shrugged. “I guess you could say that, although I wouldn’t place the blame squarely on Crystal’s shoulders. Bane was as much into Crystal as Crystal was into Bane. They were both sticks of dynamite waiting to explode.”
“Where is she now?”
“Don’t know. I’m not sure if Bane even knows. He never says and I prefer not to ask,” Aidan said, getting off his horse and tying it to the rail in front of the cabin.
He moved to assist her from her horse and braced himself for the onslaught of emotions he knew he would feel when he did so.
“You don’t have to help me down, Aidan. I can manage.”
“I’m sure you can but I’m offering my assistance anyway,” he said, reaching his arms up to her.
For a minute he thought she would refuse his offer, but then she slid into his embrace. And as expected the moment they touched, fire shot through him. He actually felt his erection throb. He didn’t say anything as he stared into her face. How could she arouse him to this degree?
“You can let go of me now, Aidan.”
He blinked, realizing her feet were on the ground yet his arms were still around her waist. He tried to drop his arms but couldn’t. It was as if they had a mind of their own.
Then, in a surprise move, she reached up and placed her arms around his neck. “This is crazy,” she whispered in a quiet tone. “I shouldn’t want this but I’m not thinking straight.”
He shouldn’t want it, either, but at that moment nothing could stop him. “We’re leaving tomorrow. When we get back to our respective territories we can think straight then.”
“What about right now?” she asked, staring deep into his gaze.
“Right now all I want to do is taste you again, Jillian. So damn bad.”
She lifted her chin. “Then do it.”
He doubted she knew what she was saying because her lips weren’t the only thing he wanted to taste. He lowered his mouth to hers, thinking that she would find that out soon enough.
* * *
At that particular moment, Jillian couldn’t deny herself the enjoyment of this kiss even if her life had depended on it.
She was getting what she wanted in full force—Aidan Westmoreland–style.
She stood with her arms wrapped around his neck and their lips locked, mesmerized, totally captivated, completely enthralled. How his tongue worked around in her mouth was truly remarkable. Every bone, every pore and every nerve ending responded to the way she was being thoroughly kissed. When had she become capable of such an intense yearning like this, where every lick and suck of Aidan’s tongue could send electrical waves through her?
“Let’s go inside,” he whispered, pulling back from the kiss while tonguing her lips.
“Inside?” She could barely get the question past the feeling of burning from the inside out.
“Yes. We don’t need to be out here in the open.”
No they didn’t. She had gotten so caught up in his kiss that she’d forgotten where they were. But instead of saying they shouldn’t even be kissing, in the open or behind closed doors, she didn’t resist him when he took her hand and tugged her toward the cabin.
Once the door closed behind them she looked around and was surprised at how tidy the place was. Definitely not what she’d expected. It was a one-room cabin with an iron bed. The colorful bedspread matched the curtains and coordinated with the huge area rug.
She turned to Aidan. “This is nice. Who keeps this place up?”
“Gemma promised Bane that she would and of course she had to put her signature on it. Now that she’s getting married and moving to Australia, Bailey will take over. This place is important to Bane. He spends time here whenever he comes home.”
Jillian nodded. “How’s he doing?”
Aidan shrugged. “Okay now. It was hard for him to buckle down and follow authority, but he has no other choice if he wants to be a SEAL.”
She’d heard that was Bane Westmoreland’s goal. “So no one usually comes out this way?” She needed to know. There would be no turning back after today and she needed to make sure they didn’t get caught.
“Rarely, although Ramsey uses this land on occasion for his sheep. But you don’t have to worry about anyone showing up if that’s what you’re worried about.”
She turned to face him. “I don’t know why I’m doing this.”
He touched her chin and tilted her head back to meet his gaze. “Do you want me to tell you?”
“Think you got it all figured out?”
He nodded. “Yes, I think I do.”
“Okay then, let’s hear it,” she said, backing up to sit on the edge of the bed.
He moved to sit down on a nearby stool. “We’re attracted to each other.”
She chuckled slightly. “Tell me something I don’t know, Aidan.”
“What if I say that we’ve sort of gotten obsessed with each other?”
She frowned. “Obsessed is too strong a word, I think. We’ve only kissed twice.”
“Actually three times. And I’m dying for the fourth. Aren’t you?”
She knew she had to be honest with him and stop denying the obvious. “Yes, but I don’t understand why.”
He got up from the stool and stood. “Maybe it’s not for us to understand, Jillian.”
“How can you say that? How do you think our family would react if they knew we were carrying on like this behind their backs?”
He slowly crossed the room to stand in front of where she sat. “We won’t know how they’d react because you’re determined to keep this a secret, aren’t you?”
She tilted her head to look up at him. “Yes. I couldn’t hurt Pam that way. She expects me to stay focused on school. And if I did get involved with a guy, I’m sure she wouldn’t want that guy to be you.”
He frowned. “And what is so bad about getting involved with me?”
“I think you know the answer to that. She thinks of us as one big family. And there’s your reputation. But, like you said, we’ll be leaving tomorrow and going our separate ways. What’s happening between us is curiosity taking its toll on our common sense.”
“That’s what you think?” he asked, reaching out and taking a lock of her hair between his fingers.
“Yes, that’s what I think.” She noticed something in the depths of his eyes that gave her pause—but only for a second. That’s all the time it took for her gaze to lower from his eyes to his mouth.
She watched as he swept the tip of his tongue across his lips. “I can still taste you, you know,” he said in a low, husky tone.
She nodded slowly. “Yes, I know.” Deciding to be honest, she said, “And the reason I know is because I can still taste you, as well.”
Aidan wished Jillian hadn’t said that. After their first kiss, he’d concluded she had enjoyed it as much as he had. When they’d gone another round he’d been sure of it. Just like he was sure that, although her experience with kissing had been at a minimum, she was a fast learner. She had kept up with him, stroke for stroke. And now, for her to confess that she could still taste him, the same way he could still taste her, sent his testosterone level soaring.