Arousal burst through his veins, like a pump turned on, a switch flipped, with a sudden explosion of want and need and lust. Hungry for more of her in his hands, on his lips, against his body, he searched her, like going on a journey through another person’s land, and found that his need to explore was absolutely endless. His erection pressed against her leg as she leaned into him pushing, searching, wanting. The two joined in an obvious mutual exploration that made him wish he had asked her to his cabin for dinner so that a bed were handy.
And then his mind slipped into that place it went when he ran, when he skied, when he hiked. He had never been able to access that part of himself through anything but heavy exertion or laser-like focus on the kinesthetics of life, but here, here he found himself shifting. A subtle and then suddenly dramatic movement from one layer of life to another.
As her hands roamed over his shoulders, felt his back, tightened over his waist and went elsewhere, he filled with a warmth, with an urgency that eighteen months of grief and denial and restraint and constraint had allowed to grow into something so strong, something so big that it was in their kiss, and her touch unleashed it, here and now.
It just was. Endless and timeless and present, exactly as it had been with Jill.
But more.
Oh, my God, what was she doing? She still had Dylan’s taste in the back of her throat, Dylan’s scent on parts of her skin in spite of her thorough shower this morning, Dylan’s essence deep inside her—and here she was in the arms of another man. A godlike, amazing, muscular man. She felt his warmth underneath his clothes and wanted desperately to feel his skin without the layer between them.
How could this be happening? How could two incredible men want her and within twenty-four hours of each other? This was...her mind went blank as Mike probed her mouth, his tongue filled with more questions and answers, his hands thick and strong, grabbing and caressing and owning parts of her. Her own questions faded, melted into the warm wetness of his mouth and she knew, just knew on some deep level, some layer within herself that she didn’t even know she had, that this was so much more than she ever anticipated when that little chat window had popped up this morning.
Thank whatever higher power she was supposed to thank for that little chat window.
His hot breath filled her and then cool air touched her lips as he pulled away. The sound of his deep breath, an intentional, centering breath that she recognized instantly, filled her with uncertainty. Was he having second thoughts? All these extra curves weren’t exactly accessories she figured were standard features on the women Mike normally dated. Those were the weekend yoga babes, the women who competed in mini-triathlons for fun and who went on 100-mile weekend bike rides just because. They were a different kind of woman than Laura. Hell, they might as well have been a different species. What would Mike want with her, with all her soft rolls and overflowing cups and dimples and apple cheeks and—
Had she gone too far in kissing him? Wait a minute, now— he was the one who initiated the kiss. He had kissed her. She had nothing to worry about; she’d done nothing premature. C’mon, Laura, she thought to herself, just stop this. This is crazy. Her old insecurities flooded her as she tipped her head down, averting his eyes, his hand still on her shoulders, one trailing a lazy path down the side of her rib cage, brushing briefly against her breast.
He let go of her shoulder and reached up to her chin, tipping it, forcing her to meet his eyes. What she saw there told her everything she needed to know. She laughed nervously, “I don’t normally do this, you know?”
“Do what?” His voice was smoky with need. It had changed. The affable, slightly awkward man she’d started this hike with had suddenly evolved into a determined, commanding, dominant man.
“I don’t normally go on long hikes with guys and then kiss them before we reach the summit. Typically, I wait until we get to the top.”
He smiled. “OK, then I have something to look forward to. Come on.” He pointed to the trail head.
She groaned. “All right, if you insist.”
He held his hand out in a gesture of chivalry, “Ladies first.”
“Promise?” she asked, the word popping out of her mouth before she could take it back.
He cocked one eyebrow, a lascivious look, “Oh, you can count on it.”
What was she doing basically promising this guy that she was going to have sex with him when they reached the top of the mountain? Earth to Laura! She had to laugh at herself on the inside, trying to hide the racing thoughts from Mike. The pounding of her inner voice was so strong, so loud and so pervasive that she feared everything going on inside her head was so obvious that he could read her.