Saved by the Bride (13 page)

She tugged the towel around her, needing to do something with
her hands so that they didn’t reach out and touch him. “Seriously though, that
kid needs someone his own age to play with.”

“Not my problem and not yours either.” The brusque businessman
was back. She should be pleased because he was slightly easier to resist, but
the traitorous woman inside her sobbed, longing to see the relaxed man
again.

“Thanks for picking me up but I would have been fine to swim
back after a bit of a rest.”

He shrugged as he continued to pull at the oars. “No
problem.”

She’d been so mesmerized watching him row that she only just
realized he was heading away from the shore where the family was gathered.
Instead he was rowing toward an island in the lake. She thumbed behind her. “Um,
Kylemore’s that way.”

“I’m well aware of that.” He kept rowing.

Perhaps he wanted the exercise. “How’s your mom?”

“Cross, sore, cranky and impossible to help.”

“A severely sprained ankle hurts.”

“Talking from experience?”

“Totally.” She gave a wry smile. “Growing up, Dad bought me my
own pair of crutches because he said it was cheaper than renting them all the
time.”

He shook his head gently as a lazy smile roved across his
cheeks and she let that delicious image wash over her along with the gentle
sound of the lap of the oars slicing into the water. The high-pitched chirp of
an osprey made her look up and she watched the magnificent bird flying above
them. “He’s heading home for the night.”

Finn tilted his head toward a huge tree on the island. “He’s
home. He swoops in every night at this time.”

“I love these birds.”

“Do you want a closer look?”

“Sure.”

He rowed around the other side of the island and the boat hit
the pebbly beach with a thud. Finn stowed the oars before vaulting over the
side. Annika didn’t even try to hide her admiration for his easy
athleticism.

Gripping both sides of the boat and spreading her feet wide,
she prepared to stand but before she’d pushed up, Finn’s hand hovered in front
of her. She thought of how her knees turned to jelly whenever he touched her.
“Thanks, but I grew up around boats and I’ll be fine.”

He quirked one brow and his hand stayed put. “You grew up
around sidewalks too but they still trip you up.”

His teasing held an absolute truth and did she really want to
end up facedown looking like she was kissing his feet? It wouldn’t be a good
look on so many levels. She took a deep breath and slid her palm against his.
His firm grip held her and his strength flowed through her, along with the pop
and fizz of tingling and enticing heat. It spread through her limbs and then
raced to a sweet spot between her legs. She pressed her thighs together to try
and stop the wondrous throb.

“Ready?”

Very
ready
. The part of her that had been deeply asleep
since Ryan’s betrayal—the part that had stirred and had been drowsy from the
moment Finn’s lips had touched hers last Saturday night—woke right up with a
pant of longing. Annika tried to send her straight back to sleep by thinking of
the long list of reasons why getting it on with Finn Callahan would be a
seriously bad idea but the twinkle in his jet eyes sidetracked her. She somehow
managed to nod her reply.

Dimples carved into the black stubble that graced his cheeks.
“That means you have to stand up.”

“Right.”
Get
it
together
,
girl
. She
forced liquid legs into an upright position but as she stood, the boat tipped
and despite his steadying hand, she wobbled. “Ohh.” She tried to lean back as a
counterweight, but fell forward and the next moment her free hand was clutching
his shoulder and her bikini-clad chest was pressed firmly against his. Her
nipples puckered in anticipation and the rest of her sighed in bliss. God he
felt good.

His laugh rolled around her and the deeply textured notes
thrummed through her, adding to the wildfire of need that already burned
brightly and threatened to race out of control. Then his arms wrapped firmly
around her waist and he lifted her out of the boat.

As her feet hit the beach, she looked up at him trying to sound
as normal as possible despite the fact that her heart hammered as fast as a
hummingbird’s, and her body was quickly melting into his. “Th-that seemed to go
fairly well.”

He stared down at her, his gaze not quite as focused as normal
and when he spoke, his voice was unusually husky. “Technically, you didn’t
fall.”

“No. Just into you.”

His thumb grazed her bottom lip as his eyes held hers. “Do you
want to go and see the nest?”

His touch detonated a million tiny explosions of lust. It took
every ounce of willpower not to moan, and the effort drained her reserves
completely.

She’d spent four days around Finn in a constant state of
heightened awareness and sexual-sensory overload, and she was exhausted. She
wanted him to kiss her to defuse the tension. She wanted
one
moment in her truly crappy day just for herself, and this was
it. One kiss and then she’d worry about where she was spending the night and the
rest of the summer. One kiss and then she’d worry about Nicole and brides,
Whitetail and industry, and the future.

Ignoring the forest of red warning flags that shot to attention
in her mind, and turning two deaf ears to the piercing tornado-siren that
screamed in her head, she raised her palm against his rough cheek. “I do want to
go and see the nest.”

He cleared his throat and then swallowed hard—his Adam’s apple
moving jerkily. “We should go now before we lose the light.”

She held his desire-filled gaze with her own. “I guess we
should.”

But neither of them moved.

Apart from his breathing, he was perfectly still. But every
breath he took expanded his chest into hers, caressing her breasts and sending
his heat and lust spinning into her.

She asked the question she knew the answer to. “You’re not
going to kiss me, are you?”

“No.” The tiny syllable came out on a croak of overstretched
restraint.

Her fingertips skated across his jaw propelled by her need to
touch him. “Because you gave me your word?”

“That’s right.” His lips hardly moved and it was as if they’d
had difficulty framing the words.

His code of principle and honor bound him as tightly as if he
was tied by ropes, and she could clearly see the battle waging in his eyes. The
battle not to kiss her.

She realized she could have some fun
and
be kissed at the same time. “So, no matter what I do or say,
you’re not going to kiss me?”

“No.” He shuddered out a breath. “I’m not going to kiss
you.”

“I understand.” She ran her hands down his arms to his waist
and after a quick flick of the cotton, she slid them under his shirt where they
touched smooth, hot skin. It scorched her hands and she wanted to feel more.

He stiffened against her as every muscle tightened, and his
erection pressed against her bare thigh. Any lingering doubts she might have had
that he didn’t find her attractive, fled.

“What if I kissed you? Would you kiss me back?” She smiled as
her hands pressed against his lower back, and her thumbs gently kneaded the
skin. “I mean, that’s still kissing me, right?”

A growling sound came from his throat and a wild look tore
across his face. As his hands slid back to her waist, she worried he’d pull
away. She’d had her fun but now it was time to put him out of his misery. Put
herself out of her misery. She rose on tiptoes and pressed her lips softly
against his closed mouth. She tasted sunshine, a hint of peanuts and a shot of
desire. She wanted more and her tongue ran along the seal between his lips.

His hands tensed against her sides and his mouth slackened
slightly. With anticipation, she dove in and started to explore. Heat dominated
and it seared her before infusing her with a myriad of flavors. All of them
tasted like need.

He groaned against her mouth but he stayed perfectly still,
amazing her with his self-control. She flicked out her tongue, driven by a
memory and wanting to revisit a place that had given her so much pleasure. She
traced the tip of her tongue slowly along his inside cheek, trawling it across
his teeth, and then with deliberate, lazy intent, she outlined the groove in his
tongue.

His hands instantly shot to the sides of her head and his
thumbs gently pressed against her cheeks. Then he angled her mouth for perfect
access and took control. His tongue stroked hers for a moment and electricity
arced between them, lighting her up with bliss. Then he started a concentrated
exploration of his own. Her hands curled around his neck as she hung on to the
most delicious onslaught of sensations she’d ever known.

His left hand pulled at the ties of her halter top, and her
breasts, heavy with aching need, fell from their scant support and she sighed.
With his mouth still on hers, he cupped her breasts with his hands and his
thumbs drew tiny circles across her nipples until she was wet and throbbing and
thought she’d come on the spot. She fell to her knees, impervious to the feel of
the pebbles on the beach, and he came down with her. With a jerky tug, she
pulled his shirt over his head and as his mouth moved down her neck she pressed
her mouth to his shoulder. He was beautiful—tanned skin over toned muscle—and
she wanted to kiss all of him and then go back and trace him with her
tongue.

His mouth closed over her breast. Exquisite fire lit through
her and her head fell back with a moan as colors exploded in her mind. His arm
pressed against her back for support, and his erection pressed against her
belly. For a second, she wondered how her knees could still hold her upright but
then she lost herself in the touch of his hands, the heat of his mouth and the
pure wonder of him under her fingers. Nothing mattered but this moment, and all
her muscles throbbed for him with all-consuming need.

He pulled her onto his lap and she felt his erection firm under
the material of his shorts. She wanted him inside her. She wanted to grip him
tightly and ride him until she shattered into a thousand tiny pieces of pure and
unadulterated pleasure. Without hesitation, she wrapped her legs around his
waist. The hard cotton of his shorts pushed up against the thin material of her
bikini, caressing her, and her body started to rock against him.

With a groan, his mouth returned to hers as if it was home, and
his tongue continued its rampage, as did her own. Nothing existed except his
mouth on hers and she’d never been kissed like this before. Their hands roamed
all over each other as they moved together and then his fingers tangled with the
ties that held her bikini briefs together.

Somewhere, something deep in the recesses of her mind yelled,
“Stop.”

It
was
supposed
to
be
a
kiss
.
Sex
wasn’t
part
of
the
plan
. Her hand covered his as she hauled her mouth
away.

Wild-eyed and panting, he seemed to be staring at her as if he
was a long way away. “What?”

She scrambled off his lap. “I’m sorry.” Seeing his gaze on her
breasts she hastily retied the halter top and shivered. “I’m cold.”

Deep dimples curved into his cheeks and his mouth pulled into a
lazy, yet wicked smile. “Sweetheart, there’s enough heat between us to warm
Alaska for the next seven winters.”

And so help her but she knew he was right.

He reached out his hand and skimmed a finger down her arm, and
she jumped at his touch. Her words came out on a wail. “We don’t have any
protection.”

“You have got to be kidding.” A sigh shuddered out of him.
“I’ve worked hard to keep my hands off you for four days, so exactly what did
you expect was going to happen when you kissed me like that?”

She bit her lip, hating that she’d put them both in this
position of mind-altering lust but without protection. “I didn’t think it
through.”

“No.” His voice was hoarse and his eyes held an agonized look
of unwanted control. “Next time you try and seduce me, please have a condom
handy.”

The image of her straddling him with her head thrown back took
the breath from her lungs.
You
fool
. Guilt made her snap. “I don’t make a habit of
trying to seduce men and this was a one-off aberration. There won’t be a next
time.”

He laughed. “Now that I know you can’t keep your hands off me,
there’ll definitely be a next time. Come to think of it, I suddenly feel the
need to visit Whitetail Drug.”

To her shame, the thought had her instantly hot and tingling
and she scraped her wet hair behind her ears, hoping it would cool her down. “I
think we should go back now.”

He winked at her. “Sadly, Whitetail Drug won’t be open.”

Another thrill shot through her.
Oh
,
God
,
why
are
you
so
damn
gorgeous
?

Can
you
please
just
focus
? The sensible voice in her head drove her back
on track. “Very funny.” She crossed her arms in an attempt to stop her breasts
tingling and to try and look serious. “I meant we should get back to your family
who’ll be wondering where we are. Plus if you remember, I need to organize a
place to stay tonight.”

He spoke quietly, his previous teasing vanishing fast. “We’re
exactly where we need to be.”

His answer made no sense and she studied his suddenly tight
face. “I beg your pardon?”