Page 14 of Puppy Kisses

It always did. That was the problem. Words could be ignored and the sound of her laughter pressed deep down inside him, but one graze of his fingertips on her body and he was lost.

“I’ve always wanted to have sex on a pile of hay,” Dawn said, calling his bluff. She arched into his touch, allowing his hand to slide up her back. He encountered nothing but soft skin and the gentle curve of her spine, both of which promised more of the same, should he give in andreallycop a feel. Which was tempting for a lot of reasons, including the fact that Dawn was stacked in ways that seemed wholly against nature. “Surely there must be one or two of those in the barn we could try?”

“There are.” He brought his lips close to her ear, though he was careful not to press against the gently pounding pulse below it. The moment the kissing started, all other bets were off—including the one that had a Great Dane puppy at their feet and a golden retriever puppy napping under Phoebe’s desk. That was the one thing he knew for sure. Dawn had come out here with the sole intention of luring him into lowering his defenses, using her incredible body and the promise of what it could do to get her own way. She wanted Methuselah, and she’d stop at nothing to get her.

Well, two could play that way. In fact, he was becoming something of an expert at this particular game.

“We could slip in there right now, and no one would know where we are,” he murmured. Dawn arched her neck to give him better access, but he didn’t kiss, didn’t touch. Only teased. “I could throw you into the biggest stack of hay and rip this tiny scrap of a shirt from your body.”

A slight, guttural sound indicated how much she liked the direction this conversation was going.Typical.With Dawn, the anticipation, the clandestine nature of their meetings, was half the fun.

Who was he kidding? Where that woman was concerned, it was probablyallthe fun.

“No one will think to look for us for hours,” he added, still in that low, crooning voice. “It’ll just be me and you, our bodies slick with sweat.”

Dawn’s hips pressed against his, her arms coiling around his neck so that her entire body could melt against him. This was how she always struck, coiled and soft and yielding.

So he struck back.

“Well, that and the snakes.”

Instead of pulling back, Dawn only laughed and clasped her hands tighter around his neck. “Good thing I happen to like snakes,” she said. Her mouth brushed lightly against his, fluttering like a pair of butterfly wings. “Like the alligators, they make such nice shoes. Purses too.”

Even though Adam’s body thrummed with anticipation, burning hot in all the places it touched hers, he kept his tone level. “We also get the occasional badger, even though they’re pretty rare in these parts. Rats are almost a certainty.”

“Why, Adam Dearborn, are you trying to sweet-talk me?”

No, dammit.He was trying to do the exact opposite. Why did this woman refuse to act like a normal human being? She should run at the mention of rats, not press her hips against his until he ached.

“I’m just making sure you know what you’re getting into, that’s all,” he said. His voice sounded strained to his own ears. “Things can get pretty nasty out here in the wilderness.”

“That’s funny,” she purred. “So can I.”

It was almost more than he could take. Getting the better of this woman in a verbal battle was almost impossible, and making her see reason was laughable. At least in a pile of hay, he’d have a chance of coming out on top.

Well, he’d have a chance ofcomingon top, anyway.

“Of course, the real thing you want to watch out for is the straw itch mites,” he managed before he was lost to all sense of propriety.

“Those aren’t a real thing,” she protested, laughing. She also slackened her hold, which was the most important thing.

“Oh, they’re nasty little buggers—literally.” Finally, finally, he was able to slip his hand out from under her shirt. Finally, finally, the pressure of her hips against his gave way. “Zeke was covered from head to toe in the rash last year. You’d have thought he fell into a well of poison oak from the way his body broke out in those welts.”

“You’re just making this up to scare me. If you didn’t want to sleep with me, you could have said so.”

Ha. Right.That showed how much she knew. Healwayswanted to sleep with her. He always wanted to be near her—inside her, on top of her, even sitting in the same goddamned room. How pathetic was that? While she was out living the vibrant, fast-paced life of a woman in her prime, he sat at home and pined.

And his only saving grace—the only way he could continue to hold his head high—was to never let her know.

“I don’t want to sleep with you,” he lied. “I don’t want to kiss or hug or even touch you any more than is strictly necessary. In fact, now that we’re on the subject, I don’t want your Great Dane peace offering, either.”

She laughed.Laughed. “I don’t believe you,” she said, her voice low and crooning. “I think you want me as much as I want you. And I think you’re going to throw me into a pile of hay—cleanhay—to prove it.”

“You’re wrong,” he replied—and she was. Not about him wanting her, but about how much. What he felt wasn’t a flash of temporary desire. It wasn’t a tepid impulse. It wasneed, pure and simple.

He’d have done exactly as she demanded, given up his dignity and his dog for a chance at having her in his arms again, except for the pounding of light footsteps in the distance. He jumped away from Dawn, ears cocked as Phoebe’s panting breath immediately followed.

“Thank the good goddess in heaven. There you are.” Phoebe’s words were hitched, her breathing labored. “It’s that stupid animal, Adam. I tried to catch her before she got away, but I opened the gate so I could start cleaning the yard, and it must not have latched. She took off like a horde of wolves were after her.”