“I can do more.”
He shook his head. “It was a tough hike and you’re not used to the exercise. Go take a bath. Relax your muscles. There’ll be more to do tomorrow. I don’t need you so sore that you’re useless to me.”
She laughed, but didn’t argue. He was right. The last thing she wanted was to ache so much she’d have to spend several days laid up and unable to move. She went inside and turned on the water, opened the window over the tub to let the breeze through and pulled the shutters partway closed, then found some bath salts on the ledge. She poured them over the running water, then began to strip off her grimy clothes.
The bath was heaven. She sank in up to her neck and closed her eyes, letting the warm water loosen her tight muscles. She was so relaxed she almost fell asleep, until a strong gust of wind blew one of the shutters open. She sat up and started to close it, but glanced outside, realizing the bathroom overlooked the backyard. The window was just above the bathtub, so she could lie back and look outside. She eased the shutter partway closed, then leaned back, watching Dalton.
He had a long table outside on the patio, and spread across it were weapons that he had taken apart to clean.
He had taken his shirt off. Sweat poured off his back, running in rivers down the smooth muscles outlined there. He was tan, his shoulders broad, his waist slim, and when he turned around she sucked in her breath at the wide expanse of his chest, the sculpted abs and the fine line of dark hair sprinkled across his lower abs and disappearing into his pants.
The water in the tub was only lukewarm, but her body suddenly felt heated. She blew out a breath, knowing she should get out, but she couldn’t drag her gaze away from Dalton.
She might have been exhausted, but apparently he wasn’t. With every movement the muscles in his back rippled, showcasing his power.
Power. It sizzled around her. Like a jerk of lightning, she felt it enter her, in her veins, surging through her bloodstream. And with every sensation her gaze stayed riveted to Dalton.
Speaking of power … his was strong. Though yards and a building separated them, she felt it emanating from him. She wanted to touch him, run her hands down his back, lick the sweat from his body and absorb some of his power. She wanted to taste him, strip him naked and take him right there in the yard. Her breasts swelled, her nipples hardened, heat filled her. The more she watched, the more she knew she had to have him-right now. Even from in here she could smell him-the raw animal scent that drew her to him like a mating heat.
She rose from the tub and followed that scent, down the hall and out the back door, to the porch. She laid her hand on his shoulder. He pivoted with a smile, then his eyes widened, scanning her body.
“Isabelle. Jesus! What the hell are you doing?”
His gaze shot around the yard. Dammit, she wanted him looking at her.
“I want you.” She curled her fingers around his nape, pulled herself up against his body. Touching him was like drawing to a flame-agonizing, painful pleasure, but she sought it out, wanted more. “I need you.”
He reached for her arm. “Let’s go back inside. Now.”
She held firm, took his hand and laid it on her naked breast. The heat of him sizzled against her skin. Her heart pounded furiously against his palm; her nipple puckered against the deliciously rough calluses of his flesh. “Touch me, Dalton.”
She didn’t wait for his answer, just held his hand there and drew his head to hers, using every ounce of strength she possessed. She
But now she had to have his lips on hers, his mouth to her mouth. If she didn’t she might die, the thirst to have him was so great. The shock of her lips touching his was like a lightning bolt, a fusion of their strengths, a sexual torrent transferring from her to him.
She might not survive it. She didn’t care. She wanted this man more than she’d ever wanted anything before. He was power. He was hers.
At the first touch of Isabelle’s lips to his, Dalton felt the shock, like being struck by an electric current. But it was more than that. It was a physical rocking of his senses. Never mind that a gorgeous, naked woman stood in the backyard molding herself against him and wordlessly begging him to fuck her right there. Her mouth was magic. Soft, yielding yet demanding. She knew what she wanted. She wanted him. He’d never felt more desired, more needed.
But in the back of his sex-soaked brain there was a small voice that knew this was wrong. This wasn’t really Isabelle in his arms. Something had happened. Some thing bad. He had to think with his head, not with his dick. And that was going to be damned difficult to do given the circumstances, because she was crawling all over him and he was rock hard and ready to do whatever the hell she wanted.
But he finally drew enough strength to pull her arms away, jerk his mouth from hers. Oh, that mouth. Christ, she was sexy, her lips puffy and parted, her eyes druggingly half-lidded and sexy as hell. And of course, she was naked, and her body was perfection, from her full, pert breasts to her slender waist, curvy hips, and athletic legs.
He wanted her, wanted to be inside her, would have no problem throwing her down on the ground and doing it right there.
But he’d made that mistake once before. And it had cost Isabelle. He wasn’t going to let it happen again.
One of them had to have some common sense, and right now it sure as hell wasn’t the hot woman rocking against him.
He grabbed her by the shoulders, focusing only on her face. “Isabelle!”
She stared at him, almost right through him.
“Isabelle, wake up. Now.”
She blinked a few times, then frowned. “Dalton?”
She was coming back. He could almost see her eyes clear, as if a veil had been removed from them.
“Yeah. That’s it. Come on.”
He saw it then-the focus, the reality slip back into her eyes. She looked at him, around the yard, then down at herself, her gaze shooting back to him as she realized she was standing in the yard stark naked. “Oh, shit. Oh, God. Oh, my God, Dalton.” She wrenched away from him and covered herself. Dalton grabbed his discarded T-shirt from the ground and helped her put it on. She was wobbly, looked confused, so he slid his hand around her waist.
“Let’s go inside.”
He helped her into the house and toward the bathroom. The tub was filled with water, now cold. Isabelle stared into the water, then up at him.
Now he saw confusion soaking her features. He wanted to drag her into his arms and comfort her.
Really bad idea considering what had just happened. He kept his distance.
“I was taking a bath,” she said. “That’s all I remember until I found myself outside. With you.” She dragged her hands through her hair. “What did I do, Dalton? God, I’m drenched in sweat.”
What should he tell her? That she stalked out there naked and tried to have her way with him? He was pretty sure that’s not what she wanted to hear right now. She was emotionally fragile, barely holding it together. Telling her she’d stormed out into the yard bare-assed naked and tried to seduce him wasn’t going to help her.
Then again, she couldn’t help herself if she didn’t know the truth. And after everything, he owed her that.
“Let’s both get cleaned up, then we’ll talk,” he said.
She nodded. He turned to go but she grasped his forearm. “Don’t leave.”
He swallowed, but nodded. “Okay.”
“I’ll just rinse off in the shower. It won’t take me long.” She moved away from him, turned on the shower in the tiny stall, and with her back to him, pulled his T-shirt off and stepped inside, shutting the door behind her.
Dalton leaned against the bathroom counter and tried to remind himself that Isabelle was in shock. Admiring the beauty of her naked body was the wrong thing to do in this situation. Thinking about anything having to do with her body was a bad idea. Watching her silhouette through the smoky glass shower door wasn’t helping his situation any, either. He decided the best course of action was to bend down and unlace his boots, then find Isabelle a
