clean away.
Dammit! Before he committed himself to stay with her for longer than tonight, they really did have something to settle between them. Something that did not involve talking. Something that had been eating at him—and, he suspected, eating at her—all day. Something hot. Something inevitable. Something that damn well couldn't wait.
He glanced down, and saw that her fingers were still wrapped around his wrist. His pulse drummed a savage beat against her thumb. Her hand looked pale, the fingers long and slender as they rested against the native darkness of his arm. That sight—flawless white against dark copper—should have been enough to break the spell. And it might have been, had he not felt a tremor skate through her fingers... and a reciprocal vibration shimmy like a bolt of fire up his arm.
It was all the invitation Jake needed; all the invitation he required. He grabbed her wrist, and tugged her to her feet. His arm snaked around her waist, catching her close when she stumbled against him. Her cheeks went ghost-white. Jake heard her gasp, saw her wince. Only then did he remember her injured ankle.
Indulging in sympathy wasn't one of Jake Chandler's virtues. In fact, he didn't recognize or acknowledge the emotion, even when it sluiced through him. Cursing under his breath, he bent at the waist, scooped her up in his arms, and strutted back toward their camp.
The pan dropped from Amanda's abruptly slack fingers. It clinked against the side of a rock, but Jake didn't bother to stop and retrieve it. He'd fetch it later, when he came back for his things. Right now, he had more important matters to attend to.
Chapter 5
I insist you put me down." Amanda was striving for a tone that sounded neutral but demanding. Rational would have been nice; pity she couldn't manage it . The last thing she wanted was for Jake to know how his strong arms cradling her—his warm, bare flesh touching her—made her feel.
"Insist all you want, princess. Won't do you any good."
"And if I were to tell you I can walk?"
She felt his shrug. "I'd say that's just dandy. Walk all you want... tomorrow. Tonight, you stay off that ankle."
Amanda gritted her teeth. Lord, the man was stubborn! How did he think she'd gotten down to the river in the first place? Hired coach? "You aren't going to put me down, are you?"
"What do you think?" he asked, and kept right on walking.
And that, Amanda decided, was exactly the problem. She couldn't think when Jake touched her. And when he held her close, as he was doing now... well, she didn't want to think, she wanted only to feel. Strange, new, and exciting sensations spiraled through her. Was it possible to feel hot and cold at the same time? It must be, because that was how she felt. Warm and tingly, insanely alive and yet... just as cold and insanely empty. Yes, that was it. She felt empty.
Amanda scowled. Was she, Amanda Louise Van Simmons Lennox, feeling lonely? No, it couldn't be! Or could it? She didn't know, and her confusion served only to confuse her still more.
Sinking into a pensive silence, Amanda tried to ignore how wonderful Jake's arms felt as he cradled her to his chest. She tried to ignore the way his clean, earthy scent lent a sensuous tang to the brisk night air. Tried, and failed. The man wasn't easily ignored. Even harder to ignore was the way mere thoughts of him created that odd, empty ache inside her... and the way mere thoughts of him also served to semi-smooth that ache away.
The walk down to the river hadn't seemed long. The trip back took forever. That might have been because, somewhere between when Jake had picked her up, and when they neared the clearing, Amanda's once rigid body had begun to melt into him. It wasn't a conscious thing. She didn't relax all at once, but rather, muscle by weary muscle gradually uncoiled and loosened.
By the time she heard the whicker of their tethered horses, she'd relaxed considerably. Her hands were no longer clenched in
Dammit! Before he committed himself to stay with her for longer than tonight, they really did have something to settle between them. Something that did not involve talking. Something that had been eating at him—and, he suspected, eating at her—all day. Something hot. Something inevitable. Something that damn well couldn't wait.
He glanced down, and saw that her fingers were still wrapped around his wrist. His pulse drummed a savage beat against her thumb. Her hand looked pale, the fingers long and slender as they rested against the native darkness of his arm. That sight—flawless white against dark copper—should have been enough to break the spell. And it might have been, had he not felt a tremor skate through her fingers... and a reciprocal vibration shimmy like a bolt of fire up his arm.
It was all the invitation Jake needed; all the invitation he required. He grabbed her wrist, and tugged her to her feet. His arm snaked around her waist, catching her close when she stumbled against him. Her cheeks went ghost-white. Jake heard her gasp, saw her wince. Only then did he remember her injured ankle.
Indulging in sympathy wasn't one of Jake Chandler's virtues. In fact, he didn't recognize or acknowledge the emotion, even when it sluiced through him. Cursing under his breath, he bent at the waist, scooped her up in his arms, and strutted back toward their camp.
The pan dropped from Amanda's abruptly slack fingers. It clinked against the side of a rock, but Jake didn't bother to stop and retrieve it. He'd fetch it later, when he came back for his things. Right now, he had more important matters to attend to.
Chapter 5
I insist you put me down." Amanda was striving for a tone that sounded neutral but demanding. Rational would have been nice; pity she couldn't manage it . The last thing she wanted was for Jake to know how his strong arms cradling her—his warm, bare flesh touching her—made her feel.
"Insist all you want, princess. Won't do you any good."
"And if I were to tell you I can walk?"
She felt his shrug. "I'd say that's just dandy. Walk all you want... tomorrow. Tonight, you stay off that ankle."
Amanda gritted her teeth. Lord, the man was stubborn! How did he think she'd gotten down to the river in the first place? Hired coach? "You aren't going to put me down, are you?"
"What do you think?" he asked, and kept right on walking.
And that, Amanda decided, was exactly the problem. She couldn't think when Jake touched her. And when he held her close, as he was doing now... well, she didn't want to think, she wanted only to feel. Strange, new, and exciting sensations spiraled through her. Was it possible to feel hot and cold at the same time? It must be, because that was how she felt. Warm and tingly, insanely alive and yet... just as cold and insanely empty. Yes, that was it. She felt empty.
Amanda scowled. Was she, Amanda Louise Van Simmons Lennox, feeling lonely? No, it couldn't be! Or could it? She didn't know, and her confusion served only to confuse her still more.
Sinking into a pensive silence, Amanda tried to ignore how wonderful Jake's arms felt as he cradled her to his chest. She tried to ignore the way his clean, earthy scent lent a sensuous tang to the brisk night air. Tried, and failed. The man wasn't easily ignored. Even harder to ignore was the way mere thoughts of him created that odd, empty ache inside her... and the way mere thoughts of him also served to semi-smooth that ache away.
The walk down to the river hadn't seemed long. The trip back took forever. That might have been because, somewhere between when Jake had picked her up, and when they neared the clearing, Amanda's once rigid body had begun to melt into him. It wasn't a conscious thing. She didn't relax all at once, but rather, muscle by weary muscle gradually uncoiled and loosened.
By the time she heard the whicker of their tethered horses, she'd relaxed considerably. Her hands were no longer clenched in
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