That wasn"t the man Carolyn saw at all. Not that they"d been with other people, so she could see if he was reserved in mixed company, but the man she knew was full of mischief and surprises, with a sweet intensity and blatant s.e.xual confidence that drew her in like nothing she"d ever experienced.
"Sugar, you oughta come in. The water is beautiful."
"I don"t swim, remember?"
He stood. "It"s only up to my waist right here."
"A person can drown in an inch of bathwater."
"I"d never let you drown. No horsin" around or dunking you either. You wouldn"t even have to get your hair wet."
"I don"t have a swimsuit."
"The bra and panties you"re wearin" would be just fine."
Strip? Right here? With him watching?
She wrapped her arms around herself. "I"m fine on sh.o.r.e."
"If I come back to sh.o.r.e and walk you in, step by step, will you consider it?"
"No."
"Oh. I see."
"What?"
"It"s not the water you"re afraid of as much as takin" your clothes off in front of me."
Her mouth dropped open. "That is not it."
"Prove it. Even if you don"t get in the water. Show me that body you"re hidin", because I"ll bet it"s amazing."
"Did you hit your head on a rock when you dove in?"
Carson laughed. "Remember when I said if you took off my shirt, I"d expect the same from you? I"m thinkin" now"s about as good as time as any. So take it off."
"Now?"
"Right now. Maybe do a little strip tease."
"If I could swim I"d run in there and dunk you."
"Try it." He flashed his teeth. "Show me whatcha got, "cause sugar, you know I want it."
Would she really give in to his goading?
Looked like it.
As she popped the first snap, then the second, she realized he"d moved closer, but he hadn"t taken his eyes off her. A tiny feminine thrill heated her blood. She wanted him to like her body, but she"d never been half naked in front of any man before.
"Keep goin"."
Once she had the b.u.t.tons undone all the way down, she was surprised he couldn"t hear the booming of her heart. Another moment of uncertainty had her facing the picnic table when she took the shirt off.
"Turn around."
She did but she couldn"t meet his eyes.
"Huh-uh. No way am I lettin" you be ashamed of a body like that. Holy h.e.l.l, woman. It"s something."
That bolstered her confidence enough that she lowered the zipper on her skirt. She kicked off her shoes and shoved the clingy fabric down to her ankles. When she stepped out of it, she was tempted to hold it in front of her body as a shield.
"Caro, look at me...and don"t you dare hide yourself behind that skirt."
How had he known? She lifted her head and heard Beverly"s voice. Throw your shoulders back. Be proud. If I had a bosom like that I"d be flaunting it. So she did just that.
Carson had sunk so low into the water all she could see were his eyes and his nose. But his eyes were enormous and glittered in the darkness. Like an alligator. With the way he stared she felt like prey.
Finally he stood; the water rolled down his impressive chest. His arms were clenched at his sides.
"Do you care if you get wet?"
"What?"
He stalked toward her, the water no longer hiding his lower half. Didn"t look like his dunk in the lake had cooled him off at all.
"Do you care if you get wet?" he repeated.
"No, as long as you"re not hauling me into the lake."
"Good."
Then he was on her. Every hard, wet inch of his body plastered to hers. One hand held the back of her neck while he seized her mouth in a scorching kiss. His other hand clamped onto her b.u.t.t.
Carolyn barely registered the wetness of his boxers against her underwear. Her entire focus was on that jutting piece of male flesh pressing against her.
In a state of shock, she didn"t protest when Carson picked her up and carried her to the picnic table, carefully setting her on the end. He stepped between her thighs and broke the kiss. He nuzzled her ear. Some instinct had her arching slightly to offer him her throat.
"I swear by all that"s holy, you are a work of art." He left a trail of kisses down her neck. "Let me touch you. Let me put my hands and mouth all over this beautiful body of yours."
"Yes."
A rumble vibrated against her neck. Then he kissed her so perfectly, so hungrily, so rea.s.suringly, so sweetly, that he could"ve asked for anything in that moment and she would"ve given it to him.
Carson"s hands were cool as he dragged his fingertips up and down her arms. He pushed her hair over her shoulder and guided her to set her palms on the picnic table, leaving enough s.p.a.ce that he could grip her hips.
Her belly quivered when his thumbs traced the edge of her panties. Just a slow brush of his skin on hers and she felt like she couldn"t breathe.
He kissed the corner of her mouth. "Easy."
"Sounds as if you"re trying to gentle a skittish horse."
He chuckled. But he didn"t dispute her statement.
Then she forgot about everything except more of that skillful mouth of his as he dragged kisses to the top of her breast. He nuzzled and kissed that section of skin while his thumbs kept up the caress between her hipbones.
His lips wandered to her other breast, treating it to the same teasing exploration. He followed the edge of her bra cup with his tongue. Even without touching her nipple it was already rigid, nearly poking through the lace insert.
The instant Carson"s mouth enclosed around that hard tip, and he sucked it through the lace, she gasped. She gasped again when he suckled harder. He pulled the cup away and there was no barrier between his mouth and her bare flesh.
"Oh. I..." Had no idea that would feel so good.
Carson"s magic mouth continued to tease and torment. Focusing on her b.r.e.a.s.t.s and then he"d kiss her neck in that deceptively lazy way that made her burn.
At some point his hands had migrated to the tops of her thighs and he was running the backs of his fingers from her knee to her inner thigh. Each stroke got bolder.
The first time his thumb connected with that bit of flesh at the top of her mound her entire leg twitched.
His hands returned to her face and his eyes searched hers. "Do you want me to stop? Yes or no."
"No. Please. Don"t stop."
His lips met hers. "Lean back on your elbows."
Carson mired her in a maelstrom of need. His hands were never idle, worshipping her every curve from her shoulders to her hips. His mouth was in constant motion, kissing, licking, tasting her thoroughly.
Carolyn tingled from head to toe. Her head was muzzy. Coherent words were impossible. She"d just moan softly when Carson did something she liked. And she liked it all.
But she reached the point where she needed more. More body contact. Her hands on him, her mouth on him as he moved against her.
"Carson. Please. I want to feel it all tonight. Everything. I don"t want you to stop."
He gently pulled her to a sitting position. "You talkin" about us havin" s.e.x? Right here?"
She nodded.
"Just strip you bare and don"t give a d.a.m.n if you get bruises and bug bites when I"m on top of you? That"s not...dammit, Carolyn, no."
Stung, she shrunk back away from him.
"s.h.i.t." He turned, took half a dozen steps and stopped with his back to her.
Retreat.
She quickly put on her blouse and had just zipped her skirt when he returned.
Without saying a word, he started to get dressed.
Rather than stand there suffering through his silent anger, she slipped on her shoes and picked her way through the vines covering the ground, stopping to lean against the big cottonwood tree. She gazed across the lake, now an ominous black. Although she wasn"t a fan of the water, she liked the soothing sound of the waves. .h.i.tting the sh.o.r.e. With the way her cheeks burned with humiliation, she welcomed the cool breeze.
Carson"s boots crunched the vegetation and Carolyn automatically tensed up when he moved in behind her.
He set his hand on her shoulder and she jerked away. "Oh h.e.l.l no. You ain"t gonna ever cringe when I want to touch you."
"But it"s okay for you to yell at me when I want to touch you? Wrong. I want to leave."
"You got more than a little sa.s.s in ya, doncha, sugar?"
"You"ll see a whole lot more of it if you don"t take me back to my car right now."
"Look me in the eye."
She shook her head.
"Turn around and look me in the eye when you let me have it."
Such a condescending... She whirled around and stood toe to toe with him. "Happy?"
"Not even f.u.c.kin" close to happy right now."
"Good."
He lifted the one eyebrow that managed to be both s.e.xy and annoying. "Why"s that good?"
"Let"s just forget tonight ever happened." Although I doubt I"ll ever forget how mad you got when I threw myself at you.
Then his hands circled her upper arms and he yanked her close enough to get in her face. "That"s what you think? I got mad at you because you asked me to have s.e.x with you tonight?"
She"d said that out loud?
"Well?" he demanded.
"Well, what else was I supposed to think when you yelled at me and stormed off? I don"t have any experience with this, Carson."
"You think I don"t know that? You think maybe I"m feelin" guilty for lettin" it get that far out of hand in the first place? When I said you could set the boundaries as to how far you were willin" to go with me? Then the second I put my hands on you I lost my G.o.dd.a.m.ned head. The next thing I know, you"re askin" me to fu-make love to you. And I see you-this perfect, beautiful angel, layin" there half-dressed, with love bites on her chest and I got p.i.s.sed off at myself. Not at you-never at you."
Totally bewildered, she asked, "Why?"
"Because you deserve more for your first time than me rutting on you on top of a rickety picnic table and getting slivers in your a.s.s."
"Oh."
He pulled her against his chest. "With the way I look at you and the way I was touchin" you tonight can you honestly tell me you thought I didn"t want you?"
"I thought you did...then I wasn"t sure."
"That"s one thing you can be very sure about." He kissed the top of her head and smiled at her. "You ready to go?"