Page 21 of Colton On Guard

After turning on the coffee maker, he wandered back outside to make sure no trees had been felled by the storm.

Spence arrived just as Parker returned from making sure the path up the mountain hadn’t been blocked. As far as he could tell, it had looked clear.

“I’m worried about the river,” Spence said after they exchanged greetings. “I’m supposed to take a small tour group out fishing. But after that storm, I’m concerned.”

“I hear you. You might end up river-rafting instead,” Parker quipped, only half joking.

“Exactly.” Spence checked his wrist. “I’m going to drive down there. Want to go with me and check it out?”

“I wish I could, but my group will be here in fifteen minutes,” Parker answered.

Spence responded with a wave and strode off to his truck.

The rest of the day passed in a blur. As always, Parker enjoyed the hell out of the four-wheeling expedition. He’d always liked mud and, after all the rain, there was plenty of that to go around.

Lots of laughs, cheers, especially when they had to tow one of the four-wheelers out of the mud. Sunburned, mud-splattered and happy, the group finally returned to RTA headquarters where Parker turned them over to Genna. She raised a brow at their appearance, but didn’t comment.

Instead of taking himself off for a shower, Parker stood near the door and watched Genna interact with the customers. Her friendly smile clearly charmed them. Several of the guys flirted with her, which caused a muscle to twitch in Parker’s jaw.

As they finished checking out, one by one they left. Several high-fived Parker on the way out. One guy gave him a fist bump and a few just waved.

Finally, they were all gone, leaving Parker alone with Genna.

“You should see yourself,” she said, still smiling. “Every single one of your group looks like they took a mud bath.”

“We kind of did,” he admitted, grinning back at her. “It was a blast.”

He could have stood there for eternity and allowed himself to get lost in Genna’s gaze.

Instead, the door opened behind him and Spence walked in. The instant he caught sight of Parker, he burst out laughing. “Damn, I wish I’d had that trip instead of mine. Though with the river as high as it is, I might get a little bit wet.”

“Do you think it’s safe?” Parker asked.

“As far as I can tell, yes. We’ll turn back if we encounter anything concerning.”

Spence’s group started straggling in and Genna busied herself with checking them in. Hetty Amos, their pilot and guide, arrived, laughed at Parker, and signed on to the other computer. Parker asked her quietly if she would be around awhile since Spence would be taking his group out and Parker wanted to run home, shower and change.

“Sure,” she replied. “I know the rule. No females are to be alone. I got you. Go get yourself cleaned up. I’ll be here for the next couple of hours.”

Relieved, he thanked her, waved at Genna, and headed out.

Once home, he shed his muddy clothes and jumped into the shower. An image flashed into his mind of Genna, naked in the shower with him, water sluicing off her perfect, glistening body. Forcefully, he shoved the thought, and the instant bolt of heat it brought, away.

After drying off, he dressed in clean clothes and wandered into the kitchen in search of something to eat. He made a sandwich and ate it alone at the kitchen table. While he did, he realized his house felt…empty. In the brief time Genna had been there, her vibrant presence had filled the space with something he hadn’t even realized had been missing.

He really had it bad. Grimacing at his own foolishness, he finished his meal, washing it down with a big glass of water. When had he become so lame, sitting around mooning over awoman who alternated between wanting no part of him and pulling him down for a kiss?

That kiss. Heat had instantly consumed him, taking him right back to the night they’d spent together. They’d feasted on each other, laughed and made love and slept before making love again. Parker had never lacked feminine attention, but what he and Genna had shared had been on an entirely new level.

Then last night, alone in his bed after she’d kissed him, achingly aware of her asleep in the room down the hall, he’d burned with wanting her.

Now he couldn’t stop thinking of things he wanted to do to her, with her. Most of them carnal.

But some of them, surprisingly, were not. He dreamt of sharing things with her. A sunrise at the top of the mountain, a quiet moment in a double kayak out in the middle of a serene lake. Dinner and drinks, holding her close as they swayed to the music of the band.

In short, he wanted more. In fact, he realized all of it sounded an awful lot like a relationship. Something he’d avoided like the plague the last several years.

He had his reasons, most of them centered around how badly he’d been hurt when he fell for Genna the last time. Also, he told himself that he liked his freedom far too much to give any of it up for another person. Now, he had begun to understand that maybe he simply hadn’t met the right one.