Dare to Bear (Book 1 Trail Guardians Series) (6 page)

“How is this possible?” she whispered, leaving his side to touch one of the crystalline ridges.

“I don’t know.” He spoke with quiet reverence. “Isn’t it beautiful?”

“Amazing.”

When her eyes adjusted to the low lighting, she noticed a natural pool in the ground. Water trickled from a small fissure in the stone wall, creating a soothing sound. Her body relaxed and she felt at ease, completely safe in this sacred place.

“It’s like wandering into a magical world, where things that shouldn’t happen…do happen.”

Bending to her knees, she trailed her fingertips over the surface of the pool. The small waves she created made the twinkles of reflected lavender light dance on the water.

Lost in the uncommon beauty and hushed peace, she vaguely heard Mason set down his pack, saying something about gathering firewood. She nodded absently.

Another miraculous thing about the cave were the leafy vines that scaled the rock walls. More impossible still, small yellow flowers sprang from between center clusters of leaves. How could that be? Didn’t flowers require sunlight? Or did they somehow absorb enough illumination from the crystals to survive?

This place, and this man, defied comprehension. Her intrigue piqued her desire.

As if her sexual awareness of Mason wasn’t already heightened enough from his kiss earlier, warmth filled her core and rippled out to her limbs like the waves in the pool. She felt as though she’d wandered into another space and time, where magic lived and flowed, where she could give herself to a handsome man she just met, and where she didn’t care about protecting her broken heart.

She wanted to invite his touch, savor his kiss, take him inside her. Feel his muscular body moving in rhythm with hers. Make love until she ran out of air, gasping for more.

The sound of Mason setting an armful of sticks on the floor reminded her that the fantasy could be reality. If only she let herself believe the feverish desire she’d seen in his eyes when he looked at her. If only her heart had healed before she met him. If only…

He came to stand behind her. He swept her hair to one side and rested his large hands on her shoulders. As she soaked in his potent masculine presence and the heat of his touch, her lashes fluttered.

“Mason.”

“Yes?”

“Why did you bring me here?”

His breath stirred the tiny curls beside her ear. “I wanted to bring together two of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen.”

A lump swelled in her throat. “Why is it so hard to believe that?”

“I could explain the way I feel, but I’d rather show you.” His lips pressed to the side of her neck, parted, and lightly sucked at her sensitive skin.

“I—I just…”

He removed her backpack and rubbed her shoulders. She moaned as the knots of tension eased beneath his hands.

“I just don’t know if I’m ready.”

“You don’t have to know. Just feel.”

“That’s the problem.” She took a stilted breath. “I don’t know how to feel about you.”

His hands stilled. His head lifted, and he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Then I’ll wait.”

Distressed, she swallowed, sensing the opportunity to lose herself in him had passed. “Wait for what?”

“For you. Until you’re ready. Until you
know
.”

When his hands fell away, he withdrew from her and returned to the woodpile he’d collected.

Stunned by his response, she turned to stare at him. “You’d wait for
me
?”

“Yes, I would wait for you.” A pained look of yearning crossed his features, before he faced away to focus on building a fire. “Forever,” he whispered.

“Why?” she asked.

“You’ll understand once you
know
.”

Confused and exasperated, she demanded, “How can I know something I don’t understand?”

His big shoulders lifted with an exhale of resignation. “I can’t give you the answers, Steph. You have to decide the truth of your feelings for yourself.”

Her heart lurched. “What do feelings, other than desire, have to do with anything?”

He sent her an arrested stare. “They have to do with everything.” Then he refocused on the fire. “I would never take from you what you don’t want to give.”

Approaching the spot where he hunched over the sticks, she sat cross-legged beside him. “You may not have understood me when I discussed my ex-fiancé, but I offered him my heart and my future, and he handed them back to me in a shredded heap. I wish I had something to give you, Mason. And I’m not even sure what you want from me. But all I have left is a handful of broken dreams.”

“I understood,” he murmured. “I just don’t agree.”

“A wild attraction to someone can’t repair heartbreak overnight.”

A glint of humor in his eyes replaced his moroseness. “What about over three nights?”

In spite of herself and the seriousness of their discussion, she smiled. “Not even over three nights.”

He arched an eyebrow. “How do you know until you’ve tried?”

She peered at him. “I can’t tell if you’re attempting to romance me or seduce me.”

A dimple curved his cheek. “Who said they had to be separate?”

“You are the most unusual man I’ve ever met,” she said, shaking her head at him.

He snorted. “Considering your history, I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“Yeah,” she admitted, regret bowing her shoulders. “I sure know how to pick them.”

“You just didn’t choose the right one.” He blew a steady stream of air on the smoldering coals of the fire. “An easy fix.”

“Oh, really? You think it’s all so simple?”

“Yes.” Tendrils of gray smoke framed his face as his stare locked on her, his eyes alive with passion. “Pick me instead.”

She laughed, but when he remained serious, she wasn’t sure how to respond. “I think what I need is time to myself, away from men.”
Even a super hunky one who makes my panties melt when he smiles
.

“Your call.” He shrugged. “Personally, I think mine is the better solution.”

“I’m sure you would.” At least she’d never have to worry about him being insecure—about anything. He spoke openly about everything he wanted.

“I’d take care of you. I’ll take care of all your needs.”

She read the sultry look in his eyes.
All. Your. Needs.
The implications were so clear he didn’t need to elaborate. That wicked smile and the virility radiating from him promised he wouldn’t disappoint her in bed. He would rock her world.

A deep-rooted desire rose from the depths of her core. Her body craved him, in a way she’d never felt before and couldn’t begin to explain. Almost animalistic in its carnality.

Wow, that was new. It frightened and compelled her. She shivered despite the heat wafting from the fire.

“No offense,” she said, lifting her chin, “but after the past few months, I’m not convinced a man can put a woman’s needs before his own. Not when it really counts.”

He sent her a cunning grin. “Is that a challenge?”

She tucked her legs beneath her and sat back. “Depends,” she said cautiously, “on how you plan to prove it.”

His gaze devoured her head to toe. “It would be my pleasure to demonstrate. To show you how unselfish I can be.”

A new scent blossomed into her awareness. Like dark silk wrapping around a bouquet of wildflowers, the scent embraced her, taking over her senses. Then came a hint of honeysuckle. A dash of wild roses. Sun-warmed field grass. And a deeply sensual musk she couldn’t name. It all blended together in an intoxicating combination.

Suddenly, her limbs felt loose and heavy. Amazement overtook her as she absorbed the compelling sensations. She couldn’t comprehend what was happening, but it felt so good she couldn’t bring herself to care. Her body felt light, buoyant, as though floating on waves of relaxation.

That scent…

It seeped into her pores, infusing her with languid lust.

Inhibition melted away.

Lashes drifting shut, she experienced gentle pressure urging her to lie back and give herself over to the strong hands that began to caress her body. Lulled by the musical sound of the water and the warm breeze drifting over her skin, she sighed with pleasure.

Soft lips explored her neck, drifting to her cleavage in the scoop of her V-neck shirt. Tingles scattered over her body. The fabric of her shirt lifted, exposing her midsection. Typically, her insecurities would’ve kicked in right then, but they’d deserted her. She felt completely desired. She didn’t want it to end.

No protest rose to her lips, as his mouth created steamy trails across her abdomen. Her arms raised automatically as he lifted her shirt over her head. Luxurious abandon encouraged her to spread her thighs. Her hips rolled upward seeking the promise of pleasure just out of reach.

Her shorts and panties pooled at her ankles, then disappeared. A glorious weight settled between her open thighs. Her knees curved around broad shoulders.

“Please,” she whispered, nearly panting with need.

Rock hard muscles flexed against her outer thighs. He spread her intimate flesh with his thumbs.

A low, hungry growl preceded the sweep of his tongue along her crease. She let out a trembling moan, her body quivering under the divine movements of his mouth against her. He licked her, tasted her,
savored
her.

Erotic whispers encouraged her rising passion, as his tongue brought her toward the peak of pleasure. To her frustration, he then slowed his pace. She arched, desperate for the bliss denied her.

He licked her slowly. Kissing. Exploring. He made love to her with his mouth. Gradually coaxing her to the edge of release again and again.

Stimulated to the point of madness, she trembled with urgent need. “Please,” she whimpered, begging for the release she feared to ask for. “Please, let me…”

“Your pleasure is mine.” His voice came from a sexy rasp in his throat.

The first ripples of orgasm quickly turned tidal in their force. As she shook in his grasp, she cried out in exquisite pleasure, tumbling free-fall into bliss. His groans vibrated against her throbbing flesh. And he shuddered with her.

In her pleasure-drenched state, she barely grasped what had just happened. Had his devotion to her pleasure actually made him climax, too?

Minutes later, once she’d regained full consciousness and returned to the present, she saw his bare chest rising and falling with his breath. Somewhere along the way he’d stripped off his shirt. He sat on his heels, between her thighs, staring down at her face with an expression of satisfaction and adoration.

She admired his perfectly muscled torso as her gaze drifted downward. Sure enough, a wet circle stained the front of his pants, where his enormous erection still stood at attention. It bolstered the truth of his claim:
your pleasure is mine
.

Unheard of, she thought, practically stupefied. How had her climax had triggered his, when all she’d done was lie back and revel in the expert caress of his tongue?

Even though he’d given her a spectacular orgasm as well as a much-needed boost to her confidence, it wasn’t enough to keep her from instinctively covering up her plump nakedness from the waist down. She snatched her panties and shorts and ducked into the shadows to dress.

He frowned. “Why would you deprive me of your beauty?”

“Stop,” she murmured, the heat of embarrassment crawling across her skin. She couldn’t believe she’d let him go down on her, as if she did that kind of thing every time a gorgeous guy got her alone. That damned scent had hypnotized her, or something. She was mad at herself for succumbing so easily, and mad at him for no good reason. Well, maybe one good reason. “We both know I’m not the type of girl that guys like you find attractive.”

“Excuse me?” His voice rumbled through the cavern. When he stood, his posture appeared nearly menacing. “Did I not just prove you are everything I crave?”

The sound of his resentment stoked the fire of her resistance, and the need to demonstrate she wasn’t some tramp who let guys seduce her so easily.
Why the hell did I just let that happen?
“You proved you could put my pleasure before your own. But it’s not like this is going anywhere. In another two days you’ll be at the next post and I’ll be leaving the trail. Don’t get me wrong, what just happened was nice, but—”

“Nice?” he bellowed.

“Sorry, I wasn’t saying it was a bad thing. It was amazing, actually, but it doesn’t matter. You don’t need to prove anything to me.”

“It doesn’t
matter
?” He pointed a finger at the juncture of her thighs where he’d buried his face and made her come. “What we shared meant nothing to you?”

Of course it meant something, though she couldn’t explain why she’d let down her guard. It might have been a mistake. One she didn’t regret, exactly, but his unexpected fascination with her would pass. All too soon, she thought, slightly depressed by the notion, but she couldn’t set herself up for another heartbreak on the heels of the one she’d just endured.