At that, his gaze dropped. “I’m trying to spare you,” he said. “And that’s not me coming up with bullshit excuses. You’re a good person. You’re all sunshine and light and caring. I feel like I’m the darkness that’s going to poison everything good about you.”
He reached down and brushed a lock of hair from her cheek, and left his hand there, touching her lightly. She felt a tingle of arousal at his touch.
He stifled a groan. “I can’t tell you how much I want you, Jamie. I’m fighting to stay away from you, and that’s draining me even more. I thought I could start courting you, be with you…but after this week, I feel I’m drowning. Too many fights. No time to take a break. It’s…” He sucked in a raspy breath.
“If you’re stressed out, you don’t have to talk, you don’t have to joke around, you can just…sit with me.” She reached up and pressed her hand over his. “I don’t know how long I’ll be here, Miles. There’s family stuff that I can’t talk about. Why don’t we take things day by day? And stop making things harder on yourself. If you want to spend time with me, then do it. Come by my cabin when I get home. We can walk in the woods and just sit there and not talk or…”
He let out a low growl and pulled her to him.
“You’re right. No more talking. I’m sick of fighting this,” he said.
She thought he was going to kiss her, but instead he bent and scooped her effortlessly into his arms. The breath caught in her chest and her tummy gave a happy little flip. Dakota wasn’t petite. She wasn’t dainty. But in Miles’s arms, she felt utterly feminine.
Without another word, he headed for his cabin in long, powerful strides. Once inside, he kicked the door closed behind them and lowered her to her feet, letting her slide slowly down the length of his body. She shuddered and bit back a moan of arousal. He was all heat and hard muscles, and a trickle of moisture dampened her panties. Her lips parted as he gazed down at her, his pupils blossoming wide with arousal.
“Jamie…” he said.
And he bent his head and kissed her.
The brief twinge of guilt at hearing him call her by a name that wasn’t hers was snatched away by the firm heat of his lips moving against hers. His kiss was thorough and sweet, exploring the taste and feel of her with gentle nibbles and thrilling slides of his tongue against hers. She ran her palms up his naked back, fingers exploring the firm muscle, then whimpered into his mouth as he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her more snugly against him. The substantial bulge of his erection pressed against the softness of her belly, and her pussy clenched at the thought of him pushing inside her, moving above her.
They broke apart, their breathing harsh and their hands still lingering on each other’s bodies.
“I’ve wanted this so badly…” Miles’s voice was low and husky, almost a growl as he ran his hand up over her breast to open the top button of her shirt, then moved down to the next. Dakota gasped. The air was cool on her flushed skin as he parted the fabric and exposed her ample breasts, the creamy globes spilling over the white lace of her bra. He sucked in a fevered breath and she could feel his arousal building with every throbbing heartbeat.
She should have felt self-conscious, bared to his gaze, but she didn’t. From the heat in his eyes and the way they lingered on her curves, she was left in no doubt that he wanted her. That he thought she was beautiful.
Then they were kissing again, mouths clashing and hands exploring each other’s bodies. Miles ran his hands down her back and squeezed her ass, then pulled her up into his arms, urging her to wrap her legs around his waist so he could turn her and press her back onto the bed, settling himself between her parted thighs.
Dakota hastily stripped off her shirt and discarded her bra. Before she could finish undressing, Miles was naked and unbuttoning her fly, tugging her jeans and her lacy panties down over her hips, discarding her clothing in an inside-out bundle on the floor. He was almost clumsy in his haste, but his eagerness only made her more excited.
He drew back for a moment and looked down at her, his eyes dark with lust and slashes of color high on his cheekbones. Then he dipped his head and took the rosy peak of her nipple into his mouth, rolling and teasing it between his lips before biting gently and wringing a tortured groan from Dakota.
Supporting himself on one hand above her, he ran the other down her body, caressing the soft swell of her belly and the curves of her hips before reaching the triangle of damp curls at the apex of her thighs.
She gasped and wriggled as he gently parted her folds and sought out her clitoris, rubbing the sensitive nub in tight, rapid circles that made her gasp and clench her thighs around his hand. His fingers moved easily between her slick folds, and she squirmed as he pressed one long finger into her dripping channel. He moved his finger in and out, then added another, setting up a rhythm as his thumb continued to strum her clit.