He squeezed her hand, his thumb massaging her palm. “It might have crossed my mind.”
This would be their last chance. She knew it, and she was pretty sure Gil knew it, too. Their lives were too complicated to carry on an affair, clandestine or otherwise. Especially in a place like Royal where even the walls had ears. Turning to face him, she cupped his neck in her hands and pulled him closer for a kiss. “I was hoping you would say that.”
Her blunt statement sent shock skittering across his face before it was replaced by hunger and determination. He reached into his pocket and extracted a series of condom packets hooked together. “I wasn’t making any assumptions, but it never hurts to be prepared.”
“Don’t tell me. You were an Eagle Scout.”
“Guilty as charged.” He unbuttoned the top two buttons of her dress. “I also learned how to unhook a girl’s bra with one hand, but that wasn’t a Scout badge. More of an extracurricular activity.”
“You’re not such a straight arrow after all, are you Mr. Addison? I’m seeing you in a whole new light.”
He eased her down onto her back with her cooperation. The sun blinded her, so she was forced to close her eyes.
His lips caressed her ear as he whispered. “You have no idea.”
Twelve
Gil studied Bailey’s face...the creamy skin, feminine nose, stubborn chin. In the broad light of day, her hair caught every ray of sun and glowed red with fire. Her slightly parted lips were the color of pale pink roses. Beneath her soft dress, her chest rose and fell rapidly.
In his head, the clock was ticking. He’d called his friends and asked for an hour of grace. Cade was having a blast and wouldn’t begrudge the later arrival time.
Selfishness. All selfishness. Because Gil couldn’t bear to let her go. Not without one last chance to bury himself in the tight, hot clasp of her body. To hear her cry out when he sent her flying. To lie with her in the aftermath and count the beats of his heart.
She had kicked off her shoes when she sat pretzel-fashion to eat her lunch. Now he studied her narrow, highly arched feet, bemused that the sight of them made him wonder for the first time if he had such a fetish. Her small toenails were painted the same color as her lips.
A tiny smile curved her lips. “I have my eyes closed, so I can’t be sure. But it seems as if you’ve lost your way.”
He stood and pulled her to her feet. “Your skin is turning pink. Let me move the quilt.” With trembling hands, he dragged it into the patch of shade cast by the truck. “That’s better.”
When he turned back around, Bailey had pulled her dress over her head and stood facing him clad only in a lacy black bra and the leggings that clung to her shapely limbs.
He put a fist to his chest. “Be still my heart.”
“Not that I’m criticizing, but it seems like one of us needs to remember the clock.”
“I don’t have to be there ’til five. I called them.”
Her eyebrows went up, her expression scandalized. “You asked your friends if you could be late so that you and I could fool around in the middle of nowhere?”
He shrugged, not the least bit repentant. “That’s about it.”
She threw herself across the small space separating them, forcing him to catch her by the waist and lift her against his chest. He staggered backward, but caught himself.
Laughing down at him, her eyes sparkling with an innocent joy he’d rarely seen compared to her serious side, she rested her hands on his shoulders. “I do like this naughty version of Gil Addison. Very much.”
For that, she deserved a kiss. Slowly, he let her slide down his body...like the hero’s maneuver in a romantic chick flick. Her breasts nestled against his chest, giving him a mouthwatering view that was more provocative than total nudity. When her feet touched the quilt, they were both breathless. He tunneled the fingers of one hand in her hair, grabbing a handful and pulling her close. “And I do like this bra.”
She rested her cheek on his shoulder. “I’m waiting to see your fancy maneuver.” Grabbing his left hand, she brought it to her lips. “Show me what you’ve got.”
To his eternal embarrassment, it took him three tries to unfasten the bra clasp one-handed.
Bailey just laughed. “I think I’m glad you aren’t any better than that. No woman likes to be part of a crowd.”
He pulled her down to the quilt again, this time knowing that nothing was going to stand in his way. “You’ll never be one of a crowd, honey.” She didn’t know how true that was, but now was not the time to convince her with words.
He knelt over her, dragging the belt from around his waist and tossing it aside. Thankful that he hadn’t worn his boots today, he kicked off his shoes and socks and unfastened his trousers. His erection bobbed thick and ready, tenting the thin fabric of his boxers.