was made of indigo-coloured glass and it bore more than a striking resemblance to a gigantic blue jellyfish. She hoped that was the look the artist was going for because he had nailed it.

“I will have Gemma get right on that.” Liam took her down another corridor, wide enough to drive through, with vaulted ceilings. “Here we are,” he said when they reached the Kaleidoscope Restaurant.

A server seated them at a table on the veranda outside and then pointed them to the buffet. Sarah’s eyes widened; it was the most amazing display of food she had ever seen. If the good Lord took her that instant, she would die a happy woman.

There were dishes from nearly every major cuisine in the world—Indian, Middle Eastern, Chinese, Thai, Japanese, Italian, even British. And the best part was it was proper food, none of this cereal and eggs nonsense. Sarah served herself a spring roll because she had always wanted a fresh spring roll at eight a.m. What wonders this would have done for her hangovers during her uni days. She filled the rest of her plate with chicken madras, a slice of pepperoni pizza and a Caesar salad. This really was her own private heaven: proper savoury food for breakfast.

When she returned to the table, Liam was happily munching on cornflakes and nursing a large mug of coffee. She eyed him dubiously. “That better be your first course.”

“Sarah, you’re the only one I know who could eat curry for breakfast and not feel sick.”

She gestured to the inside of the restaurant. “Look around, my friend, there are lots of us. I have found my people.” She smiled.

Liam pulled out his phone and snapped a picture of her biting into a slice of pizza.

“Oy! I don’t want a picture of me eating. Delete that!”

Liam smiled and slid the phone back into the breast pocket of his suit. “No, that one’s just for me.”

She rolled her eyes. “Well, enjoy it. Do you have some secret feeder fetish? You want a girl you can fatten up.”

“I just have a Sarah fetish. Not much of a secret though, is it? I think it took you about five minutes to work that one out when I moved to the estate.”

She laughed. “I suspected at six, but I knew for sure at eight when you told me you were going to marry me. Do you remember that? We were sitting on the swings. You said you were going to be rich and you were going to buy me a house in Australia. I can’t remember why you chose Australia.”

A soft smile tugged on his lips. “It was the farthest place I could think of.”

“Of course, even at eight you were packing your bags.”

“I was packing
our
bags,” he corrected.

She let out a puff of air, his words a small arrow to the heart. Why did strolls down memory lane always have to be so painful? She brushed the thought aside. She wasn’t going to let anything ruin what time she had left. “This is my new favourite restaurant. I am coming back tomorrow and the next day. I don’t know where you are going, but Ahmed and I have a standing date until I leave.”

Liam finished the last swig of coffee. “Sounds good to me. I have a business meeting here at ten but I brought a swimsuit for you so you can sunbathe while you wait if you like.” He handed her a black bag with silver lettering.

Sarah reached into it and held up two flimsy pieces of scarlet-red material. “Did Gemma pick this out for me too?” There was barely enough fabric in the top to cover her nipples. She would not be thanking his secretary for this offering.

Liam shook his head. “No, that was all me,” he said with a smile.

She stuffed the bikini back into the bag. “Well, if you think I am going to wear that you will be waiting a fair good while, laddie.”

“Maybe a private fashion show when we get back?” He sounded optimistic.

“Only if you do that topless hoovering we talked about and let me take pictures. It is my souvenir for the ladies in my office.”

They finished their breakfast and Sarah wandered around exploring the resort, while Liam met with an investor. She spent nearly an hour in the aquarium before she caught a lift in a golf cart to a lagoon with dolphins. She watched while families swam with the dolphins in the shallow water; the sight of happy people made her feel the need to both smile and cry.