"Not yet." He stopped her. "The condoms are in the cabin. I'm sorry, I never dreamt we'd do it here."
Torn between practical concerns and a sheer, driving desire, she told herself to be satisfied with less, to enjoy what he could give her short of making love. But somehow, with the next kiss, he was pushing inside her without any protection. They'd stop in a minute, in plenty of time, she told herself.
"That's it," she moaned. "That's what I want."
"It's what I want, too, but don't move," he warned.
She tightened her legs around his waist, driving him deeper.
"Ava, you're kil ing me," he gasped, his body tensing.
Feeling intoxicated, weightless, even careless, she raised her eyes to meet his. "Okay, I'm not moving," she said.
"At this point, you might not have to." He drew a ragged breath. "You feel so good. Too good. Let's go in so I can get serious," he said.
Ava didn't want to go in. She didn't want to be the woman who lived in that houseboat, not tonight. She didn't want to be Geoffrey's sort-of girlfriend, the woman who was too preoccupied and practical, the one who was always dependable, who worked too hard and too often. Here in the dark of night with the moon shining on the water, she could be impulsive--
someone who would actually do what she was doing. "Leave me here," she said, and pulled away.
He groaned at the loss as if he was once again tempted to overcome his better judgment. "You really know how to hurt a guy," he teased. Then he swam very purposefully for shore.
Ava was stil in the river when Luke returned to the edge of the water.
He could see her head, but he wanted to see the rest of her, wanted a glimpse of the br**sts she'd shielded from his view when she took off her bra. He'd felt them with his hands, his chest, his mouth. But that wasn't enough. She'd surprised him again, making him feel like he'd felt in high school with Marissa. What was it about her?
He waved to her. "Come here."
"Why?" she called.
"I've got plans."
"We were doing fine out here."
"But I couldn't see what I was touching. I want to see you." He dropped the box of condoms so he could arrange the blanket he'd carried out. If he was going to make love to Ava, he preferred to have a comfortable place in which to do it. He wanted this to be special for her.
"You don't need to see me."
He beckoned to her again. "I can do a better job out here."
"A better job? " she echoed. "This isn't a performance, Luke. You're not getting graded."
"You know what I mean. I want you to like it."
"I wil like it," she assured him, but he wasn't satisfied. This was Ava.
He wanted to give her more because she was somehow giving him more--
something she guarded closely, something she didn't share with just anyone.
"Come on."
"You've seen naked women before. What does it matter?"
Oh, brother. She was self-conscious about her body. That had to be the reason for her reluctance. That was just like her. But it was unnecessary. "I want to see you," he said.
She didn't move.
"If you don't come out, I'l come in after you."
"You'd better not!" she warned, but he swam out there anyway.
She wrestled with him, trying to stop him from dragging her to shore, but he was determined to do it. She had to know that her body was beautiful, and he planned on making that clear.
By the time he carried her out, she was splashing and laughing and stil fighting. But she was no match for him. He was laughing, too--until he placed her on the blanket. Then they both sobered as he pressed her onto her back and held her wrists above her head so he could look his fil .
"Why would you be reluctant to show me this?" he breathed. He remembered when he'd met her, thinking she wasn't particularly attractive.
But now he thought he must've been blind. She wasn't big-busted or tanned to a coppery brown like so many of the women who vied for his attention, but there was so much more to Ava. She was... real. He liked her just the way she was.
"You have intelligent eyes and a sexy mouth," he told her. "And I love your ballerina body."
"I've never even taken ballet."
"Doesn't matter. Your body's built like a ballerina's."
When his gaze focused on her br**sts, she struggled to break his grip on her hands, but he held her fast and bent to take her nipple in his mouth. "Perfect," he murmured as it peaked beneath the thrust of his tongue.
And then everything began to move very fast. Luke wasn't sure he'd ever been in such a hurry before, but he was somehow hungrier for Ava than he'd ever been for anyone. It was probably because he enjoyed the rare spectacle of seeing such unguarded emotion on her face. She was being swept away, swept away despite her attempts to resist it.
When her fingers curled into his shoulders, he knew she was close.
The idea that he could get her to respond to him excited him so much he almost couldn't hold out.
"Look at me," he demanded.
Her eyelids lifted. Then her lips parted as her chest rose and fell. She was...there. Throwing back his head, he thrust twice--harder, deeper--and felt her body spasm around him as he let himself go.
Chapter 26
Luke's car wasn't in the lot, and he wasn't answering his door. So where was he at almost four in the morning?
Was he out with another woman? With Ava? Ava had been with him when they last talked on the phone, and it had been late, far later than any appointment Kalyna had ever had.
She stood outside Luke's door and glanced up and down the deserted hallway. It was dead quiet. Which made her even more curious about Luke's whereabouts.
Should she go in? Snoop around a bit? Try to figure out if he was seeing Ava?
She had to. This was the perfect opportunity. She might be tied up later. She knew the Arizona police wanted to speak to her. And judging by the messages she'd received from work, the police had already alerted her superior officer at the base. The gate guards had probably been notified to apprehend her if she showed up or tried to come in. Everyone was looking for her. And she already had half a dozen calls from Tati. She had let them all go to voice mail, but each message was more panicked than the one before.
Kalyna, why won't you pick up? What's going on? I need to talk to you. Please call me.... The police want to ask you a few questions. You should to contact them as soon as possible, tell them what you know about that hitchhiker--before Mark has his say...This is getting so scary, Kalyna.
I'm beginning to fear the worst. Where the heck are you?