“I get plenty of time for friends. The gym is closed at nine those days, and five on Sundays, so it’s not like I’m there until two a.m. or anything.” They dodged a group of skateboarders hanging out in a circle on the corner of the street. Derrick pulled her closer to his side as a few of the gang turned and eyed her.
The touch of his fingers as he kept hold of her trickled tiny rays of heat up her arm and into her body, and she suddenly wished she’d been brave enough to simply wear a tank top so he’d be touching her skin.
Hmm, skin on skin. Another item to add to the collection of things she’d like to try again. Soon.
They were in the restaurant in two minutes flat—one of the joys of small-town living. Derrick pulled out a chair for her on the deck built along the main street. In the winter, Main Street was an eclectic shopping vista, with cozy coffee shops to hide from the weather. In the spring and summer, the town turned the downtown lane into the center of attention, with multiple outdoor sitting areas and the ever-present buskers providing street music for tossed coins.
“How are you enjoying living here?” Derrick leaned back in his chair. He was seated beside her, his right arm close to hers as he placed the menu back on the table. The hair on his arm brushed the back of her hand and her nipples tightened.
She was a sexual time bomb waiting to be triggered. She blew out a breath, ruffling her bangs, then smiled at him. “It’s been great. My brother told me this was a fun town to visit, but a little crazy to live in. He’s right.”
“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.