Page 30 of Smokin' Situation

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, tracing her fingertips across the scar. “Do you mind if I ask what happened?”

“Let’s get in first, then I can tell you why I came back home.”

My anxiety crept in as I pulled off my shirt, careful to stay turned toward Rhey so she wouldn’t see the patchwork of raised scars along my sides and the puckered angry skin that had finally healed down the center of my back. Once upon a time, the scars that’d littered my back from various on the job injuries had been almost a badge of honor, but now they were a stark reminder of everything I’d lost.

“Would you mind turning around?” she asked, fiddling with the zipper on her shorts. I tried to keep my gaze on her face, but my eyes were drawn to the now unbuttoned shirt that revealed the smooth skin of her stomach and a sliver of her bra right across the center. It was taking a considerable amount of self-restraint not to drop to my knees at her feet and lick a line straight from her navel to her long, slender neck.

“If that’s what you want. But you realize the water is crystal clear. I’ll be seeing everything in a moment, anyway.”

“Just…” she made a shooing motion, and I took a few steps away, angling my body away from her without showing off my entire back.

“Let me know when you’re ready.”

The woods were quiet besides the rustling of clothing being removed while I waited for her to disrobe the rest of the way and climb into the warm water. From my experience, I knew it was almost too quiet, meaning the previous occupants of this area had already fled the danger they knew could be headed in this direction.

Marty had told me on my tour of the ranch that the springs here were like climbing into a warm bathtub, and my achy muscles were anticipating the respite. It also didn’t hurt that my companion was a beautiful, nearly naked siren of a woman.

“Okay, you can climb in,” she whispered, and I turned to look over my shoulder, the dim light from the flashlights illuminating her face. Even after the tumult of the last day and a half, she was stunning.

“Would you mind…?” I teased, gesturing from my eyes to hers and miming covering them. She shook her head, holding a hand over her face. “No peeking. I need to preserve my modesty.”

She laughed and deliberately spread her fingers apart so she could watch me get undressed. Yanking off my boots and socks, I set them on top of a nearby rock and then pulled my jeans off to fold neatly on top of them.

“Do you want me to leave my boxers on?” I asked, deciding to give her the option. It’d be uncomfortable to walk in wet underwear back to the cabin later, but if she wanted me to keep them on, I’d keep them on.

“You don’t need to worry about shrinkage,” she giggled, lifting her wet fingers from the water and flicking it in my direction. “It’s nice and warm in here.”

“Trying to respect your boundaries, sweetheart.”

She was quiet for a few moments, and I turned fully, surprised when I found her leaning against the edge of the pool, resting her head on her hands along the edge. “And if I want you to disrespect them?”

Licking my lips, I hooked my fingers in the elastic waistband, slowly lowering the tight material, watching with satisfaction when her eyes widened as my now erect cock pointed straight at her.

I placed them on my pile of clothing, walking in her direction. She pushed off the edge of the pool, spreading her arms and propelling herself back toward the far edge.

“You’re going to poke an eye out with that thing.”

Smirking, I stepped into the warm water, following her once my feet touched the bottom. “You planning to get your face that close to it?”

She giggled, but it turned to a squeal when I reached forward and grasped her waist, hauling her against my chest. Her full breasts flattened against my pecs, her chest heaving as she looked up at me.

“I thought we were going to talk,” she whispered, flattening her palm against my chest.

“Are we not talking?” I asked, my hands roaming her bare skin. She gasped when I put a little pressure against her lower back, showing her exactly how much she was affecting me.

“Is that what this is?” she asked, smoothing her palm over my shoulder and scratching her fingernails against my scalp.

“Our mouths are moving, and sounds are coming out. Pretty sure that’s considered talking.”

She grinned, bouncing her eyebrows. “There are other things that involve mouths moving and sounds coming out that are definitely not talking.”

“Touché.”

When she put pressure on the back of my head, pulling me toward her, my lips gently ghosted over hers and a deep rumbling hum built in my chest.

I could get addicted to kissing this woman.

And it seemed she was just as ravenous when she grasped the back of my head with both hands, yanking my hair slightly while she wrapped her long legs around my waist. It’d be so easy to lose myself in her. To shift slightly and sheath myself in her tight heat,but I could be patient. There was no doubt in my mind the wait would be worth it.

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