There were logs stacked in the firewood holder, and he already had several pieces of newspaper lit when he began adding them. Once he looked satisfied, he straightened and set his eyes on me.
I was dripping with water and shaking violently, a towel clenched in my white-knuckled hands.
Outside, the storm gathered strength. The pine trees battered against the window in the wind. There was another flash of lightning as Jason peeled his shirt off, tossing it into a wet heap near the fire.
Even in the firelight, the goosebumps on his skin could be seen clear across the room.
The rumble of thunder shook the windowpane.
Seeing him shirtless made my mouth dry, and my throat bobbed in a sticky swallow. He stared at me as if I should be doing something, but I couldn’t think what. All I was aware of was the numbness in my body and the shivering I couldn’t get under control.
He held my gaze as he made his approach, then guided me closer to the glowing fire in the fireplace. He took the towel from my hands, let it fall to the floor, and grasped the hem of my sweater.
Oh.I raised my arms, letting him strip off the soaked wool and add it to his pile of clothes. His action exposed the simple black camisole I had on underneath, and I folded my arms across my chest to hold in my warmth.
His hands worked to undo the button of his jeans and tug the zipper down.
My heart thudded faster. “What are you doing?”
“I’m getting out of these wet clothes.” He said it quickly, like he was angry, but not with me. “I don’t want hypothermia.”
He yanked his jeans off and threw them to the floor, making a sopping noise when they went. Perhaps he’d spoken with urgency because he’d hoped it’d spur me into action, but it had the opposite effect. I went as wooden as a tree.
He wore a pair of gray boxer briefs that hugged him, but everywhere else was muscle and beautiful skin. I averted my gaze to the fireplace. He was so damn hot, if I looked any longer, it would burn my retinas.
But my body was shutting down from the cold, and I wanted to retreat inside myself. To search for any flicker of warmth left there. That was the moment he stepped forward and his fingers found the button at the waistband of my jeans.
The memory of him doing this in the car blasted heat through me, making my legs weak.
“Are you going to do it?” he asked.
I shook my head, flinging water droplets from my hair, shivering too violently to move. “I’m too cold.”
Plus, stripping down to my underwear in front of him had to be the worst idea ever. Or maybe it was the best. It was impossible to tell.
I didn’t get time to consider it. Jason had my pants unbuttoned and unzipped with the same efficiency I’d expected him to be able to load his gun. He dropped to a knee as he tugged the denim down over my hips and the cold air pebbled the skin on my thighs.
Abruptly, he groaned like I was killing him. It was because the last thing he’d probably expected to find was pink lace. Heshot back up onto his feet, looking dizzy with lust and the desire not to act on it, pulling him in two different directions.
Frankly, I wasn’t concerned about it. All I wanted was to be warm. He turned to the bed, pulled off the heavy quilt, and wrapped it around his broad shoulders. Then he faced me, held his arms out, and wordlessly asked me to step into his embrace.
Where it could be warm.
But also extremely dangerous.
My only chance of escaping him disappeared when he moved forward and closed his arms around me, wrapping us up in the quilt. His skin was cold against my bare skin. His arms tightened when I let mine slip around his waist.
The fire in the fireplace was finally putting out some heat, but it was no match for the one building between us. I wanted to resist, yet I wanted to give in.
But it was clear he knew what he wanted.
He placed a hand on my cheek, turned my head into his kiss, and we were doomed.
25
JASON
Rain fell in sheets,pounding against the roof in a steady roar. The comforter I’d wrapped around Laurel slipped from my shoulders, falling away faster than my resolve not to kiss her again.
