toes. Oh, you …
Sometimes there were short periods of silence, and always some part of Dan was touching her—his hand, his shoulder, his thigh. It was almost as if he couldn’t bear not touching her.
Only one thing happened to mar the tranquility of the day. Casey lay dozing. Dan, leaning on one elbow, explored her throat with his mouth. His fingers found the nipple on her breast and teased it to hardness through the thin cotton of her shirt.
“No bra,” he whispered into her ear. “Hummmm … I like that.” His mouth moved down and his lipsreplaced fingers that began working on the buttons of her shirt.
The alarm in her brain overcame the delicious feeling of his mouth tugging at the erect bud. She panicked and her hand grabbed his.
“No, Dan! Don’t!”
His fingers stopped immediately and he rolled over on his back, away from her. A rush of misery, an overwhelming sense of loss, welled up inside her. She inhaled deeply, knowing she had denied herself the tactile pleasure of being caressed by his strong, male hands. She wanted to take the sharp words back and replace them with Please, I can’t stand for you to see my ugly body . She didn’t know what to do, so she just lay there, doing nothing. The sun went behind a cloud and stayed there. Casey shivered, suddenly cold. Her groping fingers reached for his hand, wanting his body warmth. He didn’t push her away and when he opened his arms she rolled into them, her mouth open against his neck.
“It’s all right,” he whispered, his voice husky, and she wanted to cry.
Because they had skipped lunch, they decided to have an early dinner. On the way back to the cabin they stopped at the supermarket. While Casey pushed the cart, Dan selected the groceries.
“Don’t get so much, unless you plan on sticking around here.” She laughed. “I’m leaving on Monday.”
“This food will be long gone by then. I have a huge appetite.”
Back at the cabin, Dan carried the two bags of groceries into the kitchen.
“What can I do to help?” Casey asked, a little intimidated by his expertise in selecting the steaks and the vegetables. What other surprises did he have in store for her?
“Nothing. This is my production. I don’t need an amateur cook in my way.” He grinned at her and punched her nose with a gentle finger.
Casey smiled up at him, pleased by their ease with one another. Ease? She was always conscious of the lean tautness of his body, of the whipcord strength of his arms, and the pulse throbbing in his brown throat just below the level of her eyes.
“I’m no dummy,” she said saucily. “I can take a hint.”
“Take a shower instead and put on something soft,” he commanded, but with a tenderness in his eyes that forced her into the humiliating necessity of having to control her quickening breath. “M’lady’s dinner will be served in about…” he consulted the gold watch strapped to his wrist, “one hour.”
“What about you?”
’That includes my shower, too. I’ll run over and get some clean clothes. I don’t want to drop sand in my salad.” He smiled into her eyes, the upturning of his lips engagingly boyish.
Under the shower, Casey told herself she wasn’t a starry-eyed teenager with unrealistic ideas about romance. Although there was absolutely no doubtthat Dan was the only man she had ever met who set her pulse throbbing, it was something else that made her fall in love with him. Although he was a big man, there was something vulnerable about him, something that made her want to gather him in her arms and hold him as if he were a child. Oh, hell! she groaned. Did she dare go to bed with him? Dare to reach for the chance to share that most intimate experience with the man she loved? What if she got pregnant? Was Dan one of those men who was always prepared with birth control devices in the glove compartment of his car? She shuddered, then wrenched off the shower. This was really crazy, she thought.
The closet was a
Sometimes there were short periods of silence, and always some part of Dan was touching her—his hand, his shoulder, his thigh. It was almost as if he couldn’t bear not touching her.
Only one thing happened to mar the tranquility of the day. Casey lay dozing. Dan, leaning on one elbow, explored her throat with his mouth. His fingers found the nipple on her breast and teased it to hardness through the thin cotton of her shirt.
“No bra,” he whispered into her ear. “Hummmm … I like that.” His mouth moved down and his lipsreplaced fingers that began working on the buttons of her shirt.
The alarm in her brain overcame the delicious feeling of his mouth tugging at the erect bud. She panicked and her hand grabbed his.
“No, Dan! Don’t!”
His fingers stopped immediately and he rolled over on his back, away from her. A rush of misery, an overwhelming sense of loss, welled up inside her. She inhaled deeply, knowing she had denied herself the tactile pleasure of being caressed by his strong, male hands. She wanted to take the sharp words back and replace them with Please, I can’t stand for you to see my ugly body . She didn’t know what to do, so she just lay there, doing nothing. The sun went behind a cloud and stayed there. Casey shivered, suddenly cold. Her groping fingers reached for his hand, wanting his body warmth. He didn’t push her away and when he opened his arms she rolled into them, her mouth open against his neck.
“It’s all right,” he whispered, his voice husky, and she wanted to cry.
Because they had skipped lunch, they decided to have an early dinner. On the way back to the cabin they stopped at the supermarket. While Casey pushed the cart, Dan selected the groceries.
“Don’t get so much, unless you plan on sticking around here.” She laughed. “I’m leaving on Monday.”
“This food will be long gone by then. I have a huge appetite.”
Back at the cabin, Dan carried the two bags of groceries into the kitchen.
“What can I do to help?” Casey asked, a little intimidated by his expertise in selecting the steaks and the vegetables. What other surprises did he have in store for her?
“Nothing. This is my production. I don’t need an amateur cook in my way.” He grinned at her and punched her nose with a gentle finger.
Casey smiled up at him, pleased by their ease with one another. Ease? She was always conscious of the lean tautness of his body, of the whipcord strength of his arms, and the pulse throbbing in his brown throat just below the level of her eyes.
“I’m no dummy,” she said saucily. “I can take a hint.”
“Take a shower instead and put on something soft,” he commanded, but with a tenderness in his eyes that forced her into the humiliating necessity of having to control her quickening breath. “M’lady’s dinner will be served in about…” he consulted the gold watch strapped to his wrist, “one hour.”
“What about you?”
’That includes my shower, too. I’ll run over and get some clean clothes. I don’t want to drop sand in my salad.” He smiled into her eyes, the upturning of his lips engagingly boyish.
Under the shower, Casey told herself she wasn’t a starry-eyed teenager with unrealistic ideas about romance. Although there was absolutely no doubtthat Dan was the only man she had ever met who set her pulse throbbing, it was something else that made her fall in love with him. Although he was a big man, there was something vulnerable about him, something that made her want to gather him in her arms and hold him as if he were a child. Oh, hell! she groaned. Did she dare go to bed with him? Dare to reach for the chance to share that most intimate experience with the man she loved? What if she got pregnant? Was Dan one of those men who was always prepared with birth control devices in the glove compartment of his car? She shuddered, then wrenched off the shower. This was really crazy, she thought.
The closet was a
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