Dec gently turned her around, reaching out to shut off the water as he did. He took her face in his palms and gave her a gentle kiss. “This was not part of the job. This just happened and I’m glad it did. I hope you are too because it doesn’t have to end here.”
She took a ragged breath and fought back the tears that threatened. “It doesn’t?”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” He wove his fingers through hers and pulled her along toward the sofa. “Leave the dishes. I’ll do them tomorrow before we go back.” Dec sat down and pulled her down beside him. “Now that this is over, maybe we should get some things straight between us,” he suggested.
Rachel stared down at her hands, nervously twisting her fingers and knowing that the “let’s slow this down” speech was about to be dragged out. She had heard it before. You’re getting too attached, things are moving too fast, you expect too much from me. She’d promised herself this time that she wouldn’t fall in love, but a tiny part of her already had.
“I know,” she said, reaching out for his hand. “This was crazy, the two of us. But it was an affair of opportunity. I never expected anything long term.”
“You didn’t?”
She shook her head, falling back on an academic explanation for the ache in her heart. “Physical attraction doesn’t always translate into a long-lasting commitment. This was just about sex.”
Dec sat back, pulling his hand from hers. “So you were just another notch on my bedpost and I was just another chance for you to experiment?”
“We were more attracted because what we were doing was forbidden. Now that it isn’t, the attraction won’t be so strong.”
“Speak for yourself,” Dec said. He stared into her eyes, then smiled cynically. “Somehow, I get the feeling that this is a test. That you’re just watching me, ready to measure my response.” He stood. “The one thing I liked about you, Rachel, was that you didn’t play games. I guess I was wrong.”
“I’m not playing a game. I’m just being realistic. Can you really tell me that once we go home, we’ll continue on like we’ve been doing for the past two days? No. You’ll go back to work, I’ll go back to work, we’ll have excuses why we can’t be together. Occasionally we’ll fall into bed, and then it will gradually end.”
“Because that’s the way it’s always happened before?”
“Dec, let’s be realistic. We’ve known each other for two days.”
He considered her statement for a long moment, then shrugged. “You’re right,” he said. “Not a good idea. Better to stop it right now before we make a mistake.” He walked to the door, then stood staring out into the night. “I’m going for a walk. I’ll be back a little later.”
Rachel didn’t want him to leave, but in the end, she didn’t stop him. The moment the screen door slammed, she let out a tightly held breath and closed her eyes. This was for the best, wasn’t it? She’d been so caught up in this whirlwind of desire that she’d never really considered the consequences.
It would be so simple to fall in love with Declan. He’d been her white knight, riding to her rescue, ready to protect her with his own life. Gosh, it was such a predictable response that she was surprised she hadn’t seen it coming.
And never mind the fact that she’d manipulated him into wanting her. She’d had her own bad luck with love, but Rachel wasn’t sure she’d be able to recover from a bad ending with Dec. It wasn’t in a woman’s nature to separate sex from love. She’d tried and it didn’t work. Maybe, if it had been another man, she would have succeeded. But Declan Quinn was just too much of what she’d always wanted.
DEC WASN’T QUITE SURE how such a promising evening had ended so badly. He cursed his decision to pick up the phone, knowing that the call had been the beginning of the end. A walk in the woods hadn’t helped his mood and when he returned, he’d fully intended to straighten everything out with Rachel. After all, she’d always been interested in how he was feeling.
And how was he feeling? Frustrated, confused? A little angry, maybe? He’d been so quick to trust her, so certain that she wasn’t like other women he’d known. But Dec realized he might have been wrong. After her behavior tonight, he could call her fickle and capricious and manipulative.
He could also say, in all honestly, that she might just be a little bit confused and he still wanted her more than ever. As he walked back to the cabin, he went over in his mind what needed to be said. But when he got inside, Dec found the lights turned down low and Rachel’s bedroom door closed. He walked up to it and raised his hand to knock, but then realized that the closed door was proof enough of her feelings. So he’d stretched out on the sofa in the dark with a cold beer and every intention of getting himself good and drunk.
In the end, he fell asleep midway through the first beer. It wasn’t a restful sleep and he hovered near consciousness as images of Rachel flickered in his head. Over and over, he’d wake himself up, more determined to stop thinking about her. And then, he’d lapse into a fitful dream that made him even more frustrated.
He wasn’t sure what brought him out of his dreams again. But when Dec opened his eyes, he cursed softly. The clock on the mantel was closing in on three a.m., barely three hours since he’d first laid down. With a deep sigh, he threw his arm over his eyes. The effects of the earlier wine had worn off and Dec considered waking Rachel, getting her packed and leaving for Providence right then and there.
But there was still time to figure out how to salvage something from what had begun between them. Couldn’t she see what it would be like for them, Dec wondered. Wasn’t she even curious where it might lead? She must have had some pretty nasty experiences with men to blow him off so quickly.
He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, then drew in another and another, consciously trying to relax himself. As he lay perfectly still, Dec slowly realized he wasn’t alone. He pulled his arm away and pushed up on his elbow. Rachel stood at the entrance to the hallway, her back against the wall, her eyes closed.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
She jumped, as if surprised to hear his voice, then quickly straightened. “I just came to get a glass of water. I was afraid I’d wake you.”
“I wasn’t asleep,” Dec said.
“I couldn’t sleep,” she murmured.
She moved toward the end of the sofa, her hands clutched in front of her and her gaze fixed on the floor. She wore just her camisole and panties and he could see the soft outline of her breasts beneath the fabric. Dec couldn’t deny he wanted to take her into his arms and kiss her, to shelter the vulnerable woman he saw before him.
When he held out his hand, he was prepared for her to refuse it. But then she slowly moved closer to take it and he knew what had been said earlier made no difference at all. She still wanted him.
He pulled her down on top of him, stretching her slender body over his until he could feel every inch of her. Her leg slipped between his and he brought his foot up along her hip, bringing them even closer together. Rachel pressed her lips to his naked chest but before she could do more, he raked his fingers through her hair and forced her to meet his gaze.
“Don’t mess with me,” he warned. “Either you want to be with me or you don’t.”
“I do,” she whispered, an edge of desperation in her voice. She slid up along his body and kissed him softly. “I do want to be with you.”
Her belly rubbed against his cock as she shifted on top of him and he felt himself growing hard. His need for her had always been consuming, but after this evening, Dec felt it even more deeply. He ached to bury himself inside her, to lose himself in her heat and damp.
But Rachel had wanted to take things slowly and now he saw the wisdom in that. He’d make her want him as much as he wanted her. He’d drive her so crazy with desire that she’d have no choice but to continue seeing him once they’d returned to Providence. It wouldn’t be finished tonight. He’d make sure tonight was just the beginning.
Dec drew her thighs up along his hips, then cupped her backside, running his hands beneath the silky fabric of her panties. The feel of her skin was amazing, perfectly soft and smooth. She sat on top of him and Dec pushed up to sit, his erection pressed against the warm spot between her legs.
He kissed her breasts through the soft cotton of her camisole, holding her close as she arched back. And then, grasping the hem of her shirt, he pulled it over her head, revealing a body that grew more beautiful every time he looked at it.
Rachel wrapped her arms around his neck as he gently brought her nipple to a peak with his tongue. When he’d done the same to both breasts, he trailed kisses back to her mouth. She left him breathless, teetering on the edge, and he was stunned at the power her touch held over him.
