“I’m sorry I’m such a pain in the ass.”
“Me too.” His hand shot out to catch her wrist before she could connect. How he did it with his eyes closed, she didn’t know.
Perhaps it was time to face the humbling truth: she was that predictable. “Sorry. Thank you for the apology. Can we sleep now?”
She hesitated and he tugged at her wrist until she lay on the mattress beside him. He softly laughed at her. It did bad things to the parts she tried to shelve. If only she could will her pussy and hormones and the whole shebang out of existence. How simple would life be then?
“Sleep, babe.”
She made quick work of her boots and socks. The cool night air on her bare feet felt shivery, wondrous, and she scrunched and stretched her toes in appreciation. The little things in life made it bearable. Daniel wasn’t little. He took up a lot of room. Life, however, wouldn’t be easier minus her girl parts, which couldn’t get enough of him and his teasing. There would stil be scary shit lurking around each and every corner.
Daniel shifted beside her. “Stop it. Go to sleep.”
“I can’t.”
He groaned. “Can too.”
“Not.”
“Ali. Stop. Sleep.” The sleeping bag shushed as he tossed and turned. Maybe she should ponder the stars without freaking out. It had to have been years since she had slept out of doors. On the bed of a boyfriend’s pick-up after a bonfire out in the bush – early twenties.
Wow. Good times. Great sex. Then he’d moved away for work and that was that.
He was probably dead now. She swal owed.
Daniel executed another toss, turn and roll. He finally settled on his side, facing her, an arm arranged over her chest and one humungous leg thrown across the both of hers. Like he was pinning her down against a possible escape attempt.
He looked half asleep, total y relaxed. His limbs had definite weight. She should have minded, but didn’t. It felt sweet and honest and caught her off guard. His fingers twitched and he snuffled. It was endearing.
And she had to face it, liking him was unexpected, but real.
His breathing was slow and regular, and the stars kept twinkling overhead. She dared herself to keep watching them. Made herself.
None were falling.
There was a moan off in the distance, low and grating, but she ignored it and concentrated on the rest of what the world had to offer.
Stars were far and away prettier to contemplate than whatever roamed out there, rotting and festering.
She needed to find her happy place.
His leg really did weigh half a ton. At least. Maybe more. She didn’t want to disturb him, but she was losing sensation in her toes.
Pins and needles started up in her feet.
Ali pushed against his thigh with both hands, wiggling out from beneath it. A hand closed firmly around her shoulder, holding her in place.
“Huh? What …” Daniel’s eyes flew open and found her and then his face relaxed. “What’s wrong?”
“Hey. It’s okay.” She changed tactics, pushing against his shoulder until he relented and rolled onto his back, letting her go, re-closing his eyes.
He was clearly exhausted. She wondered if he had gotten any sleep the night before. Stil , he remained full of tricks. She had no sooner stretched out, unencumbered, than he rolled back onto his side and grabbed her with both arms before returning to his back, taking her with him this time.
“Hey!” she hissed.
“Ssh, sleeping.” His iron bars for arms held her to him. No, tree roots, thick and stubborn. She braced her elbows on either side of his head, and set her knees to the mattress beside his hips for leverage.
“Aah, man. Stay put, babe. Pander to me a little, please? That was a hell of a long day.”
“Daniel, open your eyes. Look at me.”
Sighing, he did, a scowl on his face, expecting trouble, obviously.
The wise words set to appease died on her tongue. She had no intention of going anywhere. He didn’t need to worry. That was al she had been going to tel him, and it wasn’t good enough … Not by half.
She wanted more for him. Wanted more for herself.
When she pushed against his hold, trying to sit up, his arms fell away from her, fal ing back onto the thin mattress. He made a noise of weary resignation. “Fine. Better?”
“Yes.” Before she could wuss out or lose her nerve entirely she whipped her shirt off over her head, tossed it out of reach.
There. Done. No turning back. She could control this. He was putty in her hands. The ultimate power of whipping out your tits, it got them every time. As ancient as Adam and Eve with her dropping the fig leaf. Absolutely perfect. There would be no heartbreak. No losses. She felt powerful sitting astride him, safe. Shoulders back, breasts thrust forth.
Perfect.
And Daniel’s eyes bugged out of his head in a most gratifying way.
You would have thought she was in French cut lace, as opposed to some nice sensible dark cotton that had been washed a hundred times.
His hands flew to her hips and held tight, not in an
“I have to have my hands on you ” fashion. It felt closer to a “don’t you dare
disappear on me” grip. The look he gave her was mostly lust, but desperation tinged the edges. Shit, she couldn’t be anybody’s world.
Handing over her heart to him couldn’t happen, certainly not yet. When he looked at her like that, though, how could she hold back?
Emotions were slippery things. Her grip on them might be more tenuous than she had imagined.
Maybe this could have waited for a better time.
No.
“I’m sick of being afraid. Daniel …” All of a sudden the world tumbled. It happened so fast her head went woozy. Her back was against the mattress and Daniel loomed over her, his big body shaking with tension. Those blue eyes of his blazed with some internal fire.
Her heart stuttered in her chest.
Maybe, just maybe, she had well and truly bitten off more than she could chew.
CHAPTER TEN
Holy shit, he was blowing it.
Ali blinked rapidly, eyes vague and confused. Daniel held himself perfectly still, resisting the urge to grind himself against her. Almost.
“You okay?” he enquired, heart racing, sweat beading on his forehead, running down his spine. Fuck. He would shake himself apart at this rate.
And he had scared her when she was being so damn brave. It made his teeth hurt. Shove a gun in his face, no problem, but risk herself with him? There was real fear, directly beneath him, skin gleaming in the moonlight, pupils dilated. “Babe?”
She gave a tight nod and shifted beneath him. In his great and mighty quest to get close and closer he was probably squishing her.
Maybe she couldn’t answer him because he wasn’t letting her breathe.
He took more weight onto his elbows but remained plastered against her. He couldn’t deny himself. The press of her breasts against his chest and the way her hips cradled him blew what remained of his mind. No one else got to him this way. Every smooth move in him had left the building.
The way her thighs were willingly spread to take his body sent a fresh surge of blood heading straight for his dick. He was a goner.
And again with the no grinding rule. No matter how tempting. God help him if she changed her mind now. “Tell me you’re okay.”
“I’m okay.”
She did not convince him.
Shit, if he said the wrong thing, she might put her shirt back on. He didn’t know if he could take it. He might cry, and have his very own panic attack. “I’m an idiot. I’m sorry. Didn’t mean to flip you like that.”
She swallowed, relaxed a bit beneath him. “You, ah … kind of took me by surprise.”
“Yeah. Yeah, I know. Sorry.”
“I only took off my shirt, Daniel. The bra isn’t even all that revealing,” she replied, cool as can be, plush mouth set all prim and proper. “If al it takes for you to lose your cool is the hint of hard nipples then I’m concerned on your behalf.”
“Shit. Say hard nipples again.”
Her body vibrated beneath him with soft laughter. “No.”
He groaned, lowered his face so they were nose to nose, staring at each other. Each, perhaps, a little freaked out. Her hair had escaped the ponytail and lay spread across his sleeping bag. He rubbed a strand between his fingers, soft and silken. “God, you are so beautiful.”
Ali’s eyes skittered off, nervous with his praise.
“Say, thank you,” he prompted.
“Thank you.”
“Say, kiss me.”
A smile curved her perfect mouth. He saw stars, dots dancing through his field of vision. This woman made his knees weak. Thank God he wasn’t standing.
“Kiss me,” she said.
“Whatever you want.”
Daniel angled his head, brushed his lips over hers, getting the feel for her. He eased her into it, taking it nice and slow, making up for his earlier bad behavior. Sweetly, lightly, he licked at her lower lip, a nibble here and there. He was a man determined. She would never hesitate to throw herself at him ever again. Throwing her clothes to the wind would be the norm. He was a man with a plan to woo.
Hal elujah.
And the plan went straight out the window when she gave a growl, shoved her fingers into his hair and her tongue into his mouth.
His dick kicked against his zipper and he gave up, ground himself against her. He moved his weight onto one arm, all the better to scoop up an ass cheek and grope to his heart’s content. She had the nicest ass. Her long legs wrapped around him. He could spend hours with her doing just this. Days. Sucking on her tongue, drawing her in, giving her absolute access to him then taking the same and, oh, yes. She gave.
And then some.
Kissing her was something he could see himself doing for a good, long time.
Daniel licked at her, stroking her tongue with his own. He explored.
Her hands trailed down his back. Pulled at his t-shirt.
She broke off the hot and heavy kiss to drag it over his head.
“Daniel,” she panted, palms smoothing over his ribs. Her nipples poked at his chest through the thin material of her bra. “Your body is beautiful.”