Her lips were soft and lush, and he could have luxuriated in their moist plumpness all morning, but the last thing he wanted was to scare Rachel off. However reluctantly, he would release her. But before he could break the kiss, she opened her mouth and touched her tongue to his lips.
Jamie was lost.
With a soft groan of surrender, he fused his mouth to hers, reveling in the hot slickness of her tongue as she pressed forward. She made a humming sound of pleasure that went straight to his groin and caused his body to react. Jamie had gone without sex—or intimacy of any kind—for more than a year. Now the impact of those long months of forced celibacy hit him with all the force of a sledgehammer, more so because it was Rachel in his arms, kissing him as if her life depended on it.
She slid her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss. Jamie buried his hand in the silken mass of her hair and explored her more fully, tasting her. She shifted on his lap, and in another second she would realize just how badly he wanted her. Reluctantly, he pulled away.
Rachel’s breathing was swift and uneven, and for a long moment they just stared at each other. Then she stood up, retrieved the dishes from the table, and fled indoors. Jamie blew out his breath and sagged back in his wheelchair.
Goddamn.
He cursed the busted leg that prevented him from following her inside and carrying her into his bedroom.
He sat on the patio for several long minutes to regain control of his rampant lust. Just as he made the decision to grab his crutches and go after her, Rachel appeared in the doorway. She came over to the table and sat down across from him.
“I’m sorry,” she finally said. She gestured helplessly. “I didn’t mean for that to happen, and I won’t blame you if you want to fire me.”
Jamie gaped at her. “Fire you? Are you kidding me?”
Rachel gave a self-conscious shrug. “I crossed the line.”
Jamie sat back in his chair and considered her. “It was a kiss, Rachel. One that I initiated. And I’ll be damned if I’ll feel bad about it.”
Rachel drew in a breath. “Thanks. I just don’t want you to think I’m some sort of Mrs. Robinson, who takes advantage of younger men.”
“You’re not?”
“Of course not!”
“That’s a damn shame,” Jamie said, with heartfelt regret.
When Rachel laughed, he relaxed a bit. For a moment, he’d been certain she would quit. He didn’t want to pressure her, but their time together was limited. He just needed to convince her how good they could be together, although he knew she’d felt the chemistry. Rachel had definitely been into that kiss. He’d been the one to pull away first, and he hadn’t misread her reaction to him.
She wanted him.
He knew the difference in their age bothered her, but as far as he was concerned, it was a non-issue. Rachel might still think of him as a kid, but he’d had his shit together for a long time, and he knew what he wanted in life. He had a sweet little condo that overlooked the ocean in California, with plans to build a timber-frame house here in Glacier Creek, both for when he had some vacation time, and for when he eventually left the military. He was financially secure, and he had no problems with commitment. In fact, he considered himself a pretty good catch. So what if he didn’t have the money or fame Deke Narducci had? Look how that had turned out for Rachel.
He watched as her face bloomed with color over his remarks. Man, he loved to watch her squirm. Now she looked at him, and he could see her struggling to compose herself.
“I have something planned for today that I think you’ll enjoy,” she finally said, changing the subject.
“Rachel, you don’t have to do that.” Didn’t she know just spending time with her was enough?
“Do what?”
“You don’t have to entertain me,” he said patiently. “I’m perfectly happy just hanging out. In fact, you could go grab your swimsuit and we could just spend the day here, by the pool. I can grill us something for lunch, and we can just have a laid-back day.”
She wavered for a moment, and Jamie knew she was tempted.
“C’mon,” he urged. “You’ve been great, shuttling me all over the place for the past few days. Don’t get me wrong; it’s been fun, but maybe a down day is just what we need.”
Rachel immediately looked alarmed. “Have I been pushing you too hard? I didn’t even ask if these were things you wanted to do.”
Jamie laughed, and shook his head. “No, you haven’t been pushing me. But why don’t we just stay here today? The temps are supposed to get up near eighty today, so it would be nice for you to be able to take a swim.”