Rose finished putting office supplies in the closet at the clinic, then shut the door harder than was needed. She dusted off her lilac-print dress, wondering how she’d gotten so damned dusty.

She sighed.

It had been two days since she’d seen Colt and Karen together. She’d retreated to her quiet place, emotionally.

And truly, she had no idea how to come back. The trust she’d begun to find with Colt…

How was she supposed to be sure that he wouldn’t hurt her? Even if she didn’t think that he had done something with Karen… If she gave him any more, how the hell could she protect herself?

So she was at the clinic working out her anger and her helplessness by making sure everything was perfect. She was really, truly about to throw open the doors to the clinic tomorrow, hell or high water.

A knock sounded on the clinic’s open door.

Hell no, she thought, turning toward the door.

Colt, as if summoned by her internal dilemma, stepped inside, looking serious. His dark button up and jeans were crisp and clean; she thought that he’d dressed and showered just before he came.

Bastard, she thought, giving him the evil eye for being so damned attractive when she was upset with him.

“Thought I might find you here,” he drawled, his North Louisiana accent on full display.

“You found me,” she said flatly. “Now you can find your way out. If you don’t mind, I’m busy.”

“I do mind, as a matter of fact. You don’t have to do anything but stand there. Just let me talk. If you’re still angry when I’m done, I’ll leave,” he said.

She crossed her arms over her chest with a glare. If that’s what it would take to get him out of her hair, so be it.

“Fine. Two minutes,” she said, checking her watch.

He started to argue with her, then shook his head. He took a breath, then started.

“I like you,” he said. “I really like you. Okay?”

That was… unexpected. Rose shifted her feet.

“You have a funny way of showing it.”

“Karen kissed me. It took me a second to get her off. That’s all you saw. You can go and ask her, because I think she owes you that truth.”

She looked at the ground, thinking. Karen had been distraught the whole day together.

Colt had admitted to Rose that he’d dated Karen in high school. And Rose had run off before she saw… well, whatever.

Put two and two together…

The problem wasn’t Karen, exactly. The problem was trust. Her inability to trust any man was at fault here, and she knew it.

She bit her lip, tears welling up.

“Hey, hey,” he said, stepping closer. His hands were up, like he was going to fix what was wrong, somehow.

“Just— stop!” she cried, drawing her arms around herself. “It’s not you that’s the problem, okay? Even if what you say is true…”

“Rose,” Colt said, slowly reaching out until he lightly grasped her wrist. He was so gentle, so tender. She couldn’t claim to be startled by the fact that he pulled her close, inch by inch.

Tears threatened again.

“You don’t understand,” she said, weakly protesting. “You don’t get it.”

“Shh,” he said. “It’s okay. I promise.”

He brought her into the circle of his arms, and she let him. His embrace was wonderfully warm and so comfortable.

Which actually made her start to cry. She sobbed loudly as he held her, thinking how nice it was to feel something… new. Thinking how it was probably the first and the last time he held her, because look at how she was behaving.

She hated herself in that moment, something she had promised herself she wouldn’t feel after the rape. She hated that she was like this, that she was so scared, that she would push away a really nice guy because…

She stopped that thought in its tracks. The only thing keeping her from seeing Colt was herself. And she had control of that, didn’t she?

“I’m sorry,” she said, her sobs finally receding to hiccups. She was still nestled in his arms. “I didn’t mean to freak out like that.”

“It’s okay,” he said into her hair, almost absentmindedly.

She wiped at her cheeks, pulling back an inch. She gathered all her courage.

“I like you, too,” she said, wiping at her eyes.

“No kidding.”

“Ha ha,” she said. “You’re very funny.”

“Well, it’s either that or you’re crying in my arms because you’re genuinely terrified of me,” he said, raising his brows. “I choose not to believe that, though.”

Rose gave a watery laugh. “I guess not.”

“You’d better not be,” he threatened.

She took a deep breath, exhaling slowly.

“So what now?” she asked.

Colt’s eyes dropped to her lips. For a second, she thought that he was going to kiss her, but instead he released her.

“I don’t know what your issues are,” he said, holding up a hand when she would have interrupted. “And I don’t care. But I think we have something worth exploring, physically.”

She bit her lip again, hesitant. “I agree.”

“I also think you need to relax, and you need to be in control,” he said. “So… I’m thinking you and I take a drive.”

“A drive?” she said, exasperated.

“Yeah. Just… out to the wilderness. We get out, find a place to lay down a blanket…”

Her breath slowed as she waited for him to finish. When he didn’t, she could have hit him.

“And then what?” she said.

“Whatever you want. I’ll do anything you want, or… just, whatever.”

Rose looked up at him, at the intensity on his face. He wanted this, wanted to unlock her. She could see it written there, plain enough.

All she had to do was say yes.

She closed her eyes. “Okay.”

“Yes?”

The insistence in his voice made her open her eyes again. “Yes. Right now.”

A grin played across his lips. He brought her knuckles to his lips, brushing a kiss across them.

“As the lady wishes,” he said, bowing. “My truck is right outside.”

Just the mention of his truck ratcheted up her heartbeat, now that there was this new sexual element. She nodded.

“Let me lock up,” she said.

He stepped out of the doorway, and she locked the clinic doors. She noticed her hands faintly shaking as she took them off the handle, but she steeled herself.

There were a thousand things unsaid between her and Colt, but this… after all he’s done, she could show him a little trust, couldn’t she?

Rose turned and walked toward the truck. Colt was waiting for her, and opened her door. She smiled at that.

She thanked him and got in, and he closed the door behind her. He got in the driver’s side, then looked over at her.

“I want to go somewhere I’ve never been,” he said. “Somewhere we can both start fresh.”

She nodded slowly. “Good idea.”

“All right. Let’s follow the river, then. See where it takes us,” he said, starting the truck and backing it out.

He put the truck in drive, and headed out toward the river. She was quiet as they rode along, looking nervously out the window at the passing scenery.

He was silent too, she noticed, his thoughts focused inward as he drove. She turned on the radio, to ease the tension growing in the space between them.

Colt turned off the paved roads, onto a smaller gravel lane. “I’ve never been out here.”

“No?” she asked, her heart thumping.

“No. I know that the river feeds into a lake out here, though. I thought, you know… it might be good scenery.”

She looked at him with a smile.

“Good scenery?”

He didn’t take the bait, bringing his truck to a stop. She looked out the window to see that they were indeed by a lake. The truck sat on a sloping ridge, which gracefully angled down a quarter of a mile to meet the water.

It was beautiful, that was for sure. Pure Louisiana wilds, with the sun beaming gently down upon it. She saw the perfect spot to spread out a blanket, a flat grassy area that was relatively high and close to them.

She climbed out of the truck, feeling a prickle of self-consciousness. He was busy digging a backpack out of the truck, and several bottles of water.

Rose walked out to the point where the ground began to slope down. She heard his truck door slam, and seconds later she felt him just behind her.

She looked at him, anxious. He gave her a lopsided smile; she got the feeling he was nervous, too.

He reached out and took her hand, wrapping it in his larger one.

“Ready?” he asked, squeezing her hand.

She couldn’t speak, so she just squeezed back and nodded.

“Lead the way,” he suggested.

She walked down the gentle slope, to the place she’d spied that would be suitable.

“Here?” he asked when she stopped, releasing her hand and putting the backpack down.

She only nodded. She felt herself sweating, though it wasn’t hot. It must be nerves.

He unzipped the backpack, producing a big thick blanket. He spread in out on the ground, working quickly.

“Voila,” he said, holding out his hand. “And…” he dug in the backpack again. “Wine.”

“Really?”she said.

“Really. Now sit,” he instructed.

She sat, arranging her dress around herself. She slipped her shoes off, put them aside. He produced a bottle of red wine, and sat beside her. He was almost touching her, his knee a hair’s breadth from her own.

“No glasses. Sorry,” he said. “And it’s the kind of wine with a screw top.”

He unscrewed it, took a sip. “Actually pretty good. Would you like some?”

“Thanks,” she said, accepting the bottle and taking a tentative sip. It was good, the flavor of cherries and sweet berries heavy on her tongue. “Mmmm.”

His mouth kicked up into a smile. He leaned back, resting on his hands. “Yeah?”

She looked at him, his dark hair sexily mussed. She took in his muscular body, his dark shirt rolled up to show off his forearms. It made her blush, made her body tingle with awareness.

She was here with this gorgeous man, for the express purpose of finding her pleasure. It made her feel bold… and naughty.

“Whatever I want, right?” she said, trailing her hand down Colt’s forearm.

He bit his lip, the movement one of the sexiest things Rose had ever seen. He nodded silently, almost shy.

She leaned in close, cupping his jaw with a hand. She heard his sharp intake of breath; he wanted this as much as she did.

Rose kissed him, slow and deep. He tasted pleasantly of mint, teasing her tongue with his. She liked the way he kissed, warm and wet with just enough tongue.

She shivered as she imagined that tongue at work lower on her body, on her throbbing nipples and aching core.

She undid the buttons on his shirt slowly, pushing it off his shoulders. She ran her hands over the smooth mounds of muscle she uncovered, breaking the kiss to look at him.

He moved to finally touch her, brushing back the hair from her neck and planting teasing kisses there. She sighed at the feeling of it, her nipples hardening. She wanted him to touch her breast, but she knew he wouldn’t do it without her explicit instruction.

She grabbed his hand and moved it to her breast, groaning as he cupped it. He looked her in the eye as he gently pinched her nipple, rolling it between his thumb and forefinger.

She pulled her dress up around her hips and straddled him. He straightened his legs and his teeth worked at his bottom lip again, making a low noise when their hips met.

She felt powerful, like her touch was the thing turning him on, powering their attraction. She’d never felt that way before, not with anyone else.

“Can I take this off?” he husked, tugging at her dress.

She kissed him again, then nodded. He pulled the dress up over her head. She was left in a matching bra and panty set of light pink lace.

“God you’re beautiful,” he said, his eyes devouring her. “Jesus.”

He kissed every inch of skin he could reach, saving the breasts for last. He kissed the top of her breasts, then worshipped a stiff pink nipple with his tongue and teeth through the thin lace of her bra.

She moaned. Her hands clutched at his shoulders, fingers digging into his skin. She felt like a live wire ran from her nipples straight to her core, threatening to burn her alive from the inside out.

Colt rocked her gently where she sat on top of him, and she picked up the motion with interest. She pressed herself down against him, gasping when she hit the right spot. Her clit throbbed as she rubbed her core back and forth.

He groaned, releasing her breast in favor of grabbing her hips. “Touch yourself,” he growled.

She blushed, but moved her hand down her abdomen, and underneath her panties.

“You’re so sexy, Rose,” he said, moving against her as she ground on him.

She slid two fingers against her clit, massaging gently. She was so slick with need, so wet. She closed her eyes, imagined his tongue moving against her, how it would make her toes curl.

It wasn’t enough, though. She’d never been able to come like this, no matter how good her imagination might be. Besides, she wanted him.

She opened her eyes, letting out a frustrated whine.

“You need more?” he asked, eyes dark with want. “Just tell me, Rose.”

“More,” she whispered. “I need your mouth.”

She moved off of him, skimming her panties down her legs. She laid down, propped up by her elbows.

To his credit, he didn’t fuck around. He moved between her legs, kissed the inside of her thigh, then the apex.

“Yes,” she murmured. “Yes…”

He spread her core with two fingers, then licked her pussy from top to bottom, nice and slow. Then he sealed his lips over her clit, and sucked it gently.

“Ah!” she cried, almost coming off the blanket with her excitement.

Colt moved his tongue over her clit in a swirling pattern, then alternated it with gentle sucking. She rocked her hips into his mouth over and over, feeling the incredible pleasure.

“I’m close,” she moaned. “So close…”

She was at the edge, ready to topple over. He shifted his weight, and very gently introduced two fingers to her tight, slick heat. The invasion was unexpected, but it felt so good.

She could feel her body tightening around his fingers, even as he sucked on her clit with more force. She rocked into him hard, and shattered.

It was freefall, it was nothingness. At the same time, she was aware that her body was shuddering and convulsing, that her core was clutching tightly at his fingers.

She slowly drifted back to earth as he was withdrawing. He kissed his way back up her body, kissed her lips.

Rose felt so overwhelmed by the orgasm, she was almost bereft upon finishing. She sat up and scrambled for her panties, in a total panic because she could feel tears threatening.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, sitting up and reaching out to touch her back.

“Nothing!” she said tearfully. “Just… I’m fine.”

She wasn’t fine; she could hear the tears in her own voice just as well as he could.

“Rose…”

She grabbed her dress, and dragged it over her head. Tears blurred her vision as she got up and put her shoes on. She was beyond embarrassed, and didn’t even know why. She didn’t know how to say that she was confused, or what she was crying about.

“Rose, will you wait?” he said, befuddled, as he scrambled to his feet

“I’ll be in the truck when you’re ready,” she managed. Leaving him there to pick up the remains of their picnic, she wiped at her eyes and hurried toward the truck.

She got in, tears streaming down her face. She watched as Colt approached the truck, his expression cautious. He opened the door, placed the backpack next to her.

He looked at her. “Rose, please don’t cry.”

“Just take me home!” she said, miserable.

His jaw tightened, but he climbed in the truck and started the engine. He backed his truck out, and threw it into gear.

Rose looked out the window, embarrassed beyond belief, wishing for nothing more than her own bed.