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She glared up at the furious, stormy sky and blew an upward stream of breath that made the loose tendrils of hair around her face flutter against her forehead. “Dammit,” she muttered, clearly annoyed at their less-than-desirable predicamen
t. “What the hell could be wrong? Cole just had the truck serviced last month.”
“It’s probably something no one could have caught ahead of time,” he said, opting for a practical excuse. “I’ll go check under the hood and see what, if anything, I can find wrong.”
He reached for the door handle, ready to brave the driving rain for her, but she grabbed the sleeve of his shirt to hold him back. “I’ll do it.”
The mutinous tilt to her chin didn’t bode well for an argument on his end, yet he wasn’t about to sit in the car while she checked the engine, no matter how good her mechanical skills might be. “A second pair of eyes can’t hurt, Jo.”
She hesitated, then finally realizing that he wasn’t going to back down, she relented. “Fine.” Unlatching her seat belt, she twisted around and flattened the back seat so she could crawl to the back cargo area. Opening a side compartment, she retrieved a rag, flashlight, and an umbrella, then returned to the cab. “If you insist on coming out in the deluge, then you can hold the umbrella while I’m looking under the hood so we don’t get drenched.”
He rolled his eyes at the token assignment she’d given him, which left her in charge, of course. Fine, he’d cede control, trust in her abilities, and let her run this particular show her way, and not be the kind of overbearing macho male she abhorred.
It took Jo less than two minutes to discover the blown radiator hose that had led to their breakdown, while Dean did his best to shelter them from the elements of the storm. Thunder rumbled overhead, and lightning struck too close for comfort, startling them both. Since there wasn’t anything they could do about the fractured hose until they were towed to a service station, they shut the hood and slipped back inside the safety of the vehicle.
She picked up her cell phone and exhaled a frustrated stream of breath. “Great. I can’t get a signal in this area.”
“Yeah, we’re in a dense area, and it’s probably the mountains on either side of us blocking any cell service,” he said, not surprised that she was blocked.
Their clothes were damp, and without the air-conditioning, warmth and humidity clung in the air and to their skin. “We’re stranded in an electrical storm that’s going to last who knows how long, with no way to call for help, and on a road that is all but deserted.” She exhaled an annoyed breath and glanced his way. “Now what do we do?”
Unfortunately, he didn’t have any magical answers for her, but he was a resourceful kind of guy, and that meant grasping the opportunity to relax and enjoy the next couple of hours with each other until the weather cleared and they were able to walk ahead and find help.
Remembering their earlier conversation about making out in a car, he reached out and trailed his fingers along her shoulder and down her bare arm. “Now that you no longer have to concentrate on driving, I’m thinking we could test out the back seat area and have a little fun until the storm passes. We can make out like teenagers, and whatever else you’d like to do.” He grinned slowly, sinfully, meaningfully, but left the final decision up to her. “What do you say, Jo?”
He watched her swallow as she considered his idea and all the sensual possibilities awaiting them if she agreed to his suggestion. He saw the tension in her body from being stranded gradually fade away, replaced by desire and an undeniable excitement flaring to life in the depths of her eyes.
“I’m game if you are,” she whispered, and made good on her own daring response by being the first one to climb into the back of the Suburban.
CHAPTER EIGHT
After lowering the backseats to give them more space, Jo settled onto her knees on the soft, flannel blanket she’d spread out in the cargo area, and waited for Dean to join her. Her gaze scanned the space, taking in her traveling gear, the cooler, and their baggage, which she’d pushed up against the sides of the truck to make more room for them in the middle. There was a good six feet of cleared area, more than enough for her to stretch out on, but it would no doubt come up a few inches short for Dean.
She caught sight of her unusable cell phone she’d left on the center console, a direct, unwanted reminder of everything that awaited her back home. Reality, and a strict, by-the-book brother who’d never trust the choice she was about to make, no matter that Dean was an innocent man.
But right now, at this very moment, she wanted to forget everything but Dean, whom she was highly attracted to. She didn’t want to think about Cole or the lecture she was in store for, or how everyone questioned her judgment for the past two years, herself included. She wasn’t questioning her choice with Dean anymore. She was taking back control of a part of her life she’d lost after Brian’s death. Now, she wanted, needed, to feel alive and desirable, and Dean Colter made that possible.
Her entire body pulsed in awareness as Dean wedged his way through the opening and the earthy scent of him filled her senses. Figuring there was no point in being shy, modest, or coy when it came to what she wanted, she shook off every inhibition she’d ever possessed. Sexually and physically, he thrilled and aroused her. Emotionally and personally, he seemed to understand her more than any man ever had, and that was an equal turn-on for her.
After removing his wet shoes and socks, as she’d already done, he knelt in front of her and braced his hands on his spread thighs, which brought her attention to the blatant erection already straining the fly of his jeans. She swallowed to ease the dryness in her throat. Every bit of him was big, solid, and male, and she instinctively knew that whatever happened between them this afternoon would be like nothing she’d ever experienced before.
Dean was a man who could give her everything she craved on a purely physical level, along with satisfying all the pleasures she’d denied herself for years, but would make no demands on her when their time together came to an end in a few days. They lived in separate states, led very different lives. Neither one of them was looking for a commitment or strings and she felt selfish enough to take this encounter to the extreme because no man had ever made her feel or want so much. After spending the past two years trying to prove her self-worth and focusing on her abduction cases, she was going to put her needs first and please herself for a change.
And being with Dean pleased her greatly.
Reaching out, she spread her hand on his chest, absorbing his rapid heartbeat and the scorching heat of him through the rain-dampened cotton of his T-shirt. She trailed a finger over a rigid nipple and his eyes darkened with hunger.
Her heart skipped an exciting beat. The fury of the storm continued to pelt the vehicle with loud droplets, creating a lush, provocative staccato that heightened the sensuality between them. The shelter of the tall trees around the car, coupled with the gray skies above and the steady moisture drizzling down all the windows, added to the eroticism of their encounter. It also cocooned them from the outside forces and any prying eyes that might happen upon them.
She cast him a slow smile. “It’s definitely cramped back here,” she said, referring to their earlier conversation and all the interesting positions two people could manage in tight spaces.
He blinked lazily, which did nothing to bank the gold hue of desire flaring in the depths of his eyes. “We’ll be creative and make it work any way we have to.”
Gazes locked, her fingers skimmed their way down to his lean, flat abdomen, which flexed at her touch. “And it’s warm and humid inside the truck, too.” Her voice was low and breathy.
“Makes for better friction when it comes to skin-on-skin contact.” His palms remained planted on his thighs, but his words and the deep timbre of his voice were as erotic as a caress. “Take the elastic band from your ponytail for me, Jo. I want your hair down.”
Unable to refuse him anything, she did as he requested and rolled the band off and let her hair fall free about her shoulders. Leaning forward, he plowed all ten fingers through the damp strands and pulled her face toward his.
