LILY FELT Jared’s hand slip into hers, and she followed when he gently tugged. In the far recesses of her logical mind, she knew she should send him off to his own tent, and find her way to hers.
She also knew the folly of letting him lead her anywhere in these mountains that he didn’t know like she did. But she didn’t stop him. Nor, for the first time in her life, did she even attempt to navigate the situation.
She simply let him lead. Wanted him to, so she could shut herself off, just for a little while. It’d been a long, long time since she could do so, certainly since before her accident, and ever since then she’d been fighting that all-consuming, unrelenting fear that she’d never be the same, that she’d not be able to support herself, and any of a myriad of other anxieties and concerns.
She wanted oblivion…nirvana.
Mindlessness.
Jared’s broad shoulders blocked out of most of the view of where they headed, and that was fine, that was perfect. For the first time in too long, she emptied her brain of thought, leaving only…emotions.
She’d had only herself to rely on. Or at least that’s what she’d always wanted. But somehow, on this trip, that was just another misconception she was discovering.
Leaning on someone might be good. If only for a few…
Jared stepped into the shadows and became a tall, dark sinewy outline of a man. “Come here.”
She shifted toward him, and he pulled her down to a rock. She saw they were on the far side of the lake. They were still within earshot of the others, but just out of view.
Fog hovered on the water, drifting over them, smudging the night scenery like a glorious wet painting. With a sigh, Lily let it all surround her, the crickets singing, the branches brushing together in the light breeze.
Her own heartbeat.
Jared didn’t say a word, just sat next to her, taking in the magnificent night in utter silence. She looked at him, at his profile with his strong, masculine features and the mouth that she, quite shockingly, wanted on hers. “Jared.”
“I want to strip you out of your clothes and take you right here.”
“The others-”
“Can hear, I know. We’d be quiet.”
The sharp desire in his voice when contrasted to his easy posture, tugged a short laugh out of her. “Uh-”
He looked at her then, his glasses slipping just a little, a frown on his mouth. His stubble had filled in a little after two full days, and his hair had been finger-combed again. Overall impression:
Badass.
When had that happened? Looking at him, a little frisson of sheer desire zinged through her, beginning at her toes, traveling through every single erogenous zone she had, plus a few she’d forgotten about…Yeah, she’d definitely found her oblivion, her nirvana. “Jared.”
“I know it sounds crazy,” he said. “You could have-”
“Jared.”
“-any guy on the planet-”
Cupping his face, she gave him a little shake. “Jared.”
“Yeah?”
“I don’t want to talk,” she whispered.
“You don’t-”
She kissed him. He didn’t protest, and neither did the night. A breeze blew her hair across her face and she impatiently shoved it aside, shooting closer.
With a groan, he pulled her in. She sank into him, the scent of his skin better than any scent she could remember. Around them, the water hit the rocky shore with a rhythmic, almost hypnotic regularity, in tune to their heavy breathing as she strained to get even closer.
She could hear the murmurs of voices-Michelle’s and Jack’s, she thought. Or maybe Rose’s and Rock’s. There was something incredibly arousing about that, knowing they were within earshot, especially given what she wanted to do.
“Lily-”
“No. No talking.” To that end, she took his mouth again, dancing her tongue to his, absorbing his low groan of pleasure, loving how his arms tightened on her as he kissed her back, hot and deep.
“God, you taste so good,” he murmured, dragging kisses along her jaw to her ear. “So damned sweet. I can’t get enough.”
She couldn’t either. His kisses, his touches, were as quietly demanding as the man himself could be. He kissed her again and again, and leaning over her, urged her back on the rock, stretching her out, supporting himself with his hands on either side of her face.
Oh, yeah, now this was what she’d wanted. Desire. Hunger. More, please.
Lifting his head, he looked down at her sprawled out beneath him. “You look sweet, too.”
She let out a sound that was half laugh, half groan. He needed to shut up and kiss her some more.
“What, no one’s ever told you that before?”
“Not exactly.”
“Well they should have because you are. And hot. Did I mention you’re also hot? So damned hot. Lily-”
“No talking.”
“Can’t help myself.”
“Try harder.”
“Maybe if my mouth was busy-” In the interest of her wishes, he kissed the spot beneath her ear, then slowly exhaled, making her shiver wildly.
Good start.
“Mmm.” He shifted to her neck, dragging hot, wet open-mouthed kisses down the base of her throat, where she was certain her pulse had approached heart-attack speed.
“And you taste pretty damn hot, too,” he said with a smile, the one that seemed to melt her brain cells and her bones at the same time. “Sweet and hot.”
The night added to the intimacy. Around her she could hear the things that had always lulled her, soothed her; the crickets, a distant howl…her favorite sounds.
But now she had a new favorite sound-the quickening of Jared’s breath as he stared at her hungrily, and also with just a little of a befuddled surprise, as if he couldn’t quite believe his luck. Then he bent over her again, touching his mouth to hers, and she knew she’d been right. There was no better way to beat back the emptiness that had taken over than with this. Him. Sliding her hands into his short, silky hair, she held him to her.
“Lily-”
“Shh.” Beneath him, her body was coming alive, the loneliness and emptiness she’d felt only a short time before with Keith quickly being replaced by a heat that was working outward from everywhere Jared’s mouth touched. Then his warm hands slid beneath her T-shirt, skimming over her ribs, his fingertips just barely stroking the undersides of her breasts. Her nipples had long ago hardened, but they hardened further, into two tight, aching peaks.
“I could kiss you all night,” he whispered. “Tell me you feel the same.”
“Jared Skye, what does shh mean? No talking, that’s what!” With a huff of impatience, she sat up, pulled off her shirt and tossed it aside. There. She looked up at him, figuring that would finally get her message across.
His gaze took in her white lace bra, his eyes on fire. Rising up to his knees, he pulled off his shirt, too.
Finally. In reward, she ran her hands down his torso, but he backed away.
Huh?
Smiling, he stood up, then kicked off his shoes.
Okay, she liked where this was going. A lot.
And then he shucked his pants. Yeah, she really liked where this was going…
There he was standing beneath the meager starlight naked as the day he was born.
She licked her suddenly dry lips. “Okay, that works. Now-”
But she was talking to herself because he’d turned, and without a single word-which was just as she’d asked so what could she say?-he dived into the water in one clean, cat-like movement.
