“Me too.” He did a few lazy backstrokes before returning to her side. “Wanna lie on the grass for a bit and dry off, or are you in a rush to get to Virgil?”
“Nah, I wouldn’t mind relaxing for a little while longer.”
They leisurely swam back to shore, their bodies dripping water onto the warm grass as they stepped out of the pond.
Suddenly Mari heard a sharp intake of breath. Startled, she swiveled her head, and was stunned by the expression on Austin’s face.
Passion.
Heat.
Raw lust.
With that intense green-eyed gaze glued to her barely clad body, her heart began to race. “You okay?” she asked, finding that her voice was not at all steady.
He blinked, then met her eyes, looking a tad bewildered. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just…fuck, I’m just going to say it—you look sexy as hell right now.”
Warmth spread through her, and it had nothing to do with the temperature of the air. His appreciative gaze and raspy voice were so very welcome—she’d thought she was the only one on lust overload here and it was nice to know Austin felt it too.
“I know, I know,” he said when she didn’t say anything, “friendship only. But damn, sweetheart, you’re beautiful.”
“Thanks.” She gulped. “You’re not so bad yourself.”
Forcing herself not to ogle his spectacular chest, she plopped down on the towel she’d laid out and tried to pretend she wasn’t turned on beyond belief.
A shadow fell over her. “What, you didn’t bring a towel for me?” Austin teased. “Selfish girl.”
She stuck out her tongue. “I only packed one. And I’m not sharing it, so back away, Bishop.”
“If I wanted that towel, I’d get it in a second, Smith.” He grinned at her. “But luckily for you, I prefer the grass beneath my back.”
To punctuate that, he lowered his long, delectable body on the ground and stretched out. As he got comfortable, he let out a moan that sent shivers up Mari’s spine.
“I could stay here forever,” Austin mumbled.
From the corner of her eye, she noticed he’d propped his arms behind his head and closed his eyes, which gave her the opportunity to study every detail of his face. Dark eyebrows, sharp cheekbones, sexy mouth. He hadn’t shaved since they’d met, and his stubble had become a full-on beard she was dying to drag her fingertips over.
Then do it.
The silent command caught her off-guard, especially since up until now, her brain yelled at her nonstop whenever she had a dirty thought about Austin. And now it was urging her to act on the lustful impulses?
Who’s it gonna hurt? the annoying voice cajoled.
Oh, hell. She could feel her reservations crumbling as the idea of getting involved with Austin filled her head. But she wasn’t interested in flings, damn it. When it came to sex, her pesky emotions always got in the way, and she didn’t want to get involved with a man she’d only be saying goodbye to in a couple of weeks.
Then again, she’d never actually had a fling. Maybe when you knew ahead of time that something would be temporary, your emotions didn’t enter the picture. Maybe all the fun she and Austin had been having could extend to the bedroom, without either one of them—her, mainly—getting hurt in the end.
Mari smothered a sigh and snuck another peek at the man beside her, wishing her thoughts weren’t such a chaotic mess. She really liked Austin, and she was ridiculously attracted to him, but she’d never had casual sex before. In her experience, sex had always meant something.
And yet she couldn’t quit thinking about getting naked with him. Her gaze swept over his body, the smooth tanned skin glistening in the sunlight, the dusting of hair on his chest, the flat brown nipples. The mere sight of him made her mouth run dry.
Maybe a fling wouldn’t be a terrible idea. Would it kill her to live a little and indulge in a casual romp for the first time in her life? God knew she hadn’t had sex in ages…
Indecision washed over her, continuing to plague her long after she and Austin left the pond. It nagged at her during their visit to the town of Virgil, the quick dinner at a local diner, the drive to the motel they decided to stop at for the night. By the time they strode into the cramped motel office later that night, Mari still hadn’t made up her mind about sleeping with Austin.
But the decision was made for her the moment the desk clerk uttered five prophetic words.
“There’s only one room left.”
Chapter Five
Austin spent way too much time in the shower, delaying his return to the bedroom for as long as he possibly could. The past few days had been pure torture, yet somehow he’d managed to keep his hands off the quirky redhead who made his entire body burn. The separate room arrangement had been a blessing—every night he’d been able to retreat to his room and jack off in the shower using all the Mari images he stockpiled during the day.