Page 13 of Caught By the Lumberjack

"Definitely," she agreed, wrapping her legs around my hips as I carried her toward the couch near the fireplace. "Terrible idea. Catastrophic."

"Environmental disaster," I suggested, laying her down on the cushions, bracing myself above her.

She laughed, a sound that quickly transformed into a gasp as I trailed kisses down her neck. "You're trying to fell me like one of your trees."

"And you're the most distracting protest sign I've ever encountered." I tugged at the flannel shirt she wore, my voice roughened with desire. "Can I take this off you now?"

"Only if I can take off yours too." Her hands were already pushing up the hem of my henley, her cool fingers tracing paths of fire across my abdomen.

Clothing fell away with urgent need—my shirt over my head, the flannel unbuttoned and pushed from her shoulders, revealing the most perfect breasts I'd ever seen, small and pert with rosy peaks that hardened under my gaze.

"You're beautiful," I breathed, lowering my head to take one nipple into my mouth.

Her back arched, a keening sound escaping her throat. "And you're annoyingly gorgeous for a tree murderer."

I laughed against her skin, nipping gently in retaliation. "Still with the tree murder accusations?"

"Sorry, old habits—" Her words cut off on a moan as my hand slid beneath the waistband of the borrowed sweatpants, finding her slick and ready.

"What were you saying about old habits?" I teased, circling the sensitive bundle of nerves that made her hips buck against my hand.

"Shut up and kiss me," she demanded, pulling my head down to hers.

I obliged gladly, swallowing her moans as my fingers continued their exploration. The sweatpants were quickly discarded, along with my jeans, leaving us skin to skin before the fire. The storm outside provided a primeval soundtrack to our coupling—thunder crashing, rain pounding, wind howling—nature itself seemed to approve of our union.

When I finally positioned myself between her thighs, I paused, searching her face. "Are you sure about this?"

In answer, she wrapped her legs around me, pulling me closer. "Absolutely sure. But I warn you, I might chain myself to you in the morning."

“That can be arranged,” I said with a wink before pushing my hard cock into her wet pussy, both of us gasping at the sensation. She was tight, hot, perfect—enveloping me in a grip that threatened to end things embarrassingly quickly.

"Vaughn," she breathed, my name on her lips the sweetest sound I'd ever heard.

I began to move, establishing a rhythm that had her clinging to my shoulders, her nails digging half-moons into my skin. The friction was exquisite, each thrust bringing us closer to the edge. I'd never experienced anything like this—the physical pleasure amplified by the electricity of our enemies-to-loves connection.

Her climax, when it came, was a revelation—her body tensing beneath mine, inner muscles clenching around me as she cried out my name. The sight of her undone, combined with the pulsing pressure, pushed me over the edge. I followed her into oblivion, burying my face in her neck as release thundered through me with the force of the storm outside.

We lay tangled together afterward, breathing heavily, sweat cooling on our skin in the firelit room. Her fingers traced lazy patterns on my back as I pressed soft kisses to her shoulder, neither of us quite ready to break the spell with words.

Finally, she spoke, her voice soft with wonder. "That was..."

"Yeah," I agreed, understanding perfectly what she couldn't articulate.

She turned her head to meet my gaze, her expression suddenly vulnerable. "What happens in the morning? When the storm clears?"

I brushed a curl from her forehead, surprised by the tenderness I felt. "I still give you that tour. You still evaluate my logging operation. And then..."

"And then?" she prompted.

I pulled her closer, unwilling to examine too closely the protective instinct she stirred in me—this woman who, just yesterday, I'd considered my adversary. "And then we figure out if this was just the storm talking, or something more."

Her fingers stilled on my skin, her eyes searching mine. "What if it is something more? My life is…well…on the road—I think—your life is here."

"Let's worry about tomorrow, tomorrow," I suggested, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

She settled against my chest with a contented sigh, and as I pulled a throw blanket over our entwined bodies, I couldn'thelp but wonder if I'd just made the biggest mistake of my life—or found something I didn't even know I was missing.

Chapter Five

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