Chapter 15
Birds crowing in thetrees woke Krista with a start early the next morning. Plastered against Shane’s broad—bare—back, she hazily recalled that at some point in the night, between lovemaking sessions, he’d retrieved her mattress and sleeping bag from her tent, and they’d fallen asleep crammed against each other.
Which wasn’t a bad thing, just...unusual.
It being her first one-night stand, Krista didn’t know quite know what to do or how to behave. Quietly, she peeled herself away from Shane’s hot skin. Cool air slicked her bare breasts, bringing her attention to the alarming fact that she was butt naked.Jesus Murphy, what had she done?She fumbled quietly for her clothes and dressed in a hurry.
Last night had been dirty, sexy, and wonderful—and she’d been so...brazen and bold!
But she hadn’t given a thought to how it would be between them in the harsh light of The Morning After. Seduced by the earthy wilderness, they’d gotten carried away—she’dgotten carried away. Her cheeks were already burning with the awkwardness that would no doubt hang around her and Shane for the next few days, pretending nothing ever happened. Because really, hiking together afterwards wasn’t how one-night stands were meant to go, was it? Weren’t they all about making a hasty getaway after a perky,Thanks, that was funand a quick,See you around?
Just like Lisa’s conquests did. Krista would often hear them at dawn, trying to figure out how to open the locks on the front door. But she couldn’t exactly slip out into the street and hail a cab home out here. So, what were the next three days going to be like?
Cursing her lack of foresight, Krista slowly creaked the tent’s zipper up high enough for her to crawl out.
A warm hand wrapped around her calf and stopped her.
“Did you leave the money on the side for me, baby?” Shane drawled.
“Very funny.” She eased his hand off her leg.
“You gonna run away and hide from what happened last night, Krista, or are you gonna own it?”
Now, what did that mean?
“I don’t run away and hide from anything,” she said, and to prove it, she looked him straight in the eye—until he sat up and the sleeping bag dropped low past his hips. Krista’s gaze shifted to his chest and down his abs. Last night in the dark, she’d licked his nipples and fondled every part of his naked body. Her mouth went dry at the memory. Her brain scrambled. She said the first thing that came to mind. “I really need to pee.”
“Go ahead and relieve yourself, my mistress.” Shane lay back down with a regal wave of his hand. “I’ll be here for when you require my services again.”
“Thanks, but it was aone-night stand, remember?“ She scurried out and ran to the washroom. She’d meant what she’d said last night. She and Shane would only have one night of sex, because doing it again—and again—would mean they’d started athing.
And Krista didn’t dothings.
She did solid, long-lasting relationships, based on friendship and understanding. And she couldn’t—wouldn’t—waste her time and energy on yet another man who didn’t want the same things she did.
So, just one wild night it would remain. A summer vacation treat that they’d both needed.
And man, had she needed it.
A giggle bubbled up inside her. She really had been so demanding last night! She’d thoroughly used Shane for her sexual pleasure, telling him exactly what she liked and how she liked it—which he must’ve gotten a lot out of too, if his hot, hard need for her body had been anything to go by.
She was still smiling when she returned to camp.
Until the sight of a shirtless Shane wiped it clean off her face. He was boiling water for coffee, and when he saw her, he merely raised one eyebrow as if to say,You looking at me?
Too right, she was.
Elite athletes like Shane McDermit trained super-humanly hard. Those sculpted pecs, shoulders, and biceps—those molded abs... They took years of discipline and commitment to develop. A body like hisshouldbe looked at. It should be appreciated.
And Shane’s slow smile told her he liked her appreciation. Very much.
Krista stopped drooling and cleared her throat. “So, um...did you sleep okay?”
“Eventually.” Shane’s lips quirked as he handed her a cup of coffee. He then lifted his own to his lips, keeping his gaze steady on hers.
“We agreed one night only,” she said, shooting down that look in his eyes. “The vacation treat, remember?”
