He went very still before he let out a pent-up breath that appeared as a puff of vapor around his face. “We don’t have to. We can wait.”
“Does that mean you don’t want to?” Hannah was suddenly concerned she’d misread the situation, that she was pushing things along too fast.
“Oh, I’ve wanted to since the first moment we met.” He let out a short laugh. “Maybe I should have kept that thought to myself.”
“I don’t think I have ever had that kind of an effect on a man before.” She took a deep breath, the cold air prickling her throat and lungs.
“That’s because no man has ever felt this way about you before.” He turned onto his side and stroked her cheek with his fingertips before he lowered his head and kissed her.
His lips were warm on hers and it was as if he breathed fire into her, warming every inch of her body, inside and out. Hannah slid her arms around his neck and pressed closer to him, not because of his warmth but because she wanted to be as close as humanly possible to the man.
O’Malley slid his hand under her clothes, managing to find her bare skin under her several layers of clothes. Layers that were a barrier between them.
Reaching for the hem of her sweater, she peeled it off and pushed it down into her sleeping bag so when she put it back on it would be warm. She was worried anything left outside of the sleeping bags, which were like an oasis of warmth on the cold mountain, would be covered in ice by morning.
“Can I help? Or are you going to strip off one garment at a time?” he purred as he caught hold of her clothes and pulled them up over her stomach and higher.
“We’ll be here all night if I take off one layer at a time, but I don’t think I can take them all off at once,” she squeaked as he attempted to prove her wrong.
Hannah wriggled as O’Malley tugged at her layers of clothing. When they finally popped off her head, she was certainly warmer from the exertion. As she took them from him and shoved them into her sleeping bag, she giggled. Being with O’Malley was fun. It was as if nothing could touch her.
She knew that wasn’t true. That the pain of loss would be stinging and real if they found proof Karl had perished on the mountain. Until that happened, she was willing to let go and permit herself to have fun.
“Maybe you should get naked too so we can exchange body heat.” Hannah yanked at his T-shirt and he lifted his arms, grabbed the thin fabric, and pulled it over his head.
She couldn’t see his toned muscles in the near-dark, so she used her fingers to explore his body. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on the curve of his biceps as she stroked her hands up over his arms and across his shoulders. Leaning forward, she kissed his abs, working her way higher until her mouth covered his nipple and she grazed her teeth over the taut flesh.
The breath hissed through his teeth and seemed to ignite his deep, primal desire. With one deft movement, he unclasped her bra. The cold caressed her skin before his warm hands took its place, chasing the chill away as he cupped them in his large hands and kneaded them.
Heat spread out from her core. Igniting a burning, yearning need for him. O’Malley kissed her mouth, turning her onto her back with the weight of his body. Resting on one elbow, he eased his weight off her as he nestled between her thighs.
Hannah slid one hand down between their bodies and stroked his hardness, guiding him into her. O’Malley paused before he thrust forward, penetrating her completely. She gasped, her hand on his butt, her nails digging into his flesh as she urged him on.
Caught up in the moment, the link between them strengthened, as if they would never be apart again. In this moment, with O’Malley making love to her, she was cocooned by his warmth and tenderness as he moved in and out of her, taking them both on a wild journey filled with passion.
She sighed as he tore his mouth from hers and licked her nipple until it was painfully taut before sucking it into his mouth. The contrast in sensations was exquisite, and her senses were consumed by him. Each battled to send messages to her brain. His touch excited her, each nerve ending vying to feel his fingertips in a soft caress. The scent of him, a heady mix of man and the wilderness surrounding them. Damp earth mixed with pine resin and wood smoke.
O’Malley curled his arms around her and held her close as her breath caught in her throat. She was close to her climax, teetering on the edge, waiting for him to join her. She wanted them to fly together, up to the stars above and farther, into the dark beyond.
She squeezed her eyes shut, blinking away tears as he kissed her, his mouth soft and yet firm, teasing but entirely honest. In the moment when he finally came and took her with him, she loved O’Malley. True honest love with no trimmings but a deep desire to be with him for the rest of her life. To marry him and raise children with him before they grew old and gray.
“Are you okay?” he whispered as he lay in her arms completely spent.
“Perfect.” She cupped his face in her hands and brushed her lips over his. “This is perfect.”
Hannah laid her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. Sleep took her instantly. But even in sleep, she could sense him.
They would be together now even when they were apart.
Chapter Fifteen – O’Malley
The next morning dawned bright, crisp,
