Her eyes widened. “I’m so used to interviewing people for my job I run on autopilot sometimes. You know what? That question was too personal. Don’t answer.”
He opened his mouth to tell her they were almost there...
“I mean it. Don’t tell me.”
“Okay.” Laughing, he squeezed her hand and wondered how she was going to react to what he had in mind for them. He thought he knew, or he wouldn’t have brought her here, but she did have a habit of surprising him.
They spent the next few minutes in the peaceful quiet of the leaves rustling in the trees and the crunch of dead brush and bark underfoot.
“I hear water,” she whispered.
“Our town is called Twin Creeks,” he said, as Pine Creek came into view. “This is where the two meet.”
He helped her over a fallen log, and there was the big flat rock that butted up to the watering hole. It was the only place for miles where you could actually take a dip, although it wasn’t very deep.
“It’s so clear,” she said, picking up the pace to get to the water’s edge. “I can see the pebbles. And a fish!” She pointed, her excitement making him grin.
“Yeah, people do plenty of fly fishing along these creeks further to the south. This little pond is on Landers land, and there’s no reason for anyone to come poking around back here. So not very many people know it exists.”
“It’s gorgeous. Like something you’d see in a coffee table book. So many trees and the brilliant blue sky. This is amazing. I wish we’d brought a picnic.”
“You’re hungry. I promise we’ll get food soon,” he said, releasing her hand. “But first...”
“I’m really not—”
Seth walked over to the rock and stripped off his shirt.
“What are you—?” Her brows rose.
“The water’s cool, and not very deep if that’s a concern.”
“I don’t have a suit.”
“Me, neither. No one’s going to see us.”
Her eyes had widened, making it easy to see the trail they followed down his chest, past his belt to where she stalled a few inches lower. “Oh.”
“I suppose you could wear your underwear.”
“I could,” she said, briefly meeting his eyes before she looked south again.
To get the ball rolling, he undid his belt, his button, and his zipper.
After blinking several times, she grabbed the bottom of her tank top. “Oh, what the hell.”
His hands paused as her bra came into view. It was beige and lacy, and it made his mouth water to see what came next. But he didn’t want to be an ass.
Just in time, he remembered to get his boots off before he dropped his jeans and boxer briefs. Careful to fold them, he set them on the rock, leaving his left pocket in easy reach.
When he looked over at Hannah again, her cheeks were pink, her smile tentative as her unhooked bra slipped from her body. It took his breath away, how beautiful her breasts were, round and full, with coral nipples standing out against her pale skin.
He knew she was getting an eyeful of him, as well. He’d been half hard, just knowing what they were going to do, but now the only way he was going to stop his growth spurt was to jump into the chilly water. Which he’d better do soon.
Luckily, she’d already peeled her shorts off, and as he watched, she hooked her thumbs under the sides of her lacy beige thong and pushed down.
She dropped the thong on top of the rest of her clothes and stood there with a perfect small V of trimmed brown hair and a blush spreading beyond her cheeks. Which got him moving again.
He didn’t even stop to test the water temp, just kept on walking into the cold creek until he was waist deep. He only winced a little when the warmest parts of him felt the shock. It did the trick. He shrank like a...
“You okay?” Hannah asked, putting her clothes next to his.
Guess he hadn’t been as stoic as he’d thought.
She didn’t toe off her Nikes until she got to the edge of the creek. She dipped her toes in and yelped. “It’s cold.”
“All the better to cool us down,” he said. “Trust me, it’ll feel great in a few minutes.”
“But first, I’d have to actually get in the water.”
“That’s true.”
“But it’s June. It shouldn’t be cold.”
“Spoken like a true flatlander.” He didn’t even pretend he wasn’t enjoying the view. “Then again, take your time.”
Having forgotten her embarrassment, at least for the moment, she shot him a look and laughed. “Turn around.”
“Is that a joke? I have a gorgeous woman in front of me...”
“I’d do it for you.”
“Go ahead, turn around then. I’d like that.”
“Funny man.” Shivering and rubbing her arms, she waded in up to midcalf.
“Hurry so we can rub up against each other. It’ll keep you warm.”
Hannah studied him for a few seconds. “Here’s a fun fact—if you say gullible really slowly it sounds like oranges,” she said, then like the trouper he’d thought she was, she walked straight on in.
8
AFTER HER TEETH stopped chattering, Hannah had to admit, he was right. Not about the water feeling great, that hadn’t happened yet, but rubbing up against him? “Oh, yes,” she said, running her hands over his slick back until she had one hand squarely on each cheek.
“Feels good, huh?”
“You feel good. For the record, I prefer my swimming holes to be the temperature of tepid tea.”
“Now that doesn’t sound like you at all.”
“Why not?” She gave him a little pinch, just because.
“Ow. Because you’re bold and adventurous.” He had one hand busy on her right breast while the other meandered over her hip.
That wasn’t completely true. She wasn’t always this bold. Something about Seth seemed to make her brave. “Who says I have to freeze my ass off while being superwoman?” She kissed the grin right off him, then lightly nibbled his chin.
He moved his hand from her hip to her left butt cheek, and squeezed. “Nope, it’s still here. Better check the other one.”
“No,” she said quickly, pressing against him, trapping his hand on her breast. Whatever he was doing to her nipple, she didn’t want it to stop. “I’ll concede. Both cheeks accounted for.”
Seth smiled and swept the loose strands of hair away from her eyes. The water barely reached her breasts and only hit Seth at the bottom of his ribcage. She had to touch his chest. She’d been dying to feel the swells and contours of his pecs since last night when they’d sat snuggled together on the blanket.
She rested a hand on his shoulder, the rock-solid feel stopping her for a moment. But then she couldn’t resist trailing her fingers along the cords of muscle, before expanding her exploration to his chest.
Tempted as she was to use both hands, in the light of day it seemed too greedy. So she made do with skimming her palm over the soft hair dusting the skin between his hard, dark nipples. She let two fingernails graze the right nub and he inhaled deeply.
She glanced up at him, just as he lowered his head and kissed her. It was a soft brush of his lips across hers, a light stroke of his tongue. Nothing like she’d expected. And then he deepened the kiss, distracting her while he slipped his fingers between her thighs.
Her gasp was one of surprise, nothing more, but Seth paused. So she gave him a little wiggle, which he figured out very quickly.
“Oh,” she murmured, her lids fluttering closed as he rubbed her in exactly the right way. Almost of their own volition, her fingers trailed down to his hard belly. “Too bad we’ll have to get out of the water soon,” she said.
“Why’s that?” He moved his mouth
to the side of her neck.
“Lubrication.”
“Hmm?”
“It won’t last.”
Popping upright, stilling his fingers, he looked startled. “Am I hurting you?”
“Not yet.”
“But I might.”
She scrunched her nose. “I’d tell you.”
“Do you want to get out now? Or is the water starting to feel like a cup of tea?”
Thinking it over, the answer seemed very simple. “Both.”
He took her hand and carefully led her to the shoreline, while she enjoyed the view in front of her. Why were men’s butts so enticing? His was perfect. Muscular with those amazing cheek dimples that made the butterflies in her tummy swoop low.
When he turned, there was another surprise. And damn, her hand had been only inches away. “Well, you were clearly in the perfect temperature.”
He smiled, not bothering to glance down. “What did you expect? You’re gorgeous.”
She blushed for about the hundredth time. “Funny, I was thinking the same thing about you,” she said, her gaze snagged by the water dripping down his six pack. A few drops glistened off the smooth, taut skin of his cock.
His short laugh sounded a bit self-conscious.
She quickly turned around and tried to wring out her hair. Fortunately, only a couple of inches at the ends had gotten wet. Her luck ended there. Rocks and sharp twigs cut into the soles of her feet.
“Where are you going?”
“I need my—”
He came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her and kissing the side of her neck. “Is this what you need?” he whispered, and kissed her jaw, nibbled her earlobe, licked the skin sloping toward her shoulder. “Hmm, Hannah?”
“Yes,” she said, held against his strong chest and getting lost in the moment, and then she remembered. “And my shoes.”
Seth went still.
Then he laughed, the sound a pleasant rumble near her ear.
His chest shook against her back. “Where are they?”
She pointed. “Don’t the rocks bother your feet? Some of them are sharp...”
Seth swept her up into his arms, startling a squeak out of her. Automatically her arms went around his neck as he carried her to the big flat rock close to her shoes. It was awkward for a few seconds, and she realized he was trying to evaluate the situation before setting her down on the smooth, warm surface.
“You could’ve just thrown me the shoes.”
Lifting a brow, he gave her an amused look. “Don’t you have any romance in your soul?”
“Um...is that a trick question?” She watched him turn and bend to pick up her Nikes, and she had to press her lips together to keep from grinning like a loon. “I was worried about you hurting your back.”
“Here,” he said, handing her the shoes. “I doubt you’ll need them for a while.”
She grinned then. He’d get no argument from her.
When he reached around her for his jeans, she almost whimpered in protest. But instead of putting them on, which would have crushed her into a gazillion pieces, he pulled a condom out of his pocket.
And two more tumbled out with it.
She laughed. “Optimistic, aren’t you?”
“I hope for the best.”
“I like that about you,” she said, getting up to press her slightly chilly body against his.
He pulled her closer with one arm around her waist. “The rock seems warm.”
“Hard, though.”
“True.”
She would have responded but he kissed her again, languid and sweet, the sound of the rippling creeks and chirping birds the perfect accompaniment. With barely any effort, or brambles under her bare feet, he switched their positions so the rock was behind him.
When he pulled away from their kiss, she let out an embarrassing sound, like a kid whose candy was taken away. But she saw it was only to take care of the condom business. Turned out that being an air force cowboy made one very adept with one’s hands.
Then his attention was all on her again. “Come here, you,” he said in a quiet, sexy tone that had her obediently stepping into his arms.
She sighed at the feel of his warmth and strength, his erection rubbing hotly against her hip. Seconds later, Hannah thought she heard something, or someone, moving in the trees behind them. She stiffened.
He pulled back to look at her. “What’s wrong?”
“Could someone be watching us? I’m pretty sure I heard something.”
After following her gaze to the dense grove of aspens, he lifted her chin until she met his eyes. “It’s probably an animal. No one comes all the way out here.”
“We did.”
Seth smiled. “Touché,” he said, stroking her back. “If you’re uncomfortable or worried, we can leave.”
“I don’t really want to...” She glanced at the giant juniper edging out a struggling young aspen. Staying completely still and quiet, she just listened. Chirping insects and the sound of the creek water hitting the rocks as it flowed south, that’s all she heard. “So, you don’t think we have anything to worry about?”
“I don’t, no. But it’s more important that you feel comfortable.”
“I trust your judgment,” she said, and some odd emotion flickered in his eyes before he lowered his head.
He rolled his tongue over her nipple a few times before sucking the stiff peak into his mouth. Shifting, he leaned back against the rock and moved a hand underneath her right thigh, lifting it so it rested gently on top of his leg.
“I’d better check,” he said. “About the whole lubrication thing.”
“I don’t think it’s going to be a problem.” She let her head fall to the nook of his shoulder as his fingers spread her once more.
“You really are gorgeous, you know that?” he whispered, stroking her back from neck to behind.
“Here I was just thinking I won the vacation jackpot.”
“I’m the lucky one,” he said, pushing his thick, hard cock inside her.
It was unexpected and so amazing, she bit him.
“Ow,” he said, before he chuckled. “I knew I had to be careful with you.”
“Accident. Sorry. Won’t happen again.”
“Did I say I didn’t like it?”
She lifted her head, and even though it was getting more difficult to speak, she asked, “Do you—are you into any—”
“I’m insanely turned on.”
She adjusted her raised leg and her hold on his neck, and between them, there was no more talking.
Panting. Moaning. A groan so low it made her ache. Even nearly losing their balance didn’t put a damper on anything.
He lifted her all the way up until both her legs were wrapped around him, and she moved the best she could, but mostly he did the work. Moving his hips, pulsing in and out. Groaning and pushing in harder when she squeezed her inner muscles around his cock.
Quivering inside, the pressure built so quickly she didn’t have the wherewithal to slow it down, enjoy the sweet agony of teetering on the edge, of fighting off the tumble into sensual oblivion.
Unexpectedly, fantastically, the angle of his strokes was so excellent that she climaxed. Hard. Even though his hands were busy cupping her butt. Even though she was busy just hanging on to him.
Before the spasms had subsided, Seth moaned low in his throat. His body tensed. He kissed her hard and deep, and then he came, too.
A minute later she still hadn’t caught her breath so verbal communication was out. She squirmed a little to remind him to let her down.
“You know what?” he asked, his breathing still ragged as he gently guided her down his damp body.
“What?”
&nbs
p; “Not that this wasn’t great,” he said, “but this is kind of ridiculous.”
“What? The acrobatics or that I think I stepped on a bug?”
“The fact that I have a perfectly decent bed back at the house. My folks are gone until Tuesday, Clint and Lila won’t be back until late tonight, or even tomorrow. Think about it. A whole bedroom to ourselves. An attached bathroom with a shower and a tub.”
“Food?”
“Lots.”
Hannah used up her last reserved breath to give him a light shove. “Why didn’t you say so earlier?”
* * *
SHE WAS GLAD Seth didn’t park where they had before. Instead, he took the fork that led all the way to the house, which was even more impressive up close. She loved the porch with its two big rocking chairs. She imagined how nice it would be sitting out here having drinks at sunset and enjoying the view.
Having sex.
Damn, her brain needed a serious reboot. They’d had sex on a stupid rock, for God’s sake. Outside. In broad daylight. In a less than ideal position. And yet it had been amazing.
She blinked, swallowed, all in the hope of clearing her thoughts. She glanced at Seth. The way he was watching her, his eyes five shades darker, didn’t help. She was pretty sure he was thinking back to their little adventure.
Ordering herself to refocus, she climbed out of the truck, and they took the stone walkway together. Not touching. But almost.
The house itself was part ranch-style, part Alpine. Seth pushed open the door, and it surprised her how big the front room was. “Wow. This is...”
“Unexpected,” Seth said, a smile in his voice. “It looks smaller from the outside.”
She nodded, her gaze moving to the big stone fireplace. Even with the high ceiling, overstuffed chairs and homey little touches made the living room feel cozy. Of course, it was another really great place to—
Surely the pictures on the mantel would distract her. She walked over to investigate, and saw that almost all of the photos were of Seth and his brothers, some with them wearing sports jerseys and some with horses. Boys and horses. Trophies held high, ribbons worn with pride. There were some studio shots of the family at different stages and a couple of sweet photos of what looked like his parents and grandparents.
Sizzling Summer Nights Page 8
