Her heart melted at the thought that he’d even think to do that. Where did the gruff, angry man go? “So we did things a little backward. We can get to know each other now.”
She reached for his hands and he pulled them away. “I need to wash up.”
“I didn’t peg you as a neat freak,” she teased. She pressed her body against his, drawn in by his thoughtfulness. “Let’s go wash up. I have no expectations. To be honest, I’m still reeling at you talking to me instead of growling.”
“I can’t make any promises about how I’ll be ten minutes from now or tomorrow. I definitely don’t trust my own emotions right now, but I don’t regret being with you.”
Chapter Ten
“THIS IS ONE thing that my concrete city doesn’t have enough of,” Savannah said as she dipped beneath the cold water. Her teeth chattered and goose bumps covered her arms and legs.
“You’re freezing.” He wrapped his arms around her.
“No, just my outside is. My inside is warmer and happier than it has been in a very long time.”
“You really are incredibly beautiful,” Jack whispered. He’d been dying to touch her face after they’d been close, and now, as he reached up and cupped her cheek, he had to close his eyes. She fit perfectly against his palm, and when she leaned into his hand, he shivered with the memory of what they’d done in the forest.
“Thank you,” Savannah said. She touched the back of his hand and pressed it to her cheek. “You’re not so bad yourself.”
He took the washcloth from Savannah’s hand and washed her back in slow, gentle stokes as he learned each dip and curve of her body.
“Jack, are you different from who you thought you were?” Savannah asked.
“That’s a strange question,” he said, but he knew just what she meant.
“I know.” She gathered her hair and moved it to her other shoulder so he could wash beneath it. “Out here I’m nothing like who I am back home. I’m so strong at home. I can do anything, and I never ask for help. But out here I’m, I don’t know. Weak or something.”
He turned her so she was facing him. “You’re anything but weak. I see a strong woman who’s also feminine, and the combination is…frustrating.”
Savannah frowned. “Honesty is good, but after what we just did, maybe you could sugarcoat it a little.”
He moved in closer and lifted her chin to look at him. “That was sugarcoated.”
He smiled down at her, then met her lips with his, and despite the cold air that enveloped them, every swipe of her tongue heightened his desire and hardened his arousal. She pressed her body into him, and he wrapped her in his arms—like it was the only place she could possibly belong—and he had no idea how he’d gone without her for the last two years. When she wrapped her hands around his neck and lifted herself up, it was only natural for him to grasp her thighs and help her legs find their way around his waist. Savannah deepened the kiss, making sexy little noises that sent his urges soaring again.
“Take me,” she whispered between kisses.
He couldn’t respond—every time he was with her, he couldn’t think straight—and as she slid down his body and her warm, wet center engulfed every inch of him, he could only let out a sumptuous moan. She felt like sweet velvet stroking him as she rose and fell in perfect unison to his efforts.
“Yes,” she said in a hurried breath. “Ah…Jack.”
Hearing his name on her lips spurred him on. He clutched her ass, moving her harder, faster, as she tightened around him and drew the come right out of him.
“Yes, yes,” she said until her voice was swallowed by quick, sharp gasps of breath. Savannah held tight to his shoulders as they rode the crescendo of their passion beneath the shadows of the moon.
IT WAS NEARLY three in the morning when they finally arrived back at the campsite, and as he kissed her good night, Jack wondered how he would get through the next few hours without her. And in the next breath, he wondered how Savannah could find her way into his heart in such a short period of time. He’d always counted himself lucky for having met and married Linda, who he’d thought completed him in every way he could imagine. Now, with Savannah, he realized that there was so much more of him that he never knew needed completing. Could a man get this lucky twice in his life? Jack closed his eyes, waiting for the anger that had eaten away at him for years to come rushing back, but for the first time since he’d lost Linda, he was able to fall asleep without first enduring hours of misery.
Chapter Eleven
SAVANNAH AWOKE WITH the sun, and though she’d slept only a couple of hours, she felt refreshed and ready to tackle the day—and Jack Remington. Boy, had he thrown her for a loop. She’d expected hot sex, but she couldn’t have anticipated the dirty things she’d wanted to do with him, and by the time they’d returned to the campsite, he’d become tender toward her. The more tender he became, the more her body reacted to him.
As she dressed, she tried to calm her nerves about seeing him again, and before getting out of her tent, she took a few minutes to gather her courage and strength, wondering how he would act toward her. They’d agreed not to hide their feelings but not to flaunt them either. Savannah knew she might have trouble with that. She was a Braden, after all, and all Bradens tended to err on the side of overly affectionate with those they cared for. Cared for. Savannah realized that even though she hardly knew Jack, her heart had already embraced him.
“I’ll get her!” Aiden’s voice carried through the thin tent walls. A few rapid footfalls later, Aiden poked his blond head into her tent. His wide eyes were full of mischief. “Hi, Savannah. We’re learning to build a shelter. A real shelter. Are you almost ready? Jack says we can’t go till you’re ready.”
Savannah touched his nose. “I’m as ready as I’m gonna be, but is everyone else up this early?”
“Yup.”
“Then I better get my butt in gear.” Last night came rushing back and she felt her cheeks flush.
Aiden ran away from her tent, yelling, “She’s getting her butt gear on!”
Savannah buried her face in her hands. She crawled out of her tent under the amused scrutiny of four sets of adult eyes. Jack’s eyes were locked on the ground.
“I said get my butt in gear, silly boy,” she said with a laugh.
Elizabeth sidled up to her. “What were you up to last night?”
She looked around to see if anyone else had heard her. “What do you mean?”
“Relax. No one else knows. I had to pee, and when I was in the woods, I heard something. At first I thought it was Josie and Pratt, but then I clearly heard the name Jack, and it wasn’t spoken, if you know what I mean.” She poked Savannah in the ribs and arched a brow. “I see you took my advice.”
“Oh my God. Do you think anyone else heard us?” Savannah’s eyes darted from Lou to Josie and finally to Pratt, none of whom where paying her any extra attention. “I’m so embarrassed.”
“I just told you no one else knows. Sheesh, your head is still in the clouds isn’t it? There’s nothing better than that new-relationship-after-sex euphoria.” Elizabeth sighed with a dreamy look in her eyes. She nodded toward Jack. “He seems more relaxed today, too. He’s not nearly as cranky.”
“I don’t know if I’d call it a relationship.” Savannah watched Jack as he filled a backpack with supplies. He was moving with less rigidity, and his mouth was no longer pinched. He glanced up, and Savannah noticed his furrowed brows—and how strikingly handsome he really was—only this time it wasn’t his features she was assessing. As she drank in his angular nose, high cheekbones, and strong chin, it was his words that she heard. I see a strong woman who’s also feminine, and the combination is…frustrating. His honesty was his most attractive trait, and a refreshing change for Savannah, who lived in a world of misrepresentation and deceit. Jack caught her gaze, and she held her breath. When he smiled, the deep worry lines that had traveled across his forehead disappeared, and Savannah let out the breath she’d be
en holding.
She made a conscious effort to keep a little distance between herself and Jack. She didn’t want to make him uncomfortable, and she didn’t need to look like a moon-eyed girl in front of the others. She knew that everyone would see right through any efforts she made to hide the way her stomach fluttered and her pulse skipped when she looked at him.
Despite the bright sun, the temperature beneath the cover of the trees was downright chilly. Savannah had just pulled her sweatshirt over her head when she felt Jack’s hand on her lower back. It could only be Jack’s enormous hand, as it covered her almost completely from hip to hip, and if she concentrated hard enough, she could still feel the heat of it against her bare skin. Now his hand slid off as quickly as it had landed. Savannah scanned the campsite. Pratt and Josie were packing their supplies, and Lou, Elizabeth, and Aiden were playing tic-tac-toe in the dirt. No one appeared to be looking for them.
“You sleep okay?” Jack asked in a serious voice.
She turned to face him, and her smile stuck half formed on her lips. That shadowed look was back.
“Yeah. What’s wrong?”
Jack’s eyes shifted left, then right, finally landing on Savannah’s. “Nothing.”
Savannah heard, Everything. She touched his arm, and his muscles tensed. “Jack?” she whispered. “What am I not getting here?”
He shook his head. “Nothing. It’s gonna be a long day. You have what you need?”
“Jack, I have everything. You gave us a very precise list. Please tell me what’s going on.” She looked over her shoulder, relieved to see the others were still busy. She turned back to Jack, and the fluttering in her stomach turned to a sinking feeling.
Jack clenched his jaw. “Come here.” He stalked off to the edge of the woods. Savannah followed, her insides twisting with regret. He’s gonna say it was all a mistake. It’s over. Shit. When did I start caring so much?
“Savannah, what we did last night—”
She held up her hand. Hearing him say the words was going to be far too painful. Instead, she said it for him. “It was all a mistake and you want to forget it ever happened.”
Jack’s eyes flashed dark. He hunkered over her and touched her elbow, turning with her away from the others. “What? Why on earth would you think that?”
“Isn’t that what you came to tell me?”
Jack caressed her arm. “No. I wanted to tell you that what we did last night meant a lot to me. But, Savannah, if you don’t want this, please tell me now. I’m not the kind of guy who wants or needs a fling. Hell, I don’t even know how to have one.”
Savannah shook her head. She needed clarification. Her legal mind kicked into gear, and she wanted to know precisely what he meant. In no uncertain terms.
“Exactly what are you saying?” she asked.
“This is really hard for me.” He let go of her arm and ran his hand through his hair. “For two years, I never looked at another woman. Then you burst into my life all bossy and confrontational, and not only can I not take my eyes off of you but I can’t stop thinking about you. It took all of my willpower not to crawl into your tent this morning. And when you came out of your tent to join the others, looking so beautiful with that smile that gets to me a little more every time I see it, I had to suppress the urge to take you in my arms and kiss you until neither of us wanted to do anything but sneak off into the woods.” He looked away. “This is crazy. I sound crazy, and I know that.”
When he turned back to her, his eyes searched hers, and she knew she should respond with something, anything that would make him feel less nervous, but she couldn’t find her voice. She was still stuck on I can’t stop thinking about you.
“Look,” he began. “I was with one woman for ten years. I barely remember anything, much less anyone, before she came into my life. Then I lost her, and my world ended. It stopped, Savannah. Do you know what that’s like?”
She shook her head.
“And then I’m finally able to function like a normal human being. I can teach people basic survival skills, fly my plane, go into town…” He began pacing. “Okay, maybe it’s not normal, normal, but it’s functioning all the same. Crazy, right? That I’d let my life stop like I did?” Jack stopped pacing and crossed his arms, then uncrossed them and continued. “Anyway, now…I’m kind of lost again.”
“Because of me?” She couldn’t really follow what he was saying. Was he unhappy about what happened between them or was he glad it had happened?
He stepped forward and folded her in his arms. “Jesus, Savannah. Even this.” He took a step back. “Touching you in this innocent way sends my body into overdrive. Look.”
Savannah lowered her eyes to the impressive bulge in his jeans and raised her eyebrows. I guess that’s my answer. She looked up at him and grinned.
“Great. It’s really funny,” he snapped.
He ran his hand through his hair again, and Savannah warmed at the nervous habit.
“I have to go lead those people out into a dangerous forest, and while I should be thinking about shelter construction, rolling hitches, and sheepshanks, I’m thinking about your naked body pressed against mine. I can’t even go down to the stream without getting a hard-on.”
Savannah laughed. She knew exactly what he was feeling, because she was feeling it too. Just looking at him made her get all quivery inside.
“Great.” He shook his head. “You go ahead and laugh, but it’s not that easy to hide it, you know? Not to mention that I want to kiss you so badly right now that I could come in my pants just thinking about it.”
She used his bulging forearms for balance and lifted up on her toes, kissing him lightly on the lips. He grabbed her arms and deepened the kiss. When they drew apart, she asked, “Will that hold you over?”
“No. It won’t hold me over. Now I’ll be like this all day.”
She loved the way the muscles in his arms twitched when he was nervous, and the way he held her possessively, as if he couldn’t stand the idea of her walking away.
“Well, I can’t exactly help you with that now, can I?” she teased.
Jack began pacing again.
“Why are you so twitchy?” she asked.
“I’m not twitchy,” he barked.
“Horny?” she teased.
He stopped pacing and stared at her.
“I guess two years is a really long time,” she said.
“I don’t want to talk about it. I don’t know what I want. No. I do know what I want, but…” He lifted his eyebrows flirtatiously.
“Stop.” She laughed. Inside she was jumping up and down, silently cheering, Yes! God, yes! She glanced back at the camp and noticed that everyone’s backpacks were sealed up tight and they were milling around, probably waiting for her and Jack so they could get started on their activities for the day. None of them were looking their way, though, so she doubted they’d seen them kiss.
“We have to go,” Jack said.
“Jack, I know you have a job to do here, and I don’t want to get in your way.”
“You can’t get in my way,” he said with a cold tone.
She felt her face fall.
“I’m sorry. Shit. See? I’m frustrated and I’m going to be a bastard to you. I know I am. I don’t remember how not to be.” He touched her arm, then dropped his hand. “I gotta stop touching you.” He shoved his hands in his pockets and then pulled them out quickly.
“Jack.” She could see him working himself up into a frenzy. As an attorney, she’d seen it with her clients a million times. When they were pulled out of the attitudes they wore like shields, the feelings they’d hidden for so long wreaked havoc with their emotions and sent them into the same frenetic state.
“I’m sorry if—” he began.
“Jack.”
“I don’t mean to—”
“Jack!” she said firmly.
He opened his mouth to speak, and she touched his cheek, forcing him to stop trying to talk and focus on her.
He stared down at her with a serious face. “We’ll talk?”
“I’m counting on it.” And so is my body.
Chapter Twelve
THEY BEGAN THE morning with a three-mile hike along the side of the mountain. Jack had talked for the first mile and a half about the importance of finding the right spot for building a shelter. He described what to look for in adverse weather conditions, showed them how to choose a location that appeared free of animal dens, and taught them the dangers of not being aware of their environments, warning them to look for branches in danger of falling and rotten tree trunks. When he spoke, his eyes were drawn to Savannah. She looked even more gorgeous than she had earlier that morning. Her cheeks were flushed from the steep incline they’d ascended, and her hair had gotten mussed as she ducked under branches. Jack was relieved that the guilt that had gnawed at him hadn’t returned.
Jack led them back down the mountain flanked by Aiden and Pratt. Pratt had on another dark T-shirt and the same black tuque he’d worn since he arrived. Lou walked on Aiden’s other side, while the women chatted behind them. He’d been counting down the hours until Savannah would be in his arms again, and as consuming as that thought was, every time he looked at Pratt he felt a need to get through to him. His brooding eyes reminded Jack so much of his younger brother Sage that he couldn’t leave him to deal with his trouble on his own.
Based on his experience with his own brothers, Jack was pretty sure that there was no way in hell Pratt would talk about whatever was bothering him. He hoped that he might find a roundabout way to eke it out of him. He hated to see such a young man so angry all the time. It was one thing to have lost the woman you loved, but quite a different thing to just be angry at the world. He was mulling over the right approach when Aiden broke the silence.
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