She stared around her, at the ring of trees that stood watch over the silken grass, at the frothy waterfall tumbling down the face of a cliff into a natural pool of deepest sapphire.
“It’s like—it’s like the Garden of Eden.”
“It’s peaceful,” he said softly, “and untouched. The kind of place where you can feel safe from the world.”
She looked at him, knowing instinctively that he’d given her a glimpse of himself he kept hidden from everyone else. He seemed to realize it because he flashed a quick, embarrassed smile, dropped the pack under a tree and yanked off his T-shirt.
“Okay,” he said briskly, “last one in gets stuck with tonight’s dinner dishes.”
“You’re going to swim in that water?”
Her look of disbelief made him laugh. “Sure.”
“But—but what about snakes?”
Matthew kicked off his sandals. “What about ’em?”
“Matthew—”
“I haven’t seen an anaconda yet.”
Mia paled. “An anaconda?”
“Yeah. You know. Maybe twenty feet long, two feet around… Baby, I’m teasing you. No anacondas, no crocs, no gators. We’re in the mountains. The Amazon’s a long way from here.”
“I haven’t got a swimsuit.”
He laughed, unzipped his denim shorts and stepped out of them. “It’s called skinny-dipping.”
Mia’s gaze skimmed over her lover. What he was called, was spectacular. He was gorgeous. A hunk of pure masculinity. Those shoulders. That chest. That long, amazing body…
“Not fair.”
Her eyes flew to his. “What?”
“You’re looking me over.” His voice was husky; his laughter had stopped. “But you’re not giving me the same opportunity.”
“Of course I— Oh.”
“Exactly. I’m wearing skin. You’re wearing clothes.” Matthew closed the distance between them. “Let me help you undress, baby.”
“I can do it.”
“I can do it better.”
He was right. Oh, yes, he could do it so much better.
The feel of his hands on her arms as he drew her cotton tank top over her head. The brush of his knuckles against her belly as he unzipped her shorts. The whisper of his mouth on her throat as he bent his head, reached behind her and undid the clasp of her bra.
“You’re so beautiful.” She looked up at him and he cupped her face in his hands. “So beautiful,” he said, taking her mouth with his.
She kissed him back, her fingers curling into the thick, silky hair at the base of his neck, her naked breasts soft against his muscled chest.
He’d made love to her over and over and yet, she was ready for him again, her nipples beading, aching for his touch, the secret place between her thighs turning wet and hot.
And he was ready for her. The power of his erection against her belly was as much proof as the way his hands were moving over her.
Slowly she lifted herself to him. Moved her hips against his, glorying in the way he caught his breath. He cupped her face again and kissed her hungrily.