“You see a lot of Kane?”

She shook her head. “I had dinner with him and his roommates when I first moved, but he’s been gone pretty much ever since. He’s got a full schedule of wilderness trips booked until the end of summer.”

They chatted for a little longer until their order was taken. Light conversation about what she’d done in school, about him and the house he was renovating even farther up the steep slope of the mountain than where she lived. All the while she admired him—his dark hair with the slightest bit of unruly curl at the ends hung loose, brushing his shoulders. He had the darkest irises, somewhere between brown and black, and a jaw that made her want to turn down dinner and just nibble on him for a while.

A climber’s body—lean muscle, not bulky—every movement he made coordinated and smooth. He wore a T-shirt that clung to his biceps, fit snug to his chest. Heck, it was tight enough when he shifted position she swore she could make out the ridges of his six-pack. She knew he had one—she’d rounded the corner the second week at the gym when he’d stripped off his shirt and pumped out a set of chin-ups to the rising cheers of his climbing mates. She’d had to wipe away her drool.

Their food arrived and they both reached for the salt at the same time, bumping hands. He laughed and gestured for her to take it first, his strong fingers with neatly trimmed nails catching her eye as he picked up his burger and bit into it heartily.

Melanie attacked her own multilayered wrap, juice from the spicy barbeque sauce escaping to trickle down her chin as the flavours burst over her tongue. He caught a drip from the corner of her mouth and that electric pulse returned. Harder. Hotter. Their conversation faded away to nothing as the sexual tension at the table rose tenfold. Every bite, every swallow. Flames licked her skin, and there wasn’t enough of a breeze in the air to cool her off. She grabbed her water glass and purposely looked in the opposite direction, needing a second to regain control.

“What would you like to do after dinner?” Derrick rubbed the back of his knuckles against the thin fabric of her shirtsleeve provoking an instant rush of desire. “There’s a movie we could catch, or we could go for a walk along the lakeside.”

There were a whole lot of unspoken questions in his tone.

What was her agenda for the night? Going to a movie was safe, in a way. At the most they’d be able to do a little necking like teenagers, but they wouldn’t get to talk. And while more kissing with Derrick was on her list, if they were going to take the interlude they’d started any further, they definitely needed to talk. “I’d like to walk, if you don’t mind.”

Thirty minutes later they slowly strolled the boardwalk curving the perimeter of the park. On their left, the lake spread out, lazy ripples undulating on the surface as the occasional kayaker floated past. Melanie reached for his hand and snuck her fingers into his, and he smiled, squeezing lightly and letting her set the pace.

Enough of keeping secrets. If she was going to do anything more than kiss him, she had to tell him. Part of facing the future, right?

“You know my brother pretty well?”

He nodded, his thumb brushing the back of her knuckles with a light, teasing touch. “We’ve worked together over the years. When Kane’s arranged wilderness excursions with rock-climbing components, I’ve come along and coordinated. I do occasionally hang out with him, Jack and Dara for kicks. Great guy, lots of fun.”

“Did he ever tell you about my accident?”

Derrick pointed off the main path to a bench facing the water. “He’d said you were a top-ranked climber, but you’d had a fall. Never mentioned much more. That was also about all you told me when you came in and asked for private lessons.”

Melanie shifted uneasily, ignoring the open spot next to him on the bench. She’d prefer to be on her feet for this one. “I guess I don’t want a lot of sympathy, but…”

She sighed. Damn fall. Of all the stupid things to be worried about right now.

“What’s wrong, Melanie? How can I help?” He reached forward and grabbed her hands and tugged her toward him. His knees were spread wide and she stepped into the protective circle of his body. The warmth from his torso and the sincerity in his eyes helped a lot. “I’m interested in you. Not just as a client.”

He slipped his hands around her hips and suddenly fingers touched bare skin where her shirt had ridden up in the back.

“Wait…” She pulled back and his face fell.

“Sorry. I thought you—”

“No, it’s not that. It’s just…” Damn. She dragged her hand through her hair. Pull in your courage. It shouldn’t be this tough.

He tugged on her arm again. She plopped onto his knee and clutched his shoulders for balance. Slowly, as if expecting her to run away again, he leaned his head toward her and their mouths connected.

Melanie dove in wholeheartedly, letting the arousal that had simmered all afternoon come to a full boil. Yeah, she still needed to tell him about her scars, but just in case she scared him off, she was going to store away one last session for future fantasy material.


As her willing lips meshed with his, the strumming in his body kicked up a notch. Thank God, it wasn’t that she didn’t want him. Derrick adjusted her on his lap so he could lean back and let her full weight rest against his aching groin. She had to be the most emotionally volatile woman he’d met in a long time. Frightening thought in some ways, but he liked his woman to have both the fire to stand up to him, and the mental strength to submit. It was never the cool and in-control ones he enjoyed the most. Whatever psychological turmoil had Melanie in its grip, he was more than content to see where this thing between them led.

She wiggled, her lips leaving his to dip into the scoop of his neck as she squeezed tight against him. Her small breasts rubbed his chest, her tight nipples visible as he glanced down at her dark, long-sleeved T-shirt. He ran his hands up her back, careful to stay over top of the fabric, and swore lightly when he realized she wasn’t wearing a bra.

The heat in his body kicked even higher. Three weeks of watching and wanting to touch her. Yeah, he was ready for this to go a whole lot further than simply kissing.

They had enough privacy here to get into a moderate public display without getting arrested. There were only the joggers at his back who could spot them, and they always seemed intent on the end of the trail. He clasped her hips and lifted her across him. She helped by raising her knee, coming down to straddle his thighs. Off in the distance, a cheer rose from the parents watching their children at the soccer fields.

She scraped her fingernails down his shoulders as her tongue continued to dip into his mouth. He captured her taste, the warmth of her wet lips, and another pulse of desire raced through him. This much contact wasn’t nearly enough. He lowered his hands back to her hips to grind her over him, connecting the ridge of his bulging erection with her crotch. She moaned in approval.

Derrick tore his mouth from hers and dropped his head to her shoulder, stilling their frantic gyrations and dragging in a breath to control himself. “I want you. Let me take you home.”

She stiffened, but her fingers continued their teasing touch at the base of his skull. “I want that too, but…”

He cupped the back of her head and held her tight. Maybe it would be easier if she didn’t meet his eyes. Maybe it was the wrong time of the month, as if that wasn’t the most awkward question ever. “But what? Not a good time right now?”

Melanie out-and-out laughed, leaning back to display a smirk. “Oh God, sorry for making you ask. No, it’s nothing like that, but I am…embarrassed.” Her words tumbled out in a rush as if she had to say it quickly, or not at all. “I’ve got scars from the accident. I wasn’t sure what you’d think of them.”

All the tension that had built in him as he’d considered the dire reasons she could have for putting him off slipped away in a smooth eddy of relief. “I’ve got a few scars of my own. Thirty years of rock climbing and outdoor adventures invites wear and tear on the body. I don’t think there will be a problem.”

“Yeah, well…that’s what someone else told me too. Only it was a problem.”

Shit. As soon as she uttered the words she’d gone as rigid in his arms as a tightly coiled spring. Suddenly he understood. “Is that why it’s been so long since you’ve had sex? You think guys don’t appreciate what you look like? Or did some ass insult you and you never tried again?”

She hung her head. “Walked out on me in disgust.”

Rage flashed inside, along with a deep need to take apart the guy one piece at a time.

“He was an idiot.” He cupped her chin and waited until she looked him fully in the eye. “I swear there’s nothing about your body that can make me not want you. You’ve been driving me crazy since the minute you walked through the door of my club.”

She raised a brow. “Even though I’ve worn nothing but long pants and full sleeves since day one?”

Derrick smoothed a hand down her cheek, reveling in the heat she exuded. “It’s not just about the way you look. Your stubborn determination to learn to climb again is more of a turn-on to me than seeing you in a skimpy pair of underwear with flawless skin. The way you move makes me hard. I smell your skin, and I’m ready to beg you to touch me.”

“God, you’re good.”

He trailed his fingertips down the front of her shirt, scraping a nail over her nipple and smiling as it popped up to poke the fabric. “It’s the truth. You tell me—any of your injuries affect what we can and can’t do when we get naked?”

Her nipple fascinated him, and he continued to play with it, teasing lightly in circles, pressing the tight nub with his fingers. It took a minute for him to register she hadn’t responded. He glanced up to see her pull her mouth shut and a red flush staining her cheeks.

“When we get naked, there is nothing we can’t do.”

He let his satisfaction show. “Then there’s nothing to worry about. Will you come home with me? So we can do the naked thing?”

Melanie straightened her back, but her smile was nothing but naughty. “Oh, yeah. If you’re sure, I’d like that very much.”

It normally took him fifteen minutes to walk home from the park. With all their pauses to kiss each other, they didn’t make it to the gate of his backyard for thirty. Once he yanked the stubborn thing open, she was back in his arms and he had her pressed against the solid wood, their mouths together again as he gave in to the need to massage her breasts through her shirt.

The compact mounds just filled his hands, her nipples spearing into his palms. A growl escaped, tearing from his lips as his desire broke free. He bent over and nipped at the hard peak through the thin material and she moaned. Moisture from his mouth soaked her shirt, and he sucked right through the fabric, making her squirm. It wasn’t enough, not nearly. It took all his will power to draw away, staring at the wet circle left behind. “I want to taste you, everywhere.”

His voice had dropped a level, dark and lust-filled. Behind his jeans, his cock pressed the fabric to its limits, his balls tight to his body as she writhed against him.

“Not outside. Please?”

Of course not. Not considering she was concerned about showing herself in the first place. The thought of seeing her totally nude in the sunlight did crazy things to his groin though, and there was no way he could walk right now. He propped his hands on either side of her head and gave her one last needy kiss before pulling back.

“Inside.”

He unburied his keys from his pocket and dangled them in front of her. Melanie grinned mischievously, snatched them from his fingers and ducked under his arm. She ran down the back path and halfway up the stairs to the deck before he could follow. He chased her with an exaggerated roar. She fumbled at the lock before popping it open and slipping inside with him right on her heels.

The back door opened onto the kitchen, but she darted through into the next room, dodged around the couch and coffee table and scrambled for the stairs. He slowed, letting her remain ahead of him.

She paused at the top of the landing and leaned over the railing to beam at him. “Shall I make myself at home?”

His cheeks ached from grinning so much. “Please do. Anywhere you want to go is fine with me.”