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All the images I’d been suppressing came flooding back, and it took every bit of my energy not to toss her over my shoulder and take her to bed.Yet.
4
Juniper
Iwas very confused. And not just because I was lost in the woods.
I didn’t think the man I’d basically thrown myself at was asking me about my strange reaction to him. He couldn’t possibly know that he was the first guy to kickstart my dormant libido…right?
Yet he was asking me if I’d felt zapped by him and if I was tingling anywhere. I couldn’t possibly tell him that I was sensitive to the brush of my pebbled nipples against my bra. Or how my core clenched from the way his hands pressed against my back. And I definitely wasn’t going to let him know that my panties were drenched.
Not that it was easy for me to say anything now that I’d gotten a good look at the gorgeous man who held me in his arms. With his chiseled jawline, sharp cheekbones, and aquiline nose, he was the height of masculinity. Add in his thick, white hair, bright blue eyes, and tall, muscular body, and he probably had to deal with women gawking at him all the time.
Swallowing down the lump in my throat, I croaked, “I don’t understand what you mean.”
He scanned the woods surrounding us before glancing over his shoulder toward the house. “Come inside where it’s warm and you can get comfortable, then I’ll explain.”
Following a strange man into his home in the middle of the wilderness was probably an even worse decision than wandering off in the first place, but I found myself feeling oddly safe with him.
I didn’t argue as he gently wrapped his fingers around my wrist and tugged me across the deck, but I did ask, “What’s your name?”
He smiled at me over his shoulder. “Silas Adler, and you?”
“Juniper Finch.”
“That’s a beautiful name.”
Warmth spread through me at his compliment. I’d never hated my name, but it certainly hadn’t been the subject of flattery.
Without letting go of my arm, Silas led me inside the cabin. It was on the smaller side from what I could see as we walked through the kitchen into the living room, but I loved the cozy, masculine vibe. When we neared the couch, he paused to help me out of my coat before getting me settled on the cushions. Then he dropped to his knees in front of me, and I gasped. “What are you doing?”
His bright blue eyes crackled with intensity as his gaze met mine. “Helping you get your boots off.”
Silas acted as though it was the most natural thing in the world for a man to cater to a woman's needs, but I’d grown up with the opposite. I couldn’t imagine my dad ever kneeling for my mom, let alone to do something she could easily accomplish on her own. “Thank you.”
“My pleasure.”
The grin he beamed at me was so darn sexy. Goose bumps broke out along my skin as he tugged my boots from my feet and set them on the floor next to the couch. When he was done and sat down next to me, my heart raced so much that I was surprised it didn’t leap out of my chest.
Shifting so he was facing me with his knee pressed against the side of my thigh, he twined our fingers together, staring down at our hands with a look of awe on his handsome face. Wondering if it was because he felt the chemistry between us as much as I did, I was stunned when he murmured, “I haven’t touched anyone in twenty years.”
Since I had only been alive for that long, I couldn’t wrap my head around his confession. “How is that possible? Do you never leave the wilderness?”
His ears turned red as he ducked his head, a lock of white hair falling onto his forehead. “I spend most of my free time at my cabin, but my sister has a shop in town, and my job takes me all over the county.”
“Then I’m even more confused than I already was.” My brows drew together as I drew my knees up to cuddle into his couch.
“You’re cold.” Twisting around, he grabbed a dark-blue throw blanket from the chair and placed it over me. “I know it’s late, but would you like some coffee to help warm up?”
I shook my head, my nose wrinkling. “No, thank you. I’ve never been able to stand the taste of coffee. I’m more of a hot chocolate or tea kind of girl.”
His shoulders slumped as he reached for my hand again. “Damn, sorry. I don’t have either of those.”
“That’s okay,” I reassured him, jerking my chin toward the roaring fire. “I’m sure I’ll be warm soon enough with that going.”
“Good point.”
“I wouldn’t turn down some water, though.” His gaze locked on my mouth as I licked my lips. “I wasn’t planning on going for an actual hike when I left the house, and I’m not sure how far I walked.”
