He looked at her for a long moment. ‘Like what?’
‘Silly things.’ She felt her cheeks heat. She wasn’t going to tell him he’d just helped her achieve something she’d never imagined would really be possible. ‘I don’t mean climb Everest or be the first person on Mars or win a Nobel Prize. I mean, play in a fountain on a sunny day type of things. Eat too many hotdogs at the fair.’
‘That’s not that silly.’ He kept his eyes trained on her, his hands gently stroking up and down her inner thighs. ‘You’re not planning on doing dangerous things, are you? Like swimming with sharks, or walking on burning embers—in search of some extreme adrenalin rush? Prove your existence that way?’
‘Hell, no.’ She shuddered. ‘It’s not about risk. It’s about knowing I’m alive and loving it, that I’m not taking life for granted. I want to live here and now, make the most of every moment.’
There was a long silence. She peeked down at him. Serious and contemplative, he seemed miles away. He looked up and saw her watching him. ‘Are you ready to make the most of this moment?’ His hands slid back to the top of her thighs. Heat flooded her—ridiculous that she should feel any embarrassment now they’d been in this bed for so many hours, being as intimate as it was possible for two people to physically be. But this intimacy wasn’t just physical. She was talking with a freedom she hadn’t had before. He didn’t judge, he simply listened and all the while made her feel sexier than hell. Killer combo. She’d never seen lust so raw like this. Never imagined a guy could even look this way—let alone at her. Never realised how intoxicating it was when she felt it in return—threefold.
Unable to stop, she tilted her hips up to him, silently issuing the invitation—access all areas.
She sprawled back on the flat mattress, having swept away all the pillows in her fight for release, a film of sweat on her brow. But he wasn’t done. His gentle exploration, of both her body and life, began again.
‘You have a job?’
‘Not now. I worked all sorts to save for this trip—in bars, temping, gigs, session recordings.’ She’d worked hard—not wanting to use her brother’s money although he’d offered time and time again. She wanted to be free of his concern, his well-intentioned control. She wanted to do it all by herself. And while she had good grades and talent, right now she was factoring in the ‘me-time’.
‘You don’t want to be a full-time musician?’
‘Music is great but the lifestyle isn’t.’ And she wanted something more—to make a difference somewhere, somehow. Now she had a life she wanted to achieve something with it.
‘Why not teach?’
She frowned.
He laughed. ‘Come on, short work days, all those holidays…’
She threw him a sceptical look. ‘Which shows how much you know about teaching.’ It was a great profession but she’d have to do more study. She couldn’t afford that time-wise or dollar-wise at present. Top of her agenda was travelling to the places she’d dreamed of for too long, then she’d work in the UK and decide. Ideally she’d like to work in a voluntary sector—helping out in areas where little help was usually available or affordable. But she still had to eat.
‘So what are you going to do?’
Something important. Something useful. Something fulfilling. ‘I don’t know yet. Does it matter?’
‘Yes—to you. That’s what you’re looking for, isn’t it? A way to make your mark? Something positive.’
Too astute by half.
‘You’d make a good teacher,’ he persisted. ‘Teachers are really important.’
‘I know.’ She sighed. ‘You sound like my brother—actually he’s a builder, or was. Now he’s into commercial property development.’
‘Great.’
A bland response if ever there was one. But Sienna wanted to hone in on some commonality—wanting something to link them besides the physical ache for each other. And he was so damn reticent when it came to talking about himself. ‘You do residential property? People’s houses?’
‘Uh? Yeah.’ He looked away from her, down her legs again. ‘Tell me more about this list of yours. Is multiple orgasms on it?’
Rhys was still deep inside her, the overwhelming sensations still reverberating in his brain and body when she spoke.
‘What about you? You have some things you want to do before you die?’
‘I guess.’ He could die now a happy man. No. Correction. He needed to experience her softness again. It registered that he wasn’t going to be happy again until he’d had more of her. A lot more.
She’d said she wanted to live life in the moment—to make the most of it. He realised that he felt more alive when he was with her like this than he had done in years. She was more addictive than the most dangerous narcotic. The way she felt, the way she smelt, the sounds she made, the touch she gave. All combined to hit him with a natural high that he wanted again and again.
But it was just sex. He hadn’t focused like this in a while, that was all. Hadn’t lain in bed all night and half the day with a woman and done everything and anything on a whim.
But it wasn’t quite just sex. She was interesting. He was interested in learning more about her—and not just her body. She had a refreshing outlook, a different drive from other people he knew. She wanted to make the most of every moment. He wanted a piece of her attitude for himself. ‘I think we should trade.’
‘Hmm?’ She was drowsy, looking dazed and sleepy.
‘Something I want to do. Something you want to do.’ Hell, she wanted to frolic in a fountain. As if that’d be hard. But he could give her some challenges. He could set up some things she’d never forget. It seemed important she never forget because he had the discomforting feeling he’d never forget her. Never forget the moment he’d first laid eyes on her. Certainly never forget the moment his lips first got to touch hers. ‘Deal?’
The blue in her eyes deepened. ‘What kind of things?’
He shrugged. ‘All kinds of things. Like on your list. Let’s cross a few off this week.’
‘You want to trade items on our life to-do lists?’
He was intrigued to see colour flood into her cheeks. ‘Exactly.’ He raised a brow at her blush. ‘What do you say?’
‘Oka-a-ay. But I’m a tad nervous about what might be on your list.’
He laughed. ‘Nothing illegal, honey.’
CHAPTER EIGHT
SIENNA woke early and found her body ached all over—serious workout stiffness. Rhys hadn’t been kidding when he’d suggested testing how much she was capable of. He’d pushed her to the edge and beyond.
A huge chunk of her loved the hedonism of it—her body revelling in the physical release. But inescapable thoughts niggled at her. There was a part of her searching for more. Wanting more from him.
A couple of times in the night he’d turned to her, saying nothing but taking her again with an almost desperate desire. As if he was seeking something from her, but she didn’t know what it was. She wished he’d open up. She was used to listening to people, getting their stories out, but he was that guarded, didn’t offer up a thing—not verbally. His actions told her. He drove inside her as if the physical satisfaction she gave pacified some other, deeper demon inside him.
She rolled over and watched him sleeping. His expression was relaxed, dark lashes curved on his cheek, his mouth
soft and sensuous in repose. She was sure he had needs, certain he had hurts, but she couldn’t figure them out—couldn’t figure him out. She didn’t know if she was going to have time to. But she was damn well going to try.
He opened his eyes, looked about with a fidgety air that signalled he wasn’t quite a natural hedonist either. ‘We need to get out of this room.’ He threw back the sheet and slid from the bed. ‘Come on, we’ll come back and shower. Right now I’ve got something you’ve got to do at least once in life.’
She pulled on her skirt, then hunted for her tee—a crumpled mess half under the bed. With a grin Rhys handed her one of his shirts. The relaxed intimacy of his action made her gooey inside. She didn’t bother with a bra, just slipped a couple of buttons through. Suddenly not concerned about covering the scar. It was early, there’d be no one about and Rhys had seen it all. The loose cotton was cool and wearing his clothing made her feel sexy. His sparkling expression hinted he liked it too.
‘Let’s go before I get a better idea.’ He laughed and she felt freedom—to explore everything with him.
Barefoot, he led the way down the stairs. She watched, amused at his vitality and good humour. He grabbed a bag from the back of the reception counter—the light was on but for once it seemed Curtis wasn’t home. They snuck out across the quiet street and onto the beach.
She followed him across the sand. ‘What?’
‘Beach volleyball.’
‘Oh, no.’
‘The tiny bikini is not mandatory.’ He winked. ‘Well, it would be if this was our own private beach—actually then we’d be having a naturist tournament. Sadly, it’s not, and as you are is just fine.’
‘Rhys, I really suck with balls.’
He froze. Shot her a look. Started to laugh.
Fire-engine-red, she laughed too.
‘I have a feeling you’ll do just fine. Anyway, it’s early, no one’s around to watch.’
Yeah, just you. It was all right for him. She watched the way he bent and pulled a ball from the bag. He had effortless grace, natural style.
He tossed the ball from one hand to the other, obviously amused by her reluctance. ‘I thought you wanted to live now?’