Page 92 of Colton's Last Resort

He dropped his gaze to the silk covering her. “Are you wearing anything under that?”

Later, she cautioned herself when, again, adrenaline and desire surged. “All good things,” she whispered before she lowered to the seat, tucking the robe around her legs when it parted over her thighs.

He pulled out the chair next to hers. Lifting her glass, she drank before lowering it back to the table and picking up her knife and fork. “This looks excellent.”

“It’ll get you by.”

“Mmm,” she said after the first bite. The different flavors gelled. Together, they were perfectly delectable. “Noah. This is fantastic.”

“I just threw things together in the pan.”

She jabbed her fork in his direction. “Modesty doesn’t suit you. I watched you make this. You’ll take credit for it.”

“Or?” he asked and popped a long green bean into his mouth, chewing.

She reached for the bottle of wine. “I could pour this fine vintage over your head.”

“You’ll taste it on the rest of me, then,” he said darkly. Wonderfully.

Images hit her brain, inciting more answers from her body.

“What’s it going to be, Colton?” he asked, amused, when she didn’t let go of the bottle. The delicious light of challenge smoldered behind his eyes.

Jesus.Did he play with fire often? Because he was good at it. She placed the bottle back on the table. “Fortify yourself,” she told him, nodding at his plate. “You’re going to need it.”

Shaking his head, he muttered, “A little over an hour ago, I didn’t think there was anything that could make me forget what’s going to happen tomorrow. But you could make me forget the world if you put your mind to it.”

That had been her goal. Hadn’t it? Now she could only think about wanting him in her bed again. He’d been there since that first night they’d made love. He’d slept beside her. But this time, she wanted more. To make him forget, yes. But also because...

Because sheneededhim. “Eat,” she said. It was the only safe word she knew.

They cleaned their plates, and he cleared them. She polished off her wine. Before he could think about washing dishes, she took his hand. “Follow me?” she asked, grabbing the soft faux fur blanket draped over the back of the couch.

As she led him to the back door, he said, “Anywhere,” before sliding the glass panel open for both of them.

She held that inside her, letting it feed her, as she led him around the chairs and pool to the path that tumbled down one flagstone at a time to the base of the natural hill her bungalow dominated.

The sound of trickling water led her. Little lights on either side of the path would be turned off soon in adherence to Dark Sky Community guidelines. The stargazing party would leave soon in the Jeeps provided by the resort, with the blankets and hot cocoa offered during cooler nights. The chill in the air was sharp.

“Is there a stream here?” he asked as the tumble of water grew louder.

“When I was a kid, it was a river,” she told him. “This is all that’s left.” A small swath of moonlight shimmied over stones as water hurried across them. “My mother would walk here every morning. Sometimes she would bring me and the boys. But mostly this was her spot.”

“Is that why you built your place at the top of the hill?”

“Yes,” she said. “It was my way of feeling close to her.”

His hand didn’t leave hers as they stood listening to the water babble. “Do you find that fades...more and more as the years go on?” he asked quietly.

Her eyes sought his silhouette. As they adjusted to the dark, she carved him out of the night. Hooded brow, firm jaw, solid as the mountains that held the sky. “Yes,” she admitted.

He nodded slightly. “So do I.”

She tightened her hold on him, bringing his attention to her. As his feet shuffled to face her, she let go to reach for the belt of the robe.

He stopped her. “You’ll freeze.”

“It’s why I brought the blanket,” she said. “Will you hold it?”

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