Page 4 of Saving Her Curves

How could he seem even bigger without his jacket? Skye tried to convince herself that her sudden shortness of breath was caused by the pain in her head and not her proximity to Hank’s big body. Or maybe, she thought, it was the lingering aftereffects of that unexpected kiss that had her suddenly wondering what it would be like to be standing this close to him as he removed her clothing slowly, before kneeling before her to stroke his strong hands up the sides of her legs as he gently pulled them apart and placed his mouth on her… She shuddered at the mental picture and a low moan escaped her throat.

Maybe she had a concussion.

“There,” he said, rising to his feet to tower over her. He thrust a hand through his hair as if he were nervous. “I, um, I need to check you for injuries, Skye.”

“What?” She forced her mind away from the fantasies weaving through her mind and tried to concentrate on the conversation at hand.

“Injuries. You said the seatbelt,” he motioned toward her torso with his hand, “hurt you”.

“Right, right,” she nodded, coming back to painful reality. “Yeah, I’m a bit sore.”

“Well, then, let’s make sure you’re just bruised.” He guided her to a chair in front of the fireplace. With gentle hands he probed her shoulder, her abdomen and, lastly, the deep valley between her breasts. “I don’t feel any swelling.” He sat back on his heels, hunched beside her. “I’d really like to have you checked out by a medical professional.”

“Aren’t you trained for that?”

“Yeah, I’m an EMT, but...” He didn’t finish.

“But what?”

“I…” He cleared his throat. “I would need you to take off your shirt to examine you fully.”

“Oh,” Skye answered, her mouth opening wide. “Well, okay, then.” She reached for the hem of her sweater and started to pull it up. The movement made her groan.

“Here, let me help.” Hank stood, pulling her to her feet as well. He wasn’t surprised that his hands had a slight tremble to them as he reached for the bottom of Skye’s sweater. He pushed down the brazen desire rising inside him, putting on the most professional face he could muster. He thought of every dangerous situation he’d ever found himself in as his fingers curled around the soft fabric. He’d bet his last block of wood that her skin was even softer.

Her sweater was knit and hadn’t disguised any of her luscious curves. But, having them behind that thin layer of fabric was totally different than seeing the smooth creamy expanse of her perfect skin. He didn’t even attempt to avert his gaze. He was a man, after all.

“Damn,” he cursed. A large pink stripe ran from her shoulder, down between her luscious breasts and across her stomach. It looked like a bad rash. He could imagine the burning pain. “I am so sorry.”

“It wasn’t your fault. It was that white deer.”

“What?” Hank raised his gaze. “A white deer?”

“Yeah,” Skye nodded, trying to stop herself from shivering under his potent gaze, “it ran out in front of me. That’s why I wrecked.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen one around here.” He touched her again, as he had while she’d been seated in the chair. “Tell me if I hurt you.”

You could break my heart…

Skye shook away those thoughts. Just because she found herself in this situation—alone with a sexy, handsome man in the middle of a freaking blizzard—didn’t mean anything was going to happen. Romance didn’t come knocking at her door very often for obvious reasons. She was a big girl with an independent streak a mile wide. Both were off-putting for most men.

She glanced at Hank from beneath her lashes. Her instincts were telling her Hank wasn’t like most men.

The exam didn’t take long. “I can imagine you’re hurting, but I don’t think this is too bad.” He looked at her again. “I’d like to put some cream on it to take away some of the stinging.”

When he reached for his bag, Skye stopped him. Suddenly self-conscious, she hugged her sweater to her chest. “Do you think I could take a shower? Get warmed up a little?”

“Of course, assuming you don’t feel too dizzy.” His voice was filled with concern, which made her a little light-headed but for entirely different reasons.

“No, I’m fine.” She was smart enough not to shake her head. “I would need to borrow something to wear though.”

The thought of her wearing his clothes sent Hank’s blood pressure soaring and made him harder than hell. If just thinking about her in his sweat suit aroused him this much, he was in bigger trouble than he’d ever imagined possible.

“The bathroom is this way.” He didn’t wait to see if she was following him. He stalked through the cabin, turning on lights as he went. The cabin was small but had everything he needed. He’d made sure the bathroom accommodated his size, so it was bigger than one would normally find in a mountainside cabin.

“Here.” He opened the door, glad the electricity hadn’t gone off yet, and that the room was warm. There was a large vanity, a spacious walk-in-shower, and an oversized jetted tub. “Do you want a shower or a bath?”

“A shower, please.”

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