Gemma watched as he began taking the tops off all the containers. "So what are you going to do with all that stuff?"
He smiled. "You"ll see. I told you that you"re going to be my dessert."
She blinked when she read his thoughts. He was serious.
"Now for my fantasy," he said, turning to her and placing his hands on her knees as he stepped between them, widening her legs as he did so. He began un-b.u.t.toning her shirt and when he took it off her shoulders he neatly placed it on the back of the kitchen chair.
He reached out to unsnap the front of her bra, lifting a brow at its peach color. He"d watched her put it on this morning and when he asked her about it, she told him she liked matching undies.
"Nice color."
"Glad you like it."
Gemma couldn"t believe it a short while later when she was sitting on Callum"s kitchen counter in nothing but her panties. He then slid her into his arms. "Where are we going now?"
"Out on the patio."
"More room?"
"Yes, more room, and the temperature tonight is unusually warm."
He carried her through the French doors to place her on the chaise longue. "I"ll be back."
"Okay." Antic.i.p.ation was flowing through her veins and she could feel her heart thudding in her chest. She"d never considered herself a s.e.xual being, but Callum was proving just how pa.s.sionate she could be. At least with him. She had a pretty good idea just what he planned to do and the thought was inciting every cell in her body to simmer with desire. The thought that couples did stuff like this behind closed doors, actually had fun being together, being adventurous while making love, had her wondering what she"d been missing all these years.
But she knew she hadn"t been missing anything because the men she"d dated in the past hadn"t been Callum. Besides being drop-dead gorgeous, the man certainly had a way with women. At least he had a way with her. He had made her first time memorable; not only in giving her pleasure but in the way he had taken care of her afterwards.
And then there were the flowers he"d sent today. And then at dinner, she had enjoyed their conversation where not only had he shared how his day had gone, but had given her a lot of interesting information about his homeland. This weekend he had offered to take her sailing on his father"s yacht. She was looking forward to that.
While sitting across from him during dinner, every little thing had boosted up her desire for him. She couldn"t wait to return here to be alone with him. It could be the way he would smile at her over the rim of his winegla.s.s, or the way he would reach across the table and touch her hand on occasion for no reason at all. They had ordered different entrees and he had hand-fed her some of his when she was curious as to how his meal tasted.
Callum returned and she watched as he placed all the items on the small table beside her. The patio was dark, except for the light coming in from the kitchen and the moonlight overhead. They had eaten breakfast on the patio this morning and she knew there wasn"t a single building on either side of them, just the ocean.
He pulled a small stool over to where she lay on her back, staring up at him. "When will you be my dessert?" she tried asking in a calm voice, but found that to be difficult when she felt her stomach churning.
"Whenever you want. Just ask. I"ll give you whatever you want."
He"d been telling her that so much that she was beginning to believe it. "The ocean sounds so peaceful and relaxing. You"d better hope I don"t fall asleep," she warned.
"If you do, I"ll wake you."
She looked up at him, met his gaze and felt his heat. She"d told him last night there were no limitations. There still weren"t. It had taken her twenty-four years to get to this point and she intended to enjoy it for all it was worth. Callum was making this a wonderful experience for her and she appreciated him for being fascinating as well as creative.
He moved off the stool just long enough to lean over her to remove her panties. "Nice pair," he said, while easing the silky material down her thighs and legs.
"Glad you like them."
"I like them off you even better," he said, balling them up and standing to put them into the back pocket of his jeans. "Now for my dessert."
"Enjoy yourself."
"I will, sweetheart."
It seemed that her entire body responded to his use of that endearment. He meant nothing by it-she was certain of it. But still, she couldn"t help how rapidly her heart was beating from hearing it and how her stomach was fluttering in response to it.
While she lay there, she watched as Callum removed his shirt and tossed it aside before returning to his stool. He leaned close and she was tempted to reach out and run her fingertips across his naked chest, but then decided she wouldn"t do that. This was his fantasy. He"d fulfilled hers last night.
"Now for something sweet, like you," he said, and she nearly jumped when she felt a warm, thick substance being smeared over her chest with his fingers and hands in a sensual and erotic pattern. When he moved to her stomach the muscles tightened as he continued rubbing the substance all over her belly, as if he was painting a design on her.
"What is it?"
"My name."
His voice was husky and in the moonlight she saw his tense features, the darkness of the eyes staring back at her, the s.e.xy line of his mouth. All she could do was lie there and stare up at him speechlessly, trying to make sense of what he said. He was placing his name on her stomach as if he was branding her as his. She forced the thought from her mind, knowing he didn"t mean anything by it.
"How does it feel?" he asked as his hand continued spreading chocolate syrup all over her.
"The chocolate feels sticky, but your hands feel good," she said honestly. He had moved his hands down past her stomach to her thighs.
He didn"t say anything for a long moment, just continued to do what he was doing.
"And this is your fantasy?" she asked.
His lips curved into a slow smile that seemed to heat his gaze even more. "Yes. You"ll see why in a moment."
When Callum was satisfied that he had smeared enough chocolate syrup over Gemma"s body, he grabbed the can of whipped cream and squirted some around her nipples, outlined her belly b.u.t.ton, completely covered her feminine mound, and made squiggly lines on her thighs and legs.
"Now for the cherries and nuts," he said, still holding her gaze.
He then proceeded to sprinkle her with nuts and place cherries on top of the whipped cream on her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, navel and womanly mound. In fact, he placed several on the latter.
"You look beautiful," he said, taking a step back and looking down at her to see just what he"d done.
"I"ll take your word for it," she said, feeling like a huge ice-cream sundae. "I just hope there isn"t a colony of ants around."
He laughed. "There isn"t. Now to get it off you."
She knew just how he intended to do that, but nothing prepared her for the feel of his tongue when he began slowly licking her all over. Every so often he would lean up and kiss her, giving her a taste of the concoction that was smeared all around his mouth, mingling his tongue with hers. At one point he carried a cherry with his teeth, placed it in her mouth and together they shared the taste.
"Callum..."
Callum loved the sound of his name on her lips and as he lowered his mouth back down to her chest, he could feel the softness of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s beneath his mouth. And each nipple tasted like a delicious pebble wrapped around his tongue. Every time he took one into his mouth she shivered, and he savored the sensation of sucking on them.
He kissed his way down her stomach and when he came to the area between her legs, he looked up at her, met her gaze and whispered, "Now I will devour you."
"Oh, Callum."
He dropped to his knees in front of her and homed in to taste her intimately. She cried out his name the moment his tongue touched her and she grabbed hold of his hair to hold his mouth hostage. There was no need, since he didn"t plan to go anyplace until he"d licked his fill. Every time his tongue stroked her c.l.i.toris, her body would tremble beneath his mouth.
She began mumbling words he was certain had no meaning, but hearing her speak incoherently told him her state of mind. It was tortured, like his. She was the only woman he desired. The only woman he loved.
Moments later when she bucked beneath his mouth when her body was ripped by a ma.s.sive sensual explosion, he kept his tongue planted deep inside her, determined to give her all the pleasure she deserved. All the pleasure she wanted.
When the aftershocks of her o.r.g.a.s.m had pa.s.sed, he pulled away and began removing his jeans. And then he moved his body in position over hers, sliding between her open legs and entering her in one smooth thrust.
He was home. And he began moving, stroking parts of her insides that his tongue hadn"t been able to reach, but his manhood could. And this way he could connect with all of her now. This way. Mating with her while breathing in her delicious scent, as the taste of her was still embedded in his mouth.
The magnitude of what they were sharing sent him reeling over the top, and he felt his own body beginning to explode. He felt his release shoot straight into her the moment he called out her name.
Instinctively, her body began milking him again, pulling everything out of him, making him moan in pleasure. And he knew this was just a part of what he felt for her. And it wasn"t l.u.s.t. It was everything love was based on-the physical and the emotional. And he hoped she would see it. Every day she was here he would show her both sides of love. He would share his body with her. He would share his soul. And he would continue to make her his.
He was tempted to tell her right then and there how he felt, let her know she was his soul mate, but he knew he couldn"t. Not yet. She had to realize for herself that there was more between them than this. She had to realize and believe that she was the only woman for him.
He believed that would happen and, thankfully, he had a little time on his side to break down her defenses, to get her to see that all men weren"t alike, and that he was the man destined to love her forever.
"So what do you think of this one, Gemma?" Mira Austell asked, showing Gemma the diamond earrings dangling from her ears.
"They"re beautiful," Gemma said, and truly meant it.
The Austell ladies had picked her up around ten and it was almost four in the afternoon and they were still at it. Gemma didn"t want to think about all the stores they had patronized or how many bags they had between the five of them.
Gemma had seen this gorgeous pair of sandals she just had to buy and also a party dress, since Callum had offered to take her to a club on the beach when she mentioned that she enjoyed dancing.
This particular place-an upscale jewelry store-was their last stop before calling it a day. Le"Claire suggested they stop here, since she wanted a new pair of pearl earrings.
"Gemma, Mira, come look at all these gorgeous rings," Le"Shaunda was saying, and within seconds they were all crowded around the gla.s.s case.
"I really like that one," Annette said, picking out a solitaire with a large stone.
"Umm, and I like that one," Le"Claire said, smiling. "I have a birthday coming up soon, so it"s time to start dropping hints."
Gemma thought Callum"s mother was beautiful and could understand how his father had fallen in love so fast. And no wonder Todd gave her anything she wanted. But then Callum gave her anything she wanted as well. Like father, like son. Todd had trained his offspring well. Last weekend Callum had treated her to a picnic on the beach, and another one was planned for this weekend as well. She had enjoyed her time with him and couldn"t help but appreciate the time and attention he gave to her when he really didn"t have to do so.
"Gemma, which of these do you like the best?" Le"Claire asked.
Gemma pressed her nose to the gla.s.s case as she peered inside. All the rings were beautiful and no doubt expensive. But if she had to choose...
"That one," she said, pointing to a gorgeous four-carat, white-gold, emerald-cut ring. "I think that"s simply beautiful."
The other ladies agreed, and each picked out their favorites. The store clerk even let everyone try them on to see how each ring looked on their hands. Gemma was amused by how the others said they would remind their husbands about those favorites when it got close to their birthdays.
"It"s almost dinnertime, so we might as well go somewhere to get something to eat," Le"Shaunda said. "I know a wonderful restaurant nearby."
Le"Claire beamed. "That"s a wonderful idea."
Gemma thought it was a wonderful idea as well, although she missed seeing Callum. He had begun joining her for lunch every day at her office, always bringing good sandwiches for her to eat and wine to drink. They usually went out to a restaurant in town for dinner. Tonight they planned to watch a movie and make love. Or they would make love and then watch a movie. She liked the latter better, since they could make love again after the movie.
"Did Callum mention anything to you about a hunting trip in a couple of weeks?" Annette asked.
Gemma smiled over at her. "Yes, he did. I understand all the men are leaving for a six-day trip."
"Yes," Mira said as if she was eager for Colin to be gone. The other woman glanced over at Gemma and explained. "Of course I"m going to miss my husband, but that"s when we ladies get to do another shopping trip."
Everyone laughed and Gemma couldn"t keep from laughing right along with them.
Thirteen
"h.e.l.lo," Gemma mumbled into the telephone receiver.
"Wake up, sleepy."
A smile touched Gemma"s lips as she slowly forced her eyes fully open. "Callum," she whispered. "Who else?"
She smiled sleepily. He had left two days ago on a hunting trip with his father and brothers and would be gone for another four days. "I"ve been thinking about you."
"I"ve been thinking about you, too, sweetheart. I miss you already," he said.
"And I miss you, too," she said, realizing at that moment just how much. He had taken her to a party at his friend"s home last weekend and she had felt special walking in with him. And he"d never left her side. It was nice meeting some of the guys he"d gone to college with. And the night before leaving to go hunting he"d taken her to the movies again. He filled a lot of her time when she wasn"t working, so yes, she did miss him already.
"That"s good to hear. You had a busy day yesterday, right?"
She pulled herself up in bed. "Yes, but Kathleen and I were able to make sure everything would be delivered as planned."
"Don"t forget, you promised to take a break and let me fly you to India when I get back."
"Yes, and I"m looking forward to it, although I hope there isn"t a lot of turbulence on that flight."
"You never know, but you"ll be with me and I"ll take care of you."
Her smile widened. "You always do."
A few moments later they ended the call, and she fluffed her pillow and stretched out in the bed. It was hard to believe that she had been in Australia four weeks already. Four glorious weeks. She missed her family and friends back home, but Callum and his family were wonderful and treated her like she was one of them.
She planned to go shopping with his mother, sister and sisters-in-law again tomorrow, and then there would be a sleepover at Le"Claire"s home. She genuinely liked the Austell women and had had some rather amusing moments when they"d shared just how they handled their men. It had been hilarious when Le"Claire even gave pointers to Le"Shaunda, who claimed her husband could be stubborn at times.
But nothing, Gemma thought, could top all the times she"d spent with Callum. They could discuss anything. When she"d received the call that Niecee had been arrested, she had let him handle it so that her emotions wouldn"t stop her from making sure the woman was punished for what she had done. And then there were the flowers he continued to send her every week, and the "I"m thinking of you" notes that he would leave around the house for her to find. She stared up at the ceiling, thinking that Callum was definitely not like other men. The woman he married would be very lucky.