Page 42 of Rocky Mountain Devil

They weren’t swinging as hard anymore, as if his concentration had broken and airtime was no longer the top priority. They were still solidly seated, but his thumb drifted across her breast, pausing to circle her nipple.

Her body obediently tightened to a hard peak.

It was a heady sensation to press her torso more firmly into his grasp while they canted back and forth, never quite balanced. He adjusted position to cup her fully, a low sound of pleasure escaping as he squeezed.

“We are definitely fooling around,” she insisted.

“Okay,” he agreed, dragging his feet on the floor to stop them. “We are. Come here.”

He stood and turned her at the same time. She ended with her arms around his shoulders, her legs around his hips. Her entire body pressed hard against him, every inch quivering with excitement and…he was kissing her.

Rafe Coleman was a damn fine kisser.

He seemed fascinated with her bottom lip. Licking it, and biting it, and sucking it into his mouth briefly before pressing their lips together completely and stealing her oxygen.

She finally did what she’d been craving earlier that day. Laurel slipped her fingers through the hair at the base of his neck and let the soft curls wrap around her fingertips.

He slipped his tongue into her mouth, and they tangled, bodies rubbing together as he stepped across the floor. She had no idea where he was going. She wasn’t sure how he could walk without stumbling because she was blind. Eyes squeezed shut as she concentrated on the blood pounding through her system.

Floorboards creaked, then cooler air struck as he separated them and lowered her on a firm, yet soft surface. Laurel glanced to the side, pressing one hand over age-softened cotton, but she barely had time to recognize the familiar picnic quilt before Rafe was there, crawling over her to stare down with a happy smile.

She caught him by the shoulders, pulling futilely in the hopes he’d settle his weight on her.

“Uh-uh. Not until we set some ground rules,” he warned.

He braced his hands on either side of her head, with one knee resting solidly between her legs, only he held himself far enough away their bodies didn’t connect. Unmovable, no matter how hard she tugged.

Laurel groaned unhappily. “Tease.”

“I suppose. Teasing myself, if I’m honest, but Sitko?” He dipped his head far enough to press a quick kiss to her lips. “We don’t need to rush. Trust me, remember?”

He was right. After how long they’d waited, it didn’t seem right to go too far, too fast. She was scared to go too far, too fast, but…

She stillwanted.

Laurel took a deep breath. This was Rafe, her friend since forever. “I trust you.”

“Good.”

He rolled to the blanket, stretching his long legs beside her. He rested on one elbow as he gazed down, admiration in his eyes.

“See, if I rushed, this wouldn’t be nearly as much fun.”

“It’s well established you have a twisted idea of fun, Coleman.”

He trickled his fingers over the buttons on her blouse. “You like me twisted. I want to savour. I want to go slow and appreciate every second of learning you. I’ve only touched you the one time, you know.”

That night so long ago flashed into Laurel’s mind. She reached up and stroked his cheek, a thin layer of scruff scratching her palm. He’d been the one to slow them down then, too, and the memory reassured her. “You’ve got way more willpower than me,” she whispered. “Thinking back to the one time.”

Rafe slipped the top button on her blouse open before skimming his fingers along the edge, a light, teasing touch over the top swells of her breasts. “I had fun that night.”

Just the thought of it was enough to send a flash of desire through her core. “But we didn’t have sex. That’s what I meant. If I’d had my way we would have.”

He was working on the next button. “I didn’t have a condom, and no way could I go back into town to grab one.” He leaned down and pressed his lips to bare skin. “I got to touch you, and I got you off.”

He certainly had. She’d done the same for him, both of them fumbling to find a way to connect intimately without dangerous consequences.

The memories of their one time together were hot, and she’d thought about that night a lot, but right now he was making short work of the rest of her buttons, and staying in the here and now was a whole lot more desirable than trips down memory lane.