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In that forever instant she knew he was going to kiss her.
She gave a small sound of protest as he slowly lowered his head, but she didn’t stop him. His lips found hers in the darkness. Warm, anxious, burning, they molded over her mouth with a possession that was frightening.
Her heart drummed in her ears as his arms closed around her, dragging her close, forcing her to feel the heat of his blood, the fire in his loins.
Hot and hard, his body pressed hers and his tongue slid between her parted lips.
A pool of desire began to swirl deep within her.
She wound her arms around his neck, feeling the brush of the hair over his collar on the back of her hand, tasting the salt on his skin, smelling his musky scent, feeling the bulge in his jeans where he held himself so intimately against her.
He reached beneath her sweater, touching her abdomen before scaling her ribs with hard, work-roughened fingers.
“God, you feel good,” he moaned as he slipped his hand beneath the flimsy lace. She groaned, wanting more, knowing being with him was a mistake.
“Adria,” he ground out as the tip of one finger brushed against her taut, waiting nipple. He kissed her again, harder still. He shoved the jacket off her shoulders and pulled her sweater over her head.
Cool air swept up her abdomen. His mouth moved slowly and sensuously along her jaw and her neck, his tongue licking a hot path to the circle of bones at the base of her throat where her pulse hammered impatiently.
Adria sagged against the tree.
When he lifted his head and stared into her eyes, her bones turned to water. “I want you,” he whispered, his voice as tortured as the wind racing through the trees.
“I know.”
“We can’t do this.”
“I know.”
His hand cupped a breast and she closed her eyes and threw back her head, telling herself that she wouldn’t, couldn’t make love to him, but as his mouth surrounded her nipple, her will vanished as quickly as if it had been ripped from her by the angry wind before being carried far away. His supple tongue and lips suckled through the wet lace of her bra and her knees gave way. They tumbled to the ground, disturbing the thick carpet of needles beneath the tree. The river rushed at a furious, wintry pace, and Adria cradled his head closer, her fingers twining in the thick strands of his hair.
Dangerous thoughts mingled with reckless abandon. Why not make love to him? You don’t know if he’s your brother…you don’t know if he thinks of you as Kat.
“Adria, for the love of God,” he said hoarsely and buried his face in her abdomen. His breath was a tempting desert wind, trickling past the waistband of her jeans, touching the most feminine part of her. She kissed his crown.
He drew in a long, shaky gulp of air, then rolled away from her.
“Zach—”
“Leave me alone.”
“But—”
“For Christ’s sake, get dressed,” he ordered, not even looking over his shoulder.
“It’s all right.”
“It’s not all right. Put your damned clothes on and pretend this didn’t happen.” He jumped to his feet, kicked the flashlight toward her, and started hiking up the path in the darkness.
Damn the man! He could be so maddening! Scrambling into her clothes, she refused to feel an ounce of remorse. She hadn’t tried to seduce him and what had been simmering between them for over a week was just starting to ignite. She knew she had to tread carefully, and that deep down, he was right. She couldn’t make love to a man who could be her half-brother, but she’d be condemned to hell before she accepted sole responsibility for the desire that sizzled between them. Grabbing the flashlight, she marched up the path, muttering under her breath as the small beam bobbed ahead of her and the rush of the river faded into the distance.
As she rounded a final bend in the trail, she spied the Jeep, headlights splashing twin beams on the grizzled bark of a huge trunk. Someone had carved initials into the rough bark, surrounding their art with an imperfect heart. How ironic.
As she climbed into the passenger’s side of the Cherokee, she shot a furious glare in his direction.
“That was a mistake,” he said.
“You’ll get no arguments from me.”
