Since You've Been Gone (Welcome to Paradise) (6 page)

Mari had just closed her eyes to take a quick catnap when Austin suddenly yanked on the steering wheel and veered off the road.

Yelping, she braced a hand on the dash to keep herself from flying out of her seat. “What are you doing?” she squeaked in surprise.

“Didn’t you see the sign back there?” He turned to her with a big grin. “The one that said ‘swimming hole’ and had a big arrow on it?”

The SUV bounced on the bumpy dirt road, making Mari grimace. “I thought we were planning on driving straight to Virgil.”

“Marigold, when you see a sign advertising a swimming hole, you follow it.”

He said her full name in a mocking tone, which made her regret ever telling him about it. She’d been named after a however-many-greats grandmother, a moniker her parents hated but had been forced to call her at the request of Mari’s grandparents. Even though they’d capitulated, Jerry and Patricia had shortened the name to Mari the second she was born, a fact she greatly appreciated because what twenty-four-year-old woman wanted to be named
Marigold
?

“Think how nice the water will feel,” Austin said invitingly.

He was right. The temperature must have been in the high nineties, and Mari had to wonder if that was normal for June in Missouri, or just a result of the crazy climate changes happening around the globe. Either way, she
was
sweating like crazy, and she’d given up on trying to tame her wavy hair, which tended to frizz when it was humid out.

A swim actually sounded heavenly, now that she thought about it.

“Wait,” she realized. “I didn’t pack my bathing suit.”

Next to her, Austin shrugged. “Go in your bra and panties. That’s pretty much a bathing suit, anyway.”

Just like that, her body reacted as if someone had cranked her internal arousal meter up to
high
. A man as sexy as this one wasn’t allowed to say the word
panties
. Because now she kept hearing variations of that sentence, specifically something along the lines of “I want to rip your panties off with my teeth, Marigold.”

Control yourself.

Mari tried to ignore her tingling nipples and aching core, a constant affliction over the past three days. She was attracted to Austin like nobody’s business, but they’d kept to their agreement thus far—friends only. And not even friends who
flirted
. Austin had indeed been a perfect gentleman, not once making a sexual remark or looking at her with lust in his eyes. If he hadn’t told her he was attracted to her, she never would have known it. The man was damn good at suppressing his attraction.

She, on the other hand, was having a tough time keeping her hormones in check. Every time he flashed her a crooked grin, she melted in a puddle of desire, and it was getting harder and harder to keep her hands off the man.

“Look, we have the place all to ourselves,” Austin commented.

Mari spotted a small pond up ahead. It was situated splat in the middle of a grassy clearing, with several enormous oak trees standing on one side of the water, offering a shady place to relax.

As Austin pulled off the road and parked the SUV, Mari glanced over at him. “Give me a minute. I want to at least change into a sports bra or something. The bra I’m wearing is white and paper-thin.”

For the first time in three days, Austin’s gaze actually dipped to her chest. Appreciation briefly darkened his green eyes before disappearing completely.

“Take your time,” he said gruffly. “I’ll meet you out there.”

After he hopped out of the car, Mari climbed into the backseat and unzipped her duffel bag. She rummaged around until she found a bright green sports bra, then checked the window to make sure nobody was around. All she saw was Austin’s back as he strode across the grass in faded jeans and a white tee that clung to his sweaty torso.

She quickly wiggled out of her bra without removing her tank top, replaced it with the sturdier sports garment, and was about to reach for the door handle when her breath caught in her lungs.

Several yards away, Austin had taken off his shirt.

Oh sweet Lord.

This was the first time she’d seen him shirtless, and she was so transfixed by his broad, golden chest that she forgot how to breathe. Every last muscle of his chest was sleek and defined, and not in a gross bodybuilder way but in a lean, sexy way. Roped biceps, tight six-pack, hard pecs—and holy shit, he was taking his pants off now.

Mari sucked in a breath, her mouth promptly flooding with saliva as Austin dropped his jeans to reveal a pair of long, muscular legs and a tight backside hugged by a pair of blue boxer-briefs. He was too far away for her to make out particular details, and she suddenly wished she had a zoom lens so she could check out the size of his—

Just friends!

God, she really needed to quit drooling over the guy. Friends shouldn’t be interested in the size of their friends’ packages, for Pete’s sake.

Silently chastising herself for acting so pervy, she grabbed a thin red towel from her duffel, then hopped out of the car and headed for the pond.

She reached the grassy, rock-strewn bank just in time to see Austin’s dark head disappear under the murky, greenish-blue water. Mari wasted no time in stripping out of her shorts and T-shirt, and then she was wading into the pond in her green bra and completely mismatched pink panties.

The water was warm, but at least it was cooler than the sweltering air. Three feet in, it started to get deeper, and she submerged herself completely. She swam underwater for a yard or two, then popped her head out.

And squealed in surprise when she got splashed in the face.

“Hey!” she sputtered, spitting water. “That is not gentlemanly behavior!”

He was treading water two feet away, his dark hair plastered to his head and his handsome face boasting a devilish grin. “Don’t care.” And then he splashed her again and took off swimming.

She chased after him, but he was way too fast of a swimmer and she couldn’t catch up to him so eventually she gave up and floated on her back instead. Overhead, the sun’s rays beat down on her, instantly drying the droplets clinging to her face. She was suddenly grateful that Austin had decided to take this detour. The swim had succeeded in cooling her down and snapping her out of her lethargic state.

She and Austin swam separately for a while, but soon he made his way back to her and they ended up floating together, their gazes tilted up at the sky.

“This is fun,” he said in a husky voice.

Mari smiled. “It totally is. I’m glad we stopped.”

“Me too.” He did a few lazy backstrokes before returning to her side. “Wanna lie on the grass for a bit and dry off, or are you in a rush to get to Virgil?”

“Nah, I wouldn’t mind relaxing for a little while longer.”

They leisurely swam back to shore, their bodies dripping water onto the warm grass as they stepped out of the pond.

Suddenly Mari heard a sharp intake of breath. Startled, she swiveled her head, and was stunned by the expression on Austin’s face.

Passion.

Heat.

Raw lust.

With that intense green-eyed gaze glued to her barely clad body, her heart began to race. “You okay?” she asked, finding that her voice was not at all steady.

He blinked, then met her eyes, looking a tad bewildered. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just…fuck, I’m just going to say it—you look sexy as hell right now.”

Warmth spread through her, and it had nothing to do with the temperature of the air. His appreciative gaze and raspy voice were so very welcome—she’d thought she was the only one on lust overload here and it was nice to know Austin felt it too.

“I know, I know,” he said when she didn’t say anything, “friendship only. But damn, sweetheart, you’re beautiful.”

“Thanks.” She gulped. “You’re not so bad yourself.”

Forcing herself not to ogle his spectacular chest, she plopped down on the towel she’d laid out and tried to pretend she wasn’t turned on beyond belief.

A shadow fell over her. “What, you didn’t bring a towel for me?” Austin teased. “Selfish girl.”

She stuck out her tongue. “I only packed one. And I’m not sharing it, so back away, Bishop.”

“If I wanted that towel, I’d get it in a second,
Smith
.” He grinned at her. “But luckily for you, I prefer the grass beneath my back.”

To punctuate that, he lowered his long, delectable body on the ground and stretched out. As he got comfortable, he let out a moan that sent shivers up Mari’s spine.

“I could stay here forever,” Austin mumbled.

From the corner of her eye, she noticed he’d propped his arms behind his head and closed his eyes, which gave her the opportunity to study every detail of his face. Dark eyebrows, sharp cheekbones, sexy mouth. He hadn’t shaved since they’d met, and his stubble had become a full-on beard she was dying to drag her fingertips over.

Then do it.

The silent command caught her off-guard, especially since up until now, her brain yelled at her nonstop whenever she had a dirty thought about Austin. And now it was urging her to act on the lustful impulses?

Who’s it gonna hurt?
the annoying voice cajoled.

Oh, hell. She could feel her reservations crumbling as the idea of getting involved with Austin filled her head. But she wasn’t interested in flings, damn it. When it came to sex, her pesky emotions always got in the way, and she didn’t want to get involved with a man she’d only be saying goodbye to in a couple of weeks.

Then again, she’d never actually
had
a fling. Maybe when you knew ahead of time that something would be temporary, your emotions didn’t enter the picture. Maybe all the fun she and Austin had been having
could
extend to the bedroom, without either one of them—her, mainly—getting hurt in the end.

Mari smothered a sigh and snuck another peek at the man beside her, wishing her thoughts weren’t such a chaotic mess. She really liked Austin, and she was ridiculously attracted to him, but she’d never had casual sex before. In her experience, sex had always meant something.

And yet she couldn’t quit thinking about getting naked with him. Her gaze swept over his body, the smooth tanned skin glistening in the sunlight, the dusting of hair on his chest, the flat brown nipples. The mere sight of him made her mouth run dry.

Maybe a fling wouldn’t be a
terrible
idea. Would it kill her to live a little and indulge in a casual romp for the first time in her life? God knew she hadn’t had sex in ages…

Indecision washed over her, continuing to plague her long after she and Austin left the pond. It nagged at her during their visit to the town of Virgil, the quick dinner at a local diner, the drive to the motel they decided to stop at for the night. By the time they strode into the cramped motel office later that night, Mari still hadn’t made up her mind about sleeping with Austin.

But the decision was made for her the moment the desk clerk uttered five prophetic words.

“There’s only one room left.”

Chapter Five

Austin spent way too much time in the shower, delaying his return to the bedroom for as long as he possibly could. The past few days had been pure torture, yet somehow he’d managed to keep his hands off the quirky redhead who made his entire body burn. The separate room arrangement had been a blessing—every night he’d been able to retreat to his room and jack off in the shower using all the Mari images he stockpiled during the day.

Like the way her hair shone in the sunlight. And how her full breasts filled those skimpy tank tops she liked to wear. How her sensual lips curved impishly whenever she teased him.

So far, the self-gratification sessions had succeeded in easing his discomfort.

But tonight they would be sharing a room.

And a bed.

God help him.

He tipped his head and let the shower spray soak his face, but the water had grown lukewarm, a signal that he really ought to quit stalling. It didn’t help that Mari had been acting strange all evening, far more subdued than he was used to. Normally she chattered on endlessly, always armed with a sassy remark or silly joke, but she’d been quiet during the visit to Virgil and the dinner that followed.

Sighing, Austin shut off the water and stepped out of the tiny shower stall. He reached for a towel, but it was difficult to secure it around his waist what with the massive erection trying to poke through the terrycloth. The memory of Mari in those flimsy pink panties and sports bra flew into his head and sent a jolt of heat straight down to his cock.

Jesus. The woman had the curviest, sexiest body he’d ever seen. His hands had itched to touch all that smooth white skin, to glide over the curve of her hips, to cup her firm ass. And her breasts…his mouth turned to sawdust just thinking about those perky breasts.

Maybe asking her to travel with him had been a mistake. How the hell was he supposed to keep his hands off her now that he’d seen her half naked?

Austin stifled a groan of frustration and forced himself to be mature about this. So they were sharing a bed tonight. Big deal. He’d draw an imaginary line down the center of the mattress and pretend that he was sleeping alone. He was twenty-five years old—surely he could sleep with a woman without
sleeping
with the woman.