Being out of the wind and rain was good, but not enough. The temperature inside the cabin was barely above freezing. They had to get warm soon or die.
Drawing on what little reserve he could muster, Lucas gathered firewood from one corner of the shack and shoved it into the potbelly stove, along with dried moss he found in a small box beside the door. Once he had everything in place to start a fire, he looked around for anything to light it with. Surely the person who’d built, stocked, and used the cabin would have left some matches for the next time he visited.
“Here.” Katie held up a match box. “I found it under the bed.”
Lucas took the box. When he opened it, his heart slipped a beat. “One match.”
“Make it c-count,” Katie said, with her arms wrapped around her middle.
To have come this far, Lucas could do no less. The little cabin had lots of gaps between the slats of the walls and the roof, creating enough of a breeze to put out a match if he wasn’t careful.
He bent close to the stove, kissed the end of the match, and struck it on the side of the box.
A life-giving blaze erupted in front of him.
Quickly, he put the flame to the moss and prayed.
At first, the moss didn’t seem to want to light. They didn’t have anything else to start a fire. It had to light, or they were out of luck.
The match burned down the stick toward his fingers.
He didn’t shift his focus when he felt a movement beside him.
Katie shoved an old piece of newsprint in beside the moss. It caught in the flame and set the moss on fire. She dropped the newspaper beneath the firewood and splinters of tinder. Soon the tinder caught, then the firewood glowed and eventually burned as well.
Both Katie and Lucas hovered close to the stove, holding their cold hands near the building flame. With the firewood burning, the small cabin slowly warmed.
Lucas stripped out of his life vest and hung it over a hook on the wall. He reached out, unbuckled Katie’s vest, and helped her out of it. Then he helped her out of the overalls she wore over her clothing when she was gutting fish.
She shivered. “I’ve never been this c-cold in my life. I don’t think I’ll ever get warm again.”
“Rethinking living your entire life in Alaska?”
“Mmm.” She shook from head to toe. “Florida is s-sounding pretty good about n-now.”
“We have to get dry,” Lucas said, “or we’ll remain cold, even with the fire.”
She nodded and fumbled with the zipper on her jacket.
Lucas brushed her hands aside and unzipped her coat, peeling it over her shoulders. He turned it inside out and spread it on the floor near the stove. He did the same with his jacket. Then he pulled his sweatshirt over his head, wrung it out and stretched it across the wood posts of the bed frame.
He waved a hand toward her. “You’re next.”
She shook her head. “I feel like we’re playing a h-high stakes g-game of strip poker.”
“If that helps, you can pretend all you want. Off with the shirt. You won’t get warm enough until the clothes are dry. I can turn around if you like.”
She nodded. “Turn.”
He gave her his back. “Let me know if you get stuck.”
A second later, he could hear her muffled voice. “Umm. I’m stuck.”
With a chuckle, he spun to face her, finding her wet shirt halfway up her arms, covering her face, yet exposing her bra.
“Don’t just laugh…help me,” she cried.
He grabbed the hem and dragged the long-sleeved shirt over her head. “Better?”
“I thought I’d be warmer, but I’m not.” She crossed her arms over her breasts, now only covered in a lacy pink bra.
Lucas held her gaze. “Until we’re out of all our wet clothes, we don’t stand a chance of warming up.”
She frowned. “Are you sure that’s necessary? We haven’t been on our first date?”
His brows rose. “And whose fault is that? It’s not from my lack of effort. I could have taken you out on a dozen dates for the amount I’ve paid in ‘fishing adventures’. Not that I minded spending the money.”
Her frown deepened. “I didn’t ask you to stalk me.”
“You didn’t. But I couldn’t help it. You intrigued me.”
Katie’s grimaced. “Why? Am I the first woman you’ve asked out who said no?”
He laughed. “No. But you’re the first woman I’ve asked more than once after she’d said no. I think I’m in love.”
She held her hands out to the fire. “Why? I haven’t encouraged you in the least.”
“I know,” he said, giving her a crooked smile. “There must be something about a beautiful woman wielding a knife the way you do when filleting fish that makes me want to know more about you.” He unbuttoned his jeans. “I’m getting out of these so they can dry faster. I’m wearing boxer briefs, in case you’ve been wondering whether he wears boxers or briefs.”
“I wasn’t wondering,” she drawled.
He paused with his hands on his waistband. “Is this going to make you uncomfortable?”
“And if it does?” she asked.
He shrugged. “I’ll do it anyway, just with my back to you.”
She sighed. “I know what you’re doing is right, and we need to dry our clothing, but…”
“We haven’t had our first date, and we’re already getting naked,” he finished for her with a wink. “Don’t worry. I’m not going to first, second, or third base without your permission. This is about survival.” He dragged his wet jeans down his legs and stepped out of his shoes and jeans at the same time. “You do what you think is best, but I’d like you to live long enough to be rescued. You’re still an alarming shade of blue.” He twisted his lips. “Look, I’m with the Coast Guard. We train for this kind of thing. You need to be warm and dry. We’re not out of the woods yet.”
She nodded. “I know. I’ve lived long enough in Alaska to know the drill.”
As Katie reached for the button on her blue jeans, Lucas turned to stretch his pants out on the floor near the stove.
He wanted to help her, but she’d have to ask for his help, or pass out, before he felt he could assist without her permission. He’d rather she didn’t pass out. The more naked he got, the more he wanted to hold her in his arms. But she had to be willing, not comatose.
Katie fought to keep from staring at Lucas’s gorgeous body as he stood with his thick, muscular thighs stretching the fabric of his boxer briefs. His…package…created a nice ridge at the junction… Oy! If she weren’t so danged cold.
Katie struggled to get out of her shoes and jeans. When she wore nothing but her bra and panties, she laid out her jeans on the opposite side of the stove from Lucas and crowded near the fire, her body shaking violently. “The clothes can’t dry soon enough.” Another bone-rattling shiver racked her body. “I’m w-warmer on the front side, but still f-freezing from behind.”
“All teasing aside,” Lucas said. “Sharing body warmth really works.” He opened his arms.
She looked from him to the stove and back. Her teeth chattered so much she was afraid they’d break. “God, I hate it when you’re right.” Katie nodded. “Okay.”
He stepped up behind her, captured her hands in his and wrapped their arms around her waist.
She stood with the heat of the fire in front of her and his body against her back.
“Better?” he asked, his voice resonating through his chest into hers.
She nodded. “Better.” The longer they stood there, the warmer she got, and the more aware she was of the near-naked man holding her. Much better.
“Do we get to count this as our first date?” Lucas asked, his arms tightening around her.
“No. I—”
“I know.” He sighed, his breath ruffling her hair. “You don’t date Coasties.”
Katie chuckled. “I was going to say this probably takes us past a first date. But, whatever.”
His hips shifted, and the ridge of his cock nudged her bottom. “I’m confused.” He turned her in his arms and tipped her chin up. “Exactly what does that mean?”
Never one to throw caution to the wind, Katie figured the situation had changed everything she’d thought black and white. They were firmly in the gray area now, and all the rules she’d set up for herself seemed inconsequential. She rested her hands against his warm, hard chest and stared at where her fingers curled into his skin. “I mean, we’ll probably be here all night. You’re cold, I’m cold, and together, we could be warm.”
Lucas wasn’t taking any chances. “Let’s be 100% clear. How together do you mean?” He took his hands off her altogether and held them in the air. “I don’t mind warming you with my body, but if you want more than that, you’ll have to spell it out for this thick-headed man.”
She sighed. “We’re here alone. Your body against mine is…well…” She shot a glance to the corners of the small cabin, and then frowned at him. “Really? I have to spell it out?”
He nodded, his hands still in the air. “Yes, ma’am.”
She grabbed each of his hands and carried them around her body to place them on her buttocks. “Do I need to be any more explicit?”
Again, he nodded, his cock growing harder by the second.
Once his hands were firmly on her ass, she let go of them and placed hers on his backside, sliding them beneath the elastic of his boxer briefs. Then with firm pressure on his butt cheeks, she mashed their hips together and pressed her belly against his cock. “Making love to you goes against my promises to myself, but I can’t fight it anymore.”
“Sweetheart, you don’t have to fight it.” Lucas squeezed her rounded bottom gently. “But I won’t make love to you unless you promise you’ll have no regrets in the morning.”
She looked up at him, her gaze meeting his dead-on. “I promise. No regrets.” Her lips curved in a sexy smile. “Now, can we make love? I’m cold, and a little friction will go a long way to warming me up.”
His grin spilt is face. “Darlin’ nothing would make me happier.” Lucas lowered his head and captured her lips in a gentle kiss. Hurrying now would only wreck his chances of seeing her again after they were rescued. If he wanted to win her heart, he had to show her how much he cared. The act of making love to Katie couldn’t be all about the sex. It had to be so much more.
He teased her mouth with his and nipped playfully, drawing her bottom lip between his teeth.
Her chest rose against his, rubbing her lacy, bra-clad breasts against him.
Sweet Jesus, he was on fire. He didn’t need any damn potbelly stove. Taking things slow and easy with Katie would be harder than qualifying as a rescue swimmer for the US Coast Guard. Every nerve ending was humming, sending bursts of electricity throughout his body. Keeping control was the last thing he wanted to do but was necessary to see that Katie got there first.
Her hands traveled up his chest to encircle his neck, hardening the kiss. She initiated tongue contact, sliding hers between his teeth to tangle with his in a sexy caress.
Lucas groaned and massaged her round bottom then slid his fingers beneath the elastic of her panties to spread them over her skin. For a knife-wielding deckhand, she was as smooth and soft as the silk of her pink underwear. Lucas wasn’t sure how long he could last in this dance. Already, he was as hard as steel and aching to drive right into her.
Katie slid one of her toned legs around the back of his and slipped it upward to rub her crotch against the top of his thigh. He couldn’t tell if she was damp from the icy cold Alaskan waters or because she was as turned on as he was.
With only one way to find out, he started the process of wooing her. He kissed her hard and moved his mouth along her jawline to the tender spot below her ear. Capturing her earlobe between his teeth, he rolled it carefully, flicking it with the tip of his tongue. On the move again, he kissed a path down her long, slender neck to where her pulse thrummed to the rapid beat of her heart.
Her leg tightened around his, bringing him closer.
Lucas wanted to reach down the backs of her thighs and lift her legs to wrap them around his waist, but he couldn’t hold her against the wall without moving away from the stove and its live-saving warmth.
Instead, he kissed his way downward, over her collar bone to the swell of her breasts, rising out of the lacy bra.
Katie reached behind her back and unhooked the catch.
His heartbeat hammering, Lucas slid the straps over her shoulders and down her arms. Then he eased his chest away, exposing her rosy nipples to the cool air of the cabin.
Her skin pebbled beneath his gaze, and her nipples hardened into tight little beads.
“You’re beautiful, Katie Bloom.”
She shook her head. “I smell like a fish.”
“You smell fresh and taste of saltwater.” As if to prove the point, he bent and sucked one of her nipples between his lips and flicked it with his tongue. “Mmm…salty. Just like you.” Again, he drew the nipple into his mouth and rolled it between his teeth.
Her back arched and a moan rose in her throat. “Oh, Lucas.” She threaded her fingers into his hair and held him closer.
After teasing one tight little bud, he treated the other to the same loving attention. By the time Lucas lifted his head, Katie was writhing, her breathing coming in ragged gasps.
Holding her hips in his palms, Lucas slowly trailed kisses down her torso. He dropped to his knees and cupped her sex in one hand. “Say the word, and I’ll stop here.”
She glanced down at him, her brow furrowed. “Don’t you dare. Holy halibut, I think I’d die if you stopped now.”
He slid her panties down her legs.
Katie stepped free of them.
Then Lucas rubbed his thumb over her sweet spot and parted her folds to expose that sensitive strip of flesh hiding between them. He blew a warm stream of air over her nubbin and then took her into his mouth, sucking her gently then flicking her there with his tongue.
Katie threw back her head. Her fingernails dug into his scalp. “Lucas!”
Pausing in mid-lick, he glanced up at her. “Yes, Katie?” Then he tongued her, sweeping across that bundle of highly sensitized nerves.
“I can’t… I can’t…” she said, struggling as if she couldn’t catch her breath.
He flicked her there again.
“There!” She let go of the air in her lungs. “There. Oh, sweet heaven.” Her body pulsed with her release, her hips rocking to the rhythm.
Lucas continued to stroke her with his tongue, softly, insistently, drawing out the magic as long as it would last.
When she finally drew in a deep breath, she tugged on his hair, pulling him up her body. “I want you,” she said, her voice ragged and sexy.
He held back. “I don’t have protection.”
“I’m on the pill and clean.”
“Me, too.” He laughed. “I’m clean—not on the pill.”
“Then hurry,” she urged, dragging his boxer briefs down his legs. The lower she dipped, the closer her face came to his cock.
It was Lucas’s turn to hold his breath. Would she?
Once she had his briefs off him, Katie knelt on the cold wooden planks and circled her fingers around his erection. “You’re so big,” she whispered, amazed at how long and thick he was.
“You don’t have to do this,” he said.
“I wasn’t complaining.” The corners of her mouth quirked upward. “I was admiring.” Then she touched her tongue to the velvety tip. “As hard as you are, this is soft and smooth.” She took him between her lips, sucking hard, pulling him deep into her mouth until he bumped against the back of her throat. He, too, tasted mildly of salt. Katie liked the way he filled her mouth and stretched her jaw.
He pulled back until he was almost free.
Katie pressed her hands to his buttocks and brought him in again, showing him she could take him, and then she set the pace.
He m
oved in and out, again and again, his speed increasing with every stroke. On his last thrust, he drove deep and paused, his body tense. Then he yanked himself free.
Katie loved that she could make him lose control.
Lucas gripped her arms and brought her to her feet.
She leaned up on her toes and kissed him, tasting herself on his tongue.
He lifted her by the backs of her thighs.
She wrapped her legs around his waist and wriggled until she was poised over the tip of his erection. “Now, Coastie. I want you now.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He gripped her hips and eased her downward. “You are so amazing.” He drew in a deep breath. “Definitely beyond a first date,” he whispered.
“Way past,” Katie said on a gasp. Then she pressed down on his shoulders, raising herself.
He tightened his hold on her hips and settled her back down.
They came together again and again until Lucas slammed her down one last time and held her there, his cock pulsing inside her channel. When he could think again, he gathered her in his arms and held her for a long moment, his cheek pressed against her hair. “Sweetheart, you know you didn’t have to get us stranded on an island to get me alone.”
She chuckled as he eased her off him and set her on her feet. “I should be the one saying that.”
He pressed a kiss to the top of her head and tightened his hold around her. “True.”
“So, you didn’t have to maroon us on an island to get my attention.”
He raised his eyebrows. “Actually, I think I did. Would you have gone out with me?”
She tilted her head to the side. “I guess you’ll never know.” Katie turned in his arms and warmed her hands by the glow of the fire in the stove. “We could use more wood on the fire.”
Lucas stepped away to gather a couple of logs and shoved them into the stove.
Katie stood to the side, her arms crossed over her chest, her body chilled as she moved away from the stove to let him do the job. She loved how his muscles rippled across his back and arms. He was a gorgeous man in all his naked glory.
Lucas turned, catching her looking at him. His lips curved. “Were you staring?”
Stranded (Boys Behaving Badly Book 4) Page 4
