Complete Pelican Lake Series

Chapter 7

Where should I drop you off?" he asked as they walked back to his Jeep.

"I"ll give you directions to the cabin where I"m staying." Ashley considered having him take her back to the store so she could get the Jet Ski she"d taken to work that afternoon but decided against it, not in the dark.

Dinner had been nice. She hadn"t talked or laughed that much in a long time. She"d been too busy finishing her degree and securing the job she would have to cut her summer at Pelican Lake short to start. Right now, she didn"t know if she"d be able to come back next summer, so she was going to make the most of this one.

Several times on the drive back to her place, as she gave Jared directions, he’d pressed one hand into his left thigh and rubbed the length of it absently, as if it ached and he was trying to ease it. When they pulled up in front of her cabin, she turned and watched him in the glow from the dash lights for a minute.

"I"ve had a great time." She leaned close and brushed a soft kiss across his lips. "Want to come inside? I"m having too much fun to say goodbye just yet." She kept her voice low and breathy. She lingered a moment before brushing her lips against his again, then released her seatbelt and opened her door.

"Are you sure?" Jared"s voice stopped her. She looked back over her shoulder at him.

"I wouldn"t have asked if I wasn"t." With a coy smile, she slid out of the truck, closed the door, and headed for the house without waiting for an answer. She was still unlocking the door when he killed the engine and slid out of the truck. She couldn"t help the small smile that curved her lips as she heard his footsteps approach.

Ashley regained control of her expression, opened the door, and turned on the lights. She hadn"t thought about how dark it would be when she"d left for work this afternoon, or she would have left at least a light on then. Turning, she held the door.

"Come on in." Once he was inside, she closed the door. "Make yourself at home, have a seat." She waved one hand toward the sofa. "Can I get you something to drink? I"ve got water, tea, soda, and I think a couple of beers."

"Water is fine." He sat and watched while she went into the open kitchen.

"Ice?"

"Sure."

She fixed his drink and a glass of tea for herself and carried them back to where Jared sat.

"Here."

She handed him his water and sat beside him. Not touching him but only barely. He took a drink while she did the same, then she set her half-full glass on the table on her other side before turning back to him. "I"m glad you decided to come inside."

Jared set his glass on the coffee table and sat back to face her. "Your invitation was too intriguing to refuse." He lifted one hand and laid it against her cheek. After a moment, he leaned in and covered her mouth with his. Ashley opened her mouth beneath his and returned his kiss with every ounce of the desire coursing through her.

Ashley had been interested from the first moment she saw him. Spending the last several hours talking and laughing with him had only made her attraction grow. Now she couldn"t wait to get her hands on him. She wasn"t sure if it was the way he"d pulled his hair back to reveal the angles of his face, or the honesty in his pale gray eyes, but something spoke to her. She couldn"t say what, but for the first time in a long, long time, she was eager for what would come next. Her hands ached to touch his skin, ached to pull him against her.

As their kiss deepened, the heat of his mouth on hers was better than she"d imagined. She quickly lost herself in him. Their clothes seemed to disappear. Her world narrowed to his hands on her body, to the intoxicating feel of his skin pressed to hers. She wasn"t sure how, but they made it from the living room, down the short hall, and into her bedroom.

Ashley fell back against the bed, Jared falling with her and catching himself so his weight didn"t crush her. She loved the way Jared"s hard body fit against her. The scrape of his callused fingers against her skin sent shivers through her. His touch awakened something inside her. Pleasure washed through her in waves higher than ever before.

Later, as she lay gasping beside him, Ashley wondered what he would do if she gave in to the desire to curl against his side and go to sleep. As soon as the thought went through her mind, she wondered where it came from. She didn"t make a habit of one-night-stands, but at the same time, how do you sleep beside someone you barely know? Somehow, with Jared, it just felt right.

Once she could breathe easier, Ashley got up to use the restroom. When she returned, she slid beneath the covers and curled against Jared"s side, laid her head on his chest so she could hear his heartbeat, and closed her eyes.

Ashley woke knowing something was different. She blinked and rolled over, wondering what had woken her. It took her a moment to remember she hadn"t gone to sleep alone. Sitting up, she wondered where Jared was and when he"d left. Reaching over, she ran her hand over the sheet where he’d been. Still warm. Wherever he was, he hadn"t been gone long.

The bathroom door opened. Jared stepped out with a towel wrapped around his waist. That was one question answered.

"I hope you don"t mind, I used your shower."

"Not at all." She let her gaze skim down his body, taking her first good look at it. Sure, she"d had her hands all over him a few hours ago, but she"d been too caught up in the moment to take a good look. She watched as he moved across the room and picked up his jeans from the floor. Jared pulled his underwear free then tugged the towel loose and stepped into his briefs.

"What are your plans for today?" Jared turned to face her. Ashley"s mouth went dry as she spotted several nasty looking scars on his leg. All thoughts of whatever he had said flew from her mind.

"What happened?" She crawled from beneath the covers to the foot of the bed where she could reach out and gently run her fingertips along the one that was still shiny and pink.

"It"s a long story, but it was badly broken. They tried to repair it, but there was a lot of damage and it took several surgeries. I almost lost the leg… hell, I almost died, but neither happened. I did end up with some neat scars and a chunk of titanium in my thigh though."

"Oh, my." She looked again at the mess of scars on his leg. Some were neat, straight surgical scars, others puckered and ragged. She was amazed he walked without a limp. The amount of pain he had endured made her want to cringe. "I can"t imagine." She smoothed her fingers over one puckered scar.

Jared took her wrist and lifted it away from his leg. He sat on the edge of the bed beside her and lifted her fingers to his lips where he gently kissed them. "You"re sweet. What are your plans for today?"

Ashley leaned in, steadied herself with a hand on his chest, and kissed him.

"I need to go back to the store some time to get my Jet Ski, but other than that, I’m off all day," she said after she broke the kiss. Ashley skimmed a hand down his back, then back up to bury her fingers into his hair and pull him back down into the bed with her. He didn"t hesitate to follow her, his hands running up her torso, knowing just the way to touch her so she was crying his name again.