“Dear God,” Winnie whispered. “What are we doing? What amIdoing?”
“Are you hurt?”
She scuttled out of his arms and retreated to her corner of the shed, her chest rising and falling as she stared at him with wide eyes. “That was a mistake.”
“All right,” Mack said slowly, rubbing his stinging arm. “We got a little carried away—”
“A little?” She barked a laugh. “I almost made love to a man who isnotmy husband…on a dirt floor!”
Despite her rising agitation, Mack couldn’t help but inwardly celebrate. She admitted to being as eager as he was, as turned on as he was. It was an unexpected victory, and one he would relish for days.
“Stop gloating.”
So it hadn’t been so inward, after all. He folded his hands over his hard cock, which had found new inspiration in hearing the wordsmake love. “What would you like me to do?”
“Lie down and go to sleep.”
“Anything for you, Bobcat.” Smiling at her annoyed grunt, he quickly shuffled through their clothing and arranged the driest and thickest articles on the floor between them. “You’ll sleep here.”
“What about you?”
“I’ll sleep on the ground beside you.”
Once she was settled, he pulled his wool coat over her. The outside was damp, but the lining was dry and warm. Convinced she would survive the night, he shut the door, plunging them into darkness. They laid in silence, and the inches between them might as well have been a mile. He suppressed a sigh and closed his eyes.
“Could you…” Winnie’s voice was strangled. “Could you adjust yourself?”
He raised his head and double-checked his posture. One arm rested lightly against her back, but that was it. “Adjust myself? What do you mean?”
She squirmed on the makeshift bedding, her hands hunting around. “That’s not your…oh. Never mind.”
He rose to an elbow. “Oh, no you don’t. What did you find?”
“A garden hoe.”
He plunged his hand under the coat and found the thick wooden handle. He chuckled. “You thought…”
“Hm hmm.”
“Mrs. West, that shaft is huge.”
“Hm hmm.”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
“Go to sleep, Mr. Donnelly.”
He settled back at her side with a wide grin, and silence settled over them. Just when he thought she had fallen asleep, she spoke in a whisper.
“Would you have wished to stop earlier? If the tools hadn’t…”
“No.” The darkness emboldened him, made it possible to speak about things that would be impossible in broad daylight. He suspected it was the same for Winnie, so he would reward her bravery with honesty. “But our first time will be in a bed, not a toolshed. Hell, I can’t even see you properly, which is a crying shame.”
“Our first time?”
He dared to drape an arm over her, gently squeezing the hand that rested between her breasts. “What we have between us will not go unanswered. I burn for you, and I think you do, too.” He leaned in until his mouth was a breath from her ear. “I don’t know where, and I don’t know when, but youwillbe mine.” Her answering shiver gratified him, and he stroked her cheek. “Now go to sleep.”
He held her until her breaths evened out and then rolled onto his back. He was still as hard as a flagpole, so he inhaled deeply and tried to think of anything besides what he really wanted. Besides, no matter how perfect she was for him, there would come a day when she would look at him with hatred.
