an impulsive
mistake and he wanted to make sure she knew how he felt.
It was a
damn good plan. Until he got knocked off his soapbox.
When he'd
arrived at camp, he'd found it empty. After he didn't find her at the dig site
either, he decided to check and see if she'd gone swimming.
That was
when he took a turn off the high road.
When Nick
got to the river, he saw Carter bending down to put her hand in the water. Her
expression was grave, the moment private, so he thought he'd go back and wait
for her at camp. That was when she began to unbutton her shirt, and Nick's feet
had started ignoring his commands to get moving.
Leaning
against a tree for support, he watched as inch by inch, she opened her shirt
and then peeled it from her shoulders. As the shirt floated to the ground, she
turned to kick off her shoes and that was when he saw her breasts. Draped in
sunlight, they were taut and perfectly proportioned, her nipples pink and
small. Below the curves, her stomach was flat and toned.
Nick's
heart started pounding like a jackhammer and he felt himself harden.
He told
himself he should turn around and go. He was no Peeping Tom, after all. And
he'd seen women naked before. It wasn't as if he didn't know the inventory of
female attributes well enough, but somehow the familiarity didn't register. As
he looked at her, it was as if he was seeing a woman for the first time.
And he
liked what he saw. So much so, he could feel the images burning into his
memory.
Her hands
went to the fly of her jeans and she released the buttons. Gripping the
waistband, she slid them free from her long legs. Her hips were a gentle swell,
her thighs strong and shapely. When her simple white panties followed, Nick
gripped a tree limb so hard he cracked it in half.
Carter
froze and then looked in the direction of the noise.
Nick
ducked for cover.
He waited
a moment and peered around the tree again.
Carter
had turned back toward the river and was stretching her arms over her head,
arching her back.
“Oh,
sweet heaven,” he whispered, clenching his jaw.
In the
course of his life, he'd lusted after companies, real estate, works of art.
Even a few women. Nothing, however, came close to the throbbing urgency he felt
while looking at her. As she stepped into the water and splashed herself, her
neck arched as she looked to the sky, he was as close to desperation as he'd
ever been.
Nick
wrenched himself away from the scene, afraid if he stayed any longer he'd give
in to his driving impulses. That he'd step free from his hiding place and
reveal his desire. That he'd take her down onto the bank of the river and enter
her body in one, deep thrust.
Lost on
his own mountain, he struggled to find the trail back down.
Heart of Gold
Chapter 6
The days
before Buddy and Ellie Swift's arrival were a blur for Carter, and she spent a
lot of time with Cort, who came up every morning. When he seemed to stop
staring at her with hopeful eyes, she began to think he'd gotten over his crush
and relaxed in his company. Together, they pored over Farnsworth's journal,
speculated on the route used by the Winship party, and talked about Indian
lore.
The only
difficult part of it all was enduring the updates on how things were going down
at the mansion.
According
to the news bulletins, Candace had turned up with enough luggage to stay for
the whole summer. In contrast to other visits, Nick seemed to be spending a lot
of time with her, a sacrifice for which the rest of the household was paying
dearly. Evidently, extended proximity to the woman put him in an awful mood and
yet he still seemed determined to be with her.
The turn
of events made everyone uneasy. Everyone, that was, except for Candace. She was
cheerful and bubbly, according to Cort, apparently thanks to seeing marriage in
her future. And, as a result, she was growing more bold with her demands. The
woman had even gone so far as to inform Gertie that she needed to start coming
to work in a uniform, as all
mistake and he wanted to make sure she knew how he felt.
It was a
damn good plan. Until he got knocked off his soapbox.
When he'd
arrived at camp, he'd found it empty. After he didn't find her at the dig site
either, he decided to check and see if she'd gone swimming.
That was
when he took a turn off the high road.
When Nick
got to the river, he saw Carter bending down to put her hand in the water. Her
expression was grave, the moment private, so he thought he'd go back and wait
for her at camp. That was when she began to unbutton her shirt, and Nick's feet
had started ignoring his commands to get moving.
Leaning
against a tree for support, he watched as inch by inch, she opened her shirt
and then peeled it from her shoulders. As the shirt floated to the ground, she
turned to kick off her shoes and that was when he saw her breasts. Draped in
sunlight, they were taut and perfectly proportioned, her nipples pink and
small. Below the curves, her stomach was flat and toned.
Nick's
heart started pounding like a jackhammer and he felt himself harden.
He told
himself he should turn around and go. He was no Peeping Tom, after all. And
he'd seen women naked before. It wasn't as if he didn't know the inventory of
female attributes well enough, but somehow the familiarity didn't register. As
he looked at her, it was as if he was seeing a woman for the first time.
And he
liked what he saw. So much so, he could feel the images burning into his
memory.
Her hands
went to the fly of her jeans and she released the buttons. Gripping the
waistband, she slid them free from her long legs. Her hips were a gentle swell,
her thighs strong and shapely. When her simple white panties followed, Nick
gripped a tree limb so hard he cracked it in half.
Carter
froze and then looked in the direction of the noise.
Nick
ducked for cover.
He waited
a moment and peered around the tree again.
Carter
had turned back toward the river and was stretching her arms over her head,
arching her back.
“Oh,
sweet heaven,” he whispered, clenching his jaw.
In the
course of his life, he'd lusted after companies, real estate, works of art.
Even a few women. Nothing, however, came close to the throbbing urgency he felt
while looking at her. As she stepped into the water and splashed herself, her
neck arched as she looked to the sky, he was as close to desperation as he'd
ever been.
Nick
wrenched himself away from the scene, afraid if he stayed any longer he'd give
in to his driving impulses. That he'd step free from his hiding place and
reveal his desire. That he'd take her down onto the bank of the river and enter
her body in one, deep thrust.
Lost on
his own mountain, he struggled to find the trail back down.
Heart of Gold
Chapter 6
The days
before Buddy and Ellie Swift's arrival were a blur for Carter, and she spent a
lot of time with Cort, who came up every morning. When he seemed to stop
staring at her with hopeful eyes, she began to think he'd gotten over his crush
and relaxed in his company. Together, they pored over Farnsworth's journal,
speculated on the route used by the Winship party, and talked about Indian
lore.
The only
difficult part of it all was enduring the updates on how things were going down
at the mansion.
According
to the news bulletins, Candace had turned up with enough luggage to stay for
the whole summer. In contrast to other visits, Nick seemed to be spending a lot
of time with her, a sacrifice for which the rest of the household was paying
dearly. Evidently, extended proximity to the woman put him in an awful mood and
yet he still seemed determined to be with her.
The turn
of events made everyone uneasy. Everyone, that was, except for Candace. She was
cheerful and bubbly, according to Cort, apparently thanks to seeing marriage in
her future. And, as a result, she was growing more bold with her demands. The
woman had even gone so far as to inform Gertie that she needed to start coming
to work in a uniform, as all
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