He's the One (25 page)

Just one more motivation for her to find a secluded spot.

She stopped at the shore and glanced around her. The campsites were farther in. Not
that it mattered to her, but this might well be the official swimming area since she
didn’t see anyone fishing here.

It was early, just getting dark, and most people would still be occupied, enjoying
their s’mores by the campfire. That might explain the current peace and quiet here
by the lake.

“This looks like a good spot.” Carla dropped her hold on his hand and turned toward
Mark, just in time to catch him eyeballing her. She’d chosen the bikini for today
because she hated having the white belly and brown arms she got when she wore her
one-piece swimsuit for a day out in the sun. But now, seeing his admiration of her
when he thought she wasn’t looking, she was doubly pleased with her choice of attire.

“Um, uh, sure.” He’d yanked his gaze back up to her face so fast, she nearly laughed.

It was dim enough she couldn’t see him blush but she’d bet money he was beet red at
having been caught checking her out. Little did he know she took it as a compliment.
She was used to cowboys ogling her at rodeos. But to have a smart, educated, and important
man like Mark be interested—that was a nice change.

“Good. Then come on.” She led the way into the water, turning to see him still by
the shore.

After first toeing off one slip-on canvas shoe, and then the other, Mark bent to line
them up on the ground a safe distance from the lapping water. He peeled off his shirt
next, meticulously folding it before laying it on top of his shoes.

Since it looked as if this might take awhile, Carla dipped to her shoulders and floated
weightlessly in the water as he took his time getting ready. She watched his preparations,
fascinated. Men weren’t like this. At least, not the ones she knew.

Sure, Tuck tended to be neat at rodeo practice, always making sure the students’ gear
was cleaned and stowed before they were allowed to leave, but she’d figured that was
his military training. And that he was trying to teach them to do things right. Her
brothers were both slobs. Her exes had been, too. But this man took the time to fold
his clothes before he went swimming in a lake.

Finally, when he was down to just his swim trunks, Mark waded ankle deep and paused.
After a few seconds, he came in to his knees, and paused again. By the time he reached
her, she was full out grinning.

“Something funny?” he asked.

“You’re very careful, aren’t you?”

“What do you mean?” The frown she’d gotten used to seeing on Mark appeared again.

Putting her feet down on the sandy lake bottom, she moved closer to him. “You don’t
jump into anything without proper preparation and consideration, do you?”

“I could, should the right opportunity present itself.” He could have sounded defensive,
but he didn’t. Instead, he sounded almost flirty, challenging her to make him abandon
his careful ways. Throw caution to the wind. With her.

“Nope. I don’t think you could. You’d have to consider it first. Weigh all the options.
Then take your time deciding how best to go about it.” At his frown, Carla stopped.
Crap. She hadn’t meant to insult him, but she’d gone too far in her teasing. “Don’t
get me wrong. That’s a good thing. I wish more men thought about things before they
just went out and did them.”

“Really?” He looked doubtful, which made her want to reassure him and get back to
the place they’d been before.

“Yes. The world would be a better place if all men were as careful as you are. At
least my world would be.” And this conversation had gotten serious damn fast. Carla
noticed him watching her, so intense she almost looked away.

They’d drifted into slightly deeper water. She found they were closer than before,
her toes just touching the sandy bottom of the lake as she bobbed. They were only
inches apart now and she found she wanted to be even closer, in more ways than one.

“So, I don’t know very much about you,” she said.

“What do you want to know?” His voice was low, just loud enough for her to hear. It
made the situation feel even more intimate.

In the darkness, the sky lit only by a partial moon and a few stars, she let herself
drift closer to him. “Are you married? Have any kids?”

“No, and no.”

Good answer. Carla was concentrating on coming up with another question when her big
toe touched bottom again on top of a rock, pitching her forward. Mark caught her.
His hold on her arms was the only thing that kept her upright.

“So what about you? Married? Children?” He continued the conversation as if she hadn’t
just tripped like a klutz, like nothing had happened, but there was one big difference
now—both of his hands were on her arms and he hadn’t made any move to change that.

“No,” she answered, feeling the heat of his touch in stark contrast with the chill
in the water.

“Boyfriend?” His tone dropped even lower. He ran his hands up to her shoulders and
back down, lightly. Goose bumps rose on her flesh even as inside her core heated for
this man.

“Nope. Girlfriend?” Her heart began to pound as she awaited his answer.

“No.” Mark was so close now, her chest bumped against his when the water moved them.
“Carla?”

“Hmm?” She didn’t wait to hear what he wanted to ask. They were so temptingly close.
On her tiptoes, she was almost as tall as he was standing flat-footed. She only had
to reach up, just a bit . . .

He dragged in a deep breath through his nose as her mouth touched his in a gentle
kiss. His hold on her arms tightened and she found herself pressed against him. All
of him, from chest to thigh.

Mark Ross might be a cautious man about many things, but he wasn’t acting that way
now as he kissed her back with enthusiasm. His body wasn’t taking it slow. Carla felt
his arousal outlined through the thin fabric of his swimsuit. There was no hiding
it, considering how close they were holding each other and how little they both wore.

Rather than back away, Carla did the boldest thing she’d ever done—she wrapped her
arms around his waist, ensuring her pelvis pressed harder against his.

Mark responded with a groan as he tilted his head and changed the angle of the kiss.
He moved his hands down and gripped her hips. He held her right where she was, tantalizingly
pressed against the hard length between them. His possession of her mouth increased
as he teased her lips with his tongue.

How long had it been since she’d made out with a guy? Not just a quick kiss and fumble
before the sex, but actually did some long, hard kissing? Too long, if how good this
felt was any indication. The pleasure filled her, heating her from the inside. She
met the intensity of his kisses with some pretty crazy enthusiasm on her own part.
Opening her lips, she invited more and he took it, thrusting his tongue into her mouth
until they were both breathing heavier.

Carla found herself gyrating against the bulge between them, dry humping this man
in the water, which probably made it wet humping, technically. The movement hadn’t
been conscious on her part. She didn’t realize she was doing it until her body tightened
and the fingers of pleasure gripped her and spread.

Breaking the kiss, she pulled back just enough to see his face. His eyes were heavy-lidded
when he opened them and stared back at her through the lenses of his glasses.

Mark sank lower in the water, moved his grip down to her thighs and lifted. “Wrap
your legs around my waist.”

She did and he began to move her against him. Her mouth opened on a gasp. They were
lined up perfectly to rub just the right spot. A few minutes more of this, given her
current needy condition, and she’d come, and she had a feeling he knew it, too.

Mark was taking control of the situation, and of her pleasure, showing an assertive
side she found incredibly attractive. She didn’t have time to consider how much she
liked the new decisive side of him, because she was gasping for breath and trying
not to moan.

As she teetered on the edge of a climax, Carla hoped Mark was prepared, because it
was going to be a big one.

Chapter Four

C
arla gasped his name against his wet skin and Mark felt her come apart in his arms.
Her entire body trembled as he held her pressed to his erection. The only thing between
them was the fabric of their suits.

With her face buried against his neck, he felt her moans vibrate through him. A small
part of his brain registered that they should be quieter. If anyone was close enough
to hear, there would be no mistaking what was happening here in the water, under cover
of the darkness.

These were the sounds of two people taking pleasure in each other. No doubt about
it.

The weight and feel of Carla in his hands, causing friction against his cock as he
continued to rock her against him, was more than enough to have him breathing pretty
hard himself. He held back a groan as he relished each move and every sound she made.
He’d made this woman come while he held her in his arms, and it was even better than
he could have imagined. One thing would make this night perfect, and that would be
him buried inside her feeling her muscles pulse around him.

That thought alone did elicit a shaky groan he couldn’t control.

He felt the warmth of her breath against him before she pulled back. Her eyes met
his as she reached between them and pushed at the waistband of his swim trunks. When
he realized she was struggling to free his erection, his heart raced until the pulse
pounding in his ears was enough to block out the sounds of the water sloshing around
them.

Breathing was harder than it should be. Maybe it was oxygen deprivation that led him
to it, but he reached down. His hand encountered hers between them. He helped her
struggle with the wet fabric until it was no longer between them.

The first stroke of her hand on the bare skin of his erection had him closing his
eyes and relishing the sensation of it. He could come just from her fingers wrapped
around him. How amazing that would be, to—

His eyes popped open as the feel of her fingers was replaced with the heat of her
body. She moved to position the tip of him at her entrance.

“Carla. What are you doing?” He hadn’t even noticed that she’d pushed the crotch of
her bikini bottoms to the side to allow him access.

She bit her lip, her eyes mere slits, narrowed with need. “I think you can figure
that out.”

Yes, he could, which was why the rational part of his brain, the portion that was
rapidly shrinking with every passing moment, protested. As the need to plunge into
her increased with each breath he took, Mark somehow remembered his objection.

“I don’t have a condom.” And he definitely didn’t trust himself to have the control
to be able to pull out in time. She felt too incredible and he was too damn close
already from what they’d done so far.

“It’s okay. I’m on the pill.” As she said it, she pressed lower.

He felt the tip of him slip into her wet heat, as his resolve slid away. He’d had
a small sample, and he wanted more. She obviously did too. With her legs still wrapped
around his waist, she let the weight of her body force him all the way home.

There was no turning back now.

This was the most incredible thing he’d ever felt. Why didn’t people have sex in the
water all the time? Hell, when he finally sold the condo and bought himself a house,
you could bet he was putting in a pool just for this reason.

They were so buoyant in the water that the slightest move on either of their parts
had her sliding up and down his length. It was almost effortless, leaving him free
to concentrate on every sensation assaulting him.

Her breath, quick, short pants that were coming closer together now, told him that
she was as affected by this as he was. That they both were getting closer to the culmination
he feared as much as anticipated.

Mark prayed no one would hear them because it wasn’t going to be easy to be quiet.
Not with her hot body surrounding him, squeezing him tighter inside her. More, he
hoped no one interrupted them before the end, because he might just die if they did.

A frenzy he’d never felt before overtook him. He clasped one hand to the nape of her
neck beneath her braid and pulled her to him for a hard kiss. With his other hand
cupping her ass, he guided her up and down his length. Her arms wrapped around his
neck as she clung to him. Rode him.

It was surreal. Dreamlike. Yet at the same time, his senses had never been so sharp.
He heard each breath she took, as if it were his own. He smelled the combined scents
of the lake, the campfire smoke, and her. He felt every quiver her body made, both
inside and out. He definitely felt it as the second orgasm hit her, making her muscles
grip his cock with a rhythm that did in his already tenuous hold on his control.

The feel of her coming around him sent Mark careening over the edge himself. He thrust
one more time and shot off deep inside her in what had to be the most amazing experience
of his life.

Still pulsing with aftershocks while partially hard but fading inside her, he held
her close and hard, unwilling to let her go. She panted against him, but otherwise
she didn’t move. That was fine with him. They could stay here, just like this, until
the sun came up.

Once he let her go, this opportunity might never come again. He wasn’t sure how it
all had happened to begin with. One moment they were cleaning up dinner, the next
they were swimming, and then . . . The heat of her still surrounding him reminded
him of what had happened next.

He was afraid to speak, or even move, or he might break whatever magic spell had brought
them to this point. Women like her didn’t go for guys like him, he reminded himself.
Yet her body against his told him differently. She had gone for him, at least once,
anyway.

The one question that remained was this—could a woman like her stay with a man like
him?

 

 

Carla had begun to wonder if they were ever going to speak, or move. Or if they would
just drift in the water, clinging to each other, until morning. Eventually, nature
took its course and Mark’s spent hard-on faded and slipped out of her body.

He continued to hold her close as he asked, “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine. Are you?” she asked.

He let out a short laugh. “Yes. More than fine.”

“You sure about that?”

Gone was the man who threw caution to the wind and let himself get lost in the moment.
The man who considered everything so deliberately and carefully was back. She could
feel the switch. His arms were still wrapped around her, yes, but a polite distance,
which the heat of passion had erased while they’d been tangled together, had now returned.

“Carla, believe me, I wanted nothing more than to make love to you. And here, like
this?” He shook his head. “It was as amazing as it was unexpected. And perfect. The
dark night, a canvas for the moon and the stars above us. The sound of the lake lapping
against the shore. The chill of the water, in contrast to the heat of your body surrounding
me. The feel of you when you . . . God, I’ve never felt anything like it before in
my life.”

Damn, the man had a way with words. He was turning her on all over again just with
his silken sentences, and the best part was, he didn’t even realize he was doing it.
It was like poetry dripped from his tongue. Meanwhile, most days she was lucky if
she could string two sentences together without a cussword in the middle somewhere.

“Good. There’s no problem then.” Even though Carla couldn’t put it as eloquently,
she felt the same.

“Yes, good, but I thought I should get to know you better first. All about you. I
guess I wanted to at least take you out on a date. Buy you a nice dinner before we
. . . did this.” He glanced down between them to where she was still straddling his
hips.

“You cooked me a nice dinner. That’s even better than taking me out and buying one
for me.”

He smiled. “Yes, I guess so.”

“No guessing about it.” Releasing the hold her thighs had on him, she let her feet
touch the ground.

She turned and leaned back against him. A low groan of contentment rumbled through
her. He answered with a sigh of his own as he wrapped his arms around her from behind.

They bobbed in the water for a while, him holding her close, her back against his
chest as they stared into the night sky together. She felt weightless. Every once
in a while he’d kiss the top of her head and squeeze her closer. His fingers traced
light patterns on her skin, making her crave more. She wanted his body naked against
hers. All of it. Dry and warm.

Later. For now, this was perfect . . . until she heard the sound of a distant voice
and was reminded they weren’t alone. “I hate to say this, but we should probably get
out.”

“I know. You’re right. Just one more minute.”

If Mr. Cautious wasn’t worried, Carla sure wouldn’t argue the point. She felt too
boneless and content.

“Okay.” Leaning her head back again until it was cradled against his chest, she let
her eyes drift closed. The movement of the water. The warmth of his embrace. It lulled
her into a relaxation that consumed her until she heard him say her name through the
darkness.

“Carla,” he repeated it again. “You’re falling asleep, sweetie.”

“Mmm. Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. I liked it, but you were right. We should get going.”

Reluctantly, she stood on her own two feet and they waded to the shore. He gathered
his things in one hand and held her hand with the other. Holding hands was foolish,
she knew that. If Tuck and Logan were back, they’d see her and Mark looking like they’d
just had sex, but she didn’t care. They walked hand in hand all the way back to the
camp. Only then did she realize that in her enthusiasm to drag Mark swimming, she
hadn’t considered how they’d dry off. “I don’t know where my towel is.”

“Oh, sorry. I hung up all the wet towels to dry before I cooked dinner. Let me go
get yours.” He trotted to somewhere behind his tent and emerged with a towel, which
he wrapped around her shoulders until she was cocooned in dry terry cloth.

“Thank you.” So sweet and kind and generous. She felt warm in spite of the cool air.
“So, your tent or mine?”

“Are you serious?” His eyes opened wide at her question, but his tentative smile told
her he was interested in her offer.

“Of course, I’m serious.” Little did Mark know, she never joked about things that
were important to her, such as more sex with him.

“My tent’s borrowed, so I guess yours. If that’s all right with you.”

Mark didn’t want to have sex in his tent because it didn’t belong to him. How considerate
could the man get? She liked him even more for it. “Yes. That’s very all right with
me.”

He shoved his glasses up his nose for the thousandth time that day. Carla vowed she
would change that at the earliest opportunity. She wanted to clearly see the heat
of his desire in his eyes without anything obscuring it. She’d get those glasses off
Mark, even if she had to wrestle him to do it.

“Good, then let’s go.” As she reached out to take hold of his hand, she half expected
him to say they had to do the dinner dishes first.

When he didn’t protest, or even take a second look at the mess they were leaving behind
as they made their way to her tent, she smiled at the small victory. Moments later,
inside her tent, they both stripped out of their wet suits. He lowered his head between
her spread thighs, pausing just long enough to take off those glasses and set them
aside.

Carla took great pride in noting Mark didn’t look for his glasses again for the rest
of the night.