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  “You okay?”

  I nodded. “Yeah. Just embarrassed. I'm not usually this clumsy.”

  “It's okay,” he chuckled, and I was immediately captivated by the sparkle in his eyes. “Do over? I’m Colt.” He held out his free hand. I took it, shook it, pulled away...but he held on. “And you are?”

  “I'm Risha. Rish to my friends.”

  “Can I call you Rish then? Do I qualify for friend status yet? I did save your life, after all.”

  “You did. And you do. So, yes, Rish is fine.”

  “Or Red. I think you look like a Red.” He reached up, fingering a strand of my hair between his fingers.

  I stared at him. A flash of resentment at that old name rose up, but I bit back my retort, and looked closely at his face. There was no malice in those dark eyes, obviously nothing intended, other than him looking at my hair, at the strand wound around his fingers. But I was a little freaked out by the intimate gesture, even if it seemed innocent.

  “Yeah. I've been called Red.” In the past. But I didn't add that. I was moving on, and he sure wasn't part of my past, although I wasn’t sure right now what he was, or what he really wanted. Or what I was doing. I should be back on the other side of the pool. Or out of the pool.

  “It suits you. You look like a Red.”

  I cocked an eyebrow. “And what does a Red look like?”

  He tugged gently on my hair. “I bet when this is dry it blazes like fire.” His eyes moved languidly to mine. “And I bet you're just as fiery.”

  The hand on my waist slipped down to my hip. My t-shirt had ridden up, and his fingers brushed over my bare skin. I gasped, then coughed to cover the sound.

  Colt let go of the strand of hair and reached up to touch my cheek. “You okay? Do you need mouth to mouth, or anything?”

  I had no choice but to laugh. “Do you think it's a little late to ask? I'm talking, and...” His fingers slipped to the nape of my neck. “...breathing...” I might be breathing, but those breaths were coming in short little gasps. His eyes moved slowly from mine, down to my lips. I swallowed hard.

  “Yeah. But, you know...” He pulled me closer. “Better safe than sorry.”

  I pulled back. “Speaking of safe...” His pack lay behind him and I eyed it warily. “I'm not exactly sure...”

  “You're not exactly sure if this is the right thing to do? If I'm dangerous? Or if you can trust me?” He raised an eyebrow. “I'm not dangerous. I can tell you that you can trust me, but those are just words. You'll have to make up your own mind about me.” He looked over his shoulder at his pack. “If you can reach it, toss it where I can't. If that makes you feel better. I won't be offended.”

  I looked between him and the pack. Without too much trouble, I snagged the strap, tugging it around to the side of the pool. Colt watched, his expression open, easy.

  “Better? A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do, right?”

  Before I could answer, his lips touched mine, softly, but not tentatively. Behind the gentle touch was an energy, something powerful, but restrained. I'd never felt anything like this in my entire life, and it wasn't just that I was kissing a stranger.

  Oh, wow...I was kissing a stranger.

  I tried to pull back, but Colt's fingers tightened on the back of my neck. I should have been...not exactly scared, but at least a hell of a lot more cautious. I should have pulled away. But I didn't. I might regret this later, but right now, I wanted this...whatever this was, or wherever it was going. I wanted Colt.

  The kiss deepened, his lips parted, and I was right there with him, my tongue meeting his, dancing between his mouth and mine. I raised a hand from my lap, touching his neck, his jaw, moving to wind my fingers into all that dark hair. It was curly and soft, and I couldn't help running my fingers through it.

  Arousal washed through me and my fingers tightened against his head, pulling him closer, deepening the kiss even further. I felt Colt's lips curve in a smile against mine as his fingers worked beneath my wet t-shirt, tugging it higher, up the curve of my ribcage, stopping just short of where I wanted his hand to be.

  He broke the kiss, pulling back just enough to look into my eyes. “You seem to be breathing just fine, Red. You sure you need any more mouth to mouth?”

  “You're kidding, right?” I wiggled in his lap, felt his thighs tense and flex, felt something else tense beneath the thin fabric of his trunks. “I'd think we both want the same thing, Colt. Unless there's something else...”

  Colt laughed, pulling me back until my forehead rested against his. “Yeah. Okay. Just wanted to make sure. I get the sense this isn't your usual method of approach. Mine either. But...”

  “I'm sure.” I might not do this often...or ever. But I was sure of what I wanted, even if he was right about me.

  I kissed him, moving on his lap so I could wrap both arms around his neck. He shifted in response, his erection rising up against my hip. I wiggled again, just to feel the hardness of it, and to see what Colt would do.

  Colt didn't miss a beat. Without breaking our kiss, he grabbed my hips, sliding me back off his lap. I pivoted, legs apart, so when he pulled me back, I was straddling his lap. I was sitting face to face on his hard thighs, with his erection sliding up between my legs as the hot water swirled around us. He pulled me closer, until my breasts were pressed against his chest. He slid his hands down my back as he broke the kiss, slowly, teasing my lower lip between his teeth. When he released me I was weak and shivery with desire, glad I was sitting down.

  He cupped my ass, pulling me hard against his body, making waves in the pool. “You really are ready for this.” I couldn't tell by his smile if he thought this was amusing or confusing, if he was asking a question, or making a statement.

  “Yeah...are you?” I rolled my hips, grinding against Colt. “You want to change your mind?”

  This time his smile told me everything, his words the icing on the cake. “Like hell. It's not every day a gorgeous, barely dressed woman practically falls into my lap.”

  “I did fall into your lap.” I ran my hands through his hair, returning his smile. “You saved my life. I'm just showing my gratitude.”

  “I like how you think, Red.”

  I wasn't sure I was thinking, or that I wanted to. I wanted to feel, to just go with the flow. Somehow as crazy as this all was, it felt right, and that's all I cared about right now.

  “Yolo.”

  “Hmm?” he murmured, his eyes wild with desire.

  “You only live once.”

  He pulled me back against him, capturing my lips with his. Birds sang around us, the sound of the river catching the edge of my consciousness. All of that faded as Colt kissed me, the sound of his breathing, the soft moan he made as I shifted against his erection, the only things I heard. I was lost in a sea of arousal and sensation swirling through me.

  Colt's hands moved up my back, tugging up my shirt further, exposing my breasts. It was my turn to moan against his mouth as he cupped my breasts, working his thumbs over my wet nipples. They puckered up hard and tight, and my moan turned into a full-throated cry of pleasure as I broke away from Colt, head tipping back.

  “Oh, god.”

  Spanning my torso with his hands, Colt pushed my breasts up and together. He looked down, and I arched my back, pushing against his hands. Colt responded, fingers tightening against me, kneading my flesh. I bit my lip, unable to stifle back a second cry.

  “Watch me, Red.”

  I looked down at him, meeting his eyes as he lowered his head, flicking his tongue over one hard nipple. Something close to an electric shock ricocheted through me, and I jerked in his arms. I saw the corner of his mouth turn up as he moved to the other breast, circling the rosy nipple with the tip of his tongue. The feeling was exquisite, sending another shock wave through me. Watching him made little tendrils of excitement curl through my stomach. Having him ask—demand—that I watch him, heightened everything.

  So I watched as he pulled the nipple into his
mouth, sucking gently at first, then gradually more forcefully. I wound my fingers through his hair, holding him against me. I pretty much fall apart anytime a guy touches my breasts, and I was already miles down that road before Colt even bent his dark head to work his magic.

  Watching was one thing; I needed to participate. I reached between us, fumbling for a minute with water and fabric, until I found Colt among the swirling warmth. There was a brief pause in the movements of his lips and tongue as I wrapped my fingers around him. The swim trunks muffled contact; the close proximity of our bodies limited my movements. It didn't take long for Colt to begin shifting restlessly beneath me. Finally he lifted his head, dark eyes meeting mine.

  “As much as I'm enjoying this, Red, I think we could do better.”

  “I agree. We need a change of venue. And a change of clothes. Or less clothes.” I squeezed him through his trunks, and he grunted out a breath, the corner of his mouth curling up.

  “Actually I like the venue. You're right about the clothes though.”

  He reached down, undoing the snap on my shorts, fingers working the wet fabric over my hips. But he didn't get very far. “Stand up.”

  I did, resting my hands on Colt's shoulders while he tugged my shorts over my hips. They slid down my legs, sinking beneath the surface as I stepped out of them. Leaning forward, he kissed my stomach, tracing a circle around my navel with his tongue. I shivered as a breeze wafted over us, over my exposed breasts. The sun was setting somewhere behind the tall trees, the air getting cooler. I looked over his shoulder, half-expecting to see a hiker or three enjoying the show. Colt turned his head, following my gaze.

  “No one there.” He turned back, fingers tracing over my skin. “Goosebumps. Come here...”

  “Not till you get rid of those.” I pointed to his swim trunks. “I'm not going to be the only one naked here.”

  Colt chuckled, and lifted his hips. I remained standing, hands on his shoulders, as he pulled off his trunks. I couldn't help but grin at the momentary difficulty he had in getting the wet fabric over his erection. The water was opaque enough that I couldn't get a good look at him, just tantalizing glimpses. I bit my lip, trying not to stare, but not succeeding. Colt tossed the trunks onto the edge of the pool.

  “Better?” He grabbed my hips, fingers playing over my skin. There was an insistence, an urgency to his touch, an impatience that matched what was building inside me. I glanced around, scanning the woods again.

  “If you're worried about being seen...”

  “No… not really.” I couldn't help but look back into the woods. The feeling I'd had on the trail surfaced, the sense that someone was watching me...us. The last thing I wanted was company.

  Colt's hands slipped around to my ass, fingers probing uncharted waters, distracting me from whatever it was I couldn't see.

  “Red, if there is someone there, you're giving them a really good show by standing there...”

  Before he could finish that statement I leaned down, kissing him hard. I straddled his thighs, settling down into the water. This time, with no pesky trunks or shorts between us, it was just him, and I, and all that warm swirling water.

  I reached between us, fingers wrapping around him, guiding him into me. He slid home easily, as if he'd been there before, as if this was second nature for both of us. There was none of the awkward fumbling of first-time sex between strangers. It was...as if we'd done this dance many times.

  Any musings I had about all of that faded away as I sank down onto him. Colt flexed his hips and I replied, rolling my hips against him. I settled my arms around his neck. The water rose around us, buoying my breasts between us.

  “This is nice.” Colt touched my hair, brushing a strand back. I laughed.

  “Nice?” I ground my hips down. “That’s not what I was going for.”

  I claimed his mouth with mine as something wild and primal took control of me. I rocked and swivelled, shimmied and swivelled. Each movement brought a new noise from Colt, from moans through grunts, all of them sweet music to my ears, all of them mixing with mine.

  The water around us swirled and sloshed as our movements increased, as I found footing with my feet against the rocks, giving me leverage. Pushing with my legs, I had control and I could move up and back, sliding him out of me, holding him, poised over him. He broke away with a ragged sound, hands gripping my ass.

  “You're a tease, Red. I thought you might be.”

  “Is that a bad thing?” I wiggled a bit, teasing both of us. My body wanted him, with a need I'd never felt with any man. But I liked the heady sense of control I had, and I wanted to prolong this moment for as long as I could stand it.

  “Not at all. I like a challenge. But...”

  With a rush of swirling water Colt stood. I clutched his neck, yelping in surprise. There was no choice but to wrap my legs around his waist or risk another dunk in the water. And in that flurry of movement, he drove himself deep inside me.

  “And in the end, I like to be in control.” His voice was a low growl. Our eyes locked as he turned, surefooted, not a slip into the water in sight. With that strength I found arousing, he eased me down on a flat rock, his thick cock still buried inside me. He leaned over, hands planted on either side of my shoulders.

  “And I'll show you what nice is really like. And what it's like to be teased.”

  He pulled back, hips flexing in short strokes, giving me just enough of himself to remind me of what I wanted. I arched and twisted beneath him, but he held back. I tried to pull him closer, with arms and legs, but he was remarkably strong, and I couldn't do much but struggle beneath him.

  “You're enjoying this, aren't you?” I was breathing hard both from my efforts, and from mounting frustration. “You're getting off on this whole control thing.”

  He grinned down at me. “Of course I am.” His body blocked out the sun, and I looked up into his blue eyes. Strands of hair, damp with water or sweat, curled around his face. God, he was so damn sexy.

  “Do you want me to beg?” I wiggled against him, hoping it would be the trigger that brought him home. I was poised on the edge, so close, but so very far away.

  “No, Red. Not that. Never beg.” He lowered his head, kissing me hard. When he pulled back I was gasping. “Never beg. Because I want this as much as you do.”

  When he drove himself into me, I screamed. Birds scattered out of the trees, and the sound of their startled flight was lost in my next cry as Colt thrust himself hard into me, his body coming down onto mine, pressing me into the rocks and sand. I didn't care that there was something sharp poking my ass. All I wanted was Colt. And I got him.

  He thrust hard and fast for several moments, his head dropped onto my shoulder, open mouth pressed against my neck. I wrapped arms and legs around him, pulling him hard against me. We moved as one, his thrusts matching my arching and bucking beneath him.

  I'd been waiting for this, waiting to move with Colt, to bring each of us together to the height of pleasure, to bring both of us to wherever this experience was leading. I didn't want to rush, but once we'd started, there was no holding back.

  I came suddenly, but not unexpectedly. Clutching Colt desperately, I let go, let my body take over. The orgasm that we'd created shook me to the very core. Nothing I'd ever experienced could come close to this.

  From the depths of my pleasure I heard Colt cry out, felt his body tense in my arms. And then there could be no other way to say that he melted against me. Arms went around my back and waist, one hand sliding down to my ass. There was a hot rush inside me, but there was no way for me to tell what came from Colt, what came from me. And I really didn't care. It was bliss, pure and simple.

  After a long time Colt rolled onto his back. The sun was behind the trees, shadows creeping across the river. The birds had come back to the trees, apparently over the startling experience of watching Colt and I. I traced a finger across his chest.

  “That was crazy.”

  Colt lifted his head,
giving me a lopsided smile. “It was.” He turned, propping himself up on one elbow. “And amazing.”

  I sat up. It felt strange to be lying naked on the rocks. In all my years camping, of coming here, I'd never been one to go skinny-dipping, or even wander around undressed in camp. But here I was, buck naked, lying under the sky in the fading light. But I was getting chilled, and even though lying next to Colt, looking at all that gorgeous man, the aftershocks of sex coursing through me, I wanted to be in the water.

  I leaned over, kissed his cheek, and sat up. With more grace than I'd displayed all day, I slipped back into the water. Colt sat up, sitting on the edge, dangling his feet in the water. I leaned against his knee. He, ever obsessed with it, ran his fingers through my hair. Occasionally he met with a tangle, gently working it free with his fingers.

  “Figured I'd find you with a woman.”

  I jerked around, splashing water into my face again, and Colt’s. Colt's fingers snagged in my hair, jerking my head back. I desperately wanted to sink beneath the water, but until Colt let go of my hair I was stuck above water, exposed. And more than a little freaked out. He finally let go, and I slid down as far as I could beneath the surface of the water.

  “Sorry. Didn't mean to startle you. Hey, Colt.”

  Deja vue washed over me. I looked up at the guy standing by the edge of the pool. I tried not to stare, something I'd been failing at miserably all day. Truthfully, I wanted to bolt out of the pool. But I was hardly dressed for a dash across rocks to the safety of the woods. Even my towel was out of reach. I was pinned down.

  “You two know each other?”

  The other guy, a blond giant who could easily have passed for a Viking nodded. He dropped an enormous pack on the ground, and kicked off his shoes. Colt slipped into the water next to me, like it was normal for him to be naked in a hot springs with a strange woman who was cowering in the water.

  “This is Jericho.” He nodded at the blond giant, who was still towering over me. And I noticed, with shock, that he was dropping his shorts, leaving them at the edge of the water. I didn't stare this time. I just closed my eyes, wondering what alternate universe I'd wandered into. But then, it was the springs. Maggie had pegged it.