“I’m hoping to be. Look, not to rain on your parade here, but why are you doing this now?” He stepped close, so that she could see the mesmerizing mix of jade and chocolate in his eyes, so that she could smell him, that yummy soap, whatever it was, and him. “We have one more night,” he said, and waggled his eyebrows suggestively. “I mean, why not take advantage of me for that, and then dump me tomorrow?”
She eyed him warily. “You’re going to be okay with me dumping you tomorrow?”
“Hell, no. But maybe by then I’ll have thought of something to keep you indebted to me. Maybe I’ll help you save someone or something. Hell, maybe I’ll save you.”
He shot her a cocky-boy smile so filled with humor and affection, she couldn’t speak for a minute. “Save me from what?”
Still smiling, he just looked at her, all rugged and sexy, and just like that, another piece of her heart fell into place. “Damn it,” she whispered, and touched his mouth. “You turn me upside down.”
“Well then, consider us even.”
She stared into his eyes. “I don’t know what I’m doing. Not even a little bit.”
“You’re complicating things, that’s why.”
“No. No, I’m not. I like things decidedly uncomplicated. Which is why I’m going to walk away right now.”
His smile faded. “Lily, don’t.”
Oh, God, she had to. It was what she did, walk away, rather than get attached. Right? “I’m sorry.” A tear escaped. Damn it. That was the last one. “Good night, Jared.”
She carefully put out the campfire, dousing the flames, covering the hot embers with sand until nothing smoked. She moved to her tent, then feeling the pull of Jared’s gaze, turned to look at him over her shoulder.
One more night.
He was right, why would she walk away now?
He slid his hands into his pockets, rocking back on his heels, looking both sexy and adorably unsure.
And why did that float her boat? Why did she want to nibble that rough jaw and slide her hands beneath his loose T-shirt to find that warm, hard body beneath?
One more night…
Oh yeah, she wanted that one more night, she really did, and without letting any more thoughts cloud her judgment, she held out her hand, her entire body coming to life when he started walking toward her.
One more night…
It would be enough. It would.
“I should tell you,” she said when he came close and took her hand. “I have a little problem admitting when I’m wrong.”
“Ah.” He nodded seriously, but a smile had come into his eyes. “So how are you going to play this?” He toyed with a strand of her hair. “Obviously, you’ve decided you want me for one more night.” He looked at her for a beat. “And yet you can’t say so because that would make you feel foolish, and we all know, looking foolish doesn’t suit you…Hmm, this is a tough one.”
She had to laugh at how he’d painted her-which was as accurate as could be. “Maybe I could…”
“Yes? I’m all ears.”
“I could show you,” she whispered, wondering how it was she felt like both laughing and crying. She pressed her body up to his. “Like this.”
“You know, that’s a good start.” He pretended to resist, but when she slid her hands down his back, he drew in a shuddery breath and sighed against her hair. “I think I’m going to like the whole showing-me thing.”
“I thought so.” Unzipping her tent, she pulled him inside.
15
JARED WATCHED Lily zip her tent, closing them inside, alone. He could feel the beat of time passing in tune with the beat of his heart, and understood that this might be it.
His last time with her.
It took away all the teasing tone to his voice, and left nothing but stark, naked need. “Lily-”
She dropped to her knees and went for the buttons on his pants, but he stilled her fingers and hit his knees as well, bringing their joined hands to his heart.
“Kiss me,” she whispered.
Pulling her closer, he lowered his head and took her mouth, kissing one corner first, and then the other, and then finally taking it home, slipping his tongue inside to find hers.
A soft hum of pleasure escaped her, and egged him on. He opened his mouth wider, taking more of her, needing even more than that, but she gave it all to him. Lips and tongue and teeth, until he was doing a slow burn for her.
It took all of two seconds.
“Jared,” she whispered, arching into him, her hands, restless and hungry, running over his back. A soft, shuddering sigh escaped her. “More.”
Yeah, he wanted more, too. Needed more. But this wasn’t going to be a quickie. No hot and fast fire that could burn out in a flash. No, if this was it, then he planned to linger, to make her his, so that she would never, ever forget him.
Pressing her back onto her sleeping bag, he bent over her, taking his time, kissing her lips, her throat, her collarbone, and back up again, but her hands kept shoving at his clothes, trying to rush him. To stop that from happening, he gathered her wrists and stretched them over her head, holding her still while he looked down at her.
Her mouth was wet from his, and as he watched, she licked her lips, as if needing that last taste of him. God, her mouth, it was made for this, for him, and he bent for another slow, deep, wet kiss, keeping at her until he felt all resistance fall away. Until he was aching and she was panting for breath, giving into him with a soft, desperate murmur that was the most erotic sound he’d ever heard. She was moving against him, restless, her breasts rubbing his chest, her legs entangled in his, and all he wanted to do was sink into her. Stunned by how fast his control was slipping, he shook his head. “Lily, I-”
She reared up and bit his lower lip.
Heat shot straight through him, pooling at his erection. And any vestige of control vanished like a rug being jerked out from beneath his feet. “God, Lily.”
“Hurry.”
Hurry, like they always did, rushing to the big bang, which was so amazing with her, it was like an addictive drug. “Not tonight,” he said. Her white bra shimmered in the dark. He flicked open the front clasp and spread the material away from her. Her nipples were already hard. “For once we’re not going to hurry.”
Hands still above her head, she arched up. “But I want you.”
“And you’re going to have me.” He dipped his head to taste his way down her throat. “All night long.”
“No one has that much stamina-ohmigod,” she gasped when he licked a pebbled nipple, then sucked it into his mouth.
“We can always start again,” he said against her skin. He could be with her like this for a hundred years and not get tired of the feel of her, the taste, the scent, and staggered by the thought, he closed his eyes and breathed her in. “A couple of times, whatever it takes.”
“Whatever it takes,” she repeated with a choked laugh as he kissed his way to her other breast. “You sound like you know what you’re doing.”
“When it comes to you, Lily, I think I do.”
“You can’t say that. We haven’t known each other long enough. This is just-”
He slid a hand between her thighs and she sucked in a breath as she opened them for him. “Sex?” he asked softly.
She gasped when he stroked his hands unerringly over the denim. “You know it’s supposed to be light and casual between us. We’ve talked about it.”
“You’ve talked about it,” he said, and bent to her breasts again. “Me, not so much.”
