His eyes dark with the desire that never seemed to diminish, he cupped her face. “Then I think I can take care of this first for you, but maybe we should practice a little just in case.”
She didn’t get a chance to answer because he was already starting.
Later that night Josie was snuggled against Daniel on the verge of sleep when he said, “We’ll have to play spin the bottle when your woman’s thing is done, too.”
That would mean a lot of kissing between them if they were the only ones playing. She smiled around a yawn. “Sounds good.”
Curling around her more securely, he settled his hand possessively over one of her breasts. “I bet you never played doctor either.”
“No.”
“We’ll have to get a stethoscope.”
“Who gets to be doctor and who gets to be patient?” she asked after another yawn.
“We’ll take turns.”
She thought of something else that would be fun with him. “Can we have a slumber party where we stay up all night, too?”
“I can guarantee when all this is over that I’ll give you an all-nighter you’ll never forget.”
She wiggled her bottom against him. “Sounds wonderful.”
“It will be.” He groaned when she wiggled again. “And it can’t come soon enough for me.”
Chapter 18
Hotwire and Wolf arrived the next day. Lise came with them and gloated when she realized Josie and Daniel were a couple.
“I knew you two had a thing for each other. I told Joshua, but he didn’t believe me,” Lise crowed to Josie while they dangled their feet in the shallow end of the pool.
The others had checked in to the same hotel as she and Daniel. Over lunch, Hotwire had challenged Wolf and Daniel to a competition to see who could swim the most laps. They were all even at the moment.
“I was as clueless as Wolf,” Josie admitted. “I thought Daniel couldn’t stand me.”
Lise shook her head. “The guy practically spontaneously combusts every time you are around.”
“He’s volatile, all right.”
“Is he really?”
“You mean you haven’t noticed?”
“To tell you the truth, no. I’ve never seen Nitro even come close to losing his cool. Until I saw him around you the first time, I didn’t think he had any emotions to speak of.”
“Is lust an emotion? I thought it was more like a chemical reaction.”
“He feels a lot more for you than mere lust.”
Josie watched Daniel slicing through the water, his powerful body rippling with muscle. “I hope so.”
“I’m positive. He’s so possessive.”
“The male animal is sexually possessive, but that doesn’t mean his heart is engaged.” She’d told Daniel she loved him again that morning when he’d woken her with a tender kiss that made her toes curl with emotion.
He’d kissed her again, but he hadn’t said anything.
“Daniel isn’t an animal. He’s a man, and his heart is engaged or my name is Aunt Fanny,” Lise said emphatically, her Texas drawl acute.
“Do you really think so?” Josie wanted to believe Daniel’s silence meant more than tolerance of her emotional reaction. “I’m having my period right now, and he’s been really affectionate and caring.”
“There, you see. That’s a great sign.”
“I thought so, too, but when I told him I loved him, he didn’t say anything back.”
“Welcome to the club.” Lise smiled wryly. “I told Joshua I loved him over and over again, and he never said a word. I thought he only wanted me for my body, but I was wrong, and I’m sure you are, too. More than any other woman, you should understand how reticent these guys are to admit to any kind of weakness, love included.”
“Love doesn’t make you weak.”
“But it does make you vulnerable to hurt.”
Josie couldn’t deny it. She had no defenses to hide behind when it came to Daniel. Her love left her heart open to him in a way it had never been to another person, not even her parents.
“What are you two talking about?” Wolf moved to stand beside his wife, his hand automatically making connection with the part of her body he could reach, her head.
Josie hadn’t even noticed they’d finished their competition. Daniel and Hotwire were still drying off a few feet away.
Lise looked up at Wolf, her expression wry. “What do you think?”
He responded with a probing look that jumped from Lise to Josie to Daniel and back to Lise. She made a small inclination of her head, and some silent communication passed between them because he heaved a sigh and frowned at Daniel.
“Who swam the most laps?” Josie asked as Wolf lifted Lise from the side of the pool.
“I did.” Hotwire tossed his towel in the bin beside the pool and then struck a pose, flexing his biceps. “It’s easy to see why, don’t you think, ladies?”
“By one lap,” Daniel said, coming to stand beside them, and then shoved his friend sideways into the pool.
The resounding splash sent water spraying over Josie, and she shrieked, jumping to her feet.
Daniel grinned at her, his gaze dropping to where her now wet tank top clung to her chest. “Wolf and I were ready to get back to you two.”
“I’m always ready to get back to my wife.” Wolf caressed Lise’s protruding middle, his warrior’s eyes reflecting joy and satisfaction. “Pretty soon you’re going to be too round to be sitting on the ground.”
Lise looked down at where his hand rested against her and grinned. “I’m already there, but as long as I’ve got you around to hoist me back up, I’m safe.”
Hotwire heaved himself out of the pool, no limitation to his strength and agility in evidence. “Was that my victory dunking?”
“Watch it or you’ll get another one,” Wolf warned.
“The element of surprise works only once in an encounter, unless your enemy is stupid, and my mama didn’t raise any idiots.” Grinning and giving Josie a once-over, he shook himself, and water sprayed all of them again.
Josie jumped back from her second unplanned cold shower and landed right against Daniel. His arm came over her shoulder as a towel landed around her neck, strategically covering parts of her wet tank top. Her gaze shot to her lover’s face, and the expression there stunned her. He was looking mean, and he was looking at Hotwire.
She glanced over at the blond Georgian and couldn’t see anything in the other man’s expression that could have upset Daniel, until she remembered that Hotwire had been looking at her as he deliberately sprayed the water again. Apparently it bothered Daniel that Hotwire had seen her wet tank. She could have told him not to worry. Most men she met did not react to her modest attributes with unbridled desire, but saying so would do no good.
Daniel had gotten extremely territorial since Hotwire showed up. His friend had noticed, making it obvious he delighted in pushing Daniel’s buttons.
She was used to being around strong men who jockeyed for position with each other despite close friendship, but she wasn’t used to being the target they jockeyed around.
“You afraid she’s going to run away if you don’t hold on to her all the time?” Hotwire asked, his smile nothing less than a goad.
“I like touching her.”
“Do you now?” Hotwire mocked, “I never would have noticed.” But the significant look he gave them said
