Anne Oliver - Her Not-So-Secret Diary

O HTHE things the man could do He was the most creative lover shed ever had. Shed enjoyed a few but this one was the flame on her Flaming Sambuca. Slithering lower, Sophie Buchanan licked the lingering flavour of blackberries and cream from her lips. As sweet as it was, she was done with dessert.

The silk sheets slid cool and smooth against her skin, the perfect foil for his hard, hot weight as she arched her body beneath him. Wanting more. Wanting everything. And she told him what that was. Every glorious detail.

Then she sighed as he set about fulfilling those requests, starting at her ear lobe and working his way down.

His mouth was warm, wet and wicked, suckling at her neck, laving her collarbone and sending goose bumps from the roots of her hair right down to the tips of her toes and every throbbing place in between. His thumbs, lightly calloused, chafed her sensitised flesh as he tweaked her nipples untilohblissshe was in heaven.

Theres more, his gravel and whisky voice promised.

She hummed her approval, absorbing the scent and texture of his skin against hers while his hands continued their erotic journey.

Wanting to absorb the feel of his flesh through her fingertips, she slid her fingers slowly down his spine, touching every vertebra in turn, pressing her thumbs into the hard muscle on either side. She was rewarded with a harsh groan that tickled her ear and told her he was enjoying it as much as she.

Then he touched her some more. Everywhere. Everywhere at once. His fingers sought, found and satisfied all her secret places. Ripples of pleasure flowed through her veins like liquid goldhis expertise knew no bounds and it seemed his only desire was to bring her pleasure.

And he did, in every way. Jared The name rippled through her mind like silken ribbons in a tropical breeze.

He smiled, traced her mouth with a finger then with his tongue, and she smiled too, before indulging in the most sumptuous of kisses. He tasted rich and dark, like the blackberries and cream theyd shared, and ever-so-slightly dangerous, which was okay, since she knew she was perfectly safe with him.

Yes Perfection.

He kneed her thighs apart then slid inside her with agonisingly exquisite slowness. It was as if the world forgot to turn. As if it were coming to a stop. And perhaps it was. Perhaps it had ceased to exist, because it seemed it was only the two of them in a sparkling cocoon of everlasting velvet night.

And then

She heard a moan, as if her voice came from somewhere else, and her eyes slid open, the darkness alive and glowing with wonder, the tidal wave of her climax still crashing around her. She lay a moment listening to the sound of her elevated breathing while her body slowly floated back to earth.

And reality.

She touched her still tingling lips, realised she was still smiling. And why wouldnt she be? Ohmygoodness.

As her eyes adjusted to nights soft glow through her living-room window, she saw the Gold Coasts languid summers evening had sprinkled the indigo sky with silver dust.

A dream. And the best sex shed never had.

Yet even though his image remained tantalisingly vague, she could still taste him on her tongue. Which was as fanciful as it was true, she knew, but that didnt make it any less sumptuous. As dream lovers went he was a five-star keeper. Which, all things considered, was a shame because why werent there any men out there in the real world to compare?

She shook her head against the cushion. It didnt matter if there were a zillion comparable men beating a path to her door, she wasnt interested. She didnt needor wanta real man in her life ever again. Not after Glen. Hed destroyed what they had and left her feeling less than a woman. Her dream lovers suited her just fine. Dream lovers were all about you and your wants and they didnt let you down.

Best of all, they were safe.

Her laptop lay on the coffee table, its tiny power light winking in the dimness. Rousing herself, she switched on the reading lamp. Every luscious detail, before the glory fades.

Even though she no longer attended counselling sessions, the dream journal she still kept was on her night-stand, so she dragged the computer onto her lap, created a dream folder, flexed her fingers

His name was Jared, and this dream hottie could scorch her sheets any time he wanted The words flowed onto the screen, tantalising her all over again. She reread the document, flushing hot as she did so. Whew , it was like reading one of those steamy romance novels. What would her counsellor have made of it?

Then her fingers stalled above the keyboard. Jared? Her heart thumped once and a jolt of heat arrowed through her body. She didnt know anyone by that name Unless she counted Jared Sandersonand it couldnt be him. How could you have the hots for a guy youd never met, let alone seen up close? Pams boss. And since her friend was off work sick and Sophie was temping for her, that made him her boss for the next day or so.

A shivery sensation shot through her body, making the tiny hairs on the back of her neck and down her arms stand up. A glimpse of dark cropped hair and a snowy white shirt stretched tight over impossibly broad shoulders when shed arrived at the office of J Sanderson Property Investments and Refurbishments this morning

She shook the image away. Big boss Jared had been too busy or simply too rude to bother introducing himself to his lowly temporary PA before heading out for the rest of the day. It wasnt him , she told herself firmly. The name had stuck in her mind, that was all. Not to mention that stunning physique And tall and dark had always been her thing

No. If he had hit her sweet spot on some subconscious level and it had manifested in her dreams, it didnt matter since hed never know .

So it wasnt a problem. Not a problem at all. Nor was she going to allow this particular dream lover to erode the competent professional image shed worked so hard for. Shed come to Surfers to bury past hurts, to begin a new life.