She shivered.
Jamie took her earlobe between his teeth and bit down gently. “I told you I had plans for you this morning,” he said, his voice a husky promise in her ear.
Rachel gasped as he lifted the hem of the T-shirt she wore, and pushed her shorts and panties down around her thighs. Then his hand was there, exploring her damp heat until she moaned softly.
Before she realized what he was doing, he’d lifted her onto the island so the cool granite was beneath her bare bottom, and her legs dangled over the edge.
“Jamie! You’re going to hurt yourself,” she managed.
But it wasn’t until he pulled up a chair, and eased himself onto it that Rachel understood his intent.
“Oh, no,” she protested, her heart beginning to slam in her chest. “Not here.”
“Oh, yes,” he said, and slid her shorts and underwear completely off, as he slanted a wicked grin at her. “Here, and anywhere else we like, as often as we like.”
Rachel knew she should jump down. She’d done some crazy things in her life, but sex on her mother’s kitchen counter had never been one of them.
“Ohh…” she moaned in distress, seconds before Jamie’s mouth touched her center. And when he positioned her legs over his shoulders and began to lave her with his hot, talented tongue, her moans turned to something altogether different, and any thought of denying him disappeared completely.
*
The sun was dipping behind the distant mountains, streaking the western skies with orange and pink, and taking the warm temperature of the day with it. Jamie sprawled in a lounge chair by the pool and watched Rachel as she dozed on the chair beside him. She wore a bikini top and a pair of shorts, and he watched the rise and fall of her smooth chest, recalling how her breasts had heaved with her agitated breathing earlier that morning, in the kitchen.
He’d lied when he’d told her they could have a no-strings-attached relationship. He’d been so worried she might end things right then and there, he would have said anything to persuade her to keep him around. The truth was, he was head over heels in love with her, and he had no intention of letting her go. In the few days they’d spent together, he’d rediscovered all the reasons why he’d been crazy about her. She was smart, funny, and easy to talk to. He’d even had tantalizing glimpses of the brashly confident girl she’d once been. He wanted that girl. She was in there, somewhere.
He loved watching her laugh, and thought he could easily spend the rest of his life coaxing that smile from her. Making love to her last night had just cemented the deal. It might take time before she finally realized he was the right guy for her—the only guy for her—but he had nothing but time on his hands right now. However long it took, he’d wait for her. Did he want to marry her? Oh, yeah.
He saw goose bumps rise on Rachel’s skin, and squinted at the setting sun, which was almost completely gone now. The air was quickly growing chilly. Reaching out, he gently shook her awake.
“Hey, it’s getting cold out here,” he said, when she opened her eyes and looked at him in bemusement. “Let’s go inside before you catch a cold.”
She sat up and rubbed her hands over her arms. “You’re right; I can’t believe I fell asleep.”
Jamie couldn’t help feeling a little smug. “Well, you didn’t get much sleep last night.”
She actually blushed. “What time is it?”
“Almost seven. Getting hungry?”
“A little. What about you?”
“I’m always hungry.” He laughed. “What if we head into town and grab a bite to eat at Red’s? I could go for some home cooking.”
Red’s Diner had been a fixture in Glacier Creek for as long as Jamie could remember, and he had a sudden hankering for their meat loaf and gravy. Rachel was fishing under the chair for her sandals and deliberately not looking at him.
“It’s dinner, Rachel,” he said, “not a marriage proposal. We both have to eat, and if I didn’t have this goddamned cast on my leg, I’d drive myself into town. But I can’t.”
Rachel did look at him then, and he saw the apology in her eyes. “Right. Sorry. Red’s sounds great.”
“Why don’t you go change into something warmer, and I’ll do the same and meet you back here in fifteen minutes?”
“Do you, uh, need any help?”
Jamie grinned. “Sweetheart, I will never turn down an offer like that, but I should warn you—if you come anywhere near my bedroom, I guarantee we will not be heading into town for dinner.”
Even in the fading light, Jamie didn’t miss the warm color that crept into her face. She stood up reluctantly.