Page 12 of Saving Her Curves

Hank laughed, placing his hands on either side of her face. He lowered his head, touching his forehead to hers. “No, we can’t, sweet girl. You’re too sore and I don’t want to hurt you.”

She didn’t want that either…

He placed a hard, lingering kiss against her astonished mouth before taking her hand and pulling her to the kitchen. Before she could protest, he picked her up and placed her on one of the padded bar stools. This morning she was dressed once again in the long-sleeved thermal shirt he’d given her yesterday—and nothing else. Thankfully, it was long enough to cover the curve of her butt.

Without asking what she wanted to eat, he grabbed a cast iron pan and a griddle from the cabinet. Skye watched as he produced a breakfast of bacon and pancakes. She could tell he needed no help around the kitchen. Or, from what she’d seen of his house, any help at all. Granted, it was a little bare, but that could just be his personality—that he liked to keep things minimalistic.

As she cut into the fluffy pancakes, she wondered if that was why there was no woman in his life. Or she assumed there was no woman. She knew the search and rescue team had the reputation of being skirt chasers, but it didn’t look as though any female had made her way that far into his life—at least from the austerity of his cabin.

“Good?” he asked, motioning to the food.

“Very,” she answered. “You’re a good cook. Better than me in fact.”

He shrugged his broad shoulders. “I can do the basics, nothing fancy. My mom taught me.”

When he’d gotten up this morning, he’d only pulled on a pair of sweats, leaving his broad chest bare. His skin was olive colored and held the last vestige of a tan. His earlier words were true, she was sore this morning, but that didn’t prevent the lascivious thoughts from entering her mind. Just the opposite, in fact. Knowing exactly why she was sore only added to her lusty thoughts.

They ate in silence for a few minutes and she thought how lovely it would be to do this each day. With him. Breakfast in the mornings, go to work, come back to the cabin for dinner and then…

Damn, she wanted him again.

“Do you think maybe you could show me your shop today?”

Hank nodded, her question cutting through his own lusty thoughts. “Yeah. I need to check on it anyway. Make sure there’s no leaks in the roof.” He hesitated before continuing. “I’ve got a couple of pieces on commission I’m working on.”

“Really? That’s wonderful.”

Skye’s eyes sparkled and Hank felt a ball of pride gathering in his stomach. She looked as though she wanted to clap for him. It was a foolish feeling, the school-boy pride he was experiencing. But it was there, expanding in his chest and bringing a smile to his lips.

He didn’t know exactly what was happening between them, but he wanted it to continue. Yes, last night’s sex had been off the charts. Every time Hank had gone to bed with a woman, it had been to have a good time then and there. He’d always been a generous bed partner, always happy to make sure his companion enjoyed the intimacy as much as he did. But the act itself had never had a deeper meaning, had never gone beyond the physical. He’d always been able to walk away without looking back.

But not with Skye.

Somehow, she had everything inside him tangled up. His heart, his body, his soul.

Hell, his future and his past.

“It’s not much. They aren’t much bigger than the one I was working on last night.”

“Oh, what are they?”

“A horse for a young girl and a gnome of all things for one of the guy’s girlfriends.” He went on to explain how tough legs for animals, especially ones slender like a horse’s, were to carve. “The only problem is, I think the gnome needs a little color.”

It was, he discovered, refreshing to be able to share his thoughts and doubts with someone else about his work. Usually, he just went with his gut instincts. Most of the time they were spot on, but sometimes, he knew he could do better and being able to talk about it with someone would help.

“Those sound wonderful. I can’t wait to see them.”

In her excitement, Skye jumped down from the barstool. The move pulled her borrowed shirt up past her thighs, revealing the curve of her hip, the swell of her buttocks. Immediately, Hank’s body hardened. He knew he couldn’t take her again so soon. But there were other ways…

***

It was over an hour later when Hank and Skye made their way through the knee-deep snow. Well, it was knee deep on Hank. Now, it was past Skye’s knees. She would never have been able to make it if Hank hadn’t cut a path through it with his strong legs. He held her hand, almost dragging her behind him in spots.

Luckily, he’d had a pair of galoshes she could wear over her boots. She’d tucked in her jeans, which had dried overnight, and donned another borrowed piece of clothing. This time a thick sweat shirt. She was still tingling from their latest encounter. Hank had…well, Hank had rocked her world, putting into action several ways two people could express their desire for each other without him being inside of her. She’d only read about some of the things he’d done to her. The books hadn’t done the acts justice. But Hank certainly had.

Skye admired the shift of Hank’s bottom beneath his jeans as he removed the snow from the ground in front of his workshop’s door. She couldn’t wait until this evening, when they were back in bed, naked, feeling him inside of her as she held onto that bottom for every delicious thrust.

“Come on, you’re gonna freeze.” He motioned her forward and she realized she’d been lost in those tantalizing daydreams yet again. It was cold, the temperature still south of freezing. It had stopped snowing, but the cold was keeping the snow from melting. And everyone in place.

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