Free Separate Cabins by Janet Dailey Page B

cheek to nibble at her ear, his breath fanning the sensitive opening and sending quivers of excitement over her skin. Rachel turned her head to the side when he continued his intimatetrail down the cord in her neck and nuzzled at the point where it joined her shoulder. She could hear the roughened edge of his breathing. There was a measure of satisfaction in knowing she wasn’t the only one aroused.
    Then he was drawing back slightly to rest his hard cheekbone against her temple, his lips barely brushing the silken texture of her black hair. While his hands were curved to the hollow of her back, Rachel slipped her arms from around him so she could glide them around his neck.
    “I told you it’s what’s in between that counts,” Gard said with a rough edge to his voice that left her in no doubt of his desires. “And you can’t deny there’s something between us.”
    “No.” The way she was trembling inside, Rachel couldn’t possibly deny it. Neither could she tell whether it was purely sexual or if there was an emotional fire there as well. Liking a person was often a spontaneous thing; so was physical attraction. But love took a little longer.
    “I thought I’d get an argument out of you on that one,” he murmured, absently surprised at her easy agreement, but only she knew the qualification she had attached to it.
    When his mouth turned toward her, she welcomed its possession. Her fingers curled into the mahogany thickness of his hair to pull his head down and deepen the kiss. She arched her body more tightly against the vital force of his, her breasts making round impressions on his solid chest. There was a completeness to the moment, the ironfeel of a man’s arms about her and the passion of a hungry kiss breathing life into her desires.
    Locked together in the heat of their embrace, it was several seconds before either of them became aware of the suppressed titters behind them and the whispered voices. Their lips broke apart as they both turned their heads to see the elderly couple tiptoeing past them. Rachel recognized them as the pair that had been so grateful for her help that morning when she had carried juice to the table for them.
    They had seemed a romantic pair despite their advanced age. She didn’t really mind that they had been the ones who had seen her kissing Gard. Still, this was a fairly public place to indulge in such private necking. She lowered her arms to his chest and gently pushed away.
    “I think I’d better go to my cabin before I become drunk on all this fresh air,” Rachel murmured.
    “It wasn’t the air I found intoxicating,” Gard countered with lazy warmth and let her move out of the circle of his arms.
    “I’ll bet you’ve used that line more than once.” The lighthearted feeling prompted her to tease him.
    “As an attorney, I’d do well to plead the Fifth Amendment rather than respond to that remark,” he retorted and held out a hand to her. “I’ll walk you to your cabin.”
    “No.” Rachel put her hands behind her back, in a little girl gesture, to hide them from his outstretched palm. “I’ll tell you good night here.”
    There was a hesitation before he surrendered toher wishes. “I’ll see you at breakfast in the morning . . . Mrs. MacKinley.”
    Something in the way he said her name made it different, like it was his name she possessed. Her heart tumbled at the thought, her pulse racing. She schooled her expression to give none of this away to him and smiled instead.
    “I’ll see you in the morning.” She avoided speaking his name and swung away to walk to the steps leading to the door.
    After she had pulled it open, she paused and turned to look aft. He was standing at the railing where they had been, lighting another cigarette, all male elegance in his black formal suit. The urge was strong to go back to his side, and Rachel lifted her long skirt to step over the raised threshold and walked inside before that urge could override her sense of