Because, seriously. What was wrong with her? Making out with a man she barely knew. Given the racing of her heart, the heat pumping through her body, she’d been minutes away from tearing at his clothes to find bare skin. Maybe for Ben this wasn’t an oddity—hell, he was sexy enough that this might even be a daily event—but for Willow, it was completely foreign.
Yeah, she’d been kissed a few times, but never like this. Not to where her breasts ached to be touched, her nipples hard little pebbles pushing against her clothes. And she hurt. Her belly felt tight, and between her thighs-. —sShe shuddered, not even wanting to think about how wet she felt.
Had she really told him she wanted him to taste her? She pressed her lips together, feeling how swollen they were from Ben’s kisses and wanted to moan. Instead she hid her face in Ben’s neck, alternately savoring his scent and wanting to die from embarrassment.
Ben ended his call and ran his now free hand over her hair, followed by a kiss at the crown of her head. “I’m sorry, Willow. I need to get back. Four people are missing and we need to start searching for them before we lose the light.”
Willow knew Ben worked at the lodge and was part of the search-and-rescue team from their conversation last night. They’d played cards when he’d shown up for protection duty, only to be kicked out by Rome a few hours later. Willow had been concerned again about the cold. Rome only huffed out a breath, reminding her that Ben had full use of one of the other cabins if he needed to warm up and that he wouldn’t be alone for long, what with a second guard coming in less than two hours.
The thought of being cold and alone filled her with enough sympathy for the idiots whose misadventure had ruined her time with Ben that she was able to step back. “They’re probably freaking out.”
“Willow?”
“Hmm?” Rather than look at him, she bent down to pick up her abandoned helmet and gloves. Intent on brushing the snow clear, she didn’t see his lips press into a mulish line. “If not. they will be when I’m done with them.”
Now she blinked up at him, unsure she just heard what she heard. “Pardon?”
Ben reached out and caught her chin between his thumb and fingers. “I’m only sorry for the interruption, not for kissing you. I want to do that again. We will do it again.” A thick pause, the desire in his eyes echoed by the throbbing arousal between her thighs. He drew in a harsh breath, every facet of his features taut with hunger. “And so much more.”
Willow nearly choked on her saliva. If this aching, almost painful need was caused by Ben’s mere kiss, she didn’t know if she could handle his idea of more.
But she really wanted to find out.
Chapter Eight
Much too soon, they returned to the clearing in front of the cabins. Understanding that Ben had obligations, and that lives were quite possibly on the line, did little to ease the disappointment of their brief outing. She didn’t want to peel her body from the masculine warmth of his, didn’t want to watch him leave, didn’t want his attention on anyone or anything but her.
She stiffened at the unprecedented greed, brows furrowed in confusion. Where in the world did that come from?
The contemplation of her selfishness ended when she caught sight of a second SUV parked adjacent to one of the unused cabins. The front door of her cabin opened, and because she expected to see Rome, she was thrown when two large and unfamiliar men exited. The strangers quickly shut the door behind them, yet didn’t move forward, effectively barring the entrance with their bodies. Willow unconsciously clung tighter to Ben as he braked near the bottom of the porch stairs.
Feeling her arms tighten around his waist, Ben ran one hand soothingly along her forearm. “It’s okay, Will. Joe and Scott might look like wannabe hit men.”
The change in the two men as they turned to one another in feigned shock had Willow re-evaluating. As they play-fought, ducking and throwing mock punches, it took her a moment to realize the men couldn’t possibly have heard Ben. Though they were only a short distance away, Ben hadn’t raised his voice to compensate for his helmet, or the still-running motor. Even at idle, the snowmobile was loud enough that Willow, closer to him than skin at the moment, barely heard the words.
Ben cut the engine, his words easing one concern even as another took hold. “But they’re here to protect you. As I’ve known them for some time now, I can vouch for their keen ability.” At their smug smiles, Ben added with wry amusement, “just not their intelligence.”
At his gentle coaxing, Willow swung off the machine and waited patiently as Ben undid her helmet and then his own, her eyes flitting from his to the faces staring intently at them from atop the porch. Rome was still nowhere to be seen, which worried her. Ben wound an arm around her, his palm wide open and firm as he rested it on her hip.