Desert Rain (18 page)

Lincs hair tickled slightly as the soles of her feet fitted themselves to the muscular
curve of his thigh. She waited, half-expecting the water to carry her off again.

It didnt. His muscular thigh braced her securely.

Linc is right,she thought.Its much more comfortable this way.

She sighed and began to relax.

The heat and soothing murmur of the water slowly unraveled Hollys tension. Letting out
another long sigh, she rested her head against the padded rim and let her mind drift as
aimlessly as a bubble.

After a long time she opened her eyes. Linc was watching her with a gentleness and regret
that made her throat ache.

His arm came out of the water, reaching toward her. She tightened, but didnt move away. He
didnt touch her.

Instead, he leaned past her and took a towel from a stack between two flowering plants. He
stood up swiftly, wrapping the towel around his hips as he came out of the water,
shielding her again from his nakedness.

When he was on the last step out, he looked back down at her. Better? he asked quietly.
She nodded. He went to a cupboard and took out one of his huge bath towels. Then its time
to get out, he said. Too much of this will turn your brain to bean dip. And your skin into
a relief map, Holly said, holding out her wrinkled hands.

Even so, she hesitated before she stepped into the big towel Linc was holding out for her.

He rubbed her dry with impersonal hands. Then he wrapped the towel around her, covering
her from collarbone to ankles.

Holly shivered as her body adjusted to being out of the heated Jacuzzi.

Or is it being so close to him that I can count the drops of water on his chest that makes
me shiver?she asked herself.

The answer was a startling impulse to lick up each silver drop on Linc with the tip of her
tongue. The thought was as hypnotic as the hot water had been. Where did you hide that oil
you used on me last night? he asked. For a moment Holly didnt realize that he had spoken
to her.

What? she asked.

She forced herself to look away from the bright rivulets of water that escaped down his
flat stomach, only to be caught again in the crisp line of hair that began beneath his
navel.

Oil, Linc repeated patiently.

Oil. Um.

With an effort, Holly forced herself to glance around the room, but her eyes were too
filled with Linc to see anything else.

I think I left you in there too long, he said. What? Your brain has turned to bean dip.
She smiled faintly, echoing the gentle amusement in his voice. Then she spotted an amber
container. There, she said.

Linc picked up the bottle and walked to the bed. When he turned back to look at Holly, she
was still standing in the bathroom.

He waited, saying nothing.

Slowly she walked toward him.

If youd rather stay on your feet, he said, thats fine with me. But youll get your rubdown
either way, or youll have skin like a horned toad by morning.

Her eyes glanced off his, then settled on her bare toes peeking out of the enfolding
towel. What about you? she asked in a small voice. She didnt see the instant of surprise
on his face. He turned away before she looked up at him again. Without a word Linc pressed
the bottle of oil into Hollys hand and lay facedown on the bed.

Ready when you are, he said matter-of-factly.

She poured oil into her hands, warmed it, and bent over Linc without getting on the bed
next to him.

Silently she rubbed oil onto his back and shoulders. As she did, she tried to ignore the
shift and gleam of his muscles and the tingling that began in her palms and radiated up
her arms.

When she had massaged her way down to the towel around his hips, she stopped.

Linc bit his tongue against invitingbeggingHolly to keep on going.

Im lucky shes willing to touch me at all,he told himself bitterly.And if I want more,
tough.

I had it all, and I blew it.

He started to get up.

Stay put, she said. Im not done yet.

Without a word Linc settled back onto the covers.

Holly went to the foot of the bed and began rubbing oil into his feet and calves. She
worked as she had on his back, briskly, avoiding the possibility of sensual pleasure.

The further up his legs she progressed, the more difficult it became for her. She stopped
just above his knees.

Linc rolled onto his side.

Thanks, he said neutrally. I can get the rest.

Holly watched through half-lowered lids, fascinated by the gleam of oil spreading over his
thighs as he finished the job.

Your turn, Linc said. He looked at Hollys eyes, waiting for her to decide whether to bolt
or to trust him. Again.

Holly saw nothing but gentleness and regret in Lincs eyes. His tone was neutral rather
than intense. His whole posture told her that whatever decision she made, he would accept.

After a moment he looked away from her. He didnt want her to feel pressured in any way.
With unnecessary care, he poured a bit of oil into his palm to warm and waited for her
decision.

Without saying a word Holly went to the bed and lay on her stomach. Other than her
shoulders, arms, and feet, the thick towel covered every bit of her body.

Linc made no move to rearrange the towel so that more of her would be within his reach.

Slowly he smoothed oil into as much of her skin as the towel revealed. He kneaded down
each arm to her fingertips, then back up again. He was careful to keep his touch firm and
impersonal, a friends touch rather than a lovers.

Linc massaged up and down Hollys arms several times. Finally some of the tension left her
body. She relaxed into the mattress, no longer lying stiffly.

Only then did he sit next to her on the bed. When she shifted her weight to adjust to his
presence, he gave a soundless sigh of relief. His hands moved between her shoulder blades,
loosening the towel.

Tension crept into the line of her back.

Tomorrow, Linc said, remind me to show you Shadow Dancers foal. Shes a beauty.

While he spoke, he spread oil over her back with slow, impersonal movements of his hands.

The touch reassured and soothed her. She relaxed again into the mattress.

Shadow Dancer is like a pagan god, Holly said, her voice slightly muffled.

When did you see him?

Beth and I came outside just as you were leading him around the auction platform. I
thought you were going to sell him.

Linc laughed. My prize stud? Not likely.

Thats what Beth said.

With a tiny sigh, Holly relaxed more fully, reassured by the neutral topic and the fact
that Lincs touch went no lower than her waist.

Linc breathed out another soundless sigh of relief. Obviously she hadnt sensed the hunger
that was tightening his body with each gliding, scented movement of skin over skin.

He wanted her to stay relaxed. If she knew how aroused he was, he was afraid she would run
from him again. Looking at her now, he could scarcely believe she was the exotic
seductress known as Shannon.

No,he told himself harshly.Dont think about Shannon. I cant deal with that right now .
Grimly he admitted that it was all he could do to deal with Hollys innocence. And with
himself and his desire for her and his hatred of beautiful models. Thinking about Shannon
and tomorrow or the day after or anything but now, right now, will be a

disaster,he reminded himself.

Neither Linc nor Holly could survive another such disaster, and he knew it.

Impersonally he continued kneading oil down her back. His hands slid down the muscles on
either side of her spine all the way to the swell of her hips.

Holly let out a breath that wasnt quite steady.

Lincs hands retreated instantly.

No, she said. Its all right. I dont mind. It feels . . . good.

It feels good to me, too.

Linc resumed the massage.

Sighing, eyes closed, she let her mind drift as it had in the seething heat of the
Jacuzzi. His hands were strong, gentle, and demanded nothing of her.

Yet he was giving her a sensual pleasure that was slowly turning her bones to honey. Holly
made a tiny sound of disappointment when Linc stopped rubbing oil into her back. So soon?
she murmured. Just switching ends. Eyes still closed, she didnt see Lincs hungry, sensual
smile. She felt the bed shift as he moved. How ticklish are your feet? he asked. Dont you
dare, Holly said lazily. His answer was a laugh that was as gentle as his touch had been.

He took one of her feet between his hands. Rubbing just firmly enough so that he wouldnt
tickle her, he massaged her foot. In time his hands worked up her calf, massaging muscles
that were resilient rather than hard. She had a womans strength, different from a mans yet
just as enduring.

Holly made a husky sound and flexed her leg with relief. Linc was working knots out of her
calf that she hadnt even noticed. But she knew just where they came from.

I hate high heels, she said in a muffled voice. Dont wear them. Comes with the territory.
Shannnon.

Linc thrust the thought from his mind.

Theres only now,he told himself.Just now.

When he finished with her calf, he went beneath the towel to the muscles above her knee.

Tension crept back into Hollys body, but she made no objection to Lincs touch.

The towel that had been so tightly wrapped around her loosened with each stroke of his
hands. He kneaded her with fingers and palms, surrounding her thigh with warm, gliding
pressure.

He was careful not to go too high, too close to the lush softness he knew lay just beyond
his reach. He could gauge the point at which he must stop from the subtle tension that
came to Hollys body each time he went too far.

Linc worked down to her toes and back up, down and up, his touch impersonal. He made no
attempt to turn the scented glide of his palms over her skin into a sensuous prelude to
far more intimate touches.

By the time he switched his attention to Hollys other foot, she had stopped tensing every
time his hands moved more than halfway up her thighs. Linc had made it clear in his words
and in his touch that he wouldnt force any intimacy on her.

I wont do anything you dont want me to. I promise. Trust me, Holly.

Sighing, she shifted her position, loosening the towel still more.

Trusting him.

She drifted again as she had in the water, her mind empty, her body caressed by lovely,
warm sensations.

Time to roll over, Linc said easily.

Even as she started to roll over, Holly murmured tiny complaints at being disturbed.

The movement made her towel come undone. Belatedly she realized what had happened. She
made a grab for the cloth, only to find it slipping through her fingers.

Ill get you a dry one, Linc said.

Turning away as he spoke, he got up from the bed carrying the damp towel. Without so much
as a look at the gleaming, naked length of her body, he set off again for the bathroom.

Feeling self-conscious and vulnerable, yet not truly afraid, Holly waited, eyes closed.

Trusting him.

A few moments later Linc returned with another, much smaller towel which he draped over
her with a casual motion. Cloth covered her from breasts to thighs.

That should keep the chill off, he said.

His voice was husky from the relentless hammering of desire through his body. There was
nothing he could do about that any more than he could turn back the clock and take back
his earlier mix of anger and fear after he had gone looking for Holly and found Shannon
instead.

His worst nightmare smiling at him, making his body leap with raw passion. Is that how it
was for Dad?Linc thought.A hunger that possessed him no matter what his beautiful

bitches did to him?

Thank God Holly is too naive to know the hold she has over me.

But Linc knew it wouldnt always be that way. Inevitably, Hollys innocence would give way
to experience.

Then life would become a living hell for him, as it had been for his father.

Savagely Linc shoved his thoughts down. He would deal with the Shannon problem tomorrow or
the day after or the day after that. Any time but now.

Now there was only the night and scented oil and Holly lying in his bed.

Trusting him.

The mattress shifted as Linc began massaging Holly again, smoothing away her residual
tension and self-consciousness with each stroke. He carefully avoided going any lower than
her collarbones.

Soon she forgot that she was lying on her back wearing only a small towel and a fragrant
shimmer of oil. She sighed, relaxed, and gave herself over to the pleasure of Lincs touch
once more.

That feels so good, she murmured.

Im glad.

I didnt realize how tight I was, she admitted.

Smiling, Linc touched her cheek. It wasnt quite a caress. More of a reassurance.

She sighed and rubbed her cheek against his fingers.

His heartbeat increased so much that his hand shook. Not trusting himself so close to
Hollys sweet breasts, he got up and went to the end of the bed again.

Soon he was rubbing oil into her feet and legs once more. He slid his hands beneath the
towel, kneading the smooth curves of her thighs, savoring the silk of her skin.

Holly gave a murmur of pleasure that sent wildfire through Lincs blood.

Slowly he eased his weight onto the bed, straddling her without confining her, never
breaking the easy rhythms of the massage.

In a haze of growing pleasure, Holly felt Lincs hands slide up and over her hips, over the
flat muscles of her stomach, up to a point just short of her breasts.

Then his hands swept down again, leaving behind a dizzying spiral of sensation that showed
as a flush just beneath her golden skin.

The sure, slow pressure of Lincs hands on her body made Holly want to stop time, to float
suspended forever while his hands soothed and set her on fire at the same time.

Without realizing it, she sighed his name and shifted her body in the same slow rhythms of
his touch.

Linc closed his eyes and tried to still the violent leap of his flesh.

It was impossible. He wanted her more than he ever had, more than he believed he could
want a woman.

Even so, he didnt vary the firm, gentle glide of his hands as he skirted the most
sensitive areas of her body. Her trust in him was both humbling and more arousing than any
experienced lovers caress could have been.

For Holly the tender torment was endless. She was suspended in pure sensation. Lincs hands
were advancing, skirting, always retreating just short of intimacy, and the towel slid
over her newly sensitive breasts with each breath she took.

Hot wires of sensation began radiating from the pit of her stomach. Her nipples tightened.
She moaned without knowing it as Lincs hands slid up the inside of her thighs, only to
curve aside at the last instant from the soft nest between her legs.

Restlessly, Holly shifted. She wanted him to touch her as he had at the campsite,
tenderness and hunger and heat combined.

Linc...

Instantly his hands stopped moving. Holly felt the outline of his fingers press briefly
against her stomach. Then his weight shifted as he moved to get off the bed.

She sat up in a rush, not caring that the towel slid off, leaving her naked. That isnt
what I meant, she said. What did you mean? Lincs voice was neutral. He wasnt looking at
her.

Holly took his hands in hers and put them back on her stomach.

I want more, not less, she whispered, lying down again.

She felt the shudder that went through his powerful body. Only then did she understand
that his casual words and gestures had been an act to reassure her.

He wanted her as much as he had earlier.

It should have frightened Holly. Instead, it sent another hot thrill through her body.

You dont have to, Linc said huskily.

Then he turned and looked straight into her eyes, hiding nothing of his desire.

She shivered as stirrings of that same sweet and violent need went stitching through her
like silver lightning.

Frightened? he asked.

Not really, she whispered.

She shivered again.

I meant what I said earlier, Linc said in a low voice. I wont touch you at all, if thats
what you want.

Holly took a deep, uneven breath.

I cant guarantee anything, she said honestly. I dont know what to do.

You dont have to do anything at all. Let me pleasure you.

Linc bent forward and kissed Hollys eyelids. Then he traced the base of her eyelashes with
the tip of his tongue.

The odd, tender caress made her tremble. Fear? he asked huskily. No. Her whisper was soft,
shaky, almost a sigh. Whenever you want me to stop, he said, tell me. I dont think Ill
want you to stop. I . . . ache.

So did Linc, savagely, but he didnt think this was the time to say anything about it.

Do you? he asked softly. Ill make it go away.

Despite Hollys growing hunger, she couldnt help tensing against what she knew was coming
next. It had hurt the first time. She was afraid it would hurt the second time as well.

Linc warmed a tiny pool of oil in one palm. The oil sent up a fragrance that was clean and
tantalizing. He sensed that for all her brave words, she wasnt ready for intimacy.

So he began seducing her all over again.

He started at her fingertips, but this time he went from her shoulders to her waist.

She gasped when his hands flowed over her breasts and moved on as though he had not
noticed the taut rise of her nipples.

His hands kneaded down her stomach toward her thighs.

Holly held her breath, waiting for Linc to find and caress the aching warmth between her
legs.

Again he disappointed her. His hands divided and slid around her, caressing down her
thighs, setting fire to her skin.

When his hands drifted upward again, fingertips teasing, she unconsciously moved her legs
apart, silently asking for his touch.

Linc almost gave in to the temptation. But he had taken too much for granted the first
time. He would go slow this time if it killed him.

It probably will,he thought with a mixture of humor and raw need.Because I wont take her
again unless she wants me as much as I wanted her the first time .

An invisible shudder went through Linc. He didnt know if it was possible for a woman to
want a man that much, until there was nothing else that mattered.

But he knew he had to find out. With Holly.