by Becca Dale
“Comfortable?” His deep voice stroked shivers over her skin.
Not with you around. “Mmmhmm.” She couldn't even form a real word. Why had no one warned her about men like Gavin? Did others like him even exist? She certainly had never met one.
He sat with his thighs splayed. Every move tapped his knee against her leg. She shifted to the side, but he leaned across her to set a can of soda in her cup holder and drop a bag of chips in her lap. His fingertips grazed her upper thigh. His masculine cologne teased her nostrils. What would he do if she rubbed her hand through his short hair? Would it be velvety and tickle her palm or thick enough to create a rough caress? She tightened her hand on the arm of her chair to resist finding out.
The back of his knuckles brushed her forearm. “Napkin?”
“Please.” Was he simply dividing the food or was the random caress intentional? Kate was right. She was way over her head when it came to charismatic men who threatened years of self-control without a word.
He held her sandwich toward her with a grin. “Eat before it gets cold.”
“Smart aleck.” She took the sub but avoided the warmth of his hand. If she touched him, she'd lose the ability to keep him at arms’ length. “Weren't you going to tell me about the project?”
“I'd rather learn more about you.” Gavin sat back in his own chair in an effort to minimize her effect on him. Blood pounded in his head and his dick. She generated a need out of proportion to the time he'd known her. He had no intention of ever letting a woman get close, and Savannah didn't seem like the quick fling type. So, why the hell did he want to pull her into his lap and explore the many ways they would fit together? Why had he brought her someplace so isolated?
She swallowed the chip she'd popped in her mouth and took a swig of soda as she shook her head. “Uh-uh. I think we should stick to professional discussions.”
A light floral scent drifted on the breeze, but he couldn't tell if it was her perfume or some unseen plant. Would she continue to pretend she didn't feel the tension between them? “Come on. Tell me something.”
Her sigh whispered in the air. “Like what?”
“I don't know. What is the craziest thing you've ever done?”
“You wouldn't believe me if I told you.” She unwrapped her sandwich with practical precision. Mayo dripped on her hand, and she automatically licked it off. Her fingers disappeared one at a time between her sensuous lips, and her pink tongue swirled the creamy substance into her mouth.
His groin tightened. He'd never survive the night without tasting that tongue with his own at least once. If she was engaged, she wasn't committed or she wouldn't be sitting so close and making him horny as hell. The thought rankled. He wouldn't risk a relationship with the woman, but he didn't want her to be a cheating bitch for someone else either. His confusion failed to dampen the fire she'd started. “Come on. If we're going to work together, I need to have a sense of who you are.”
She chuckled. “You're not going to let up, are you?”
“No.”
She chewed a bite without answering then gave him a self-conscious smile. Even the small flash of teeth seemed brighter somehow than most women's full grins. “The getting to know one another works both ways. What was the craziest thing you've ever done?”
Contemplated bedding an engaged woman. A subtle glow shimmered on her hair as the sun crept lower in the sky. “Okay, I'll share.”
She leaned forward in her chair with a little girl's eagerness for a story.
“Right after sunset.”
“Oh, come on.”
He bit back a laugh. How could she be so adorable and so deceiving at the same time?
“Jerk.” Humor laced the insult, but she lifted an innocent eyebrow as if she had said nothing. “What? I thought you wanted to watch the sunset. You're going to miss it if you don't quit staring at me.”
The dying rays lit her dark hair with blue flames. He stood and held out his hand. “Let's go down by the water, away from the trees so we can see better.”
She set her sub in his chair and took his hand, fingers locked with his naturally. He tugged her up. She overbalanced and fell against him but quickly found her feet and led him to the edge of the river. The sky glowed red, pink, and gold against a background that matched the vibrant color of Savannah's blue eyes.
Suddenly, he didn't care why she'd come or if he risked destroying some stranger's dream of home and hearth. He had to touch. He pulled her back against his chest and wrapped his arms around her, inhaling the fresh clean smell of her skin and the faint aroma of orange blossoms and spice in her perfume.
She stiffened a moment before she relaxed against him. “It's gorgeous.
“That it is.” Her head rested on his shoulder and her hair teased his jaw. “You have a beautiful smile, Savannah.”
Shifting so she could see his face, she shot him a full grin. “I have a puppet mouth.”
“You do not.” He longed to taste her generous lips. To peel away her clothing and discover if her skin was as soft everywhere else as it was on her face. The sun slowly disappeared beyond the jagged cliffs, but he did not release her.
The silence between them felt comfortable, not something that demanded to be filled. The breeze stirred her curls against his cheek, and a shiver trembled through her shoulders. He eased her forward, enough to pull her hair to the side, exposing her swanlike throat. Her pulse fluttered at the base, mimicking his own rapid heartbeat. He bent and kissed the tiny hollow beneath her ear, his tongue barely a caress against the fragile looking skin.
She jerked from his arms, as if burned, and turned on him with wide eyes. She didn't say anything before she hurried away.
“Hey.” He caught up while she fumbled with a camp chair. “What's wrong?”
“What happened to being a gentleman?” Her hands trembled and she fought to stuff the chair into its bag.
Fuck, she's engaged. How the hell did I forget that? He took the chair from her, tossing it aside. She grabbed the sandwiches out of the other seat and attempted to fold the second chair. She looked nervous as hell.
“Give me those damned things.” He tossed the remains of their supper in the general direction of the garbage and guided her into the seat. Would she admit she was attracted to him despite her commitment elsewhere? “Tell me what happened.”
“I don't know. Everything was lovely before you broke the rules.”
Was she crazy? He dropped to his haunches in front of her. “Come on, beauty. It was a simple kiss. Tell me why it matters.”
“It was more than that.” Her hands gripped the arms of the chair.
Guilt for having frightened her tugged at his conscious, but irritation at her for freaking out over nothing pushed the first aside. “Why are you acting like this?”
“Because you promised...because I trusted you.” She stood and the chair toppled to the ground behind her.
“This is crazy. Do you hear yourself? What is your issue?” Admit you're in a relationship. Why won't you say it?
She wouldn't look up, and she turned from him. She stood with her hands thrust into her pockets for a minute before she walked toward his truck. Then reality hit. Someone had hurt her, had made her afraid. His gut tightened with unjustifiable rage and the need to protect.
Son-of-a-bitch. Still, he was no better.
What the hell was wrong with him? He felt like a damn rubber ball. Bouncing from wanting her to be everything she seemed to needing to throw her in the truck and take her home before he forgot all the reasons hanging around was a bad idea. Worse, he wanted to make her forget she was engaged while knowing he'd condemn her for it if she did.
Man, I am seriously fucked up.
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Chapter Four
Gavin followed as Savannah walked up the slope to where his truck sat at the edge of the narrow gravel road, apparently ready to leave without him. Her friend would come for her if she called, bu
t he didn't want her to go. Not yet.
The gravel crunched under his oxfords. He stopped behind her, but she didn't look at him. She dug in her purse for something, her back a slender arch above her perfect heart-shaped backside. If he tried to touch her, would she push him away? He stuck his hands in his pockets to avoid temptation. “I didn't mean to be an ass.”
When she turned, an unreadable expression clouded her pretty eyes. “It's not you.”
He stepped closer. She seemed vulnerable, and he felt even more like a dick. He cradled her face in his hands, touching nowhere but her cheeks so he wouldn't frighten her. “Don't leave yet. Please.”
His lips covered hers as gently as he could manage. She rose on toes to meet his mouth and caught at his shirt to steady herself. He closed his eyes, absorbing the sweetness pouring from her, and deepened the kiss. No tongue, simply lips pressed to warm willing lips. When he lifted his head, she fought for breath. Her chest rose and fell in shallow pants.
Tenderness tightened his chest. “Who hurt you, beauty?”
She shook her head and tried to smile, but her generous mouth hardly curved. “No one.”
“Then what is it? I didn't mean to scare you.” Tell me you're committed to someone. Don't be like all the rest.
She held something out to him in the dark. “Let's start with this.”
He took the card and stepped closer to the cab so he could read in the dome light's glow.
I, Savannah Kay Jensen, will remain chaste until I commit my life and my heart to marriage. I choose to be pure for myself, for God, and for love.
“A chastity pledge? Aren't you a little old for that?”
“No. It doesn't say I promise to remain chaste until I feel I'm mature enough to handle it.”
He handed the card back. “These things are intended to minimize teen pregnancies and STDs. I doubt most people follow them after high school.”
“Yeah, well, I'm not most people.”
A strange joy swelled his chest at the honesty in her eyes. He caught her hips in his hands and lifted her to the bench seat. “A kiss on the throat doesn't violate this, you know.”
“I know it doesn't.”
His hands remained on her waist. He wanted to move them higher or lower. To explore the gentle curves of her figure, but doing so would either destroy her fragile trust or set him up to play the fool for believing in a woman's innocence. “Are you telling me no man has ever kissed you before?”
“That's not it.”
“So you have been kissed.” He stood between her legs, his thumbs moving in a slow caress over her ribs. He wanted her. Wanted to lay her back on the seat and make her forget everything but him.
“I'm not a nun.”
He edged closer. His hips nestled against her thighs. The truck cab created a cozy cocoon, isolating them from the occasional traffic. “Then why run from me?”
She stifled a groan as he pulled her toward him. Inches separated her heat from the rigid bulge in his pants.
“You're different. The others weren't even a struggle.” She glanced down and blew out a breath as if casting aside insecurities. “You make me want to shred that stupid card.”
White-hot desire shimmered from his core to every part of his body. He needed this woman more than he had ever needed anyone, but she had bought a wedding dress. She belonged to someone else. Maybe if he reminded himself of that enough, he could drive off the need to ask for more than a night or two in her bed. “And that would be a bad thing?”
“Yes. I made a pledge to myself. I don't break promises.”
No one could be that perfect. “Did Marc tell you to say that?”
Confusion flitted across her face when she looked at him. “No. Why?”
Desire flared hotter. He had to have her. But she would hate him if he pushed for what he wanted. Her reaction to his touch said he could sway her, could convince her to break all the rules and beg him to sink into her tight, virgin flesh. It wouldn't matter though. If he convinced her to say yes, even if she begged for it, she'd hate him afterward. Yet, he burned. His arms ached to hold her, and his damn dick demanded attention like a selfish bastard.
She said all the right things, offered proof that she was exactly what he had stopped believing in. Maybe she had been at the wedding store with her friend and just tried on a dress for fun. If he climbed into the cab with her and shut the door, the light would go out. No one would know that they made love behind the tinted glass. The privacy of the pickup truck lured him to push the issue but respect held him off.
“We need to be more public.” He stepped away and helped her down. “Come with me.”
Savannah followed him to the end of the truck bed and waited while he lowered the tailgate. His broad shoulders and lean hips called to her. What would it feel like to give in and let him touch her?
It's purely physical. You know nothing about him.
But that wasn't true. His hands ignited fires she couldn't ignore. He had to know that but he didn't press. His consideration drew her. A winged creature to the flame, she wanted him.
He offered her his hand, but she ignored it and boosted onto the cool metal. Touching him was a bad idea.
His chuckle teased her to laugh along. “Wise choice.”
He sat on the tailgate beside her but then shifted to lean against the inside of the truck bed as far away as the narrow space allowed. He rested his arm on a bent knee and stretched the other leg out toward her. His dress shoe bumped her butt. His legs were so long. Everything about him seemed longer, harder, better than ordinary men. Was that true of all of him? A blush warmed her cheeks at the indecent thought.
She could feel his steady gaze as he waited for something. “Are you going to stare at me all night?”
“Maybe.”
“Well, stop it.” She turned and tucked her right leg under her. His calf pressed against her thigh and tingles shimmered along her nerves. “You make me jumpy.”
“Good. The feeling's mutual.”
“Tell me something about you.”
He nudged her hip with his foot. “You're more interesting.”
She laughed at his blatant flirting. “You've been dodging my questions all night. What are you hiding?”
“I don't have secrets.” A strange expression flitted over his face.
She shook her head. “Everybody has something, Gavin.”
“Yeah, well, I have only one and it makes me sound a little unstable so tell me yours instead. Besides the fact that you're crazy attracted to me. That one, I know.”
She laughed as if he wasn't right. “Pretty obvious, huh?
“Mmmhmm.”
A bit of twig dropped from an overhanging branch. She didn't think before she brushed it off his pant leg. Once she touched him again, she couldn't put her hand back in her lap where it belonged. She pressed her palm over his shin through the light fabric of his black slacks. Her thumb explored the indentation and swell of his muscled calf.
“You're going to have to stop that if you want me to behave.”
Heat flamed her cheeks and she snatched her hand away from his leg.
He caught her wrist and pressed her palm back in place. “Leave it there.”
His long fingers circled her wrist and her pulse beat against them. “You told me to move.”
“Touch, just don't caress, or I won't be held responsible when I lose it.”
She left her hand where he'd placed it, wishing he'd pull her into his arms, snuggle close, and offer her a reason for the strange feelings racing through her core. “I'm still waiting.”
“Tell me about your fiance first.”
“My what?” Realization dawned as soon as the words left her mouth. “Oh, the dress. I wondered if you remembered me.”
“You're hard to forget.” He leaned toward her and took her hand from her lap. “What's he like?”
The gist of the conversation fled when his thumb swept over her pulse. “Who?”
“The man you're sa
ving yourself for.”
A lot like you. She tugged on her hand but he didn't release her. What did he want from her? With a sigh, she settled on the truth. “Remember, you asked about the craziest thing I'd ever done?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, there are two. The first one was agreeing to sunbathe with my best friend on a nude beach in Mexico.” He lifted an eyebrow at that but didn't interrupt. “The second one involved letting that same, very single friend talk me into attending a bridal clearance when I don't have a fiance.”
His fingers tightened around hers. “So you're not engaged?”
“No, but I am the dubious owner of the perfect wedding gown. Dancability tested and approved.” He grinned and her resolve to keep her hands to herself melted further. Did anyone ever tell the man no?
“So you're free then? No random boyfriend in the closet.”
“Not right now. How about you? Anyone special?”
He hesitated, pensive or vulnerable for a moment, before he released her with a slight scowl. “Nope. Still single despite my sister's efforts to rectify the situation.”
The idea of someone playing matchmaker for the hottie and his wicked grin flabbergasted her. “Why would she need to set you up? You're attractive enough to find someone on your own without much effort.”
The grin returned. “So you think I'm hot then?”
Cocky shit. She hid a smile by looking at her hand against his leg a moment before peeking at him through lowered lashes. “Not so much as your partner, but you're all right.”
His brows drew together again over his beautiful eyes, and she almost laughed. “Marc's married.”
“I'm just saying.”
“He's a behemoth.”
“I know.” She sighed as if she could be attracted to the giant. “He's so big and strong.” Her fingers tightened on his leg as she struggled to keep a straight face.
The corner of his mouth tugged upward. “You're screwing with me, aren't you?”
“A little bit.”
He grabbed her wrists and jerked her into his arms. A squeal escaped as he twisted her around and set her between his legs. He tickled her ribs until she couldn't breathe.