Page 15 of 40 and Flirting (with Disaster) (Silver Foxes of Black Wolf’s Bluff #5)

Fifteen

A fter a huge lunch that had them all groaning at the fullness of their stomachs, Jamie took the group out in the boat for a leisurely tour of the lake.

Iris joined him in the seat next to his up front, the younger crew lining each side of the boat as they surveyed the coves around Douglas Lake and met up with other holiday goers celebrating the day off like they were.

When they made it back to the dock, Jamie and Iris decided the lounge chairs sounded better than skiing, and left the “youngsters” to more energetic pursuits while they settled into the shade for naps.

Iris woke a short while later to the soft sound of snuffling snores from the chair next to her.

The intimacy of hearing Jamie snore caused a melting in her heart.

Knowing that small, secret detail about him emphasized the closeness they’d developed, just how far Jamie had managed to ease himself into her life and into her heart.

And strangely enough, she wasn’t panicking at the thought of a man being that close to her anymore.

She was actually starting to be okay with it.

Did she want to marry Jamie? No, her aversion to getting married again was still strong.

But she was intelligent enough to acknowledge that they already had some sort of relationship going on, and denying it wasn’t going to make it untrue.

Jamie was a part of her life. The question was, how much more of herself did she want to share with him?

Slipping from her chair, she glanced Jamie’s way.

The vulnerability of sleep made him look younger.

It was as if the determination and drive he carried every second was let go for a little while, and his face relaxed, the tension around his eyes—whether from laughter or concentration—easing, allowing her to see a softer side of him than she’d seen before.

Her fingers itched to touch him, to smooth back the wind-tossed hair along his forehead that stuck out at all angles, to run her fingers over that wide chest that she now knew was even more mouthwatering than she’d imagined it to be.

Her gaze tracked down his long body, seeing all the bits of him that she never allowed herself to focus on for fear someone else might notice her interest.

Jamie Worthington was a handsome man indeed. And the warmth in her belly dared her to explore the deep masculinity on display before her in all the ways she’d dreamed about for months now.

Wanting to cool herself off—and yes, think about this decision that was presenting itself with a far cooler head than she was currently able to conjure—she lowered herself down the ladder on the other side of the dock and slipped into the chilly water of the lake.

Here near the shoreline, the water was a clear green, allowing her to see through to the sandy bottom until it dropped off near the end of the dock to a much deeper depth.

She lay out on her back, allowing the water to hold her, the sun hot above her head, the lapping water calm and cool around her.

It felt good, shutting out the world and narrowing her focus down to only her body and her thoughts.

And one thought was rising above all the rest: she wanted Jamie Worthington, and she didn’t want to wait anymore.

The longer she floated, the clearer the decision became.

Did she have misgivings? Yes. She had never been with a man other than Kirk, and no matter how confident she was in herself, the idea of showing another man her body still gave her pause—or maybe even more so, given her age.

But she was done letting her ex-husband and her past dictate her future and her feelings.

Wherever this connection with Jamie took her, she was ready for the next step.

She was ready for sex. She hoped.

When she pulled herself out of the water, Jamie was still sleeping in his lounge chair, still softly snoring.

She surrounded herself with a towel and walked over to stand at the end of his chair.

Gently shaking her hair over his body showered cool droplets onto his skin, and Jamie stirred beneath her.

Sleepy green eyes focused on her, grazing her body with an intensity that almost had her squirming. “Hey,” he said, voice rough with sleep.

“Hey, yourself,” Iris said. “Did you know you snore?”

He laughed unselfconsciously, the sound doing funny things to her heart. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be.” Iris scooted his legs to one side and settled onto the foot of his lounger. “It’s nice to know you have a flaw or two.”

“Oh, I have a flaw or two,” he agreed, amusement clear on his face. “But from what Michael tells me, my snoring isn’t loud enough you’d be forced to sleep in another room, away from me.”

The idea that they’d sleep together enough for her to notice his snoring that way brought a delicate pink blush to her cheeks.

Jamie’s gaze fixated on her reaction and followed the flush of color with seeming fascination down the length of her neck, across her chest to the vee between the mounds of her breasts.

Her breasts felt like they swelled under his attention, and her nipples peaked. She wondered if he noticed.

When she dropped her gaze to hide her thoughts, her glimpse of Jamie’s lap told her he had indeed noticed—and responded.

He shifted a bit, drawing the towel next to him over his lap. Clearing his throat, he pulled her attention back to his face. “Are the kids back yet?”

“No,” she answered absentmindedly, mulling over the past few seconds. Using the edge of her towel, she began to scrunch the water out of her curls. “They seem to be having fun.”

“Good. I’m glad.” Shifting up, he scooted toward her, his legs veed to admit her closer. Heat warmed her skin everywhere Jamie touched. “Are you having fun?”

“Yes,” she said absently, not looking up at him.

She switched to the other side of her hair, squeezing out the water, and the moment of quiet stretched out.

Her gaze focused absently on her empty hand, which had automatically settled on Jamie’s thigh.

Her fingers traced lines along his skin, explored the rough texture of the hair on his leg.

The deliciousness of the touch had her breath speeding up.

Jamie enjoyed it too—a shiver rocked him, and goose bumps rose along his skin. Did she really have that much power over this beautiful man, that a simple touch from her could make him shiver?

Jamie gripped a wet curl between a couple of fingers and gave it a playful tug. “What is it, Iris?”

She jerked her gaze up to his face. Green eyes captured hers, breathtakingly intense.

What was it? She opened her mouth, but no words came out. I want you, Jamie. That’s what it is. I want you so much.

And in that moment, she stopped thinking and simply did.

Leaning close, she brushed her lips across his.

Jamie sucked in a breath. Could he could sense that this wasn’t just a kiss, not simply taking advantage of the moment?

“Iris?”

She licked her lips. Moved in for another kiss. Only this one lasted longer—she opened her mouth and swiped her tongue across Jamie’s full bottom lip.

That was all it took. Jamie opened as well, and then he was devouring her, his mouth hungry, his chest rumbling with the growl that rose up in his throat.

The sound thrilled her—Jamie’s pleasure, his need.

Her nipples peaked, and she squirmed to get closer.

Her fingers found their way into his hair, the short sides rasping along her skin.

She trailed her hands down his neck, along his wide chest. He was so sexy he made her tingle, made her long to be touched as well—his fingers on her nipples, his chest against hers, his erection hard against her. It would feel so good.

The brush of her fingers across his tight nipples broke whatever restraint Jamie possessed, and he immediately took over.

His hands came up to cup her face, his fingers driving into her hair to grip her head, tilt it until Iris was at just the right angle for him to dive deep.

His tongue took over her mouth, his hunger a pulsing need between them that she could taste, feel, share.

She wanted those hands on her body, on her breasts, between her legs.

It was as if now that she’d finally acknowledged what she wanted, the desire had exploded tenfold into its true form, taking over every thought, every breath.

She wanted closer, wanted to feel his body fully against hers.

Dropping her towel, Iris crawled up his body, not letting herself think, not allowing her misgivings to interrupt the onslaught of need.

Instead she settled onto his lap, and those rough hands gripped her hips.

Fingers hard, he dragged her forward until her core met the hard length of him for the very first time.

They fit just right. And oh God, it was just as good as she’d thought it would be. So good.

Her body knew what it wanted and sought it out without conscious thought—her hips tilted to drag her clit against that solid length, giving them both the pleasure they sought.

They both groaned.

And that was when the sound of the engine registered in her brain.

Iris froze, unable to move. Jamie broke off their kiss with a curse. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” he muttered under his breath.

A flush, this time of mortification, swept across her skin. “I’m sorry.”

She forced her eyes open, afraid of what she’d see, but anger wasn’t what awaited her.

Frustrated amusement danced in those beautiful green eyes.

“Well,” Jamie said, voice low enough she could barely hear it over the boat’s approach, “if you wanted to slowly introduce your kids to our relationship, I think that ship has sailed.”

She held back a whimper of embarrassment. “I guess so.” She began to move off Jamie’s lap, but his hands were still gripping her hips, holding her in place. She frowned in question.

Jamie squeezed her hips, a question in both his grip and his eyes. “Maybe we could continue this later?” he asked softly.

The boat was pulling into the boathouse.

She knew the kids were watching them, knew that Krista was judging, wondered what Michael thought of her sitting in his father’s lap.

Why she was allowing all of that judgment in instead of focusing on what she wanted, like she had moments before, she didn’t know, couldn’t suss out in the moment with all the chaos in her head.

But she knew one thing—she wasn’t ready for this to end.

“If that’s okay with you,” she whispered back. “I’d like that.”

“Oh, there’s no doubt I’d like that.” Jamie gripped her head, pulled her in for a long, hard kiss, and then let her go.

As she scrambled off his lap, the kids came out of the boathouse and onto the deck.

She didn’t look at them, just gathered her towel and wrapped it around her rapidly cooling body, hoping no one would notice the state of her nipples.

And then she looked to Jamie, saw him pulling his towel back across his lap.

Amusement broke through the chaos.

Jamie grinned as Iris started to laugh. “Think that’s funny, do you?” he asked, cocking a brow in her direction.

“It’s either laugh or cry,” she whispered and stood up from the lounge chair. Gathering random plates and cups gave her something to do for the few moments she needed to gather her composure before facing their adult children, whose faces exhibited a mixture of amusement and horror.

But those few moments had given her something else: clarity.

If the way she was feeling was any indication, their kids were going to have to get used to seeing Iris and Jamie together, just as she’d had to get used to it.

Because they’d passed a turning point, and she didn’t think there was any going back.

She shrugged off the reactions and went to dump the trash into the trash can.