He loosened his hold on her. The worst of the crying had abated, reduced now to the occasional sniffle and hiccup. He moved to set her off his lap.
“Wait.” Her hot breath whispered against his neck. He suddenly wished he’d shaved so his rough whiskers didn’t chafe her soft skin. “Can I...would it be okay...” She let out a long sigh and her weight pressed into him a little more. “Can I stay here a minute more? Would that be all right?”
Caleb swallowed. He knew what such a request cost a proud woman like her, and despite every sensible part of him telling him to refuse, he couldn’t do it. For a brief moment in time she needed him. He knew it wouldn’t last, but he couldn’t deny how good it felt while it lasted. It had been a long time since someone had needed him.
“Sure.”
He tightened his hold, thankful for the barrier of their jackets, yet even that wasn’t enough to keep his mind from wandering to places it shouldn’t be going. He couldn’t help imagining easing her back onto the mattress, peeling the wet clothes from her body and covering her with his own. He couldn’t help wondering if the rest of her was as soft and warm as the face nestled into his neck, or if her curves were every bit as alluring when bared to the lamplight. He wondered about her taste, her touch, her scent. He wondered if the sunrise set off the deep red in her hair and if she would turn into him and hide her face from its rays, snuggling in deep the way she did now.
He wondered about it all.
He just didn’t want to wonder about it.
He didn’t need that kind of complication.
“Why were you sleeping in the rain?” Her voice saved him from the disturbing effect his wayward thoughts had on his battered soul.
“I don’t much care for small spaces.” Funny how easily the admission tripped off his tongue. He’d never told anyone before.
She lifted her head, her eyes heavy with exhaustion. “How do you know how small it is if you’re sleeping?”
A strand of hair had come loose from her wet braid and plastered itself to the side of her face. He reached up without thinking and drew his finger across her cheek, tucking it behind her ear, lingering near the soft curve of her neck. Her lips parted slightly and the warm exhalation of her breath touched his skin.
“I, uh...” What had she asked?
His hand slipped from her ear and cupped her face. Despite her cool skin he could feel the flush of warmth beneath. He needed to stop. This instant. He could feel the madness creeping up on him, the desire she kindled being stoked by the weight of her body and the dim light. Her lips, those full sensuous lips, taunted him until reason deserted him and he leaned forward just enough to take a small taste.
She inhaled sharply as his mouth softly touched hers.
Chapter Eleven
Rachel’s earthy sweetness robbed Caleb of breath. He lingered there, cherishing the touch and the taste and the purity of her response as her mouth opened slightly and she breathed him in. Her hand lifted and slipped around his wrist, but she did not pull his hand away. Instead, she leaned in, ever so slightly, and accepted the kiss.
Every ounce of his being immediately hungered for more. For the past week he’d been quietly lusting after this woman, trying desperately to deny the fire she stoked within him. It had taken all of his considerable will to stuff those needs down and pretend they didn’t exist. All it had taken was a few tears and a quiet request, and all of his good intentions had come undone.
He shifted slightly, tilting his head to take in a little more of her mouth, taste a little deeper without causing her to shy away. He didn’t want to let go, not yet. He knew he should, that he had to. This couldn’t last. He needed to pull away, apologize. Swear it would never happen again and make her believe it, even if he didn’t. How could a man experience such sweetness and sensuality, and not want more?
But more was something he couldn’t have.
With great reluctance, Caleb gently broke the kiss and rested his forehead against hers. Her rapid breaths brushed against his skin.
Her hand slipped away, and she straightened but made no move to leap out of his lap and throw him back out into the rain. He chanced a look at her. Her eyes were bright with surprise but did not possess a hint of disgust at the liberties he had taken. She touched her fingertips to her still parted lips, the motion taunting the thread of decency Caleb hung by.
“I apologize. I didn’t mean to—”
She shook her head. “It was an accident,” she said, her voice a soft whisper.
“It won’t happen—”
“No, of course not.”
Through the haze of emotion the kiss had created, he tried to remember what they had been talking about, anything to restore a sense of normality. He came up empty. “You had asked me something.”