“It’s okay once you get used to it.” Eyes dancing with a wicked gleam, he scooped up a handful of water and flicked it in her direction.
That was the motivation she needed.
After dropping the towel, she waded in, gritting her teeth against the temperature shock. “Look, Mister…” She crouched to return the favor, splashing him hard enough to drench him.
He took it like a man, standing there grinning even as droplets raced down his chest and thighs. “Do it again. Only this time come closer.”
Was that a threat? Or an invitation?
Either way, she couldn’t resist him.
After taking two tentative steps toward him, she bent over. His reactions were lightning fast. He swept her up and dragged her against him, holding her close, pressing one palm against her buttocks and the other between her shoulder blades.
“Your nipples are hard.”
“You said you’d warm me up.”
His eyes telegraphed his intent, and she obediently tipped her head back to accept his kiss.
He claimed her, plundered, then silently promised her more. And she wanted everything he offered.
By the time he pulled back, she was shaking from a fresh wave of desire. And even though she expected him to release her, his grip was firm.
“Admit it. I was right. It’s better than you thought it would be.”
Against her, his cock began to harden again.
“Yes.” Everything was. The sex. His kiss. Skinny-dipping. “Much better.”
He brushed his lips across her forehead before letting her go.
Now that they weren’t playing, the chill crept back in. She made her way to the river’s edge to pick up her towel and wrap it around her before finding a large, warm rock to sit on.
“I think we have a bottle of chardonnay in the picnic basket. Shall I pour you a glass?”
“Please.” She should help, but she was so comfortable that she didn’t want to leave her spot.
A few minutes later, he joined her. He’d pulled on a pair of shorts but hadn’t bothered to dry off. Was he immune to the cold, as well as everything else that bothered mere mortals?
“Scoot over.”
She wiggled over a few inches, enough to give him a little room. Then she accepted the plastic tumbler he offered her. After sitting next to her, he tipped his glass toward hers. “Not a bad way to spend an afternoon.”
They clinked their rims together.
“Actually I can’t think of anything better.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Still feeling like a prisoner?”
There were reminders, constant ones. But they’d faded into the background. “Not as much. I really needed this.”
“Good. I have other ideas on how to keep you occupied.”
So did she.
“Food.”
She blinked. “Food?”
“What did you think I was talking about?” Jacob’s voice held a light tease.
Right now, he was so different from the serious cowboy who’d kidnapped her and the implacable Dom who’d tied her up and sent shockwaves of orgasms through her body.
She liked every side of him and marveled at how much more emotionally revealing he was than any other man she’d ever been with.
“I’ll set out the picnic, and you can join me when you’re ready.”
Once she’d finished her wine, she shimmied back into her clothes. No way would she ever be as comfortable with near nudity as he was.
Deborah had provided everything they might need, including utensils, plates, and napkins. The feast included fresh guacamole and tortilla chips, sandwiches on thick, crusty bread, olives, and a brick of cheese with apple slices as an accompaniment. There was also a delicious-looking assortment of cookies and brownies—not that Elissa needed them after this morning’s doughnut. “This looks amazing.”
After filling their plates, they sat in the chairs to enjoy the meal.
“Are you really going to come up with an idea for Deborah’s ski bunny? Or were you being polite?”
“I already have. But if she wants me to illustrate the children’s book? I’ll need a pseudonym.”
“Because of the work you’re doing on the portrait for me?”
“I never said I’d complete it.”
“Then why else would you need a pseudonym?” With a triumphant grin, he stood, then offered to take her empty plate.
He’d won. And they both knew it.
An hour or so later, he dressed and loaded up the UTV. “Still want to drive it?”
“Really? You meant it?”
Once she was behind the wheel, he gave her a few quick instructions.
She accelerated and was shocked by the responsiveness. Quickly she backed off the throttle, then looked in his direction with her mouth parted from shock.
“Top speed is about sixty miles an hour.”
That seemed really fast for this machine. “Am I scaring you?”
“It would take a whole lot more than that, Elissa.”
She set a comfortable pace while he updated Lifeguard on their status.
While she drove, he scrolled through his phone before finally sliding it back into the compartment on the dash. “How many kids do you want?”
“Me?” Elissa took her eyes off the makeshift road long enough to glance at him again. “Why are you asking?”
“You asked me.”
“But that was related to the ranch. Passing the land to the next generation.”
“You’re working with Deborah, and Adele really liked you.” He adjusted his ball cap. “Seemed like a logical extension to me.”
“I’ve been so busy with life that I hadn’t given a lot of consideration to being a mom.” And this discussion would be easier if she wasn’t sitting so close to a man she could suddenly picture as the father of her children.
“Hypothetically, then. Would you like to have kids?”
She flexed her fingers on the steering wheel. “I guess so. Yes.”
“How many?”
For a moment, she considered her answer. “Two? Maybe three.”
“I was thinking the same thing.”
The summer air was suddenly too hot to breathe. “What?”
“I gave your question some more thought. Four sounds like a good number. Close in age. What do you think?”
They were having two separate conversations, weren’t they? He couldn’t possibly be talking about—thinking about—having babies with her. “Four?” The pitch of her voice was high and squeaky.
“Hypothetical children. Four’s a good number, don’t you agree?”
Heat, warm and liquid, flowed through her at the idea of having his children.
“This is hypothetical, right?”
“Until it’s not.”
He reached over to steady the steering wheel, and that’s when she realized she was dangerously skirting the edge of the road.
“We can start with two and figure it out from there.”
“Jacob…”
His phone rang. Without apology, he answered it. For minutes, while she sat there, thoughts swirling, he discussed ranch business.
As she braked to a stop near the house, he ended the call, with a promise to get back to the person he was talking to.
She exited the vehicle, and he joined her at the front of it. “I’ve got some work to do. Sorry. How about I join you for dinner in an hour or two? I’ll cook.”