Nodding, I say, “You're right.”
Branson turns away from me, but he's close enough in case I'm about to fall over and I need to grab for something. Peeling my wet clothes off my body, a cool breeze blows across my skin causing me to shiver. I decide to leave on my bra and panties for a bit of modesty. Besides, they’re so sheer they’re hardly wet at all.
Rubbing the outside of my arms, I hop the couple feet to the sleeping bag and climb inside. “Okay, I'm in.”
He turns to face me, giving me an awkward smile. “Sorry, I don't want this to weird, but I want to make sure you're safe.”
His words hit me in the chest. I don't know what it is, but I'm turned on instantly. He's protective, he's my rescuer and savior, and he’s hot as hell. And the thought of being naked in a sleeping bag with him makes me wet.
“It's fine, I trust you,” I say.
He climbs in behind me, his scent overpowering everything else around me. “I'm going to wrap my arm around you and use my body heat to keep you warm.” His arm falls over my shoulders, and he pulls my back close to his chest.
“I'm warmer already,” I say.
The bag is small, made for one person. We're so close, tucked up against each other. I can feel his heart pounding against my back. His heartbeat is fast and hard, making my stomach flip.
Inhaling, his cologne swirls across my face, invading all my senses. It's overwhelming, so overwhelming I can't ignore the heat that's burning between my legs. Rolling over to face him, I look into his eyes.
He's mesmerizing. The dark hair, the dark eyes, the scruff I can see across his jaw, and the huge erection pressing against my thigh.
He has this look on his face, like he's embarrassed and ashamed all at once. “I'm sorry,” he says, trying to scoot away. “It's not every day I'm this close to a beautiful woman.”
“No, it's fine.” My voice is sultry and low. I don't know if it's the bump on my head or the fact that he's gone out of his way to help me that's making turning me on so much right now.
Without a moment to think, I kiss him. My lips press against his, and for a split second he kisses me back. His lips are softer than I thought, dewy and velvety smooth.
Parting my lips, I'm giving him permission to slip his tongue inside my mouth. But he doesn't. Instead he breaks away, pulling his mouth off of mine.
“Melody, this isn't why I did this. I didn't do this to take advantage of you.” His eyes are troubled and unsure.
“I know.” My eyes dance between his. “I didn't come out here looking for this either. I needed to get away. I've been feeling stuck, like everything else is moving forward around me, but I'm just stagnant.” Sighing, I hold his gaze with mine. “I came here to escape, and maybe this is exactly what I need right now. A chance encounter. A moment between two strangers that exists outside of my everyday world. I'm not going to fight what I want right now, especially when it's so close to me right now.”
Bran's eyes move around my face, lingering on my lips. Licking his lips, he growls softly as he drives his hand into my hair and pulls me in for a kiss.
His kiss is hard, hungry, and so very fucking sweet.
It's everything I need it to be.
He's everything I need him to be right now. Bran can be my escape.
4
Branson
My fingers move slowly down the curve of her jaw, gently touching, enjoying her softness. Her lips sweep over mine, wet and slick as she opens her mouth to let me in. Our tongues slip around each other.
This isn't how I anticipated my day ending. I thought I'd hike for a bit, enjoy the silence of the woods like I always have, and then fall asleep alone.
With my eyes wide open, I admire the beautiful creature in my arms, unable to control myself the second she offered herself to me. I'm more than happy to give her whatever she feels she needs.
It's been hard not to touch her, to just admire her from a distance. The way the fire kissed her skin as she sat petting her dog, the way she laughed and giggled as we told stories about our lives, it all made my attraction to her stronger.
I found it hard to look away as my eyes were drawn to her pink flushed skin from the heat of the flames, and the way her eyes sparkled like the stars.
Now I'm here, staring into her eyes as our kiss turns from tender to savage. My tongue licks across the roof of her mouth, tasting as much of her as I can. I want to drink her in. I want to savor every second of this.