Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
Aleksei told himself that he was getting Rosemary’s back by asking her about her job as they followed the trail toward the campsite.
He couldn’t see her face because they were hiking single file.
Everyone had little tells when they lied.
Not being able to see her expressions was a disadvantage, but he focused on other signs.
Her body didn’t tense. There were no sudden shifts in her stance.
The volume and tenor of her voice didn’t change.
There were no obvious signs of subterfuge.
She seemed like any other working professional, except with more gratitude.
Illness had delayed her college graduation, and she’d had to quit her first accounting job because of the ghastly situation with her stepfather.
Still, she’d forgiven him, and he’d helped her get her current job.
Aleksei tucked that fact away to delve into later when he had time.
Otherwise, everything she said about work seemed normal.
She’d worked at Pannetone & Associates for less than a year.
She liked being able to walk to work. There was an amazing coffee shop on the way.
The hours were good. She liked her coworkers, although Lily—the receptionist and file clerk—could sometimes be annoying.
He was glad to hear her complain about Lily.
It would be suspicious if everything were perfect.
Just when he’d started to feel confident that Rosemary didn’t know anything about Salvatore Moresco, her voice took on a worried edge that fired up his instincts.
“Something happened at work the other day. I almost canceled this trip because of it.”
“What happened?” he asked, keeping his tone easy and mildly curious.
She gave him a quick backward glance but kept pushing forward on the trail. “I found an issue with one of our client’s files right before I left. I feel like I dropped a giant jar of jelly and left my boss to clean up the sticky, glass-covered mess.”
“I don’t know much about accounting. What kind of issue can cause such a big problem?”
Long seconds passed, filled only with the distant sound of rushing water, the rhythmic crunch of their boots, the padding feet of the dogs, and the occasional rustle of leaves.
“I found a couple of odd invoices for work that didn’t really make sense. They could be perfectly legitimate, but if they’re not...” Her pace slowed.
“If they’re not?” he prompted.
She shook her head and resumed her quick pace. “Listen to me droning on about work. You don’t care about strange invoices. Could I be any more boring?”
He did care. He cared a hell of a lot. It sounded like she might be an innocent bystander who had inadvertently stumbled onto evidence of Moresco’s criminal activity.
Double books? Fraud? Money laundering? Who knew?
But if she’d discovered something she wasn’t supposed to, Kemper was right. She was in danger.
He’d have to get more details from her, but he couldn’t push right now.
Not when he couldn’t see her face and hold her hands while telling her exactly who he was and why he’d orchestrated a way to meet her.
Not before he had a chance to tell her that she wasn’t just a job to him.
To tell her that even though he wasn’t ready to accept responsibility for another person in his life—and didn’t know if he ever would be—that he still cared for her. A lot.
The quickening of Rosemary’s steps interrupted his thoughts.
They were at the cabin. She shuttled the dogs inside and then locked the door and pressed forward, gesturing for him to follow.
He didn’t know where they were headed, but he was happy to trail behind her, admiring the sway of her hips.
Within minutes, they broke through the trees, and the blue expanse of Lake Jean lay in front of them.
“Last one in the lake is a rotten egg,” she yelled as she raced up toward the bathroom.
He’d shoved a swimsuit in his backpack at her insistence, but he was sure there was no way he’d use it.
Rosemary had set a rigorous pace on the way back, and he was covered in sweat despite stripping down to a T-shirt.
Still, swimming was a bold move. He’d hiked here once before, and the lake water was damn cold, even during the summer.
When he emerged from the changing room in his swimsuit, he barely processed the chill. Rosemary was resplendent. Fucking resplendent.
He’d seen her in jeans. He’d seen her in a tank top.
He’d felt her full curves and soft skin under his hands, but he hadn’t seen much of her bare skin.
Now she stood before him in a combination of strings and triangles the color of the Caribbean Sea, with her lush, athletic shape on full display.
She had the build of a curvy volleyball player.
Strong shoulders, full breasts, a slightly tucked waist, and lusciously curved hips and thighs.
She’d donned a swim cap over her wig, but her hair lay in blonde sheets over her shoulders, giving it that cute look like when women wore beanies.
She was perfection.
“I’ve never worn this suit before,” she said shyly. “Sage talked me into it. It’s ridiculously impractical, but we won’t be swimming for long. It’s too cold for anything more than a quick dip.”
His skin was so hot, he didn’t think he’d notice how cold the water was, but maybe it would help with the quickly changing situation in his swim trunks. At least they were the only ones in the beach area, so there was no one to see him pitching a tent.
The water was chilly, but it felt amazing.
It was like an ice bath on his aching legs and shoulders.
They swam in the same direction, in unspoken agreement that their destination was the line of rope and buoys that identified the end of the designated swim area.
When they reached the barrier, Rosemary turned her back to it, wrapped her arms around the ropes, leaned back, and closed her eyes.
The position propped her round breasts above the water.
He treaded water a few feet in front of her, admiring the view.
The urge to slide his tongue along the edges of the scant triangles of her bikini top was nearly overwhelming.
He glanced back toward the beach. Still empty.
The sun was approaching the horizon, and the sky was turning gray.
Even if someone did happen upon the beach, their distance from the shore, combined with the waning light, would make it difficult for anyone to see them.
Aleksei swam forward, gripping the rope on either side of her shoulders and sliding his hips between her parted legs.
She giggled, opening eyes that instantly hooded as he closed one hand over her shoulder and used his thumb to draw circles on the soft skin above her breast. She wrapped her legs around the back of his, pulling him in until his already throbbing dick pressed against the enticing heat between her thighs.
“We should head back to shore,” she said, her voice low and sultry. “This is dangerous.”
“Are you worried we might get hypothermia?” he teased.
“I think we might heat up this entire lake.”
“What an interesting experiment that would be. Maybe we should try for the sake of science,” he said as he pushed her chin back gently with the tip of his thumb.
The small motion eased her slightly backward, flattening her back and causing her chest to lift farther out of the water.
Her nipples were like pebbles pushing against the blue triangles that barely covered her breasts.
He’d intended to nibble on the sweet pale expanse of her neck, but primal need hijacked his thoughts, drawing his mouth lower.
The lake water was earthy and fresh on his tongue with an almost metallic undertone as he found her breast. The material of her swimsuit was thin but still too thick to get the response he wanted with only his lips.
He nipped at the hard, taut bud straining against her bikini top.
His cock jerked at the feel of her Lycra-covered nipple between his teeth.
She bucked in response, her legs squeezing his hips.
Her heels pressed into his hamstrings, pushing his hammer-hard dick even tighter against the blissful warmth of her core.
He released her breast, shifting upward on soft skin in search of her mouth.
The pulse in her neck was like his early morning sprints.
Hard and fast under his lips. He nipped her chin, then found those full, firm lips he’d been seeking.
Her mouth was even more perfect than he remembered.
Sweet, hot, and feisty. Rosemary kissed with ferocity, with a darting tongue, nibbling teeth, and roaming lips.
She kissed with her entire body, too, her legs shifting and gripping, hips grinding, and hands traveling over his arms and back, alternating between squeezing and caressing.
He moved one hand from the scratchy rope to the smooth skin of her neck. Something soft flickered across his arm. He opened his eyes. Her hair floated like ribbons near her shoulders.
“Is your hair okay in the water?”
“What?” Her voice was dazed and languid.
“Your wig. Is it okay?”
“Ignore the wig and kiss me.”
That small intrusion of reality allowed sense to creep back in. They needed to talk. He shouldn’t let things go further between them until he’d told her the entire truth of who he was.
Teeth nipped at his jaw, then his earlobe, sending a rush of heat to his already raging cock. His body and mind were at war.
He spoke before his body could win. “I need you to know that I’m not ready for a relationship.
I can’t lose someone again like I lost Phillipe.
I have feelings for you, but before we do this, you need to know that I’m not ready to care deeply again.
I’m not ready to take responsibility for someone else. I don’t know if I ever will be.”
Their bodies remained intertwined. Her strong legs wound tightly around him.
“I’m not asking for a commitment. I’m not asking you to be responsible for me.
I had to rely on other people for too many years.
I want to take care of myself now. I want to be responsible for myself.
This is my time. My time to make up for every minute I lost being sick.
My time to do what makes me happy. My time to live every moment like it might be my last. In this moment, I want you.
Let’s enjoy the time we have now and worry about the rest later. ”
“There are things we should talk about. Things you don’t know about me.”
The firm legs wrapped around him loosened, and her lush body slid against his, her tongue tracing down his neck to the center of his chest, where she pressed a kiss.
“I know who you are in here. That’s all that matters. There will be plenty of time to talk later. I promise. I’ve missed so much. You’ve lost so much. We both need this. We both deserve it. Just let us have it.”
She was right. He did need this. She was like the sand his dad packed between the stones of the patio every few years.
She filled in the cracks, repairing the damage that, if left alone, would cause him to break and crumble.
He didn’t know if he deserved this time with her, but he needed it.
And he could see she needed it too. Her gaze held a bone-deep longing he couldn’t ignore.
She wasn’t asking for a commitment. She was only asking for this moment.
They were here for four more days. There’d be plenty of time to talk, to tell her the whole story.
Right now, they both needed the other to fill the holes in their hearts.
Even if it was just for this moment.