Page 90 of Lime Tree Hill
“Mavis has always been too trusting. You could have been anyone.”
“I showed her a picture from our wedding. She ended up scrolling through the lot. Anyway, I thought you might need a hand.”
“Thank you,” she whispered. “I should go shower.”
Mitch shook his head. “That can wait.” He reached for the top button of her blouse, his eyes never leaving hers as he set each button free. “It’s hot, let’s get you naked. I’m so horny, I can’t think straight.”
She wanted to crawl onto his lap, take him in her hand and guide him inside her without foreplay or words or restraint. But instead, she stayed still while he undressed her, his hands warm against her skin, and his pupils dark as he watched her.
They lay on their sides, the need to reconnect fierce between them. Although Mitch had undressed her gently, that’s where his hesitation ceased. He took her mouth with his, and she moaned, the salt of her tears drying on her cheeks.
He was there, and she’d never imagined how totally absorbing reunion sex could be. “I don’t want you to sixty-nine me.”
His head fell back, and he laughed. “Tayla Whitman, I’ve missed you so much. No sixty-nine. Got it.”
She giggled. “It’s been a long day. And I need you inside of me. Now.”
Two fingers slipped into place. “I love it when you boss me around.”
She rocked against him, desperate for release. Watched him. Smiled. Tensed.
“Let go.” He tugged hard on her nipple, and that, coupled with the sensation of his fingers curling inside her, had her arching toward him. “Have you missed me?”
“Mitch…please.”
He stilled. “I asked you a question.”
“More than missed…” She paused on a shaky breath as he entered her. “Oh, you feel amazing. So. Amazing.”
They stayed in bed for a long time afterward, the fan above them ineffectual against the humidity, and the ever-present rhythm of the waves three short blocks over barely audible.
“Are you still mad at me?” she asked. “For coming here?”
“I wasn’t mad about you coming to Sydney.” Mitch brought her hand to his lips and kissed the center of her palm. “But I admit, I was jealousandpissed off about Hayden. There’s nothing I can do about it if you still have feelings for him, but…”
“I don’t. But even though I struggle with what he did to me, I still care about him. Does that make sense?”
“Sure. That doesn’t mean I trust the guy.”
“But you trust me?”
“I trust you to be up front with me. I think the intimacy of our relationship warrants that, don’t you?” He squeezed her hand. “Have you seen him?”
Tayla shook her head. “He doesn’t know I’m here.” Her mind flashed back to Fig Leaf. She’d almost managed to put the sight of Mitch and his companion out of her mind, to see it as an innocent lunch between platonic friends. But sometimes, in those pre-dawn moments when insecurities crept across her mind, she wasn’t so sure. “And are you always up front with me?”
Mitch sat up and rested against the headboard, a frown tracking across his forehead as he rubbed his jaw. “I try to be, but some things might slip my mind.”
She pulled the sheet over her naked breasts. Was now the right time to bring up the woman in the pumpkin-spice linen pants? “Like what?”
“I’m sorry I’ve been preoccupied lately, but someone’s stirring crap back home, and I’m not sure who.”
Maybe not.“Do you mean with the audit thing? You said it was sorting itself out.”
“Yeah, it is, but we still had to dump most of last month’s exports on the local market, which meant a sharp drop in revenue. But the orchard’s almost debt-free, so we’ll cope. It’s nothing for you to worry about.”
“But I want to support you.” Tayla snuggled into his chest, sincere in her concern.
“You do support me. More than you know. It’s been lonely at home without you.”
