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He froze. “It’s not that bad already, is it?”
Easing back, she glanced to the clock on the kitchen wall. “It’s already late afternoon. It’s been raining for several hours and with the rain we had the other day, that river is really flowing and rising fast. When I checked the weather on my phone, it said the storm isn’t going to be passing quickly.”
Hayes muttered a curse under his breath. Alexa shifted out of the way when he pushed forward. Taking long, quick strides, Hayes went to the back door and headed out. Even in his panic, he closed the screen door with ease. He’d clearly trained himself, making his actions second nature.
Alexa went out to the porch as well, wondering where he’d gone. Since she hadn’t put shoes on, she didn’t want to go far. Stepping onto the wet stones leading to the barn, she raced toward the opening to see the barn empty, save for Doc and Jumper. They were staring at her without a care in the world. Where had Hayes gone?
Now soaked once again, she turned to the wide doorway and spotted Hayes at the edge of the river, hands on his hips, clearly not caring he was utterly soaked. The rain continued to come down in sheets and Alexa had no idea why he just stood there as if waiting for some divine intervention to solve their problem.
Unfortunately, there was no solution to Mother Nature’s wrath. They were at the mercy of the elements…and this sexual charge that continued to surround them.
Finally, he turned, head down against the wind and rain as he marched back to the house. Alexa raced ahead and met him on the porch. Hayes raked a hand over his glistening black hair and flung the water aside, then he lifted that dark gaze to hers. And that’s when he gave her a visual lick worthy of curling her toes.
The electrical current that had enveloped them since early this morning continued to sizzle and grow. She was powerless, captivated by a man she’d just met, yet she felt as if she knew him on some deeper level.
Hayes’s eyes seemed to take her in all at once and Alexa knew exactly how she looked. Drenched, with his clothes plastered to her body, nothing beneath to hide the fact she was both chilled and aroused. She’d never been a fan of her curves, she definitely had her mother’s build, but the way he was eyeing her—like she was the most desirable woman he’d ever seen—well, that made her not want to cover up and hide.
What would be the point? He’d already seen and she wasn’t going to play the game of pretending to be shy. She was taking in her fill as well because Hayes had a body that would make any woman drop her panties and beg. Alexa wasn’t most women and she was still determined to hold on to this thread of control and pray she wasn’t here long enough for it to snap…because it wouldn’t take much. His clothes were just as molded to his body as hers were to hers and he had some impressive muscle tone, glistening from the rain beading up on his skin.
“You should’ve stayed inside,” he growled, remaining on the other end of the porch.
“I didn’t know if you would need help with anything.”
Those eyes ran over her again as he slowly closed the gap between them. “What did you think you could do?”
That question, delivered in such a low, gravelly tone did nothing to squelch her desire. This was crazy. She’d just met the man, yet he did something to her that she couldn’t quite put into words. Granted, right now, she was having a difficult time with any coherent thought other than take your shirt off, cowboy.
“I have no idea,” she admitted. “But I don’t want you to think I can’t help.”
He took a step closer, never looking away from her eyes, her mouth. “Your clothes are all wet again.”
“They’re your clothes,” she countered. Why did her voice come out so breathy?
The corner of his mouth tipped up. “Yours are dry now if you want to change.”
She pulled in a deep breath, her breasts brushing against his chest. Had he closed the distance so tight or had she stepped forward? She’d been so mesmerized by his voice, his predatory gaze.
“Are you changing?” she asked.
Hayes reached behind his back and jerked the wet shirt up and over his head, tossing it onto the wood porch with a heavy smack. Tattoos covered his chest and up one shoulder. Dark hair glistened all over his pecs.
“You’re not playing fair,” she told him.
“Who said I was playing?”
He thrust his hands into her hair and covered her mouth before she could take a breath. Hayes’s body leaned over hers, tipping her back slightly, but one large hand came around and flattened against her back, pushing her further into his strong build.
Alexa had never been so turned on and caught off guard at the same time. She gripped his bare shoulders and opened to him. There was no gentleness, nothing delicate in the way he kissed her. This was full-blown hunger and held so much promise of a stepping stone to something more.
“You’re driving me out of my damn mind,” he muttered against her lips. “My shirt molded to you is killing me.”
“Take it off.”
Where had that come from? It was one thing for him to take his shirt off, but she’d just ordered him to remove hers. What on earth was she thinking? This wasn’t like her. Well, the blunt honesty was, but to be so brazen about her wants with a virtual stranger was completely out of the norm.
