Page 6 of Falling for the Recluse

“I figured.” She turns away to take her laptop out of her backpack, then sits down to power it up. “Actually, I was kind of looking forward to being disconnected for a while. I find that technology and social media get a little overwhelming sometimes. Makes it hard to think, you know? Back in California, I unplug once a week or so just to turn the noise off. But I admit to being a total nerd about science and technology.”

She throws me a smile that hits me in the middle of the chest.

“This is the application I’m using for the penguin data collection.” She gestures to the app opening up on the screen. “I’ll be employing remote sensing data and modeling techniques to predict occupancy probabilities for the penguin colonies. The graphical outputs will show how penguin populations are changing through time. Kind of like the way your models forecast glacier ice loss. Oh!”

She turns to face me, her eyes lighting up. “We should compare models, don’t you think? I’ll bet we could find some amazing connections about how glacier changes affect penguin populations. We could also use satellite imagery to support the forecasting.”

Consternation suddenly darkens her expression.

“Not that I expect you to take the time with my work,” she adds hastily. “Or that I think I could collaborate with a scientist of your caliber. I meant it when I said I wouldn’t bother you. At least, I’ll try not to. I just get a little over-enthused about penguin research. Feel free to put me in my place when I cross the line.”

She’s already in “her place.” Right here. She’s already crossed the invisible line I drew, trying to keep her away. And every time she speaks, every time I look at her, the ice melts a little more.

By the time she leaves, the whole damn island will be tropical.

I shake my head to dislodge these unexpected and ridiculous thoughts. Lust. That’s all this is. No wonder, given that I haven’t been close to a woman in a while, much less one so tempting and sweet. It’s like the universe just put an endless feast in front of a starving man.

I clear my throat. “Is this your first time working in the field?”

“Not only that, it’s my first time out of the United States.” She holds up her hand and ticks the items off on her fingers. “My first time on a ship. My first time on a turboprop. My first time on an island. My first time eating one of those freeze-dried meals. My first time seeing a glacier, an iceberg, and a humpback whale. And I still have so manyfirst timesahead of me. It’s like my life is just opening up.”

A muscle in my jaw clenches. I’ve had a great career for the past decade and wouldn’t want to do anything else, but mylifehas been closed shut.

She could open it, though.

Just like I could open her. Feed my lust. Ease the burn.

“Everyone likes first times, right? Like first kisses, first loves, first…” Her voice trails off, and a flush reddens her cheeks. “Well, you know.”

I do. But she doesn’t. I’d bet my life on it. “Your first boyfriend?”

The question snaps out of me. Her blush deepens.

“I’ve never had a boyfriend,” she says. “I don’t have much time for socializing, and I’m not in the loop on social media the way my friends are. Though now that I’m here, that’s probably a good thing.”

“It’s a very good thing.” My voice is rough, edged with the hunger I can’t contain.

She pushes her chair back and gets to her feet. Another trickle of sweat rolls down her temple. Except for her parka and gloves, she’s still wearing all her outerwear.

“I should…” She darts her tongue out to lick her bottom lip. “Unpack the rest of my stuff.”

“First lesson.” I cross to her. “Take this off when you’re inside, or you’ll get overheated.”

I reach out and pull the wool hat off her head.

Mistake.

Her black hair tumbles to her shoulders in a mass of thick, shiny strands, some clinging to her damp forehead. There’s a streak of pure white down the right side, like the stroke of a paintbrush.

I want to drag my fingers through all that hair more than I’ve wanted anything in my life.

I grind my teeth together. She’s already getting inside me. Now I want to be inside her. Deep. Hard. I want her spread out naked under me. I want to hear her gasps of pleasure when I push into her. I want her hands on my skin, her cunt wrapped around my dick, her body writhing and bouncing with the force of my thrusts. I want to drink her sharp cry when she comes.

Fucking hell.

It’s like an iceberg breaking away from a glacier. Nothing in the universe can stop it.

Not even me.

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