Beyond the Breaking Point - Lori Sjoberg Page 0,47

was hard to think straight when he watched her like that—as if he were starving, and she were his favorite meal.

All her life, she’d never gone for men of the tall, dark, and dangerous variety. If she had a lick of sense, she’d get out of the water and put distance between them before she did anything stupid. Unfortunately, her body hadn’t gotten the memo, because she rose up on her tiptoes, pulled his head down, and met him halfway for a kiss.

Wade’s whole body stiffened for an instant, and then his arms wrapped around her, pulling her close, kissing her with so much passion it nearly set her soul on fire. Head spinning, she ran her hands over his body—abs and chest, shoulders and neck—not stopping until her fingers plunged into his short black hair.

A growl rumbled in his throat, sending goose bumps over her skin. Slanting his head, he took over the kiss, his lips soft yet demanding as he plundered her mouth with reckless abandon. His tongue stroked hers, igniting a flare of heat deep in her core. Between them, she felt his hard length thicken, and it left no doubt that he was into this just as much as she was.

She was lost in the moment. Consumed by it. The forest could have burned to the ground, and she wouldn’t have noticed a thing. Nothing mattered but him, and her, and whatever this thing was between them.

Head spinning, her toes curled against the smooth rocks, and a delicious ache curled low in her belly as—

Wade tore his mouth from hers, and she gasped at the sudden loss. She could still feel his breath on her lips. The taste of him lingered on her tongue. Skin flushed, mouth wet from his kiss, she stared up into eyes smoldering with desire but also clouded with something that bore a striking resemblance to regret.

As he brushed the backs of his knuckles against her cheek, he made one of those low, rough sounds that she was starting to find oddly endearing. He blinked. Several times. Then the muscles along his jaw flexed, and the fire in his eyes went out.

“I’m sorry. That was a mistake.” His voice was rough, ragged. Without another word, he turned away and swam toward the shore.

Chapter 12

Nothing good was going to come from staring at Hope’s ass.

Dark skies rumbled overhead, the promise of a coming storm. The trail they traveled on was most likely a creek during the rainy season, a twisted path that carved its way through the densely wooded terrain. Wade forced his gaze up to the back of Hope’s head, where her short ponytail swung like a pendulum with every step she took.

In his defense, she had a mighty fine ass, high and tight and perfectly round and—fucking hell, he had no right to think about her like that. They had a business arrangement, nothing more, and the sooner he hammered that through his thick skull, the better.

Easier said than done, especially when he couldn’t stop thinking about that kiss.

He hadn’t slept worth a damn last night. Instead, he’d wasted most of the evening torturing himself with the memory of what happened between them at the waterfall. The feel of her wet, mostly naked body against him. That husky little moan. Her fingers in his hair. That kiss.

Christ, that kiss.

If he wanted to split hairs, she’d kissed him, but what was the fucking point? That kiss had awakened something primal inside him, a part of Wade that had been lost or forgotten for so damn long he almost hadn’t recognized it. She’d felt so good, so warm, so right, as if she’d been made just for him. If he hadn’t snapped to his senses, God only knew how things would have ended.

A few scenarios ran through his mind, sending heat racing through his veins.

He didn’t deserve to feel the way he was feeling. He had no right to want more. Years ago, he’d missed his chance at happiness and he sure as hell didn’t deserve another. Disgusted with himself, he forced the feelings into that deep, dark corner of his mind where he warehoused all of his other inconvenient emotions.

Picking up the pace, he caught up to Hope and fell in line with her strides. She hadn’t said much since they got up this morning. Actually, she hadn’t said much since they left the waterfall yesterday afternoon. Not surprising, considering the way things had ended, which, in his opinion, made it his