It was Jason.
For a woman who prided herself on her ready and able control, had to have that ready and able to control, she was losing it big-time here, but what was turning her on more than anything else was that she wasnt alone.
Jason, who also lived off his famed control, was fighting for self-restraint every bit as much as she, and losing the battle. His breath was coming in short, ragged pants, his hands gripping her tight as his mouth made its hungry way along her throat. Beneath her, he was hard as a rock, and she wanted him so much, wanted this more than shed imagined she could, and for that very reason she had to stop.
Jason. Her voice came out a rough whisper and she had to clear her throat and try again. Jason.
He went still, then slowly lifted his head, his eyes dark and slumberous as if waking from a dream. The sight of the tree trunks in the windshield sobered him up pretty quick, and she crawled off him and back to her seat.
Still eyeing the tree trunks, he caught her wrist and brought her palm to his lips. That really was uncomfortably close.
Yeah, it was. Thanks for being such a good driver.
His eyes met hers, the amusement peeking through the heat. How do you know that I wasnt referring to the fact that we nearly-
Oh. Um. Yeah, that, too.
He let out a low laugh. Youve got nerves of steel, Lizzy. Are you sure youre all right?
Lets see. If she discounted the fact that her body was howling, howling, for him to finish her off, then maybe, maybe she was all right. Yes. Im sure.
The roads are getting tricky.
Can we make it?
I hope so. He craned his neck right and left, looking around them. Going to have to move those branches blocking the road first. Wait here.
Youll need help. She hopped out into the wild storm with him, the rain and wind pummeling them as her feet sank into nearly six inches of water.
Go back, Jason yelled.
She eyed the grove of trees lining the road on the left where the Jeep was. On the right was nothing but a rushing river of runoff, which was rising high and fast. It wouldnt be much longer before that rushing water overtook the road entirely. Knowing it, she ran after Jason, to where he was dragging two of the branches to the side. She reached for another and tugged.
And didnt budge it.
She reset her feet, squinted into the rain stinging her eyes and tried again.
Nothing.
She closed her eyes and strained, putting everything into it, and suddenly the branch lifted with ease. Shocked, she opened her eyes and met Jasons from the other side, who took the thing from her and tossed it aside as if it weighed nothing.
Then he grabbed her hand and they ran back to the Jeep. Inside, he leaned back, breathing hard. Im going to need more Cheez Whiz.
Really? She swiped rain from her eyes. Because that looked pretty effortless.
He slid her a look. He had water running down his face, his eyes deep and dark as they met hers.
I couldnt even budge that thing, she pointed out.
Are you going to say thank-you again? he asked. Because Id rather receive my thanks in the form of food. Or Without moving a muscle on his face, he somehow managed to change his expression from exhausted to wickedly naughty.
She actually laughed. Im not thanking you with sex.
Well, damn.
She pulled out an energy bar from her bag and handed it to him. A peace offering.
He stuffed half the bar into his mouth, handing her the other half. Youve grown up, Lizzy, and toughened up. Thats going to be a good thing today.
She looked at him, really looked, knowing hed grown up, too. Entirely.
Ready? he asked quietly.
Even more disconcerting than the fact that hed grown up and moved on? The realization that she hadnt. Nope. She still wanted the same thing her teenage self had wanted-him. Preferably naked and on a platter.
Lizzy?
Yeah. Im ready. For far more than she cared to admit.
JASON THRUST THE Jeep into gear and hit the gas, getting his head into the game. Or trying to. It shouldnt have been an issue, but hearing Lizzy say his name with such easy familiarity tended to make him think of things he shouldnt have been thinking.
But then the tires spun uselessly, bringing him back.
Try Reverse, she said.
He did. More of the same.
Oh, boy. She looked out into the storm. You dont by any chance have any kitty litter in the back, which we could use as traction beneath the tires?
Good idea, but no. He craned his neck and looked out the window, knowing there was only one thing to do. Come here.
What?
Scoot over here.
You want me to drive? Sure, she said, game. But I might not be able to get us out any more than you could.
He let out a low laugh. He loved her strength, her attitude. No, Im going to go out and push, and youre going to-
Pop the Jeep out of Neutral and into Reverse, then hit the gas and keep it moving, she guessed. Accurately. Bad idea, though. The Jeep might slip and hit you.
Yeah, if you could not do that, thatd be great.
Thats not funny.
Just get the Jeep moving, Ill handle the rest.
Okay, but once I do get it going, I wont be able to stop or well get stuck again. She met his gaze. Run fast.
Will do. He hopped out and into driving rain. Making his way through the mud to the front of the Jeep, he braced himself, then looked through the windshield and met Lizzys calm gaze, very glad that if he had to do this, he was with someone who could hold their own. On three, he said. One. Two. Three- He shoved, and she got it into Reverse and hit the gas, steering out of the ditch. He ran after her, slogging through the water to hop into the passenger seat. Nice.
This is probably a good time to tell you, I havent driven a stick in ten years.
Laughing, he swiped the water from his face. Then extra nice.
The water was rushing down the road with them, almost faster than the Jeep. He knew they didnt have much longer before any car on the road wouldnt be drivable, this vehicle included. In fact, hed consider them damn lucky if they made it to Ceces. We might have to stay at the condo and ride this out.
Yeah. Her attention was on the road. If shes not in labor that wont be a problem.
And if she was, and they had to evacuate quicklyWell handle it, he promised, just as he saw another huge tree, this one down across the road ahead. Lizzy saw it, too, and hit the brakes and the clutch together.
Not so hard, he said quickly. Let up a little.
Too late. The tires didnt grab, and they went into their second slide.
Ohmigod, she gasped. Im sorry, hold on
Steer into the slide, Lizzy. Steer into it-
Im trying! They spun in a full three-hundred-and-sixty circle and missed their second tree by inches.
Im trying! They spun in a full three-hundred-and-sixty circle and missed their second tree by inches.
In the ensuing silence, Lizzy blew out a breath, unhooked her seat belt and crawled over the console toward him.
His mind went absolutely blank, but his body knew what to do. It reached for her, hauling her into his arms and holding her tight. You okay?
Peachy fine. Just trying to reassure you in case youre scared. One of her knees was dangerously close to unmanning him but when he went to shift her, she couldnt be budged.
Are you? she whispered. Scared?
Terrified, he murmured, and she burrowed right in, curling into him, pressing her face to his throat as her arms snaked around his neck so tight he could scarcely breathe, and he didnt care. He ran his hands up and down her back until she lifted her face enough to bump noses with him.
He slid his hands into her hair to hold it back so that he could see into her face, but she wasnt freaking out as hed thought. She was staring at him with an awareness that stirred his own, straddling him, her legs on the outside of his so that the core of her was pressed up against the part of him suddenly very happy with the arrangement.
Jase, she whispered, and then swallowed, staring at his mouth, her breasts mashed into his chest, her fingers in his hair. I want to
He stroked a loose strand of hair from her temple and dropped his gaze to her lips, which she licked. Want towhat? Drive him crazy? Done. Make him hard? Also done. Make him want things he had no business wanting? Done and done.
Trade positions back, she said.
Okay. He was hard as a rock, and he knew she felt it because her hips made the slightest motion, as if she couldnt help it.
Jase?
Yeah?
Youre
Yeah. It happens when you-God, he expelled when she shifted her hips again. That. When you do that.
I never used to turn you on in the old days.
I was a teenager, the wind turned me on.
A snicker escaped her, revealing surprise and delight, which didnt help his situation any. She really hadnt known she could excite him, and God, the look on her face, as if shed just discovered shed held all the powerwhich of course, she did. He wanted her, God he did, but then what? Itd be amazing, and hed want more. Hed want all the spare time they could manage until either he left, or she did, and thenthen hed hurt her. Because he was not long-term material, not in his current condition. Lizzy-
She did that thing with her hips again and he let out a helpless, low groan, gripping her still. Okay, enough of that, he said a little thickly.
Sorry.
But she didnt look it. He was strong, he reminded himself. Physically and mentally. Hed had to be. He was certainly strong enough to set her away and get them back on track, before either of them took this too far.
And yet when she rocked her hips one more time, her eyes filled with marvel, he let her. Let her slide over the part of him now fully erect and straining for attention.
Yeah, because as it turned out, he wasnt strong enough to push her away after all. No way in hell.
Mmm, she whispered in his ear, just a soft murmur when he hugged her in, and he nearly melted. Her hood had fallen back, leaving her hair a little wild, and her poncho gaped enough that when she leaned forward he could see down the sweatshirt she wore beneath.
She had on a pink bra with a little red heart nestled between her breasts. A pink bra with a little heart that stole his. Ah, man. Lizzy.
She bent her head, and the tip of her nose grazed his jaw. She inhaled deeply, as if she loved the scent of him, as if she couldnt get enough, and his hands tightened on her. Everything tightened.