teasing. I wouldn't really blackmail
you."
"And I know that how?"
"You can trust me."
She raised an eyebrow. "Right."
"I mean it. I don't cheat."
"Honest in word, thought, and deed?"
"Yep." He honestly wanted her in his bed, but
maybe he'd better hold off on the word and deed there for a bit.
Until they got better acquainted.
"A Boy Scout?"
"No. 4H Club. I grew up on a ranch. With
people who trusted me." A flush tinged her cheekbones, and he
smiled.
She straightened her shoulders and looked him
straight in the eye. "That's friends. Strangers have to be a little
more wary. I had no way of knowing you and Alice—"
He gave up. "I know. But you could have asked
someone."
"Who?
"Anyone. The other guests. Moses."
"Right. Like I'd do that kind of gossip. And
I certainly wouldn't talk to someone who worked for her." Poppy's
expression combined contempt and impatience. She turned toward the
fading colors on the western horizon.
"Come on, honey, don't go all unfriendly on
me."
"I'm friendly."
He put his arm around her.
She stood. "Not that friendly. I don't make
out with strangers in public." She blushed, probably remembering
last night.
"We could get private." He stood and put his
hands on her shoulders.
She removed his hands and took a step back.
"Or not."
"We could get to be friends."
She shook her head and looked up at him
through lowered lashes. "Define friend. My guess would be that we
use different dictionaries."
"Friends are people who do stuff together.
Fun stuff. I could suggest more than a few fun things we could
do."
Her stern glare reminded him of his nightmare
seventh grade teacher. He shrugged and tried to look innocent.
"Friends are intimate."
"As in sex?" Her mouth twitched in what he
wanted to think was humor, but she stuck her nose in the air. "I
don't think so."
He did. It was exactly what he thought. "You
could change your mind."
She gave him one of those men-are-dogs looks.
"Not in a million years," she said, with enough frost in her voice
to freeze the entire state.
He grinned. She reminded him of a handful of
porcupine, all stabbing quills on the surface, tender and delicious
inside. He knew what hid under that prickly exterior, though. Heat.
All the heat a man could want. He could see it in her eyes.
That did it. One step brought him close
enough for his hands to find her waist and pull her up against him,
all the lush softness he couldn't get out of his mind. In the
almost-dark, the amber of her eyes flared with the same fierce
desire that throbbed through him. The desperate grip of her hands
on his shoulders said she felt the same want, the same need that
consumed him.
He shifted his gaze to her mouth. Her soft,
slightly parted lips lured him like a horse to a bushel of oats. He
forgot Alice and the crowd of guests, forgot that they were
standing on a rock in plain sight of anyone who cared to watch,
forgot his suspicions of her. He brushed his mouth over hers,
needing the taste of her as much as a man in the desert needed
water. Brushed, lingered, sampled, tasted. Couldn't get enough.
He felt her try to hold back, and rubbed one
gentling hand up and down her back. The hint of resistance
dissolved. Her arms locked around his neck and she pressed against
him and kissed him back with all the desperate need he felt for
her.
A patch of grass off to the side of the rocks
beckoned. If he could only figure out how to get them over there...
Tonight he had no interest in leaning up against a rock.
"Hey, you two." Alice's shout hit him like a
bucket of ice water. He looked up and realized that the others were
almost out of sight. He and Poppy stood alone on the rock.
Correction. He stood alone. After one stricken look at him, she had
flung herself off the boulder and bolted after the group.
If he were sensible, he'd figure it was best
that way. Too bad he wasn't sensible.
* * *
Early morning sunlight stabbed through the
window into her eyes. Poppy groaned. Not again. She must be
you."
"And I know that how?"
"You can trust me."
She raised an eyebrow. "Right."
"I mean it. I don't cheat."
"Honest in word, thought, and deed?"
"Yep." He honestly wanted her in his bed, but
maybe he'd better hold off on the word and deed there for a bit.
Until they got better acquainted.
"A Boy Scout?"
"No. 4H Club. I grew up on a ranch. With
people who trusted me." A flush tinged her cheekbones, and he
smiled.
She straightened her shoulders and looked him
straight in the eye. "That's friends. Strangers have to be a little
more wary. I had no way of knowing you and Alice—"
He gave up. "I know. But you could have asked
someone."
"Who?
"Anyone. The other guests. Moses."
"Right. Like I'd do that kind of gossip. And
I certainly wouldn't talk to someone who worked for her." Poppy's
expression combined contempt and impatience. She turned toward the
fading colors on the western horizon.
"Come on, honey, don't go all unfriendly on
me."
"I'm friendly."
He put his arm around her.
She stood. "Not that friendly. I don't make
out with strangers in public." She blushed, probably remembering
last night.
"We could get private." He stood and put his
hands on her shoulders.
She removed his hands and took a step back.
"Or not."
"We could get to be friends."
She shook her head and looked up at him
through lowered lashes. "Define friend. My guess would be that we
use different dictionaries."
"Friends are people who do stuff together.
Fun stuff. I could suggest more than a few fun things we could
do."
Her stern glare reminded him of his nightmare
seventh grade teacher. He shrugged and tried to look innocent.
"Friends are intimate."
"As in sex?" Her mouth twitched in what he
wanted to think was humor, but she stuck her nose in the air. "I
don't think so."
He did. It was exactly what he thought. "You
could change your mind."
She gave him one of those men-are-dogs looks.
"Not in a million years," she said, with enough frost in her voice
to freeze the entire state.
He grinned. She reminded him of a handful of
porcupine, all stabbing quills on the surface, tender and delicious
inside. He knew what hid under that prickly exterior, though. Heat.
All the heat a man could want. He could see it in her eyes.
That did it. One step brought him close
enough for his hands to find her waist and pull her up against him,
all the lush softness he couldn't get out of his mind. In the
almost-dark, the amber of her eyes flared with the same fierce
desire that throbbed through him. The desperate grip of her hands
on his shoulders said she felt the same want, the same need that
consumed him.
He shifted his gaze to her mouth. Her soft,
slightly parted lips lured him like a horse to a bushel of oats. He
forgot Alice and the crowd of guests, forgot that they were
standing on a rock in plain sight of anyone who cared to watch,
forgot his suspicions of her. He brushed his mouth over hers,
needing the taste of her as much as a man in the desert needed
water. Brushed, lingered, sampled, tasted. Couldn't get enough.
He felt her try to hold back, and rubbed one
gentling hand up and down her back. The hint of resistance
dissolved. Her arms locked around his neck and she pressed against
him and kissed him back with all the desperate need he felt for
her.
A patch of grass off to the side of the rocks
beckoned. If he could only figure out how to get them over there...
Tonight he had no interest in leaning up against a rock.
"Hey, you two." Alice's shout hit him like a
bucket of ice water. He looked up and realized that the others were
almost out of sight. He and Poppy stood alone on the rock.
Correction. He stood alone. After one stricken look at him, she had
flung herself off the boulder and bolted after the group.
If he were sensible, he'd figure it was best
that way. Too bad he wasn't sensible.
* * *
Early morning sunlight stabbed through the
window into her eyes. Poppy groaned. Not again. She must be
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