Page 18 of The Last True Hero
Probably a good thing. For if those words were a hint of the heat smoldering beneath his still surfaces, then she wouldn't have stood a chance if he decided to pursue her.
The drought in Salvation Creek hadn't just affected the local farms.
"Fine," she said, trying to ignore the heat in her cheeks. She accepted his hand and eased her way over the iron beam.Keep things cool...."It's a fine ass. And pickings are slim in Salvation Creek. Once upon a time I might have made you an offer."
"Pretty sure you knocked mine back." His hand squeezed hers. Their eyes locked for one tempting second.
Mia swallowed, then hopped down the other side and away from him.
"I thought about it," she admitted. Thought hard. And often. Alone in bed, with her hand down her panties.
She brushed sweaty strands of hair off her face. Between the buildings, where there was no wind, it was hot as hell. Sweat slicked between her breasts and down the center of her back. She fanned herself. "Take a break?"
McClain smiled at her as if he could see straight through her, and suddenly the sweat on her skin wasn't the only thing that was wet. "Sure."
Mia leaned back against a wall. Neither of them had been alone since they rode out. She was suddenly shockingly aware that there was not a single soul within a one-mile radius.
Think of all the things you could do to him in that time....
McClain paused and tugged his water canteen out of his pack. Every movement was careful and precise, as though he'd always been big and had learned to control every inch of his body, for fear of breaking things as a boy. She could imagine him as a raw-boned young man. He had that look. Heavy muscle now, as though he'd finally caught up to the sheer height of himself. He had the kind of hands that looked like they could soothe a startled colt, or leave a woman in exquisite pleasure.
He unscrewed the flask, offering her a mouthful. Always polite, damn him. "Why'd you say no?"
"You're not the first stranger to wander through town." She lifted the flask and took a mouthful. "Maybe we could have made sweet memories, but there's also the risk that I could have ended up alone and pregnant."
He scowled. "I wouldn't do that to you."
"I know that now. I don't think you're the type of man to just leave a child behind." No, he was all about protecting those he considered his. She eyed him out of the corner of her eye. Made her wonder just who made that list. He'd mentioned a sister. An old flame. Even a little girl he'd considered a niece. "But that only works if you knew I was pregnant," she pointed out. "You were moving on eventually and sometimes these things don't show up until it's too late."
His eyelids hooded, leaving his eyes impenetrable. "I think that if something had happened between us, I would have made a point of returning. You're not the sort of woman one forgets."
There went her heart again, making another one of those mad leaps in her chest. "I bet you say that to all the ladies," she replied, keeping it light.
A part of her didn't know what she was doing.
"No." McClain didn't take a single step toward her, but suddenly he filled the space between them. All of that focused intensity locked on her with absolute absorption. "Ever since the day I met you, it's only been you. Standing there in that bar, asking me if I wanted a damned drink, or whether I intended to stand there staring all day." His smile was slow as he lifted a hand and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "You smelled like whiskey and sage, and your skin glowed like polished bronze. It looked so smooth, I wanted to lick it. All over."
Not only was he the hottest man she'd ever laid eyes upon, but there was something about him that made her want to throw all of her rules out the window.
Mia put the flask to her lips, but she couldn't take her eyes off him. He was destroying her, inch by inch. And she wasn't sure she could handle that. Not right now.
"If you keep looking at me like that, Mia, then whatever's out there might not be the only thing looking to eat you all up."
She swallowed a mouthful of water down the wrong pipe, and sprayed it all over him. A wet hack tore through her throat and she coughed desperately while McClain thumped her on the back.
Jesus. "Are you trying to kill me?" she croaked.
His shirt clung to his chest. She'd spat water all over him. McClain raked a hand through his sweaty hair.
Real suave, Mia. No wonder she was single.
Apart from the whole fingers-burned situation. Which took her thoughts to Jake, and from there, right back to Sage.
Who was somewhere in these forsaken ruins while she was flirting with McClain.
She felt sick all of a sudden. What was she doing? Tears blurred her vision, taking her by surprise. A whole wave of anger and grief suddenly erupted within her, like it had been lurking within, waiting for a moment to take her down.
"Hey," McClain murmured, his warm fingers closing over her arm. "Are you okay?"
