her thighs. His arm around her waist tightened, and for a second, he stopped treading water.
Then he tucked her against his side, lifted his mouth from hers and side-stroked them both to shallower water where he could put his feet down on the muddy bottom of the lake. The water came up to her shoulders.
Safe.
They were as safe as he could make them in this moment. Her strong legs slipped around his and he felt like he’d found something in Jessie that he hadn’t been aware he’d been searching for.
It was the last thought he had before he lowered his head, brushing his lips over hers again.
A jolt of adrenaline and lust went through him again and he tangled one hand in her wet hair, pulling her head back so he had a better angle for the kiss. He thrust his tongue into her mouth, feeling her tongue brush over his. Her hand on his head tightened, the other stroked his chest. She squeezed his pectoral muscle before letting her hand drift to his hip. She reached behind him, cupping his butt and drawing him closer to her.
He pulled his head from hers and looked down at her. Her eyes were half-closed, her lips swollen and parted. Her hair drifted out behind her on the surface of the water. And he felt something inside him change.
He couldn’t identify it but a part of him knew this kiss was different. Jessie was different. He held her with one arm around her waist and lifted her slightly until her breasts were revealed.
He caught his breath, watching her as she put her hands on his shoulders and then arched in his arms.
Her breasts were thrust upward and forward to him, and he groaned, lowering his head toward one of her nipples. She lifted one hand, pushing it through his wet hair as he licked her nipple and suckled at it through the flimsy bra.
Her legs came up around his waist, and she used her strength to hold herself wrapped around him.
The tip of his erection rubbed against her center and he heard her breath catch. She moaned, and the birds on the shore answered the sound. They were one with each other and the lake.
She slipped her arms around his neck, pulling close so that he couldn’t tell where his body ended and hers began. She awakened a hunger in him for so much more than just kisses. But he never wanted to lift his mouth from hers.
He caressed her long back. She had a lean torso with a nipped-in waist. He squeezed her hips and slid his hands lower to cradle her behind. To be honest, her figure was the first thing he’d noticed about her at the party. Her ass was world-class and he’d wanted to cup her cheeks and hold her against his body. And now he could.
His tongue tangled with hers and she sucked on it before leaning back, loosening her arms so she could rest her forehead against his. Her eyes were closed and each of her exhalations brushed over his jaw and neck. She returned her hands to his shoulders as she opened her eyes and he felt her gaze searching his.
It was as if they were made for each other. She was taller than most women and fit him better.
He liked the feeling of her pressed against him. He ran his fingers along the small of her back, saw the gooseflesh spread on her arms and felt her nipples tighten even more against his chest.
She made him forget everything else.
He shifted his hips and rubbed himself against her. The tip of his cock started to slide inside of her. He pulled his hips back before he went any further. Damn.
He didn’t want to have to think, because she felt so good in his arms, but he lifted his head before the push of lust drove him any further. He was afraid to speak and break the magic of this moment. Of this night.
In that moment he had his answer. He had to talk to her. This woman wasn’t his for just one night. They were both on the Bar T Ranch working at the Cronus facility for the next six weeks.
He couldn’t screw her and then pretend nothing had happened, because she was different. She made him different.
He put his forehead on hers and closed his eyes, thinking of anything that would cool the lust raging through him. He couldn’t just be; he needed to be better.
“Are you on the Pill?” he asked.
He was healthy as a horse and tested often for everything under the sun. He was pretty sure that Jessie was healthy, as well, so at issue for him was the fact that he’d be leaving for a long-term mission in space. He didn’t want to leave behind any surprises. Not because he got carried away in the lake with Jessie.
“What?”
“Are you on the Pill?” he asked.
She wedged her arm between them and he let her go. His body was cooling down rapidly now that she was a few feet from him.
“I am. But damn, how did that escalate so quickly?” she asked. “I’m not... I can’t... I... Fuck. I’m sorry, Hemi. I didn’t mean for any of this to happen. I’m not really myself.”
He nodded.
Be cool.
But he didn’t feel cool. He was on fire for her. Obviously her reaction was helping to give him some perspective, but another part of him wondered why something that had felt so damned right to him was making her run away.
She did that a lot, he realized.
She functioned best by retreating when she didn’t want to deal with something—or, more specifically, someone.
Him.
“It’s okay,” he said.
“Thank you,” she said. “I know it’s not okay and I turned you on and then—”
“We turned each other on, Jessie. I don’t know how things got that hot that quickly, but they did. No denying it.”
She nibbled on her lower lip and he closed his eyes. Watching her was only keeping him in a state of semi-arousal. He turned and waded toward the dock. He heard her swimming behind him but didn’t allow himself to look at her until he’d forced his wet body into the gym pants he’d discarded minutes ago.
He could tell she was behind him, getting dressed, and only when he heard her sit down did he turn to face her. She had retreated inside of herself again and he knew he had to let her go.
She stood up as he reached for his shoes, and their hands bumped. They were so close to each other, he couldn’t help himself. He put his hands on her jaw, feeling the wet strands of her hair against the backs. He traced the shell of her ear as he leaned in and kissed her. Not with raging passion but with affection. He kissed her with all the longing in his soul because walking away from her wouldn’t be as easy as he knew it should be.
They’d just met, but it didn’t feel like that. He wanted to say he knew her but he knew only what she’d let him see—and probably a few things she hadn’t meant to reveal.
“I’m sorry things got carried away.”
“I’m not. I thought...well, I’m not ready for this, Hemi. I have a class to teach and you’re going to be one of my students and...”
“You don’t need one of your pupils all hot for teacher. I get it.”
She put her hands on his chest and then slid them around his waist, hugging him close and resting her head right over his heart. He struggled to keep his heartbeat from going wild. He didn’t want to reveal that holding her made him hot.
“I’m sorry.”
She pulled away from him and picked up her shoes, walking up the dock and toward the instructors’ cabins. He followed her. His father had drilled it into him that a gentleman always saw a lady home.
He kept his distance, though, because he knew she wanted to be alone.
He’d let her go. He was here for a reason. His sole determination and focus should be on getting onto the crew of the first Cronus mission.
But