He nodded. And she thought, even hoped, he was thinking along the same lines.
Because it wasn’t food that filled her with hunger right now.
It was Cal.
* * *
Their glamorous tent—Cal could barely believe there was such a thing—was at the end of the row. Impressively, the interior resembled a luxury hotel, the bed high off the wood floor and covered with a thick eiderdown and feather pillows. A woodstove stood in the corner, and the table and chairs sat by a tent flap that opened so you could sip your morning coffee overlooking the forest. A small, European-style refrigerator was tucked beneath a long counter occupied by a microwave, a two-burner hot plate, and a state-of-the-art coffee maker.
“Wow, check out the bathroom.” Lyssa stood back to let Cal see.
The tub was big enough for two, with a showerhead and a curtain in a forest motif around it and two pedestal sinks beside it.
Lyssa whirled back to the room. “This is so great,” she said. “And I, for one, will be very glad for the tub after we get back from our hike.”
“A hike sounds good.” But given that she’d asked for one tent instead of two and a king bed instead of twins, Cal could think of a hell of a lot better things to do besides hiking.
Especially since the clock was ticking on her challenge to make her fall in love with him. No question, he had to step up his game—and if she wanted to go hiking, he’d happily be a mountain man for the afternoon.
Hike twenty miles through the desert? Swim to Alcatraz? Bike the entire coast of California? Stand on his head balancing plates on the soles of his feet?
He’d do whatever it took to convince her he was worth falling in love with.
* * *
The hike in Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park was strenuous enough that, despite the cool air, Lyssa was soon tying her windbreaker around her waist.
“You’re a trailblazer, so why don’t you take the lead?” she’d suggested to Cal as they started out.
They walked in companionable silence, speaking only to point out a beautiful plant or a stunning view. And what a perfect setup it was, giving her ample opportunity to focus on Cal’s muscles moving beneath his blue jeans. It was like studying one of Michelangelo’s statues. A droolworthy masterpiece.
She entertained fantasies of jumping him the moment they got back to the tent, right down to the tactile sensation of stripping off his clothes, the salty taste of his skin, the earthy scent of his body.
Was it baby hormones making her feel so sexy? Or was it simply that Cal was, hands down, the most attractive man on the planet?
By the time they came to a fork in the trail and Cal had pulled out the trail map the woman at the registration cottage had given them, Lyssa was out of breath. “And here I thought all you did was work and fly around the world in your plane, eating scrumptious meals. But you’re quite the hiker.” Her breathlessness wasn’t just the climb.
“I work out at Sebastian’s gym.”
She instantly had a heart-thumping vision of Cal on the elliptical, his muscles glistening.
Oh Lord, it was hard to think about anything except Cal’s body. His touch. His kisses.
She managed not to shiver with need. “That’s very different from climbing mountains.”
He grinned. “On business trips, if I can squeeze in an hour or two to myself, I like to find a good hiking trail. And when I’m at home, I go to Muir Woods or even as far as the Fremont Hills. I do my best thinking while I’m hiking.”
She loved knowing that about him. “I really love being outside too. I walk the San Francisco hills.”
They grinned at each other, another potent moment that could have led to a kiss…were it not for another hiker appearing. He asked if he could look at their map.
Once the guy had hiked on, Cal turned to her. “We’re here.” He traced the map with his finger. “This trail along the ridge will eventually loop back.”
She thought about his finger tracing lines across her skin, mapping the hills and valleys of her body, down into the canyons and all her hidden places.
This time, she couldn’t help the shiver, as if he were actually touching her.
“Are you cold?” He rubbed her arms, sending tingles through her entire body.
She’d never felt so aware of a man, never felt this I’m-going-to-die-if-I-don’t-have-you sensation. Her body was so alive and energized, so attuned to the sight and feel and scent of him.
Did he feel the same thing at all? Was he thinking about pulling her against him and kissing her senseless? Or was it just her?
But she knew, deep in her belly, it was true for him too. She’d felt it on the plane, she’d known it on Catalina.
And maybe their amazing sex was the place from which all things could grow.
“How far have we come?” she asked.
“A couple of miles.”
“That’s far enough to make sure we get back before dark.” Before she jumped him in the middle of the trail and had her wicked way with him where any hiker could stumble over them.
“Agreed,” he said.
It was crazy how badly she wanted him. She’d never felt like this before, so hot, so full of desire and delicious anticipation.
And she loved it.
* * *
Lyssa took the lead on the way down the mountain, and watching her move was like viewing a heavenly body.
One tent. One bed.
Keeping his hands off her once they got back to the glamping site—if that’s what she wanted—was going to be the hardest thing he’d ever done.
If her plan was for them to share the king bed and not touch each other, he’d have to sleep outside with the mountain lions. Because there was no way he’d be able to keep his hands off her.
She walked fast, her stride strong. It took only three-quarters of the time to get down the mountain. By the time they made it to their tent, he was beyond desperate for her. If he could convince her to skip dinner and feast on each other instead…
At the porch, Lyssa toed out of her sneakers, leaving them outside so their shoes didn’t track the forest into the cabin. Cal left his next to hers.
The moment he closed the tent’s door, she was on him—thank God—her hands fisted in his shirt, pulling him down until she planted the hottest, sweetest kiss on his lips.
Chapter Twenty
Cal loved her take-charge attitude. He adored the way she consumed him, tasting him, taking him—and giving just as much of herself in return.
She finally drew back, her hand still fisted in his shirt and her eyelids half closed. “You can’t possibly know how badly I wanted to do that.”
“Oh yes, I can. It’s all I’ve been dreaming about too.” He wrapped his hand around her nape, hauling her close for another soul-shattering kiss, her body soft and pliable against his. His heart was pounding when he finally set her on her feet.
He’d had his fair share of casual liaisons. Sex for sex’s sake. But what he’d done with Lyssa wasn’t mere sex.
Being with Lyssa involved all his emotions.
Being with Lyssa consumed him.
Being with Lyssa was making love.
And he wanted more of it, more of her. He tugged the windbreaker off her waist, let it fall to the floor. Their breath, slightly quickened, mingled in the now steamy air of the tent.