He’d taken the out. “We should eat,” she said robotically, though food was the last thing her body wanted.
“Yeah.”
He dragged a bag over and they ate in silence—joyless freeze-dried food. Afterward he gathered the rubbish and strolled to the kayak to stash it. She cleared her throat and he looked up, as if expecting her to speak. She coughed unconvincingly. The air thickened. High in a tree, a ruru gave a breathy hoot.
“You know,” he said, “kissing you...your neck...”
She broke out in full-body goose bumps.
“It ain’t about stress, not for me,” he continued, his voice deep.
“What...what is it about?”
“Some pretty whacked circumstances planted you and me here, but I reckon if I’d met you somewhere else, some other day, we would still have ended up in this situation, where something might happen. And I’m not saying that just because you’re hot.”
Holy cow.Something might happen? Andyou’re hot?
“I can honestly say I’ve never met a woman like you.”
She snorted involuntarily.
“I’m serious, Tia.”
“Yeah, I get that comment a lot.” Usually from guys who wanted to play friends with benefits.You’re basically a guy with tits,one hopeful had said, in a tone of awe like it was a compliment.You know you’re not girlfriend material, right?said another as if stating the obvious—after a weekend of behaving as if she were exactly that.
“I’m not surprised,” Cody said. “You’re incredible. Smart, funny, tough—”
“—just one of the boys.”
“Uh, no, that wasn’t where I was going with that. You’re seriously the sexiest woman I ever met and I’m insanely turned on by everything about you.”
She blinked. Behind him, the stream bubbled, the river rushed.
“But if you get that a lot...” he said.
“Yeah, no, not so much.” She felt like she was suddenly breathing at altitude.
“So...if you feel you wanna...see where this ends up tonight, I’m good with that. Very good with that. But no pressure.”
Tonight.One night, which was all it could be. What was with the fear shrinking her chest? Even if he wasn’t being genuine—and she could swear he was—she couldn’t get her heart broken. He was a hot tourist she’d never see again, but he was also a real guy with raw scars, who wasn’t trying to be anyone else.
“Okay,” she squeaked.
He didn’t move. “Honestly? I was looking for a little more enthusiasm.”
She laughed nervously. The cold seeping from the ground was no match for the heat going the other way. She shifted, the fly of her shorts putting more pressure on the area that wanted the pressure. What the hell? Why not be that woman who took what she wanted? And damn, she wanted him. He was all hers, just for tonight, in this sanctuary.
He was motionless, his face in shadow. Waiting—for her. At this rate she’d catch alight, and he’d hardly touched her.
Do this, Tia.Be this woman.She pushed to her feet and stepped toward him. Her bad leg buckled and she hopped for balance, her skin tightening in panic. Suddenly he was there, his hands circling her waist. She grabbed his upper arms and righted herself. Not the sexy saunter she’d intended—but it’d landed her right where she wanted, staring up into his dark eyes.
“I’m good with it, too—us, this, tonight,” she said. Damn her wavering voice. “Very good.”
“Estupendo.”
“Indeed.”
She slowly unzipped his jacket and smoothed her palms up the hard contours of his chest, bunching his silky merino thermal. His lungs were working hard, just like hers. He wasn’t as cool as he’d been a minute ago, like this meant something to him. Temporary could still be real.
