Burly and Rugged (The Men of Silver Pine Ridge #3)

Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

CODY

L indy stirs in my arms.

Her breathing shifts, the slow inhale turning sharp. She’s pressed against me, soft and warm, the weight of her leg hooked over mine just enough to make my pulse hammer harder than it should. I want to wake up like this every morning.

“Oh,” she exclaims, and a deep blush rushes across her cheeks and down her throat.

Immediately, the urge to discover how far down that blush goes sends a bolt of desire to my cock. I try to shift away slightly so my throbbing cock isn’t pressing into her. I don’t think I’ve misread things, but this is not the time or place for this.

She shifts, quickly removing her thigh from mine. I suck in a breath at the loss of physical connection, fighting every dirty thought that barrels through my brain like a wrecking ball.

What would she feel like if I flipped her onto her back, caged her with my arms, pressed my weight into her, let her feel how hard she makes me?

What would she sound like if I trailed kisses down her throat, slowly tasting every inch of her?

A slow, vivid image flares in my brain—her beneath me, bare and flushed, those lips parted as she moans my name.

Sweet mercy.

I need to get the hell out of this position before I do something that will make Jax furious. Lindy paid for a survival class, not a seduction. She may be looking at me with bedroom eyes, but I have to do my job and not cross lines that shouldn’t be crossed—no matter how much my entire being yearns to.

I clear my throat, shifting just enough to loosen my hold on her. “You good? Warm enough?”

Lindy stands quickly, scrambling backward and nearly knocking over her pack. “Yeah! Totally fine.” She rubs a hand over her face, avoiding my gaze. “Just—uh. You know.”

I exhale slowly, dragging a hand over my jaw and rubbing my beard. I miss having her in my arms, but seeing how she reacted? That fuels a lust buried deep inside me. “Right.”

I shouldn’t feel this way. Who am I to think a sweet, gorgeous, talented woman like Lindy would want to consider anything with a man like me? She may be reacting to me, but would I really have a chance?

I cough, attempting to clear my thoughts and prevent this from becoming so awkward a wall forms between us. “Right. I’ll get a fire and breakfast going.”

“Ow—damn it.”

Lindy rolls her shoulder, wincing slightly as she stretches her arm. She tries to play it off, but her grimace makes it obvious she’s hurting.

I watch Lindy as she rubs the same spot over and over. “Something wrong?” I ask. Last thing we need is for Lindy to injure herself.

She shakes her head quickly and forces a smile. “Nope. Just a little sore from sleeping on the ground.”

I step closer. “Turn around.”

She hesitates, shooting me an uncertain look. “Why?”

“Because you’re moving like your shoulder hurts. It won’t magically get better by carrying a pack. There’s a difference between being a little sore and being injured—and you don’t want to be injured.” I tilt my head, crossing my arms. “Let me see.”

She exhales but mutters, “Fine,” and turns her back to me.

I keep my touch light, trying to ignore the way heat seeps through her shirt straight into my palms. Her breath hitches, and I fight to focus on her muscles, not her warm, inviting body.

“You’re stiff as hell,” I murmur, pressing my thumbs into the tight muscles near her shoulder blades.

She lets out a slow exhale, but it’s shaky. When I press deeper, she makes a barely-there noise from the back of her throat.

I focus on the knot below her shoulder, working it out slowly. Lindy shudders beneath my hands, her breath uneven.

And now all I can think about is what else I could do to make her melt like that. What would she do if I slipped my hands beneath her shirt, skimmed my fingers down the dip of her spine, and touched the softness of her bare skin? Tweaked her nipples and cradled her heavy breasts in my hands?

What would she sound like if I pressed my body against hers and whispered in her ear exactly how badly I wanted her? Pressed my cock against her, so she can feel just how hard she makes me?

What would she feel like under me—gasping my name as I slid inside her and made her mine?

I force myself to drop my hands and step away.

What the hell am I doing? I shouldn’t even be thinking any of these thoughts about her.

Lindy turns slowly and looks at me. Her lips are parted, her breathing coming in shallow bursts. Her blue eyes are wide as she looks at me.

Fuck.

“Better?” I ask, my voice rough.

She blinks rapidly and rolls her shoulders, then smiles. “Yeah. Much better. Thanks.”

Something dangerous flickers in her eyes. I know I shouldn’t touch her like I want to, but the way she’s looking at me tells me she feels the electricity between us, too.

I shouldn’t want her. But I do. I want Lindy. More than any-fucking-thing else in the world.