Page 13 of Jonathan

“But you love it.”

“I do!” He lapsed into silence and looked into his bowl, surprised to see that he had finished the stew.

“Seconds?”

“No.” He shook his head and looked out the window. “The storm has abated.”

“It has.”

“I should get going.”

“I should say something like – it’s too late for you to be going anywhere.” Her eyes drifted over his face and settled on his lips, giving him heart palpitations. “Or pretend to be a damsel in distress and ask you to stay.”

Heat spread over his entire body and for a few seconds he could not say anything. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he pushed back the chair with unnecessary force and stumbled to his feet.

“I think we both know you’re nothing of the sort.” His voice was harsh, his face rigid. “And I do not like being propositioned. We’re a small town and this kind of behavior is not appreciated.”

Pushing back her chair, she rose and came towards him. His first instinct was to turn tail and run as far and as fast as possible, but he forced himself stay where he was.

“What kind of behavior would that be?” She had to tilt her head back to meet his gaze.

“I don’t play games.” He stood still as she spread her hands over his chest.

“Perhaps it’s time you started.” She was amusing herself at his expense, but that was not all. There was something about the man that had her ditching her resolve not to get involved. She was not promiscuous, but she was not a prude either.

The fact was that as soon as she laid eyes on him that night, she felt something stirring inside her. His determination to fight it only made him even more irresistible. With her eyes trained on his, she started to unbutton his shirt, dropping her gaze to the wide area of a smooth chest and tanned to a golden brown, muscles flexing.

“My, my, what do we have here.” Her fingers edged towards the small brown nipples and had him sucking in his breath. For a fraction of a minute, he considered shoving her away and getting the hell out, but the decision and the power to make rational ones had been taken from him.

With a snarl, he gripped her hands and shoved her back against the wall. With one hand cupping the back of her neck, he lifted her face and lowered his. He waited a beat as if undecided,before bending his head and taking what she was so blatantly offering. Her lips were soft and sweet and addictive.

His first taste had him reeling. Crushing his lips to hers, he parted hers with his tongue, bruising the softness and swallowing her moan. His free hand raced down to her hips and then to her derriere, lifting her against his rigid arousal.

Something primal exploded inside him as she moved her body against his. The tenuous control he was holding onto snapped completely. Grinding his body against hers, he deepened the kiss, almost gulping her down. A groan escaped him when she flung her arms around his neck.

Her small breasts – Jesus! Unfettered breasts, he could feel the nipples branding his chest – pressed into his skin and sent sparks flying everywhere. Shoving his hand into the waistband of her leggings, his body vibrated with shock when he encountered silky soft skin and nothing else.

He was in the middle of dragging her leggings off, when common sense pushed through a flood of desire so brutal, he was blinded by it. Lifting his mouth from hers, he managed to shove her away, his breathing ragged, eyes darkened with desire.

He stood there staring at her as he tried to quiet his riotous thoughts and rampaging emotions. Her lips were swollen, the sweater dropping down one shoulder and her eyes were dreamy with passion.

And if he stayed… Turning away abruptly, he almost ran out, dragging his jacket on and shoving his feet into the boots. Without looking at her, he wrenched open the door and slammed it shut behind him.

Leaning against the wall, Kamilah took several deep breaths and pressed her hand to her chest.

“Oh, dear Lord.” She whispered with a shaky laugh. “Damn, but the man can kiss.”

*****

He rode relentlessly. As if the devil himself was after him. Several times during the ride back, he almost turned around.Cursing himself for the lack of control, he pushed his horse and almost welcomed the wind lashing against his skin.

There was a light drizzle coming down, but he did not even feel the moisture coating his clothing. Reaching the outskirts of his property, he brought the animal to an easy canter as he examined the area with keen eyes. Signs of flooding was everywhere and come morning, they would have a lot of work to do. He certainly did not need the distraction.

But his body and mind were waging an internal battle. He was still hard as rock, his heart still pounding heavily. His hands clenched the reins in a tight grip as he recalled the taste of her lips, the feel of her nipples branding his chest.

With a long and eloquent curse, he headed for the barn. The main one that housed the majority of the horses was intact and for that he was thankful. The silence surrounded him as he vaulted from the horse and led the animal towards his stall. Wiping him down took all of his concentration as well as checking on the other horses.

Making sure that there was nowhere leaking, he went to all the stalls to ensure the rest of the horses were all there, beforeheading out. His boots sank into the saturated ground as he made his way to the ranch house.

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