She wanted to know more about him, his past, his plans for the future. She craved more than to share some nights in bed with him. Leave. Now. But her butt remained firmly on the seat and her feet tucked under the stool. She’d have to stay and work through whatever was ailing her.
Flynn’s smile was wry. ‘Odd how it turned out. It took Anna’s death for me to wake up to what was important. Family is everything, and Adam is my family, so here we are.’ He held cutlery out for her to take across to the table.
Did he add under his breath, ‘Living the life Anna wanted for all of us?’ If he did, then he’d pull the shutters down on any kind of relationship other than a fling. His late wife wouldn’t be wanting him to have a woman flitting in and out of his life, and definitely not Adam’s.
Relief was instant. She didn’t have to fight this sense of wanting more from him. There wasn’t going to be anything other than sex and a meal or two. You’re jumping the gun. He mightn’t even want the sex part any more. Except when she glanced across to where he was dishing up the meal, she knew he did. It was there in the way he watched her, not taking a blind bit of notice where he spooned chicken and gravy. When their gazes locked she was instantly transported back to the moment they’d come together on the beach. Oh, yes, there were going to be more bed games.
Games that didn’t involve her heart and soul, just her hormones and body.
‘What is there to do on the island during winter?’ Apart from going to bed with sexy doctors. ‘I read somewhere about a racetrack, but there’s not going to be a race meeting this month.’
‘Do you like watching cars going round and round for hours on end?’ He looked bored just thinking about it.
‘I’ve never been, but I’m always looking for new adventures.’
‘So what do you do with your spare time?’
Not a lot. Her standard time-fillers were, ‘Shopping, movies, sunbathing on the beach, swimming, listening to music.’
‘That’s it?’ His eyebrows lifted. ‘Seriously?’
‘What’s wrong with that? It’s plenty.’ I don’t have a child to look after. Or a house to clean and maintain. Or a partner who wants me to follow him around.
Flynn shook his head. ‘Don’t tell me your life is all work and no play?’
She locked her eyes on him. ‘No play? Care to rephrase that?’ She’d done playing the other night—with him.
He grinned. ‘How about we take you to see the penguins this weekend? It’s something I can take Adam to with us.’
‘Penguins?’ Adam’s head swivelled round so fast he should’ve got an instant headache.
‘Big Ears always hears certain words.’ Flynn shrugged.
‘Can we really go, Dad? They’re funny, Ally.’ Adam leapt up from the table to do his best impersonation of a penguin, and Sheba got up to run circles around him. Next Adam was having a fit of giggles.
Ally chuckled. ‘I love it when he does that. Okay, yes, let’s go and see these creatures.’ It would be something to look forward to. Going out with an everyday man and his child. Different from her usual pursuits. She bobbed her head at Adam and held her arms tightly by her sides as she shuffled across the floor.
Adam rewarded her with more giggles as they returned to the table.
‘That’s enough, you two.’ Flynn looked so much better when he laughed. ‘Sorry we’re eating early, but Adam needs to have his bath and get to bed.’ Flynn didn’t look sorry at all.
‘I understand you must have a routine. Don’t ever think you have to change it for me. I’m more than happy being fed,’ she said, before forking up a mouthful of chicken. ‘This is better than anything I’d make, believe me.’
Adam pushed his plate aside. ‘Are we having pudding, Dad?’
‘I’ve chopped up some oranges and kiwi fruit. Just need to add the banana when we’re ready.’
‘Can I get the ice cream out of the freezer?’
‘Yes, you can tonight since we’ve got a visitor.’ Flynn winked at her. ‘You’ll get an invitation every day now.’
I wish. ‘I’ll clean up the kitchen after dinner.’ A small price for a home-cooked meal.
While Flynn was putting Adam to bed, Ally cleared away the plates. Once she’d put the last pot into the dishwasher and wiped down the benches she approached the coffee machine and began preparing two cappuccinos. ‘These things make decent frothy milk,’ she commented as Flynn joined her. ‘How’s Adam?’
‘Asleep, thank goodness.’ He took the coffees over to the lounge.
Following, she asked, ‘This your quiet time?’
‘Definitely. Don’t get me wrong, I love my boy, but to have a couple of hours to unwind from the day before I go to bed is bliss.’
Bed. There it was. The place she wanted to be with Flynn right now. But he’d sat down and was stretching his legs out in front of him. She remembered those legs with no clothing to hide the muscles or keep her hands off his skin. Skin that covered more muscle and hot body the farther up she trailed her gaze. Stop it. She sipped the coffee, gasped as it burned her tongue. ‘I’m such a slow learner.’
He stood up to take the mug out of her hand and place it on a small table beside the chair. Then he reached for her hands and pulled her to her feet. His mouth was on hers in an instant; his kiss as hot, as sexy, as overwhelming as she remembered from the previous night. She hadn’t been embellishing the details.
His arms held her close to his yummy body, his need as apparent to her as the need pulsing along her veins.
When he lifted his mouth away she put her hands up and brought his head back to hers. She liked him kissing her. More than any man before. Scary. Don’t think about what that means right now. Don’t think at all. Enjoy the moment. Her tongue slipped across his bottom lip, tasting him, sending enough heat to her legs to make them momentarily incapable of holding her upright without holding on to Flynn tighter.
‘Ally, you’re doing it to me again. Sending me over the edge so quickly I can’t keep up.’ Thankfully he returned to kissing as soon as he stopped talking.
So not the moment for talking. This was when mouths had other, better, things to do. Since when had kissing got to be so wonderful anyway? Or was it just Flynn’s kisses that turned her on so rapidly? Before Flynn she’d thought they were just a prelude to bedroom gymnastics, but now she could honestly spend the whole evening just kissing.
Then his hands slid under her top to touch her skin and she knew she’d been fooling herself. She had to have him, skin to skin, hips to hips. Hands touching, teasing, caressing. Now. Pulling her mouth free, she growled, ‘The couch or your bedroom?’
His eyes widened, then he shook his head. ‘Bedroom. There’s a lock on the door.’
She hadn’t had to think about children barging in before. But why did Flynn have a lock on his bedroom door? Did he do this often? No, he’d told her she was the first since Anna died. Somehow she knew he hadn’t lied to her. Whatever the reason it was there, she was grateful or Flynn wouldn’t have continued with this even with Adam sound asleep.
He said, ‘I’m hoping you’ve got more of those condoms in your bag.’
‘That’s what the pharmacy’s handy for. Called in at the one farthest from the clinic on my way back from visiting a patient.’ No point in creating gossip if she didn’t have to.
Flynn laughed. ‘You don’t honestly think they won’t know who you are already?’
Her fingers caught his chin and pulled that talkative mouth down for another kiss. ‘Let’s get back to where we were.’
‘Now who’s talking too much?’
They both shut up from then on, too busy touching and stroking, kissing, undressing one another as their desire coiled tighter and tighter. And tighter.
The phone woke Ally. It was a local number, though not one she knew. Seven o’clock on a Saturday morning. She might not know many people on this island, but it seemed someone always wanted to get her out of bed before she was ready. Or in bed, as with Flynn.
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‘Ally, is that you? It’s Chrissie.’