way she spoke the words pulled him around to face her.
She held the flashlight—it took both of her hands to pump it up. Starting with his face, she ran the beam slowly, seductively down his body. “We’re not kids anymore, Chance. We’ve changed. I want to make love. As a man and a woman.”
Her words echoed back to him and filled his brain. Did she realize what she was saying? He lowered his eyes, watching as the light made its way down one of his legs and up the other, wishing her hands were skimming over him rather than the damn light. God, he wanted her.
But if he made love to her—and that’s what it would be rather than casual sex—what then? He didn’t have time for a relationship. He had too many demands now. Workaholics didn’t make good bedfellows. His dad taught him that.
But the real reason niggled at him—his ambitious plans wouldn’t allow a relationship with this particular woman. Any breath of scandal would be a problem, but a scandal that involved taking jobs from the river industry would be a death knell.
Shame and embarrassment at his condescending attitude heated his face, and he shook his head. “Nothing’s changed since yesterday, Kyn. We’ve moved on.”
“Exactly,” she agreed. “That’s what makes it okay. Don’t you see? There’s nothing between us now.” She crawled closer, laying the flashlight to the side and sitting down in front of him. Her knee brushed his shin as she curled her good leg under her. “All the old ties are gone. All that’s left is the chemistry.”
The touch, the nearness of her, intensified the conflict in his mind. “It’s a mistake, Kyndal. That chemistry’s liable to stir up emotion. We’ll regret it.”
She flinched and swallowed. “On the contrary, Counselor, I’ll regret it if I let this opportunity pass me by.” She held his eyes with a steady gaze and eased up onto her knees until her mouth was even with his. “I’m not asking for a relationship, Chance. No phone calls, no demands…absolutely no clinging after we get out. I just want your body.”
Just bodies…nothing but chemistry
Her arms circled his neck, and she leaned into him and pressed her mouth to his. When her tongue brushed his lips, the heat rushed through him, burning away any trace of resistance. His hands plunged into her hair, and he pulled her to him, sucking her sweet softness into his mouth.
Despite their intended message, her words flung him back ten years to a time when Kyndal was his ambition…his life. She was the sun and the moon, the universe of his existence. He had to have her. Now. He’d laid first claim to her long ago. Tomorrow—if there was one—she would go back to her photographs and he would go back to his practice. They would go their separate ways to their separate lives tomorrow.
But tonight, she was his.
* * *
“NO PHONE CALLS…no demands…absolutely no clinging after we get out. I just want your body.” The words tightened Kyndal’s empty stomach, but they obviously had the desired effect on Chance. Absolving him from any responsibility in the act was all he needed in the way of permission it seemed.
He’d tried to talk her out of it, but she was the one who had insisted…seduced…so she was going into this with her eyes open—or rather closed since Chance had her locked in a deeply erotic kiss.
The boundary to the emotional danger zone grew fuzzier by the minute. In a fleeting moment of clarity, she realized he’d snuggled her onto his lap. She lost sight of the boundary again when his hands tangled in her hair. Just when she thought she would suffocate from the passion in his kiss, he moved to her neck and took her breath completely.
His warning words flashed back through her mind. “That chemistry’s liable to stir up emotions.” He was right. She was hungry with emotion. Maybe she should stop this.
But she didn’t want to stop. This was her Chance. The irony of the words spurred her into action. Grabbing the bottom of her thermal top, she jerked it over her head. Chance had her T-shirt pushed up and her bra unsnapped by the time the top layer slid off. The others came off quickly with his help.
When the tip of his tongue made contact with her breast, the powerful current tore through her, causing her to cry out. He responded with sweet attentions to the other. Her hands raked through his hair, pressing