Storm Watch

His fingers were sure and warm, a sweet shock to cover the nasty one of the near accident.

“You okay?” he murmured.

“Yes.” And getting more okay by the second. His face was so close to hers that the roughness of his jaw brushed the skin of her cheek. She closed her eyes to better absorb it, not even trying to figure out what the hell was wrong with her that this languid sensuality could take her over here, now. “Jason?”

“Uh-huh.” His lips barely grazed hers once, and then again, and she leaned helplessly into him, seeking more than just the promise of a kiss, and getting it as his tongue took itself on an erotic foray in her mouth.

He kissed different than anyone else she’d ever kissed. He kissed as if it wasn’t the way to a prize, but the prize itself, and she could have kissed him forever. His lips were slow and searching, hard and then not, causing a rising heat within her that unbelievably, given where they were and what they had yet to do, had a languid pleasure unfurling from deep within her. She became extremely aware of the fact that she was trying to crawl into his lap just as he lifted her with astonishing ease, bringing her over him, his mouth never leaving hers, delving deeper, longer, while she did her best to swallow him whole.

In the back of her mind, she knew this was simply pent-up fear and adrenaline, but she didn’t care. She wanted his tongue, she wanted his body. Hell, she wanted to throw the seat back and feel him sink into her aching flesh. She wanted it all. It was as if something had been cut loose, and even knowing she had the storm, the craziness of the day to blame for it, deep down she also knew it was something more.

It was Jason.

For a woman who prided herself on her ready and able control, had to have that ready and able to control, she was losing it big-time here, but what was turning her on more than anything else was that she wasn’t alone.

Jason, who also lived off his famed control, was fighting for self-restraint every bit as much as she, and losing the battle. His breath was coming in short, ragged pants, his hands gripping her tight as his mouth made its hungry way along her throat. Beneath her, he was hard as a rock, and she wanted him so much, wanted this more than she’d imagined she could, and for that very reason she had to stop.

“Jason.” Her voice came out a rough whisper and she had to clear her throat and try again. “Jason.”

He went still, then slowly lifted his head, his eyes dark and slumberous as if waking from a dream. The sight of the tree trunks in the windshield sobered him up pretty quick, and she crawled off him and back to her seat.

Still eyeing the tree trunks, he caught her wrist and brought her palm to his lips. “That really was uncomfortably close.”

Yeah, it was. “Thanks for being such a good driver.”

His eyes met hers, the amusement peeking through the heat. “How do you know that I wasn’t referring to the fact that we nearly-”

“Oh. Um. Yeah, that, too.”

He let out a low laugh. “You’ve got nerves of steel, Lizzy. Are you sure you’re all right?”

Let’s see. If she discounted the fact that her body was howling, howling, for him to finish her off, then maybe, maybe she was all right. “Yes. I’m sure.”

“The roads are getting tricky.”

“Can we make it?”

“I hope so.” He craned his neck right and left, looking around them. “Going to have to move those branches blocking the road first. Wait here.”

“You’ll need help.” She hopped out into the wild storm with him, the rain and wind pummeling them as her feet sank into nearly six inches of water.

“Go back,” Jason yelled.

She eyed the grove of trees lining the road on the left where the Jeep was. On the right was nothing but a rushing river of runoff, which was rising high and fast. It wouldn’t be much longer before that rushing water overtook the road entirely. Knowing it, she ran after Jason, to where he was dragging two of the branches to the side. She reached for another and tugged.

And didn’t budge it.

She reset her feet, squinted into the rain stinging her eyes and tried again.

Nothing.

She closed her eyes and strained, putting everything into it, and suddenly the branch lifted with ease. Shocked, she opened her eyes and met Jason’s from the other side, who took the thing from her and tossed it aside as if it weighed nothing.

Then he grabbed her hand and they ran back to the Jeep. Inside, he leaned back, breathing hard. “I’m going to need more Cheez Whiz.”

“Really?” She swiped rain from her eyes. “Because that looked pretty effortless.”

He slid her a look. He had water running down his face, his eyes deep and dark as they met hers.

“I couldn’t even budge that thing,” she pointed out.

“Are you going to say thank-you again?” he asked. “Because I’d rather receive my thanks in the form of food. Or…” Without moving a muscle on his face, he somehow managed to change his expression from exhausted to wickedly naughty.

She actually laughed. “I’m not thanking you with sex.”

“Well, damn.”

She pulled out an energy bar from her bag and handed it to him. “A peace offering.”

He stuffed half the bar into his mouth, handing her the other half. “You’ve grown up, Lizzy, and toughened up. That’s going to be a good thing today.”

She looked at him, really looked, knowing he’d grown up, too. Entirely.

“Ready?” he asked quietly.

Even more disconcerting than the fact that he’d grown up and moved on? The realization that she hadn’t. Nope. She still wanted the same thing her teenage self had wanted-him. Preferably naked and on a platter.

“Lizzy?”

“Yeah. I’m ready.” For far more than she cared to admit.

JASON THRUST THE Jeep into gear and hit the gas, getting his head into the game. Or trying to. It shouldn’t have been an issue, but hearing Lizzy say his name with such easy familiarity tended to make him think of things he shouldn’t have been thinking.

But then the tires spun uselessly, bringing him back.

“Try Reverse,” she said.

He did. More of the same.

“Oh, boy.” She looked out into the storm. “You don’t by any chance have any kitty litter in the back, which we could use as traction beneath the tires?”

“Good idea, but no.” He craned his neck and looked out the window, knowing there was only one thing to do. “Come here.”

“What?”

“Scoot over here.”

“You want me to drive? Sure,” she said, game. “But I might not be able to get us out any more than you could.”

He let out a low laugh. He loved her strength, her attitude. “No, I’m going to go out and push, and you’re going to-”

“Pop the Jeep out of Neutral and into Reverse, then hit the gas and keep it moving,” she guessed. Accurately. “Bad idea, though. The Jeep might slip and hit you.”

“Yeah, if you could not do that, that’d be great.”

“That’s not funny.”

“Just get the Jeep moving, I’ll handle the rest.”

“Okay, but once I do get it going, I won’t be able to stop or we’ll get stuck again.” She met his gaze. “Run fast.”

“Will do.” He hopped out and into driving rain. Making his way through the mud to the front of the Jeep, he braced himself, then looked through the windshield and met Lizzy’s calm gaze, very glad that if he had to do this, he