Page 88 of Rags's Awakening
“How does he keep people off his land?” A sliver of guilt threaded through her.
“He and his help check it now and then to make sure no one’s squatting or pullin’ shit. I guess you’ve just been lucky.”
“I’ve only been here a few times. I love the quiet and being immersed in nature.”
“I’ll introduce you to Pete and let him know you’re cool.” The side of his mouth hitched. “He likes pretty women. His ol’ lady, Jackie, is cool, too.”
“Is he an Insurgent?”
“No. Just a friend of the prez.”
His gaze flicked to the bare skin of her shoulders above the waterline, lingering and devouring.
“Do you come here often?” she asked, her stomach flipping again.
“No. I wasn’t planning to today, but I needed to get away from everything, you know?”
She nodded.
He took her hand and lifted it to his mouth, sweeping his lips over her knuckles. The simple touch struck like lightning, igniting every nerve.
“You’re in my head, Case,” he murmured. “It’s drivin’ me fuckin’ crazy.”
The nickname hit hard, melting her insides.
“You’re in my head, too,” she admitted softly. “More than I want you to be.”
He moved closer. His hand curved around the back of her neck, tugging her forward as his mouth pressed against hers, demanding entry. She leaned into him, lips parting as his tongue slid against hers, gliding, twining, and thrusting as his hips rocked into her.
She buried her hands in his wet hair, pulling him closer.
“Fuck, baby,” he groaned, low and rough.
His other arm wrapped around her waist beneath the surface, slamming her flush against him, skin to skin. All at once, time and space lost meaning. There was only him.
Snaking her arms around his neck, she kissed him long and slow.
“Damn, woman,” he rasped.
He brushed his fingers over her nipple, then squeezed. She gasped as the bud hardened, a sharp spike of desire shooting through her.
“You like that?” His voice was gravelly in her ear.
Casey moaned, squirming at his touch.
“I bet you like this,” he whispered, as his hand slid downward, his fingers gliding over the thin strip of hair between her thighs before stopping to cup and caress her.
Wildfire raced up her legs at his touch. She strained against him, then pulled away, cold replacing the warmth of his body.
“We’re not doing this in the water, baby,” he said, voice thick and ragged. “I want you laid out where I can really see and touch you.”
Before she could answer, Rags scooped her like she weighed nothing, her legs wrapping instinctively around his waist. Water streamed off them as he carried her toward the bank, his mouth trailing heat down her throat.
He set her down on her beach towel, then strode to his bike, sunlight glinting off the wet planes of his back. Casey pulled her knees to her chest, circling her arms around them, watching the long lines of his body move. A pulse of excitement throbbed beneath her skin, then a cold sliver of doubt pierced her mind. She smothered it before it could take root and focused instead on the weight of his gaze as he came back toward her, blanket in hand.
“Are you always prepared?” she asked, eyes darting between his hands and his smoldering stare.
He threw her a wicked grin as he shook out the blanket and spread it over the dried grass. “Sure. Never know when I’m gonna stumble across a sexy, sassy woman buck naked in a hot spring.”
