Page 47 of Love on the Run

She scooted, placing herself in front of him, still facing the fire.

“Now lean back,” he said.

Callie reclined until she felt her back against his chest, his long legs on either side of her. His knees were bent so she could use his legs like arm rests if she had wanted to, but she kept her arms crossed, too nervous to relax fully.

“Better?” he asked, even as he put his arms around her shoulders.

Callie suddenly felt enveloped in warmth. She was tense, but the shivering stopped immediately. Jake’s warmth, combined with the heat of the fire, almost took her from cold to hot. “Yeah,” she said, biting her lip. “Is this more of those Montana manners?”

“No, this is just me,” he drawled, hoping she couldn’t feel his heartbeat, which was faster than usual.

Callie couldn’t see his face, so she had no clue what he was thinking. She willed herself to relax against him, but she was intensely aware of the muscles in his body, rock solid but so comforting. She focused on the fire, watching the flames dance and the occasional spark fly.

Jake also watched the fire, just as aware of Callie as she was of him. It had been natural to want to hold her, so natural he’d offered to do it before he thought. What harm could it do, he told himself. Callie was off-limits, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t keep her warm. And she hadn’t objected.

Of course, he hadn’t been prepared for the assault on his senses when Callie lay wrapped in his arms. The skimpy top meant he could feel her skin, and the smell of her hair drifted up to him, subtly spicy, mingling with the smell of the woodsmoke. She was extremely comfortable in his arms. Stay calm, he told himself. It doesn’t mean anything.

Callie, falling under the spell of the firelight, relaxed incrementally until all the tension in her body was gone. A sort of dreamy haze came over her, where she could forget how she ended up at this fire, and just enjoy the feeling of warmth and safety that surrounded her. How long had it been since she could say she felt completely safe? At least a year, ever since…no, don’t think about it. Just watch the fire. Her head slowly fell back until it was resting on his shoulder, her forehead just tucked under his chin, the slight stubble from a day’s growth of beard scratching her pleasantly.

Jake couldn’t stop his thoughts from zeroing in on the woman he held. It had been a long while since he’d been in a position like this, with a girl he liked and everything urging him to try to keep her. He tried to remind himself of what was really happening. He was only watching over Callie for a couple of days, until she would be whisked away by faceless federal agents so she could put a murderer in prison. By the time it was all done, she’d be back in LA, back to her old life. She would have forgotten he ever existed. But when her head fell back onto his shoulder, he couldn’t stop himself from reaching up one hand and putting it on her head, stroking her thick, vibrant hair to the ends, catching a hint of a curl in his fingers.

“That’s nice,” Callie whispered, startling him. He thought she’d fallen asleep. But he kept stroking her hair, unwilling to stop, against all his better judgment.

“You warm enough?” he asked in a low tone.

“Perfect,” she answered dreamily, and he couldn’t disagree.

He found himself noticing everything about her, from the little freckles on her shoulders to the curve of her cheek in the firelight. Callie would be so easy to fall in love with. In fact, he’d already started falling, despite the pain he knew it would lead to.

He saw one of the thin straps of her top had slipped off her shoulder. There was no corresponding bra strap, which meant…yeah, stop thinking, Jake. Stop it right now. He gently hooked his thumb under the strap and pulled it back to where it should be. Callie didn’t say anything, so maybe she had drifted off. She sure felt relaxed in his arms, maddeningly soft to hold.

Callie’s eyes were closed, but she wasn’t asleep. She felt Jake pull her strap back up, and was suddenly overwhelmed by all that tiny gesture implied. How many men would have done that? No, any guy she could name would have taken it as an invitation to take off more, or even accused her of doing it on purpose, being a tease. But not Jake, even though there was nothing stopping him. He’d done it because he thought it was the right thing to do, not because someone was watching, or a camera was rolling. It was that little act. It gave her the courage to ask a question that had been obsessing her since she had met him. But she waited a few minutes longer, basking in the warmth of his embrace and the glow of the fire.

“Jake,” she whispered, tilting her head up so she could she him. “Can I tell you something?”

“Of course,” he replied in a low voice.

“Something happened that I don’t think is fair.”

“What’s that?” he asked, puzzled.

“I don’t think it’s fair that we kissed, but only you remember what it was like.”

He hadn’t been expecting that. “Callie…” he began warningly.

She moved all at once, shifting around until she was kneeling, facing him. Since he was braced against the stone wall, he couldn’t back away. Of course, something in him didn’t even let him try. Without waiting, Callie bent forward and kissed him, not letting herself think about the consequences.

Fireworks might as well have exploded inside Jake’s head. Instinctively, he kissed her back, putting his arms back around her, momentarily giving in. She tasted like caramel, sweet burned sugar. Off limits, he reminded himself. He struggled to end the kiss, but it was Callie who finally pulled away, her face swimming back into focus, a hint of a smile on her lips.

“Was the kiss before like that?” she asked.

“No,” he exhaled shakily. “You taste even better this time.”

“Oh,” she said. “I thought that was you.” And she kissed him again, this time lingering over his mouth. She had never kissed anyone like him, and she wanted it to last forever. “You taste like marshmallows,” she said through the kiss.

“Callie,” he said, gripping her arms and holding her at arm’s length. “We can’t do this.”

“Why not?” she whispered, and he had to think for a moment why.

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