CHAPTER SIX
SHE CRIED OUT as she came and felt him shudder as he joined her.
It was different.
But good.
There was such a thing as good different after all.
They had made love fast and impatiently, unable to restrain themselves, and then they made love slowly, getting to know every inch of each other. Luci was adventurous and brave as she discovered the joys of sex with Seb. There was no routine, there was no expectation or pressure. It was all new and exciting.
Luci could remember when sex had been like that—when she and Ben hadn’t been able to get enough of each other. When they had been young and first married they had grabbed every opportunity and then again when they’d decided it was time to start a family. She’d had plenty of sex but somewhere along the line it had lost the fun and become a chore. At some point it had become another thing on the list of jobs that had to be done.
She knew when that had happened. When, month after month, her dreams of falling pregnant hadn’t eventuated. She’d started worrying, constantly taking her temperature, changing her diet, insisting on sex on certain days of the month, certain times of the day—and it had taken the fun out of it. Was it any wonder Ben had started looking elsewhere? She’d blamed him for destroying their marriage single-handedly when the reality was that she’d played her part too.
Remembering how much fun sex could be cheered her up immensely. She still knew how to enjoy life.
She smiled as Seb tucked her in to his side and trailed his finger down her arm. The night hadn’t been a complete disaster after all.
‘So how was the water?’ Seb asked, as his fingers ran over her hip bone and down to the top of her thigh.
Luci’s brain had turned to mush. ‘Pardon?’
‘The water?’ Seb repeated. ‘You wanted to dip your toe in. I want to know if it was to your liking.’
Luci grinned. ‘Very much so. I’ve decided there is such a thing as good different. But this is all new to me. I need some guidelines.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘I need to know if we are dating or just having sex.’
‘What do you want?’
‘I need to have some fun but I also want to see what dating is like in the modern day. When I leave Sydney I need to know what to expect. I need some practice.’
‘I think you’ll find you’ll be fine. Trust me,’ he said. ‘But I’m happy to be of service for the next four weeks while I’m still here. We can have fun until I leave or until you get sick of me.’
Luci appreciated the fact that he didn’t suggest he’d get tired of her first.
‘But I do have one condition,’ Seb added.
‘What’s that?’
‘We are exclusive while it lasts. No dating anyone else.’
Luci nodded. She had no intention of looking elsewhere. She couldn’t imagine needing to.
‘So when Michael calls and asks you out, you’d better have an excuse ready.’
‘Really? Michael? I thought I made it perfectly clear that I wasn’t interested.’
‘For some men that only makes you more appealing. For some it’s all about the chase. I can see I have a lot to teach you,’ he said, as he kissed her shoulder. ‘So much to do and so little time.’
‘Where do you want to start?’ Luci replied with a smile.
‘How about we start with this?’ he said, flipping her onto her back and ducking his head under the covers.
Luci closed her eyes and gave herself up to him. There was no room in her head for thoughts of anything other than the waves of pleasure that consumed her.
Seb knew exactly what he was doing. This might just be the best decision she had ever made.
Seb woke her in the morning in the same way he’d said goodnight, then got up to make her a cup of tea.
‘We might be going about this a little backwards but I have a first date planned,’ he said as she sat up in bed and took the tea.
‘Now?’
‘You might have time for a shower.’ He grinned.
The shower took a little longer than normal. Having Seb in there with her, offering to wash her back, wasn’t necessarily the timesaver one might expect.
She dressed in jeans, canvas sneakers, a T-shirt and Seb’s spare leather jacket and climbed on the back of his bike. Her thighs complained as she stretched them over the seat but she wasn’t complaining. She might be a bit stiff and sore but it was an ache she was more than happy to put up with.
‘Where are we going?’ she asked.
‘I’m taking you out for breakfast.’
That sounded good. She was starving.
Seb rode to Milson’s Point on the north shore and pulled into a parking spot beside the harbour bridge. There were numerous cafés along the opposite side of the street and Luci wondered which one he had chosen, but Seb didn’t cross the street. Instead, he took her hand and led her along the ramparts of the bridge and up a flight of stairs.
‘You’re going to walk across the bridge with me?’ Luci asked as they reached the top and she found herself on the pedestrian walkway that ran along the eastern side of the bridge. ‘I thought this was the sort of thing only tourists did?’ she teased.
‘I figured you’re worth making an exception for. But if I’m going to do this then this is the best time of day. It’s quiet enough on a Sunday morning to still be relatively peaceful. We can take our time and we’ll have breakfast at the other end.’
The view was spectacular, better than Luci had imagined. The Opera House, the botanic gardens and the city skyline were laid out before them as they headed south across the bridge. The sun was still low in the sky to their left and the Opera House sparkled like a sugar-coated meringue on the edge of the harbour. She’d seen it from the water, in daylight and at night-time and now from a higher vantage point. It didn’t disappoint, no matter what. She thought it was an incredible building and she knew it would always remind her of Seb.
There was a light breeze blowing, just enough to get the flag on top of the bridge moving but not enough to be unpleasant. They stopped numerous times to watch the ferries crisscross the harbour and the tiny yachts dart across the water. By the time they descended onto Cumberland Street in The Rocks Luci was famished. The combination of sex and walking had certainly fired her appetite. Seb ordered a big breakfast—bacon, eggs, tomato, spinach, mushrooms, hash browns. Luci had smashed avocado
