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“Yes, ma’am,” he replied, a chuckle rolling from his chest to her back pressed against it. His hand rested on her chest, his fingers slipping just below the deep V of her tank top. She shuddered with the unexpected pleasure of his hand so close to teasing her breast. “Just one more spot—I think you’re a little too clean right here—”
He didn’t get to finish his sentence because their tangled mess of feet got caught on a rock, sending them tumbling backward. Maggie’s heart jammed in her throat as she fell, anticipating hitting the hard-as-stone man behind her with full force. But that never happened. Instead, water cascaded over them as they fell into a pool at the edge of the creek.
Gasping, Maggie stood, the water above her waist. She was soaked. Bennett finally got his bearings and stood, too. He shook his head and laughed as the water sprayed her.
“Well, that’s one way to get clean.”
“Not the most efficient,” she noted, rubbing the mud from her arms.
A beat of silence let the sound of the chirping birds in, muted only by the gentle cascade of water around stone. The echo of his hands on her bare skin reverberated.
Bennett closed the gap between them and rubbed the pad of his thumb along her collarbone where she’d missed a spot.
“You were wonderful today,” he whispered.
Her skin flushed with the compliment. “Thank you for the help. I really couldn’t have done it without you.”
“You could’ve, but I’m glad I could offer something as a welcome home present.”
She smiled and gazed up at him. His eyes looked as wet as the rest of him, and they sparkled under the pale spring light dappling the canyon through the trees.
His finger tipped her chin, and she froze. She knew that move as much as she did her own heart. Sure enough, he bent down and brushed her lips with his. The memory of what a younger Bennett tasted and felt like vanished in a flash of heat. Because it was nothing compared to the fire that raced between them now.
She parted her lips and let him explore her. His hands closed around her waist at the same time his tongue drew hers out. He tasted like coffee and hazelnut, and a small moan escaped her lips.
When he pulled away, the heat remained, warming her despite the cool water still rushing at their feet.
“Um, wow. That was…”
Hot?
Too much?
Not enough?
“Yeah, it was,” she agreed.
Bennett took her hand and led her to the bank of the creek where he took off his shirt and wrung it out. Her gaze wandered appreciatively over his rippled muscles and her hands itched to trace each one. But yeah, that was out of the question. Even the kiss had crossed some sort of line, but she’d let it slide thanks to the dreams it would encourage tonight.
“Brings back memories, doesn’t it? Back when we used to do this stuff all the time?”
She heard what he didn’t say as loudly. Back before things fell apart.
“It sure does. I’m just glad we’re done for the day. All I feel like now is a long shower and short glass of something to take my mind off the fact that we took care of three fences, and I only get to cross one item off my to-do list.”
Bennett laughed, and the sound wormed its way inside her chest almost as much as the kiss had.
“Oh, honey, we’re not even close to done.” He gestured back at the pile of discarded wire and equipment strewn across the bank of the creek.
Maggie groaned.
“Listen. Why don’t you wash up here and relax and I’ll load this in my truck. It’ll take ten minutes, tops.”
There it was. The line they’d crossed.
“No thanks; I can’t have you doing my work for me.”
“Why not?”
