Mountain Wild (Harlequin Historical Series) by Stacey Kayne Page B

of my mind. I’m not going to try anything.”
    Her eyes flinched. “How reassuring.” She twisted onto her side, but not before he saw the moisture hazing her eyes.
    Damnation. He meant to reassure her. “Grace, don’t think for a moment I’d have to be to want you.”
    She didn’t respond.
    “You’re a real fine woman.”
    “If you don’t pipe down, I’m getting up.”
    The last thing he needed to do was to elaborate on an attraction he’d been fighting to hide. He tugged up the blankets and turned onto his side, putting his back to hers. Not the most comfortable position, but certainly the safest.
    “Good night, Grace.”
    Trapped beneath the covers, the warmth of his back pressed against hers, Maggie didn’t answer. So much for his gentle nature. Staring at a spot of light cast by a lantern, she felt like a sardine packed into one of those tin cans. The stone wall sent her breath right back into her face.
    She shifted her shoulders, trying to find a more comfortable spot, but it was no use. Garret’s big body forced her to lie straight as a fence post. She couldn’t deny her body’s craving for sleep. She ached to curl up, to curve her legs, to really feel his warmth against her. If she had to lie beside him, she might as well be comfortable.
    “Garret?” she said, pushing up.
    “What?” He sounded wide-awake and just as irritable.
    “I’m not comfortable.”
    He muttered a few words beneath his breath before saying, “You can have the bed.”
    “No,” she said, reaching over him before he could toss the blankets back. “That’s not what I meant. We fit in this bed when we weren’t back to back.”
    His eyebrows shot up, the surprise in his expression nearly making her smile. The heat of his side penetrating her shirt made her eager to snuggle against him.
    “I didn’t think you’d want—”
    “Just lie back,” she said, her voice surprisingly gruff.
    He stared at her a moment then eased against the pillow. “All right.”
    The stiff blade at her hip hindering her plans, she released her belt and looped the beaded leather over the bedpost. Burrowing back beneath the covers, she shifted partially over Garret, settling her head against his shoulder. His shirt wasn’t as soft as his skin had been—but he felt nice all the same.
    She marveled at the heat of his body as the tension in her muscles melted away. Warmth shimmered inside her, soothing her chill far more efficiently than any blanket ever had. She stroked his chest, her fingers burning to feel the direct heat of his skin.
    Staggered by Grace’s display of trust, Garret stared at the ebony crown of her head and struggled to breathe. Her hand brushed over his shirt, her fingertips slipping just inside his open collar. The slight brush of skin turned his sleeping solution into sheer punishment. Did she really think their clothes made all that much difference when they were twined together so intimately?
    Apparently so, he thought as she yawned, her firm breasts brushing against his chest. If she moved her thigh a tad higher…
    Holy hell.
    “Okay?” she asked, seeming snug as a bug and sounding half-asleep.
    “Sure.” He forced the word past his desire-constricted throat.
    She didn’t suffer any such affliction, her body completely relaxed against his. She’s just exhausted. Or incredibly naive. Or perhaps she meant to torture him.
    He tugged the heavy blankets up over her shoulders, knowing full well she didn’t have a clue as to how deeply her innocent movements burned him to the quick. He had to remind himself that Grace didn’t want him in her home and couldn’t wait to kick him on down the mountain.
    Her hand moved again, sliding clear down to his waistband. Her fingers found a gap at the bottom of his shirt and burrowed inside. His breath hitched as fingertips trailed across his belly, leaving sparks beneath his skin.
    “Grace?”
    “What?” she asked, sounding sleepy, her husky voice adding to the wild stir of