Tempting the New Boss(33)
“What?” he asked at her raised eyebrow. “We need the rest of the furniture for potential kindling.”
“Mmmm.”
He sat on the bed, leaning back on his palms again, and she stood beside him, holding her hands out to the burgeoning fire before she untied her comical boots, kicking them off, and he did the same with his sneakers, both of them warming their bare toes before the fire.
“What about you? Were you a Boy Scout?”
“I went to boarding school. No Boy Scouts there.”
“You did? Oh right, that’s some fancy thing they do out east, right? Where’d you go? Andover? I think that’s the only one I know the name of.”
“You wouldn’t have heard of mine. And it wasn’t out east. It was in Northern California.”
He rarely thought of the sterile halls of St. Fischer’s anymore whereas he used to dream of it all the time. And in the dream he was always the same age he was when his mother left him there with the head master and warned him to “be good” with a sigh that told the old man her son rarely was. Or maybe she had just said it outright. He didn’t actually remember.
“California? I’m surprised. You don’t fit my stereotype of California.”
“You should meet my mother.”
She cocked her head.
“She’s the prototype of the bleached blond, tanned Valley Girl, even at whatever age she is, which she keeps a state secret.”
“Huh, must be that sperm donor you got your coloring from.”
He watched her frame silhouetted against the fire. “Apparently.”
“We all look alike in my family. All blondes. Not bleached,” she added quickly. “Just highlighted. Except my parents. Neither of them is blond.”
“That’s odd.”
The damp sweater clung to her and hinted at some of the lush figure he knew was underneath, more than when it was completely dry anyway, but she still had far too many clothes on.
She really should get out of those wet clothes. Just the thought sent a shock of excitement through him.
“Genetics. A lot of recessive genes floating around in the Anderson gene pool.” She laughed, retrieving the Cheez-Its from the backpack and breaking them open, taking a handful and offering him one as well. “What grade were you in when you went away to boarding school? High school?”
“No, I was five.”
Her head snapped around to look at him. “Five? You’re kidding.”
He watched the fire leap higher as they finished off the bag of snacks. “You warming up?”
“Yes.” She turned around to face him. “I’m feeling all toasty.”
“Good.” She stood between his legs, and he pulled the bomber jacket off before spreading it below his own on the bed.
“Remember what you said about letting whatever happens, happen?” he whispered.
She took a deep breath. He barely heard her “yes” when she murmured it.
“You have to get out of these wet clothes. Let’s do that and see what happens.”
Keeping eye contact with her, and slowly enough so she could stop him if she thought the teasing was going too far, he ran his hands along the sides and back of what he was pleased to note were tight jeans, even more so when they were wet.
“You have a beautifully shaped ass.” He was so turned on at the prospect of taking his time with her, exploring every inch of her, if she’d let him, that he barely got the words out.
“We shouldn’t stay long, Mason. We should be trying to find a town or park ranger or phone or something as fast as we can.”
“It won’t do us any good to faint from exhaustion on the trail. And it’s dark out there. Who knows what we might run across? Better we’re dry and well rested, right?”
He pulled her blouse out of the waistband and concentrated on the snap of her jeans, his thumb lodging in her belly button for a second, causing her to jump a little.
“You know what I’m thinking?” he murmured.
“I have a pretty good idea.”
“I’m thinking that you could take your wet clothes off while I turn my back and then wrap yourself in the jacket.”
One eyebrow went up. “Mmmm, you’re surprising me here. That wasn’t what I thought you were thinking.”
“Or I could help you undress, which I really should do.”
“And why’s that?” She moved a little closer.
“Because I’ve been inside you twice, and I’ve never seen you naked.”
“It’s cold.” The protest sounded half hearted.
“Thanks to your campfire skills, it’s warming up, though. What else do you have to show me?”
She stared down at him, then said softly, “See for yourself.”