Free Trail of Kisses by Merry Farmer

careening off-balance.
He was right there to scoop her up, though, and just about the time
she was able to orient herself in the rushing water, the current
running over her shoulders and around her chest, it dawned on her
that Cade might have impeded her efforts on purpose. How she got
there she wasn’t entirely sure, but she was firmly in Cade’s arms.
Her chest pressed against his, nothing but the wet fabric of her
chemise separating them. His hands spread across her back, holding
her tight. His muscled thigh nestled between her legs, and with a
gulp she realized she was sitting more or less straddling his hips.
Her feet weren’t touching the ground. Every part of her that
touched him, from her taut nipples to the aching juncture between
her thighs, was alive with wonder.
    “ Now isn’t this an interesting
predicament,” he said, smile as broad as the prairie.
    “ Is it?” She tilted her chin up,
pretending every part of her wasn’t quivering with anticipation
and… and a dozen other emotions too tempting to think
about.
    “ It is,” Cade answered and brought
his mouth slanting down on top of hers.
     

 
     
     
     
     
    Chapter Five
     
    If the sky had opened up and gold nuggets had
rained down on them, Cade wouldn’t have noticed. Lynne was hot and
supple in his arms. Her body was as soft and curvy as he had
imagined it to be through every long, restless night, since he’d
first laid eyes on her. Since she’d one-upped him by riding Arrow.
Her lips were as sweet as nectar. What was more, she parted those
lips and let him tease his tongue against them, let him taste as
deeply as he had longed to, without a second of hesitation. Her
body melded against him.
    His response was strong and immediate. He
pulled her closer, lowering a hand to cup her backside and press
her against the growing spear of his erection. A tiny voice at the
back of his head told him he was a damned fool for treating her
like a saloon girl, but she didn’t offer up a bit of resistance to
the pressure of his hips or to his invasion of her mouth. In fact,
she hummed with delight.
    The sound that came from low in her throat
must have startled her, because a heartbeat later she gasped and
jerked back. Not enough to signal to him that she wanted out of his
arms, though. Her dark eyes were round with surprise and her mouth
hung open, but that reaction was short-lived. Her gaze grew
heavy-lidded and focused on his mouth. Cade was ready to kiss her
again the second she leaned toward him. This time, she gave as much
to the kiss as he did.
    It was over far too soon.
    “ What are we doing?” she hissed,
pulling away in earnest.
    “ So you do like me after all.”
Cade smiled. Her kisses were better than Christmas and the Fourth
of July rolled up in gold and ice cream.
    She didn’t have a reply for him, only more of
that delicious look of surprise—like she might dive in for another
go. He spared her the trouble of making the decision by scooping
her up in his arms for one more searing kiss.
    The sound of blissful surrender rose from her
again before turning into an indignant squeak. This time when she
pulled away, Cade knew he wasn’t going to hold her again. At least
not today.
    “ You can’t do that,” she said,
breathing heavily.
    “ Why not?” He swam closer to her,
but kept his hands to himself. It was a monumental effort. His
staff was throbbing with disappointment between his legs as the
cold water of the stream helped him to settle.
    “ Well,” Lynne began, fumbling for
an answer. “There are people nearby, for one.”
    Cade glanced upstream to where Callie and John
were still floating and talking and not noticing anything around
them. He peeked downstream to the miners, who were busy with their
own concerns.
    “ I don’t think anyone is
watching,” he told her, unable to resist adding, “You’re not that
interesting.”
    To his utter delight, Lynne yelped in protest.
“You are an absolute terror, Cade Lawson.”
    “