put his arms around her.
They were still and silent for a long time, caught up in the elemental sensations of holding each other again. Dinah feared that speaking would break the charm. She didn't even want to risk looking at him. With her head still resting against his shoulder, she reached out and fumbled with his clothes.
Her hand brushed over him intimately as she tucked his shirt and refastened the jeans. Rucker's embrace tightened.
"Why did you do it?" he demanded.
"Because you're still the only man in the world that I can't resist." Dinah raised her head and looked at him. "I don't have any ulterior motives. You've already agreed to help me, so why would I try to bribe you with sex?"
"Unless your conscience is botherin' you. I don't want you to touch me out of guilt."
"Oh, Rucker," she said with soft frustration. "It's not guilt." Dinah pulled one of his arms from around her. She guided his hand inside her poncho, then under her sweater and bra.
When his fingers touched one of her hard, wet nipples, a look of bewilderment came over his face. "Why is your milk comin' now?"
Dinah shut her eyes as exquisite sensations radiated from his touch. "It's a natural reaction to arousal. It happens to some women." She shifted forward, unable to resist the pleasure when his forefinger circled slowly.
"You're so warm and swollen. Does it hurt to be touched?" he asked in a barely audible voice.
Dinah gazed at him. His eyes were dark with emotion, but there was very little anger in them now. She smiled shakily. "It hurts good."
He slid his hand to the other breast and stroked it gently. "I guess you do want me," he murmured, studying her half-shut eyes and flushed face. His jaw stiffened. "How could you leave me last summer if you want me so much?"
Dinah frowned sadly and shook her head. "Don't. Don't ask questions like that."
He jerked his hand away from her and tugged her sweater back into place. "Time to hit the road again."
"Rucker—"
"I don't want to hear it."
He guided her away from him. Dinah sat on her heels and edged her fingertips under the truck seat. She found the keys and closed them in her hand.
Rucker straightened up and glanced at her, still sitting in the floorboard and gazing at him with an expression of regret. He abruptly put one hand under her arm and helped her rise to the seat.
"Thank you," Dinah said softly.
"Don't wake me up like that again, dammit."
"It wasn't premeditated." He put a hand on his front pocket. "Wait," Dinah interjected, her breath shallow. "I need a moment." She gestured out the window. "Don't you?"
"I can wait."
Dinah teased with hidden desperation. "When we went camping you thought it was a duty. A way to mark your territory and scare small animals."
Rucker eyed her ruefully and jammed his hand into his front pocket. He frowned as he searched it. "Damn."
"What's wrong?"
"The keys are gone."
"They must be here somewhere." That was true enough. Dinah bit her lip and looked around vaguely, hating the deception. She clasped both hands in her lap.
Suddenly he grabbed her wrist. She jerked her gaze to his and saw suspicion in his eyes. They stared at each other for several seconds. The color rose in his face.
"You're losin' your expertise," he said in a strained tone. "When you're not with Valdivia you don't lie as well."
Dinah's shoulders slumped. She pulled her hand away, turned it palm up, and offered the keys along with quiet defiance. "I only wanted to do what was best for you."
Breathing harshly, he snatched the keys from her. "Everything you do is for somebody's good besides your own, isn't it? Just like a whore with a heart of gold."
She reeled inside. He'd always had a rough and colorful vocabulary, but in all their years together, he had never turned that vocabulary toward her with ugly intent.
Dinah gulped for breath and her stomach twisted sickly. She craved his trust and comfort; she'd dreamed of it to keep despair at bay. And now . . .
Her head
They were still and silent for a long time, caught up in the elemental sensations of holding each other again. Dinah feared that speaking would break the charm. She didn't even want to risk looking at him. With her head still resting against his shoulder, she reached out and fumbled with his clothes.
Her hand brushed over him intimately as she tucked his shirt and refastened the jeans. Rucker's embrace tightened.
"Why did you do it?" he demanded.
"Because you're still the only man in the world that I can't resist." Dinah raised her head and looked at him. "I don't have any ulterior motives. You've already agreed to help me, so why would I try to bribe you with sex?"
"Unless your conscience is botherin' you. I don't want you to touch me out of guilt."
"Oh, Rucker," she said with soft frustration. "It's not guilt." Dinah pulled one of his arms from around her. She guided his hand inside her poncho, then under her sweater and bra.
When his fingers touched one of her hard, wet nipples, a look of bewilderment came over his face. "Why is your milk comin' now?"
Dinah shut her eyes as exquisite sensations radiated from his touch. "It's a natural reaction to arousal. It happens to some women." She shifted forward, unable to resist the pleasure when his forefinger circled slowly.
"You're so warm and swollen. Does it hurt to be touched?" he asked in a barely audible voice.
Dinah gazed at him. His eyes were dark with emotion, but there was very little anger in them now. She smiled shakily. "It hurts good."
He slid his hand to the other breast and stroked it gently. "I guess you do want me," he murmured, studying her half-shut eyes and flushed face. His jaw stiffened. "How could you leave me last summer if you want me so much?"
Dinah frowned sadly and shook her head. "Don't. Don't ask questions like that."
He jerked his hand away from her and tugged her sweater back into place. "Time to hit the road again."
"Rucker—"
"I don't want to hear it."
He guided her away from him. Dinah sat on her heels and edged her fingertips under the truck seat. She found the keys and closed them in her hand.
Rucker straightened up and glanced at her, still sitting in the floorboard and gazing at him with an expression of regret. He abruptly put one hand under her arm and helped her rise to the seat.
"Thank you," Dinah said softly.
"Don't wake me up like that again, dammit."
"It wasn't premeditated." He put a hand on his front pocket. "Wait," Dinah interjected, her breath shallow. "I need a moment." She gestured out the window. "Don't you?"
"I can wait."
Dinah teased with hidden desperation. "When we went camping you thought it was a duty. A way to mark your territory and scare small animals."
Rucker eyed her ruefully and jammed his hand into his front pocket. He frowned as he searched it. "Damn."
"What's wrong?"
"The keys are gone."
"They must be here somewhere." That was true enough. Dinah bit her lip and looked around vaguely, hating the deception. She clasped both hands in her lap.
Suddenly he grabbed her wrist. She jerked her gaze to his and saw suspicion in his eyes. They stared at each other for several seconds. The color rose in his face.
"You're losin' your expertise," he said in a strained tone. "When you're not with Valdivia you don't lie as well."
Dinah's shoulders slumped. She pulled her hand away, turned it palm up, and offered the keys along with quiet defiance. "I only wanted to do what was best for you."
Breathing harshly, he snatched the keys from her. "Everything you do is for somebody's good besides your own, isn't it? Just like a whore with a heart of gold."
She reeled inside. He'd always had a rough and colorful vocabulary, but in all their years together, he had never turned that vocabulary toward her with ugly intent.
Dinah gulped for breath and her stomach twisted sickly. She craved his trust and comfort; she'd dreamed of it to keep despair at bay. And now . . .
Her head
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