Extra Time

He was really starting to appreciate shit like this now, after everything that had happened, everything he’d been through. It had opened his eyes to what was important in life – to a point, anyway, because Ryan Fisher hadn’t turned into a saint. He still liked a drink, still loved the women – and the women still loved him, and being here, on this holiday island, well, it was like being in some kind of human sweet shop where he could have access to anything he wanted at any time. He only had to step outside the hotel and women of all ages were suddenly surrounding him. Once upon a time that would have been a dream come true, but there were times now when it just felt like something he had to do in order to keep up an image he was slowly becoming tired of. But even though he had someone back home who would quite happily help him to settle down – he only had to say the word – he just couldn’t bring himself to take that step forward. He just couldn’t seem to let it all go, not yet. He’d tried it once and it hadn’t worked, so why put himself through all that again?

No, he was quite happy just to let things tick along the way they were. Commitment wasn’t something he was thinking about right now. Serious relationships had been put very much on the back-burner. He was going to start living again, start enjoying himself, start making the most of this new beginning he’d been lucky enough to salvage from what could have been one hell of a mess. A mess the old Ryan had created. And despite the old Ryan being someone he couldn’t completely say goodbye to just yet, he wasn’t altogether sure he was that person anymore – the one who partied ’til all hours, slept with as many women as he could before breaking their hearts as he told them goodbye without a second thought to anyone’s feelings but his own. He couldn’t say he wanted to leave all of that behind him, but it wasn’t as exciting as it had once been, because it had been that lifestyle that had pushed Amber away. The old Ryan had made her leave and he regretted that every single minute of every single day.

The phone ringing back inside his room made him jump slightly, pulling him back from his thoughts of a life he hadn’t realised he’d wanted, until it was way too late. A more settled life. A life with Amber.

He wondered whether he should answer it – he wasn’t in the mood to talk to anyone right now. He’d been looking forward to a bit of time alone before they all met for another squad night out – Jim had organised dinner for them in a sea-front restaurant not far from their hotel in another of his pre-season ‘team-bonding’ sessions, and Ryan needed time to prepare himself for the fact that Amber would be there, with Jim, doubtless looking beautiful and elegant and sexy as hell. And she wasn’t his anymore. His own fault.

Whoever was calling him was certainly persistent, and he turned and walked back into the room with a heavy sigh, closing the door behind him to keep the air-conditioning working. He sat down on the edge of the bed and picked up the phone.

‘Yep.’

‘Ryan, it’s me.’

He didn’t know whether he was glad to hear her voice, or slightly angry at her for bothering him when he’d really wanted to use this time away from her to grab a bit of space. ‘Hey, babe. How you doing?’

‘I miss you.’

He closed his eyes, the pause he left adding nerves to her voice.

‘Ryan? You don’t mind me calling you, do you? Only…’

‘No,’ he sighed, opening his eyes and staring out at the beautiful sunset that was happening right there in front of him. ‘No, of course I don’t mind. It’s good to hear your voice. Everything okay back home?’

It was her turn to pause, and when she spoke again the nerves were back. ‘I wouldn’t know. I’m not at home.’

Ryan frowned, running a hand along the back of his neck as he continued to stare out at the now rapidly setting sun. ‘Huh? Where are you, then?’

‘I’m here. I’m in Tenerife.’

The cool water lapped around Amber’s thighs as she waded into the small but private pool on the terrace of their plush and rather spacious hotel suite. The sun was about to set and the sky carried the most incredible rust-coloured glow as the island got ready to turn from another hot and sticky day into a warm and balmy evening.

Despite the darkness that was about to descend, the pool was lit up by the terrace’s low lighting, making it seem all the more ethereal, almost. Peaceful. Perfect for a swim before she had to shower, change and get ready for Jim’s team dinner. It’d be the first time she and Jim had gone out with the rest of the Newcastle Red Star squad since they’d arrived in Tenerife, and she’d be lying if she said she wasn’t apprehensive about being so close to Ryan. He wasn’t somebody she deliberately made a point of being around, not if she didn’t have to be, and so far, on the whole, she’d managed to avoid it. What they’d shared and the things they’d gone through, it all still felt quite raw sometimes, but Amber knew their relationship had been one that could never have worked. So many obstacles had stood in their way, making it impossible to move anywhere or go any further forward. But she still cared about him, still loved him, in some strange kind of way.

Shaking all thoughts of Ryan Fisher from her mind, she ran her hands through her hair, pushing it back off her face as she stared out ahead at the sun falling rapidly behind the island of La Gomera. Everything felt so calm here, so serene, with nothing but the sound of the sea and the muffled noise way off in the distance of a holiday island getting ready for another night of fun.

She loved the fact it was still so warm, even with darkness descending. There was no air to speak of, the humidity was seeing to that, but the coolness of the water felt good as she finally dipped under for a few seconds before pushing back up to the surface, shaking the water off her barely-clothed body.

‘You have no idea how incredibly sexy that looked.’

The sound of that low American accent caused her to swing round as fast as she could waist-deep in water. Jim was crouched down beside the edge of the pool, ready to join her in just his beach shorts, his tanned and toned body exposed. For a man of forty-nine he was extremely fit, and even now he still took Amber’s breath away. Her beautiful American man. Her wonderful husband. The man she’d waited to be with for over twenty years.

She smiled at him, pushing her hands through her hair again, watching as he slid into the pool, joining her in the water. Her heart was already beating out of her chest, anticipation flooding her body. Sometimes it felt like he only had to look at her and she wanted him like crazy, but she guessed that’s what being away from him for so long had done to her. All those years of missing him, wanting him, it was bound to build up, wasn’t it? All that frustration, that sexual tension. They had all that missed time to catch up on.

She backed up against the pool wall as he swam over to her, stopping right in front of her, their eyes locked together as he reached out to gently push a stray strand of wet hair from her face.

‘You look hot,’ he whispered, his mouth almost touching hers and she could feel her heart beating even faster now, pounding away like some out-of-control drum as his fingers slowly moved down from her cheek, running lightly over her collarbone. ‘So – fucking – hot.’

She threw her head back as he kissed the base of her throat, his fingers running down over her arm, his touch so feather-light it caused a million goose bumps to appear out of nowhere, despite the heat and the temperature outside.

‘Jim…’

He shut her up with a kiss, and Amber had no choice but to respond, sliding a hand round the back of his neck as his mouth pressed harder against hers, their tongues touching, moving around each other in some kind of erotic dance. What this man did to her she just couldn’t explain. And to think she’d almost lost him; that she’d tried to fight these feelings, push him away, when it was only ever going to end up with them being together. It was their fate. She truly believed that.

The kiss left her breathless, and she pulled away slightly, flinching just a touch as she felt his fingers start to snake up her spine, gently tugging at her bikini top until he’d loosened it completely, pulling it away from her and discarding it on the poolside. It was quite a liberating feeling, to be slowly stripped naked, outside, on this humid night, and even though neither of them were totally aware of exactly how private their terrace was, they didn’t really care. Amber certainly didn’t. They weren’t hiding anymore. Nothing was a secret.

‘Oh, Jesus, Jim…’ she gasped, throwing her head back again, pushing her breasts hard against his hands as he cupped them before slowly rubbing his thumbs over her nipples, causing them to harden immediately. That’s what his touch did to her. And it felt so good!

‘Let’s take this one step further.’ He slid both hands down under the water, loosening the tie-sides on her bikini bottoms, pulling them away from her in an instant. ‘Let’s face it, honey, they were so small you might as well not have been wearing them in the first place.’

A shiver ran right through her as he kissed her again, a kiss so deep and beautiful; a kiss that turned her on so much she thought she might come before he’d even touched her, before he’d had a chance to make love to her. And she ached to feel him inside her, so she had to hold back, had to let him take the lead.

His hands were on her hips now, gently lifting her out of the water, sitting her down on the very edge of the poolside, and Amber knew exactly what was coming next. She knew, and her entire body tingled with the anticipation.

He pushed her legs apart, touching her first with his fingers, stroking, probing, running them through a wetness that wasn’t caused by the water alone. She closed her eyes, her hands palm-down behind her to steady her as his fingers probed harder, deeper, before slipping inside her for just a matter of seconds, but long enough to make her cry out loud with a mixture of pleasure and pain. He was touching her, inside and out, and it felt amazing!

She kept her eyes closed as his fingers slid out of her, her stomach clenching as another wave of anticipation flooded her. And then she felt his mouth replace his fingers, his tongue taking over where they’d left off. He was touching her, tasting her, drinking her in, and Amber felt as though she was going to explode. Oh God, what he could do to her! He was gently easing her wider apart with his fingers, his tongue covering every inch of her down there, and it was the most intense, incredible experience. She could already feel those beautiful pins and needles start to creep up her body, that release beginning its attempt to break free, and he must have sensed that, too, because he pushed harder, probed deeper, and she pushed against him, giving him everything she had as it all came to a crashing end, her body shaking in spasms of ecstasy. But he stayed right where he was, taking everything she was giving him, drinking her dry until she could do nothing but collapse around him. Her legs were weak, her body tingling, yet she knew it wasn’t over. She knew he needed more, and so did she. She still ached to feel him inside her, despite the fact she’d just experienced one of the most glorious orgasms of her entire life. She still wanted to feel him, hard and ready, deep, deep inside of her.

He pulled her back into the water, stroking her cheek with his thumb as his mouth lowered down onto hers. She could taste herself on him, his lips salty and damp, and it only served to heighten everything she was already feeling. Every nerve ending was on red alert, just waiting for the next instalment of this erotic ride.

He was naked now, too. He was naked and he was hard, his erection pressing into her thigh, and she honestly thought she was going to pass out with the intensity of it all. Had she missed out on all of this for over twenty years? Or was it only like this because of those years apart? It didn’t matter now, not anymore. They were together, and that was all that mattered. They were together. Finally.

Lifting her up again, but keeping her in the water this time, he pushed her back against the pool wall as she wrapped her legs around his hips, her arms around his neck, burying her face in his grey-flecked hair as he finally pushed inside her. And he pushed hard, fast, sliding in and out of her in a beautiful, perfect rhythm, his hands underneath her bottom, keeping her firmly on him as he continued to fuck her in the most incredible way. And maybe it was the water that was helping to intensify everything, she had no idea; all she knew was that, when the climax finally came, she’d never felt anything like it. When he exploded inside her, she felt every drop of him spill out, every shudder and jolt sending her further over the precipice into a heaven she’d had no idea existed. She had to bury her face in his shoulder to muffle the screams, to silence the moans, and he held onto her so tight she almost couldn’t breathe, waiting until it was over, until she’d experienced every last, heart-stopping second of it all before he finally loosened his grip. She almost fell against him when he did, and he had to grab onto her quickly to hold her up, her legs were so weak. She felt drained, almost; all energy had been sapped out of her.

‘Hey, beautiful,’ he whispered, tilting her chin up so her eyes met his. ‘You okay there?’

She smiled, nodding slowly, slipping a hand round the back of his neck, playing with his damp hair. ‘Where’d you learn to do all that?’

He laughed, that low, sexy laugh that made her stomach flip and her heart race. She was falling in love with this man all over again, although she doubted whether she’d ever fallen out of love with him. From the age of sixteen he’d been all she’d ever wanted, all she’d ever dreamed of, even if she’d only just realised that now. No other man could ever match up to him. Ever. ‘When I’m with you, baby, it all comes naturally, believe me.’ He buried his face in her hair, his fingers gently stroking her breasts, their bodies still pressed together. ‘You taste so good, Amber. So fucking good.’

She shivered slightly as he spoke, remembering the feel of his tongue as it had touched her, brought her to that crashing climax. He was the only man who’d ever managed to do that, and he always would be – now. The only man she’d ever need. ‘Remind me to repay the compliment one day.’ She smiled, reaching down to take him in her hand. She was surprised to find he was still hard, and she couldn’t stop that small shiver from turning into another huge tingle. ‘Mr. Allen, surely you must be done by now?’

‘Never.’ He returned her smile, nuzzling her neck, covering that space just below her ear in hundreds of tiny kisses.

‘Then you’ll have to let me repay that favour the second we get back from dinner. We can’t have you in any way dissatisfied now, can we?’

He looked at her, smiling that smile, and she felt her stomach dip and dive again. Oh Jesus, she loved this man so much. So, so much. ‘I’ll hold you to that.’

She closed her eyes as he kissed her again; a beautiful, slow and languid kiss that caused her to melt against him, never wanting to leave his arms, but knowing she had to. They couldn’t stay here all night, even if that was where they both wanted to be.

‘Later.’ He smiled, stroking the damp hair from her face before climbing out of the pool. Amber watched him walk back into their hotel suite, naked and handsome and still as sexy as he had been when she’d first met him over two decades ago.

‘Later,’ she whispered, looking back out at the view in front of her, the resort below now shrouded in a blanket of darkness, the lights of the bars and hotels twinkling away like a myriad of coloured fairy lights. And she just wished later would come sooner than it was going to.

‘I could do without this,’ Ryan muttered, sitting back in his seat, pushing it backwards until it rested on its rear legs, kicking the table leg in front of him like some petulant, bored child.

‘Jesus, you’re not still moping over Amber, are you?’ Gary sighed, sitting down beside Ryan, handing him a pint of lager. ‘Get over it, mate. It’s been months now. And I thought, after everything you’ve been through recently…’ He stopped talking as Ryan threw him a look, and Gary turned away, taking a quick sip of his lager. ‘I thought you were over it, that’s all. You can’t have her anymore. She’s married to the boss. Deal with it.’

Ryan said nothing, just swung back on his chair again, resting his hands on his toned and taut stomach as he watched everything going on around him on the dimly lit, fairy-light-strewed terrace of the restaurant Jim had told them all to meet up in. Colin Bailey – Red Star’s head coach and assistant manager – had made sure all the guys in the squad had got there on time, but there was still no sign of Amber or Jim. Ryan could only guess at what they were doing that was making them so late. And it hurt.