In Over His Head

He pushed her blouse down her arms, then unclasped her bra. Both fell to the tiled floor. Breaking their frantic kiss, he took her tight nipple into his mouth, absorbing her sharp gasp. It was all he could do not to take her right against the door, but some drop of sanity prevailed. They needed a condom, and the damn things were in the bedroom. And there was no way he was leaving her here while he went to get one.

Dipping his knees, he lifted her up. She instantly wrapped her legs around his waist, and with her showering his face and neck with hot kisses, he managed, somehow, to get them to the bedroom, making a mental vow to never come near this woman again without a condom in his pocket.

He deposited her in the center of the mattress with a gentle bounce, then immediately moved to the nightstand where he grabbed a condom from the box he'd brought with him and stashed there before their riding lesson. It took him of all ten seconds to return to her, and in that time she'd managed to divest herself of her shoes and socks, and was applying herself to her jeans.

Without a word, their gazes fused, she shimmied out of her snug denim and panties, while he unfastened his jeans. He couldn't get them off without stopping to remove his boots, and that was simply out of the question. He needed to be inside her now.

Pushing his Levi's and boxers down to his hips, he rolled on the condom, gritting his teeth against the unbearably arousing sight of her lying naked on her aqua comforter, legs splayed, nipples wet and erect from his mouth, eyes smoky with want.

An inferno roared through him, taking him over. Helpless to stop it, he thrust into her, all fire and incinerating heat. Gentleness was beyond him. But she met him all the way, wrapping her legs around him, urging him with desperate whispers to go faster. Harder.

He tried to hold off his orgasm, but it was like trying to hold back the ocean with a broom. Seconds later his release pounded through him, pulling a growl from his throat. Clutching her to him, he buried his face in the fragrant curve of her neck.

He lay there, panting, sweating, heart hammering, unable to move. He remained inside her, her limbs wrapped around him, listening to her rapid breaths battering against his ear. He wasn't sure how long it took for reason to return. When it finally did, he lifted his head. And looked down into gold-flecked hazel eyes glowing up at him.

'Holy cow,' she whispered. A short laugh puffed between her parted lips. 'How many times can we do that before we both pass out?'

'I don't know. What's the record?'

That brought a smile. 'I'm not sure how it's possible to feel half dead and fantastic at the same time, but you've managed to make that happen.'

'Glad to know I didn't leave you hangin' at the starting gate. I didn't mean to come so soon. Couldn't stop it.'

'Don't be sorry on my account. Your timing was perfect.' Raising her arms above her head, she stretched with abandon. 'I guess turnaround is fair play. This time I'm the one without the clothes.'

'I would've exploded if I'd taken the time to undress.'

An unmistakable feminine gleam glittered in her eyes. 'Hmm. I insist you tell me what I did to inspire such passion so I can make sure I do it again. As soon as possible.'

A frown pulled at Josh's brow. What had she done to make him lose control like that? To rob him of his finesse in that unprecedented way? To make him want her with a desperation that he'd never felt for another woman? The answer hit with the force of a sucker punch.

That's what love did to a man. She'd done nothing except be with him. She'd laughed with him. Talked to him. Looked at him with those big, expressive eyes. Shared a ride on the beach with him. Then thanked him for the experience. She'd seduced him, without even trying, simply by being herself, and she'd done it long before she'd actually kissed him. And he'd kissed her with such raw need and hunger because he'd already been thoroughly seduced. Because he loved her.

How the hell could he possibly hope to explain that to her without telling her truths he sensed she wasn't ready to hear? Truths that if he revealed too soon he feared might make her bolt like a spooked rabbit? Hell, except for Lexie, if a woman he'd just met a few days ago had told him she loved him, he'd have disappeared so fast he would have left a vapor trail behind him.

He wanted to tell her how he felt about her, but damn it, he was afraid. Afraid it was too soon. Afraid she'd tell him to get lost. Afraid she wouldn't love him back.

A bomb exploded in the emotional minefield he was trying, with little success, to navigate. As much as he might not want to, he needed to wait a little longer before he threw his heart into the arena.

Luckily he was spared the need to respond when Scout jumped onto the bed and let loose with a loud meow.

'She's saying hello,' Lexie said with a smile.

Josh winked at the cat who, he swore, winked back.

'She responds well to flattery,' Lexie said.

Flattery? 'Er, cats rule, dogs drool.'

Scout clearly agreed. After an extensive butt-in-the-air stretch, she curled up on Lexie's pillow with a contented purr, then shut her eyes.

Not anxious to return to her unanswered question about how she'd inspired such passion in him, Josh asked, 'Why'd you name her Scout?'

'The day I brought her home from the animal shelter, she climbed out of her sleeping box. I found her curled up in my bookcase. She was so tiny and cute, snoozing away on my copy of To Kill a Mockingbird.'

'She probably thought it was a feline how-to manual.'

Lexie laughed. 'Probably. So I named her after Scout in the book.' She wriggled a bit, arousing interest in body parts he'd thought would have been unrousable for quite some time yet.

'I didn't think I'd ever say this after that huge breakfast you made, but I think I'm hungry again.'

'It's all that fresh air and exercise.' He brushed a wayward curl from her forehead. 'Just to warn you, you'll probably be pretty sore tomorrow from our ride.'

Mischief danced in her eyes. 'Our horseback ride?'

'That would be the one.'

'I'll be fine. I'm in good shape.'

'You sure are.' He dropped a quick kiss on her tempting lips. 'I vote we grab some lunch, then start our first sailing lesson.'

'Sounds great.' Her smile warmed him down to his boots. 'You're going to love sailing.'

'I guess I can stand anything for five minutes,' he teased, echoing her earlier words before their ride.

'It will be the best five minutes of your life. So good you won't want to stop.'

He looked into her eyes and another bomb in the minefield detonated.

Suddenly he didn't doubt her words for a minute. And that scared the hell out of him.

Chapter 8

By four o'clock that afternoon Josh had realized several things. First, he was very glad he'd read extensively on the subject of sailing before coming to Florida, because it enabled him to move swiftly through Lexie's thorough textbook-type preliminaries on topics such as types of boats and sails, how sailboats work, and a slew of nautical terms. His knowledge also came with the extra bonus that it impressed his teacher. Especially his knot-tying skills. 'I'm pretty handy with a rope,' he said with a smile. 'Comes with the cowboy territory.'

Second, it was obvious, even more so than during their swimming lessons, that Lexie was an excellent teacher. Patient, encouraging, knowledgeable and thorough, she explained things in a clear, concise manner, always emphasizing safety. She took their lesson seriously, and took him seriously, as well. Yet in spite of her seriousness her sense of humor shone through, making the lesson fun as well as informative. They spent three hours sitting at her kitchen table doing classroom legwork before driving back to the Whispering Palms to actually sail one of the