A Buckhorn Bachelor (7 page)

In a voice gone rough, he said, “I need to taste you, Issy.”

Her thighs tightened around him and she watched as his head lowered to her, as his tongue circled, teased, and then as his lips closed over her, sucking gently.

So
good. So, so
deliciously
good.

Letting her head drop back, she arched her body, bringing their pelvises closer together. Good Lord, she felt the pull of his mouth in amazing places. He readjusted so that the hand holding her bottom could slip into her trunks over her bare flesh. His long fingers searched over her, making her squirm and gasp, before sliding over her slick sex. He didn't press his fingers into her; no, he just teased, over and over, until she felt frenzied and couldn't stop her hips from moving against him.

Lifting his head, he groaned, “I'm on the ragged edge here, Isabella. Tell me you want me.”

Words were beyond her. She was already so far gone that it amazed her. She tried to draw a breath but it sounded like a high-pitched cry instead. The water swirled around them.

With wonder, Adam breathed, “Damn,” then eased a finger into her, testing her, feeling the slicker wetness of her excitement. “You're close, aren't you, baby?”

Unable to think, she locked one hand in his hair, braced the other on his shoulder. “Adam...
please
,” she breathed.

As his gaze searched over hers, it filled with satisfaction. “Whatever you want, honey.” Bending back to her breast, he drew her in again, this time not so gently. He worked a second finger into her, keeping them pressed deep as she rolled her hips, moving in the rhythm she needed, ready to break. Close.
So close
.

But before she quite reached that critical peak, the sound of an approaching boat motor caught their attention.

Apparently better able to think than she was, Adam dipped them both lower in the lake, letting the dock hide them.

Gasping every breath,
so
incredibly close, Isabella wanted to cry. Her broken breaths sounded with disappointment and her body throbbed with need.

She hid her face against Adam's neck and struggled to catch her breath.

Adam stroked her back. “I'm sorry, Issy. So damn sorry.” He glanced over the dock and cursed. After a quick soft kiss to her mouth, he freed his hands from her and let her feet drop to the muddy bottom of the lake. “Stay here. I'll take care of it.”

“Adam?” she whispered.

He paused.

Even though she'd been the one about to climax, he looked as turned on as her. Color slashed his cheekbones and his dark eyes burned.

Isabella swallowed. “You don't want to hide again?”

“No.” He tucked a wisp of hair behind her ear. “Never again.”

She hadn't expected that, but she nodded. “They already saw you?”

“I don't think so.” His hand settled against her cheek. “But I'd just as soon everyone know that I'm here, with you.” He kissed her softly. “And why.”

Her heart tried to lodge in her throat. “Oh.” She wanted to ask why, but said only, “Um...Okay.”

Grinning, he said, “How about you keep that agreeable mood? I'll get rid of these guys and get right back to you and then we'll see what else you might agree to.”

CHAPTER SEVEN

T
HE
SLIGHT
BREAK
while Adam spoke to two fishermen gave Isabella a second to think.

She'd been grossly unfair, and she knew it. Without any real honesty between them, she'd roped Adam in, making him think he'd be no more than a sexual fling for her. He assumed they could indulge a brief hook-up and then each go about their respective business, interacting at the school in a platonic way as usual, existing in the same small county without a single note of hard feelings.

He had no clue that it would kill her to let him go. He didn't know that, with Amber's help, she'd targeted him specifically.

Noel Poet's words kept ringing in her head:
Don't play so long that Adam mistakes your sincerity for an amusing pastime
.

Physically, she wanted him. No way would she deny him now. But he had to know how she felt.

He deserved the truth.

She loved him, had for a while now, and it was past time he knew it, too.

While Isabella removed the band in her hair and slowly dunked her head beneath the cool water, the two fishermen indulged in idle chitchat with Adam. He appeared to know them, and didn't seem to mind when they made a few assumptions about finding him at her dock.

In fact, he encouraged them to see the truth.

“So you're helping her with yard work?”

“It was as good an excuse as any to hang around,” Adam said.

Hearing that, Isabella went still.

The men laughed, wished him luck in winning her over—
ha!
—and finally moseyed on.

But they were no sooner gone than another boat showed up, this time a pontoon with Turley and the fireman she'd met at the carnival. She didn't remember his name, but Adam helped remind her by saying, “Turly, Bear. How ya' doing?”

Bear, that's right. How could she have forgotten that?

“Where's Isabella?” Bear asked.

In a not-so-nice tone, Adam replied, “Why do you ask?”

Turly laughed. “A day late and a dollar short, Bear.”

“Is that so?” Bear asked, presumably to Adam since that's who answered. “Did I miss my chance?”

“You never had a chance,” Adam told him. “For damn sure, you won't get one now.”

Clinging to a dock pier, Isabella blinked. She had no idea how to take that. Staking a claim? On
her
?

But...for how long?

With the brief moment of privacy, she'd gathered a modicum of control. There was no reason to leave Adam to deal with the men on his own, so, after a deep breath, she hoisted herself up to the side of the dock.

As she stood, she said, “Hi, guys.”

All three men faced her. A beat of tense silence made her squirm. She tried a smile to put them at ease.

Turly pushed back his sunglasses and whistled.

Bear stared as if he'd never in his life seen a woman in a swimsuit, then swallowed audibly.

For crying out loud. Hers was more modest than many, not that you could tell by his reaction. In fact, the way he stared, she was starting to feel naked when she knew most women on the lake were in skimpier bikinis.

She was trying to think of something to say when Adam appeared in front of her. “If there's nothing else, you guys can get lost.”

Finally regaining his wits, Turly burst out laughing.

“Now wait a minute,” Bear protested as the boat motor rumbled to life. “Amber said—”

“Amber was obviously wrong,” Turly told him, and he took a sharp turn, angling the boat back out of the cove. Bear craned his neck to keep her in his sights, still trying to protest when they disappeared from view.

“That was so odd.”

Adam turned to stare down at her. “You just gave Turly a mild heart attack.” His hand opened on her waist, his thumb moving over her belly.

“I don't know—”

“You are sexy beyond belief.”

Isabella would have denied that, but he kissed her. Not a tentative kiss, but a ‘Let's pick up where we left off' hot, wet, involved-tongue kiss.

Clinging to him, she kissed him back, and all the same sensations swamped her, putting her right back on that precipice of release.

Adam inched away to look at her. “Your house?” he asked hopefully as he trailed his fingertips over her still damp shoulder.

Her house, where they could be alone, where boaters couldn't intrude.

Where she could finally have Adam Sommerville in all the ways she wanted. “Yes,” she breathed.

No, wait.
Not
all
the ways she wanted...because she wanted him forever.

He started to move but she stayed him. “Hold up.” God, this was harder than she'd ever imagined. “I need to tell you somethin' first.”

“All right.” He didn't pressure her, just looped his arms around her waist, studied her face, and waited.

* * *

S
EEING
THE
RETICENCE
in Issy's expression, Adam frowned. Something wasn't right.

Only a few minutes ago, she'd been ready to come apart from his touch. He'd felt the wetness of her slicking his fingers, felt her heat and the way she clung to him, heard the incredibly sexy sounds she made as her release grew near.

She wanted him, he knew that. Hell, she hadn't been shy about letting him know. But now, when they were finally ready to end the torture, she kept him standing on the dock.

She looked worried, and he didn't like that. When they got together—
and please, let it be now
—he wanted her with him one-hundred percent.

Forcing himself to patience, he asked, “What is it, honey?”

A deep inhalation lifted her breasts. Beautiful, full breasts.

She braced herself—why, he didn't know—and scooted closer, kissing his chest, his shoulder. “I'm hopin' you don't get mad.”

They were ready to have sex; why the hell would he be mad?

“And I hope you don't change your mind. I really, really hope that.”

“Change my mind about wanting you? Not going to happen.” He needed her. He was so hard he hurt, but now, with this build-up of something, his gut cramped a little. “Whatever it is—”

“I love you,” she blurted.

Adam fell back a step and almost went off the side of the dock. Issy grabbed him, helping him regain his balance. He stepped them both forward, away from the edge.

Talking ninety miles a minute, Issy held on to him. “I've loved you for a long time! I'm so sorry I didn't say somethin' earlier. But I was afraid to. I didn't think...that is, I know you don't feel the same.”

He opened his mouth—but nothing came out. He needed a second to think.

“
I love you
,” she said again, her voice filled with longing. “But I want you, too.”

Want, as in sexually? That was good...or was it?

“You're confused,” she said, her eyes big and filled with dread. “Of course I understand why. Please, please know that I don't expect anything. I mean, I want things. I hope for things. But for this—” She gestured between them. “—that's a given, okay?”

Stupidly, he shook his head. “This?”

“Sex. Us. We can do that regardless. We
will
do that. I mean, I
want
to and hope I'm not scarin' you off. But if you don't anymore, I promise I won't fuss or anything.” Utterly agonized, she wound down, then whispered desperately, “I love you.”

She was so uncertain because she didn't know he felt. But then,
he
didn't know how he felt.

“I swear,” she added, “I wouldn't tease and make you think... I wouldn't lead you on only to throw out this emotional baggage and then bail on you. Noel told me—”

He latched onto that. “Noel?”

She nodded fast, her hands still holding on to him as if she feared he might run screaming away from her.

Because she loved him.

“Noel told me not to play Amber's games. He said—”

More confusing by the moment. Adam put a finger to her mouth and shook his head. He needed a second. Or maybe a day.

He needed
her
.

“What does my busy-body cousin have to do with this?”

Issy shied away. “I, um...”

“Isabella?”

Hearing him use her full name, she lifted her chin. “I told her I loved you. That is, she offered to fix me up with some different guys and I told her it was
you
I wanted, that it was because of you I hadn't been datin' and...” She trailed off, becoming subdued once more. “Stuff.”

“Stuff,” he repeated stupidly. “What
stuff
?”

She shrugged. “Sex stuff.”

Poleaxed, Adam struggled to catch up. So she'd been celibate... “Because you want me?”

She nodded, then inhaled again.

And this time it was Adam bracing.

“I want you so much, Adam.” Her small hand moved over his chest, then up his shoulder to the back of his neck. Gaze pleading, she whispered, “Today.
Right now
. Okay? Please?”

He had no idea if he should be relieved or not. “I want you, too.”

Her smile came, then went. “But...and this is the tricky part.”

Oh good. A
tricky
part. He worked his jaw. “Let's hear it.”

“If you're not...if you don't have feelins for me, too, then...” She winced. “It should probably just be this one time.”

It took a second for that to sink in. “One time...” sounded completely inadequate.

Staring up at him, Issy nodded. “One time to relieve the itch, or satisfy your curiosity or whatever it is you're feelin' for me.” Her gaze moved over him, hopeful, and damn but he saw the love.

For him
.

“Amber told me you needed a nudge. She said you were so determined on bein' a bachelor that you might not even recognize your own feelings. So I went along with her game.”

“Game?”

She bit her lips and nodded. “To give you that nudge.”

“By flaunting other possible guys in front of me?”

She winced, guilt stealing her gaze away so that she stared at the lake. “See, that was the plan at first. But before I could even give it a go, you approached me at the carnival and I wasn't interested in that game anymore.” Her gaze returned to his face. “Only Amber didn't know that, so she carried on. And between us, everything seemed to happen at once.”

Because he'd already been changing—without Amber's damned intrusion.
When he saw his cousin again—

“If you feel more for me,” Issy said quietly, drawing him back around, “then I'm here. I'm yours.”

His heart leapt at that, then started hammering.
I'm yours
. Elation coursed through him, ramping up his possessiveness, further sharpening his need, though how that was possible he didn't know. He'd already wanted her more than any other woman, but now...what he felt wasn't even in the same stratosphere of anything familiar.

“If that's not what you want,” she continued, her expression watchful, wary. “If you don't feel that way about me, then please, for my sake, let's make it only once.”

The
once
being... “You mean this time? Here and now?”

She nodded. “
Just
this time, if all you want is sex.”

Still feeling a little numb and far too slow, Adam asked, “Do I have time to think about it?”

She gave a nearly hysterical laugh, but quickly cut it off with a hand over her mouth. Encouraged that he was still here, talking about it, she nodded fast. “Yes, of course.” She stroked her hand down his chest. “We could go up to my house now and...”

He cupped her face. “Sate our curiosity?”

“Yes. And you can think about it then, and later, and...take all the time you need.”

Never in his life had he felt so lost in confusion. Or so turned on. It wasn't just the lust churning through his bloodstream, leaving him almost lightheaded.

His chest felt...full.

With emotion.

He wasn't yet sure if that emotion was fear, or relief, or...what the hell it might be. There was just too damned much of it. So much, he thought he might choke on it.

He needed to act, so he did. Stepping to the boat, he retrieved his wallet, jammed it into his pocket, and bounded back out to the dock where he scooped her up and damn near ran up the hill to her house.

“Your sunglasses!” she said. “They're still on the wall—”

Adam kissed her. He didn't care about his sunglasses. He didn't care about his cousin's warped games. He wouldn't have cared about his wallet...except that's where he kept an emergency condom, thank God.

He wanted Issy. He had her in his arms.

Curiosity, hell. His need was so powerful, it felt like a ticking time bomb.