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He grinned. “On business trips, if I can squeeze in an hour or two to myself, I like to find a good hiking trail. And when I’m at home, I go to Muir Woods or even as far as the Fremont Hills. I do my best thinking while I’m hiking.”
She loved knowing that about him. “I really love being outside too. I walk the San Francisco hills.”
They grinned at each other, another potent moment that could have led to a kiss…were it not for another hiker appearing. He asked if he could look at their map.
Once the guy had hiked on, Cal turned to her. “We’re here.” He traced the map with his finger. “This trail along the ridge will eventually loop back.”
She thought about his finger tracing lines across her skin, mapping the hills and valleys of her body, down into the canyons and all her hidden places.
This time, she couldn’t help the shiver, as if he were actually touching her.
“Are you cold?” He rubbed her arms, sending tingles through her entire body.
She’d never felt so aware of a man, never felt this I’m-going-to-die-if-I-don’t-have-you sensation. Her body was so alive and energized, so attuned to the sight and feel and scent of him.
Did he feel the same thing at all? Was he thinking about pulling her against him and kissing her senseless? Or was it just her?
But she knew, deep in her belly, it was true for him too. She’d felt it on the plane, she’d known it on Catalina.
And maybe their amazing sex was the place from which all things could grow.
“How far have we come?” she asked.
“A couple of miles.”
“That’s far enough to make sure we get back before dark.” Before she jumped him in the middle of the trail and had her wicked way with him where any hiker could stumble over them.
“Agreed,” he said.
It was crazy how badly she wanted him. She’d never felt like this before, so hot, so full of desire and delicious anticipation.
And she loved it.
* * *
Lyssa took the lead on the way down the mountain, and watching her move was like viewing a heavenly body.
One tent. One bed.
Keeping his hands off her once they got back to the glamping site—if that’s what she wanted—was going to be the hardest thing he’d ever done.
If her plan was for them to share the king bed and not touch each other, he’d have to sleep outside with the mountain lions. Because there was no way he’d be able to keep his hands off her.
She walked fast, her stride strong. It took only three-quarters of the time to get down the mountain. By the time they made it to their tent, he was beyond desperate for her. If he could convince her to skip dinner and feast on each other instead…
At the porch, Lyssa toed out of her sneakers, leaving them outside so their shoes didn’t track the forest into the cabin. Cal left his next to hers.
The moment he closed the tent’s door, she was on him—thank God—her hands fisted in his shirt, pulling him down until she planted the hottest, sweetest kiss on his lips.
Chapter Twenty
Cal loved her take-charge attitude. He adored the way she consumed him, tasting him, taking him—and giving just as much of herself in return.
She finally drew back, her hand still fisted in his shirt and her eyelids half closed. “You can’t possibly know how badly I wanted to do that.”
“Oh yes, I can. It’s all I’ve been dreaming about too.” He wrapped his hand around her nape, hauling her close for another soul-shattering kiss, her body soft and pliable against his. His heart was pounding when he finally set her on her feet.
He’d had his fair share of casual liaisons. Sex for sex’s sake. But what he’d done with Lyssa wasn’t mere sex.
Being with Lyssa involved all his emotions.
Being with Lyssa consumed him.
Being with Lyssa was making love.
And he wanted more of it, more of her. He tugged the windbreaker off her waist, let it fall to the floor. Their breath, slightly quickened, mingled in the now steamy air of the tent.
“It’s just about dinnertime,” he said, his gaze tracing her features, her arched eyebrows, her long lashes, her slender nose, her full lips. “We could drive to Nepenthe and eat some world-class food.”
She smiled the seductive smile that always turned him inside out. “I’m not hungry for food right now.” She looped her arms around his neck. “I’m ravenous for your hands on me.”
He loved that she wasn’t afraid to say what she wanted. He loved that no matter what she’d said earlier about sometimes feeling scared, the honest truth was that she wasn’t afraid of anything.
Bending to her throat, he tasted her salty skin. “I’m hungry to taste every inch of you.”
She laughed softly, the sound vibrating against him. “It was all I could think about hiking up the mountain.” She grinned wickedly. “And all the way down too.”
