Page 85 of Mountain Man’s Mystic Touch

Rocco groans my name, over and over, his breath hot against my neck, and then he shudders, slamming into me one final time before he spills inside me. The heat of it spreads inside me while I ride a wave of throbbing sensation.

Rocco collapses over me, his breath ragged against my ear, and for a long, perfect minute we just exist like we’re suspended in time. My arms wrap tightly around his shoulders. Our hearts gallop together while the world narrows to the places where our skin touches.

He is heavy and hot on top of me, but I love the weight, the way his body shields mine. Gradually, the rhythm of his breath slows, syncs with mine. He kisses my neck, my jaw, my mouth, softer now, a gentleness returning that we left behind somewhere near the front door. I run my fingers through his hair, feeling the tension drain from him in increments, leaving something raw and open in its wake.

He pulls out carefully, rolling to his side and bringing me with him until I am tucked against his chest. I am still shaking, my thighs slick and trembling, but I feel more alive and clear-headed than I have since the first vision. He has taken nothing from me. Even wrung out and trembling, I feel more completely inside my own body than I have since the vision.

I want to tell him so much. I want to pour out every hope, every fear that has dogged me. But what comes out is, “I’m glad you came to my cabin.”

Rocco’s arms tighten around me. He is still hard enough that I feel it, a ridiculous, human triumph. “I couldn’t resist checking on you, kissing you again.”

He kisses my forehead and I burrow into the space beneath his chin. We lie there, tangled and sweating, the covers pushed halfway down the bed. I listen to the clamor of our hearts, the silence between them. I feel a thousand tiny things going on inside me. My old brittle reservations grinding up against something new and suspiciously like hope.

Chapter 15

Rocco

Loralee lies against my chest as if she belongs there. Her hair spills across my shoulder, threaded with vivid color that should look out of place against my skin. It doesn’t. Neither does her leg tangled with mine or the hand resting over my heart as though she has every right to feel what she has done to it. I stare into the darkness above us and listen to her breathing.

For the first time since I saw the vehicle in the security footage, I am not thinking about sight lines, access points, or the places a man could hide beyond the reach of the cabin lights. I’m not counting doors or measuring the time it would take to reach my weapon.

I am thinking about how Loralee looked beneath me. How she said my name. How thoroughly I lost the control I normally hold onto.

Her fingertips graze against my chest. “You’re thinking very loudly.”

I look down, but her eyes remain closed. “That isn’t possible.”

“With you, it is.”

“You said you don’t read minds.”

“I don’t. Your body is rigid, your heart hasn’t decided whether to race or stop altogether, and you’ve been staring at the ceiling for several minutes. Those are clues.”

I slide my hand slowly down her back. Her skin is warm beneath my palm, and something inside me tightens at the way she relaxes into the touch rather than pulling away from it.

“Are you all right?” I ask.

Her eyes open. “That sounds like another professional assessment.”

“It’s a question.”

“A very serious one.”

“Loralee.”

“I’m more than all right.” She lifts her head and gazes at me in the faint light coming through the bedroom doorway.

“Actually, I feel better than I have since the vision.”

The answer should satisfy me. Instead, my attention sharpens.

“Better how?”

“Clearer.” She presses her palm over the center of my chest. “Usually, intense contact with another person leaves me sorting through what belongs to me and what doesn’t. I need quiet afterward. Space.”

I know what she told me earlier. That solitude helps her restore whatever her work takes from her. I also know I’m lying in the middle of the place where she intended to be alone.

I loosen my arm around her. “I can give you that.”