“So…good,” she said, her voice a throaty groan.
She surged back against him, and he leaned forward, blanketing her body with his. His hands came around her, one playing over her breasts, rolling her hard nipples between his fingers, while his other hand coasted downward, over her abdomen, then between her legs, teasing her sensitive flesh with relentless perfection while his body stroked deeply in hers.
The added stimulation of his fingers, his lips and teeth nipping along her nape, his deep moans brushing past her ears, shot her over the edge as if she’d been fired from a cannon. Throwing back her head and arching her back, she cried out, pulsing waves of pleasure roaring through her. She felt his body stiffen, and with a harsh sound, he thrust deep then shuddered against her.
She was still breathing heavily, aftershocks still rippling, when he withdrew and turned her around and gathered her against him.
His warm breath feathered across her cheek, and she closed her eyes, absorbing the feel of his skin against hers, the steady, rapid thump of his heart against her cheek. The gurgling rush of river water spilling over rocks and the distant waterfall provided background music, combined with the twitter of birds and the gentle rustling of the leaves. Kayla inhaled the scent of damp earth and cool water mingled with the musky fragrance of their passion clinging to his skin, and a sense of warm contentment suffused her. She felt sated. Relaxed. And happier than she’d felt in a very long time. Because of this place and the unexpected sense of peace it gave. And because of this man and the myriad of emotions he inspired.
Lifting her head, she opened her eyes. Their gazes met. Held. Neither said a word, yet she swore something passed between them. A silent communication that spoke of passion and intimacy and said more clearly than words that what they’d shared was…extraordinary.
Keeping one arm tightly wrapped around her waist, he raised his hand and brushed back the damp curls clinging to her cheek with fingers that weren’t quite steady. “Kayla.”
The way he whispered her name, with that note of wonder and reverence and desire, resonated through her, tightening her throat. She swallowed to find her voice, then replied with the only word she could. “Brett.”
He lowered his head, and she parted her lips. Their kiss was a slow, deep, intimate, tender mating of lips and tongue, that now, in the aftermath of passion, soothed rather than inflamed.
When he finally lifted his head, he rested his forehead against hers, and said, “That was…”
She nodded, her nose bumping against his. “Yeah. I know.” Then a grin tugged at her lips. “You know, sandwiched between you and this boulder, it occurs to me that I’m caught between a rock and a hard place. I’d always thought that was a bad thing, but in this case-” she heaved a happy sigh “-definitely a good thing.”
He chuckled, then dropped a quick kiss to the tip of her nose. “As much as I hate to say it, we’d better get back. Alberto told me that if we didn’t return in an hour, they’d send out a search party.”
“Okay. But you may have to carry me. Once again you’ve robbed me of my knees.”
He leaned back and his lips curved into that lopsided, dimple-producing smile that quickened her pulse. “Seems only fair. You robbed me of my wits. You have this very detrimental affect on my concentration.”
“Really? Seems to me you’re very capable of focusing on the matter at hand.”
“I guess I need to qualify my statement-you have this very detrimental affect on my ability to concentrate on anything other than you.”
Her heart skipped a beat at his admission. “Is that a complaint?”
“Hell, no.”
“Well, in that case, I’m not sure whether to say I’m sorry, or Thank goodness it’s not just me.”
“I know which one I’d prefer.”
“Well, I might as well admit it. If I don’t, my nose will grow two feet, à la Pinocchio.” She raised up onto her toes and gave him a fast, teasing kiss. “It’s not just you-you have the same effect on me.”
“Well, don’t think for a minute I’d consider saying I’m sorry, ’cause I’m not. I’m damn glad.” The amusement faded from his eyes, and his expression turned serious. “Damn glad I came to Peru. And that you did, too. Damn glad for the accident of fate that booked us on the same excursion.”
The reality of her deception roared back with a vengeance, and the flood of guilt nearly drowned her. In the space of a heartbeat she went from post-coital euphoria to miserable self-reproach, all made worse by the fact that she really liked this man. More and more, with each minute she spent in his company. Which only served to increase her guilt more and more, and fill her with a sense of genuine distress because she couldn’t help but wonder if their brief affair might not have turned into something deeper under other circumstances. As it was, she’d be an idiot to allow herself to become emotionally involved, because there was no doubt he’d walk away and not look back if he found out the truth. And if he chose La Fleur to manufacture his formula, he’d eventually find out.
But she had a very bad feeling that it was already too late, and that she was well on her way to being an idiot.
Shoving aside her guilt and offering him a smile that she hoped didn’t appear as tight as it felt, Kelly said, “I’m damn glad we’re on the same hike, too. And believe me, that’s saying a lot considering the non-Hyatt-Hotel-like facilities.”
“You’re bearing up very well, I have to say.”
“I can’t deny I’m enjoying the challenge, and having to concentrate on something other than the family and work minutia that normally fills my time. And, of course, the promise of amazing sex at the end of the day is quite an incentive.”
“Agreed. And now that we’ve enjoyed that amazing sex-”
“-twice.”
“Twice,” he concurred, “Let’s take one last quick rinse, get dressed, then head back to the campsite to eat. I’m starving.”
“For food?” she teased.
“Yeah…for now. After dinner, once we’re settled in our tent, I’ll show you what I’m really hungry for.”
She smiled, but a cloud of doom hovered over her sunny sense of anticipation. Because with each moment spent in his company, with each experience they shared-both sexual and on their hiking adventure-the more she didn’t want her time with Brett to end.
And the more she realized that she had no choice.
14
WITH ALL the hikers seated on sturdy logs set around a large campfire, Brett breathed in the mouthwatering scents wafting up from the plate cradled in his lap.
“For mountain dwellers such as the Incas,” Paolo explained, “meat, served with potatoes, was a mainstay of their diet. But corn was their most important and revered crop. The food Ana has prepared for you exemplifies that of a typical Inca meal. The corn raised in Cusco and around the Sacred Valley was, and still is, called choclo, and was considered the finest in the entire empire, with large, puffy white kernels and a distinctive, sweet taste. Tonight you will enjoy it in the classic style-boiled on the cob and served with a wedge of mountain cheese.”
“The main dish,” he continued, “is called lomo saltado, which is strips of beef mixed with tomatoes, onions and potato chunks served over rice. She has also prepared rocoto relleno-a hot bell pepper stuffed with meat and vegetables. Ana makes the filling mild, but be warned, the pepper itself is quite spicy.”
He smiled then raised his cup. “Tonight we shall drink one of Peru’s most delicious beverages, chicha morada. It is nonalcoholic and the deep purple color is due to the blue corn from which it is made. But before we begin our meal, we shall observe the Peruvian custom of offering a sip of our drink to Pachamama, or Mother Earth, to show thanks for the earth’s generous bounty.” He tipped his cup and spilled just a bit, then raised it to his lips and drank.