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“To go back to your cabin,” he explained. “It’s too cold over there.”
“Oh, um, well… it’s just that… I don’t want to inconvenience you or put you out,” I stammered.
“You wouldn’t be putting me out, Dakota,” he declared in a tone not to be argued with. “In fact, I’d love for you to stay for a bit.”
“You… you would?” I squeaked.
He moved his head up and down very slowly. “I would.”
I licked my lips, something warm moving through me. It had been a long time, so long, since I’d experienced any physical intimacy. And with the way that Jack was looking at me while he continued to stroke his thumb over my wrist, I felt desire pooling between my legs.
“Why do you want me to stay?” I asked, my voice just a touch over a whisper.
His eyes bored into mine, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “I think you already know the answer to that, sweetheart.”
I did.
There was no mistaking the way he was looking at me. I could hear it in his voice. I could feel it in his touch. Maybe my cabin being cold was the reason I was here, but that wasn’t the real reason Jack wanted me to stay.
He wanted something else. He wanted me.
But I’d never done this. I’d never even considered doing this.
I did relationships.
Commitments.
Long-term connections with promises and vows and dedication to another human being.
I’d always needed that link to another person to take this step.
The fact that I’d already done that, and it hadn’t worked out the way I had hoped, was flashing in my head like a big neon sign.
Maybe that was it, though.
I’d already made up my mind about where my life was going to go from here. I’d decided what I’d need to do to be happy in the future. Having a partner no longer factored into that.
But I had to be realistic. I was still a young woman. Even if I knew that I wouldn’t have anything like that in my life again, I didn’t think it was reasonable to assume that I’d no longer have any physical needs.
While Jack and I weren’t in a committed relationship, I couldn’t say that I didn’t feel any chemistry between us.
It was there.
I’d been attracted to him since long before he rescued me from that bison.
I’d had feelings of longing for him when I saw him outside chopping wood and tending to his animals.
Being around him, those feelings of attraction only grew stronger.
Knowing that he was the kind and compassionate man that he was, I didn’t see how I could resist that pull to him.
That’s when I realized I didn’t have to.
I could go after what I wanted. I could fulfill my physical desires, and I didn’t have to feel bad about doing it with a man like Jack.
So, I stared up into his eyes and asked, “Do you want to kiss me, Jack?”
Jack’s free hand reached up and cupped the side of my face. His touch was so soft and gentle, and the way he was looking at me was so intense, it was a wonder I didn’t burst into flames. “I think I’d like to do a lot more than kiss you, Dakota.”
