Chapter Twenty-One
The fleeting time Daniel had left in Lake Tahoe played around and around in Tasha’s head as they worked on her cabin’s paneling.
He’d given her a taste of how wonderful they could be together. How good it was to talk, to work side by side, to play with the puppies together. Not to mention the tantalizing, sexy feelings he evoked in her.
Delicious sensations that bubbled up every time his hand brushed hers when they lifted a panel. Or when his touch lingered after he’d handed her a tool. Or when he stood so close she felt faint from the delicious heat of his body and his spicy scent.
With his shirt off, his jeans riding low on his hips, and his tanned skin covered in a sheen of sweat, he was the epitome of the sexy construction worker.
Tasha’s mouth watered.
“Hold it here,” he directed, and his words, especially his tone, dragged her back to last night in his sleigh bed when he’d given her the most glorious sensual commands imaginable.
As she held the panel in place against the wall, he shifted behind her, his body sliding against her, the scent of the soap he’d used in the shower surrounding her.
He was doing it on purpose, touching her like this, the contact making her dizzy. Fifteen minutes ago, he’d kissed her until she nearly swooned like a Southern belle who’d laced her corset too tightly. Then he’d gone right back to hanging the next piece of paneling, a grin playing around the edges of his mouth.
Needing to cool off a bit—her concentration was so bad at this point she might accidentally cut off a finger—she said, “I’m just going to check the puppies.”
Of course they were fine. They had plenty of water in their pen, and after they’d scarfed down some kibble, they became so energized that a wrestling match ensued among all three. Tasha was pleased that Darla had grown strong enough to hold her own with her two bulkier brothers. Even better, she was usually the winner with her quick and wily moves.
Returning to the bedroom, Tasha almost swooned—again. Daniel stood spread-eagled against the wall, hammering a piece high up. The work was seamless as he stepped back to inspect it.
The paneling be damned—he was all she saw. The play of muscles across his broad back. Lean hips in well-worn jeans. She was speechless. Dizzy with lust.
Her heart beat wildly as she crossed the room. The clomp of her tool belt hitting the floor should have alerted him, but he didn’t turn. Part of the tease, she was sure, because he had to know how edible he looked, so much so that she was dying to take a bite out of him.
Gliding her arms around him from behind, she slid her hands along his waist. Without second-guessing herself, she unbuckled his tool belt and tossed it aside with a thunk. Then she popped the button of his jeans.
She’d never been this bold with a man. But Daniel gave her the courage to do the things she wanted, to say the things she’d always kept inside. With him, she forgot her natural inhibitions. Yet, in all the things they’d done last night, this—giving him the same pleasure he’d given her so many times in the night—hadn’t been one of them. She’d been so fevered and wild, she could think of nothing else but being with him.
As he turned to face her, the need burning in his eyes made her feel powerful and wonderful and free. And happy enough to wipe out, for another few blissful moments, the turmoil of her past.
Throwing herself at him, she kissed him with all the pent-up desire he was so expert at building inside her. She ran her fingers down his rock-hard chest, over his incredible abs, down to the zipper of his jeans. He was so hard, so big, she could barely get the zipper down. Her hands shook—all of her shook—with the desperation to feel him, to taste him, to make love to him.
She curled her fingers around him even as she dropped to her knees and pulled him free. She wet her lips, tingling from head to toe with need. “You really are magnificent.”
“So are you,” he said.
She felt magnificent in this moment. What they were doing wasn’t coarse or crude. It was sexy. It was honest.
And it was beautiful.
“Just one more thing.” He tossed her ball cap aside and pulled the elastic from her hair, letting the tresses float over her shoulders.
She couldn’t wait a moment longer, didn’t give herself time to worry she might be bad at it. She could never be bad at something she wanted this much.
There was the pleasure of his taste, the decadent feel of him against her tongue, and the lovely knowledge of her effect on him. His groans were husky, the words falling from his lips sweet and filthy, his legs shaking as though he could barely stand.
He shoved his fingers through her hair and held her as his hips took over the rhythm. She reveled in his surrender as much as his taste.
Then he hauled her up, anchoring her legs around his waist. “I love what you’re doing. But I need more. I need you.” He stalked with her out to the living room, where her air mattress lay in the corner.
“Wait, we can’t do it there.” She almost laughed at her practical side rearing itself now, of all times. “It’ll burst.”
“If it does, I’ll get you a new one.” Then he grinned, utterly confident that he had her right where he wanted her. And right where she wanted to be. “Or you can sleep in my bed from now on.”
They’d never get up if they slept in his sleigh bed. They almost hadn’t this morning. He dropped hot little kisses on her mouth, her cheeks, her nose, her eyes, and the idea blossomed that maybe, oh yes, positively, staying in bed all day with Daniel wasn’t a bad idea at all.
He knelt, letting her fall back before he came down on top of her, her legs still wrapped around him. “See, it didn’t burst.”
“Yet,” she said, tossing out her challenge with a laugh. She’d never known making love could be so much fun. But this was Daniel and everything about him was incredible.
“Do you have any idea what that tool belt and those shorts of yours have been doing to me all morning?” He slid his fingers into the fabric, cupping her hips. “It was like you didn’t have anything else on.”
She could only moan in response as he touched her in all the right places.
“I want to take you so slowly,” he whispered, “that you’re panting.”
She wound her arms around his neck and pulled him down, her lips on his. “I’d rather have you really fast and hard.”
“We’ll do both.” He kissed her into agreement, then came close to ripping her shorts in his haste to get her naked, settling for letting them dangle from one leg.
Then, with little more than shoving his jeans over his hips, he entered her.
Fast.
Hard.
Perfect.
She gasped as he filled every bit of her, even the part of her heart she swore had emptied itself out forever that horrible day back in February.
Then he moved ever so slowly, and she gripped his shoulders, the solid feel of him beneath her fingers keeping her from floating away. It was the stuff of fantasies, the way things felt when you closed your eyes and imagined. Only, this was real.
He was real.
“I think…I think…” What was she thinking? Oh God, she couldn’t think at all. “I need to be on top.” She wanted to stretch her arms over her head and ride him.
“I need you there too.” He rolled with her, and they fell off the bed onto the floor, laughing.
But even laughing with him was sexy, and soon her eyes were closing as he found just the right spot inside.
“God, yes,” he growled, “you feel good.”
Every touch, every kiss, every taste and lick, everything they did was completely delicious. His fingers only made it better as he yanked off her shirt and bra and splayed his hands over her breasts, shooting jolts of pleasure straight down to her center.
She closed her eyes as she gathered her hair in her hands and curled her arms over her head, her body quivering with every slip-slide over that wonderful spot inside her.
“Look at you.” She heard the reverence in his voice. “Look at us.”
She opened her eyes to find him watching the movement of her body as he filled her on every downstroke and revealed his majesty as she climbed up.
Nothing had ever been more beautiful. Nothing had ever felt so sweet. So good. So right.
He moved his hand between her thighs, and she gave herself over to sensation. To Daniel. Her breath hitched, her legs quaked, and everything inside her started to shake, contract.
She felt the build, the rush of sensation to her center, and then finally, the explosion. She cried out, and his hands moved to her hips, helping, grinding her against him—stealing her breath and her heart and her soul as together they shot straight to the sky, to the stars, to heaven.