Instead he hissed in a breath. “You’re cold to the bone.”
“Pretty much.”
Behind them, hot water rushed into the gigantic tub and steam rose to fog the bay window, shutting out the night, sealing them into that one room together.
“Get in,” Adam said flatly.
She looked at him. “First you get out.”
“Not likely,” he told her and picked her up as if she weighed nothing, then plopped her down into the tub. Gina sucked in a gulp of air as warm water met her cold legs, but an instant later, she sat down and let that heat reach down inside her and somewhat ease the cold that seemed locked deep.
Gina closed her eyes and leaned her head back, focusing only on the delicious feel of the hot water surrounding her tired, aching, freezing body. She heard Adam hit the switch to turn on the hot-tub jets, and an instant later, she felt hot, steady pulses hitting her poor, abused body like tiny, miraculous blessings.
Okay, he was bossy and irritating and right now, the last human being on the face of the planet she wanted to be alone with, but he’d been right about the hot tub. And she wanted to thank him for turning on the jets. When she opened her eyes to do that, though, she saw Adam peeling out of his own wet clothing. “What are you doing?”
He glared at her and tugged his jeans down to join the wet shirt he’d already tossed to the floor to lay atop both pairs of boots. His broad chest ran with water and droplets of the stuff fell from the tips of his wet hair. “What the hell does it look like?”
“I know just what it looks like,” she said and scooted back in the tub as far from him as she could get. Yes, her body was starting to fire into life, but it wasn’t as if she wanted it to happen. It was simply a biological imperative. See Adam naked, go all hot and tingly.
God, would it be that way forever?
No. Eventually if she could go without seeing him for ten or fifteen years, she’d probably be able to control her reaction to an occasional sighting. At the moment, though, she was having a hard time fighting down her body’s urges. Despite the warnings and dire predictions her brain kept screaming.
He stepped into the tub, settled against the side opposite her and as the frothy water splashed at his bare chest, he looked at her and said, “I was worried.”
A ping of something warm and sweet echoed inside her for a moment or two. A few weeks ago…heck, even a few days ago, she would have loved to hear Adam say that to her. It would have given her hope, made her think that there was still a chance for them.
Now she knew better.
Gina looked into his eyes and could only think that now, it wasn’t enough. The worry for her, the fear that she’d been hurt was no more than he would have felt for a neighbor. An acquaintance.
She wanted more.
And she wasn’t going to get it.
“You’re still cold,” he said.
“I am.” So very cold. Colder than she’d ever been and Gina had the distinct feeling she’d better get used to the sensation.
“I can fix that.” Adam lunged forward, grabbed her arms and then swept back, pulling her up against him, stretching his long legs out in the hot tub.
He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her head down to his chest. She nestled in, listening to the steady beat of his heart beneath her ear.
“Don’t do that to me again,” he said, his voice rumbling through his chest.
Hot water sprayed up onto her face and the pummeling jets pounded at her back as Adam stroked her skin. She thought he might have kissed the top of her head, but Gina dismissed that notion immediately, sure she was only fooling herself.
“I won’t.” Not that she’d have the chance to worry him for much longer. Her time at the King ranch was definitely coming to a close. And when she left here, Adam wouldn’t give her another thought. He wouldn’t have to be concerned about her whereabouts. He’d have what he wanted. A twenty-acre parcel of land to make the King holdings whole again.
In a few months time, she’d be nothing more than an inconvenient memory. Maybe he’d walk that acreage he’d worked so hard to earn and think about her. Maybe he’d wonder then what she was doing, or where she was. But then, he’d put it out of his mind. He’d lock the memory of her away as completely as he had that of Monica and Jeremy.
“At least take your damn cell phone with you next time,” Adam said, stroking his big, rough hands up and down her back in long, steady caresses, a silky counterpoint to the hot tub jets. “About made me insane when I called you and heard the phone ringing up here.”
“I will.” She hadn’t been thinking when she left the ranch or she would have told someone where she was going. She’d been raised to know better. Accidents could happen anywhere, anytime and finding someone on a ranch the size of Adam’s could have taken weeks. As to the cell phone, she hadn’t wanted it with her. Hadn’t wanted anyone to be able to intrude on her ride into Adam’s past.
“Damn it, Gina…” This time his voice was more of a growl. She heard the need in it, felt the hard, insistent throb of his erection beneath her. His body was tight, his heartbeat quickened and in seconds, his hands were moving over her with more hunger than care.
“You could have been hurt,” he muttered thickly and turned her face up to his. He bent his head and kissed her, hard and long and deep. His tongue swept into her mouth, his breath dusted her cheek and the low moan that issued from his throat slipped inside her, becoming one with her own.
The rhythm of the jets pounded at her, pushing her closer to Adam, hammering home her need as if in punctuation to the raw desire rising up in her.
He was hard and thick and ready. His breath came in strangled gasps as she slid one leg over his middle. His big hands came down on her waist and settled her atop him. Their eyes met and held as Gina felt the slow slide of his body into hers. He filled her and she savored it. Relished it. Imprinted the feeling on her memory so that she’d always be able to recall with perfect clarity the feel of his hands on her slick skin. The scent of him. The taste of his kiss.
Because without her diaphragm standing in the way, she knew she’d be pregnant soon. Knew that even as he touched her, even as his body and hers became one, they were already pulling apart.
And she knew that every touch from this night on, would be a silent goodbye.
* * *
Two months later, Adam was in his study, going over reports from his brokers and projections from several of the smaller companies the King ranch held an interest in. At least once a week he was holed up in this room, going over the insane amount of paperwork a huge corporation like his generated.