The fire and passion of their love has slowly ebbed away through years of neglect. Can a second honeymoon re-ignite that spark?
There has been no physical contact in their marriage for so long that when Ben first hatches his plan to take Beth away for the weekend, it really is all about the sex and providing an environment where there are no distractions and no excuse for her to refuse his advances again. But while Ben is making all the arrangements, it suddenly becomes clear to him that there’s something more important at stake. His marriage, to the woman of his dreams, is actually in trouble.
Beth believed that motherhood would come easily, that building a perfect world around her three sons and husband would be achievable. But reality has proven her wrong. The more she tried, the more her failures shattered her confidence. Where she planned to shower her family with home baked cookies, smiles and unconditional love, she struggles just getting the evening meal on the table. By the end of the day she’s so exhausted that she can’t even fulfil her marital obligations. Once upon a time making love to Ben was just as necessary as breathing, before her body was ravaged by the demands of pregnancy and childbirth. They’ve grown so far apart that Beth’s convinced Ben’s having an affair.
Can a second honeymoon really help Beth and Ben bridge that growing divide between them and bring back the fire and passion that has slowly, through years of neglect, ebbed away? And will this give the couple a much needed chance to work together for a happier future? Or is it too late?
Publisher's Note: This book was previously published elsewhere. It has been revised and re-edited for release with Totally Bound Publishing.
General Release Date: 9th January 2015
The heat from the sun’s rays kissed her shoulders. Droplets of perspiration ran down her bikini-clad back as she raced across the powdery, soft sand. Her laughter, using up the much needed oxygen from her lungs, joined together with the sounds of the gulls squealing above. Grains of sand from Ben’s nearing footfalls stung the backs of her calves as he closed in on her. She knew he would catch her quickly. She welcomed it. As his arms closed around her waist, she felt her feet lifted from the ground and their bodies tumbled together into the spill of the ocean.
Ben had turned them at the last moment so his body would cushion her fall, but the splash of seawater covered her. The refreshing feel of the warm water cooled her skin but only Ben could extinguish the sexual fires burning within her.
“Running from me already, Mrs. Russell? On our honeymoon, no less.” He laughed as his lips moved over hers, demanding yet gentle at the same time. His tongue exploring every crevice of her mouth in its welcomed assault, hers matching the intensity and hunger equally. The beach deserted—Ben’s hands explored her body, cupped her breasts, teasing her nipples into hard buds, causing a ripple effect to heighten her already sexual state. Liquid pooled in her bikini bottoms, mixing with the salty wash of the waves rhythmically lapping and breaking over her sensitized pussy.
“Touch me, Ben,” she pleaded, as his strong fingers delved beneath the sides of her wispy swimwear, easily pushing the fabric aside. Their promised destination had her panting with need, spreading apart her thighs in encouragement. She arched her hips forward, impatient for that moment when Ben’s talented touch would make contact with her throbbing clit—wanting to make her pleasurable climb to destination bliss.
What about the warm dishwater had Beth reminiscing about her honeymoon? There was nothing romantic about doing the dishes. After ten years of marriage and bringing three kids into the world, she had cleaned up more times than she could count. Could just the feel of the warm water on her skin be enough to bring about those memories of better times? Swimming, relaxing, or making love had been their only concerns back on that romantic, idyllic island. Whatever the reason for remembering how things used to be, it did nothing to improve her mood. Those days, when romance and sex had been a wonderful feature of her marriage to Ben, were long gone.
Once upon a time they hadn’t been able to keep their hands off each other. Ben had taught Beth all there was to know about sex—sensual, needy, or just plain hot and heavy sex. Together they had explored most of the positions listed in the Kama Sutra. Marking them off one by one as they’d groped, stroked, licked or sucked over every inch of each other’s naked flesh. These days she was lucky to get a kiss on the cheek as Ben raced out of the door on his way to work. More disturbingly, Beth found this new development a relief.
Not that she could blame Ben for his lack of motivation. Beth didn’t need to look in the mirror to confirm she had let herself go. Those bikini-wearing days, like back on her honeymoon, were a long way in the past—her once flat tummy, now flabby, covered in stretch marks. Her hair, her pride and joy back in the day—treated with regular hair dressing appointments and top-priced conditioning treatments—now lucky to get a quick brush before being drawn back into a ponytail. A top and shorts or sweatpants, paired with a floppy jumper, her choice of clothing these days, depending on the weather. She had little time to do much more, always something else needing her attention more urgently.
Ben, on the contrary, looked just as good as he had when Beth had first met him eleven years ago. In fact, he looked even better, in her opinion. He had filled out over the years—but where her body had turned to flab, Ben had muscled up. The laugh lines now gracing his face highlighted his sea-blue colored eyes, while her wrinkles just illuminated the dark circles underneath hers.
Sydney-born Donna Gallagher decided at an early age that life needed be tackled head on. Leaving home at fifteen, she supported herself through her teen years. In her twenties she married a professional sportsman, her love of sport—especially rugby league—probably overriding her good sense.
The seven-year marriage was an adventure. There were the emotional ups and downs of having a husband with a public profile in a sometimes glamorous but always high-pressure field. There were always interesting characters to meet and observe, and even the opportunity to live for a time in the UK.
Eventually Donna returned home a single woman, but she never lost her passion for watching sport, as well as the people in and around it.
Now happily re-married and with three sons, Donna loves coffee mornings with her female friends, sorting through problems from the personal to the international. But she's on even footing with the keenest man when it comes to watching and talking rugby league.
Donna considers herself something of a black sheep in a family of high achievers. Her brother has a doctorate in mathematics and her sister is a well-known Australian sports journalist.
An avid reader, especially of romance, Donna finally found she couldn't stop the characters residing in her imagination from spilling onto paper. Naturally, rugby league is the backdrop to her spicy tales of hunky heroes and spunky heroines overcoming adversity to eventually find true love.
A multiple ARRA awards finalist in 2013 & 2014 for her League of Love series, Donna is spreading her genre wings In 2015 with the launch of her new romantic suspense Haven Security Series and the re-release of her contemporary erotic novella A Fruitful Intimacy.
Reviewed by Susan Foulkes
A bittersweet story that grabbed me from the beginning. It was all too easy to identify with Beth and Ben....any couple who have (or had) young children will understand what they were going through but...
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Reviewed by H K Carlton
No responsibilities, no kids, a tropical island, champagne for two. And mangos. Don’t forget the mangos. Sound good? Then Donna Gallagher’s A Fruitful Intimacy is for you. Hardworking Ben loves his...
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Donna Gallagher - Contemporary Romance Cafe feature
A ways back I was chatting to some of my Aussie author friends discussing possible book plots, we all decided to write a short story with a theme that revolved around food. My choice was easy – mangoes.
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Donna Gallagher - Cara Sutra feature
In December I celebrated my author-versary. It’s been two years since my first book Caitlin’s Hero released and I’ve got to say it’s been one hell of a journey. I never had any aspirations to write a book. I loved reading erotic romance or any good book for that matter and was quite happy in my life as wife, mother, sister, aunt. As my bio says it wasn’t until I heard the voice of Brodie James in my head, and could not get him to be quiet, that it all began.
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