She smiled at this answer.“I can ask Jackson to babysit.”
He smiled back at her.“Would you like to go out to dinner, or do you just want to use me for my body?”
She fluttered her eyelashes coyly.“Are you asking me out on a date?”
“Yes.”
“Tomorrow?”
He groaned, remembering his plans with Kyle.“My brother is coming to visit tomorrow.How about Saturday?”
She nodded her agreement.Paul kissed her goodbye with aching thoroughness and none of the reticence he’d shown earlier.They hadn’t solved their differences so much as abandoned them in the pursuit of pleasure.
He still had misgivings about deceiving her and he anticipated trouble ahead.But his worries about the future seemed far off and inconsequential at the moment.The present was too fine to question.
He retreated to his empty cabin, grinning like a damned fool.
Chapter Fifteen
Vanessa stayed inbed long after she woke that morning.
She snuggled deeper into the cotton sheets, sighing.She relished Paul’s clean male scent on the pillows, and the luxury of an actual bed.The mattress was too firm to be considered cozy.She didn’t drift off again, but she lingered there, lost in thought.Her cheeks heated at the memory of their encounter.
He’d given her the most intense orgasm of her entire life, and he hadn’t even taken off her shorts to do it.She chalked it up to the fact that she’d gone without sex for over a year.She’d hurried him along, out of desperation, but he hadn’t needed much help.He hadn’t complained when she’d left him unsatisfied, either.
She wasn’t surprised by his adept touch or generous nature.A lot of men were skilled in the bedroom and liked giving women orgasms.He obviously enjoyed performing the task.What surprised her was how she’d responded.She’d never been stroked to climax so quickly.She’d gone off like fireworks.
She should have expected the intensity after a long stint of abstinence.They had excellent chemistry, but it didn’t mean anything.She knew better than to put too much stock in sexual compatibility.She was on the rebound from a bad divorce and he wasn’t steady boyfriend material.
This was a summer fling, at best.
Even so, she was looking forward to the next date, because that little taste hadn’t been enough.Her body longed for the fulfillment of deep, thrusting penetration.She imagined a variety of sexual acts, multiple positions, and a lot of good, hard pounding.She wanted to collapse in a sweaty heap afterward, exhausted.
If Paul could deliver on this wish list, they’d have a great time together.Judging by the size of the erection he’d grinded against her, he was well equipped for the job.She turned her face into the pillow and giggled.
After a few more minutes of lounging about, daydreaming, she rose from the bed.Emily was snoring softly, her hair a cloud of silky curls.Vanessa tugged on her shorts and padded into the kitchen to make coffee.
It occurred to her that Paul might appreciate a cup after roughing it last night.She donned a pair of flip-flops and went next door.She found him in the kitchen, stretched out on his back under the kitchen sink.He wore his faded blue jeans and ancient work boots.His T-shirt was already dusty, and damp with sweat.Although she couldn’t see his face, she admired the hard planes of his chest, his flat belly, and the worn denim at his fly.His long legs were splayed, one knee bent.His biceps flexed as he cranked a wrench.
She took a step closer, and he froze.
“Vanessa?”
“The one and only.”
He eased his head out from the cramped space, but didn’t rise from his supine position.His gaze raked up the length of her legs before settling on her unbound breasts.She hadn’t bothered with a bra yet.The gray-blue of his eyes no longer appeared glacial to her.There was nothing cold about him.
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, smiling.“I made coffee.Would you like some?”
“Please,” he said.
“Cream and sugar?”
“Just a splash of milk.”
She went to her cabin to make them both cups.When she returned, he was drying his hands on a towel.He accepted the mug and took a sip.Then he set it aside, with a grunt of thanks, and pulled her into his arms.
His kiss was full of heat and promise and longing.She wondered if he’d stayed up late, thinking about her.He tasted like coffee and mint, and he wasn’t shy about copping a feel.He squeezed her bottom with one hand and cupped her breast with the other.
