Was this love at first sight? Or just pure lust? She knew she was beyond any coherent thought at the moment. Having had such little experience with men, she wished she knew what was going on. She had to go on instinct alone.
* * *
THIS INTENSE ATTRACTION caught Cole off guard. He’d heard his friends talk of love at first sight and he’d never believed them. But as he reached out and pulled her into his arms, it seemed the most natural thing in the world to do. “Have you ever danced in that particular ballet?”
“Yes,” she answered in a whisper, “but never as the prima ballerina.”
Cole bent his head down until their mouths met. At first their kisses were soft and gentle, and Sashi touched her fingers to his jaw. As passion filled his veins, Cole deepened the kiss and pulled her closer, releasing her magnificent hair.
Sashi’s body trembled as Cole kissed her with a new intensity. Every touch was more erotic as his lips and tongue slanted deeply, seeking a closeness only full sexual union could satisfy. He wanted to take her to his bungalow now and make love to her.
Show some control, Cole, he told himself. You can’t just ravage the woman. He wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his head on hers. He was sure she could hear his heart pounding.
“Sashi,” he said, panting, “I’m a man who is usually in control of himself. But I’m losing the battle. What would you like to do? I’ll respect your decision.”
He looked into her glowing emerald eyes, awaiting her reply.
Chapter Two
“I...I don’t know,” she said. “I’ve never felt this way before.”
Sashi trembled from pure excitement. She tightened her arms around Cole’s neck and kissed him deeply. He seemed to lose the control he’d been trying so hard to keep. He groaned and pinned her body against the bridge railing, returning her kiss.
Over the years Sashi had heard her friends talk about moments like this. She hadn’t believed they’d actually let a man they didn’t know near them. But now she understood. Tonight out here, she couldn’t imagine not letting him touch her. She never wanted to let him go.
They stayed on the bridge, kissing and caressing, unable to get enough of each other, for the next thirty minutes, until at last Sashi gently pushed him away, saying she had a long day tomorrow. As promised, he accepted her decision.
After leaving him, Sashi could hear music blaring from her bunkhouse before she walked into the bare, A-frame cabin. Kendra must have alerted the four other girls she was absent. They shared the same bunk room.
Damn.
They must all be waiting for her. She touched her fingers to her lips. They felt swollen from all the kissing. Her time with Cole had been so intense, she’d lost track of time.
Reaching for the doorknob, she took a deep breath and walked into the room to face the women she’d come to know over the summer.
“Sashi? Where have you been?” Kendra threw a pillow at her. “Do you know how worried I was?”
Sashi easily evaded the pillow, diverting it to Natalie’s bed. “I’m sorry. I lost track of time.”
Sarah, a busty young blonde who, like all the others, was after Freddy, chimed in. “Somebody looks like they’ve been making out!”
The cabin erupted in shrieks, causing Sashi to turn red.
“I’ve got to see this,” Bridgette declared. She got off her bed and moved in on Sashi for a closer inspection.
Bridgette was tall and curvy with long blond hair. Freddy liked all types of women. He’d hurt Kendra when he’d brought her up here letting her think she was the only woman he cared for. Little did Kendra realize she’d be competing with four others!
“Can you guys just leave me alone?” Sashi said.
“No!” Bridgette declared. “You’ve been Little Miss Goody Two-Shoes all summer and this is pretty exciting.”
“Go back to sleep.” Sashi rolled her eyes and headed over to her bed.
“Hold on just a second!” Blake called out.
Sashi groaned. No. Not Blake Carrey, the beast from Boston with the looks of a movie star and blond hair cut to her chin. Kendra knew that Blake’s perfectly tanned body came out of a spray bottle from France and her personality came straight from hell. Blake had made Kendra’s life miserable up here. She was obsessed with Freddy and convinced he was going to propose to her this summer.
“What do you want, Blake?”
“Who’s the guy? What makes him so special? Come on. Tell us.”
Sashi turned around to face the woman. She didn’t care much for Blake, whose constant complaining over the hard work got on everyone’s nerves.
With a smile she said, “He’s none of your business.”
“Don’t tell me you finally got it on with Mac!” Blake stood in front of her in satin pajamas that seemed so out of place up here in Alaska.
Sashi laughed. “Oh, if you only knew the truth.” At that she turned around and began to get things out of her bag. “Why don’t you go back to bed, Blakey? You need your beauty sleep.”
Sashi left for the latrine/shower house with her bag of toiletries. She needed to brush her teeth and wash her face. It was amazing how the guests got indoor plumbing and every modern amenity, while the workers lived back in time. Mr. Marshall had never gotten around to bringing the workers’ cabins into the twentieth century, never mind the twenty-first.
As she walked the short distance to the latrine, she heard laughter. But a loud bang from the door made her turn around to see who’d followed her. “Kendra! You scared me!”
Her tall friend caught up with her in seconds. “Sashi, what the hell? You’ve never done this before. You’ve got to tell me what happened earlier.”
“I’m sorry. But I met the hottest man ever.”
Kendra stopped walking and stared at Sashi in the moonlight. “Are you drunk? Is this the same Sashi I grew up with?”
Sashi didn’t want to stand out in the dark. This was bear country and she knew the rules, so she continued to walk. “Seriously, Kendra, you have to swear not to tell the girls.”
They reached the smelly outbuilding that serviced the employees’ needs. She headed in and Kendra followed. “Sashi, you and I don’t like any of those girls except Natalie. Who would I tell?”
“You’d tell Freddy!”
“Not true. I can keep secrets.”
“Promise?” Sashi’s heart was pounding as she washed her hands.
Kendra sounded exasperated. “Pinkie-promise.”
“Okay.” Sashi started to change clothes. “There was this hot bush doctor who flew up from Ketchikan today. His name is—”
“Dr. Stevens.” Kendra finished the sentence for her.
She felt a wave of jealously sweep through her. When had Kendra met him? Sashi was only half-dressed in her thermal top. “How do you know him?”
Kendra laughed. “Girl, you look so upset! I was working at the reception desk when he arrived and I took him to Mr. Marshall. He was pretty hot.”
Sashi nodded. “Yeah.”
“I’m not going to tell you anything more until you tell me how far you went.”
“We