Even standing in the shade, Jacob’s pulse raced and his forehead dripped with sweat, while she stared at him. Did she also find it difficult to keep her mind on the task at hand? Such a thought made him feel better, but the pain in his knee, and below his belt, forced a groan to escape.
Her eyebrows rose in obvious concern. Guilty feelings grew, but he couldn’t find the words to explain. His tongue tangled in his mouth. Luckily for him, she spoke first.
“This towel should make the crutch more comfortable, and I’ll walk next to you on the trail, when I can. Can you carry your backpack?”
“Yes, but I really need a drink of water. Can you get the bottle out of my pack for me? I can’t reach it.” He hated sounding helpless. When she bent over to search through his pack, affording him a closer view of strong thighs, disappearing up into her damp shorts, he groaned.
She straightened, and opened the bottle. She handed it to him, and he gave her a thankful nod. Sharing, they both took deep gulps.
She then helped him slide his arms through the straps of his pack. With casual nonchalance, she wiped her palm on his forehead, mopping the sweat away.
“Your skin is too warm. I hope you don’t get feverish. It would be dangerous for you to collapse on the trail. I’d have to leave you then go find help.”
Would she leave him? If she did, he might die. He didn’t want to die alone, on this strange mountain, in the middle of New Hampshire, and he found he didn’t want her to leave his side. Ever.
Where did that thought come from?
As a college professor, he should turn away from the attraction of what he assumed was a local college student, as soon as humanly possible. That feat topped his list.
Right after he managed to will his erection away.
CHAPTER 4
In order to save the stranger, Destiny set her sights on her cabin. Why hadn’t she thought to carry her pink daypack with the first aid kit? Probably because she never dreamed she’d come across an injured man in her own back yard.
She redoubled her efforts. If she pushed him, they’d make it down within a couple of hours, before he fell unconscious.
“I’m taking him back to my place.” With a jolt, and a sudden stop, she realized what she’d said.
“We’re headed where?”
“I’m taking you home with me.” When his gaze snapped to attention, she added, “Makes sense. My cabin is closer than the trailhead parking lot. You started there, right?”
He nodded, while he repositioned the crutch, giving no indication of what he thought of her idea.
“I can offer you a hot shower, coffee, food, and a place to rest.” That reminded her of another problem; in order to rest, he’d have to lie on her only bed. With no room for a couch, she’d decorated her small living room with a few shabby stuffed chairs and one scratched-up coffee table. Already weary, she would not be sleeping in the near future, if a handsome man slept in her bed.
Their slow descent, and the crude crutch, did their jobs. As the minutes turned to hours, several questions came to mind.
Why does he look familiar?
His age, his bearing, and his slight accent gave her an idea. She wasn’t one to stand about and wonder silently. “So, are you a teacher at the college? Have I seen you on campus?” She chewed on her bottom lip, trying to act uninterested.
“Yes, miss,” he answered from behind her. “I teach art history. This is my first semester at Fairfield State. Maybe you saw me eating lunch by the big windows in the dining hall. I prefer sitting there, looking up at this mountain instead of hiding in the teacher’s lounge.”
“I hear you. I get in trouble when I’m caught looking out the windows, instead of cleaning tables. I work in the dining hall, when I’m not helping out in the science lab.” She managed a laugh. With her eyes studying the uneven ground, he groaned again. Flicking a few loose hairs over an ear, she glanced behind. He stared at her for a moment, before dropping his eyes to the uneven ground.
“Miss, I am sorry if I frightened you, or embarrassed you while you bathed. Were you singing?”
“Yes,” Destiny said without looking straight at him, “just humming a country tune. My voice must have echoed off the cliff walls. I like to sing in my shower at home, too.”
From the corner of her eye, she saw him stumble. Why did I share that with a stranger? Now he probably has an image filling his head of me soaping my naked body in the shower.
When his jaw muscles clenched, she stopped walking, waiting for him to catch up, but neither said anything until a loud “crack” sounded high above them.
“Heads up!” she shouted, and jumped back. He hopped beside a large pine tree as the whoosh of the falling branch thudded to the ground by their feet. Dry leaves fluttered down, and silence followed.
“That was close. We’d best keep moving,” Destiny gazed up at the trees, then back at him. She closed the distance, and her fingers gripped his upper arm, as she helped him maneuver around the new obstacle. He ignored her while he looked up, searching for other wayward branches.
“My firefighter friend calls those ‘Widow Makers’. Josie wears a hard-hat whenever she battles a forest fire because of falling branches. Hers are usually aflame.”
He grunted a response, but all Destiny could think was, fearless man.
He hadn’t cried out or stumbled. She had to find out more about him, though she wasn’t the type to start conversations. Being discovered swimming in the nude under a waterfall, by this man, had awakened her inner courage to speak to strangers. Besides, staring at the poor, injured guy wasn’t polite, no matter how luscious he looked.
“How do you feel?” Great. What a way to break the tension. She pulled her gaze from his groin area and stopped ignoring his pale face, and sweaty forehead.
“What?” He paled to an even unhealthier white. “Sorry. All of a sudden, I don’t feel well. I know I’m being a pain in the ass. I appreciate your assistance.”
“It’s no problem. Really,” she lied. Her body shivered each time he spoke. His Boston accent drifted over her, oozing sensuous thoughts with each word. How would she feel if he uttered words of love to her, in the privacy of her tiny cabin?
“If you can get me back to my Land Rover, I can call someone and be out of your hair in no time.”
His smile seemed a little insincere, and she pushed all thoughts of intimacy with this guy aside. Did he know she’d seen everything?
He swayed, proving to her his health had worsened, so she moved in front of him, halting his sluggish progress.
“Look at me. How many fingers am I holding up?” She followed his gaze. He didn’t make a sound, just stared in confusion. Now his inactions added to her concern.
“Answer me, Jacob.” She slapped his cheek.
He focused on her face, and blinked.
Did he realize she’d slapped him? Did he even understand she’d said his name? More important, did he know she couldn’t keep from staring at his lips…such warm, moist, utterly sensuous lips?
“Why did you slap me?” His whispered words teased her, as the afternoon sun broke through the treetops. Warm air kissed her bare shoulders, and she tingled with a deeper heat between her thighs.
“Jacob, you’re pale and a bit dazed. Do you remember where we are, and what happened?” Watching his lips for an answer, she licked her own bottom lip. His mouth, warm and inviting, never moved. Then he nodded.
“I’m taking you to my home. My cabin’s closer than the trailhead. Trust me. You’ll feel better when you are warm, rested, and—”
“No. I couldn’t intrude.”
“Helping you is no big deal. I would do this for anybody,” she lied. She’d never brought a stranger home to her sanctuary. Why now? She turned and continued their trek. Getting him home, to a safe environment, was imperative.
“You live on the mountain?”
“I rent a small cabin,” she replied, then added, “My home is quiet and private. I enjoy my solitude. Plus,
it comes with heat and hot water. I have a washer and dryer, so when I get you out of those clothes I can…” Destiny’s face burned with the heat of total embarrassment. She stopped, spun toward him, inhaled, and spoke a bit slower.
“What I meant is, you can change out of your clothes and I’ll throw them in the washer. I have a big robe that might fit you while you wait.”
He chuckled at her mortification, the first sign he seemed to understand his effect on her.
“I know what you meant. A hot shower and a chance to rest before I continue on will do me a world of good. I’ll be forever in your debt.”
He gave her a big smile, and her toes curled inside her boots. She couldn’t help returning the smile with a big one of her own. He suddenly gasped, his lungs sucking in air, as if they’d failed to get enough oxygen.
Rushing toward him, she batted at a few loose hairs tickling her forehead and placed a hand at the open ‘V’ of his shirt. He coughed, hard, as if his throat constricted more each second.
“Are you all right?” Should she slap him on the back? His backpack stood in the way, so she rubbed her hand over his chest hairs in a soothing, circular motion, while she debated what to do next. His eyes mirrored her concern. Why did she feel guilty all of a sudden?
“I’ll be okay,” he groaned, “I just need to catch my breath.” He closed his eyes. The tension between them thickened with desire, and for some reason it felt wrong. Jacob was obviously years older than the boys she dated, and he said he worked at the college. He wasn’t kitchen help, like her. He was highly educated, well-dressed, and sexy as Hell. More importantly, he was injured, and in pain.
Get over this silly infatuation and help the guy off the mountain. Drool later.
She reluctantly turned away.
***
Jacob inhaled deeply through his nose, and was instantly bombarded with the scent of vanilla—the same delicate, flowery fragrance he’d detected, before he had discovered the waterfall. Realization slapped him upside the head.
He opened his eyes and stared, catching the concern still evident on her features. She turned that beautiful face away, yet a sensation of pure heat and deep-rooted lust spread over him. Her concern gave him a sense of being safe, but she wasn’t safe.
Not from him.
Not unless he forced these urges under control. Sweating profusely, and not from the sun-warmed temperature of the afternoon air, he realized too late she’d touched him again. The simple gesture, of her hand on his chest, now ended and had him yearning for her delicate hands on other, more intimate, parts of his body.
She smells heavenly.
“Stop this train of thought right now,” he muttered. “I’ll be okay.” All he had to do is behave like a sedate college professor, not a horny teenager on his first date. In her presence, and in her home, behaving was imperative. Rest and food sounded good. Afterwards, he’d go home to his empty apartment.
Or die a happy man.
He wouldn’t act on these impropriate thoughts. She was obviously a young student at the same college where he taught. He dare not fraternize with a student, since such behavior might jeopardize his new job. The prospect of unemployment proved a big incentive to keep his distance. She had mentioned working in the science labs housed in a completely different building than his own. He would go home, go to class, and never see her again.
Piece of cake.
Besides, being this close to her should give him a decade worth of fantasies to warm cold winter nights. And if he didn’t stop watching her, he’d embarrass himself all over the inside of his jeans.
“Did you say something?” she asked.
Had he spoken those intimate thoughts aloud?
“Nothing, miss. I have to catch my breath. I didn’t realize hiking down the mountain would take more effort than going up.”
She smiled at his comment, turned back around, and continued down the trail. He followed her lovely figure with his heated gaze, as she climbed gingerly over branches and lichen-covered rocks. The moisture from her recent bath, beneath the waterfall, turned her cotton shorts translucent. Her hips swung ever so slightly in an intoxicating rhythm that did little to cool his lust.
Following at an easy pace, he kept his gaze on her, which reduced his attention to his injury. Her golden hair swayed free in the light breeze. When had she released it from the braid?
I had better pay more attention to my surroundings. And her. Especially her. No. Wrong answer.
Her long hair enticed him with small glimpses of well-toned biceps and a lovely, lightly tanned neck.
She excited him, and his body reacted. Again.
He shook his head. How would he survive the rest of this long day when just the sight of her took his breath away?
“Stop this, Jacob,” he admonished. “Keep your mind on the task at hand, not on her body.” Otherwise, he’d continue to limp down this trail. He couldn’t let her see how she affected him.
Instead, he stayed behind her, and stared at the trail. He worked at keeping up a conversation so she wouldn’t turn around to check on him, since his body still broadcast an inappropriate response to his rescuer.
“I brought lunch with me,” he called out. “I would be happy to share, once we arrive at your cabin.”
“Great idea. I’m sure I can whip up something hot to drink.”
“Wonderful. A hot beverage will go a long way to warm me up while I rest.” They plodded on, and he hoped his voice sounded normal, and his words sincere. If so, she’d have no need to glance back up the trail at him…and at the blatant bulge straining against the front of his jeans.
***
Don’t look, or the problem will get worse. Jacob was adorable, and not really as old as all that. His long legs filled his jeans nicely. Wide shoulders of rock-hard muscle hid under flannel. She’d felt them, when she helped him stand with the crutch.
Did his body shiver when I touched his chest? Maybe I just imagined it…maybe it was a tremor of pain.
“Are you still cold?” she asked, even though sun-warmed air streamed through the overhead canopy of trees, as they neared the trail to her cabin.
“I don’t think so,” he whispered. He sounded listless. He needed words of encouragement to keep him following her to safety.
“My cabin’s around the corner, down another short trail.”
She hoped her electricity wasn’t out again, though a cold shower might help. No, her patient required heat in order to warm up, and a hot shower was the easiest way. He might be going into shock and she couldn’t allow that.
Destiny gave him a little smile over her shoulder. His face, now the sickly consistency of chalk and dotted with sweat, overshadowed the distinctive bulge pressed against the front of his jeans.
“Hard to ignore,” she muttered. She bit down on her lower lip to keep her opinion quiet. “Here we are, Jacob.”
Breaking through the dense vegetation of orange and red-hued autumn leaves, she jumped onto the porch, then snagged the hidden key from under a pot of yellow mums. Without looking to see if he followed, she unlocked the door, walked in, flicked on lights, and turned up the thermostat on the kitchen wall. She pulled the bathroom overhead light’s chain, and started the shower.
“Great, hot water,” she said, fluttering her fingers under the spray streaming from the showerhead. His sweat-laced scent intensified, as the clop of his crutch went silent. He’d followed her.
Good. I dare not turn around just yet.
He’d easily spot the longing in her eyes, so she spoke while facing the billowing stream of moisture. “Here’s a bar of soap and a bottle of shampoo. Hope you don’t mind smelling like vanilla ice cream. It’s my favorite.”
Giving in to the urge to look, she twisted around. His face mirrored her own smile, which tugged at the corners of her mouth, but he wouldn’t meet her eyes. Good.
He’d looked more at ease, since the moment they started their trek down her mountain. Soft laugh lines crinkled at the c
orners of his eyes, giving his face a vulnerability that made her heart break.
Am I falling in love?
Seconds passed before she realized he’d asked her a question.
“Do you have a chair?” he asked again. “I don’t think I can get these boots off without first sitting down. I may fall over. That would create another problem.” She watched him take in the confines of her tiny bathroom—one cluttered sink, an older-than-dirt toilet with a cracked lid, and a miniscule shower stall. All clean, but definitely not meant for a man his size.
Acknowledging his predicament, and happy to have something to do to take her eyes off his body, Destiny slipped out of the room.
Searching for a stool, she tried to suppress a silly grin before returning to the confines of the small bathroom where an exceptional man waited. What should she do with him? The good girl in her answered, I should let him shower, eat, rest, and then leave.
The bad girl deep down inside wondered, What if I never get this chance again to act on the erotic images flashing in my head?
She pictured them talking and eating dinner around her potbellied stove. Then they’d rest in each other’s arms on her little bed, and...?
What did she think might happen between her and Jacob Oliver?
“Most likely, he has a girlfriend, fiancée, or wife.” A handsome man like him did not walk around free. A deep sigh escaped while Destiny grabbed a paint-spattered stool from the back porch. She shook her head at the sudden urge to see him naked.
When she returned with the stool, he stood with his shirt unbuttoned. Struck speechless at the sight of a muscular chest covered with curly brown chest hair, she bobbled the stool, and it tilted against the wall with a thud.
As he righted it, she couldn’t help notice he sported a flat, smooth stomach. A slim waist, too. Her eyes followed a small line of curly hair, which led from his chest to the top of his unbuttoned jeans.
“Wow,” she blurted. Had she said that out loud? When his body shuddered, the situation escalated, until she realized his swollen knee must throb.
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