One at a time, she raised long slender legs from the water and tested the smoothness of her skin with long fingers. Sleek muscles rippled under the pale skin. Visions of those legs wrapped around him stole another half pint of blood from his brain. The higher her razor moved, the dizzier he grew.
The true test of his control came when she sat on the far side of the tub and spread her legs wide. She reached for the bottle of soap and lathered thoroughly. Presumably to avoid nicking her most tender skin. Each pull of the razor was agony for Creed watching from above. Tantalizing glimpses kept him pinned to the ground as he maintained surveillance, eyes straining to see each hint of sweet flesh.
At last she rinsed away the soap and used her fingers to test for lingering traces of hair. Not clean shaven, she’d come very close. Well trimmed. Creed wiped a trail of drool from his chin.
A little dental floss was no big deal, the important thing was she was clean. Couldn’t get those secret crevices any cleaner. He’d happily perform quality control if she needed a second opinion. He’d volunteer to be not only her personal inspector but to be in charge of cleanliness as well. Keeping her clean would be a dream job.
Fingers between her legs again, she moaned and slid into the water once more. Creed nearly fell over the cliff and into the tub with her. Deciding he was too close to doing that very thing, he inched backward until he could stand without her seeing him. A flash of bright yellow caught his eye and he peered toward the river.
Rafters, and they were close enough to shore they most likely meant to pull off the river for the night. Could he convince them to use the gravel bar another quarter mile downstream? A glance at the sky told him sunset was near. Another hour at the most. His watch confirmed it—ten o’clock—and it was time to get back. If Linnet wasn’t back at the cabin in twenty minutes, he’d make a show of calling for Manley to get her attention.
“What is it, Manley?” Her soft voice made him stop. “Do you hear something? Okay, keep watch. I’ll get dressed.”
Damn. Creed had been looking forward to pulling her out of the tub. Undercover of her splashing, he circled through the woods and returned to camp just in time to greet four men climbing from the raft.
Chapter 5
Linnet cleared the rise in time to see a raft with four men push away from the small gravel shingle she called a beach. Creed waved as they paddled for the gravel bar downstream. Good. She didn’t want to deal with travelers this late at night. All she wanted was to dry her hair and fall into her bunk. Morning came early with the sun rising at four-thirty. Wouldn’t it be something to be here the two weeks the sun didn’t set at all?
Manley trotted at her heels and she opened the door to let him into the cabin. Spying her laptop as the door shut, she paused for a moment and realized the generator was silent. Had Creed shut it off or had it run out of gas? One more chore to complete before bed.
Cups still sat on the table and her towel needed to be hung. She kicked off her shoes and slid her feet into warm sheepskin slippers. The sound of the screen door opening made her tense, but she forced herself to go about her business and started by hanging up her wet towel.
“Linnet, I’m sorry,” Creed said and stopped by the door. “I don’t know how to explain myself. You’re not just the first pretty woman I’ve seen in a long time. You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen in my entire life.”
Shaking hands dropped the clothes pin she’d been trying to attach to the line. Before she could move, he was there, crouching at her feet to pick it up. He stood slowly and she stared at the wooden clip in his hand. It was easier than looking him in the eye.
“Thank you,” she said, then grimaced. Were they doomed to politeness?
When she didn’t take the pin, didn’t move at all, he secured the towel on the line for her.
“You’ve done a great job here. The cabin and the area around it look so much better.”
Determined not to thank him again, she shrugged and turned away to put the rest of her things away. “Just something to keep my hands busy.”
“George fishes to keep busy. But you don’t like fish.”
“I don’t like salmon. No point in torturing the poor things just to amuse myself. People who don’t eat fish shouldn’t catch them for fun.”
“Do you want more tea? Yours is probably cold by now.”
“No. Did you shut off the generator?”
“Yes, and filled it with gas, too. It’s ready to go the next time you need it. I also locked up the back of your truck.”
He walked over to her and his hand slid into view, holding her keys.
“Appreciate it,” she said, took them and dropped them on top of her duffel. “Anyhow, it’s been a long day and I need to get some sleep. The sun always wakes me up.” The body heat he radiated so close to her wouldn’t let her go to sleep anyway.
“Do you want me to light the woodstove for you?”
She shook her head. “Don’t need it.”
“It’s supposed to rain tomorrow. I’ll lay it out so all you have to do is touch a match to it.”
“I’m quite capable of building a fire.” She glared up at him.
“I’m sure you are. I’m trying to find little excuses to stay nearby longer.” His unrepentant grin reminded her of her fantasy in the tub and she felt a flush burn away any lingering chill from her damp hair. Would probably help if she put on a sweatshirt over the tank top and workout pants she wore to bed.
“I’m hoping to ingratiate myself with you by doing little chores so as to become indispensable in your life,” he added.
There was something warm behind the laughter in his eyes that made her want to shiver. She clamped down on the urge but couldn’t control her nipples perking up into tight peaks.
The way he stared at her chest for a long moment told her he noticed the tank and pants were the only things she wore. To put on a shirt now would make it obvious she was covering up from him.
“You’ll catch a chill if you go to bed with all that wet hair. Let me stay and keep you company while it dries.” His touch was slow and gentle when he reached out to finger a lock of hair. “I won’t kiss you until you come to me. Fair enough?”
“Then you won’t be touching me again, because I won’t come to you looking for kisses. Or anything else.” She stepped away from him and walked to the table. Sitting on the side closest to the door, she debated for a long moment before standing again.
Linnet picked up her tea and carried it to the sink area. Staring at it for a long time, she continued the internal debate of whether or not he might have tampered with it. A distrust she carried to this day and never let anyone hand her a beverage without a sealed lid. It was tiresome to always be on guard, which made being alone so much easier. Two weeks? Would he really stay for two whole weeks?
“I don’t think you hate men, not the way you kiss, but it isn’t just me who makes you jumpy, is it?”
She turned from the sink to watch him select kindling and logs from the woodpile. “I don’t want to talk about my personality quirks. I asked you earlier about your family story.”
It was like watching a moving piece of art as he arranged the wood, carefully stacking it over a fire starter. The satisfaction from her fantasy evaporated and she wanted to live the moment live. Unable to tear her eyes away, she watched until he stood, then she focused on the cold tea in her hands. Using great self control, she chose to keep the tea and returned to