Page 38 of Salvation

“No buts. Please.”

“Anna—”

“You really want me to stop?” She panted beside his ear.

“I never want you to stop,” he whispered.

“Then forget about everything else.”

She sure had forgotten. She’d tuned out the voices drifting up from the saloon and stopped measuring the distance to the room where Sarah slept with Teddy in case one of them overheard. She quit thinking about tomorrow or what other people might think and focused entirely on the moment. Everything disappeared except for him. Her.

Himandher, like one thing. Their hearts beat in tandem. Their chests rose and fell at exactly the same time. And the need around them grew like a physical thing.

She slid until she wasn’t just lying alongside him butonhim, and the fire that had been crackling quietly inside her suddenly flared into a blaze. She straddled him and dragged her hips over his.

“Anna…” He wasn’t protesting any more. He was urging her on.

She slid up his body then down, seeking out just the right spot.

“You know what Sarah once told me?” she asked, nibbling on his ear.

His hands slid along her ribs until they found the outline of her bra. “What did Sarah once tell you?”

His voice was flat, and his lips seemed far more interested in the curve of her neck than an answer.

“She said the old mountain men used to tell stories about folks turning into animals. Like werewolves. Werebears, too.”

He stiffened while she circled his ear with her tongue.

“Really?” He said it slowly, carefully, probably wondering what she was going on about.

“Really. People who could change into wolves or bears or other animals. And you know what?” She nudged with her hips again, finding the hard spot she sought in his jeans.

“What?” he croaked.

She looked up at the stars, then dipped down and spoke right into his lips. “The moon isn’t out, but I’m kind of feeling the animal urge tonight.”

He let out a puff of air and relaxed. “Really? I barely noticed.”

She smiled then tested the seam of his lips. They opened, letting her in, and she kissed him deeply, moaning with delight.

“If you could turn into an animal, what would you be?” he asked while working open the top button of her blouse.

“Mmm.” She mumbled and got back to work on his ear. “I don’t know. What would you be?”

“A bear. Definitely a bear.”

“Let me guess.” She tickled his ear with a lock of her hair. “A grizzly.”

He nodded gravely, tracing her collarbone with his thumb. “What about you?”

“Then I’d have to be a bear, too.” She threaded her fingers through his thick hair, clearing a path from his ear to his neck to kiss.

“You wouldn’thaveto be,” he pointed out.

God, she loved this man.

“I’d want to be.”

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