I nod. “Okay.”
I wait until he gets on his bike to close my window so the AC doesn’t escape. Last thing I want to be is a sweaty, nervous mess. I turn left down the hidden driveway lined by thick trees. It seems to go on and on. But after about two miles, the property opens up. This isn’t a camp, it’s a family retreat. He gestures for me to park next to his bike and I do.
Then he opens my car door and I climb out. “This place is incredible.” I look around in awe. The front lawn is level and has a volleyball court and rock fire pit surrounded by top-of-the-line lounge chairs and handmade wood tables.
The house is rustic but comfortable looking. The front includes a covered patio and complete outdoor kitchen. The entrance opens into a spacious multi-use room. There’s framed movie posters along the wall. Two rows of leather theater seats are arranged in front of a one-hundred-inch projection screen. I eye the man-sized gun safe situated next to a full-service bar with six stools. The kitchen and dining area are on the other side of the room.
I never knew about this place. “A camp?” I ask, sure to sound sarcastic.
“Yeah,” he smiles. “Like it?”
“I’d move in tomorrow.”
He chuckles. “There’s a full bath down the hallway across from the master suite. Three bunk rooms down there.” He points. “Maybe I should have called it a hunting lodge.”
I scan the rest of the room. I missed the deer racks on the other wall. “Definitely a better description.”
“Did you bring a bag?” he asks.
“In the car.”
He nods, his blue eyes pinned to mine. “Want some coffee?”
“Please.”
“I brewed a fresh pot right before you called.”
I follow him across the room and into the kitchen, complete with stainless steel appliances and luxury cabinets. I wonder why he never mentioned this place before. He pours me a cup of coffee and I reach around him to grab the mug. Big mistake. As soon as my breasts brush against his back, he goes rigid.
“Serafina.” He spins around and tugs me into his arms.
We’re instantly lip-locked, his tongue buried deep in my mouth. I love the way he tastes. I love the way his hands wander all over my body. I also know how dangerous this all is. Just our kisses alone are enough to confuse me. To rip my bloody heart out and remind me what I was robbed of.
I explore his back with my fingernails, feeling every ripple of muscle through his clothes, detecting the tension in his body. We’re both starving for each other, and it feels so good to be touched. I tip my head sideways, staring into his cool eyes while our kiss gets more intense, our hands bolder. A dark promise glitters in his eyes, and I know if I let him fulfill it, if I open myself up to whatever gets Eagle off, I’ll never be the same.
He breaks the kiss suddenly. “If we keep doing this, Serafina, we won’t make it out the door today.”
I brush my bangs back, feeling my face flush. “I-I know.”
He picks up the mug off the counter. “Here.” He shoves it in my hands.
“Thank you.” I move around him this time, pour some half-and-half in my coffee, then add a teaspoon of sugar. “How long have you had this place?”
“Four years,” he says. “Used to belong to my father.”
He stalks to the far side of the living area and raises the blinds on three floor-to-ceiling windows. “One of the main reasons I bought the place was because of the incredible view of the Red River. My father offered the property to me first; otherwise he was going to put it on the market for twice the price I paid.”
I join him and stare out the windows. Beautiful. The house is situated in a bend of the river; old growth trees hang low along the bank. There’s a patio. “Can we go outside?”
“Sure.” He opens the glass door and gestures for me to step outside first.
A light breeze cools my face. “How much waterfront do you get?”
“Seven hundred feet. There’s a small boathouse over there.” He points and I look. “A hundred acres of virgin land.”
I smile at his choice of words. The land isn’t the only virgin in his presence. And I’m not in the mood to tell him that piece of information—it might freak him out. When we were younger he had every right to press me for sex, but Eagle always told me to wait, to make sure the man I made love with for the first time mattered. So I missed my chance with him. Survival needs wrecked any chance of having a new relationship. Up until now, I’ve relied on myself for sexual relief.
“Do you hunt?” I ask, steering my mind and body away from thinking too much about sex.
