Page 55 of A Fearless Heart
“Fancy,” he concluded. Then he reached for her again, a wicked smile spreading across his lips. “Tell me you’ve got somewhere in this jungle where we can sit down.”
Cady walked to a bench placed in the center, with trees at each corner. Some monstrous shrubs with antediluvian leaves blocked the view to the doorways in either direction. The bench itself was more like a bed, wide and covered with a very comfortable cushion.
“In the daytime, I used to come here and read. Or nap,” Cady said. “It’s a good place for sleeping.”
“I can think of other things it’s good for,” he said. Rather than sitting, he stood facing her. “You certain you’re not brewing up aphrodisiacs in your laboratory?”
She chuckled. “Those aren’t real.”
“No? Not any of them?”
“No. Never take anything that claims to be an aphrodisiac. It’s all guesswork or wishful thinking or folktales or outright fraud.”
“Fortunately, I don’t need any outside influence to know how I feel about you.”
“Which is what?” Cady asked.
He smiled. “Hard.”
She had just discovered that for herself, and she froze for a second, uncertain how to respond. Her moment of stillness was all it took for him to reconsider.
He moved back, putting her at arm’s length. “Sorry,” he muttered. “Thought you…never mind.”
“No! Don’t give up on me!” Cady rose up toward him.
He leaned forward and kissed her with surprising lightness, as if he wasn’t sure she wanted this, despite her literally leading him here. So Cady deepened it, putting her hands on his shoulders to draw him closer.
Maybe it was the novelty of it, but Cady’s thoughts swirled into pleasurable confusion as the kiss went on. She’d be quite happy to just kiss him all night, and said so.
She felt his smile when he heard her. “If that’s what you want, I’d be delighted to oblige.”
“You can’t mean that.”
“Why not? It feels good, and I like to feel good.”
“But you’d want more.”
“Wanting feels good too.” He shifted his attention to her ear, her neck, her shoulder. Cady moaned a little when she felt his teeth nip her skin.
“You always smell like witch hazel,” he murmured.
“Do you not like it? I use it after I wash up—”
“I love it. You claim aphrodisiacs aren’t real, but that scent on your skin drives me wild every time I get within a few feet of you.” He tugged lightly at her gown, in case his meaning wasn’t completely clear.
“Gabe! You can’t say things like that.”
“I just did.” He gave her a more serious look. “We don’t have to do anything, here or in your bedroom or anywhere else. It’s up to you.”
“You think I don’t know what I’m getting into?”
“Well, you’re a virgin, aren’t you?”
“Yes, but that’s not the same thing as being an idiot. I’m quite familiar with the process of reproduction. I hand-pollinate plants all the time.”
He bit back a laugh. “Not quite the same, blossom. But now that you mention it, I’m interested in exactly what hand-pollination entails.”
Cady covered her face, feeling the heat in her cheeks. “Stop teasing me,” she begged.
