Page 80 of Mountain Dreams

“Ohmigod…” she moaned.

“Yes!” he shouted.

They exploded, holding onto each other as they rode out their release and until their muscles went slack. After they untangled themselves, he went into the bathroom to clean up, and she collapsed on her back.

She took some deep breaths to calm herself and fought the urge to get up and flee the room. She’d promised to stay with him tonight, and she wouldn’t go back on a promise. However, sleeping with him was going to be dangerous. During the height of passion, she’d almost slipped and told him how she really felt about him, but somehow she’d managed to hold it in. The more they were intimate, the harder it would become to hide her feelings, which was why she’d left him so quickly the last time.

She heard him approaching and turned to watch him strolling confidently across the room. Why wouldn’t he be? The man was absolutely breathtaking.

He held out a glass of water. “Thought you might want a drink.”

“Thanks.” She sat up and accepted the glass, taking a long drink before handing it back to him.

He set it on the nightstand and then rejoined her on the bed. Turning to his side, he leaned up on his elbow and gazed at her, causing goosebumps to break out on her arms.

“Are you cold?” he asked, rubbing her arm with his warm hand.

“A little.” She hadn’t wanted to admit that his touch had been the cause of her goosebumps.

He leaned up, grabbed the blanket that was folded at the end of his bed, and pulled it over them. “Better?”

She nodded. Now that the heat of passion had cooled (there were still embers, though), she wasn’t sure what to do or say.

He reached over and caressed her cheek with the back of his hand. “What’s wrong?”

Was she that obvious, or was he the most intuitive man alive in addition to the best lover? “Nothing. Why?”

“You seem tense.”

“Tense?”

She was stalling, and he knew it.

“You can tell me anything. You know that, right?”

She used to feel that way, especially before they’d had sex. Now she felt like she was traversing unfamiliar territory.

“Was it something I did or said?”

His concern touched her, and she was quick to rid him of it. “Absolutely not. You’ve been… You’ve been wonderful.”

“Is this happening too fast? It hasn’t been that long since—”

She placed a finger over his lips, not wanting him to finish. The last thing she wanted to talk about right then was Wyatt. For someone who prided herself on her organizational skills and preparedness, there was nothing that could have prepared her for this. She’d never expected to be intimate with him, let alone have a future with him, but now…

“If you want me to back off, I will. I’ll do whatever you want.”

He searched her eyes, seeking answers she wasn’t prepared to give, but she had to give him something. “You’re doing everything right.”

He sighed. “Then why do I get the feeling there’s something you’re not telling me?”

She was tempted to reach underneath the blanket and distract him from his line of questioning, but she knew it would only be temporary. Afterward, they would be right back to this.

She opened her mouth to speak, and at that moment, the doorbell rang.

Twenty-Five

Cody crawled out from under the blanket, and Maddie tucked it around her breasts.