She felt the heat radiating off him against the chill of her sweat-damp back. He smelled clean, like a man who’d been working hard mixed with the scent of soap underneath. It was the most natural thing in the world to tip her head back and let it rest against his chest. He pressed his lips against her forehead and suddenly no one was paying all that much attention to the map anymore. He wrapped his arms around her, his forearms brushing the undersides of her breasts, and for a moment they simply stood, breathing each other in, lost in the sounds of the forest and steady beat of his heart.
Neither of them moved to start exploring, but almost by unspoken rule, they didn’t start kissing again. Now that she knew what it felt like to have his lips on hers, to breathe with him, she was pretty sure it would be even harder to stop the second time.
“So in theory, it should be right in front of us?” He pulled her in tighter against him, resting his chin on the top of her head.
“Yep.” Amanda scanned the pile of rock in front of them.
They were going to have to start climbing if they wanted to find the cache. She just hoped the place was marked. She had no intention of wriggling her hand in between downed boulders. It was late enough in the season for the snakes to be dormant, but sun-warmed rocks made a great thermal heat sink and she had no intention of taking any chances—with either of them.
“Well, I don’t imagine we can call it to us.”
He let go of her and she resisted the urge to pull his arms back around her.
“Nope, I don’t think it works that way.” She took a step away from him and toward the rock before she gave in to the temptation to snuggle back into his arms.
Walking along the edge of the tumble of rock, she looked for the best vantage place, finally settling for one of the larger boulders off to the side. It would take some finesse to get on top of it but once she was there, she should be able to see most of the rest of the pile. It was more bouldering than actual climbing. Rather than dig out her shoes, she tightened the boot laces that had worked themselves loose while they hiked and looked for a good foothold. The one she settled on had a handhold within easy reach. She hoisted herself up and glanced back to see Michael following behind her.
“See anything?” he asked, holding himself on the rock below her.
“Not yet. Come on up. You’re taller than I am.” She moved to the edge of the boulder to make room for him to climb up beside her.
“There,” he said, pointing to something off to the left.
Continuing to point, he bent his knees until their heads were at the same height. She followed the direction of his gaze and caught a glimpse of something purple. Definitely not something that belonged in a pile of boulders.
“I see it! That’s not too bad.”
It was only about halfway up the pile of boulders and well below any of the dodgier bits that would have required gear. She hadn’t noticed it earlier because it was tucked off to the side of one of the larger rocks. It didn’t look like there was a good way for them to get to the cache from where they were. A gap in the tumble of rocks made it too dangerous to approach from where they stood. They’d have to climb down and start again from the other side. Marking the spot in her mind so she could find it again from the ground, she followed Michael down the boulder. Before she reached the bottom, he was there, scooping her into his arms under the guise of helping her down.
“Those last two feet were a tricky bit of climbing,” he said, still keeping his arms wrapped around her. “I didn’t want you to fall.”
“What about now?” Her feet skimmed the ground but he still held most of her weight.
“Now is because I want to hold you.” His voice took on a husky edge and desire coiled low in her belly.
He nuzzled her neck, his breath hot against her ear while he nipped and kissed the sensitive skin. By the time his mouth reached the place where her throat met her shoulders, she was afraid her knees were too weak for her to stand. It didn’t matter; it didn’t seem like he had any intention of letting her go. His teeth scraped against the back of her neck along her trapezius, and she hissed in a breath. His touch was just a little rough, exactly the way she liked it.
“I love how strong you are,” he said, laying a trail of kisses over the muscle that ran along the back of her shoulder.
His words made her shudder. It had been a long time since she’d been self-conscious about her body. She loved her strength and flexibility, loved what she could do. She was comfortable in her own skin, but it hadn’t always been that way. And she’d never felt delicate or as feminine as someone like Becca. She didn’t carry those insecurities anymore, but knowing he not only accepted but appreciated her strength amped up her desire.
She tipped her head to the side as she worried her bottom lip with her teeth, eager to give him better access, aching to have him touch her. She wanted him everywhere—his mouth, his hands: all of him—and she didn’t want to be a passive participant anymore. Shifting so she could twist around in his arms to face him, she wound her arms around his neck and tangled her fingers in his dark hair.
It fell short of the collar of his thermal, but it was long enough to curl over his neck and soft enough for her to sink her fingers into. Needing his lips on hers, she tugged him to her, and his eyes went dark.
“Wrap your legs around me,” he commanded, and she hurried to comply.
She didn’t have to worry if he was strong enough to hold her. She knew. He could carry her without straining. It made her feel small, delicate, protected. She hurried to hook her legs around his hips and groaned when she felt the long, hard length of him pressed against her core. He caught her mouth with his, swallowing the sound as the rock pressed against her back.
She was literally caught between a rock and a hard place. She’d tease him about it later, but for now the only thing she could concentrate on was the man holding her, fitting himself against her, rocking into her so she could ride the hard edge of his body. The man who’d somehow managed to make her feel more with her clothes on than she’d ever felt before.
She tipped her hips, grinding against him and heard a flurry of needy little cries. It took her a few seconds to realize the noises were coming from her, but when she opened her eyes and saw the heat and naked hunger reflected in his, she couldn’t feel embarrassed. He wanted her the way she wanted him and there was a power and a submission in that she’d never felt so completely before.
“I want you so much,” he said, his voice practically a growl, “but you deserve more than a quick fuck against a rock.”
She thought about arguing. She wanted him with a desperation that made a vertical quickie seem like a reasonable option. And the coarseness of his words only fed her hunger. It was the expression on his face that stopped her. He looked so intense, so serious and it added weight to whatever it was they were doing.
“Whenwe make love.” He punched the wordwhenand her stomach did a little flip. “I want to take my time. I already know I’m never going to get enough of you.”
