Chapter 5
I glanced at the road ahead. It was empty. I turned around to look behind.Again, empty of cars. In fact, empty of everything,no houses, no people, nothing but bitumen and grass edges. My heart skipped a beat as Iactuallyconsidered Henry’s challenge.
“Go on.” He raised his hand, indicating that I should get up. “This has been a bucket list item of mine forever, and you’re the only woman I know who’ll do it.”
As my layers of doubt shredded away, the smile on my face must have bordered on insane, just like his request.
I looked up through the roof and then glanced back at Henry. His eyes were alive with anticipation.How could I let him down? Especiallyafter all he’d done for me.
I unbuckled my seatbelt, and Henry slowed down a tad as I removed my coat.
My heartwas a thumpinggallop as I raised my T-shirt over my head and let my pearls tumble down my chest.Before I changed my mind, I whipped my bra off, climbed onto the seat, and stood up through the sunroof.
The breeze blasted my hair and hurled my scarf and pearls aroundtomy back. I clutched the front of the sunroof rim, and as I leaned forward with the wind in my hair, a wave of euphoria hit me. I raised my arms above my head. “Woohoo!”
My boobs wobbled in the glorious sunshine as we rolled along the deserted road. Henry’s hand cupped my right breast, and I giggled as I tried to absorb every aspect of this crazy, exhilarating moment. Laughing, I tried to push his hand away,but thatonly made him squeeze more.
I bent down, laughing. “Oh my god, you crazy man.”
“Me? You’re the one jiggling those sexy boobs through my sunroof.” His smile was brilliant, and I leaned over and quickly kissed his cheek before I stood up again.
The sunshine, the breeze, the freedom—it was wild. And wonderful.
I put my arms above my head and cheered again.
A shape in the distance caught my eye, and I squealed when I realizedit was another car coming towardus.I dropped back into my seat and clasped my shirt to cover my nudity.
“Happy now?” I said.
“Very. You?”
“Absolutely. That’s the most fun I’ve had in ages.”My thoughts shifted to Corben and how he, too,showed me—the Jane me—how to have fun.Life was so bloody good. I didn’t want the yearto ever end.
As I put my clothes back on, Henrycarried on drivingto the end of the road, which met with the mouth of the Tweed River.
“Want a coffee?” he said.
“Oh, I’d love one.” As if on cue, my stomach rumbled. “I’m hungry, too.”
“Good. So am I.” He pulled into a parking lot opposite a small rundown café and turned off the engine.
I stepped out, and we met at the back of the car. He pulled the trunk lid up and removed a large red-and-white-striped plastic bag.
“What’s in there?”
“It’s a surprise.”
“Oh, yay. I love surprises.” My insides did a little jig.
“I know.”
I tapped his forearm as we crossed the road together. “Really? How could you know?”
He shrugged. “Okay. I guessed. Did you have any other plans for your day off?”
“Pfft, no.” I’d said it quickly, and when he turned to me, I couldn’t quite read the look on his face. Was it sorrow, pity, or disappointment?Either way, it didn’t matter becausethe secondwe entered the café and I smelt caffeine,my attention was diverted.
I ordered a cappuccino and a breakfast bacon and egg wrap, and Henry ordered the same. After a brief discussion in which I was unyielding, I paid the bill. I was grateful when he gracefully backed down. It was too early in the morning to make a scene, but I would have.
He turned, and I watched the sway of his shoulders as he walked toward the fridge.My viewwasimproved when he bent over to select abottle of wateroff the bottom shelf.For someone in his fifties, Henry had a physique that most men should aspire to.
Our coffee orders came in polystyrene cups, andour breakfast wraps were sealedin waxy paper. The lady behind the counter put our order into a cardboard container and handed it over the counter.I reached for our food, along witha few napkins, and together, Henry and I headed outside toward the seats in the sun.
But he didn’t stop where I assumed he would. Instead, he stepped onto the road. “Where are you going?”
“Down to the beach.”
“Oh, okay then.” I caught up to his side. “So, you’ve been here before?”
“My family used to come here when I was a kid. We spent nearly every Easter for about fifteen years camping at the Fingal Holiday Park up the road.”
“Sounds wonderful.”
“It was. Some of the best years of my life.” He said it wistfully, and I thought I detected sadness in his voice.
As wetraipsedover the sand, covered in long, spindly grass, I tried to nominate the best years of my life. I didn’t have to think hard. Without a doubt, this year was the best year ever. I could only hope that my future years didn’t fade in comparison.
The vegetation encroached on us as we navigated up a narrow track over a small hill. At the top, Henry left the main track and followed an even narrower trail that skirted along the top of the sandbank. At a gnarly old tree, he stopped and turned to me, grinning. “I can’t believe it’s still here.”
“What?” I frowned.
“This tree. Iused to spendhours sitting in it, just watching the boats come and go.”
I felt privileged tobe sharingthis moment with him. Turning toward the ocean, I glanced across the sandy beachthat wasabout a hundred feet wide.Beyond the shoreline, a small boat with a couple of fishing poles angled off the back motored out to sea.
Henry continued to look across the sand, butby the cheeky grin on his face, I wonderedif he was seeing something I wasn’t.
It suddenly hit me. “You weren’t just watching boats from this tree, were you?”
“Huh?” He raised his eyebrows but continued smiling.
“You were spying on people.” I playfully slapped him. “Who?”
“Nobody.” He turned his attention to the bag, pulled out a large picnic blanket, and ripped a tag off it.
I frowned. “Did you buy that today?”
“Yeah. I did a bit of shopping before I hired the car.”
He indicated to me to sit by patting a corner of the blanket.
I put the cardboard carry-tray down and then, trying not to get sand on the blanket, sat with my butt on the edge and then peeled off my cork heels and wiped the sand away.
Wewere sittingside by side under the shade of the ancient tree, glancing out across the water.
He handed me a coffee. “Cheers,” he said, and we thumped our takeaway cups together. The coffee was the perfect temperature to take a decent sip. It was good and strong—exactly how I liked it.
Henry handed over my breakfast, and I unwrapped the wax paper and practically salivated as I took my first bite.Considering the dubious-looking little café we’d bought it from, the breakfast was delicious.My wrapwas loadedwith bacon, lettuce, tomato, avocado, egg, andmy favorite sauce, barbeque. I couldn’t have done a better job if I’d made it myself.
“So tell me,” I said, halfway into my meal, “who were you watching?”
He turned with a look that said he’d expected me to ask again, then he licked his lip, lowered his wrap to the tray, and reached for his coffee. “As I said, my family came hereevery yearfor about fifteen years. But we weren’t the only families to do that. Over the years, we got to know the regulars.There wasa family with three girlsthathad an annual trip here every Easter, too.”
“Ooooh,I’m thinkingyou were sweet on one of those girls.”
He chuckled. “You could say that.”
“So, what was her name?”
“Kimberley Tucker. Kim.”
“What did she look like?”
He frowned. “What is this, the Spanish Inquisition?”
“Nope. It’s the Memphis Inquisition.”
He laughed, and as he bit into his breakfast wrap again, I assumed he was stalling.
I took a few more bites of mine. I could wait all day if I had to. It wasn’t like I had anything else to do.
Henry wrappedupthe remainder of his breakfastinto thewax paper and tossed it into his bag.He reached for his coffee and changed his position on the blanket so he looked more toward me than the beach.
“Kim had long, dark hair, silky smooth, and in the sunlight, little streaks of copper would shine through, just like yours. Her eyes were incredibly green, like freshly podded peas. Again, like yours.”
I couldn’t help the smile curling on my lips as the expression on his face changed during his description of Kim.Obviously,she’d meant a lot to him.
“Kim’s lips were this lovely shade of soft pink, like fairy floss, and her skin was milky white. So white that she spent most of her time at the beach hiding from this sun.”
“Ahhh, like under this tree.”
He nodded. “Yes.”
I tilted my head. “Was she your first girlfriend?”
He nodded, and I waited for him to continue his trip down memory lane.
I tossed my unfinished wrap into the bag and nestled my coffee in the sand so it didn’t fall over. Then I turned to Henry and placed my hand on his thigh.
He blinked at me, then shook his head. “We weren’t exactly dating. But . . .” He put his hand over mine. “Would you be interested in ticking off another bucket list item for me?”
“Do I have to get my shirt off?”
He burst out laughing. “Well, technically, no.”
“Technically? Sounds cryptic.”
Henry had the most beautiful smile. Maybe as an older man, he’d masteredhow to showa genuine smile, utilizing all his facial muscles. His smile melted my heart.
“Okay,” he said. “I’m just going to say it. I’ve never told anyone this before.”
“Sounds interesting.”
He rolled his eyes. “Kim and I lost our virginity to each other. Right here under the tree.”
“Oooh, you naughty boy.” I slapped his thigh.
He shook his head. “Well, that’s just it.I wasa boy,just sixteen, and I had no idea what I was doing.I didn’t do the right thing by Kim, by any means, and well”—he cocked his head—“I always felt guilty that her first sexual experience wasterriblyunsatisfying.”
“Sounds exactly like my first experience.”
“Really?” Concern drilled into his features.
I shrugged. “Unfortunately. We were both drunk. To be honest, I’m not one hundred percent sure we even had sex.”
He laughed. “I bet many people have had that experience.”
“So, what’s this bucket list item then?”
He held his palms wide, taking in our scenery. “I’d like to give this spot a better memory. Would you let me take you to the limit, right here, out in the open?”
My insides turned to jelly at his proposal. I put my finger to my cheek and rolled my eyes to the tree canopy, acting all coy. “Hmmm, let me think about that . . . okay.”
He laughed and pulled me in for a hug. “You’re amazing.”
I listened to his steady heartbeat. “We haven’t done it yet.”
“I already know you’re amazing.”
“Thank you.”
He let me go and looked into my eyes, right into mysoul.“That’s better.”
Icrinkledmy nose at him. “So, how do we do this?Wantme to take my top off?”
His eyes lit up, and he chuckled. “I’d love you to.”
Crossing my legs to sit upright, I shrugged out of my blazer, scarf, and T-shirtthenreached behind my back and flicked off my bra.The pearls flopped between my breasts, and I went to remove them, but Henry clutched my hand. “Leave them.”
The air wascool, and my nipples tingled and hardened in the slight breeze. Henry reached between us and cupped my left breast with his warm palm. The expression of pure concentration on his face made him look as if he’d never caressed a breast before, and I wondered if he was reliving a childhood memory.
He leaned forward and sucked my nipple into his mouth, first one, then he drifted over to the other, paying impeccable attention to each breast. His breathing intensified, as did mine, and I was both delighted and amazed at how swiftly he produced my arousal.
A sweet shiver rolled over my clit as he eased me back onto the picnic blanket. Henry kneeled at my side, his eyes driven with desire as he slotted the pearls back between my breasts, then he trailed his finger from my left nipple to my right, down to circle my belly button, and back up again. Tiny goose pimples prickled my skin as my nipples grew so hard they hurt.
I arched my back, and he leaned forward again, and I ran my fingers through his thick salt-and-pepper hair as he licked, nipped, and sucked my breasts, giving them atrulyaward-winning tongue lashing. My head rolled to the side, and through my lust-filled gaze, I saw another boat in the distance, puttering past, completely unaware of the erotic show going on in these bushes.
My clit throbbed, wanting his attention, and I dug my toes onto the soft picnic blanket and raised my hips higher, silently willing him to touch me. He obliged, and with his mouth still on my breast, he rubbed his hands over the thick denim between my legs. I wanted to tear every scrap of clothing from my body, to lay myself bare for his approval, but I forced myself to wait, savoring every exquisite second, willing to ride out the anticipation.
He glided his fingers into my jeans, and I reached down to undo my zipper, but he playfully slapped my hand away. My breathing grewdeeper, as did his, and I sucked in my belly and parted my legs, giving his fingers room.
The clothing restriction was as excruciating as the anticipation, and my pussy grew wet even before his probing fingers reached their destination.
Why the hell did I wear jeans?
Henry groaned, and Igroanedwith him as I writhed on the blanket. His fingers found my clit, and I just about shot right out of the bushes. The pressure of his hand beneath the denim was delicious agony. I gasped as he flicked my delicate nub, and at the same time, he drew my nipple out with his lips, stretching it until my hardened flesh snapped from his grasp.
He did it again, concentrating on two of my erogenous zones with mature professionalism. My orgasm was greedy, growing more intense with every movement he made.
I clenched my jaw and sucked my breath through my teeth, resisting the climax that threatened to wet my jeans at any second.
“Please, Henry, take my jeans off.”
“Shhh,” he whispered. “Soon.”
He glided his hand farther between my legs, and the squeeze of my jeans placed the ball of his hand against my clit. His fingerglidedinto me. My world tilted. I heard nothing; I smelled nothing as every inch of my bodywas ravagedby desire.
I raised my hips, reached out, and clutched the blanket. “Oh God,” I yelled as an orgasm tore through me.
I snapped my knees shut. I opened them. Iwas trappedin another world where my body was in control, and there was nothing I could do.Hisfinger plucked my clit,hismouth devoured my breast, and my pussy pulsed out my climax over and over.
I snapped my knees shut again, trapping his hand in my jeans, and I clenched my jaw as every muscle in my body rode out the miracle that rolled through me. Warm sensations caressed me like a big fluffy blanket, filling me with a massive dose of contentment. I’d officially found Heaven andwas preparedto stayrightwhere I was all day.
It was an eternity before I heard the crashing waves again and felt the whisper of breeze across my moistened breasts. I opened my eyes to see the most incredible sight. Henry had his eyes closed, and the look of pure satisfaction and serenity on his face was glorious, though it was in direct contrast to the ragged rising and falling of his chest.
I waited for him to look at me, andwhen he did,a beautiful smile curled on his lips.When our gazes met,it was likea sense of knowing crossed between us. Something unique had just happened. I didn’t know quite what, but I didn’treallyneed to know either.
I tried to ignore the moisture between my legs as I propped up on my elbows. “How did we do? New memory created?”
“Oh yeah.”
“Good.”
“Good? More like magnificent.”
He eased backward and helped me to sit. The first thing I did was look at my jeans, but I wished I hadn’t. “Oh, crap. It looks like I wet my pants.”
“You did wet your pants.”
I slapped his arm. “Thanks to you.”
“Are you complaining?” He cocked his head in a cheeky grin.
“No. But what am I going to do?”