“Oh, God, Cade.”
“Yeah.” He smoothed the knot tensing her neck and stroked the smooth skin of her nape. Then he shifted his hand to her rigid shoulders.
The dog crept off Jordan’s lap, and she lunged for the leash.
“Don’t worry. He can’t go anywhere.”
“You’re right.” She dropped the leash and sat back, then eased out an uneven breath. Her lips strained into a smile. “I’m just so nervous, I-”
“Hey, it’s normal. Just give yourself time to come down.”
Urging her back, he threaded his hand through her hair, and continued soothing her neck, giving her time to absorb the outcome, that they were safe. She leaned into him, and as the minutes passed, her breathing slowed and deepened. Her shivering gradually calmed.
And his awareness shifted to the pain ramming his shoulder, the persistent hammering in his skull. The hard dirt floor beneath him. The smoke permeating the air, mingling with the dank smell of the cave.
And Jordan’s soft body pressed against his, beautiful and feminine and arousing.
Desire flashed through his veins, and his hand instinctively tightened. Battling the reaction, he tipped back his head and sucked in a breath.
He loved her; he couldn’t deny it anymore. And everything about her appealed to him-the way she looked, the way she moved, the tender way she cared for the dog. Her hard work, her amazing courage. The woman had seeped into his brain and conquered his heart.
But he still couldn’t forget reality, couldn’t let his emotions override common sense. And the harsh fact was that she was wrong for him. No matter how much he loved her, she needed what he couldn’t give her, a man who always stayed home.
And he could never be that man, not without destroying his soul.
And yet she felt perfect in his arms, and in his life. She shifted then, and their thighs touched. Her soft, full breasts pressed against his chest. The silk of her hair tickled his mouth.
She lifted her head and her eyes met his, her face just inches away. Her pupils dilated in the dusky light. Her pink tongue moistened her lips. She hitched in a ragged breath.
His hormones jerked in recognition. She wanted him. His answer rolled hard through his veins.
“Cade,” she whispered.
“It’s just the adrenaline,” he ground out. “The near-death experie-”
“No.” She raised her hand to his mouth. Her fingers clamped his lips, silencing him. The feel of that soft skin staggered his senses, and need coiled tight in his gut.
He leaned back and grabbed her wrist to push her away, but she inched forward, her dark eyes simmering on his. His lungs stalled, and he felt snared by that luminous gaze, lured into her erotic web.
And in that instant, he knew he was doomed. He needed to touch her, to taste the seductive heat of her skin. To feel her satiny body shudder under his.
His gaze locked with hers. Deliberately, he turned her hand and brushed his lips across her palm. He raked the delicate skin, skirting the scrapes, then soothed the spot with his tongue. She gasped, and the need in her eyes flared. His thumb skimmed her wrist, and he felt the erratic lurch of her pulse.
Her eyes softened into liquid darkness, and then her lids fluttered closed. Her full lips parted, and her breathing rasped faster, more shallow.
He dropped her wrist and caught her chin, then slanted his mouth over hers. He forgot the pain wrenching his shoulder, the filth and sweat, the fire beyond the dank cave. His world narrowed to the velvet of her lips, the lush, hot silk of her mouth, and he pulled her hard against him.
She parted her lips and kissed him back. Her hands clutched his hair, and her tongue dueled with his, reeling him in deeper and harder.
Maybe it was the affirmation of life, the need to connect after nearly dying. And maybe it was love, the explosion of desire long denied.
But whatever the cause, his control slipped even more. That familiar haze fogged his brain, that insatiable heat. The heady feeling that he’d found the one woman on earth who felt perfectly right.
And was, ironically, exactly wrong.
With supreme effort, he wrenched away and pulled her head to his chest. His heart slammed against his rib cage. His breathing rasped in the smoky cave. He shut his eyes and grappled for control.
He had to stop. A kiss was one thing, but they’d strayed far too close to that dangerous edge, that line that they couldn’t cross. It had always happened that way between them-too fast, too hot. Reckless need and relentless wanting.
But they couldn’t give in to it again, not without regrets. Not without plummeting to that insanity that guaranteed turmoil and pain.
But she pulled free and rose to her knees. “Cade, please,” she begged.
“No. It’s just-”
“No, it’s not.” She clutched his head between her hands and her gaze pleaded with his. “It’s not just the fire. It’s more. It always has been. I need you. I-”
“Jordan, no.” But he felt his resistance crumble.
“I need you,” she whispered again. “Please.”
She brushed her lips over his and kissed him again, letting him feel her desire. Working her magic with her body and tongue, fueling the torment, stoking the flames.
He felt her rush of hunger, the passion in her kiss as her hands roved his face and his jaw. Her breasts stroked his chest. Her kiss turned raw and urgent. His own needs shut down his brain.
She was good. Damned good. And hell, he was only human. She wanted him; he wanted her. Was that so wrong? And they’d almost died just now. Why shouldn’t they indulge in a moment of pleasure?
With a low growl, he wrapped his arm around her waist and yanked her hard against him. Then, pulling her with him, he dropped back to the packed-dirt floor.
She landed atop him, then pulled herself upright. “Cade.” Her lips were swollen, her voice breathless. “Your shoulder-”
“Forget it.” It throbbed like hell, but not as much as the ache in his groin. His pulse beat hot and hard as he pulled her head down to his. Then he covered her mouth in a deep, driving kiss, fueled by years of wanting.
He felt the satin of her lips, the fever of her tongue, her soft shudders as he delved her sweet depths. He smelled smoke and desire, and woman. Jordan.
Needing physical contact, needing to feel her body tight against his, he lowered his hand to her hip and pressed her back. Her soft weight settled on his groin, shorting his nerves. She rocked against him, making soft, low moans in her throat, and his heart leaped in tattered spurts. A thick, quick surge of desire jolted through him, and he groaned.
And suddenly, he needed to see her, all of her, to feel her hot, naked skin slick on his.
As if sensing his thoughts, she broke the kiss and rose to her knees. Her languid eyes rested on his, hot and dark with arousal. Her hair fell in unruly waves down her back. Her swollen lips parted in an erotic invitation to bliss.
His gaze traveled from that sultry mouth to the tantalizing curve of her breasts. To the nipples jutting beneath the tight T-shirt, beckoning for his touch.
His hand trembling, he reached up and traced the outline of her curves through the thin shirt. He stroked the tempting fullness and fondled the pebbled nipples, feeling her tremble and shudder around him.
“Oh, Cade,” she whispered, her voice uneven. She reached down and lifted the hem of her shirt, then yanked it over her head. His gaze stalled on the wonder of her breasts, the stretchy scrap of lace highlighting the blinding perfection.
He tried to swallow, but his throat seemed stuffed with ashes. He wrenched his gaze to hers and saw the scalding heat, the growing hunger. The memories of those steamy, torrid nights. Of how they’d loved each other, with an honesty and passion that had left them reeling.
She flicked one strap off her shoulder and let it drop. His gaze followed the motion, just as she planned. He
