Jaci Burton - Hope Flames

AFTER LAST NIGHT’S storm, the day had dawned dry and promised to be hot. They’d intended to get up early and head out for a hike, but Luke had kept Emma in bed all morning.

Not that she minded the staying-in-bed part, especially since they hadn’t been sleeping. The man had many hidden talents.

But she finally got hungry, so they got up and fixed breakfast, then decided since it was getting hotter outside, if they were going to head out for a walk, it needed to be then. Fortunately, the ground was already drying, though Emma had brought along her hiking boots. And it was warm enough to wear shorts.

The lake was calm despite the previous night’s turbulence. As they walked along a path that ran parallel to the lake, she saw a few sailboats in the distance. Boaters were already out cruising along the waves. She sighed in contentment and turned to Luke who walked beside her.

“You’ve spoiled me. I’m never going to want to go back to work.”

Luke smiled. “Is that a bad thing?”

“It is when you spend mornings in bed having sex, and afternoons taking beautiful walks like this with the dogs. It’s idyllic and a total fantasy. And tomorrow we have to go back to reality.”

“Yeah, that whole working for a living to pay the bills really sucks.”

She sighed. “I know. Why can’t we be millionaires?”

Luke pulled a prickly branch out of her way so she could walk under it. “I’m not a millionaire because I keep forgetting to buy a lottery ticket every week.”

“Well, there is that.”

The dogs barked up ahead. They’d gotten out of sight, so Emma quickened her step to see what the ruckus was about. When she caught up to them, they were sniffing a few bushes, but nothing was there.

“Chasing rabbits again, guys?” she asked.

“Probably,” Luke said, stopping beside her. “There are deer in this area, too. At least it’s not a skunk.”

Emma rolled her eyes. “Don’t even suggest it. Someone brought in a dog that had gotten into it with a skunk a week or so before.”

Luke stopped and stared at her. “Was the dog injured?”

“No. Just stinky. We had to give him a bath.”

Luke made a face. “Ugh. You never forget that smell.”

“Yeah. Stunk up the entire clinic. My eyes were watering, and I wasn’t even nearby. I felt sorry for Leanne.”

“It’s in a dog’s nature to want to do battle with a skunk. Doesn’t make the dog very smart, though.”

“And we’re the ones who have to pay the price. I’ve bathed many a skunked-out dog. It’s hideous work, and I don’t care to ever repeat the task.” She looked at her dogs. “Do you hear that, girls?”

Daisy looked up at her adoringly.

“Yeah, don’t give me that look, Daisy. You’re the worst at chasing after things you shouldn’t.”

Luke laughed. “Boomer does that, too.”

“But he makes up for it by chasing after things he should—like the bad guys.” She scratched Boomer’s ears.

“That he does, and he does it well.”

Luke took her hand. She looked down where their fingers were entwined and felt a decided tingle.

She was such a girl.

They trekked on, and Emma noticed she could walk beside Luke for long stretches without saying a word and not feel uncomfortable. She was rarely comfortable around guys, hadn’t been for a long time. It was different with Luke, and she realized it had been since that first night he’d walked into her clinic with an injured Boomer.

She didn’t know what that meant, especially since she doubted they’d be seeing each other after this weekend.

But at least it had been a wonderful weekend. She’d learned to water-ski, which had been so exciting. And the sex . . . well, it had certainly been passionate. Her body was sore and well used. Luke was a generous lover, and every time she thought about him, she wanted to get him naked. She supposed throwing him down in the woods would be fun, though would likely result in ticks, so not a good idea.

“You’re quiet.”

She lifted her gaze to his, always struck by his GQ good looks, especially now, with his dark, cop sunglasses and his hair a little mussed up. He hadn’t shaved during the weekend, so his jaw was peppered with dark stubble. He looked dangerous, and sexy as hell.

“I was actually pondering having my way with you in the woods.”

He stopped, tugging on her hand to halt her forward progress. “Is that right?”

“Yes. And then practicality took over, and I realized we’d likely both end up with ticks on parts of our body that should never have ticks on them.”

He tilted his sunglasses down the bridge of his nose so she could see his eyes. “But just think how much fun the after-hike tick check would be.”

She laughed. “Good point.”

He took a step toward her, and she took one back. “So . . . do you want to tell me about this hiking sex fantasy?”

She took another step back and bumped into a tree. “Uh, I was just kidding, you know.”

He braced a hand on the tree, laying the other on her hip. “I’m not.”

He leaned in and brushed his lips across hers. Whenever he kissed her, common sense fled somewhere else, like maybe South America. She twined her arms around his neck, figuring she’d worry about ticks later. And as Luke reached around to cup a handful of her butt, she moaned.

“Are you sure we’re alone?” she murmured, loving the way he rubbed his lips against hers.

“No. The dogs are watching us. Perverts.”

She laughed, then peeked over his shoulder. The dogs were sniffing brush nearby. “They’re not watching.”

“Good to know. And yes, we’re alone. There’s no property within five miles of this area. Which is why I can do this.”

He slid his hand under her T-shirt and cupped her breast, making her wish she wasn’t wearing a bra. She arched against the warmth of his hand, needing to feel her skin against his, but not daring to take her shirt off, because despite what Luke said, she didn’t trust that someone wouldn’t come walking up on them. And she refused to be stark naked in the woods.

But when he pulled her bra cup down and teased her nipple, that whole naked thing began to appeal. She craved his touch, could never seem to get enough of being near him, of having his mouth and hands on her. And when he tugged at her shorts and panties, she willingly let him pull them off. She stepped out of them, grateful he balled them up and shoved them into the pockets of his cargoes instead of leaving them on the ground.

“I don’t suppose you have a condom on you,” she managed as he slid his fingers inside her to stroke her into a frenzy of wild need.

“Around you, I always have a condom. Tucked one into my pocket.”

She laid her forehead against his. “Always prepared?”

“Better prepared than frustrated and hard.”

She cupped him, rubbing his erection. “Oh, you’re definitely hard.” He made her damp, her body quivering with the need for an orgasm.

“And if I don’t get inside you soon, I’m going to be frustrated.”

She gave him a wicked smile. “Well, we can’t have that, can we?”

She helped him unzip his pants, freeing him into her waiting hands. His gaze met hers as she stroked him, his body hot and hard and ready for her. While he opened the condom packet, she made a quick check of the dogs, who were still wandering nearby. Satisfied she didn’t need to worry about them, she focused on Luke, who cupped her behind and shifted her legs apart, then entered her with a quick thrust that made her cry out, the sound magnified in the hush of the thick woods.

He took her mouth in a kiss that intensified the pleasure he gave her as he moved within her, each stroke taking her closer to the orgasm that had hovered ever since she’d begun to think about making love outside. And as he ground against her, using his body to roll over her most sensitive of places, she dug her nails into his shoulders.

He let out a guttural groan, the sound primal and oh-so-male. He lifted one of her legs and thrust deeper, his gaze meeting hers as he drove into her harder, faster, sensing how close she was to completely unraveling.

And when she came, she couldn’t help the sounds she made.

“Christ, Emma,” he said, taking her mouth in a blistering kiss that set her off again in an explosion as wave after wave of orgasm crashed through her. Luke powered into her, then shuddered with his climax, both of them hanging on to each other as they rode out the intensity of this fierce and passionate union.

When it was over, they clung to each other, sweating and breathing hard.

“I don’t know about ticks,” Luke said, “but I’m not sure if I’ll be able to walk back to the house.”

Emma laughed. “My legs are shaking.”

He released her and handed her clothes to her, helping her with her balance as she climbed back into her underwear and shorts before fixing his own clothes.

They called the dogs and made the trek back to the house. They cleaned up and did a thorough tick check. Luke had been right—the tick check was fun, which meant another bout of lovemaking that made her catch her breath and left her panting.

After they ate, Luke suggested they take the boat out for one more ride. Emma was all over that. Luke let her do some of the driving, pointing out how to read the lake map and showing her areas to avoid. She knew how to drive over the wakes now, and by the time she’d captained the boat for about an hour, she had a pretty good feel for it.

They took turns water-skiing again, and this time Emma was a little better than yesterday, though not nearly as good as Luke, who chose the one-ski slalom again. She decided he was just showing off, though he had a right to. He was a very good skier, likely because he’d had years of experience.