She made a sound that was somewhere between a squeak and a sigh, her body melting against his, her breasts with their pebbled tips pressing against his ribs, her hands sliding behind his neck to draw him down to her. Either she had more experience than he’d imagined, or she was one hell of a fast learner.
Hunger for her surged through him, his blood going hot, his cock growing hard despite the chilly water. He wanted more of her, so much more.
He bent her head back, kissed and tasted the sensitive skin beneath her ear, inhaling her sunshine scent, nibbling his way along her throat, the fingers of his other hand slowly tracing the length of her spine. “Megs.”
He cupped one soft, firm buttock, instinctively rocked his hips against her, and she stiffened again. She’d felt it—his hard-on.
He took a step back. “Does that scare you?”
She didn’t answer right away, seemed to consider her words.
“Not really,” she said at last. “Can I touch you there?”
Hell, what was he supposed to say to that? “If you want to.”
He took her hand to guide her, but she pulled it from his grasp. Okay, so she wanted to do this herself. “Go ahead. I trust you.”
Her hand closed tentatively around him, moved the length of his erection, her thumb exploring the aching head.
He clenched his teeth, sucked in a breath, ragged darts of pleasure shooting through his belly.
She jerked her hand away. “Did I hurt you?”
He couldn’t help but laugh, arousal hot in his veins. “No, it felt good.”
She reached for him again, but this time he stopped her.
“We should stop before things go too far.”
Disappointment flashed through her eyes, became defiance. “I’m not a little girl.”
“Of course not, but I don’t have a condom.”
Her brow furrowed with confusion. “A … what?”
Mitch couldn’t believe she’d never heard the word before. Then again, he knew from some female friends he’d met at college that too many parents told their daughters next to nothing about sex. “A condom—a rubber.”
Understanding dawned, her eyes going wide. “Oh. Right.”
“Come.” He walked back to the edge of the lake, then stepped naked onto the boulder and sat beside their clothes, the breeze raising goosebumps on his wet skin.
She stayed in the water, arms crossed over her breasts, her gaze exploring him with a sweet combination of curiosity and desire.
“Do you want me to turn around?”
She shook her head, then drew a breath as if gathering her courage. Then she lowered her arms—and walked out of the tarn.
Mitch wouldn’t have been able to avert his gaze if he’d wanted to, the sight of her doing nothing to cool the heat in his blood. She was fit and slender like a dancer, her breasts tiny but firm, their taut nipples peeking through the wet ends of her hair where it clung to her skin. Her legs were long for her height, her waist narrow. The triangle of curls that covered her sex were wet, clinging to the sweet flesh beneath.
She shivered, scrambled up the boulder, and lay down on her belly beside him, her hair spilling over one shoulder. “Mmm. The rock is nice and warm.”
They talked about everything except what had just happened. The weather. Megs’ job. What they might climb together next. Whether God was real or a myth created by people to explain the universe when they didn’t understand science.
Mitch took a chance. “I believe God is real.”
“I don’t. If God is there, why does He or She let so much awful shit happen? How can there be God and Nazis in the same universe?”
“I don’t know. It doesn’t make sense.” Mitch found himself looking into her gray eyes and feeling completely lost. “I guess some things aren’t meant to be understood.”
