The taste of her mouth heated his blood. The restraint coiled inside him sprang free, a shackle snapping, releasing the beast. He felt out of control, the threat of an irrevocable mistake taunting him, but Jake didn"t care. All he cared about was the woman in his arms. The woman who"d been hurt and betrayed.
The woman he wanted to make love to.
Silently, he vowed to see her through this. He vowed to make things right for her. And if it was the last thing he did, he vowed to see justice served.
She sighed, and the last of his control fled. Urgency burned him. He deepened the kiss and she opened to him. He reveled in the velvety interior of her mouth. He fed on her like a starving man, devouring the sweetness of her lips. The feel of her body against his maddened him. He"d wanted to take this slow, give himself a chance to cool off and to think about what he was about to do. Jake wasn"t used to tumbling headlong into disaster. But that"s exactly what he did. Whispering her name, he skimmed his hands down her shoulders to her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. Utter perfection met his palms. He heard her gasp, but he didn"t stop touching her. He couldn"t even if he"d wanted to. The madness had him firmly in its grip, and he"d given up on trying to fight it.
He stroked the tips of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, her tiny nipples beading beneath his touch. He was aware of her labored breaths in his ears. The bubbling of the water swirling around them. The warmth of the rising steam caressing exposed flesh.
"Stand up," he whispered.
She looked at him, her eyes wide and uncertain. "Jake-"
He smiled. "I love it that you"re shy."
"I"m not. It"s just...cold."
"I"ll keep you warm."
Taking her hands in his, he eased her to her feet. The cold shocked his skin as he rose up out of the water. Her beauty shocked his senses. The moment didn"t seem real. He stared at her, awed and reeling and a little overwhelmed as the moisture from their bodies evaporated into the frigid air.
"You take my breath away," he whispered.
She smiled. "That"s just the cold."
He laughed. "I know the difference, Blondie. Believe me, what you do to me has nothing to do with the temperature."
Cupping his hands, he captured a handful of water, then let it cascade over her shoulders and b.r.e.a.s.t.s. She shivered, and he leaned forward and kissed her softly on the mouth. The taste of her intoxicated him like a powerful narcotic. He skimmed kisses down her throat, running his tongue over her flesh, tasting her, licking the water from her skin. A tremor went through her when he reached her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. Leaning forward, he took her nipple into his mouth.
Vaguely, he was aware of her hands going to the back of his head, pulling him closer to her. He suckled her. Crying out, she threw her head back, trusting him, and Jake swore he would never betray that trust.
Not wanting her to get chilled, he kissed her neck, then slowly made his way back to her mouth. Putting his hands on her shoulders, he lowered her into the warmth of the water. Pleasure sang through him. The warmth and swirl of the water. The taste of Abby on his tongue. The mystical beauty of the spring. The magic of the mountains. He kissed her, shutting out the rest of the world. The cold and snow faded into the background. Her being a convict, his being a cop, no longer mattered. He couldn"t think of those things and make love to her.
He tore down the barriers keeping them apart. He feasted on her mouth. The sweetness of her kiss destroyed him, shaking him to his core. Need cut him and went deep, leaving a fresh wound on his heart. When her arms went around his neck and she whispered his name in his ear, Jake knew he"d pa.s.sed the point of no return.
Abby knew opening herself up to Jake was a mistake. There were a hundred reasons why she shouldn"t make love to him. She knew he would ultimately hurt her. There was no way any of this was going to work out for either of them. Giving him her heart was a losing proposition no matter how she cut it.
I know you"re innocent.
His words played over and over in her mind like an old-fashioned record with a skip. She could never tell him how much those words meant to her. How much it meant knowing a man like Jake believed in her.
She had every intention of putting a stop to the madness. But Jake"s mouth worked magic against hers, the taste of him filling her with desperate needs that refused to be ignored. It had been an eternity since anyone had touched her this way. Since a man had touched her intimately.
But it wasn"t the physical sensations a.s.saulting her senses that scared her. The emotional connection that had formed between them terrified her. Never in a thousand years would she imagine herself falling for a cop, certainly not a cop who was determined to take her back to prison.
There was no future for them. The realization broke her heart and filled her with a lover"s desperation. All they would ever have, she realized, was this moment. No matter what happened, no one could ever take that away from her. Even if she went back to prison for the rest of her life, she would always have the memory of this night. This magical place. It was going to have to be enough.
Tears gathered behind her lids, but she rode with the emotion, let it guide her. The sensations carried her adrift. A tiny boat in a raging sea. Every nerve ending in her body hummed when his hands skimmed up her sides to cup her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. Abby had always been sensitive there, and heard herself gasp when an undulating wave of pleasure swamped her. Heat spiked low in her body and she felt her own wetness meet with the warm water surrounding her.
With gentle fingertips, he touched her face, her throat, and shoulders and belly. All the while his mouth made love to hers. Vaguely, she was aware of the rush of his breath against her cheek. The hard length of his body just a few dangerous inches from hers. He whispered something in her ear, but she didn"t understand the words. She"d moved beyond understanding, her senses overloaded with emotion and physical sensation.
Gliding his hands down her flat belly, he caressed the curve of her hips, the smooth line of her thigh. Arousal flared hot and deep inside her when his fingers whispered across her vee. She uttered his name. He answered with a kiss that devastated her with its sweetness, and she opened to him. A single, earth-shattering stroke and she saw stars. The pleasure jolted her. She couldn"t breathe, couldn"t speak, couldn"t form a single coherent thought.
"Easy," he whispered. "Let me touch you."
"This is...too much," she said.
"Honey, I hate to lay this on you right now, but the best is yet to come."
She nearly came up out of the water when he began stroking her. Long, sure strokes that set her on fire. She clung to him, dazed by the sensations coursing through her. Abby had never considered herself a s.e.xual person. What few past relationships she"d had, had been luke warm at best. The strike of a match that burned down quickly.
Jake Madigan set her ablaze.
Control fluttered away as his fingers worked their magic. He held her close, speaking softly to her. Words that shook her mind and fed the flames devouring her body. Abby arched in his arms, her senses exploding. Wave after wave of pleasure a.s.saulted her, overloaded her brain. Her cries echoed off the tree branches and surrounding rock. Her body shook uncontrollably while the flames licked at her, burning her. She writhed in his arm, feeling wanton and out of control. As completion rolled over her, she cried out his name. Emotions besieged her, shaking her, frightening her with their awesome power.
Afterward, he wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly until the tremors stopped. She lay against him with her head on his shoulder, her mind reeling, her body humming with a thousand sensations and the knowledge that she would never be the same. This had changed her. Jake had changed her. Somehow, everything had changed and Abby knew they would never be the same.
Next to her, Jake stirred. She felt him brush a kiss across her forehead. "That was incredible," he said after a moment.
"Ah...well..." Embarra.s.sment washed over her, and she wasn"t quite sure how to tell him he"d just given her the most erotic s.e.xual experience of her life and they hadn"t even made love yet.
"Don"t be embarra.s.sed," he whispered.
Feeling the blush creep into her cheeks, she turned her face up to his and gazed into his eyes. "It"s never been that way for me before," she said.
"Me, too." He pulled her closer and kissed her temple. "This is going to sound corny, but it was like...magic."
Locked within his embrace, Abby had never felt so safe, so secure, so...cherished. She knew this moment was fleeting, knew once it was gone she could never get it back, so she nestled deeper into his arms and let him hold her. She put the moment to memory. Every detail. The sensation of being in his arms. The way he looked at her. The feel of his mouth against hers. The taste of him....
The next thing she knew she was being swept into his arms and lifted out of the water. Frigid air nipped at her wet flesh, but Jake"s body was warm against hers. Snagging their clothes from the juniper branch, he carried her to where he"d set up camp.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"I"m going to make love to you," he said.
"In the snow?"
He chuckled. "I thought we might try the tent."
Setting her down, he set to work unzipping the tent he"d set up. Abby watched him, antic.i.p.ation and a new nervousness rising inside her. The cold stung her wet flesh, but at the same time it invigorated her. A new warmth seemed to emanate from somewhere deep inside her.
"I wish I could give you more." Lifting the flap, he ushered her inside. "You deserve more."
"Roses and champagne?" she said.
"A pretty room at a bed-and-breakfast."
She grinned at him. "An electric blanket?"
He grinned back. "Let"s see about getting you warmed up."
Shivers claimed her as she slipped into the tent. She was seriously cold now. She watched, shivering, as Jake quickly zipped their bags together, then motioned for her to get inside.
Abby slid between the soft layers of cotton. Jake got in beside her and they lay on their sides, looking out at the rising steam just beyond the flap.
"I think we have everything we need right here," she said after a moment. "Look around us. The spring. The ice on the branches. The steam. This is one of the most beautiful places I"ve ever been."
It was true. As many problems as the snow and rough terrain had caused them in the last days, the hot spring they"d stumbled upon was one of the most magnificent places she"d ever seen.
"Are you warm enough?" he asked.
She gazed at him, felt the coil of need low in her belly. "Plenty," she said.
His jaw tightened, and she knew he was thinking of their situation. That in a few short hours he would be handing her over to corrections officials. She knew that would tear him up inside. But she also knew he would do whatever was in his power to help her.
"Don"t think about it," she whispered.
"I don"t want to hurt you," he growled.
"I know. I don"t want that to get between us right now."
"Abby, if there was any other way-"
Unable to bear the words, she leaned forward and kissed him hard on the mouth. "Don"t say it," she whispered, her lips against his cheek. "Please, just...don"t say it."
His eyes were tortured when he turned to her. "Come here," he said, but reached for her before she could move. His arms enveloped her. Abby closed her eyes against the rush of emotion, the hot flash of desire. She sensed something different about him now. When he kissed her, she tasted urgency and the bitter tang of desperation. She saw that same desperation in his eyes, felt it echo through her heart. Whereas earlier he"d been gentle, solely focused on her pleasure, she now sensed he wanted to possess her, mark her, make her his.
Before it was too late.
He kissed her intimately, exploring the deepest reaches of her mouth. She opened to him, felt the sharp pang of desire in her belly.
"I swear I won"t let anything happen to you," he said.
"I know."
"I"m going to nail Reed to the wall."
Abby closed her eyes against the rush of pain. He was making her hope. Making her believe it could really happen. That he would clear her name and she would be free to live her life as she pleased. She wondered if she were free, if her life would include Jake....
"Don"t bring him into this," she whispered. "I don"t want him here." Only then did she realize she was crying.
"Abby...aw, honey. I"m sorry...."
"Make love to me, Jake."
"You"re crying. I did that-"
"No." She closed her eyes against the need pounding through her, the grief clenching her chest, the arousal coursing through her body like hot mercury. "Please..."
Kissing the tears from her cheeks, he moved over her. Abby opened her body to him, and kissed him back, pouring her heart into the kiss.
"Look at me," he said.
She opened her eyes. He put his hands on either side of her face, brushed the hair back from her temples. Pa.s.sion shone bright in the depths of his gaze. She could feel his heart raging against hers. The intensity of the moment made her dizzy, as if the earth were swirling crazily beneath her.
"Everything"s going to be all right," he said. "I promise."
"I believe you."
She cried out when he entered her. The slow penetration destroyed the last of her control. Her body commandeered her mind. She heard his name on her lips. Her own echoing among the bare-branched trees and ice-slicked rock. She rose up to meet him, taking him deep within her. It was too much. It wasn"t enough. Her breath rushed from her lungs in a sigh. Her lids fluttered, a kaleidoscope of light exploding in the darkness.
When she opened her eyes and looked up at him, the raw emotion in his eyes devastated her, made her want to laugh, to cry, to take him in all the way to her heart and make them one. She tried to think as he loved her, tried to put the sensations and emotions into perspective. But the overload of pleasure was too much. Her body, her heart, her mind couldn"t take it all in. But he didn"t stop, and she accepted him until she thought she would die of ecstasy.
The first wave of her climax rocked her violently. Closing her eyes against the power of it, she bucked beneath him, absorbing him, loving him as she"d never loved another.
Abby hadn"t expected to be swept away. Not like this. She"d never expected to have her control stripped away, her soul laid bare for this man to see. She never expected him to take her to heaven.
Another wave crashed over her, and she slipped beneath the surface. The force of it tumbled her. Shook her. Her senses overloaded, an electrical circuit hit by a devastating surge. Vaguely, she was aware of her ragged breathing. The sweet ache of her body accepting his. Of Jake filling her, kissing her, whispering her name. She tried to speak to him, but the pleasure stole her ability, and she could do nothing but feel.
He didn"t stop, didn"t wait for her, and the sensations pounded her like a relentless sea. Abby wasn"t sure how long she could hang on. The waves kept coming in quick succession, each more devastating than the first. She felt like a wave-battered beach in the throes of a storm. The pleasure seemed to be drowning her.
Her only thought as another wave rolled over her was that she"d lost her mind and fallen in love with a man who couldn"t ever love her back.
Chapter 13.
Jake wasn"t the kind of man who lost his head. He"d been in some tough situations in his life and not once had he ever lost control or done something he knew he was going to be sorry for later.
Well, at least until now.
He"d definitely lost his head. Maybe even his mind. The only problem was, he didn"t much give a d.a.m.n about either of those things. Not when her body was wet and hot around his and no matter how close he got to her he knew he would never get enough.
All along he"d told himself this was just l.u.s.t. But when he looked into her eyes and saw her feelings for him reflected there, something vital and profound broke free in his chest. Emotions tangled with physical sensation, the combination punching him in the gut like a set of bra.s.s knuckles.
He cared for her, he realized. Cared for her a h.e.l.l of a lot more than he"d ever imagined. Cared for her so much the thought of letting her go put a knot in his chest-right about where his heart was. The rise of panic swirling in the back of his mind told him that wasn"t true. He didn"t love her. G.o.d, no, he didn"t love her.
But Jake knew it was too late for denial. This wasn"t just l.u.s.t. He felt it in his heart. Heard it in every cry that wrenched from her throat. He hadn"t wanted to admit it, but she"d gotten to him. Gotten under his skin and into his mind. G.o.d in heaven, she"d gotten into his heart.
The thought thoroughly terrified him.
Logic told him to put a stop to this before it went any further, before either of them said or did something irrevocable. But Jake knew they"d long since moved beyond logic.