romance novel. Not even if he did things to her, made her feel things, she'd only imagined. She had enough sleeping with guys she'd just met sitting in her past for several lifetimes. No need for more.
The rest of the work went smoothly and before long the animals were settled and fed, the fire built, and food cooking. When Jakob brought his sleeping bag over by the fire and unrolled it in a broad area long swept clear of stones and debris by previous campers, Kate retrieved her own bedroll. Rather than place it next to his, as he seemed to expect, she pointedly walked to the other side of the fire and unrolled it.
Jakob stirred the stew then turned to face her, hands loosely resting on his hips. "You know, tempting as your cute little ass is, I won't molest you. Unless you want me to. If you sleep over there, you'll be uncomfortable with all the rocks, and the ground is bit damp there closer to the creek. All you have to do is tell me you don't want me."
If only it could be that easy. She forced her shoulders to lift in a little shrug. "Okay, then. I don't want you." Moving her bed while he watched turned out to be a torturous experience, but she survived it.
He hadn't moved when she straightened from the task. "There. Was that so hard?"
As a matter of fact… "Of course not. Supper should be ready."
They ate, but Kate had no idea what. Her mind was fully occupied with watching every movement Jakob made, from the way his long fingers gripped his spoon to the way his throat moved when he swallowed. If he noticed her observation he at least had the grace not to say anything to embarrass her. In fact, he didn't say anything. It figured, once he knew he wasn't getting any, he stopped making an effort at all.
"If you'll clean up supper, I'll make another check of the animals and bring in some more wood." He was nice enough to wait for her agreement before stalking away from the fire into the nearly full dark.
Kate made use of the dishwasher, otherwise known as coarse sand and quick-moving water, to clean the dishes. The time it took to return things to the kitchen pack, and make sure what they would need for breakfast waited at the top would save precious minutes in the morning.
By the time he returned from taking care of the animals, she had everything squared away and it was still fairly early. Despite his earlier uncommunicativeness, he seemed in a good mood as he dropped to sit on his bedroll.
"With any luck, we'll jump the lion in the morning early while the dogs are fresh." He went on to talk a little more about how he planned to handle the hunt.
If he could be civil after she rejected him, the least she could do was likewise. "I gathered your uncle used these same horses? How did that happen?" Besides, she liked listening to him talk. His voice had a hypnotic quality that could probably tempt her into things she'd best not think about.
He grinned, revealing a dimple in his left cheek. "His other brother married a breeder from Kentucky. He and my dad stayed there for a bit and he fell for the horses." He talked on, telling her about some of the horses and mules his uncle had owned as Jakob was growing up.
She lay back to listen, loving the way his voice blended with the sounds of the night and the animals, and gaining unique insight into the man. Eventually the temperature dropped and she rolled into her sleeping bag. Wriggling out of her jeans inside the sleeping bag presented a moment of consternation since Jakob didn't bother to conceal his interest. Or the way his thoughts affected him. Finally she managed it though and settled into a comfortable spot.
Jakob stood and, facing her, peeled off his shirt. The deliberate way he unbuckled his belt made her feel like she was watching a strip-tease, but she couldn't force herself to look away from him or close her eyes. When he lowered his jeans to reveal the outline of his erection under snug underwear, she felt her eyes widen as her pulse shot through the
The rest of the work went smoothly and before long the animals were settled and fed, the fire built, and food cooking. When Jakob brought his sleeping bag over by the fire and unrolled it in a broad area long swept clear of stones and debris by previous campers, Kate retrieved her own bedroll. Rather than place it next to his, as he seemed to expect, she pointedly walked to the other side of the fire and unrolled it.
Jakob stirred the stew then turned to face her, hands loosely resting on his hips. "You know, tempting as your cute little ass is, I won't molest you. Unless you want me to. If you sleep over there, you'll be uncomfortable with all the rocks, and the ground is bit damp there closer to the creek. All you have to do is tell me you don't want me."
If only it could be that easy. She forced her shoulders to lift in a little shrug. "Okay, then. I don't want you." Moving her bed while he watched turned out to be a torturous experience, but she survived it.
He hadn't moved when she straightened from the task. "There. Was that so hard?"
As a matter of fact… "Of course not. Supper should be ready."
They ate, but Kate had no idea what. Her mind was fully occupied with watching every movement Jakob made, from the way his long fingers gripped his spoon to the way his throat moved when he swallowed. If he noticed her observation he at least had the grace not to say anything to embarrass her. In fact, he didn't say anything. It figured, once he knew he wasn't getting any, he stopped making an effort at all.
"If you'll clean up supper, I'll make another check of the animals and bring in some more wood." He was nice enough to wait for her agreement before stalking away from the fire into the nearly full dark.
Kate made use of the dishwasher, otherwise known as coarse sand and quick-moving water, to clean the dishes. The time it took to return things to the kitchen pack, and make sure what they would need for breakfast waited at the top would save precious minutes in the morning.
By the time he returned from taking care of the animals, she had everything squared away and it was still fairly early. Despite his earlier uncommunicativeness, he seemed in a good mood as he dropped to sit on his bedroll.
"With any luck, we'll jump the lion in the morning early while the dogs are fresh." He went on to talk a little more about how he planned to handle the hunt.
If he could be civil after she rejected him, the least she could do was likewise. "I gathered your uncle used these same horses? How did that happen?" Besides, she liked listening to him talk. His voice had a hypnotic quality that could probably tempt her into things she'd best not think about.
He grinned, revealing a dimple in his left cheek. "His other brother married a breeder from Kentucky. He and my dad stayed there for a bit and he fell for the horses." He talked on, telling her about some of the horses and mules his uncle had owned as Jakob was growing up.
She lay back to listen, loving the way his voice blended with the sounds of the night and the animals, and gaining unique insight into the man. Eventually the temperature dropped and she rolled into her sleeping bag. Wriggling out of her jeans inside the sleeping bag presented a moment of consternation since Jakob didn't bother to conceal his interest. Or the way his thoughts affected him. Finally she managed it though and settled into a comfortable spot.
Jakob stood and, facing her, peeled off his shirt. The deliberate way he unbuckled his belt made her feel like she was watching a strip-tease, but she couldn't force herself to look away from him or close her eyes. When he lowered his jeans to reveal the outline of his erection under snug underwear, she felt her eyes widen as her pulse shot through the
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