Three Weeks Last Spring (12 page)

Skye lowered her gaze
and suppressed what could have become a hysterical giggle.
She wanted to
savo
u
r
every moment in his arms and this wasn't the time to bare her soul and tell.
Even if it were, she
woul
d be opening up a bitter wound, which, at that moment, should remain firmly closed.
At least, for tonight, she knew the man holding her in his arms was helping her to heal, and she was learning to trust again.

Over the top of Skye's head Walker watched the dying embers of the fire.
She lay with her back to
his chest
, her
body snugly fitting against his. His right
arm curved over her hip, holding a full silken breast.
Alone with his thoughts in the darkness, he reconsidered his assessment of the woman slee
ping so trustfully in his arms.

How could he have been so mistaken about her reasons for renting the cabin so early in the season?
Lots of people
took
vacations early in the year, and he had no reason to suspect she was any different or that she had an ulterior motive.
So w
hy was he so suspicious of her?

Her sudden appearance at the cabin was purely coincidental.
Perhaps if he
ha
d paid more attention to the mail he received from the realtor, he wouldn't h
ave been so surprised when she
arrived
.
And what if their paths had crossed more than once during the first few days of her visit?
There was nothing in the rental agreement prohibit
ing
his te
nants from walking in the woods. H
ow could there be?
The walks around the cabin were one of the main attractions, along with the uninterrupted sea
views and magnificent scenery.

Skye
wasn't willing to talk about herself.
So what?
Why should she tell him everything about herself, from the
colo
u
r
of her toothbrush to the size of her bra?
A quick smile crossed his face.
Well, at least he knew the answer to that question.
He gently caressed the warm heavy globe in his hand—more than enough to drive a man wild.
And, as for the toothbrush
,
he'd find out what
colo
u
r
it was in the morning.

Skye didn't
seem
the type to use her body for material gain.
She was far too naïve to be playing that sort of game.
I
f she were, she ought to be nominated for an Oscar for her most recent performance as she certainly had him fooled
.
No, Walker decided, Skye was just what she appeared to be, a single woman on an extended vacation.
His mouth curved into an unconscious smile as he remembered the first time he'd seen her and how antagonistic
they'd been towards each other.

He
realize
d
now what a fool he'd been to take his anger out on
her
.
In his
defense
he could only offer the feeble excuse of lack of sleep—that and the fact that he'd found more evidence of illegal dumping only that morning.
But to give Skye her due, she
was
quick to return his hostility with her own brand of hot temper.
He would never forget the sight of her small frame bristling with ferocity as she stood up to him.
Now that they'd stopping fighting and taken time to get to know each other
, they had
connected in a way he hadn't expected.

Walker tried to
move
the arm he was
rest
ing on into a more comfortable position.
Skye yawned, and burrowed deeper, seeking the warmth of his body.
As h
er soft skin brushed against his
, his body responded, the heat pooling in his groin, making him want to bury
himself in her all over again.

Only the embers burned in the gate.
The air in the cabin
was
distinct
ly
chill
y
.

"Skye, sweetheart, wake up.
It’s cold and you
don’t want to
catch hypothermia
.
Come on, it’s time I took you to bed."

Skye blinked open her heavy eyes.
She shivered. The scent of Walker's body and their love making filled her senses.
Bed?
Hadn't they done that already?
Slowly she became more alert as Walker rubbed her arm, and
realize
d
he was right.
She
was chilled to the bone.
She felt Walker’s lips on the back of her neck and eased her body away from his.
He stood and looked down at her slender form, then stretched out a hand to her.

"
Come on love, let's go to bed."

Skye didn't hesitate; she took Walker's hand and
le
d h
im in
to the bedroom.

I
n the early hours of the morning while the moon
still rode
high i
n the sky, Skye
lay
next to Walker listening to his rhythmic breathing and
marvel
led
at the beauty of the man beside her.
The sheet barely covered his hips and her finge
rs longed to touch, to explore.

Slowly,
she traced the line of his jaw. H
er fingertips softly
touch
ed
his lower lip.
It wasn't enough.
Her hand traced the line of his collarbone, luxuriating in the feel of the coarse hair on his chest.
No longer able to stop her exploration,
she
found his nipples and drew a sensual circle around each.
They hardened instantly, drawing a moan from Walker's lips.
She leant over him, her hair touching his face and chest like a butterfly's wing, as she brush
ed
her lips against his.
Suddenly, his arms closed round her, pulling her to him.
He opened his eyes and loo
ked deeply into hers.

Skye lowered her mouth and used her tongue to continue the journey her fingers had begun.
Walker lay still, allowing her to touch and taste him, as she slo
wly
explored
his body.

When
he
could take no more, he rolled
on to his back
.
Their coupling was hot, demanding and
as satisfying as it had been
earlier.
Skye rested her head on
his chest, and fell asleep listening to the
rhythmic drumming of his heart.

Someone in Skye's dream was whistling, and off key at that.
Only it wasn't a dream, she really could hear someone whistling.
Something else too—she could smell toast.
No wait
,
burnt toast.
She opened one eye, and closed it again quickly.
Her room was bathed in brilliant sunlight.
The brightness drove shards of pain into her fuzzy brain.
She sat up and tipped her head away from the light before cautiously opening her eyes,
and snatching
he
r robe off the foot of the bed.

There was a man standing in her kitchen,
and not any man, it was Walker.

"I wondered when you'd surface," he said
.

Skye opened her mouth to speak and thought the better of it.
She wanted to be in full charge of her thoughts before she uttered a word.
Silently, she padded over to the sink, poured herself a large glass of water and drank it down in one gulp.
The icy coldness was just what she needed to lift the fog from the grey cells in what passed for her brain.

Walker's eyebrows
rose inquiringly.
"Bad head?"

Her
gaze
took in the fact that he was wearing the clothes he'd had on the night before an
d now he really needed a shave.

She glared at him.
"I haven't got a hangover if that's what you're implying."

He held up his hands defensively.
"Hey, I was just checking.
I can see the lady does not do mornings well."
He watched Skye and wondered if this was the moment she was going to tell him to get the hell out of her kitchen, her life, and, just how
much she regretted last night.

"Okay, concern accepted," she replied.
"And before you ask, yes I do remember everything about last night, even you
taking
me to bed.
It's just…well, I just didn't expect to find you still here, that's all."
She pushed
a hand through her tousled hair
and blushed delicately at the memory of their passion.

Walker let out a relieved chuckle.
So
that's
what was eating at her, finding him in her kitchen.
He struggled hard to bring his features
under control.

"I get it.
Your lovers usually disappear into the night, do they?
Wham, bam, thank you ma'am, is that what you expected?
That's not my style at all.
I happen to think that the first kiss of the morning is the most rewarding."
He clasped her body to his and
kissed her to prove his point.

Skye was speechless.
Her bones had turned to jelly and most of her brain to mush.
But her one remaining funct
ioning brain cell had to agree.

"See what I mean?"

"Mm.
"
Skye blinked and focused her gaze on Walker's strong features.

"Nope, you're really not a morning person are you, honey?"
Amusement flickered in his eyes as they met hers.

Sky
e shook her muddled head.
"No"

"That's all right.
I'm
wide-awake
for both of us.
Why don't you take your sweet ass off to the shower?
By the time you get back, breakfast w
ill be ready and on the table."

Walker swatted her derrière and pushed her in the general direction of the bathroom.
He turned back to the stove, tied an apron around his waist, and deftly
set about preparing the eggs.

Skye clamped her jaw tight shut, and tilted her head on one side.
She stole a glance at him from under her lashes, before shaking her head and wandering off for her shower.
S
h
e turned the faucet full on and allowed the hot water to stream over her.
Unbidden, her mind turned to the man in the next room.
Although her body showed no outward signs of their love making, she could feel the dull ache of desire as she recalled the loving Walker had given her.
It
was
so long since she'd had a man in her bed that she hadn't expected to feel as attuned to her lover's wants and desires as she had with
Walker
.
She was far more shaken than she cared to admit by the strength of their passion and her feelings for the tall dark man with the ice blue eyes, now co
oking breakfast in her kitchen.

Yesterday morning she'd been a level headed businesswoman with only bitter memories.
Today she was a woman who had given her body, her heart and probably her soul, to a tall, ruggedly handsome
man with an irresistible smile.

"Two minutes
,
"
Walker
c
alled from the bedroom doorway.

Skye
turned off the faucet, and
towel
l
ed
herself dry.
By the time she
ha
d dressed and entered the kitchen, Walker was turning a fluffy
omelet
onto a plate.

"You lied."

"What do you mean, I lied?"
Walker's face was grim.
He turned away from the stove, and actively sought to remember what he
’d
said
to make her think that way.

"You said two minutes.
It's been more like seven and my break
fast still isn't on the table."

"Why you ungrateful—
"
The words died on his lips, as he saw the teasing laughter in her eyes.
"
I see the shower woke you up."

"Sure did, sunshine.
Now, am I going to have to start gnawing on your leg, or is some of that
omelet
for me?"

"That hungry, huh?"
He placed a plate in front of her
, and
then poured some more of the egg mixture into the skillet.

Skye kept her face devoid of expression.
"I seem to have quite an appetite this morning, must be something to do with
the workout I had last night."

The skillet Walker
held
clattered down on the stove.
He shook his head in disbelief at the expression on her face.
A two year old couldn't look as innocent, even if they'd had their hand in the cookie jar.
Walker smiled;
she sure was something else.
Beautiful, sexy, quick witted, and intelligent, and now that they'd started rubbing each other up the right way, they laughed as easily as they made love.

"Workout?"
He tried hard to look hurt, but a smile fought to play at the corners of his mouth.

"I worked up a sweat, and at times I felt as if I’d run a marathon.
Does that count?"

"Yeah, that counts."
Abruptly his mood
switched
from one of simple amusement to that of seriousness.
He didn't want to play the game
anymore
.
He needed to know what Skye
really
thought
.
He
knew he could make her respond, but hell, he'd made other women respond too.
Skye was different.
She had fi
re, passion and something else.

Suddenly,
he wanted more with her than just great sex.
He wanted to wake up to find her by his side not just on this morning,
but
for as many as she was willing to give.
The question was did this auburn-haired angel want the same?
Had he crept under her skin, as she had his?
Only she knew the answers, and he'd be damned if h
e felt he had the right to ask.

"I
s that how you
really
think of last night?"
He kept his voice calm as his e
yes anxiously searched her face
.

Her elbows resting on the table,
Skye
watched Walker.
Just how much should she tell the virile man standing at her stove and wearing an apron?
Was he was ready to hear the message her heart was sending her brain, when she wasn't one hundred percent certain she wanted to hear it either?
A slow smile trembled over her lips.
One thing she was sure of, if his expression was any indicator, Walker wasn't finding her teasing much fun.

She decided that if discretion was indeed the better part of
valor
, then she ought to tell him the truth, or as much of the truth as she knew, otherwise he might just be tempted
to tip
his
omelet
over head
.

A slight blush cover
ed
her cheeks.
Walker watch
ed
her closely.
Sapphire blue met ice, but ice that held a savage inner fire.
Skye
could hardly lift her voice above a whisper.
She swallowed, as she found the words and the strength to reply.

"Last night was wonderful and so special, I'll never forget it.
And if I never have another memory to make, I will always hold
it
in my heart."
She couldn't look at him anymore, so turned away, and brushed away the tears that threatened to spill over her cheeks.

Walker was unprepared for her blatant honesty.
One look at her face and
her body language told him she meant every word she
said.
All thoughts of eating pushed aside, he crossed to where
she
sat, and knelt next to her chair.
He cupped her chin in his hand,
his
eyes full of concern.

"Sweetheart, you've more memories to make, I'm sure of it.
There's no need to f
eel sad."

Skye tried to swallow the lump that had formed in her throat.
"I'm not in the least bit sad or angry nor do I have any regrets.
As I said, last night was wonderful.
I never thought I could experience such passion as we shared.
You made me feel so wanted, so desirable, and for that
I can never thank you enough."

The underlying sensuality of her words captivated him.
He gently tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear
before taking her hands in his.

"Sweetheart, there's no need to thank me.
I got more pleasure out of last night than I've ever had.
I jus
t want to be sure you did too."

The heavy lashes that shadowed Skye's cheeks fluttered up in surprise.
Walker's tender expression bit to her very core.
She could no longer deny that he'd captured her heart and unable to find words to express her feelings for this unpredictable man, she brushed her lips against his in a kiss as soft as a downy feather.

"I did."

"Then that's okay."
He studied her thoughtfully for a moment.
He was full of questions, but intuitively knew now wasn't the time to pry.
Obviously some bastard had hurt her and hurt her bad—he sincerely hoped he w
asn't about to become the next.