Page 94 of Blindly Yours

And again.

And I just stare.

I want those hands on me, those shoulders rippling above me, those thighs taut as he—

“That should do it.” Nate sets down his axe and gathers the small pile of firewood he’s created.

I don’t say anything…because…I can’t. Is my mouth hanging open?

It must be, because he’s smirking when he nods toward the cabin behind me. “Should we go inside where it’s warmer?”

I clear my throat and tuck my hair behind my ear. “Oh, right. Yes.”

I swear I hear him chuckle behind me as we make our way inside.

He adds a few logs to the stove and then comes to sit next to me on the sofa and wraps his arm around my shoulder, rubbing it gently. “Warming up?”

Honestly, I forgot I was cold. I’m still thinking about the way his triceps ached to be set free from his shirt just moments ago.

“Better, yes.” I lean into him, watching the flames lick up the sides of the logs.

He runs his fingers through a few strands of my hair. “Tomorrow, I think we should go into town. There’s a restaurant that serves the best walleye in the state.”

As I watch the fire, my eyes travel to the left of the stove where there is a small stack of split wood. They aren’t the pieces Nate just brought in. I raise a brow.

He continues to stroke my hair. “Maybe we can head over to the state park. I don’t know how you feel about hiking, but there’s a short trail that’s really scenic—”

“Freshly split wood doesn’t burn any better than what’s been sitting around, does it?” I point toward the pile.

Nate chuckles and takes a breath. “No. Arguably, newly split burns worse.”

I sit up straight and shove his shoulder with a laugh. “I knew it! You’re such a liar!”

His eyes twinkle as he peers back at me, shrugging.

My mouth hangs open. “So…so you just made that up so you’d have an excuse to seduce me with your…yourwood chopping?!”

He smirks. “Did it work?”

I stare at him incredulously for a moment, stunned and impressed andturned on. Then I grin and lean in so my nose almost touches his. “Heck yes, it did.”

And at that, he takes my face in his hands and presses his lips into mine. “Good,” he whispers against them. Then he pulls away just marginally. Enough to meet my gaze. His eyes have dropped their playfulness and are suddenly much darker than they were just moments ago.

I want him.

No, Ineedhim. I need to know what it’s like to only care how itfeels.

I lean in again and kiss him like I might explode if I don’t. And then it’s almost like the fire in the stove jumps out and engulfs us both. Nate weaves his hand through the back of my hair and tugs it firmly so I have to tilt my head back as he plants his mouth on my neck, hot and passionate. My eyes drift shut as I grasp his shoulders, succumbing to the heat.

When his lips find mine again, the room around us evaporates. It’s just he and I. These are frantic, open-mouthed kisses, and for the second time with Nate, it feels like I’ve never been kissed before now. I tug the hem of his shirt and he pulls it over his head in one quick movement, revealing his bare chest, covered in a smattering of hair. Malcolm shaved his chest because he thought it was sexy, but no.Thisis sexy.

I run my palms across his chest, reveling in how firm and warm it is. He’s built like his physique results from the heavy lifting required for his job, not from hours at the gym, and I admire that. There’s no vanity here.

His fingers find the buttons on my shirt, and in his hurried state, he fumbles with the first, the second, the third…

“Just rip it,” I breathe, trying to shrug it off already. “I’ll buy a new one.”

And he doesn’t hesitate. He grasps the fabric tightly and pulls it apart in one swift motion. Buttons go clanking to the floor, but I pay no attention. I’m too focused on the way his bare muscles just tensed and pulled at the action.

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