He gently cupped her cheek and leaned in, whispering a sweet, breathy kiss onto her mouth. “I can’t lie to you, Chels. I might have been okay keeping my mouth shut if you hadn’t asked, but I’ll never lie.”
Thinking about the way she’d stolen the satellite phone not ten minutes earlier, she couldn’t fault him. Besides, having this proof that Brad was an honest man had the pleasant effect of making her more attracted to him than she’d been previously.
Also, they could have an actual breakfast.
“Tell me where the food is,” she said. “I’ll fix us oatmeal.”
“So, you’ve forgiven me?” The impish grin on his face implied he already figured out that she had.
Wrapping her fingers in his hair, she drew him in for another kiss, pleased that the tingles of excitement weren’t diminishing with repeat performances.
Chapter 16
Brad finished pitching the tent for yet another night, stretching to his full height to ease the dull ache in his back. Three days in and things weren’t going quite as he’d planned.
Chelsea continued to be reserved and cautious. Each night, she’d edge closer to telling him something important about herself just like she had the first night when she hinted love was too painful. Right before she’d say something significant, she’d claim fatigue, roll over, and stop talking to him.
Brad didn’t know how to break through her barriers. He’d known he was screwed up and had issues to fix, but somehow he’d expected a psychologist to be more put together. Chelsea had problems, though, and it seemed they ran deep. If only he could get her to open up to him, to let him into her trust and believe in how much he valued her.
So far, that hadn’t happened, and the hardest part of their trip would start tomorrow, leaving little time or energy to figure out what made Chelsea tick.
Brad stepped into the tent, pulling their backpacks in with him. Generally he let Chelsea take care of her own needs, leaving her bag in the corner of the tent for whenever she came inside. However, perhaps he needed to take a bit better care of her. Maybe she hadn’t opened up her heart to him because he guessed wrong about her wanting to be independent. Preparing her bed and cooking tonight’s dinner might go far in warming her up to him.
It took a matter of minutes to unhook their sleeping bags from the packs and roll them out. After a few seconds of digging through Chelsea’s things, Brad found the dehydrated ‘beef’ stroganoff, before heading out of the tent to where Chelsea worked on the fire.
“You’re a pro at that,” he said, sitting on the ground next to her. “We’d be in trouble without you.”
Chelsea rolled her eyes. “If only keeping us hydrated didn’t take so much work.”
That was true. Now that they had to boil and then cool all the water they drank, it took up most of their evenings to get enough potable water to last them the following day.
“There’s one good thing about that pond over there.” Brad jerked his head in the direction of the small spring that factored into their decision to stop here instead of pushing on to the very edge of where the lava rocks began.
“I know,” she said with a sigh. “I can take a bath and get some of this grime off me. Just as soon as I cook dinner.”
Brad swooped in on her, kissing her quickly but backing off just as fast. “Even better than a bath, doc. I checked out the water before pitching the tent. It’s hot.”
“Hot?” She glanced back toward the small pond. “It’s pretty big. The sun shouldn’t have made it hot.”
“Think hotter. It’s like a spa tub.” He grinned at her confusion. “I’m not sure what creates a hot spring, but we're getting close to the volcanic remnants. Maybe that’s the reason.”
The fire Chelsea worked on flared to life, and she reached behind her to grab wood to feed it.
“I’m cooking our dinner,” Brad continued, “while you enjoy a nice, relaxing soak.” He picked the packet of stroganoff up for her inspection.
Chelsea froze, a large branch in her hand. “Where did you get that? I thought only breakfast foods were in your bag.”
The anger in her voice was quite a shock. Brad had figured out Chelsea could be a bit odd, but this was something more.
“I grabbed it from your backpack after I set the tent up for us.”
“What else did you see?” she snapped. “I can’t believe you snooped through my things!”
“Whoa, hang on a minute.” Brad held his hands up in a defensive posture, hoping to calm her. “I’m not sure what you’re hiding, but I didn’t look through anything. I felt around until I grabbed an envelope and pulled out the first one I touched. I wasn't snooping.”
All the fight seemed to leave her, and she tossed the log on the fire. “You didn’t look at anything else?”
“Of course not. I’m not going to spy on you, Chels.” Even if she was terribly secretive, drawing his interest.
However, chances were she’d had to bring along feminine hygiene products or something of the sort and was embarrassed to have him find them. After all, she had a difficult time sharing her life with him. Brad knew some women were secretive about their monthly visitors, so maybe that was her worry.
Trying once again to break down her barriers, Brad rubbed her shoulder softly, watching the fire flicker to life. “I’m trying to understand why you pull away from me,” he said. “I’ve been patient, waiting a year to have even a chance with you, so it’s not like I expect everything to happen right this second. That said, please don’t feel like you need to hide things from me. I can handle whatever you have going on. We’re partners, right?”
She turned to face him, biting her lip. “What if one of the partners makes mistakes and has a hard time admitting them?”
Her eyes were shiny, as though she fought tears, and Brad wanted nothing more than to comfort her.
“Hey, come here.” He gathered her into his arms, rubbing her back and murmuring softly into her ears, telling her everything was okay, and there was no reason to worry.
She clung to him for a few seconds before pushing away and wiping at her eyes. “You’re not the man I expected you to be.”
Shrugging, he stared at her intently. “You’re better than I’d hoped for.”
Chelsea dropped her gaze from his. “I should get water started for dinner.”
And their moment was over. As much as he wished she would open up, whatever barriers Chelsea erected after losing her family in that car crash would take more than seventy-two hours to tear down. Good thing Brad knew she was worth the wait. He’d give her whatever time she needed, just so long as she eventually let him in.
“I told you, I’ve got dinner handled. Let me pamper you tonight.” Even though he knew she had closed him off again, Brad took a chance and rubbed her shoulder as he talked. “Have a soak, we’ll eat dinner, and after my turn soaking I’ll give you a massage, okay? I know your muscles have to be just as tired as mine. This hot spring gives us a chance to get rejuvenated.”
She sat motionless for a few more moments before nodding. “That sounds good. Thanks for taking care of me, Brad.”
* * *
Lowering herself into the steaming water of the natural spring, Chelsea kept her back turned to Brad. Although he’d seemed gentlemanly enough, sitting at the fire with his back to her, she wasn’t certain she was ready to give him full frontal if he turned around.
Not that the last few days hadn’t made her long for something to happen. She lay next to him each night, wondering if he would make a move. Part of her wanted him to, wanted him to ravage her and have his way with her, showing her what sex was all about, just like he’d hinted he could do.
The other part was scared out of her mind.
There was a natural ledge near the side of the pool. Chelsea sat on it, and the water came up to her neck, effectively submerging all her tight muscles. As the hot water engulfed her, it immediately began to relax her. The temperature wasn’t quite as hot as one of the tubs in the resort’s spa, but as som
ething natural out in the middle of nowhere it was a godsend.
If Brad ever did make a move, she’d like it to be when she smelled clean and fresh, not ripe from days of travel with only cursory sponge baths taken in the morning before another long day of hiking.
The water felt good, and it wasn’t fair to keep it to herself.
She turned her head. When she saw Brad’s back and realized he hadn’t tried to peek at her naked body, she had to admit to being somewhat disappointed. “Hey, Brad?”
“Yeah?” he called, still not turning.
“How sore are your muscles?”
He stretched backward, raising his hands high, and then let out a hiss of pain. “I’ll be okay.”
“You don’t sound okay. Get in the water.”
His hands dropped down quickly, as though she had attached weights to them with her invitation. “What do you mean? I’ll take a turn when you’re done. I’m cooking for you.”
“Dinner can wait awhile. The water needs to boil before we can do anything with it anyway,” she said. “Get in here now.”
Maybe it was because she felt guilty for lying about the satellite phone, or maybe she just wanted to see if he had any interest in her body at all. The clear water would do nothing to hide her naked curves from him, and he wouldn’t be able to mask any desire he might have for her.
Beyond that, Brad had carried all of their heaviest items, leaving her responsible for light food and clothing. As fatigued as her back and legs felt from carrying her pack, his had to be infinitely worse.
“Come on. Or are you too scared to get naked with me?”
He turned, shock clear on his face.
She winked, then smiled wide when red colored his high cheekbones. She didn’t know he was so easy to embarrass.
“Please get in,” she coxed. “The water feels good, but I can’t relax knowing you’re still in pain.”
The red gradually left his face, and Brad nodded. “Whatever you need, I’ll gladly do for you. Turn around.”
Heart pounding a little faster, knowing she was pressing things into a territory she’d never entered before, she shook her head. “What if I want to watch?”
“Voyeur, huh?” Brad turned back to the fire, throwing small logs on it before facing her. “Like I said before, whatever you need.”
He stood stiffly, obviously hurting, but a slow, sexy smile graced his full lips. Brad tugged at his T-shirt, inching it upward.
Mesmerized, Chelsea watched as his hard abs came into view, one portion of an eight-pack at a time. Unable to help herself, she licked her lips. “Yummy.”
His grin turned cocky, and his biceps muscles bulged as he pulled the shirt over his head. Turning slowly, Brad gave her a chance to inspect him. The tight back muscles she’d spied that day on the horses were even more tantalizing without being obscured by cloth.
“You must hit the gym,” she said, allowing the admiration she felt to color her words.
Brad turned back to face her, his hand edging to the top of his jeans to unbutton them. “Most days,” he agreed. “I take it my efforts are worth it.”
“More than worth it.”
Chelsea’s insides felt as hot as the lava that used to run across this island. She tingled everywhere, and the throbbing need between her legs begged her not to chicken out and stop things. Brad might not be her forever man, but he could be the man to teach her what to do with her sexual desire. He could help her cross into that realm of pleasure she knew waited if she could just relax and let herself be swept into it.
As his pants dropped to the ground, the bulge in his boxer briefs showed that Brad’s strip tease was doing as much for him as it was for her.
Hooking his thumbs into the elastic band of his briefs, he hesitated.
“Now’s not the time to be shy,” she chided gently.
With a shrug, Brad yanked them off, revealing every glorious inch of him.
“You’re beautiful,” Chelsea said, although magnificent was probably a better word. She loved that his muscles were hard and defined, yet didn’t reach bodybuilder proportions. He was sleek, toned. She could imagine being tucked beneath his body without feeling trapped or suffocated. He was perfect.
As he stalked toward the edge of the water, Chelsea had a delightful vision of him as a wild animal, coming to get his prey.
Unbidden came the fleeting thought that she’d love him to eat her, and heat rose to her cheeks.
Brad’s hard cock was every bit as perfect as the rest of him, and Chelsea wanted nothing more than for the man to teach her how to use it. She wanted Brad to show her pleasure that no man had.
“Your cheeks are flushed.” Brad stared down at her over the top of his upright member. “Is the water too hot, or is something else going on down there?”
Scooting out of the way so he could climb in, Chelsea stood, revealing her breasts. The nipples had stiffened into tight buds. “You make me hot.”
“Good.” The hungry animal before her stepped into the water, the heat having no effect on him as he closed the distance between them.
Chapter 17
As Brad reached Chelsea, he had a momentary qualm about whether she was ready. He wished she had talked with him more, told him about her fears and let him soothe those away. On the other hand, he was more than ready to be with her, so perhaps his enthusiasm and deep, intense emotions could make up for the lack of trust she had in him.
He stood over her, admiring her curves through the slight distortion of the water. Although the heat in the spring tried it’s best to relax him, little Brad was not going to soften with merely being surrounded by water.
Palming Chelsea’s face in either hand, Brad tilted her head upward, lunging into her for a hot, needy kiss. For too long, he’d tried to keep things gentle, tried to slow his desires in favor of gradually building hers. No more. He couldn’t handle it, not in light of her invitation.
While Chelsea’s tongue ran sensuously across his lips, her hands circled his waist and palmed his ass, squeezing and massaging. “So tight,” she murmured into his mouth. “I like that.”
Brad slid his hands down her bare throat, finding her hard nipples. He rolled them gently between his thumbs and forefingers, smiling when she sucked in a sharp breath and let it out as a mewling whimper, quivering beneath his touch.
“I know you’ve never felt a lot of pleasure with this, so we’re going to discover together what turns you on,” he said, still burning inside that no man had ever taken the time to ensure this wonderful woman found satisfaction. Not that it mattered. It simply meant he would be the first, last, and only man to have her moan his name while spasms of pleasure flooded her beautiful body.
As though his words cut through to reality, Chelsea stopped kneading the muscles of his ass, frozen.
“None of that,” he scolded, leaning down to catch the lobe of her ear with his teeth, sucking and nibbling gently. He moved on to the hollow space just behind it, and Chelsea’s body trembled. Giving the area a lick, Brad whispered, “Ah, there’s a good spot. Do you like that?”
“Yes,” she said, her voice soft, pleading. “Do it some more.”
Sitting on a rock ledge, Brad pulled Chelsea sideways across his lap, raising her neck from the water to give him full access to her smooth skin. He latched onto the base, right where her neck joined her shoulder, sucking lightly to keep from marking her.
“Oh, yes,” she moaned. “Do that harder.”
He typically tried not to leave bruises, but the more Chelsea begged, the more he knew he’d lose control. She needed this, needed him to show her what it could be to make love and feel completely satisfied. If it meant he had to release some of the control he usually exerted over himself, so be it. Anything to please her.
He sucked harder, pressing his teeth against her skin while massaging her nipples.
She gasped and grabbed his biceps, digging her nails lightly into his flesh while she muttered incoherent whispers.
Not
wanting her to look like she’d been in a fight afterward, Brad unlatched after a bit more sucking, pressing a ring of kisses through her hair to the base of her neck. “Tell me what you want, Chels. I’ll do anything.”
“Anything?”
She turned her head, eyes bright with wonder in the afternoon sunlight.
Kissing her lips first, he then confirmed, “Anything.”
Scarlet once again flooded her cheeks, and she broke eye contact, obviously nervous and embarrassed to ask for what she needed.
It didn’t matter. Brad knew what women liked, and he was willing to do trial and error until he discovered what made Chelsea’s eyes roll into the back of her head.
Skimming his hand away from her chest and lightly down her stomach, Brad felt rewarded when Chelsea let out another whimper and spread her legs.
He rubbed her stomach, not edging any lower. “What do you want? Guide me, show me where to touch you.”
She shook her head. “I can’t. You just do it. You know. Please, you have to know.”
The desperation in her voice almost caused Brad to rethink his plan, but Chelsea needed to learn to relax, to trust him, and to let herself get a little out of control once in a while. That was what made sex the best, and he wanted the best for her.
Gently removing her hand from his arm, he pulled it down into the water with his own. “I do know,” he said, “but you need to know. Touch yourself, Chels. Show me what you want, where I should be. Help me.”
Her tongue darted out to touch her lips and her body tensed. “I know this shouldn’t make me feel dirty, Brad, but this isn’t just sex. This is...”
“Personal?” he supplied. “Intimate?”
She nodded. “Plus, I’ve never...” She gulped and closed her eyes. “I’ve never touched myself before.”
Not relenting, Brad turned her hand to face her body, cupping it in his own so he could guide her fingers. “It’s okay. You’re safe with me. I want you to trust me. Relax and let yourself feel the pleasure. The world won’t end if you enjoy this.”
Love's Ride (McCallister's Paradise Book 4) Page 12
