Degrees of Passion (26 page)

‘You’re not keeping it?’ His hands stopped moving. ‘Shouldn’t we discuss it first?’

‘No, I’m not pregnant. I think there has been a weird misunderstanding. I’ve never been pregnant. I’m not having a baby.’ She wasn’t sure if she wanted to laugh or cry.

‘But?’ It was his turn to look confused. ‘Your mother looked into the teacup and told me you were with child and that she saw us getting married. I thought it was a hint that she wanted me to do the right thing by you.’

Sasha wanted to strangle her mother. ‘I’m sorry. I warned you she’s eccentric, but this is blatant interfering. I think she’s become obsessed with marrying all her daughters off and getting grandkids. I’m the next in line, very close to graduating and she’s obviously taken the first hint at my having a boyfriend as a sign.’

‘You’re not pregnant.’ Kevin ran his thumb over her mouth. Was there disappointment in that statement?

Sasha shook her head in denial. ‘No. I’m not.’

‘So my proposing marriage was going to be premature?’

‘You were going to propose?’ A small laugh of surprise erupted from her.

Kevin frowned, taking her reaction the wrong way. Sarcastically, he drawled, ‘I’m glad you find the idea amusing. I should think you’d be glad to have a man who took responsibility.’

‘No, I don’t find it amusing. I’m horrified by my mother’s actions and even more horrified by the fact that I suspect she said something along the same lines to your mother. I’m, oh, I don’t know the right word for what I’m trying to say. I’m grateful, honored, happy and proud that you would ask me to marry you and offer to take care of me and a child, but I couldn’t accept even if I was pregnant. I don’t enjoy the idea of being proposed to out of duty like I was some Victorian lady. You don’t love me. You don’t even want a real relationship with me.’

‘What if I did?’ He withdrew his hands, stepping back from her. His face changed, subtly but surely. A fire burned in his eyes, as if it had always been there. How had she not seen it?

‘But you said . . .’ Her heart raced. What if he loved her?

‘What if I lied? What if I wanted a real relationship with you? What if I wanted you to be mine?’

‘Yours?’

He cleared his throat. ‘My girlfriend. I meant my girlfriend. What if I wanted to date exclusively?’

Sasha’s heartbeat quickened. She forgot all about her mother’s meddlesome tea leaf reading. Was he telling her he loved her? Or had her mind seized upon the wrong possibility? It didn’t matter. This was a step forward and she’d take it.

‘Well? Aren’t you going to say anything?’ he asserted.

‘Yes,’ she finally managed. ‘I’d like to try that.’

The slow curl of his lips drew her forwards. She threw her arms around his neck, happiness bubbling inside of her. Things between them were progressing much faster than she’d hoped. It was only the first day into their trip and already he’d asked for an exclusive relationship. Looking at him, his expression open and accepting, caused pleasure to fill every inch of her.

She moaned lightly, kissing him with all the emotion she felt. The slight chill of the air and the natural surroundings of the forest didn’t stop her passion for him. She wanted him and would have him. The taste of tea flavored his lips, sweetened with a hint of mint. When she deepened the kiss, their tongues danced in sensual circles. His body tightened against her.

Heat centered low in her stomach, accumulating in the moist folds of her sex. She wanted to tear the clothes from his body and make love to him right there amidst the mud and the trees. Their clothing hampered her progress, though she tugged restlessly to free them from it. Kevin ran his hands wherever he could reach, down her back to grip her ass and lift her slightly off the ground. The full length of his erection rocked against her.

Sasha pulled her mouth from his, gasping for breath. ‘I want you.’

‘There aren’t any free cabins.’ His hands shook as if he would push her away from him but couldn’t quite find the strength to do so. ‘Everything’s booked.’

‘I don’t care. I want you.’ Sasha nibbled on his ear.

‘It’s too cold and muddy. We’ll go back covered in muck and looking like we were attacked.’

She sucked his earlobe. ‘Mm, I don’t care right now.’

‘I won’t embarrass you in front of your parents by letting them see you like that and I won’t embarrass you in front of my mother; I’m going back to her house to take a shower there. We can’t do this now.’

‘But I want you.’ She tried to pull him deeper into the woods. He resisted.

‘No.’ The word lacked conviction. ‘The truck’s warmer and cleaner.’

Sasha grabbed his erection, rubbing it through the stiff denim. ‘Then hurry.’

He took her hand and hurried through the woods. Sasha giggled, feeling like a teenager going to sneak off with her boyfriend to make out. Kevin glanced back at her, grinning. As they came out of the trees into the clearing, he paused long enough to gather her next to him as he walked.

‘Sasha!’ Beatrice called, poking her head out the door as if she’d been watching for them.

‘We’ll be back later,’ Sasha answered, not changing course.

‘But your sister is making dinner,’ her mother tried again to stop them.

‘We’ll see you later,’ Sasha asserted, reaching for the truck door.

Kevin went around to the other side, giving Beatrice a small tilt of his head before climbing in to drive. Zoe appeared by their mother, saying something to get her back inside the house. When they’d pulled away, Sasha slid close to him on the seat and began kissing his neck. ‘My mother’s meddling usually causes trouble, but today it’s made me happy.’

‘Has it?’

‘Mm-hm.’ She nuzzled his ear. ‘Not in the way she intended. I’m not married and pregnant, but I’m alone with you.’

‘You’ve been alone with me all day.’ He rested his hand on her leg.

‘Not like this.’

Kevin chuckled. ‘You could have been. All you would’ve had to do was slide next to me and begin kissing my neck. Though I doubt we’d have made such good time. We’d probably be pulled over at a roadside hotel somewhere thinking of excuses to call and tell them we’ll be late.’

Sasha didn’t elaborate that she meant as a girlfriend. The truck turned down different roads, leading them over the bridge and alongside the creek. She didn’t pay attention to where they were going. Instead, she said, ‘Is it too late to do that?’

‘Afraid so. They’ve already seen us.’

Sasha ran her hand over his chest, digging beneath his shirt. The hard flesh of his stomach contracted when she touched him. She unbuttoned his jeans, loosening their hold on his waist so she could venture underneath the denim. She found his cock beneath his cotton boxers and wrapped his fingers around the stiff length. Moisture flooded her sex and she trembled, wanting him desperately.

Kevin made a small noise of excitement, pulling the truck over to the side of the road. The engine rumbled, left on so that the heater would continue to blow. Patches of snow covered a rocky incline along one side. Everywhere else, they were surrounded by trees, the dense cover hiding them from easy view. It was impossible to see beyond the thick evergreens and wide brown trunks.

Sasha unfastened her jeans and slid them down over her hips, feeling a sense of urgency as she unzipped her boots and stripped her lower half. Kevin did the same. He moved from behind the steering wheel, chuckling as they fumbled to find a position.

‘Is this how you wooed the girls growing up?’ she asked, laughing.

He glanced out the window. ‘Nope, you’re the first girlfriend I’ve ever brought here.’

‘I thought all you country boys had your way with girls in pickup trucks.’ She straddled his naked legs, their flesh touching. His erection grazed the sensitive skin of her stomach.

‘I’m hardly a country boy.’ He touched her face. ‘We moved here when I was about eight. I graduated school when I was seventeen. I’m now thirty-one, so I’d say on average I’ve lived more in the city than the country.’

‘Well, that’s only because you’ve never made out in a truck before,’ Sasha whispered, kissing him.

Kevin lifted her up. ‘I guess I never had a girlfriend I wanted as much as I want you.’

‘I like the sound of that,’ Sasha admitted, her expression becoming serious. Her hands ran along his neck and shoulders as she wiggled on top of him. The tip of his cock found her moist folds. ‘I like hearing you call me your girlfriend. This might sound corny, but I’d hoped you would.’

‘Really? Since when?’

‘I was going to tell you I wanted something exclusive that day you said you wanted an uncomplicated affair. You beat me to it.’ She stroked his hair, gasping as she lowered her body onto his. He filled her and she rode him slowly, relishing the feel of him inside her.

‘Why didn’t you say anything?’ He closed his eyes, leaning his head back.

‘Because I didn’t want to chase you away.’ She kissed him lightly, brushing her lips over his as she continued to ride him. ‘You don’t want to take it back, do you?’

‘Of course not. I only said what I did so I wouldn’t chase you away. I want you any way I can have you.’ His eyes opened and he stared at her face from beneath the lowered lashes.

Sasha moaned. A brief smile crossed her face, but she couldn’t hold the expression as the tension built between her thighs. His fingers ran up her spine. The aching rhythm of their hips overtook all thought. Throaty growls mingled with the heavily rasping breaths hitting her neck. She kept her eyes on his, liking the primitive connection between them.

She started to shake, her body tingling and tightening. He gripped her waist, thrusting deep and sure. Her fingernails gripped into his shoulders as she came.

‘Kevin,’ she breathed, her mouth opening wide. He jerked her off him, coming hard between their pressed bodies.

She stayed straddling his thighs, liking the intimacy of their close position. Love welled inside her, but she bit back the words. Today, she’d be content with her new status as his girlfriend. Things were moving forwards and she didn’t want to jinx them by rushing him. For now, she’d keep her love to herself and focus on winning over his family. ‘What are we going to do about this week?’

‘We’ll think of something. We can stay in my old bedroom. I’ll put an air mattress in there for appearances if you’re worried about it.’

‘Your mom seems to want me in the cabin,’ Sasha said. ‘Maybe it would be best to respect her wishes and stay with my family. We can still spend our days together working. Though I have a feeling we’re not going to get nearly what we wanted to done.’

‘There’s no reason we shouldn’t stay in my old room to work and—’

‘I think it’d be best if we slept apart at night. Zoe is cooking dinner. I’ll eat with my family. You go with yours. Your grandpa is already expecting you. We’ll catch up tomorrow and set some sort of schedule.’

‘But—’

‘I want your mother to like me and we didn’t seem to get off on the right foot. I know how important family is to you. You’ve mentioned it on several occasions. I know you would never keep a girlfriend who wasn’t liked by your family and I completely understand that. Family is important.’ Sasha kissed his lips, pushing up so he could slide over.

‘Fine, but just so you know I’ll be pouting tonight as I think about you.’

‘Pouting?’ Sasha giggled. ‘If all you’re going to do is pout when you think about me when you’re all alone, late at night, I must be doing something wrong.’

Kevin grinned and made a move as if he’d pull her back on top of him. Sasha put her hand out, stopping his advance with a chuckle. ‘Maybe you should take me back to the cabin so I can shower and change. At this rate we’ll disappear into the woods and never be seen again.’

‘Like that’d be so bad.’ Kevin buttoned his pants, as Sasha righted her clothes. ‘Come here.’

Fully dressed, Sasha went to him. He put his arm over her shoulders, holding her.

Kevin kissed her temple. ‘I’ll talk to my mom and see what’s up with her, though I think you’re just reading too much into it.’

‘I’ve seen reactions to my mother all my life. Even you, who’d been warned about her eccentricities, reacted badly.’ Sasha sighed.

‘I’ll admit her statements shocked me a little, but I like the results.’

Sasha smiled. ‘Me, too.’

Kevin watched Sasha’s face from across the table. A night away from her had been too long and he couldn’t help but stare at her, ignoring his breakfast. She was too far away to touch, but close enough to hear and see. Her long lashes swept up, fanning over her beautiful eyes. He found himself grinning when he looked at her and he didn’t want to look away.

The long dining room had several tables to accommodate the inn’s guests and every chair was filled. The main Sawmill Pine Inn had ten rooms, all currently occupied. Lively talk and boisterous laughter rang over him, adding the noisy backdrop to conversation he remembered well.

Decorated purposefully around a long picture window showing off the perfect mountain landscape, the dining room gave the impression of comfort and ease. His grandma, ever tireless, worked to keep the buffet line fully stocked in scrambled eggs, bacon, biscuits and gravy. Since they were busy, his mother and grandpa helped.

‘One of the guests took it off trail last year,’ Samuel answered Jackson’s question about a lame stallion. His brother sat next to him at the table, smelling of horses and the outdoors. Samuel didn’t say much, as was his brother’s quiet way, but Kevin translated what little he did into volumes of information. ‘One of the guests took it off trail’ translated into ‘a fucking city slicker idiot didn’t pay attention to what I told him to do, tried to scale a cliff like he’d seen in a movie, broke our prized stallion’s leg and is damned lucky I didn’t kill him for it’.

‘I love this gravy,’ Zoe said to her sisters. ‘I wonder if they’ll show me what they did. I taste the cream, but there’s something else.’