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“Boobook.”
She laughed. “What the heck is a Boobook?” Her expression was a cross between incredulous and amazed, as if every new sound was a delight.
“An owl. Very common in Australia.”
“That does not sound like any owl I’ve ever heard.” A chorus of howls came from off in the distance. “And that?”
“Dingos!” He didn’t think her expression could get any more wonder-filled, but it did.
“Oh my god, I love it! They kind of sound like coyotes.” She stood listening, and seeing her reaction was like experiencing the bush for the first time, the sounds that caught her attention things so common they were background noise to him.
He thought she might stand there listening all night, but he had other ideas
.“Do you want to go night-swimming? I come here all the time.” He pulled off his jacket and then peeled off his button down, so he was just in the T-shirt he’d chosen special for the night. Even with the clouds, the moon was bright enough for him to make out the narrow footpath that zig-zagged down the bluff to the river below. Or, if she was really brave, the water was deep enough to jump from the cliff. He’d done it enough times in the daylight to know it was safe.
“Not yet.” She slid back onto the bike, sitting in front of him this time, facing him as she straddled the bike and as good as sat in his lap. He was instantly hard, his cock pressing uncomfortably against his zipper. She leaned back, the moonlight highlighting the curve of her breasts, and took in his T-shirt.
“Seriously? Is this another Pickle approved shirt? Is your entire wardrobe off-colour?”
He’d chosen it specifically because it wasn’t another dick joke, which he knew Carissa disapproved of. With one finger, she traced the line drawing of Santa, standing on a rooftop next to a chimney, with the wordsGoes Down All Nightprinted above it. “Pickle says it’s what women want. And she’s a good pussy cat, so I thought she would know.” He winked at her, because if he didn’t do something to cut the charged atmosphere between them, he wasn’t going to survive.
Carissa shrugged. “I’d say it depends on the woman. And how good her partner is.”
“I’m very good. On Santa’s Nice list every year.”
She huffed a laugh. “Is that right?”
He nodded, mostly because his brain was too busy processing all the sensations as her hands slipped around his neck and into his hair. Her fingernails scraped against his scalp and he didn’t think he could get any harder.
She leaned so close, they were breathing the same breath, inhaling the same air. “What I want right now is for you to kiss me.”
She was so plain about what she wanted, he didn’t see how he could do anything else.
11
OVER THE RIVER
Carissa’s blood was a roaring river, rushing through her like a flash flood. Her heart was a drum, pounding furiously. She knew she was breathing because she could hear herself, but she couldn’t seem to get enough air.
Maybe it was a small thing, but she’d told herself she was going to go after what she wanted, that she was going to open herself up to possibility, even if it meant she might be disappointed or worse. She’d done exactly that, and now she was terrified. Admitting she wanted a kiss felt too huge, because she didn’t just want a kiss. And she didn’t just want a fling, either. And even though she’d only known him for a handful of days, Lachlan could be more than that to her, if she stayed.
She waited one heartbeat, then another, her eyes pinned on Lachlan’s.
“Funny.” His voice rasped. “Kissing you is exactly what I’ve wanted to do all night.”
Even in the moon’s half-light, she saw the exact moment his pupils dilated, like a cat’s the instant before it pounced. She didn’t know who moved first, only that they crashed into each other, and when his lips met hers, she was swept up in the current of desire that flooded through her. A moan escaped her, or maybe it was him—she couldn’t tell, not where he ended and she began, not anything except she wanted his toucheverywhere. She hadn’t felt that way about anyone, ever. Shealwaysheld back, but with Lachlan she didn’t want to. She pressed into him as close as she could and it wasn’t close enough. He took her mouth, exploring it, his lips sliding over hers, his tongue tasting her. For the first time, instead of pulling away, she matched his intensity, and there was no way to ignore that he was just as aroused as she was.
She was the one who broke the kiss, mainly because she was so breathless she felt light-headed.
“Holy hell, Ladybug.” He was panting too. She trailed her fingers down to his chest, his heartbeat reverberating through her hands. He took a deep breath, then planted a kiss on her forehead. “You ready for that swim, now?”
They had to do something to cool things down, because she wasn’t prepared to take things any further out in the middle of nowhere.
“I think I’m going to stay.” She didn’t know she was going to say the words aloud until she blurted them.
The only way to describe his reaction was startled. He pulled away from her, ever so slightly. “What?”
“Instead of going back to California, I’m staying. Lena says I can work with her, help her build up her training business, and…it’s not like I have a better offer back home.” “That’s fantastic. That’s really great.” He was saying all the right words, except it didn’t seem like he was feeling them.
