take care too, Mr Jordan.’ Penny squeezed Tom’s hand again. ‘Goodbye.’ She hurried inside to work and the door slammed shut behind her.
Tom’s grip on Hayley’s arm increased ever so slightly and he leaned in towards her, his deep voice caressing her ear and sparking such a swirl of longing that she wanted to move her head so her lips would brush his.
‘And you thought I didn’t do social chitchat.’ He tapped his cane and grinned. ‘Time to pick your jaw up off the ground, Hayley Grey.’
Just when she thought she’d got Tom Jordan figured out, he went and did something totally unpredictable like this. She tried to close her gaping mouth, but before she could, a giggle escaped, and then another and another, until she couldn’t stop. It was like her veins were full of laughter bubbles and they just kept rising to the surface, being carried up on a wave of fatigue and sheer relief that the night was finally over. Everything seemed uproariously funny and she gave in to it, loving the reckless feeling and the joy that came with it.
Tom’s bass laugh joined hers, making her laugh even harder until tears streamed down her face, her sides ached and she could hardly hold her head up. She let it fall onto his shoulder as she gasped for breath. ‘I don’t even know why I’m laughing.’
‘The non-technical term is slap happy.’ He pressed his free hand gently against her hair. ‘It’s a release for the pressure of the last few hours.’
She raised her head, loving the way his hand now curved around the back of her neck. ‘It doesn’t usually happen to me.’
‘You don’t usually do brain surgery.’ Now his fingers were stroking her neck and then they moved along her jaw, tilting her chin. His eyes that couldn’t see her darkened with desire. ‘You were amazing. Are amazing.’
Her laughter faded at his voice—husky, filled with admiration and undisguised attraction. Unlike the last time they’d almost kissed, this time there was no ambiguity. This time his words and tone of voice matched his expression. Nothing about him was pushing her away.
Her brain melted into a puddle of need as he traced her mouth with the tips of his fingers. Zips of sensation tore through her, detonating heat, lust and a desperate yearning all over her body. Then his mouth pressed against hers—gentle yet firm and, oh, so scorching hot. She heard a soft moan as she opened her mouth under his and realised it had come from her. His taste flooded her—coffee, peppermint and hunger for her—swirling into her mouth, diving deep and strumming the strings of her need. It knocked her off her feet.
She sagged against him. He stumbled slightly at the unexpected weight and she flung her arm around his waist to steady him. She didn’t want to give him any reason to pull away. She closed her eyes and let him kiss her, giving him full rein to explore her mouth, to nip her lips with his teeth, to caress and explore with his tongue and to brand her with his flavour of arousal. Sinking into the kiss, his heat simmered her blood, making every pulse point throb, and she never wanted it to end.
She’d been kissed before but nothing like this. It was as if he was stealing part of her and she was giving it up freely, but still he demanded more and she could feel the pull. Suddenly her blissed-out body woke up and demanded him. She cupped his cheeks, felt his stubble grazing her palms and she kissed him back.
Hard.
Fast.
Her tongue duelled with his and dominated his mouth, seeking his fire and merging it with hers. She heard him moan, heard his cane fall to the ground and felt his mouth plunder hers with a weight that stole her breath.
Panting, he tore his mouth away from hers and she shivered from the loss of his touch.
His hand ploughed through his hair. ‘Hell, I used to have a lot more finesse than this. We’re standing next to a rubbish dumpster.’
‘I hadn’t noticed.’ She touched his cheek, wanting to keep the contact. Not wanting him to change his mind.
He laughed and brought his hand up to cover hers. ‘Your sense of smell is hopeless.’
‘I thought we were dealing with a whole lot of other senses and, believe me, you still have loads of finesse.’ She kissed him quickly and decided to act. ‘I don’t have my car, but my place isn’t far. It’s over on Northcliff.’
He smiled and his eyes seemed to sparkle like the phosphorescent green waters of the Great Barrier Reef. ‘Mine’s closer. Walk fast.’
TOM stretched out in his bed, feeling completely sated. The musky smell of sex, the sweet scent of Hayley and the warmth from her body circled him, and he realised he hadn’t felt this relaxed since—Hell, he had no clue how long it had been and at that moment he didn’t care. He just was. He grinned at the play of light and dark in the room, shadows cast by the morning light. They’d made it to his apartment—just. Somehow he’d got his trembling hand to insert the key into the lock and had managed to turn it and open the door. In a tumble of clothes, they’d kicked off shoes, popped buttons, got arms tangled up in sleeves and shucked pants until finally they’d fallen into his bed and come together in a rush of blood-pounding desire and screaming lust—hot, fast and breath-stealing. Nothing about it had been slow. Nothing about it had been measured. It had been all about need—his and hers—two people equal in their quest to lose themselves in each other, taking more than giving.
Now, as his lungs refilled with air and his blood came back to his brain, the full impact of what had just happened hit him. He had a woman in his bed. A woman in his apartment. Before he’d gone blind, he’d always had sex with a woman at her place. That way he had been the one in control. He could get up and leave when he was ready, sometimes before he was ready if the hospital called him out—but either way his departure took place prior to the woman snuggling up and falling asleep on his shoulder. He’d always mumble something about ‘work’ and ‘calling later’, which, of course, he never did. Work had always come first because it protected him from tumbling back to poverty and the griminess of his childhood.
The mattress moved and he reached his hand out to touch Hayley’s silky hair, surprised at the need he had to feel her presence.
You never went in for touchy-feely stuff.
The last time I had sex I wasn’t blind. This is my way of seeing her.
If you say so.
He blocked out his internal argument. ‘You okay, Hayley?’
‘I’m fine. Why?’
He heard the smile in her voice. ‘It was pretty fast.’
She gave a throaty laugh. ‘Fast, but good, I hope.’
‘Very good.’ And it had been. Intoxicatingly good, and his blood still sang with her taste and touch. The buzz reminded him of the high he’d always got from riding his 1000 cc motorcycle fast along the coast with the throb of the powerful engine vibrating through him, and the wind and salt pounding him. It was amplified exhilaration and totally addictive. But as much as he’d loved the speed of his motorcycle and his sports car, he’d also enjoyed long, leisurely walks. That had given him a totally different buzz and that was the one he wanted now. He knew the urgent feel of Hayley’s arms and legs around
