His logic worked only when Vivid was out of his sight. The trousers she wore most of the time played havoc with his discipline. He'd avoided her as much as possible since the last time he'd kissed her, opting to spend his time with the books in his study, or out in the Grove helping with the spring planting and harvesting, but on the few occasions they had crossed paths, Lancaster and her trousers were all he could see. When she showed up wearing them that first day at his office he'd nearly scalded himself with the coffee he was pouring. It was how he felt every time he saw her: scalded. The sight of her trousered hips as she stepped up into the wagon, the sight of her walking away from him across the field to her cabin, were only two of the more heated memories he had of the vivid Dr. Lancaster. Each and every time he saw her, his whole being centered on one idea—easing the denim down her hips and filling his hands with the lush sweet fullness of her bottom.
When she came walking into the barn as he pitched fresh straw into the stalls, he felt his manhood quicken. He raised his eyes to her face and paused upon seeing the tired circles around her eyes. The urge to soothe her rose and swelled, much in the same way it had the day she'd shown him her red, chapped hands.
He asked, "Do you need something?"
"Just a few moments of your time." Vivid had spent the last few weeks trying to forget her attraction to him. She had a modicum of success as long as she didn't see him. “Abigail and I would like permission to take Magic on a trip to Detroit."
"Why?"
"I thought she might enjoy it."
Vivid strolled over to where the snowshoes were hung on the barn wall and made a point of observing them as she waited for his reply. "And what is this?" she asked, taking down a long pole that had what appeared to be a small snowshoe on the end. "Another kind of snowshoe?"
Nate set the fork in the bale and crossed the barn to where she stood. "No, that is a lacrosse stick."
"Lacrosse?"
He took the stick from her hands and turned it over. "It's a game played originally by the People. They call it Little Brother of War."
"War?" she asked.
"War," he answered.
Judging by the look on his face as he handled the stick, Vivid deduced lacrosse held a very special meaning for Nate Grayson. "How is the game played?" she asked.
"There are two teams. The object is to carry the ball in this cradle at the end of the stick and throw it past the other team's goal."
"The entire stick or simply the ball?"
"The ball."
"Do women play?"
"No."
"You say that with such firmness," Vivid quipped, smiling.
"Because I've learned a few things about you, Lancaster, and I'm telling you now, women do not play lacrosse. We play an annual game in the autumn, and you are not going to be allowed on the field. It's a man's game."
"Men say the same thing about voting," Vivid pointed out saucily.
"I'll bet that mouth of yours has been getting you in trouble since you were born."
"You have learned a few things about me, haven't you, Nate Grayson?"
The air was fairly crackling by now. Devouring her with his eyes, he reached over her shoulder to rehang the lacrosse stick on the nail behind her. His presence spread over her like a thick coat of warm honey.
"Let's see what else I can learn..." she heard him whisper, and anticipation rushed over her like the strong winds of a storm. When he lowered his mouth to hers, passion swept her away.
Vivid knew this shouldn't be happening, not again, but she couldn't help herself. She responded with an instinctive parting of her lips, which he brushed with his own before very slowly nibbling each trembling half. He was the only man to ever kiss her this way, the only man to teach her passion, and because she'd always been an avid pupil, and because the man was Nate, Vivid wanted to learn all he desired to teach.
Nate thought her mouth too sweet, her body too soft. Her vividness couldn't possibly have been meant for a mere mortal like himself, but he feasted on her with the hunger of a starving man. Her virgin responses were like spring rain to his parched, long-buried emotions. As he brushed his mouth over her ear, her jaw, and the sweet chocolate expanse of her throat, his desire welled with an intensity he'd never known he possessed. His vows to never touch her again meant little when she was in his arms. He wanted her as he had never wanted a woman before, the consequences be damned.
Vivid trembled when his mouth began to explore the skin beneath her jaw. His kisses against her throat were hot, feverish. She could feel his hands mapping her back and shoulder, then his thumb rubbed softly against the nipple of her breast. She heard herself moan breathlessly as he toyed and teased. This, too, was new, so new that she could only stand on shaking legs and relish the sparkling intensity. He wantonly coaxed the other nipple to a pleading tight point, and when they were prepared to his satisfaction, he dropped his head and bit each bud gently through her shirt. Were it not for his strong arm bracing her back, she was certain she would not have been able to stand.
Vivid was so caught up by the whirlwind of passion, she offered no protest when he slowly began to undo the buttons of her blouse. She offered no protest when he eased aside her chemise. For the first time in her life, she felt the lips of a man teasing her breasts, and all she could do was moan softly and ride the storm.
Her nipples pleaded but he gave no quarter, not with his lips nor with the lightning tip of his tongue. Her whole world seemed centered on the fire charging through her, and when he lifted his head, his eyes held a glittering reflection of her own.
Nate reclaimed her mouth, savoring her response and how perfectly her behind fit his palms. He eased her into his hardness while he languidly and brazenly slid his hands over her hips. The thought of exploring the warmth she treasured between her thighs made him want to undress her fully and take her to the pinnacle of desire, but he would not compromise her so recklessly.
Nor could he stop. He couldn't stop kissing her lips or teasing her dark-tipped breasts. He couldn't resist lingering against the scented hollow of her throat any more than he could resist breathing.
Vivid trembled in response to his bold play. She'd never experienced such soaring sensations. Her nipples were pebble-hard and damp from his attentions and the brazen hand moving so possessively over her hips and thighs made her moan in the silence of the barn. She sensed herself losing control, could feel herself wanting to succumb to this heat no matter the consequences. She eased her lips from his to halt this sweet torture and her own potential downfall. "Nate..."
"Yes..." he said in a husky voice as his thumbs rubbed softly over her nipples. Hearing her gasp in response made him place another lingering kiss on her open mouth.
"We...must stop, Nate."
Vivid wanted to kiss him forever and fought to remember that they had to end this interlude.
"You're right," he whispered while nibbling her bottom lip. "God, Viveca you could sell these kisses and make a fortune."
"You wouldn't want me selling my kisses...would you?"
"You know what I mean..."
They finally parted.
Under his hot scrutiny, she took longer than normal to adjust her chemise and redo the buttons with shaking fingers. The heat spiraling through her made her vulnerable still. She had to turn away from him so she could breathe.
Nate chuckled in response to her actions. He ran his eyes over her hips as she worked on her blouse. They'd been lush and yielding in his hands, her thighs soft and firm. He wanted her so badly, he ached.
When she turned to face him again, she appeared to be more in control, but her eyes bore the remnants of passion and her lips were swollen from his kisses. "Well?" he asked her softly.
"Well—they certainly didn't teach me anything about this in medical school."
He grinned. "No?"
"No," she replied, smiling shyly. "I always assumed only the man benefited."
"You have a place on your body that's made only for...be
nefits. Did you know that?''
Avoiding his eyes, because she'd never heard of such a thing, Vivid shook her head no.
"Well, you do," he told her in a quiet voice. He wanted to be the one to show her the true pleasures awaiting a woman as vividly passionate as she, but that service would be rendered by the man she eventually married. The thought of some stranger sharing her kisses made his jaw clench.
"Will you let Magic accompany us?"
He cleared his mind of the visions of another man kissing her as heatedly as he'd done, and said, "I see no real harm in it. And as long as Aunt Gail goes along, I won't have to worry about you getting my daughter lost."
Vivid took mock offense. "I'm getting better at finding my way, you can ask anyone."
Then she added, "Besides, with Eli coming along we'll even have an escort."
"My cousin is going?"
Vivid realized too late she shouldn't have mentioned Eli's involvement. "Uh, yes. Abigail and I thought an escort might be needed."
"And you asked my cousin."
"Abigail asked her son." Vivid sighed with frustration. "Abigail and I assumed you would be too busy to take a mid-week holiday on such little notice."
"I am."
"Well, there you have it."
She peered into his hard-set face and asked softly, "Please, can we not turn this into another battle?"
He wanted to please her, so he acquiesced with an inclination of his head. "When are you planning to leave?"
"Three days from today. Mary Jane Garrett, the famous lecturer, will be speaking on Friday."
Vivid could tell he was still displeased with the idea of Eli as their escort, but his failure to argue the point eased her mind. "I should head back to my cabin."
Nate didn't want her to leave, but he knew if she stayed, she'd wind up in his arms again. "It's probably best. You had enough trouble fastening your shirt buttons the first time."
The heat of his eyes sent her throbbing senses into another spiral. Vivid realized she wanted him to kiss her again, but outside of brazenly asking, she did not have enough experience with men to know how to bring it about. "Um, thank you for giving your permission for Magic."
"You're welcome," he said, lowering his gaze to her mouth. He was sure those lips would haunt him for the rest of his life if he weren't careful.
A reluctant Vivid left him in the barn.
A reluctant Nate watched her go.
Still reeling from the passionate encounter, Vivid walked back to her cabin and found Eli Grayson seated on her front porch. She slowed her steps, wondering if he'd be able to tell she'd been kissing his cousin a moment ago, but decided that would be impossible.
Eli stood at her approach. "Hello, Viveca. I'm still waiting to do the story you promised for the paper."
Vivid remembered they'd made the date more than a month ago. "Eli, I'm sorry. I've been so busy I forgot. Come on in."
They'd just gotten comfortable when Nate knocked on the door, "Lancaster, you in there?" he called.
"Come on in, Nate," she called back.
He entered, started to speak, but upon seeing his cousin, said, "Sorry. I'll come back later."
"Hello to you, too, cousin," Eli drawled.
Nate turned to him and said, “I thought you were only going to be around for a few days."
"Changed my mind. Thought I'd avail myself of the scenery for a bit longer," he said, smiling at Vivid.
Nate looked at Vivid, and she felt embarrassment creep into her cheeks. She explained, "I promised Eli a story for his paper."
Nate's expression did not change. Vivid again wondered why the two cousins were so hostile toward each other. She also wanted to know why Nate had come back. Simply looking at him and remembering what they'd shared made her want to be in his arms again.
"I'll be back later," he said and then he left without a backward glance.
After a few silent awkward moments, Vivid and Eli spent an hour or so talking, laughing, and telling stories about their youth.
"Nate and I found an abandoned bear cub once," Eli said, reminiscing. "We must have been about Magic's age. Uncle Absalom always told us, never ever pick up a bear cub, not even if it was dead. Well, this cub was crying and wailing something fierce for its mama."
"Poor little thing."
"Save your sympathy," Eli said with a grin.
"What happened?"
"Well, we'd always wanted a bear cub, and Nate figured Uncle Absalom would let us keep it if it were an orphan, so we picked up the cub and started for home. About a half-mile into the trek the woods got very silent. There were no birds, no wind, nothing. The whole forest seemed to be holding its breath. Then we saw her. The big mama bear came barreling out of the brush like a locomotive. She stood probably six feet and weighed maybe five, six hundred pounds, and she was one angry bear. The only thing that saved us were the trees. If we had been on flat open ground, she probably would have run us down and killed one or both of us, but the trees were pretty dense. To this day I remember us running and screaming and ducking in and out of trees until I thought my lungs would explode. We hopped onto the trunk of that big oak over by the Crowley place and started to climb. The bear climbed up after us."
"Bears can climb trees?"
"Yes, ma'am, and pretty fast, too."
"How'd you get away?"
"We kept climbing. She eventually gave up and went back down, but she waited on the ground for us for over two hours. At that point in my life it was the most scared I'd ever been."
"So did the two of you ever try to rescue another cub?"
"Never." He laughed. "Never. But just so you remember, if the woods ever go silent like that, it probably means there's a bear about, and you need to be going in the opposite direction. Fast."
Vivid vowed to remember.
They talked a bit longer about politics and where each thought the nation might be heading after the upcoming national election. Eli looked over his notes and thought he had enough information on the Grove's new physician to write his story, so he stood to head back to town and his room over the newspaper office.
Vivid walked with him out to the porch.
He smiled at her. "I enjoy your company."
Vivid looked up into his handsome dark face and saw the Grayson jaw and the smoke-colored eyes. "I enjoy your company also."
"But you're probably never going to have dinner with me, are you?"
"Never is a long time."
"If my cousin has his way it will be a long time. Mother told me she believes you're Nate's pillar of fire.''
His words caught her off-guard. "Did she tell you I believe she's mistaken?"
"She did."
"And what do you think?"
"Truthfully?"
She nodded.
"As much as I hate to admit it, she may be right, which means, my dear Viveca, you and I are destined to become no more than friends."
His dark eyes held hers and she said, "Is that so awful?"
"It is when I'd planned on being the one kissing you the way my cousin obviously had been doing when you first walked up."
Vivid blinked at his bluntness.
"No offense intended, but your lips give you away."
She guiltily brought her fingers to her lips.
He chuckled. "Thanks for providing verification."
Vivid's eyes narrowed as she said, "Eli Grayson, you tricked me!"
He grinned. "All part of my charm."
"Well, you turn that charm on someone else," she warned teasingly.
Their eyes held. Vivid thought of how he was going to make some woman very happy one day. He was as handsome as his cousin, and had an infectious, exciting air about him, but Vivid knew that she would not be the woman in Eli's future.
After he left, Vivid went out back and sat on the swing to watch the beautiful sunset. Her reverie was broken by Nate walking up to the porch.
He stopped at the lip of the porch and stood facing the sunset. Vivid ra
n her eyes over the strong lines of his shoulders and back and once again marveled at his magnificent stature. She then heard him say, "Eli's gone, I see."
"Yes, he is."
Silence.
"He get what he needed for his paper?"
"Yes."
He turned and faced her then, and their eyes held. She realized she had a very serious problem; her attraction to him made her want his kisses whenever he came near. Surely she should be able to exercise more control over her desire.
Their moment was broken by Magic running and yelling, "Pa? Where are you?"
Nate left to see what his daughter wanted and returned with the young girl in tow. "I promised her a story tonight before she went to bed. You'll have to excuse me," he explained.
Magic piped up. "Maybe Dr. Lancaster would like to hear the story, too. My pa is an excellent storyteller."
Nate chuckled. "When did you start using words like 'excellent'?"
"Becky Carpenter said we should all be striving to increase our vocabulary."
"I see," Nate said.
Magic looked at Vivid. "Well, Dr. Lancaster, do you want to hear the story?"
"I don't want to intrude on your and your father's special time."
Magic craned her neck up to her father and asked, "Do you mind, Pa?"
He shook his head that he did not.