More time passed as he slowly swept his hands up and down her back. At one point, he started to say something and then stopped.
“What?” she whispered.
“I actually don’t have words.”
“Is that a good or bad thing?”
He nudged her face from the crook of his shoulder. Cupping it in his big hands, he kissed her, putting a whole bunch of what he was thinking into the kiss, so that by the time he pulled back, she could only smile dazedly. “A good thing, then.”
“More like amazing.” He looked around. The windows were completely fogged. The temperature had dropped too, and now that they weren’t actively creating enough heat to start an explosion, the chill was becoming pronounced. Reaching behind his seat, he produced a duffel bag. “Emergency kit,” he said as he pulled out a blanket and wrapped them up in it.
“You know what would be good? If you also had a cookies ’n’ cream cupcake in there.”
With a low chuckle, he wrapped his arms around her, nuzzling at her neck. “Sorry, no. But I’ve got some PowerBars and water.”
She wriggled in closer, loving the feel of his hard body beneath hers. And he was hard. Everywhere. “How about another condom?” she whispered.
This got her a sexy, heated smile that she took as a hell, yes. This time when they came together, it was slower, deeper, and just as shockingly good. And with it was the unspoken agreement that this, whatever this was, would continue to their mutual pleasure for as long as it worked.
Or for as long as they were both in Tahoe.
Because as she reminded everyone as often as she could, she was going to be gone soon. There would be no future. She’d made him promise her that. And hell if it wasn’t both a huge relief and her greatest regret.
THE NEXT MORNING, Jane jerked awake at the rude sound of her alarm. She’d set it early to get a ride from Mateo out to her car. Fumbling for her phone, she hurriedly slapped snooze, not ready to rise and shine.
She and Levi had stayed up on the Tahoe Rim Trail until two thirty in the morning. Which had been three short hours ago.
Basking in the wonderfulness of that, she staggered into the shower. Ten minutes later, she was back in her room, hunting for clothes, when Levi called.
“Just wanted to make sure you’re okay.”
The sound of his low, sleep-roughened voice had her smiling like an idiot. “I think you know that I am.”
He gave a soft laugh.
Silence.
Memories.
Longing.
“So . . .” she managed. “Are we going to be uncomfortable around each other now?”
“Does it feel uncomfortable?”
She let out the breath she hadn’t even realized she’d been holding as relief flooded her. She loved his candidness and felt grateful for it. “I’m glad nothing’s changed,” she said softly.
“Not even if we made this real.”
Her heart stopped at the thought of doing just that, and because it did, she forced herself to joke away the odd ache his words had brought. “Oh, sure,” she teased, “you say that now, but before I knew it, it’d be all healthy food and anal sex.”
She heard a choking sound.
Then a rustling and a good amount of swearing.
“Levi?”
“Just snorted coffee up my nose.”
She laughed.
He was quiet a moment and she assumed he was mopping himself up. Then he asked quietly, “Any regrets?”