CHAPTER 17  


“What now?” 
 
Sadie stared ahead, watching the endless yellow lines stretching across the blacktop, and clenched her fists. Distractions, my ass, she thought. How’s a housekeeper and a cop for distractions? One more kissus interruptus and someone would end up at the bottom of Lake Tahoe. And, damn it, her hands were fluttering like hummingbirds. For that matter, they’d been in the car for ten minutes and she couldn’t keep her entire BODY from trembling. Cold? Adrenaline? Fear? Good old-fashioned lust? She didn’t know. But this was getting ridiculous.  
 
“Sadie? What do you want to do?” 
 
Loaded question, that, wasn’t it? What do I want to do, Josh? she thought of saying. Well, we can go find a computer and I’ll let you read every damn thing I’ve ever wanted to do to you, and then some, and I can make up some more while you wait, and then we can lock ourselves in some big cabin in the woods where no housekeepers and no cops exist, and we can have wild monkey sex until the smell awakens hibernating bears and they come to devour us for lunch. That’s what I want to do. 
 
A short, high-pitched giggle packed with all the sexual frustration in the world bubbled out of her mouth, and once it started, another followed right behind. The giggle became a laugh. She looked at JC and there he was, looking at her like she’d grown a second head, and she watched comprehension dawn on his face, and then he grinned, that full-teeth, no-holds-barred grin that killed her every time, and he turned back to the road and giggled with her, and by the time they reached the strip of hotels and casinos that was South Lake Tahoe, they were both crying with laughter. 
 
He pulled the Jeep into a drugstore parking lot and let the engine run while Sadie’s giggles faded to light hiccups. All the tension of the last twenty-four hours released in one crying, laughing fit, and she leaned her head back against the seat and sighed, feeling like she’d just had the wild monkey sex. Then she thought of the feeling of her hands against his stomach, and his neck under her lips, and smiled.  
 
Well, not quite ALL the tension. 
 
She opened her eyes and turned her head to face JC, who had one elbow propped on the steering wheel, head in hand. His body was turned to face her, and she didn’t quite recognize the look in his eyes. Affection, lust, and something like wonder all trapped in those blue, blue eyes. 
 
“Your eyes are like Lake Tahoe,” she said, smiling, and reach out to touch his cheek. “It’s like they reflect the sky.” 
 
She saw his Adam’s apple move and heard his throat click, and she stroked his cheekbone with her thumb. She felt him go rigid under her. “Did you know that Lake Tahoe is fathoms deep?” she asked. “Deeper than anyone realizes. There’s all kinds of plates and ridges shifting under the water all the time. But it’s made of some of the purest water in the world, since it’s all clean glacier water, runoff from the mountains. It’s water made of snow, that’s why it’s so clear.” 
 
JC didn’t move. 
 
“But it’s cold, too,” she said, and her thumb paused. “Almost freezing. Sometimes, one of the plates shift under the water, and a fully-dressed cowboy, perfectly preserved, floats to the top.” She blushed. “Am I babbling?” 
 
He pressed his hand against hers, holding her tight against his cheek, and closed his eyes. He turned his face into her hand. He inhaled deeply, smelling the skin of her palm, and Sadie breathed with him; the bristled stubble of his cheek, combined with his hot, soft breath sapped her of words. Her thighs tightened, and she felt the familiar warmth rush through her torso. Then he kissed her palm, a soft brush of those rosy lips, and her breath stopped entirely. He dragged his lips across her palm, up her fingers, and, as she watched, nibbled the pad of her middle finger. Sadie fought to stay upright. 
 
Then his eyes opened, and he watched her watching him, and her lips parted, and she imagined what she must look like to him: eyes half-shut, mouth open, color high in her cheeks, and she shuddered. He bit harder on her finger, and slipped it into his mouth, and she felt his tongue, the hot, wet inside of his lips, all sucking and pulling at the tip of her finger, and she wondered if this is what he’d feel if she went down on him. The thought made her gasp, but still she couldn’t tear her eyes from those deep pools of blue, the sleepy-looking eyelids, the way his cheeks moved as he made love to her finger. 
 
And then he let go. He held her hand, but sat up straight, head darting around the parking lot. 
 
“No housekeepers and cops here,” Sadie said, and she realized how dry her mouth was. 
 
“No... no,” he said, and dropped her hand, and shifted into first. 
 
“Is something wrong?” she asked, leaning over the stickshift. “Cause... I mean, I don’t know about you, but I was kind of enjoying that.” 
 
He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and pulled the Jeep into traffic. 
 
Sadie threw herself back against the chair and crossed her arms. “If you’re going make a habit of being the world’s biggest tease, Joshua, then I think you should just bring me to a ski lift so I can throw myself off. I prefer a quick death, thank you.” 
 
He didn’t respond. But when she turned to face him, she saw a smile tug at his lips. 
 
“What is it, Josh? Hmm? Are you going to stop teasing me or find the highest ski lift?” 
 
Sadie gripped the rollbar as the Jeep whipped around a bend and screeched to a halt. She looked through the windshield and laughed. 
 
Heavenly Ski Resort. 
 
“You’re mean,” she said, and to his answering laugh, hopped out of the Jeep. 
 
 
 

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