Page 43 of Suddenly Tempted
“It never crossed my mind,” Devlin said, sitting upright. “Come in.”
She stepped into the room, a bowl in one hand, cup in the other.
“It’s another tinned beauty,” she said, holding out the bowl. Steam rose from it, despite the heat of the room. “And some tea.”
Devlin took the food with thanks, peering into the bowl at a pile of filled pasta covered in a red sauce.
“Not bad,” he admitted, his stomach grumbling at the smell of hot food. “They sure know how to treat their guests at this place, don’t they? Thank you, Darcy.”
“I just heated it in a saucepan, the tin did the rest.” Darcy nodded and skittered back out to the living room. Devlin followed, forking in a mouthful of food as he went. There was a place setting on the table by the window and Devlin took the seat next to it as Darcy dished her own portion from the pan to her plate.
Through the glass, the visibility was worse than it had been since they arrived. Devlin could feel the coldness of the snow seeping through the window, even though it was sealed tightly shut. He watched Darcy’s fluid movements, her too-big joggers hanging by her hips, her jumper sleeves rolled up so they didn’t swamp her hands. She was perfect. He had to remind himself that she had said no, in so many words, and he respected that, but it didn’t mean he couldn’t appreciate her from afar.
“It’s not a steak, but I think there might be meat inside the little pasta shapes,” Darcy said, sitting down and tucking in.
“I dreamt of my mum’s roast dinner last night,” said Devlin, his mouth watering. “Crispy potatoes and a rare cut of beef.”
“I’m surprised you slept enough to dream at all on that sofa,” Darcy said. “It looks older than me.”
Devlin looked down at his food, poking a pasta with his fork.
“You could have come in to the bunks, you know,” Darcy added. “There was no need for you to sleep out here.”
“Honestly, Darcy?” Devlin said. “I did come through and when I heard you snoring, I grabbed a blanket and decided on the sofa.”
Darcy was mid-chew so she rolled her eyes at him and pouted, the pillow of her lips doing strange things to Devlin’s stomach. He pinched his nose and carried on with his lunch.
She doesn’t like you like that. Have some control.
“My snoring is cute,” she protested when she’d finished, brow raised. “So I’ve been told.”
“Told by whom? The racoons who live in the trees by the lodge?” Devlin teased, not wanting to picture the lucky man who had once gotten to listen to Darcy’s snoring every night.
“My mum actually,” Darcy said, her chin pointing at him in defiance.
“Well in that case . . .” Devlin left his sentence open, shrugging.
Darcy smiled at him, and their eyes hooked for a beat. And another. She was so beautiful it made his whole body ache. He needed to remove himself from the room. He needed to go outside and throw himself into the snow to cool off.
Standing abruptly, Devlin knocked the fork from his food onto the table where it clattered loudly. Darcy stood, too, eyes wide.
“Devlin—”
“Darcy—”
They spoke over each other, Devlin closing the gap between them until he could see the galaxy in the sprinkling of freckles on her nose. The tension between them was pulled so tight, that even this close, it felt as though Darcy was a whole world away. Devlin couldn’t breathe.
“Are you going to kiss me?” she whispered.
Devlin shook his head. “I didn’t think you wanted me to.” The words squeezed out despite the malfunctioning of his chest muscles.
“I think I actually might do,” she breathed, and Devlin felt himself unravel as she carried on talking. “I’m so sorry about last night. I panicked. You’re Devlin Storm, a man who has adventure running through his veins. I’m Darcy Wainwright, a woman who runs the other way when faced with it. You’re the biggest adventure I’ve ever faced and I guess . . . well, I’m scared Devlin. I’m scared that you’re going to kiss me and realise that I’m different to the rest of the women you’ve kissed. And then you’ll leave and I’ll never see you ag—”
Devlin didn’t let her finish. He hooked his good arm around her waist and lifted her up so she was sitting on the table. He pushed her legs apart and stood between them, dropping his head and pressing his lips against hers. She groaned into his mouth and tasted of basil and sweetness. Devlin couldn’t hold back, kissing her hard and fast, his hand in her hair. Her hands snaked around his back, pulling him closer to her, nails raking down the back of his T-shirt. He grunted and saw flashes of colour swimming to the surface of his icy shackles. Fire exploded in his abdomen.
“Darcy,” he breathed into her mouth and felt her body press into his, trying to get as close as she could.
Her cheeks were pink, her breathing faster than even Devlin’s was. He stepped closer, pushing her legs further apart, sliding his hand down her back and under her jumper to hitch her up to him. He needed no air between them. He needed friction, his skin on hers. She wore nothing under her giant jumper and as his fingers stroked her spine, she moaned into his mouth and arched her back.
