Breaking off the kiss, he cupped her face in his hands. Carmen noted he was breathing just as hard as she was. Staring into her eyes, his gaze seemed to melt into hers. Then he claimed her mouth yet again, his tongue taking hers in long, hard, and devouring strokes.

When she felt herself ease down on the blanket, she relished the feel of his strong thighs when he placed his body over hers. He had slid his hand beneath her dress—and then suddenly, he broke off the kiss and sat up. Droplets of rain sprinkled down her face.

“Come on, let’s go before it starts raining harder,” he said, standing.

When he extended his hand to her, she took it and stood to her feet, trying to ignore the sensations still rushing through her. They quickly gathered the blanket and put the wine bottle and glasses in the basket. With her hand held firmly in his, they quickly moved toward the guest cottages.

Carmen knew she should appreciate the rain coming down when it had. She didn’t want to imagine what they would be doing if it hadn’t. His hand had been under her dress just inches from the waistband of her panties. How had she allowed him to get that far? To take liberties she hadn’t ever given any other man?

“Which one of these cottages is yours?” he asked.

“That one.” They moved in that direction. Moments later they stood in front of the door.

“Sorry our picnic got interrupted, Redford.” With that, she knew she should thank him for a nice picnic and go inside.

“Carmen?”

Redford saying her name held her still. “Yes?”

“May I come in so we can finish off the wine?”

For some reason she couldn’t discard from her mind what he’d told her about looking into the stars and wishing for her. Whether he knew it or not, that meant everything to her. His wish had been for her to be his.

Her mouth still reeled from the effects of his kisses. She still felt the intensity of them through her entire body. Even now, while they stood facing each other, the sparks were still flying between them. It was raining harder now. She couldn’t send him away to get totally drenched, could she?

If he came inside, would the storm brewing between them, turbulent and tempestuous, get out of control? No. She would admit his kisses had almost done her in while on that blanket, but now she was in full control of her faculties.

“Carmen?”

She drew in a deep breath and said, “Yes. Come in so we can finish off the wine.”

Chapter Five

As Redford poured the remainder of the wine into the glasses, out of the corner of his eye he could see Carmen move around the cottage. It was identical to the one he was using, with a spacious living room, bedroom and bathroom.

Redford tried forcing his concentration back to what he was doing. That was hard, especially when thoughts of the kisses they’d shared ran rampant through his mind. The kisses had been expected. Gone according to plan. What had not been expected was the impact her taste had on him.

It was as if the moment their tongues tangled, something had come over him that was deeper and stronger than mere desire. It was something that had caught him off guard. A rational part of him wanted to believe there was a first time for everything, but the irrational part could not accept he’d let go of his smooth moves with this particular woman.

For a short while, all the legendary exploits he was known for had been eradicated from his brain. His focus had been only on her. Mainly, how she made him feel, the way she tasted and his desire to connect their bodies in the most primitive way. He ached to get inside her, and even now he could feel her heat.

Turning with both wineglasses in his hand, he saw Carmen now stood at the window, peering out. It was raining even harder and the sound of it beating on the cottage’s roof was almost deafening. He wondered if she knew that the weather could affect a person’s sex drive, especially when it was raining like it was now.

He could feel it. And seeing her in that dress wasn’t helping matters. He almost regretted having asked her to keep it on.

“Here you are,” he said, moving toward her.

She turned and smiled. “It seems Denver’s weather is so unpredictable. There was no sign of rain when we were watching the stars.”

“Yes, I would say it surprised us,” he said, handing her the wineglass. Not only had the rain surprised him, but it had angered him. His hands had made it under her dress, and he’d been about to slide his fingers under the waistband of her panties, when he had felt the first droplets.

“Thanks.”

Meeting her gaze, he said, “You’re welcome.”

After taking a sip of wine, he moved to stand beside her and look out the window. “It’s coming down pretty hard.” That meant even if he finished his wine, she wouldn’t send him out in the storm. At least, he hoped she wouldn’t.

“Do you want to sit on the sofa and talk?” he suggested, turning from the window to look at her.