Damn it. If he turned and went back, she’d think he was a wimp. But if he continued into that water, he might never be able to get it up again in this lifetime. His cock would freeze solid, which would do irreparable damage.
“You’re not going to chicken out, are you?” Her laughter was the final straw.
“Absolutely not!” Gritting his teeth, he splashed toward her, and when he reached the spot where she sat chest-deep, he plopped right down. He thought he was going to have a heart attack. “Holy hell! This water’s freezing.” He would have stood up again, but he wasn’t sure his legs would support him now that they were shaking like a willow branch in the wind.
“Wait it out. It gets better.”
“No, it doesn’t. You’re numb by now. You’re probably in shock. Can you feel your toes? I can’t feel mine.”
“You’re such a baby. I do this every day.”
His teeth started to chatter. “F-first thing in the m-morning?”
“Well, no. I usually wait until the middle of the day.”
“Let’s do that.” He tried to get up, but the rocks were slippery and he was still pretty shaky. “Let’s get out and try it again at noon.”
She put a hand on his shoulder, so cold it felt like the clutch of death. “You won’t be here at noon. Look, you’re in the water now, so you might as well relax and enjoy it.”
“You realize this could be the end of our sex life.”
“How’s that?”
“My cock is never going to be the same after this.”
“Sure it will.” She reached over and cupped his cheek. Her fingers were frigid. “Kiss me.”
“The way my teeth are chattering, I might bite you instead.”
“Try it.”
He figured all was lost anyway, so he might as well go along with this kissing routine. Turning toward her, he tried not to quiver as their lips met. At first it was a chilly proposition, indeed, but then her warmth began to penetrate the frost.
The effect reminded him of a movie where the prince kissed the sleeping princess and she gradually turned from deathly white to pink and glowing. Only he was the deathly white prince and Naomi was the princess reviving him. The longer they kissed, the better he felt.
Soon he had so much feeling in his fingers that he remembered she was naked in this water and he could reach over and play with her breasts. So he did.
She drew away from his kiss. “See? You’re starting to enjoy yourself.”
“Some. Kiss me again.”
“Sure.” Sliding around to face him, she held his head and really began to kiss him with enthusiasm.
That helped enormously because now he could fondle both of her plump breasts at once, and as he toyed with her nipples, he felt the most incredible miracle happen. Even in water cold enough to chill a beer keg, his cock began to rise.
She nibbled on his lower lip. “I’m getting hot. How about you?”
“I wouldn’t say I’m hot, but I’m hard.”
“You are?” She reached under the water, swishing her hand around until she found him. “Oh, my goodness.”
“They said it couldn’t happen.”
“Let’s see what else might happen.” She began to stroke him.
“Naomi, no.” But he didn’t pull away.
“Why not? Aren’t men more potent in the morning? Let’s take the edge off.”
“I can’t believe you’re doing this.” Still he didn’t stop her. His balls tightened and his breathing grew shallow.
“You want me to. I can tell.” Her tongue traced the curve of his lower lip as her hand moved faster. Then she caught his lip in her teeth and fondled the tip of his cock, squeezing, stroking… .
He groaned. “Yes…ah…yes.” He came, spurting into the cold water that no longer felt cold at all.
Her chuckle was rich with triumph. “Wasn’t that great?”
He gasped, but not because he was cold. She’d taken care of that in fine fashion. “Great.” He wondered if she was spoiling him for anyone else. Now, there was a truly scary thought.
NAOMI HAD ENJOYED her first week alone in the forest with the eagle family. But her second week had taught her more about herself than about the nesting habits of eagles. She’d spent her days studying and recording the raptors’ behavior, but she’d spent her nights with Luke.
His arrival had depended on his duties. Sometimes he’d show up before sunset and they’d make love on her observation platform, surrounded by fiery hues and the twitter of birds settling in for the night. Other times he’d ride into her camp after dark, when she’d already built a fire in preparation for dinner.
On those nights, he’d swing down from the saddle and pull her into his arms with an impatient oath, as if he’d been gone for days instead of hours. The first time that had happened, he’d been so desperate that he’d backed her up against a tree. Thrilling though that encounter had been, she’d chosen to have a sleeping bag conveniently positioned by the fire the next time he’d arrived after dark.
Sharing her work space and her campsite with Luke was the closest she’d ever come to living with a man. Because she’d fared so well on her own, she’d always wondered how well she’d tolerate such an arrangement. She not only tolerated Luke’s presence, she craved it.
With Luke she lost any lingering sexual inhibitions. Having sex with him every night had taught her how responsive she could be. She vowed not to lose that information after he was no longer inspiring her to enjoy her body to the fullest.
Luke had also raised the bar for any guy she would ever become involved with. Although she couldn’t dream of a forever-after with Luke, she wouldn’t settle for less than someone with his vibrancy. No more underdogs for her.
She was grateful that Luke Griffin had ridden under her tree nearly a week ago. As she swept the meadow with her binoculars around noon, she foolishly wished that he’d appear. He wouldn’t, though, not for several hours.
She might have worried about her eagerness to see him, except that she could guarantee he was thinking of her at this very moment, too. Somehow he’d managed to perform his duties to Emmett’s satisfaction, even though he’d told her that his thoughts were always on her. He’d described some of those thoughts, and they were all X-rated.
So were hers. Whenever she remembered all they’d shared this past week, she grew moist and achy. Sitting on the camp stool, she took off her hiking boots and socks, even though she knew for a fact he wouldn’t be riding out into the clearing until the sun went down.
Standing barefoot on the platform, she still felt restricted by her clothing, so she stripped everything off. She’d love to walk around the platform naked, but after Jack’s surprise visit, she wasn’t comfortable doing that. She put her shorts and shirt back on, but going without underwear felt risky and fun. No doubt about it, Luke had changed her outlook.
Too bad he wouldn’t be here for a sexy picnic. After checking the eagles and typing more notes, she snapped off a few shots with her digital camera. Then she grabbed an energy drink and paced the platform as she sipped it. She pictured what Luke might be doing right now.
He’d mentioned teaching