Stinger (A Sign of Love Novel)(84)

"I never let go, but I still turned into a human popsicle," I said softly.

Carson looked at me for a beat and then burst out laughing. He smiled at me, his eyes twinkling. "On the positive side, I think I'm cured. No more cinematic therapy needed," he said.

I laughed and we both smiled into each other's eyes, warmth shining from his. The smile left his face. "We have so much to catch up on," he said quietly.

I nodded, smiling a small smile at him. We had time.

"But first, I'm taking you to the hot tub, and then to my bed," he said, his voice sounding slightly strained.

"Yes," I whispered, desire coursing through my suddenly very-warm veins.

He picked me up and carried me down a short hall and set me down in front of a door at the back of the cabin. Then he grabbed a couple large towels on a shelf behind him. "Take off your clothes and wrap this around you. I'm gonna carry you outside. It'll be cold for a couple seconds but it'll be worth it, I promise."

He started taking off his clothes and when he pulled his long-sleeved t-shirt over his head, I gulped down a lump that got stuck in my throat. He had been beautiful before, but now… I didn't even know real-life men looked that way. He was all sleek, hard muscle, not an ounce of fat on him, covered in smooth, golden skin. He looked so large, standing before me, like some kind of God. "Carson, you're… so…" I said, staring unabashedly at his naked chest and then moving my eyes down to his tented boxers. "We can skip the hot tub," I suggested.

Carson chuckled. "No, you need it–not just for the warmth, but for the relaxation. At least for a few minutes. You've been driving all night," he said gently.

I noticed the small scar to the left of his heart, near his shoulder. It must be where the bullet exited from his body. I closed my eyes briefly, it hitting me all at once that if things had been just a little different, I might not be here with him at all. I leaned in and kissed the scar and when I came back up, Carson's eyes were warm and tender, but he didn't say a word.

He reached for my sweater and started pulling it up. I closed my eyes as it came over my head and then reached down and unbuttoned my jeans. My eyes tangled with Carson's and heat flared in his, making the hazel color deeper, his pupils dilating.

I licked my lips as I started to peel the denim down my legs. They were damp and so it took a minute to get them down far enough that I could step out of them.

I stood back up in nothing but my black bra and panties, staring at him, lust pumping through my body as I took in his naked perfection, so beautifully male in every way.

I reached in front of my breasts and unhooked my bra. It fell open and Carson's eyes moved down to my breasts, and a small groan came up his throat.

He reached out and pulled the straps down my shoulders and let my bra fall to the ground. My nipples pebbled under his stare.

As his eyes traveled over me, he whispered, "You take my breath away."

Blood was pumping through my core so powerfully, that I thought I might be able to come just from the fierce flow of it alone. I had never been this turned on, even all those years ago, with this same man. Maybe it was because it had been so long, but I thought a more likely explanation was that he was mine this time. We hadn't discussed it specifically, but I knew it was true. He was mine and I was his. That knowledge was a heady aphrodisiac.

We both reached down simultaneously and removed our bottoms, each watching the other. His cock sprang free and at the sight of it, I felt a release of hot moisture in my core.

I stood up straight and drank in his powerful body. I shivered, not with cold, but with arousal, but Carson took one towel and quickly wrapped it around his narrow hips and then took the other towel and wrapped it around me, picking me up in his arms, and then using one hand to unlock and open the back door.

The blast of cold, snowy air hit us and I wrapped my arms around him, putting my face in the crook of his neck, breathing him in and moaning at the scent of his skin right against my face, that individual smell that I would recognize until the day I died. If I was put in a dark room with one hundred other men, I could locate him by scent alone. That scent belonged to me.

I couldn't help darting my tongue out to taste him there. He tasted slightly salty and I relished it on my tongue. I wanted to taste him everywhere.

I heard a small growl come from his throat and a slight tremor move through his body as he walked to the hot tub a few feet away.

He set me down next to it and as I climbed in the hot, steamy water, he placed our towels underneath a bench behind him and pressed a button to turn on the jets.

As I sunk down into the water with a sigh, Carson climbed in and moved right next to me.

My eyes fell closed and I moaned out at the delicious feel of the hot water swirling around me, warming me completely. I let every muscle in my body relax, letting the stress and emotional build-up release from my tense body. After a few minutes, I grew so hot that I felt perspiration break out on my forehead. The desire that had been pulsing through my body a few minutes ago was still there, but it had taken a backseat momentarily.

I looked over at Carson and he was smiling over at me. "I missed that," he whispered.

"What?" I murmured.

"The look of pleasure on your face," he said, smiling softly.

I smiled a slight smile back and really studied his face for the first time since he had come back into my life. Those deep hazel eyes with the long, dark lashes, always watching, observing, taking in everything around him, his straight nose and those full lips that I constantly wanted somewhere on my body. I reached out my finger and traced his strong jaw, a day or two worth of scruff making it rough beneath my touch, and then used my thumb to trace his lips, right before I leaned over and kissed him gently. He wrapped a hand around the back of my neck and pulled me closer to him, slanting his lips over mine.