She gasped in mock surprise but braced the hat down on her curls, that laughter lighting up her face again. Her muscles tensed and flexed. She dipped and shimmied in his arms. His palms stroked up and down her waist, taunting, teasing, this body he didn’t dare touch more intimately. But he hadn’t bargained for this intensity, this depth of feeling that was reeling him toward her like a fish caught on a line, and as his thought jarred him, he stumbled.
Like a domino, she stumbled too, then laughed, untroubled as he caught her and they regained their footing, slowing, halting to a gentle sway. Stopping completely.
Sweat beaded his temples as nervousness began to twist in his gut like a crankshaft. What should he do?
She stood awkwardly now, as if also uncertain. He brushed back the curls over her shoulder, when she paused at his intimate caress of her cheek. Her eyes fluttered up to his, her lips so soft, the desire to press his own to hers was intoxicating.
His smile started to fall. So did hers.
This is where you move in for the kiss, man.Her lips were parted, soft and inviting. Her brow was relaxed. She stood so damn close he could feel the tips of her breasts touching his upper abdomen. The sensations so acute, his desire on high alert, sensing every microscopic shift of her body against his. He leaned down, oh so slowly, and caressed her bare shoulders with his palms. He brushed his nose along her ear, his face tipping his hat upon her head haphazardly sideways until it fell off, and inhaled the saltiness of her unwashed skin, the faint hint of tea tree lingering in her shampoo. Such a contagious drug. Such a goddamn surprise.
Her breath escaped raggedly beside his ear as he lingered beside hers, warm on his lobe and cheek, nervous in anticipation of what he might do next. His fingers feathered down to her hands and back up her arms, coming to rest once more on her shoulders.
Kiss her. Do it.
“You feel this, too?” he whispered gruffly. “Or is it just me?”
His nose trailed a path across her cheek to her nose. She was rigid, her breath erratic, hitched when she flinched ever so slightly back.
Such a minute gesture, he wasn’t sure if it had really happened. Still, he froze and bit back a curse. His cock was heavy at half-mast, demanding an affirmative to inch in closer. But that flinch… Shit.
He’d never felt a woman flinch back from him. He’d never held back from that moment of moving in for the carnal pleasure of a kiss, either… He pulled back an inch. Wanting her was beginning to feel complicated. He didn’t want to screw it up, even if he sure as hell didn’t want to let go right now. Lord knew she already carried baggage, and he didn’t need to heap bricks of regret onto her already heavy load.
“You want me to leave you alone?” he whispered, nervousness hitching his pulse that she might say yes.
She shook her head and wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him back and taking a deep breath, as if buying herself a minute.
“I’m just…out of practice.”
He encompassed her in return, engulfing her in a tight embrace even if he was certain she would feel his happy camper bulging and definitely happy to see her against her belly. So what she was saying was that she hadn’t been kissed since Howard Glenmore? Just like she hadn’t been out dancing since Sage’s cowardly sperm donor had heaped responsibility onto her shoulders? One by one, these other guys had killed tiny parts of her spirit, which she masked with her general good nature and quirky humor, and damn, but he squeezed her tighter.
She exhaled against him, offering a pinch of relief to his bruised ego. It felt so good. And it felt torturous when all he wanted was to feel her fingers caressing his skin, gripping his bare shoulders, digging into him while he drove himself home atop her, uniting them, but it was much too soon. He only had three weeks with this archaeologist before she went back to Austin, back to her son and her life. And that thought filled him with unease that she might slip through his fingers.
*
I feel it,too. It’s not just my imagination.
Like some lovesick virgin, Rose’s pulse raced. She hadn’t meant to flinch. She was so confused and yet content, so long as she didn’t think about the future. Surely Toby could feel the throb in her veins against his chest, for her heart had to be pounding, just as she could feel the pressure of his erection against her, could feel the ache in her breasts pressed tightly to him.
Step back. Don’t get too close.
She ought to pull away and not lead him on, but she swallowed hard. It felt so good to be held after so long. It was just a hug. Wasn’t it?
No, it’s not. Hearts don’t race like this over a hug.
She glanced up at Cerro Casas Grandes as her cheek rested against Toby’s pecs, listening to his steady heartbeat. Exhaling, she allowed the newness of his muscled warmth enveloping her to give way to relaxation. The mountain loomed over them like a black silhouette against a navy sky fringed with the barest tones of lavender, and in her enchantment with Toby, she hadn’t noticed that the heavens were alight with a sea of twinkling gems and a bright moon. She absorbed the sublimity, tightening her hold upon him and feeling him inhale as she gave him another inch as the music droned on, now forgotten. Somehow, the vibe between them had transformed from playful to serious. She’d forgotten how much she’d, at one time, craved and indulged this type of closeness before she’d taken that pregnancy test and seen so many things towering in her promising future come toppling down.
She closed her eyes as she felt Toby’s chin rest on her head and his grip move up to sling around her shoulders, as if they were old lovers who always held each other so. Sometimes, the incessant nightlife, noise, and activity of Austin made her miss the simplicity of things out west. And as she awaited news on several teaching applications, she wondered, for the first time, if she truly wanted them.
In fact, the thought left an ounce of dread within her.
They were all in cities, some on the East Coast, some up north, all of them farther away from this desert that she loved. To be so far from her father—and even farther from her mother—felt wrong, even if any job she was lucky enough to be offered would be a blessing.
Beggars can’t be choosers. It’ll take years to build enough prestige that you can select the positions you want, where you want them. But to be so far from the panther shaman site filled her with dismay, like she’d be giving up her baby. After three grueling summers in that rock shelter and countless hours poured into research to hone her expertise, she felt a connection here that she wasn’t sure she could easily give up, especially now that she’d met the elusive owner of this property.
“What’s on your mind?” Toby’s low purr rumbled against her, as if he could feel the grinding gears in her head churning overtime.
She smiled pensively. “Just taking in the view.”