“I really am hungry,” she croaked out, and the tremor in her voice made him feel much better about being rejected yet again.
“Then I will feed one hunger,” he said before a big smile overtook his lips. “And then I’ll feed the other.”
She said nothing as he turned to leave, but he felt her follow him from the room and then from the cabin. As they strolled back toward the lodge, Byron found himself seeking McKenzie’s hand. She didn’t try to pull away from him as they walked along the trail.
He held the door for her as they entered the small restaurant, and they were soon seated on the back patio, deck heaters warming the area, the smell of pine trees filling the air.
“This is pretty amazing, Byron,” she said with a sigh as she looked out into the dark gray of the night. The moon was nearly full, illuminating the hills, but there wasn’t much of a view at this time of night.
“In the morning, this place is spectacular. I love sitting on the deck at the cabin, watching the sun come up, and hearing nothing but the sounds of the birds singing. Sometimes, I forget what it sounds like living in the city, where traffic drowns out any and all other sounds.”
“That sounded slightly romantic, Byron. You’d better be careful what you say,” she said with a sidelong glance under her full eyelashes and a smile that took his breath away.
“Well, then, we’d better look over the menu and figure out what we’re going to eat. I wouldn’t want to get too mushy and destroy my reputation,” he said.
Though a reflex had made him instantly put up his defenses, something inside him resisted it. He wanted to be a different person this weekend, wanted to speak of sunrises and sunset, and birds singing. But that wasn’t who he was. That wasn’t what this was about. It was about sex, and nothing but sex. And if he weren’t careful, Byron would get a lot more than he was bargaining for, and that wasn’t something he was willing to accept.
No. It was much better to focus on sex and pleasure, and it was much better for him to remember exactly who McKenzie Beaumont was. She used to run a bordello. She certainly wasn’t the innocent face she was trying to show him and the rest of the world right now.
Byron tried making idle chitchat for a few minutes. But their waiter came, took their order, and brought bread and drinks, and the conversation died out. Soon he was lost in his own head while their meal was served, and they ate in silence.
When they finished, he signed the check, then found himself taking her hand again as they made their way back to the cabin. His heart pounded as they drew near, and he felt the nervous tension in her body, but he was done with all the games.
They’d come to this place to discover each other. And that’s exactly what they were going to do. The moon cast a glow over their walk back, the breeze cool enough to keep her locked tightly to his side.
When they arrived back at the cabin, Byron stopped after he opened the door. He looked down, gazing into her eyes. He wanted no doubt in her mind about what was going to happen the second they stepped over the threshold.
“If you don’t want this, we need to part ways right now,” he warned her, lifting his hand and letting it trail through her hair.
“Wh…what do you mean?” she stuttered, a shiver traveling through her.
“You know exactly what I mean,” he said, his voice firming the slightest bit from the restraint it was taking him to say this. “The cabin right next door is mine, too. Tell me no right now, and I’ll leave you here and we’ll both have a very unsatisfying night.”
Her face blanched just a little, and he could see that she didn’t want to say the words. She wanted him to take the choice from her. He wasn’t going to show her that kindness. He wanted her to admit how much she wanted him.
Still, he held his breath, afraid that she would refuse, that she would deny them both. But he pushed that fear aside. She was his for the taking — she just needed to say the words.
His heart stalled as her lips opened and he waited for her final verdict.
Chapter Nineteen
Yes.”
She couldn’t say anything other than the one word she needed to say or fear dying right there on the front porch of this cabin in the woods of Idaho.
Byron’s eyes widened just a bit, and she could see raw need practically vibrating off him. It gave her the confidence of knowing she was making the right choice — at least, the right choice for now.
It was obvious when the last of Byron’s patience broke. He grabbed her hand, dragging her across the threshold of the cabin, and without another word, he pulled her into his arms. After he kicked the door shut, his mouth captured hers in a hungry kiss.
Yes, she needed this man. No more worries flitted through her brain as his mouth and hands stoked the fire building up within her. Could something that felt this right ever be wrong? No way.
She threaded her fingers through his hair as her body arched into his, and she rubbed her aching core against his straining erection, desperate for their clothes to disappear. “I need you,” she whispered huskily when he released her lips so he could trail his tongue down the side of her throat.
“I’ve been wanting to hear those words for a while now,” he growled before lifting her into his arms. He carried her to the bedroom and set her down gently beside the bed.
Her skin was on fire as he began removing her clothing, kissing each new area of skin as he exposed it. When he dropped to his knees, pulling her jeans down with his hands and trailing his lips across her thighs as he exposed them, she trembled before him, barely able to keep from falling backward.
His mouth came back up, and his tongue slid along her thigh before moving upward and gliding across her stomach. Her knees couldn’t take it anymore, and they gave out, sending her sliding backward onto the luxurious bed behind her.
“Mmm, are you feeling weak, McKenzie?” he asked with a husky chuckle. Before she could reply, he began removing his own clothes, and her throat tightened at the male beauty before her.
Perfection.
He was pure, unadulterated perfection, and she found herself wanting to trail her tongue along his skin like he had done with her. “You’re taking too long,” she gasped, making his fingers stall as he looked at her with such fire, she didn’t know how she wasn’t burned.
He quickly shed the rest of his clothes, grabbing several condoms from his pocket before tossing his pants aside. He climbed onto the bed with her and immediately drew her into his arms.
Skin to skin had never felt so right. She arched into him, loving the feel of his hard planes against her soft curves. They were a perfect fit. She knew they’d fit in every way possible. She knew this was right.