Page 31 of Finding Forever

Okay maybe scorched was too strong a word. Lightly scalded was more realistic. She smoothed her tingling palms over the fabric of her skirt and tried again, curling her palms over his shoulders and launching herself at his back. He absorbed the impact of her weight with a slight—unflattering—oofand quickly hooked his huge hands under her knees to support her. Because she was wearing a rather flowy skirt, his hands found the sensitive bare skin at the back of her knees, and she tried very hard to ignore the unfamiliar sensation of his touch on her skin. But it was difficult when she wasn’t used to being touched, even casually, by anyone.

She lifted one hand from his shoulder in an attempt to check if her skirt was covering her backside and he made an irritated noise, easily hefting her higher up on his back when she slid down slightly.

“What the fuck are you doing?” he snapped. “Hold on.”

“Sorry, my skirt was riding up.”

“Christ.” The curse rode its way to her on a whisper, before he raised his voice to ask, “Good to go?”

Satisfied that she was modestly covered, she curled her arms round his neck, hand closing over wrist to create a loose loop. Her legs were sticking straight out and recognizing that it wasn’t very practical or comfortable for either of them, she tucked them back, trapping his hands in the folds of her knees.

She tried not to think about that… or the fact that her front was plastered against his broad back. Shewantedto ignore the feel of his strong body beneath hers as he started to climb, but it was hard to do so when her thighs were spread wide over his hips and she was riding above the hard, curve of his tight behind. With nothing but the silk of her panties and the fabric of his shirt between her intimate parts and the small of his back.

They didn’t speak, he walked at a brisk pace, barely seeming to get winded as he went. The movement caused Fern to inadvertently rub against him and she felt—she stifled a groan—God, she felt way too much.

“Do you need a break?” she asked, dropping the question directly into his ear, which was mere centimeters away from her mouth. Lord knew,sheneeded a break.

He paused, turning his head but unable to quite look at her because of the angle.

“I’m fine. Doyouneed a break?” For a second, she panicked, wondering if he was asking her that because he knew that she was feelingthings. “Are you nauseous?”

Oh. Well, at least he didn’t know about the friction and the tingling and the breathlessness and all of that.

“I’m okay.” Well, if he didn’t know about the breathlessness before, he certainly did now, because it was right there in her voice.

“Then I’m happy to continue.”

“Okay.” Why did the word have to sound like a whimper? He readjusted his grip moving his hands further up the backs of her thighs. This time the sound she made was an actual whimper and he stilled, angling his head toward her again.

“Yousureyou’re okay?” he asked.

“Uh huh.”

He didn’t move for a moment and several people passed them, giving them curious looks. It was only when a guy with a huge cooler box slung over his shoulder jostled Cade, that he started moving again.

He kept a steady pace and before Fern knew it, they were at street level. He loosened his hold on her and she slid down from his back in clumsy haste, fussily straightening her clothing in an attempt to avoid his eyes.

“I can walk from here,” she said after a moment. He was leaning against a railing, his strong arms folded across his chest, while he watched her fuss at her clothing.

“Aye?”

“Definitely.” Oh gosh, the breathlessness was back. She wasn’t even the one who’d done any of the work, but it was hard to remain composed when her nipples were hot coals that felt like they were burning a hole through her bra… Andotherparts of her felt swollen, achy, and were pulsing with every frenetic beat of her heart.

His eyes narrowed, probing.

“You look flushed,” he observed, his face as grim as his voice.

“It’s a warm day.”

He stepped toward her and—Oh God, how embarrassing—palmed her forehead like she was a child,wrapping his other hand around the nape of her neck to keep her still while his gaze bored into her eyes.

“What are you doing?” she asked on a horrified whisper.

“Checking to see if you have a fever.”

“Of course, I don’t.” She was mortified, but also… Gosh, he smelled really, really good, she wanted to step closer, burrow her nose into the tempting hollow of his neck. Maybe lick it, see if he tasted as good as he smelled.

The unfamiliar longing confused and shocked her. She almost sagged in relief when he released her and stepped away from her.

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