'Maybe.' He reached up to the mantel and grabbed a box of matches. 'It happens pretty regularly up here. Let's hope the pipes won't freeze. The last time that happened I had a real mess.' He lit the kerosene lamp on the coffee table, then brought it over to her. 'Why don't you put this in the kitchen? I'll dig up some candles and find the rest of the lanterns.'
'And I have to visit the powder room before it gets any colder or darker.' Keely pulled on the oversize boots she'd grown used to wearing, then grabbed her jacket from a hook beside the door. The flashlight was where she'd left it after her last hike to the outhouse.
'Don't let the bears eat you,' Rafe teased as she hurried out the door.
'From now on I'm going to appreciate the convenience of indoor plumbing,' she muttered as she trudged up the path.
The cold wind cut through her jacket and she rushed to get back to the warmth of the cabin. When she opened the door and stepped inside, her breath caught in her throat. The dark and gloomy interior had been illuminated by candles and lanterns scattered all around the room, the light dancing against the rough walls of the cabin and creating a cozy, romantic atmosphere.
Rafe reappeared from his bedroom carrying a boom box. 'We can still have music as long as the batteries last,' he said.
'It's beautiful,' she said.
He nodded. 'I kind of like it this way. Simple. Kind of rustic. I thought we'd eat in front of the fire. And we'll have to sleep in front of the fire. Why don't you bring in dinner and I'll get things set up?'
By the time Keely brought the first course in, Rafe had tossed pillows and down comforters on the floor. He popped the bottle of champagne that had been cooling in a snowbank, then filled two wineglasses. Keely took one from his hand and raised it to her lips, but he stopped her.
'It's New Year's Eve,' Rafe said. 'We should have a toast.'
'All right. What should we toast to?'
'To the fates that brought us together,' Rafe offered.
'Old acquaintance and auld lang syne?' Keely asked, gazing into his eyes.
'I think it's about looking at the past, at all our mistakes and problems, and starting off with a fresh slate. It's about hope.' He reached up and skimmed his fingers down her cheek.
'And do you have any New Year's resolutions?' Keely asked.
'Not that I've thought of. How about you?'
She stepped away from him, setting her glass down on the coffee table and walking over to the fire. 'Well, first, I'm going to try to be less impulsive. But then that's been my New Year's resolution for most of my adult life.'
'I like your impulsiveness,' Rafe said. 'I wouldn't change that if I were you.'
'All right. Then I'm going to lose ten pounds.'
Rafe shook his head and slowly walked toward her. 'No, I don't think that's a good idea. You've got a great body. I like it just the way it is.'
Keely sent him a grateful smile. 'Well, I'm definitely going to take Spanish lessons.'
Rafe didn't have a reply for that. Instead, her pulled her into his arms and kissed her once more. Keely knew that they were playing a dangerous game. They'd put their differences aside for now, but as soon as they left the isolation of the cabin, everything would bubble up around them again.
'We shouldn't do this,' she murmured. 'It will just make things more difficult.'
'It's New Year's Eve.' He smoothed his fingers along her jawline. 'Let's just pretend that this is a beginning instead of an end.'
Keely nodded and Rafe spanned her waist with his hands. As he kissed her, his tongue warm on her lips, she felt her knees go weak and her resolve falter. There was no way to refuse; she just didn't have it in her. From the time she'd met him, she'd been drawn to him in a way that defied logic and determination. He ruled her body, his command a simple touch.
Rafe's mouth drifted along her throat, then lower as he knelt in front of her. He lifted her sweater and pressed his mouth into her belly, then gently pulled her down to kneel in front of him. It felt like ages since they'd been intimate but it had only been last night when he'd left her shuddering with pleasure.
His hands skimmed over her body, dipping beneath her clothes, teasing her and then retreating as if he wanted to bring her along slowly. But Keely wasn't content to relinquish control this time. She wanted to prove to him how powerful she could be. She wanted to make him ache with need, then explode inside her.
She brushed his hands off her body, then pinned them behind his back. 'It's my turn now,' she said. 'You do what I say.'
Rafe smiled, ready and willing to comply. 'All right,' he murmured. 'Seduce me, Keely.'
She sat back on her heels. 'Take off your clothes. I want you naked.'
He stood, and as he removed his sweater, Keely watched the light from the fire dance across his muscled torso and flat belly. After tossing the sweater aside, Rafe started on his jeans.
'Slower,' Keely ordered. 'Much slower.'
He kicked off his socks, one at a time. 'How's this?'
'Slower.'
He unbuttoned his jeans and dragged the zipper down inch by inch to reveal silk boxers. His hard shaft pressed against the fabric, then sprung free as he skimmed the jeans over his hips. He was already fully aroused and Keely's fingers clenched, fighting the temptation to reach out and stroke him until he came in her hand. To be in control of his pleasure, she'd have to control her own.
When he was completely naked, she stared up at him. 'Put your hands on your head,' she said.
Rafe laughed. 'What?'
'You heard me. Put your hands on your head. Those are the rules. If you touch me, it's over.'
He grudgingly did as he was told, watching her all the time, his gaze wary. Keely pushed up on her knees then leaned into him, her mouth just inches from his arousal. When he pressed closer, she moved back, showing him another rule he'd have to follow. She was allowed to move. He wasn't.
This time, when she rocked forward, he remained still. God, he was beautiful, his narrow waist and broad chest, his muscled legs and slender hips, his thick shaft brushing the hair beneath his navel. Keely slowly drew her tongue from the base to the tip of his penis and he sucked in a sharp breath.
When she retraced her path, Rafe moaned, the sound slipping from his throat in a low rumble. His belly quivered as he held his breath, anticipating her next move. But Keely was determined to tease him into submission, to make him beg for release. She pressed her mouth to the hollow beneath his hip bone, his hard-on brushing her cheek, then traced a path to his belly and back again. And when she was certain he'd had enough, she took him into her mouth more deeply, in the ultimate caress.
She didn't linger there long. He was too close and she had so much more in store for him to let it end so quickly. Instead, she worked her way around his body, higher and higher, to the small of his back, to the soft dusting of hair on his chest, then to the nape of his neck, all the while letting her fingers brush along his arousal. He clutched his hands over his head, his eyes closed, breathing harsh, his erection unflagging.
Her bold behavior was shocking, even to herself. Keely had always felt a bit inhibited when it came to sex, but when she was with Rafe, she seemed to lose herself in the pursuit of pleasure. Nothing was out of bounds or beyond imagination, as long as it felt good. And she knew if they could spend a lifetime together, intimacy would always be an adventure.
But they didn't have a lifetime. They had this one night. One more ascent to ecstasy and that would be all.
When she came back around to face him, Rafe looked down into her eyes. 'Can I touch you now?'
She shook her head and, while he watched, Keely slowly undressed in front of him. His gaze drifted over her body as she gradually revealed more and more. But he was mistaken if he thought her nakedness was an invitation to touch. Instead, her goal was to torment him further by doing to herself what his hands couldn't.
She'd always been taught it was a sin to touch herself in such a way, but there were no rules and no regrets
