Thirst.
He wanted to drown in her as he pulled her closer to his body—where she belonged. God, how they fit. Always had. The feel of her against him was still heaven. With her mouth open and searching his, he knew a tenderness along with raging desire. She strained against him as he cupped her hipsto his arousal, and when she wrenched her mouth away, breathing hard, she stared at him with feverish eyes filled with wonder.
“Goodness…”
Her voice was strained and her breath choppy, and he realized he was trembling.
“That was supposed to be a first kiss,” he muttered with a groan, clenching his eyes shut, telling his straining body to calm the hell down.
An irreverent laugh had him gazing at her. “It was,” he protested with a frown.
She pressed a hand to her mouth, rolling with laughter, as she slid off his rigid body and landed awkwardly on her side. “First kiss… That was anI haven’t kissed you in ages,and I might die if I don’t right nowkiss. My, we’d better dial it back, or we’ll be going all the way. While I decided not to play it safe, that might be a little crazy. Even given how fast things seem to be going.”
“Fast, huh? If you knew how many times I’ve restrained myself from taking you in my arms… But you’re right about the need still being there. I’ll want you until I take my last breath.”
She laid her head down on his chest, pressing her face to his thundering heart. “Got any ideas about where we go now? We’re headed to some deeper waters.”
“Yes, ma’am, we are,” he agreed in a happy drawl.
She rose on an elbow and gave himthe look.“Since we talked about it when we were teenagers, I figure we can talk about it like adults.”
She was referring to them agreeing to wait to have sex until they were sixteen. Hard on both of them, but she’d thought they needed more maturity. Looking back, she’d probably been right. What the hell had he really known about pleasing and loving a woman back then? They’d learned together in stolen moments and later in college when they’dmet up.
Now they were fully grown, and he still felt the driving need to please her. Except now he wondered how much she dated in Scotland. His had been few in number when Cooper had gotten past the toddler age, but nothing had come of those rare encounters when he was away on business, mostly because none of it had pleased him much. Sure, physically there had been release, but when the sum total of your sexual experience had been with the one woman you loved and wanted like no other, nothing could come close to reaching it.
With his duties on the ranch and raising Cooper, he’d settled into taking care of things himself. Faster, easier, and fewer emotional hassles. Despite some women saying they were only looking for a good time, their follow-ups hinted they wanted more. Being Ben McAllister’s wife came with certain privileges. Certainly, financial security. He’d gotten more cynical, he supposed, seeing the greed in their eyes.
“You set the pace,” he told her, rubbing that sweet little point of her chin. “Always. I figure you know that once we open that barn door, there’s no closing it.”
She gave a shaky laugh after an unguarded sound slipped out. “Ben, how do you see us getting together this time? Logistically, I mean.”
“Because my twin brother and my son are in my house, and you have your work husband in yours?” He gave an amused snort. “Two houses between us, and we’re probably going to end up in the hayloft.”
Her amused laughter lit up his heart. “I don’t mind a good hayloft tryst every once in a while, but I don’t want to feel rushed or like someone might walk in and hear us.”
“You were always the loud one,” he teased.
She gave him a good shove. “Can I help it that I’m a passionate woman?”
His lips twitched as fresh desire surged within him. “Wouldn’t want you to stop, but a good moan travels. Can’t be helped.”
She pointed across the land to the east. “What about the old hunting shed on the other side of Wild Mountain? Do you think we could fix it up and meet there?”
“Neil could move his stuff into the bunkhouse,” he observed, arching his brow.
“No, he couldn’t. First, he’s not a cowboy. Second, he’s my guest of sorts, being that he’s here for me.”
He clamped down on his lip to keep from asking when the man was going to leave. He knew better than to ask.
“I don’t want us sneaking off all the time.” He sighed heavily at the logistics. “The shed requires daylight to ride over, and I wouldn’t have long to be with you. We’ll need to figure out something closer—after Cooper goes to bed. How do you feel about sprucing up the old root cellar?”
The twinkle in her eye suggested she remembered the old joke between them. “I can see it now. You accidentally rearing back and knocking a jar of pickles off the shelf. Reba would have your hide.”
He playfully winced. “She would indeed. I’d probably smell like pickling spice for days.”
She gave a soft sigh, one that sounded filled with good memories. “You and I have been trying to figure out places to have sex since we were teenagers. Who could imagine it would be equally as challenging as adults?”
Grumpy at the thought, he rose and told himself to be grateful. They’d finally kissed and were talking about making love.Take that as a win.“Would you like to eat now? I’m in need of some distraction.”
