All those fears and doubts that had been her companion since leaving the big house seemed to evaporate into the winter air. The way he was staring at her with dark, hungry eyes was enough to melt her inside.
‘I wasn’t sure you’d be back from your run.’
‘I was out before six.’ The smile he flashed her was brief. ‘I don’t sleep a whole lot. I’ve already got the logs in for the day, too.’
She reached the top of the steps. Adam hadn’t moved, his large body still blocking the door. Kitty came to a halt a few feet from the entrance, her rapid pulse making her breathless.
‘I’m glad you’re here.’ Her voice was soft.
‘So am I.’ For the first time he took a step towards her, sending every cell in her body into high alert. A shiver worked its way down her spine, leaving a trail of goose bumps behind it. Adam reached out and took the dog food from her hands.
‘It’s for the dog.’ She was aware of how stupid she sounded. ‘It’s vegan. Organic, as well. Apparently he’ll love it.’ She looked over in the corner, where the puppy was curled up in his makeshift bed. He looked out for the count.
Adam didn’t reply. Placing the box on the rustic bench just inside the front door, he reached out again, this time wrapping his hands around Kitty’s waist.
It was as if a spotlight had been trained on the two of them, flooding the outside world with darkness. They were actors on a stage, with an audience of two, and every movement was a gesture meant for their private performance. She felt his hands tighten around her through the layer of her coat, as he lifted her easily into his house. Disappointment flooded her chest when he released his hold.
That sensation was short-lived, as he tugged at the zipper of her jacket and slipped it off her shoulders, letting it fall to the floor in a heap. Then his fingers were on her neck, unbuttoning her sweater, warming her skin as he pushed down inside.
She looked up, connecting with his hot stare. His face was flushed, his lips swollen, a mirror of her own arousal. He lifted her sweater over her head, revealing her cotton tank and bra, his hands sliding the straps from her shoulders until they were bare.
‘I thought you wanted to talk to me.’ She tried to inhale, her mouth dry. Fearing he might take that as a rejection, she quickly added, ‘Not that it matters right now.’
Adam dipped his head, pressing his face into the curve between her neck and shoulder. She felt his lips move against her aroused skin, his voice little more than a whisper, its volume muffled by her body.
‘We’ll talk later.’
He hadn’t meant to pounce on her the moment she’d walked into the house. He’d filled the coffee pot and whisked some eggs, intending to have everything on the table for her arrival. He’d spent most of the night thinking about her, about the questions he wanted to ask, the apologies he wanted to say. But then he’d spied her from the kitchen window, emerging from the forest and onto the hill. With her silhouette illuminated by the burgeoning sun, she’d looked like something otherworldly. The need to touch her had flickered back to life until it was an inferno burning inside his belly.
Adam had lingered in the doorway as she’d walked down the hill, his fingers grasping the wood in an effort not to run to her. What had Martin told him? That he could choose a middle ground, it didn’t have to be all or nothing. He could just be her friend.
She didn’t feel like a friend right now, though, as he brushed his lips up her neck, feeling her shiver at his kisses. Then he reached the corner of her mouth – could feel the warmth of her breath against his lips, and he paused for a moment, his eyes meeting hers to check it was OK.
He was half afraid she’d change her mind and walk away. Even more afraid that she wouldn’t. His mouth was aching with the need to kiss her, to taste her, to consume her.
He didn’t want to be her friend.
He wanted to be her lover. Fuck blowing hot and cold, the heat was all he needed.
‘Is this OK?’ He wasn’t sure why he was asking now.
She blinked at him, her lips parting slightly as he continued to stare. She swallowed, as though she was tasting the moment as much as he was. ‘Yes.’ She nodded. ‘It’s more than OK.’
Slowly, torturously, he slid his mouth to hers. At first it was little more than the softest feather of lips against lips, as he reached up to cup her jaw, angling her face to his. Then he deepened the kiss, his need to taste her overwhelming every other sense. She moulded her body against his, soft chest against his hard planes, warm thighs against his. Christ, she was delicious.
It only took a moment of them kissing for him to get hard, his dick throbbing in the confines of his jeans. Her lips were so soft, her mouth wet and warm as he slid his tongue inside her.
Adam moved his hands down, sliding them from her chest to her waist. Her skin was warm, smooth, and so very tantalising, but nothing compared to the heat flooding through his body.
She’d said yes. To him. He wanted to shout it out to the world. In this godforsaken corner of a snow-covered mountain, a beautiful, funny girl who he’d spent the past week consumed by, had walked over to give herself to him.
It felt like little short of a miracle.
‘Can I take you to the bedroom?’ As hormone-ridden as they were, having her against the wall of his cabin wasn’t what he had in mind. She had a body to savour, not rush. If he was going to make it good for her, a knee-trembling quickie wasn’t going to cut it.
‘Is it far?’
He let his head fall back as he laughed. ‘No, baby, not far at all.’ He lifted her up until her legs circled his hips. Their relative heights made her face level with his. Kitty cupped his jaw, angling her head until their brows touched.