Can't Say No (13 page)

As the fire died out, the damp chill penetrated her clothing. Sleep had not eluded Blake as it was eluding her. He was breathing deeply and evenly, the sleep of a man who had nothing on his conscience. She thought there might be a certain amount of irony in that. Unlike the way she'd lived her life, Blake was a man who did what he wanted with no regrets. Even though he'd admitted that his methods of capturing her today had been less than honest, he was the type of man who felt the admission and his apology put the matter to rest. Since he'd never intended her any real harm, he couldn't imagine what all the fuss was about. Audrey wished she had a little more of his audacity, but maybe that would come in time, too.

“If I keep hanging out with him, maybe a little of it will rub off,” she murmured, the softly spoken words causing Blake to stir restlessly. She shivered and wished she hadn't been quite so hasty in turning down his offer to keep her warm.

Enviously, she watched him sleeping soundly beside her. He was stretched out on his back, open and vulnerable. She studied the muscular, warm length of him and finally took a deep breath.

“Why not?”

She inched herself closer, until her hip was next to his. Then with the utmost care not to disturb him, she lay down beside him, her head resting on his outstretched arm. Turning sideways, she nestled against him, relishing the heat emanating from his body.

Within seconds, though, once his warmth had stolen over her, she felt something else stir deep inside. An aching yearning began to build, just as Blake moaned softly and shifted positions, his arms coming around her, one leg dropping heavily across hers to entrap her.

Tension coiled inside her as her body burned with desire. There wasn't one square inch of her flesh—clothed or not—that wasn't sensitive to his proximity. On fire now from the inside out, Audrey perversely wanted him to wake, to complete this union that some part of her had known was inevitable from the moment they'd met.

But Blake slept on, and eventually, relaxing into his gentle possessive embrace, she did, too.

B
lake awoke suddenly, his body stirring to life with an unsettling, throbbing awareness. The night's stillness had given way to the spirited chirping of birds greeting the day. Tentative, pink-hued fingers of sun stroked his cheek. But it was the press of Audrey's warmth against his side that woke him.

Readjusting his position until he could rest more comfortably, he gazed down at the woman curled trustingly next to him, her hand splayed across his chest, the soft smile of a gentle dream on her lips. Lovely, unpredictable Audrey. She was such an intriguing bundle of contradictions—fragility tempered by steel. He was lured by her hidden strengths and wry humor, even as he was taunted by her vulnerability and delightful flashes of temper.

Blake's experience with women had included an array of personalities, from bold and flashy to domestic, from sleek and sophisticated to serene and gentle. Each type had brought something special into his life, however fleetingly, but no one of them had had the unique combination of traits he'd found in Audrey. None of them had touched his soul and, in the end, he'd remained alone.

Now he felt as though he'd found the one woman who could bring spirit and joy into his life, but she was filled with self-doubts. He had encountered feminine insecurities in the past and found them difficult to handle. They often led to unreasoning jealousy that, in the end, destroyed the relationship. Audrey's insecurities, though, seemed to be of a different sort. He didn't know what to make of them, even though her revelations about her upbringing made things clearer.

Still, how did you go about convincing a woman that she was more than capable of holding her own in any battle you were likely to have? He didn't doubt for a minute that Audrey would always know her own mind and express her opinions vocally, that she would be as assertive as the situation warranted.

But she would also always be a soft touch and that, perhaps, was the real issue. She saw it as a problem. He didn't. In just the past twenty-four hours, he'd seen that she had a good and caring heart. She'd never said a single word condemning Harvey for interfering with her vacation plans. Nor had she even mentioned that it was because of Joe's desire to stay with his pregnant wife. Harvey had explained Joe's problem to Blake, but Audrey hadn't mentioned any of it. Blake knew that she would always be there for her friends without complaint. He thought that was a trait to be admired. Somehow, though, experience had taught Audrey that such caring and selflessness were weak, and she seemed determined to harden herself. He would have to prove to her how wrong that would be. That gentle souls were a rarity to be treasured.

She stirred restlessly in his arms and her eyes fluttered open. She gazed at him, glanced at her surroundings, then blinked in confusion.

“Morning, sweetheart,” Blake murmured.

“Where am I?” she mumbled groggily as she tried to struggle free of his embrace.

“At least you're not asking who I am. It would be a terrible blow to my ego.” He barely restrained an urge to laugh at her still puzzled frown. “Are you always this muddled in the morning or should I start worrying about amnesia?”

“Huh?”

“The balloon,” he prodded.

“Oh.” She closed her eyes again. “I forgot. The balloon fell down.”

“We landed it,” he corrected indignantly.

“In the rain.”

Blake felt as though he were leading someone delicately back to reality. “That's right.”

“It's not raining now?”

“No. It's morning and the sun is out.”

“How early?”

“Does that matter?”

“It could explain why nothing makes sense to me.”

“I see. You're not so terrific with mornings.”

“I don't believe in them.”

“Then it's probably better if you don't know what time it is.”

She moaned and curled sleepily back against him. This time it was Blake who groaned. He knew she had no idea what she was doing, that it would be a lousy thing to do to take advantage of her when she was half-asleep, but...

Breaking every vow he'd made to her, he leaned down and brushed a kiss lightly across her lips. Startled, wide-awake eyes met his.

“It works,” he said, sounding pleased.

“What works?” she asked, instantly more alert and very suspicious.

“I always wondered if the Prince really could wake up Sleeping Beauty with a kiss.”

Audrey pressed a hand over her eyes. “Do we really have to start the morning by testing fairy tales? Couldn't you just wait for me to wake up naturally?”

“I could, but we might have company before then.”

“Company?”

“I expect John will have a rescue team looking for us soon.”

She nodded agreeably and settled back down. “Fine. Wake me when they get here.”

“Wouldn't you rather wake up now and take advantage of this lovely dawn?”

She peered at him balefully out of one eye. “You're really not going to let me go back to sleep, are you?”

His fingers traced the curve of her brow, then caressed her cheek. “I'd rather be making love with you.”

Her breath caught in her throat. “Blake...”

“How do you feel about that?”

“I'm not sure.”

He followed the outline of the design on her sweatshirt with his finger, lingering where her breasts were rising and falling.

“What position?” he murmured.

She stared back at him in confusion. “You want to know what position I want to make love in?”

“Actually I was referring to your position on the company softball team, but I'll take a response to either question.”

“Cute, Marshall.”

“It was just a diversionary tactic.” His gaze raked over her, taking in the sleepy, sexy eyes, the soft, creamy skin. He smiled. “But, yes, very cute.”

His lips touched hers gently in subtle supplication. Her mouth was warm, soft and pliant beneath his. The kiss was so alluring that, once there, he couldn't go. His tongue persuaded until, breathless, she was kissing him back. The sweetness of it turned his blood to liquid fire.

He rolled her on top of him, his arms holding her loosely, allowing her the freedom to leave him, if that was her choice.

But she stayed—her hands caught in his hair, her mouth hot and hungry against his lips, his cheeks, mindless of the roughness of his overnight beard. His hands slid up under her sweatshirt and felt the muscles in her warm, bare shoulders tighten beneath his touch. Her T-shirt kept him tantalizingly removed from the curve of her spine as he ran his fingers to the dip at her waist. His fingers were trapped by the waistband of her jeans, so he began the upward caresses again, seeking the heat and friction of cloth against flesh that made her tremble. His thumbs ran along her ribs until they reached the swell of her breasts, finding the tips already so taut and sensitive that his slightest touch brought forth a low gasp of startled pleasure.

Her hips, pressed against his throbbing desire, stirred restlessly, creating an aching torment just shy of demand. He knew at once, then, the mistake he'd made. A few more minutes of this and his control would vanish. He would take her here and now in a blaze of wild abandon and she would let him. She would give in to the glorious sensations that had tempted them from the moment they'd met, but would she truly be giving herself, completely and without regrets? And did he want her without that?

Her lips burned against his neck. Her tongue cooled in turn and inside there was raging fire. Dear Lord, how he wanted her, needed her...but for more than this moment. Perhaps even forever.

With a low groan, he held her still, his hand stroking her back, gentling now, rather than inflaming.

“I'm sorry,” he said softly, his breathing still ragged. “This isn't such a good idea.”

Audrey went limp in his arms and heaved a sigh. Of regret? Or relief? He wasn't sure.

“Can't make up your mind?” she taunted, her own breathing uneven, but her tone light and bantering. She tried to untangle their legs, but he stilled her.

“Oh, I know what I want,” he said, his voice thick with raw emotion. “I'm just not sure you do.”

The silence that greeted his remark seemed endless, but at last she whispered against his cheek, “Thank you.”

He hugged her reassuringly and wondered if he'd live to regret the depth of his willpower. “We will make love, you know.”

“I know.”

“Soon.”

“I know that, too. Thank you for waiting.”

“I will never take anything from you that you're not ready to give. Never.”

He thought he felt a tear fall against his cheek, but he held her close and when he finally let her go much later, her eyes were bright and the brilliance of the smile she gave him was enough to make his heart sing. Mild regrets were nothing compared to the joy of that smile.

“I don't suppose you brought along eggs and bacon and pancakes?” she said cheerfully.

“Afraid not. I didn't expect this to turn into an overnight trip. How do you feel about champagne for breakfast?”

“Sounds pretty decadent.”

“Is that a yes?”

She grinned at him. “Of course.”

They drank to the dawn, as they had to the sunset, then Audrey gazed directly into his eyes with a look that could have started a forest fire. He swallowed uneasily. He didn't trust that look one bit. He had a feeling she was testing her newfound power over his senses.

“What are you thinking?”

“I was just wondering if perhaps that raging river weren't nearby.”

“It should be a mile or so from here. Maybe less. Why?”

“How about a morning swim?”

“Where did this energy come from all of a sudden? Less than twenty minutes ago you could barely string three words together.”

“No energy,” she said, then added with deliberate innocence, “I just realized I'd never gone skinny-dipping in a river before. I might not ever get another chance.”

Blake's eyes blinked wide and he stared at her. “Skinny-dipping?” he repeated huskily. “You mean you want to go swimming with me with no clothes on? What would your mother think?” He caught her determined expression. “Never mind. That's the point, isn't it?”

She grinned at him with the carefully calculated look of a wanton imp and shrugged. “You can stay here, if you'd prefer.”

“Oh, no. I think I'll come along for this.”

Blake's pulse was leaping erratically as they walked toward the river. What on earth was the woman trying to do to him? He'd only barely restrained himself earlier. The two of them stark naked in a river ought to be a test for sainthood.

“Are you really sure you want to do this?”

“Absolutely.”

They found the stream about five minutes later. Audrey stopped in her tracks and stared at it in consternation.