by Jennie Marts
She and Adam had quickly gathered enough wood and kindling to build a fire, and she snuck a glance at Adam now, as he rubbed his hands together in front of it.
His dark hair fell across his forehead, and a smudge of dirt marred his otherwise perfectly chiseled jawline. He was so cute, yet he didn’t seem to realize it. He was confident in his intelligence, but she sensed he didn’t have a clue how good-looking he was.
He didn’t have the swagger and charm that so many of the cowboys she knew had. Including Clint. Although Clint had more than just a swagger—he had the whole good ol’ boy package, from the country twang to the manners that would make a Southern mama proud. And she was sure that Clint knew he was good-looking, and he often used that fact to his advantage.
Adam knew he was smart, and it was obvious to others that he was, as well, just by the way he spoke. But he didn’t make other people feel dumb. She liked that about him. She liked a lot of things about him.
Tightening her fingers, she yearned to wipe the dirt from his face and caress his cheek. His cheek, his neck, his shoulders. Hell, she just wanted to touch him. Anywhere would do.
He must have put in his contacts this morning, because she hadn’t seen him wearing his glasses all day, and she kind of missed them. She’d never had a boyfriend who wore glasses before, but she liked his. She’d even fantasized about sitting on his lap and slowly taking them off, then taking everything else off, too.
Did I just say boyfriend?
She needed to get a grip. To quit thinking about the way his wet shirt was sticking to his pecs or how cute his butt looked in those jeans. She’d be better off focusing on getting camp set up or more than his shirt was going to get soaked.
She gave him a minute to get warm as she unpacked the camping equipment, then instructed him on how to help her get the tent set up. Once their shelter for the night was standing, she hastily threw what was left of their gear inside, all while keeping an eye on the darkening sky.
Neither one said it out loud, but by the way Adam fidgeted with the ties of the tent’s fly, she knew they were both very aware that his horse had ridden off with the other tent…and his sleeping bag.
They’d set up camp against the side of the bluff. This was one of her favorite places. With the view of the mountains opening up in front of them and the sound of the river behind them, it was almost magical.
If Adam wasn’t swayed by the awesome wonder of nature in this place, then she should just throw in the towel now.
A drop of rain hit her cheek, and she tipped her head up to study the dense dark clouds. A low rumble of thunder sounded across the sky.
“We’d better get in the tent. The storm’s almost here.”
Holding the flap open, Adam crawled in, and she followed, zipping the tent door shut as another boom of thunder rolled through the air.
This one was followed by a loud crack, and the tent was lit with a quick burst of light as a bolt of lightning flashed through the sky.
Adam’s eyes rounded as he ducked his head. “Holy shit. That sounded close.”
“It probably was. I think the storm is going to be right on top of us. Those clouds were racing across the sky. So that means it could be bad, but it shouldn’t last too long.”
As if her words were a signal, the sky opened up and their tent was hit with a barrage of rain.
“What about the horse?” Adam asked, raising his voice to be heard above the storm.
Aww. Her heart just melted a little. “He’s okay. He lives outside. He can handle the rain. Did you want to bring him into the tent with us?”
“No. Of course not. I just thought…” He shrugged. “I don’t know.” His gaze drifted around the tent, obviously trying to avoid looking at her.
She touched his knee. “It’s okay. I think it’s really sweet of you to think of him. If we were at the ranch, we’d probably bring him into the barn. But he’ll be okay. Horses are tough.”
“Horses are bad-asses. I’ve never been this close to one before. I had no idea how cool they actually were. Or how big. They can do anything—run, climb, swim—all while hauling people and loads of stuff on their backs. They’re awesome. ”
“Yeah, they are. I can’t imagine my life without horses. I’ve been around them all forever. I even used to barrel-race when I was a teenager.”
“How do you race a barrel?”
She laughed. “You don’t race against the barrel, you race around it. A course is set up with a series of barrels, and you and your horse race around them as fast as you can. You try to get as close to them as possible without touching them or knocking them over. Whoever runs the course the fastest, wins.”
“Wow. That sounds terrifying. I started to panic every time my horse broke into a trot. I can’t imagine running at full speed. Did you ever win?”
She shrugged, her chest pushing out a little with pride. “Yeah, I did. I was pretty good. But that was all before Cody.”
He nodded, understanding without saying anything else.
Another bolt of lightning flashed through the tent.
He cringed. “It sounds like it’s getting w-w-worse.” His teeth chattered together, and his body suddenly shook with a hard shiver.
“Geez. You must be freezing. You need to get out of those wet clothes and into the sleeping bag.” She dug a small lantern from her bag and hung it from a loop in the top of the tent. Flipping the switch on the side, she turned the lantern on, bathing the confines of the tent in a soft glow of light.
He nodded.
“Here, let me help,” she said, after watching him struggle with his boots. “Hand me your foot.” She tugged his boots off and set them by the door to the tent, then busied herself pulling off her own boots while he shimmied out of his drenched jeans.
She snuck a quick glance at him as he yanked his shirt over his head, and her mouth went dry at the sight of his lean and muscled chest. All he had left on was a snug pair of black boxer briefs. The guy was seriously sexy.
This wasn’t the way she’d imagined him getting naked in front of her—and she had imagined it—but it would do.
Grabbing the sleeping bag, she untied it and spread it out on the floor of the tent. She unzipped one side, and her stomach swirled in anxious nerves at the soft, whispery sound of him sliding naked inside it—well, practically naked. Naked enough that it was making her skin warm as heat surged through her veins.
Her nerves were all over the place, so she focused on pulling a sweatshirt from her bag and arranging it like a pillow at the head of the sleeping bag.
But the tent was small, and he was so close, brushing against her as he tried to wiggle down into the bag. She could smell his aftershave and the scent of his shampoo. He smelled freaking amazing.
It was something different, a rich scent of musk and masculinity, and it just smelled expensive. It made her want to bury her head in his neck and inhale him.
Hell, it made her want to do more than that. She didn’t just want to smell him, she wanted to touch him and taste him, to climb on top of him and run her hands over his muscled chest.
And for the first time in as long as she could remember, she wanted a man’s hands on her. Not a man’s, this man’s. Adam’s hands. She wanted to feel Adam’s hands caressing her skin—feeling, touching, taking.
Her mind was going crazy with the wild thoughts, and her hand trembled as she started to zip up the side of the bag.
He set his hand on hers. “Wait. You need to get in here, too.”
Her heart pounded against her chest so hard she was sure he would be able to hear it. “Me?”
“Yeah, of course.” He pushed up and braced himself on his elbow. They were practically on top of each other in the crowded space, and his face was just now inches from hers. She saw his Adam’s apple bob in his throat, and his voice was soft as he asked, “Aren’t you wet?”
She blinked, heat rushing through her swirling belly, at the double entendre of his question.
She
knew he hadn’t meant it like that, but the words hung in the air, teasing them both. “My jeans are damp. Er, I mean, yes, I am wet. Wait—”
Avoiding his gaze, she focused on her pants, fumbling to get free of them. The sound of the zipper descending felt as loud as the crack of lightning.
He held open the flap of the sleeping bag, wordlessly inviting her in with him.
She squirmed inside, conscious of how small her black lace bikini underwear suddenly seemed, and caught her breath as their bare legs brushed against each other.
“I’m sorry I screwed up and lost the other sleeping bag and tent,” he said.
Her head rested on the crumpled sweatshirt, and she peered up at him, then dropped her gaze to his mouth. She wanted to kiss him, to be bold and press her lips to his. Even though it was a terrible idea, and she’d already come up with a hundred reasons why she shouldn’t get involved with Adam Clark.
But they’d already kissed once. And it had been spectacular.
She’d forgotten how amazing a first kiss could be. How having a man’s weight on top of her could feel so good. And so right.
Adam had awakened something in her that she’d tried so hard to bury. And now her body ached for his, yearned for his touch.
But what if he didn’t feel the same way. What if last night had just been a fluke, a chance moment, and he’d realized, like her, that it was a bad idea. What if he was just putting up with her so he could keep warm in a freak thunderstorm?
There was only one way to find out.
He’d just said he was sorry he’d lost the other tent and sleeping bag.
She took a deep breath then spoke, her voice barely above a whisper. “I’m not.”
His face remained serious, his gaze fixed steadily on hers. “I’m pretty sure your shirt got wet in the rain. I think you should take it off, too. Just in case.”
A grin tugged at the corners of her lips. Damn, she did like this guy.
“Good idea. Just in case.” She grabbed the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head, reveling in the small gasp of breath she heard him take. She was glad she’d chosen the lacy bra that morning instead of one of her plain beige ones.
She laid her head back on the makeshift pillow, her shoulder nestled in the crook of his arm.
He looked down at her, and she could feel the heat of his gaze roaming across her body. “You are magnificent.”
Another grin spread across her face. She loved the way he talked, the way he used unexpected words to describe things.
Never had anyone ever called her “magnificent.” And she loved it. Basked in it.
So instead of pulling the sleeping bag around and covering herself, she let him look, let him drink her in, the hunger in his eyes causing her nipples to tighten against the lacy fabric of her bra.
A shiver ran through her as he lightly rested his hand on her neck then slowly drew the backs of his fingers down her chest and across the pale edges of her breasts that spilled over the top of her bra.
His movements were slow, seductive, as if he had all the time in the world.
And he did. They had all night.
Just the two of them in a tiny tent, with the rain beating against the roof and her heart thundering in her chest, as she slowly came undone with each brush of his fingers along her skin.
She caught her breath as he slid the tips of his fingers along the lacy edge of her bra, anticipation burning through her core.
He still didn’t hurry. As if he knew what delicious torture he was doling out, he dipped his thumb inside the fabric and circled the pebbled bud of her nipple.
A soft moan escaped her lips as he teased the sensitive tip.
The softest touch. A single stroke and her body felt like it was alive for the first time in years. Alive and on fire. And burning for more of his touch.
How could she have forgotten the sweet sensation that sent surges of heat spiraling through her?
She tipped her head back, closing her eyes, and let the feelings wash through her.
He must have taken her exposed neck as an invitation, because she felt his warm breath on her skin a second before his lips settled against the soft spot below her ear.
His kisses were tender but held a note of hunger, as if he were delicately feasting on her skin. Tasting her. Savoring her.
She sank into the sensation, letting it wash over her as she clutched a handful of the slippery sleeping bag in her fist.
He laid a trail of warm kisses down her neck and across her collarbone.
Sliding his whole hand into one side of her bra, he freed her breast then cupped it in his palm. He squeezed and molded it with his hand before dipping his head and sucking the tip into his mouth.
Another moan escaped her, this one a tight sharp cry of ecstasy as he released her nipple then circled it with his tongue before taking it back between his lips.
How could he have her so worked up, and he hadn’t even taken off her bra?
Another flash of lightning lit the tent, and she opened her eyes. The air itself was so charged with the combination of the storm and the sexual tension that she could almost imagine sparkles of energy shimmering around them.
What was happening to her? She didn’t have thoughts like this.
She was a no-nonsense, take-charge, get-things-done kind of girl. There was one person she could count on and it was herself. She didn’t have time to waste on fantasies of a knight in shining armor riding in, sweeping her up on his stallion, and kissing her senseless.
In her experience, there were no happily-ever-afters. Her prince charming had turned out to be the court jester, leaving her behind to find his own tales of adventure and other less-than-fair maidens who followed cowboys around the rodeo circuit.
And what made her think an engineer who had no idea how to even ride a stallion was going to sweep her off her feet?
Because you’ve never felt like this before, her heart whispered.
Because he had kissed her senseless and sent her heart into a tailspin of emotion.
Because from the minute he’d stepped off the bus and offered her that goofy grin, she hadn’t stopped thinking about him.
A low rumble of thunder rolled through the air, telling her the lightning was several miles away. But the storm was still here, raging through her chest, roaring through her heart, with the charge of a lightning bolt filling her with the sizzle of electricity.
“You okay?” Adam asked, breaking through her jumble of thoughts.
She blinked, her breath ragged, her body still reeling from his touch. “Yes. I’m just…” She took a deep breath. “It’s just been a long time. A long time since I’ve let anyone touch me like this.” She lowered her gaze, unable to meet his eyes. “Since I’ve felt like this,” she whispered.
He reached up, tilting her chin until she looked into his eyes. “I’ve never felt like this.”
Oh.
She held her breath. Waiting. Waiting for him to go on.
“I know it sounds horribly cliché, but I felt something the first time I laid eyes on you. I saw you walking toward the bus, and I felt like I’d been punched in the gut. You were, you are, the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. My brain was on overload, wondering how I’d landed at a dude ranch in Colorado, wondering if the guys were going to show up, and totally caught up in how great your butt looked in those jeans. But it was the first time I heard your laughter when we were battling that stupid bat, that I knew, at least my heart did. You smiled up at me, and I was lost. I knew you were different. Special.” He shook his head. “No, extraordinary.”
Extraordinary? Okay, maybe he didn’t have a white stallion, but he had a silver tongue and an arsenal of beautiful language that spoke right to her heart.
“You’re not saying anything. Am I just making a fool of myself here? I’m sure you have guys throwing themselves at you all the time. Do you think I’m a total idiot?”
She shook her head. “No. I don’t think you’re an idiot, at
all. I think you’re saying everything exactly right, and you’re describing how I feel, too. I’m just not as good with words as you are.” She touched the side of his face, resting her palm against his cheek. “I think you are…” She searched her mind for the biggest, best word she could think of. “Spectacular.”
A grin broke across his face. “I’ll take that.”
“That’s how you make me feel. Spectacular squared times infinity.”
He arched an eyebrow. “Squared times infinity?”
“Okay, so maybe I’m not the best mathematician. But you know what I mean. I’m not used to this. I don’t do this.”
“This?”
She ran her finger along his bottom lip. “This. Touching. Kissing. Being with a man. I haven’t done this in years. I don’t let anyone get close enough.”
He wrapped his leg around hers and pulled her body tighter to his. “Close like this?”
Her exposed breast pressed against his bare chest, and she sucked in a breath as she nodded.
Dipping his head, he laid a soft kiss on the corner of her lips. “And this?” he whispered against her mouth.
“Yes,” she whispered back.
He leaned his forehead against hers and let out a shaky breath. “I want to touch you, to feel you. I can’t think of anything I’ve ever wanted more. But I don’t want to push you if this is too much, if you don’t feel like you’re ready.”
Everything about this night had her feeling like she was losing control. And she wasn’t sure if she liked that feeling or if it was completely freaking her out. But his words calmed her nerves and gave her the sense of security she needed.
She got to decide what happened next and how far she wanted him to go.
Another burst of lightning flashed through the tent, but the storm in her chest subsided as the steady fall of rain hit the roof of the tent, and Adam’s hand tenderly caressed her cheek.
Her gaze was fixed on his—on his crystal blue eyes that looked at her with heat and hunger.
A slow bob of her head and another whispered “yes” was all she could manage before his mouth slanted across hers in a ravenous kiss.