Back to the Farm Ch. 09

He grinned. "Stop?" he teased before dipping to drop a kiss just above her navel. "You really want me to stop? Stop--" he planted another kiss an inch below the first "--this?"

"Oh." As he shifted lower, parting her thighs with his knees, Melissa felt a fresh shower of sparks zinging straight to her womb. "Well--maybe not," she gasped as he kissed her again, mere millimetres from the silky red curls between her legs. "Maybe not--that."

As her eyes fluttered closed, she heard him give a low chuckle. "Well, that's what I thought." And suddenly Matt's mouth landed somewhere she'd never expected it to land.

"Oh God!" Eyes flying open, head and shoulders rising off the bed, Melissa gave a horrified gasp. "Matt--no! You--youcan't!"

"It's all right." As he met her gaze, she felt his strong hands splaying over her thighs, denying her attempts to close them. "Relax, sweetheart. I promise I won't hurt you. In fact--" he grinned boyishly "--I think you might even get to like this."

"Matt--no! Please? Not--notthere!" But as his mouth descended on her again, her anguished cry turned to a low moan, his tongue seeking out a deliciously sensitive spot. "O-o-oh!"Dear God... How could something that ought to be so wrong feel so good? "Matt!"

Pausing to shoot her another knowing grin, he lowered his head once more, this time commencing his assault in earnest and within seconds, Melissa realised further resistance was futile. Not only was it futile, frankly it would have been absurd. And slumping back on to the bed, she surrendered to his will, gazing helplessly at the ceiling, unwilling to witness the obscene sight of Matt's head between her legs yet already breathless with pleasure, her thready cries growing increasingly desperate, her need for release escalating with every swipe of his talented tongue.

"Oh God," she begged at last, unable to bear it any longer. "Oh Matt--please. Please. Please? Ple-ea-se!" And as her orgasm finally broke over her in a wave, a wash of heat and sensation surging through her entire body, she uttered a wail of completion, her eyes crashing closed.

"Oh yeah," she heard Matt murmur as she slowly drifted back down to earth, his words suffused with praise. "That's my girl. God, you're amazing. So, so beautiful."

"I'm amazing?" Still trembling, Melissa opened her eyes to find him propped up on his elbows above her, gazing down into her face, his smile tender, his own eyes dark with desire. "But you--you did that." She shook her head weakly. "I can't believe I justlet you do that!"

"I know." His smile broadening, he dipped his head to kiss her before reaching across to the cabinet beside the bed and pulling open the drawer. "Maybe we should find out what else you'll let me do."

Following his gaze, she saw he was retrieving one of the boxes of condoms and as she watched him open them she felt a renewed tug of longing low in her abdomen.Oh boy... "What--what exactly have you got in mind?"

Matt grinned, extracting a square packet between finger and thumb. "Tell you what," he said, already tearing the foil. "Why don't I just show you instead?"

*

Morning? No, it couldn't be. Not yet...

But upon turning her head to check, only to be blinded by the sunshine flooding in through the un-curtained window--they'd never got around to closing them last night--Melissa had to reluctantly concede a new day had dawned. Though 'dawned' had to be the operative word. Judging by the amber quality of the light, she decided it must be early. So why oh why had she awoken? It was hardly as though she'd had a good night's sleep. Far from it.

And glancing at Matt, apparently lost in dreamland at her side, she nuzzled nearer, her sense of well-being intensifying ten-fold as his arms swept around her, drawing her into the cradle of his warm muscular frame. Heaven help her if he woke now, she thought, nonetheless half-hoping that he might. How on earth could she crave something--crave him--so much when every muscle in her body was begging for mercy? How on earth could she even be considering round--what roundwould it be? Six? Seven? She didn't know, she'd lost count hours ago, cast adrift on fast-flowing river of pleasure.

Matt had clearly made it his mission to show her everything a twenty-nine year old woman should know about making love. Just thinking about what they'd done--oh God, some of the positions he'd coaxed her to try!--left her feeling hot and bothered. But the truth was, she'd loved every second, relished every touch, every caress, every thrust, delighted in discovering how to bring him pleasure too. He'd sent her hurtling over the edge again and again, even after she'd been convinced her body was capable of no more and when at last he'd allowed her to fall into a deep and utterly sated sleep, it was only to awaken her two hours later and start all over again. Though she'd got her own back. She'd wokenhim the next time...

Melissa couldn't help smiling at the memory. Had she really done that? Her--Melissa Barton?What a difference a day made.

"Mmm," Matt murmured as though agreeing with her thoughts, his strong hands sweeping up and over her back. "Hey, beautiful."

"Hey." She shifted her head to look at him, her smile broadening to match his. "Sleep well?"

He raised his eyebrows at the mischief in her tone. "No, not at all," he said good-humouredly. "You?"

She giggled, resting her head upon his chest as he folded his arms around her once more. "I can quite honestly say that was one of the worst night's sleep I've ever had."

Matt's grunt of laughter rumbled against her ear. "Fantastic. Let's just stay here in bed all day then."

"We can't. We've got to clear the loft."

"Details," he muttered dismissively. "Besides, who says we have to do it today? Stay here with me another night. You don't have to go home do you? We'll do it tomorrow. Or-r-r," he yawned hugely, "we could stay in bed all day today and do it tonight. In the dark."

Melissa rolled her eyes. "I don't think so."

"Ooh." Matt grinned. "Lissy's a scaredy-cat, Lissy's a scaredy-cat."

"Too damn right I am," she retorted before running a gentle hand over his ribs, hearing him groan at the contact. "So sue me."

"I'd rather do something else to you," he countered, laughing when she too uttered a groan. "Though on second thoughts, maybe I'd better not. Ah sweetheart," he murmured sympathetically, kissing her shoulder. "My poor baby. What have I done to you?"

"Huh. You know yesterday you were worried I might be sore?" She paused for effect, unable to repress a smile when he winced. "Put it this way, I'm not sure I'm going to be able to walk today."

"Hell, in that case, we're definitely staying in bed."

"Matt!" And shrieking as he rolled her beneath him once more, she found her protest smothered by a long and tender kiss. "Yum," she murmured contentedly, when he finally let her up for air. "Well, maybe we could stay here alittle bit longer."

He grinned, nodding. "It's still pretty early, right?"

Stretching out a hand to the bedside cabinet, Melissa fumbled for Matt's mobile phone. "Yep," she said, checking the display and putting it back. "Five past seven."

"Excellent. Oi!" He uttered a low growl as she rolled out of bed. "Where are you going? Get back here, woman. Now!"

She laughed, gingerly moving towards the window before flinging her hands out to the sides to grasp both curtains at once. "I'm coming, I'm coming. I just thought I'd close these. We'll never get back to sleep with the sun shining in on us like--"

And then she froze, arms still outstretched, the sight of the face pressed up against the glass so unexpected, there was nothing she could do but scream.

"Liss!" She heard a thump as Matt leapt out of bed, followed by the sound of his footsteps as he rushed to join her. "Liss? What? What the--?" And following her gaze, he groaned. "Oh hell... Jason!" His voice rose several decibels. "What thefuck are you doing?"

"Jason?" Appalled, Melissa suddenly realised where she was, how she was standing, and worst of all, recalled she was stark naked. "Oh God, no!" She stumbled backwards to hide behind Matt, diving frantically for the bedspread which had long since fallen to the floor. "What's he doing here?"

"Hey!" Jason shouted, muffled by the glass. "I'm sorry, okay?" Out of the corner of her eye, Melissa could see he was grinning from ear to ear. As well he might, she thought bitterly. "I've been knocking on the door for ten minutes, what was I supposed to do?" he added, raising his palms. "You two could've been murdered for all I knew."

Melissa turned to discover Matt already reaching for his clothes. "But it's seven in the morning," she said weakly. "Did you know he was coming?"

"I'm gonna kill him, don't worry." He pulled a face, staggering slightly as he stepped into his jeans. "I spoke to him yesterday--he said he'd call in before he started work today. I had no idea he meant he'd pitch up this early." Whirling around again, he flapped an irritated hand towards the window. "Would you just piss off and let me get dressed?" he bellowed, even as Jason in turn held up a hand and began backing away. "I'll meet you out the front in a minute!" And twisting back around to Melissa, he met her gaze, his tone softening abruptly. "Liss, I'm so sorry. This won't take long, I promise."

"But..." In a daze, she watched him shrug on his shirt, still clutching at the bedspread as though it was Matt she was hiding her body from. "He saw me. He saw me..."

"With no clothes on?" he finished helpfully when she trailed off, sending her a grin as he bent down to slip on his shoes. "So?"

"So?" she repeated, aghast. Was he for real? "Matt, it's not funny!"

Straightening up again, Matt made a not entirely successful effort to cover his amusement. "Of course not," he said in a placating tone. "Oh, come on, sweetheart. It's okay."

"What?" Melissa couldn't believe her ears. "No, it'snot okay! Don't you even care he's just seen me naked?"

"No, I don't. And neither should you. Look..." Fully dressed at last, Matt planted his hands on her upper arms and gazed down into her face. "Liss, you're beautiful, okay? Drop dead gorgeous. Haven't you been listening to me at all? You haven't got anything to be ashamed about, all right? Nothing."

Surely he knew it wasn't as simple as that? "But--"

"Lissy!" Rolling his eyes, Matt lowered his head to kiss her. "Nothing to be ashamed about," he reiterated, smiling. "Now let me go and get rid of him. Get back into bed and keep it warm for me. I'll be back in twenty minutes, tops." And before she could say another word, he released her and bounded out of the room.

Hearing the front door slam behind him, Melissa sank down on to the bed, aware her cheeks were still burning. Typical that it'd had to be Jason who'd seen her that way. Why couldn't it have been someone else--anybody else? She gave a low moan. Talk about giving him an eyeful. Just exactly how bad had she looked? Curious, she heaved herself upright again and set off for the bathroom, grimacing with every step--ouch, she'd been right about being barely able to walk. Right now she felt rather like a human wishbone.

The sight that met her in the mirror was far from reassuring. "Oh dear God," she muttered, raking her fingers through the unruly mass of curls that seemed to be sticking out at right angles to her head. "Beautiful? He's got to be kidding!" And giving up the fight, she surveyed her reflection with a sigh. Her blue eyes seemed almost too large for her face, her cheeks flushed pink and her lips... Good grief. Her lips appeared twice their normal size. Plump, swollen, red. Who needed collagen implants?

"Well." Secure in the knowledge she was all alone in the bungalow, she felt free to address the wild-looking woman looking back at her from the mirror. "You look..." She paused to grope for the right words, smiling at herself as exactly the right expression came to mind. "Thoroughly shagged."

Before she could revel in the thought, she heard the now-familiar melody that was Matt's mobile ringing. So much for staying in bed, she thought, hobbling back up the hall as fast as she could. Matt was clearly going to be in demand today. But by the time she reached the bedside cabinet, the phone had already stopped ringing. Picking it up, she sighed as she read the display.Mike. Damn it. Matt would be probably be annoyed he'd missed the call.

Just as she was deliberating whether to get dressed so that she could take the phone out to him it rang again. Startled, she checked the little screen again to discover it was Paula this time. This early? Oh God, the news from Singapore couldn't be good...

For a moment, Melissa seriously considered not taking the call. Hiding the mobile. Accidentally switching it off and 'losing' it in the skip outside. Then she came to her senses. All that would do was delay the inevitable; Matt would still have to return to Singapore eventually. And with a heavy heart, she picked up the phone, stabbed at the accept button and held it up to her ear. "Hi," she said, barely repressing a sigh. "Matt McKenzie's phone."

*

"Well."

Pretending not to have heard, Matt made a show of concentrating on the path to the orchard, absently noting that the orchard itself was another issue to which they were going to have to give serious thought. Within months the trees would be laden with fruit. For years, Charlie had donated the entire crop to the local Women's Institute. Would they be lynched for arranging to have the trees felled to make way for new housing?

"Well."

He breathed a heavy sigh. He'd known full well Jason wouldn't give up that easily. "You know, when you said you'd call in on your way to work to discuss the build, I really didn't think you meant the crack of dawn."

Jason snorted. "It's hardly the crack of dawn. And I told you I had to be in Warwick by nine. What time did you think I'd turn up, for fuck's sake?" He hesitated, casting Matt a sideways glance. "So? What's going on?"

"So..." He raised his eyes heavenward. "What's going on is none of your damned business."

"Whoa." Jason lifted his hands in a conciliatory gesture. "I'm just asking, that's all. Because you and Lissy--well... Clearly things have--er--developed." He grinned. "Well, she certainly has, anyway."

Matt scowled. "Leave it."

"Oh, come on. Lighten up." Jason slapped him on the back. "I had a feeling this would happen. And believe me, I'm happy for you both, okay?" There was a pause. "I take it this means you told her, then?"

"Jason!" Even though he'd known the question was coming, he felt a flash of guilt-induced irritation. "I thought you were here to talk about the project. Though to be honest, we still haven't quite decided what we're going to do here yet. I need to discuss it with--"

"Stuff the project. Tell me you told her?"

"Oh for..." Matt bit back his first rude response, realising he was on the verge of losing his temper. "I'm not talking about this, okay?"

"What?" Holding out an arm to prevent him from taking another step, Jason spun around to face him. "Fuck, you didn't," he accused quietly, fixing him with a glare. "You didn't tell her, did you?"

"Look." Matt found it almost impossible to hold his gaze. "I'm going to tell her, okay? I've been trying to tell her. I've been trying to tell her for days--"

"Jesus Christ." His friend looked even more aghast than he'd anticipated. "Are you crazy? Are you fucking insane?"

Truth be told, he'd been wondering the same thing. But the more he'd thought about how best to break the news to Lissy, the more difficult the task at hand had started to seem. And with every passing hour, hell, with every passing minute, he'd become increasingly aware of what he stood to lose. "It's not that simple," he said, sweeping an agitated hand through his hair before moving forward again. "I know I've been a bloody fool. Iknow I should've told her--"

"Yep, before you slept with her would've been a damned good idea."

"I know!" Matt shot back. "I know, okay? But there's never been a good time. I was going to tell her the night before last, but she was upset enough as it was." He sighed, kicking at the gravel. "It's been pretty tough clearing this place out, you know? It's stirred up all sorts of feelings, all sorts of memories. Especially for Lissy."

Jason blew out a breath. "I guess it would."

"And I was all set to tell her yesterday but then we found the bloody letters--"

"What letters?"

"Huh." Matt managed a wry smile. "Funny story. You remember when we were still at school and I got all heartbroken cos she didn't write and you said she must've found another bloke? Well guess what, she didn't get my letters either. We found both sets in the loft yesterday."

"What?" Jason looked rather taken aback. "Here? But how the hell did they get here?"

"Mum sent them. She must've asked the school to keep an eye on my mail, God knows why. Anyway, she forwarded the lot to Charlie telling him he'd got to put a stop to things--you know how she's always felt about Lissy and me. But it looks like she sent them about the same time Suzie was diagnosed with cancer." He shrugged. "I guess he had other things to think about. Probably forgot he'd even got them. I can't think why else he never said anything."

"Right." There was a considerable pause before Jason spoke again. "Mate--"

"I know," Matt cut in, pre-empting the lecture he fully expected to hear--fully deserved to hear. "I know I should've told her days ago. I know I should've told her before the funeral. You were right. I should've told her everything. But I didn't." He released an unsteady sigh. "And now I don't know how the fuck I'm going to tell her."

Having arrived at the orchard, they stood together in silence for a moment and surveyed the mature trees before them, listening to the sound of the wind rustling through the leaves. "Maybe she won't take it that badly," Jason said at last, turning back towards the farm.

"You think? Yeah, right." Matt rolled his eyes then groaned, burying his face in his hands. "This is Lissy we're talking about," he said with a sigh. "Right from being a kid, she used to tell me that she wished Charlie was her Dad--see, her mother never told her who her real father was. She thought the world of him, thought he could do no wrong. She thought he and Suzie were the perfect couple. So tell me, Jason. How the hell am I going to tell her?"

"Er... Matt...?"

"And how the hell am I going to tell her that I've known for years? How do I tell her that Charlie told me on the day of Suzie's funeral, for fuck's sake? How do I tell her that Suzie didn't even--"

"Matt."

Hearing the warning note in Jason's voice at last, Matt looked up. And realising there could be only one explanation for the dismay he witnessed in his friend's expression, he turned, his heart leaping into his throat. "Oh no. Lissy."

Melissa gazed at him, eyes wide, arms hanging stiffly at her sides, one hand clutching his mobile phone. "Charlie," she faltered, the colour already draining from her cheeks. "Charlie was myfather?"

"Oh God." Appalled, Matt shook his head and took a step towards her, only for her to abruptly take a step back. "Sweetheart--"

She held up a trembling hand. "He was my father--and you nevertold me?"

"Oh, Lissy." And suddenly Matt knew he was going to break her heart. He was going to break her heart, and there wasn't a thing he could do to stop it. "No, sweetheart. I'm so sorry--"

"No?" She stared at him, clearly bewildered, her voice little more than a whisper.