by Addison Cole
“I’m not a dog, you know.” Why did he have to speak so rudely?
He took a step forward and stopped, then turned to face her. He opened his mouth to speak, then looked to the side, as if he’d changed his mind. “I’m sorry,” he said a little less grumpily. “Please wait here.”
Feeling vindicated, Savannah grinned. “Okay.” She watched as he disappeared around the boulder with one hand on the leather sheath hanging from his belt. Then he came around the other side and motioned her over.
“Need anything else?”
He was still so curt that her nerves tightened. She held up her biodegradable wet wipes and wiggled them before his eyes.
“I’ll wait over there.”
Savannah felt her cheeks flush.
After she was done, she found him with his back to her. In an effort to crack the walls he had constructed around himself, she tiptoed to him and wrapped her hands over his eyes.
“Guess who?” she teased. She didn’t feel his cheeks lift in a smile or his back jump with a stifled laugh. Instead, she felt the tiny muscles at the edge of his cheekbones contract as he clenched his jaw. Savannah dropped her hands, her hopes at levity deflated. “Sorry.”
He turned to face her again with the same irritated look he’d given her enough times since they’d arrived that it was already etched in her mind.
“Why are you doing this?” he growled, grabbing her wrists.
His eyes had gone almost black, and the word danger floated through Savannah’s mind again. She wondered if she had misjudged him after all. Maybe he didn’t have that softer side. Maybe she’d imagined it.
“Why, Savannah? I’m an angry bastard,” he said in a harsh whisper.
She could barely breathe. His eyes were still black as night, but as she looked closer, she realized she hadn’t misjudged him. It was restraint that she read in his clenching jaw, the muscles straining in his neck, but it was desire, thick and lustful, in his eyes.
“I don’t know,” she managed. Her legs weakened and her pulse sped up at the flames igniting between them. “Maybe…I…”
“I’m broken, Savannah. I may not be fixable. You’re better off going back to your high-rise cement city and using your sexy charms on one of the men there.” His nostrils flared with each heavy breath, and Savannah could tell that he was at his breaking point.
“I’m here now.” Savannah touched his ripped abs with her fingertips. She felt him shudder beneath her touch, and she looked at her hand in surprise. He released her wrists, and she placed her palm over his hammering heart and stepped closer. He smelled like the earth and sheer masculinity, and as he stared down at her, she reached up and touched his cheek. It felt just as she’d thought it might as she was lying in her tent earlier in the evening, remembering every line of his striking features. Her finger trailed the edge of his clenched jaw, lightly touching the muscles as they rose and eased repeatedly, and Savannah couldn’t keep herself from stepping on her tiptoes and planting a soft kiss on the center of his chin, then running her finger over the swell of his lower lip.
He growled a dangerous indiscernible warning that only further stimulated her desires before whispering, “Savannah.”
His plea landed in her ears as an invitation. Without any conscious thought, she lifted up on her toes again and ran her tongue along the lip she’d just touched.
“Jack,” she whispered, hoping he heard the invitation in her voice, too.
His eyes opened wide and then narrowed again, and in the next second, he hauled her against him, taking her in a deep, passionate kiss, just as he’d done before. He devoured her as if he’d been starving for only her. His tongue moved forcefully through her mouth as he took a fistful of her hair and angled her mouth beneath his, opening it wider to him. The pleasure and pain was so intense that she moaned, earning an appreciative, greedy sound from him. His teeth found her neck, and his strong, sensual hands began roaming.
His eyes opened and “Savannah” came out full of desire.
His mouth covered hers like he’d been waiting for her his whole life. Savannah drew air from his lungs, clawing hastily at his shirt, pulling it from the confines of his jeans and pushing her hands beneath, grabbing the hot bare flesh of his scarred back. She lifted his shirt and bent to kiss his chest. She felt him breathing harder, his muscles flexing with restraint, as he lifted her face, taking her in another rough kiss.
“We should stop,” he said between feverish kisses.
“No,” she panted out.
His hands were rough and sure as they stripped off her shirt and she stumbled backward toward the boulder. He pressed her against the cold, hard rock, and then he put space between them to pull his own shirt over his head. The shock of cold air against her already heated flesh had her reaching for him again. His chest was dense and powerful as he held her close, kissing her neck. He touched the button of her jeans and drew back, piercing her with a hot stare—a fierce lion ready to take his lioness. She reached down and unbuttoned her jeans, then stepped from them, shivering with desire as much as from the cold. She’d never been that bold with a man before, but Jack was just that—all man—and she wanted every bit of him.
He trailed his eyes down her body, swallowing hard, his Adam’s apple jumping in his thick neck. His eyes landed on the little skin-colored patch on her lower abdomen.
“Birth control patch,” she whispered quickly.
He kissed her again. “Man, I didn’t even think about protection. It’s been so long.”
Jack unbuttoned his jeans, then drew the zipper down slowly, holding her against the rock with nothing more than his hungry stare and a silent promise of animalistic sex. He stepped from his pants, and Savannah raked her eyes over his incredible body, the ache of need simmering to a boil, and knowing as his powerful hands clutched her rib cage that he was tortured with the same burning need.
As they explored each other’s bodies, they both went a little wild, and Savannah opened all of herself to his rough, hungry hands. She wasn’t new to sex, but with Jack she was insatiable. She didn’t know or care why she’d allowed Jack Remington to touch her bottom in ways she’d never imagined wanting a man to, but she knew she needed more, and no part of her wanted to hold back.
TOUCHING SAVANNAH WAS nothing like Jack had imagined it would be. He’d been with only a handful of women before marrying Linda, and their sex life had been fulfilling. He’d never felt like he was missing out on anything. But when he touched Savannah, the animal in him came out, and his desires went way past making love every Wednesday and Saturday night. The nagging guilt in the back of his head silenced the moment he’d put his lips to hers. And everything afterward was fueled by pure visceral need. He’d never have touched Linda in the ways he’d just touched Savannah. He’d always thought it was too dirty. Wrong. But with Savannah, it was neither of those things, and as her body trembled in his grasp, he knew he wasn’t going to stop there. He was powerless against the desires she’d unleashed. In one quick move, he lifted her off the rock, clenched fistfuls of her hair, and took her in another penetrating kiss. Every part of her was delectable. The need to possess her was so strong that he didn’t realize how forceful he was being, and as her back hit the rock, she whimpered.
He drew back, releasing her hair. “I’m sorry. I’m—”
Her eyes were at half-mast as a grin formed on her lips. “It was a good hurt,” she whispered.
He kissed her hard and fast, his mind playing tricks on him. He wanted her. He needed her. But this was Savannah. Smart, sexy, sensual Savannah Braden, the woman who challenged everything he believed about himself. He didn’t want to screw it up. A groan came from deep in his chest. It had been so long since he’d been intimate with a woman, he may not last the first time they made love. Truth mattered to Jack, and wasn’t it better if he were honest now than disappointing her later? He didn’t care if she thought it made him less of a man as he said, “Savannah, I haven’t been with a woman for two years. I don�
�t even know how long I’ll last.”
She held him as he tried to pull away.
“It’s okay,” she said.
The need in her eyes rivaled his. “If I don’t, I’ll make it up to you.” He kissed her tenderly and whispered, “Promise.”
As their bodies came together. Savannah curled her fingers around his shoulders with a loud gasp.
“I’ll stop,” he said quickly.
“Please don’t,” she said with a heated stare.
The forest noises fell away, replaced with the sounds of their breaths coming fast and hard, and eventually, easing to a single sated rhythm. Jack was consumed with new sensations, feelings he hadn’t experience in forever. It was a miracle that he felt anything other than anger or guilt—and this was so vastly opposite, so beautiful, he was overcome with emotions as his heart opened to her.
Chapter Nine
SAVANNAH WAITED FOR embarrassment to find her as she pulled her sweatshirt over her head. She shot a glance at him, leaning naked against the boulder, his eyes trained on the ground, and she wanted so much more of him. Everything about him was complex. He was a striking combination of hard masculinity and, Savannah was sure, a big, loving heart buried deep inside. A man without a heart wouldn’t look like he did after doing what they’d just done. A man without a heart would be gloating.
She leaned against the boulder beside him. “Are you okay?”
He nodded, and when he looked up at her, his expression pained.
Savannah’s heart stopped. “What’s wrong?” Oh no. You regret it.
“Nothing and everything all at the same time,” he said softly.
“I’m not sure what that means.”
“Savannah.” He reached his arm around her and pulled her close. “I haven’t been with a woman since my wife died, and before her, well, there weren’t many. But never—ever—have I been so rough, and I just want to be sure I didn’t hurt you.”
And there it was. His soft heart. “Jack, you didn’t hurt me. I’ve never felt this close to anyone before. I really don’t know why I went so wild, either, but”—she shrugged—“I couldn’t get enough of you. No matter how much you touched me, it wasn’t enough. It’s still not enough,” she admitted.
He nodded. “It scares the heck out of me.”
She didn’t know how to react to that. Me too? That would be a lie. It didn’t scare her. In fact, she wanted to do more. She moved in front of him and stood between his legs.
“You didn’t promise to marry me. We shared our bodies. We shared emotions. Why does it scare you?” She saw the answer in his eyes as he furrowed his brow and swallowed hard again. Guilt.
He shook his head, and his dark eyes glistened with tears. “It’s late, and it’s hard to explain. Let’s get towels and go wash up. We can talk some other time.”
The way he shut her down stung, and as they finished dressing, Savannah wondered if she’d made a mistake. He came to her side and looked at her with such pain in his eyes she regretted feeling so put off. Complex didn’t even start to explain Jack.
“Savannah, I’m not good at any of this,” Jack admitted. “Right now I want to reach up and touch your cheek. I want to brush your hair from your shoulder and feel you in my arms, but I’ve just touched you in every private place imaginable, and I don’t know you well enough to put my dirty hands on you again. We don’t even have a proper shower where I can help bathe my memory away from your body.”
Her heart melted at the thought that he’d even think to do that. Where did the gruff, angry man go? “So we did things a little backward. We can get to know each other now.”
She reached for his hands and he pulled them away. “I need to wash up.”
“I didn’t peg you as a neat freak,” she teased. She pressed her body against his, drawn in by his thoughtfulness. “Let’s go wash up. I have no expectations. To be honest, I’m still reeling at you talking to me instead of growling.”
“I can’t make any promises about how I’ll be ten minutes from now or tomorrow. I definitely don’t trust my own emotions right now, but I don’t regret being with you.”
“THIS IS ONE thing that my concrete city doesn’t have enough of,” Savannah said as she dipped beneath the cold water. Her teeth chattered and goose bumps covered her arms and legs.
“You’re freezing.” He wrapped his arms around her.
“No, just my outside is. My inside is warmer and happier than it has been in a very long time.”
“You really are incredibly beautiful,” Jack whispered. He’d been dying to touch her face after they’d been close, and now, as he reached up and cupped her cheek, he had to close his eyes. She fit perfectly against his palm, and when she leaned into his hand, he shivered with the memory of what they’d done in the forest.
“Thank you,” Savannah said. She touched the back of his hand and pressed it to her cheek. “You’re not so bad yourself.”
He took the washcloth from Savannah’s hand and washed her back in slow, gentle stokes as he learned each dip and curve of her body.
“Jack, are you different from who you thought you were?” Savannah asked.
“That’s a strange question,” he said, but he knew just what she meant.
“I know.” She gathered her hair and moved it to her other shoulder so he could wash beneath it. “Out here I’m nothing like who I am back home. I’m so strong at home. I can do anything, and I never ask for help. But out here I’m, I don’t know. Weak or something.”
He turned her so she was facing him. “You’re anything but weak. I see a strong woman who’s also feminine, and the combination is…frustrating.”
Savannah frowned. “Honesty is good, but after what we just did, maybe you could sugarcoat it a little.”
He moved in closer and lifted her chin to look at him. “That was sugarcoated.”
He smiled down at her, then touched his lips to hers, and despite the cold air that enveloped them, every swipe of her tongue heightened his desire. She pressed her body into him, and he wrapped her in his arms—like it was the only place she could possibly belong—and he had no idea how he’d gone without her for the last two years. When she wrapped her hands around his neck and lifted herself up, it was only natural for him to help her legs find their way around his waist. Savannah deepened the kiss, making sexy little noises that sent his urges soaring again.
Savannah held tight to his shoulders as they surrendered to their passion beneath the shadows of the moon.
IT WAS NEARLY three in the morning when they finally arrived back at the campsite, and as he kissed her good night, Jack wondered how he would get through the next few hours without her. And in the next breath, he wondered how Savannah could find her way into his heart in such a short period of time. He’d always counted himself lucky for having met and married Linda, who he’d thought completed him in every way he could imagine. Now, with Savannah, he realized that there was so much more of him that he never knew needed completing. Could a man get this lucky twice in his life? Jack closed his eyes, waiting for the anger that had eaten away at him for years to come rushing back, but for the first time since he’d lost Linda, he was able to fall asleep without first enduring hours of misery.
Chapter Ten
SAVANNAH AWOKE WITH the sun, and though she’d slept only a couple of hours, she felt refreshed and ready to tackle the day—and Jack Remington. Boy, had he thrown her for a loop. She’d expected hot sex, but she couldn’t have anticipated the dirty things she’d wanted to do with him, and by the time they’d returned to the campsite, he’d become tender toward her. The more tender he became, the more her body reacted to him.
As she dressed, she tried to calm her nerves about seeing him again, and before getting out of her tent, she took a few minutes to gather her courage and strength, wondering how he would act toward her. They’d agreed not to hide their feelings but not to flaunt them, either. Savannah knew she might have trouble with that. She was a Braden, after all, and all Bradens
tended to err on the side of overly affectionate with those they cared for. Cared for. Savannah realized that even though she hardly knew Jack, her heart had already embraced him.
“I’ll get her!” Aiden’s voice carried through the thin tent walls. A few rapid footfalls later, Aiden poked his blond head into her tent. His wide eyes were full of mischief. “Hi, Savannah. We’re learning to build a shelter. A real shelter. Are you almost ready? Jack says we can’t go till you’re ready.”
Savannah touched his nose. “I’m as ready as I’m going to be, but is everyone else up this early?”
“Yup.”
“Then I better get my butt in gear.” Last night came rushing back and she felt her cheeks flush.
Aiden ran away from her tent, yelling, “She’s getting her butt gear on!”
Savannah buried her face in her hands. She crawled out of her tent under the amused scrutiny of four sets of adult eyes. Jack’s eyes were locked on the ground.
“I said get my butt in gear, silly boy,” she said with a laugh.
Elizabeth sidled up to her. “What were you up to last night?”
She looked around to see if anyone else had heard her. “What do you mean?”
“Relax. No one else knows. I had to pee, and when I was in the woods, I heard something. At first I thought it was Josie and Pratt, but then I clearly heard the name Jack, and it wasn’t spoken, if you know what I mean.” She poked Savannah in the ribs and arched a brow. “I see you took my advice.”
“Oh my gosh. Do you think anyone else heard us?” Savannah’s eyes darted from Lou to Josie and finally to Pratt, none of whom were paying her any extra attention. “I’m so embarrassed.”
“I just told you no one else knows. Sheesh, your head is still in the clouds isn’t it? There’s nothing better than that new-relationship-after-sex euphoria.” Elizabeth sighed with a dreamy look in her eyes. She nodded toward Jack. “He seems more relaxed today, too. He’s not nearly as cranky.”
