Can't Say No

by Sherryl Woods

  But she would also always be a soft touch and that, perhaps, was the real issue. She saw it as a problem. He didn’t. In just the past twenty-four hours, he’d seen that she had a good and caring heart. She’d never said a single word condemning Harvey for interfering with her vacation plans. Nor had she even mentioned that it was because of Joe’s desire to stay with his pregnant wife. Harvey had explained Joe’s problem to Blake, but Audrey hadn’t mentioned any of it. Blake knew that she would always be there for her friends without complaint. He thought that was a trait to be admired. Somehow, though, experience had taught Audrey that such caring and selflessness were weak, and she seemed determined to harden herself. He would have to prove to her how wrong that would be. That gentle souls were a rarity to be treasured.

  She stirred restlessly in his arms and her eyes fluttered open. She gazed at him, glanced at her surroundings, then blinked in confusion.

  “Morning, sweetheart,” Blake murmured.

  “Where am I?” she mumbled groggily as she tried to struggle free of his embrace.

  “At least you’re not asking who I am. It would be a terrible blow to my ego.” He barely restrained an urge to laugh at her still puzzled frown. “Are you always this muddled in the morning or should I start worrying about amnesia?”

  “Huh?”

  “The balloon,” he prodded.

  “Oh.” She closed her eyes again. “I forgot. The balloon fell down.”

  “We landed it,” he corrected indignantly.

  “In the rain.”

  Blake felt as though he were leading someone delicately back to reality. “That’s right.”

  “It’s not raining now?”

  “No. It’s morning and the sun is out.”

  “How early?”

  “Does that matter?”

  “It could explain why nothing makes sense to me.”

  “I see. You’re not so terrific with mornings.”

  “I don’t believe in them.”

  “Then it’s probably better if you don’t know what time it is.”

  She moaned and curled sleepily back against him. This time it was Blake who groaned. He knew she had no idea what she was doing, that it would be a lousy thing to do to take advantage of her when she was half-asleep, but...

  Breaking every vow he’d made to her, he leaned down and brushed a kiss lightly across her lips. Startled, wide-awake eyes met his.

  “It works,” he said, sounding pleased.

  “What works?” she asked, instantly more alert and very suspicious.

  “I always wondered if the Prince really could wake up Sleeping Beauty with a kiss.”

  Audrey pressed a hand over her eyes. “Do we really have to start the morning by testing fairy tales? Couldn’t you just wait for me to wake up naturally?”

  “I could, but we might have company before then.”

  “Company?”

  “I expect John will have a rescue team looking for us soon.”

  She nodded agreeably and settled back down. “Fine. Wake me when they get here.”

  “Wouldn’t you rather wake up now and take advantage of this lovely dawn?”

  She peered at him balefully out of one eye. “You’re really not going to let me go back to sleep, are you?”

  His fingers traced the curve of her brow, then caressed her cheek. “I’d rather be making love with you.”

  Her breath caught in her throat. “Blake...”

  “How do you feel about that?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  He followed the outline of the design on her sweatshirt with his finger, lingering where her breasts were rising and falling.

  “What position?” he murmured.

  She stared back at him in confusion. “You want to know what position I want to make love in?”

  “Actually I was referring to your position on the company softball team, but I’ll take a response to either question.”

  “Cute, Marshall.”

  “It was just a diversionary tactic.” His gaze raked over her, taking in the sleepy, sexy eyes, the soft, creamy skin. He smiled. “But, yes, very cute.”

  His lips touched hers gently in subtle supplication. Her mouth was warm, soft and pliant beneath his. The kiss was so alluring that, once there, he couldn’t go. His tongue persuaded until, breathless, she was kissing him back. The sweetness of it turned his blood to liquid fire.

  He rolled her on top of him, his arms holding her loosely, allowing her the freedom to leave him, if that was her choice.

  But she stayed—her hands caught in his hair, her mouth hot and hungry against his lips, his cheeks, mindless of the roughness of his overnight beard. His hands slid up under her sweatshirt and felt the muscles in her warm, bare shoulders tighten beneath his touch. Her T-shirt kept him tantalizingly removed from the curve of her spine as he ran his fingers to the dip at her waist. His fingers were trapped by the waistband of her jeans, so he began the upward caresses again, seeking the heat and friction of cloth against flesh that made her tremble. His thumbs ran along her ribs until they reached the swell of her breasts, finding the tips already so taut and sensitive that his slightest touch brought forth a low gasp of startled pleasure.

  Her hips, pressed against his throbbing desire, stirred restlessly, creating an aching torment just shy of demand. He knew at once, then, the mistake he’d made. A few more minutes of this and his control would vanish. He would take her here and now in a blaze of wild abandon and she would let him. She would give in to the glorious sensations that had tempted them from the moment they’d met, but would she truly be giving herself, completely and without regrets? And did he want her without that?

  Her lips burned against his neck. Her tongue cooled in turn and inside there was raging fire. Dear Lord, how he wanted her, needed her...but for more than this moment. Perhaps even forever.

  With a low groan, he held her still, his hand stroking her back, gentling now, rather than inflaming.

  “I’m sorry,” he said softly, his breathing still ragged. “This isn’t such a good idea.”

  Audrey went limp in his arms and heaved a sigh. Of regret? Or relief? He wasn’t sure.

  “Can’t make up your mind?” she taunted, her own breathing uneven, but her tone light and bantering. She tried to untangle their legs, but he stilled her.

  “Oh, I know what I want,” he said, his voice thick with raw emotion. “I’m just not sure you do.”

  The silence that greeted his remark seemed endless, but at last she whispered against his cheek, “Thank you.”

  He hugged her reassuringly and wondered if he’d live to regret the depth of his willpower. “We will make love, you know.”

  “I know.”

  “Soon.”

  “I know that, too. Thank you for waiting.”

  “I will never take anything from you that you’re not ready to give. Never.”

  He thought he felt a tear fall against his cheek, but he held her close and when he finally let her go much later, her eyes were bright and the brilliance of the smile she gave him was enough to make his heart sing. Mild regrets were nothing compared to the joy of that smile.

  “I don’t suppose you brought along eggs and bacon and pancakes?” she said cheerfully.

  “Afraid not. I didn’t expect this to turn into an overnight trip. How do you feel about champagne for breakfast?”

  “Sounds pretty decadent.”

  “Is that a yes?”

  She grinned at him. “Of course.”

  They drank to the dawn, as they had to the sunset, then Audrey gazed directly into his eyes with a look that could have started a forest fire. He swallowed uneasily. He didn’t trust that look one bit. He had a feeling she was testing her newfound power over his senses.

  “What are you thinking?”

  “I was just wondering if perhaps that raging river weren’t nearby.”

  “It should be a mile or so from here. Maybe less. Why?”

  “How about a morning swim?�
�

  “Where did this energy come from all of a sudden? Less than twenty minutes ago you could barely string three words together.”

  “No energy,” she said, then added with deliberate innocence, “I just realized I’d never gone skinny-dipping in a river before. I might not ever get another chance.”

  Blake’s eyes blinked wide and he stared at her. “Skinny-dipping?” he repeated huskily. “You mean you want to go swimming with me with no clothes on? What would your mother think?” He caught her determined expression. “Never mind. That’s the point, isn’t it?”

  She grinned at him with the carefully calculated look of a wanton imp and shrugged. “You can stay here, if you’d prefer.”

  “Oh, no. I think I’ll come along for this.”

  Blake’s pulse was leaping erratically as they walked toward the river. What on earth was the woman trying to do to him? He’d only barely restrained himself earlier. The two of them stark naked in a river ought to be a test for sainthood.

  “Are you really sure you want to do this?”

  “Absolutely.”

  They found the stream about five minutes later. Audrey stopped in her tracks and stared at it in consternation.

  “It isn’t very deep.”

  “I told you that yesterday. It’s probably not much more than knee-high.”

  Hesitant violet eyes met his and faltered. “Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.”

  “Why not?” Blake asked, beginning to unzip his windbreaker. Audrey’s eyes followed his movements with fascination. “It’s clear. It might be pretty cold, but we’ll hardly notice once we get in.”

  He stripped off his windbreaker, then lifted his polo shirt over his head and heard her muffled gasp. “Come on, now. This was your idea.”

  “A bad one,” she muttered nervously, backing up as his fingers went to the snap on his jeans. Her eyes were round as they watched him. “Definitely a bad one.”

  Suddenly Blake’s shoulders shook with laughter. Audrey’s eyes immediately narrowed and she glared at him.

  “You knew this was going to happen, didn’t you?”

  “What?”

  “You knew this water wouldn’t come up to the chest of a three-year-old and you knew I was going to chicken out.”

  “It did occur to me that you were setting yourself up for a mighty big risk for a proper young lady.”

  Audrey’s eyes flashed angrily at his words. “Now you’re saying I’m a coward again.”

  “No, really. I swear it.” Somehow the laughter didn’t add to his credibility. He could see that in her eyes. Those glints of anger were coming back. “I just meant that skinny-dipping didn’t seem to be your style.”

  “And just what do you think my style is? Boring? Uninteresting? Staid?” She tugged her sweatshirt over her head. “Okay, Mr. Macho, I’ll show you.”

  “Audrey, wait. You don’t have to prove anything to me.”

  She kicked off her shoes and stomped toward the stream, the sway of her rear end deliberately taunting him. At the last instant she stripped off her T-shirt. There was no bra, he realized, his gaze riveted to her bare back. Then her jeans and briefs were tugged off in a gesture that made up in speed what it lacked in grace. She never once looked back.

  “I have to prove it to me,” she muttered stubbornly and waded into the water.

  It was entirely likely they could have heard her screech back in Aspen. “C-c...c-c...cold.” Her teeth were chattering.

  Blake stood on the edge of the bank and looked on helplessly, trying to keep his eyes averted from the sheer perfection of her curves. If this was a test for sainthood, he’d never pass. “Audrey, please, come out of there before you catch pneumonia. We don’t have any towels.”

  “C-c...come and g-g...get me.”

  “Audrey!”

  In a concession to modesty that turned her lips blue, she sat down in the middle of the stream and glowered at him. He could see the goose bumps from twenty feet away. Stubborn. Barely five feet tall and stubborn as any mule.

  “Okay, dammit.” He strode toward her, splashing in the shallow water, soaking his shoes and pants. “You are the most obstinate, pigheaded—”

  “Assertive?” Suddenly she grinned at him.

  He lifted his eyebrows in mocking agreement. “Assertive woman I have ever met.” He scooped her into his arms and carried her back to shore. “And if you ever do anything that foolish just to prove a point again, I will tan your hide.”

  She poked him in the chest. “Don’t even think about it.”

  He glanced down into her flashing eyes—he didn’t dare look lower—and shook his head. “Has it occurred to you that you have a perverse streak in you that could drive a man to madness?”

  “Really?” There was an interested gleam in her eyes.

  “Don’t let it go to your head. I didn’t mean it as a compliment.”

  “That’s okay. I consider it one. Now put me down so I can put my clothes on. I’m frozen clear through.”

  “Little wonder.”

  “Put me down and turn around.”

  “Audrey!”

  “Blake!”

  Blake plopped her unceremoniously on the ground and turned his back.

  “This is ridiculous, you know. It’s a little late for the shy maiden routine.”

  “A gentleman wouldn’t think so.” Her teeth were still chattering, and he whirled back around impatiently, just in time to see her tugging her sweatshirt back into place.

  “Sit,” he said gruffly. She gave him a mutinous look, but she sat. He knelt down beside her and picked up one dainty, ice-cold foot and rubbed it gently until the circulation was restored. Then he massaged the other one, his fingers lingering on her ankle where a pulse was beating rapidly. Finally, reluctantly, he released her foot and slipped on her shoes.

  He tried very hard not to notice that his actions were having a decided impact on her breathing. If he thought about that, it might lead him to try massaging other parts of her chilled anatomy and then they’d be right back in the same tempting situation they’d been in earlier. It would be far better for the two of them if they didn’t touch each other, not until they meant to follow through. A shudder rippled through him at the image that aroused. God help them both, if that didn’t happen soon.

  “We’d better get back to the balloon,” he said gruffly. “They should be looking for us by now.”

  They had just reached the edge of the clearing when they heard the drone of the helicopter overhead. Blake waved and it circled the clearing, then set down in the middle.

  The blades of the helicopter had barely stopped whirling when, to his surprise, Harvey’s hefty form appeared in the doorway. His hair was rumpled, his clothes bedraggled and there were dark circles under his eyes, but there was no mistaking the energy behind his fury. Blake had never seen the man so irate. He strode toward the two of them like some of avenging angel, waving a handful of newspapers in their direction.

  Blake caught Audrey’s eyes and winked. “I don’t think the coverage was what Harvey expected when he sent you up here.”

  “I’ll bet it was front page, though,” she retorted with a grin. “That ought to count for something.”

  Blake glimpsed Harvey’s expression again and shook his head. “I don’t think so.”

  “Are you two out of your ever-loving minds?” Harvey blustered breathlessly. “Not only have you taken ten years off my life—years I’d been counting on, I might add—but you’ve been made out to be no better than a couple of irresponsible teenagers. To tell you the truth, I think the press has been too kind. Of all the simpleminded, harebrained things to do.”

  “We didn’t plan on the storm,” Blake pointed out.

  “This mess started long before the rain. I’ve heard all about it, starting last night on the network news. You!” He thrust an accusing finger in Blake’s direction and glowered at him. “I might have expected something like this from you.”

  Then he scowled fe
rociously at Audrey. “But I thought you were a smart lady. Tough, no-nonsense, businesslike. That’s why I sent you up here, to keep him under control. I figured if anybody could handle him, you could. Instead, you let this overgrown playboy talk you into going for a joyride in some flimsy contraption that the devil himself wouldn’t fly.”

  “I was kidnapped,” Audrey said primly in response to Harvey’s indignation. She had to avoid Blake’s gaze to keep from laughing.

  Her announcement definitely took the wind out of Harvey. She could see him trying to process it and decide how the press would deal with that tidbit. Apparently he didn’t like what he saw. He sank down on a boulder and stared up at the two of them.

  “Kidnapped?” he repeated dismally. “Dear God, Blake, of all the damn fool things to pull. Don’t you have enough women in your life without going and kidnapping one of your own employees?”

  “I only have one woman in my life,” Blake said very, very quietly. “And I want to thank you for sending her to me. Otherwise yesterday might have been just another balloon race.”

  Harvey’s eyes widened incredulously. “You’re blaming me for this?”

  “I’m not blaming you, Harvey. I’m thanking you. Can’t you tell the difference?”

  “I’m the one who’s blaming you,” Audrey inserted. “If you hadn’t insisted on my coming up here this weekend in Joe’s place, none of this would have happened. I’d be in Hawaii, Blake would have won the race, and you wouldn’t have a public relations disaster on your hands.”

  “Wait just a minute. You are two grown people, even if you haven’t been behaving much like it. You’re responsible for your own destinies. This disaster is your doing, not mine. I was down in San Francisco doing my bit for the company by drinking wine that was no better than vinegar.”

  He grimaced at the memory, then gazed suspiciously at Audrey. “Didn’t you even try to stop him from kidnapping you?”

  “Oh, I tried,” she said. Blake nodded. Harvey stared at them in disbelief.

  “You must not have tried very hard. I’ve heard you yell. If you’d done any of that, the police from four counties would have heard you.”