couldn’t quite seem to phrase the question subtly.
“Close enough.”
“So are you married?” Right, Charlie, just blurt it out.
He glanced around at her, smiling faintly, and again she was aware of the smoldering quality of that look. “Nope. You?”
Thank you, God, she thought, but managed not to say it aloud. “No.”
“Good.”
Without warning, the flashlight went out. The cabin was plunged into total darkness.
“Shit.”
“Jake!” Charlie moved toward him, reaching out for him in sudden alarm. Her fingers encountered the soft hair on his chest, and brushed over the warm hard muscles beneath before being reluctantly withdrawn. The contact produced a tingling electricity that shimmied along every nerve ending she possessed. The strength of her own reaction made her catch her breath.
“It’s okay. Nothing to worry about. Damn batteries.”
“We don’t really need it, do we?” It was an effort to make her voice sound normal. She had to resist the urge to touch him again. It was too soon, she didn’t know him, the situation was about as inappropriate as one could get …
She could hear him doing something that involved metal, shaking it until it rattled, screwing and unscrewing a lid.
“If we do, we’re out of luck, because it’s not coming back on. Here, wrap this around yourself. It’s cold out there, and we’ve got to get moving. I wish to hell we’d managed to hang onto our boots.”
“Ostrich leather, black, size seven. If we get out of this, you owe me a pair.” Her tone was severe, but Charlie was smiling faintly as she said it.
“Yeah, okay. Fine. Blame me. I don’t care.” He sounded as if he might be smiling, too. Charlie felt something settle over her shoulders: the blanket. The gift of it touched her. For all his obvious physical toughness, he was as human as she was and he would freeze outside without it. It also settled something: However unexpected her attraction to him might be, it was something that deserved to be explored.
For once in her life, she meant to take a chance. And good girl Charlie be damned.
“Jake.” She reached out for him again, and this time touched his arm. Her hand curled around one of the biceps she had so admired. It felt warm and hard beneath her fingers. “You know what? I think you’re a pretty great guy.”
Heart pounding, she took a step closer, rose up on tiptoe and kissed him. His lips were warm, and firm, andtasted faintly of the river they’d just left behind. For a moment, as she pressed her lips to his, he did nothing, just stood immobile as if he would absorb the touch of her lips.
“God, I’ve been wanting to do that.” He said the words against her lips. Then his arms came around her hard and he pulled her to him and bent her backward over his arm and slanted his mouth over hers with a greedy hunger that made her quake.
By way of a reply, she wrapped her arms around his neck and put her tongue in his mouth and kissed him back for all she was worth. But it was he who controlled the kiss now as his tongue thrust urgently into her mouth and his hand came up to cover her breast. Charlie thought she would die at how good it felt to have his hand there. Her loins clenched and throbbed. Her breasts swelled, and the one fortunate nipple thrust boldly against the palm of his caressing hand. Quivers raced up and down her thighs as he pressed his knee between them. Her knees went weak. The bed was pushing against the back of her calves as he turned her around, and she swayed against it, wanting to be horizontal with him in the worst way.
Whether she pulled him down or he pushed her she didn’t know, but suddenly she was on her back on the mattress and he was coming down on top of her, pulling up her flannel shirt, cupping her breasts, running his thumbs lightly over the distended nipples, kissing her ravenously all the while. Charlie moaned into his mouth, sliding her hands over his chest, tugging at his ridiculous shorts, so hot
“Close enough.”
“So are you married?” Right, Charlie, just blurt it out.
He glanced around at her, smiling faintly, and again she was aware of the smoldering quality of that look. “Nope. You?”
Thank you, God, she thought, but managed not to say it aloud. “No.”
“Good.”
Without warning, the flashlight went out. The cabin was plunged into total darkness.
“Shit.”
“Jake!” Charlie moved toward him, reaching out for him in sudden alarm. Her fingers encountered the soft hair on his chest, and brushed over the warm hard muscles beneath before being reluctantly withdrawn. The contact produced a tingling electricity that shimmied along every nerve ending she possessed. The strength of her own reaction made her catch her breath.
“It’s okay. Nothing to worry about. Damn batteries.”
“We don’t really need it, do we?” It was an effort to make her voice sound normal. She had to resist the urge to touch him again. It was too soon, she didn’t know him, the situation was about as inappropriate as one could get …
She could hear him doing something that involved metal, shaking it until it rattled, screwing and unscrewing a lid.
“If we do, we’re out of luck, because it’s not coming back on. Here, wrap this around yourself. It’s cold out there, and we’ve got to get moving. I wish to hell we’d managed to hang onto our boots.”
“Ostrich leather, black, size seven. If we get out of this, you owe me a pair.” Her tone was severe, but Charlie was smiling faintly as she said it.
“Yeah, okay. Fine. Blame me. I don’t care.” He sounded as if he might be smiling, too. Charlie felt something settle over her shoulders: the blanket. The gift of it touched her. For all his obvious physical toughness, he was as human as she was and he would freeze outside without it. It also settled something: However unexpected her attraction to him might be, it was something that deserved to be explored.
For once in her life, she meant to take a chance. And good girl Charlie be damned.
“Jake.” She reached out for him again, and this time touched his arm. Her hand curled around one of the biceps she had so admired. It felt warm and hard beneath her fingers. “You know what? I think you’re a pretty great guy.”
Heart pounding, she took a step closer, rose up on tiptoe and kissed him. His lips were warm, and firm, andtasted faintly of the river they’d just left behind. For a moment, as she pressed her lips to his, he did nothing, just stood immobile as if he would absorb the touch of her lips.
“God, I’ve been wanting to do that.” He said the words against her lips. Then his arms came around her hard and he pulled her to him and bent her backward over his arm and slanted his mouth over hers with a greedy hunger that made her quake.
By way of a reply, she wrapped her arms around his neck and put her tongue in his mouth and kissed him back for all she was worth. But it was he who controlled the kiss now as his tongue thrust urgently into her mouth and his hand came up to cover her breast. Charlie thought she would die at how good it felt to have his hand there. Her loins clenched and throbbed. Her breasts swelled, and the one fortunate nipple thrust boldly against the palm of his caressing hand. Quivers raced up and down her thighs as he pressed his knee between them. Her knees went weak. The bed was pushing against the back of her calves as he turned her around, and she swayed against it, wanting to be horizontal with him in the worst way.
Whether she pulled him down or he pushed her she didn’t know, but suddenly she was on her back on the mattress and he was coming down on top of her, pulling up her flannel shirt, cupping her breasts, running his thumbs lightly over the distended nipples, kissing her ravenously all the while. Charlie moaned into his mouth, sliding her hands over his chest, tugging at his ridiculous shorts, so hot
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