Match Made In Paradise by Barbara Dunlop (the best books to read .txt) 📗

said, his breath tickling her neck. His hand covered hers on the steering wheel and he corrected the direction. “Perfect now. You’re doing great.”

Her muscles relaxed as they bounced along, and she felt like she was melting back into him. Her cheek came up against his chin, and she gasped in a breath, her heart thudding in time to the throb of the engine.

His hand flexed against her waist. Then his thumb moved in circles, higher and higher from her ribs to her breast.

Her eyes fluttered closed, and she tipped her head back.

He kissed her neck, his hand framing her cheek, easing her head around to give him access to her lips.

He swore then, and the loader took a sudden turn. He jammed his feet on the brakes and put it in park—whether for safety or from desire, she wasn’t sure. But when he kissed her harder, swiftly turning her in his lap for a better angle and wrapping his arms tight around her, she knew it was desire.

“I’ve missed you so damn much,” he said.

She nodded against his lips. She’d missed him too. She’d missed his lips, his touch, his scent, his taste, even the sound of his voice so close up and sexy.

“Say something,” she said.

“What?”

“Anything. I don’t care. I love the sound of your voice, especially when you’re talking to me like that.”

“It’s been torture,” he said between kisses. “I see you. I talk to you, and I want you in my arms. I think about you all the time. I think about this all the time.”

Her skin came up in goose bumps, and passion throbbed deep in her core. She needed to feel more of him. She reached for the hem of her sweater and peeled it off, unhooking her bra and dropping it to the floor.

Silas’s hand covered her bare breast.

“You’re so beautiful,” he said, his lips following in the wake of his fingertips.

She tipped her head back. “Don’t stop.”

“I’m not stopping.” He peeled off his own shirt then released the snap of her jeans.

It took some fumbling, but soon they were naked, and she was facing him and kissing him, and their bodies finally meshed together.

She couldn’t believe they’d held out this long.

With the diesel engine throbbing beneath them, and the wilds of Alaska all around them, currents of pleasure lifted them once more to unbelievable heights.

*   *   *

Mia couldn’t keep her secret any longer. It felt like a constant lie to sit here on the screen porch with Raven drinking wine when there was such a huge thing just hanging out there like a deadweight on her conscience.

“I slept with Silas,” she blurted out, damn the torpedoes.

Raven stilled and then blinked. “I kissed Brodie.”

“You what?” That news was even more earthshaking. Mia sat forward in her chair, all ears for the details. “When, where, how did it happen?”

Raven looked unhappy about it, but a little voice inside Mia couldn’t help congratulating herself on orchestrating such a successful makeover. Plus, her sixth sense for relationships had been vindicated, and that boded well for their new matchmaking venture.

“In Anchorage,” Raven said. “On an elevator. On the lips.”

“It’s not a kiss if it’s not on the lips. At least, not one that counts.”

“Well, this one didn’t count anyway. We agreed on that.” Raven’s head began to nod as she seemed to warm up to the explanation. “It would totally have messed with our professionalism. We’ve built up a rhythm, Brodie and me; a rapport. It’s important to both companies that nothing mess with that. So, we agreed. Nothing happened. It was a congratulatory gesture, and it doesn’t count.”

Mia watched her cousin’s mental contortions with fascination. “I don’t think it works that way. How long did it last?”

“About five floors, I think.”

“That’s a long congratulatory gesture.”

“I know.”

“And you’re still thinking about it.”

“I can’t stop.” Raven took a hefty swig of her wine. It was glass number three—probably why she was dishing so freely.

“Was it a good congratulatory gesture?” Mia asked.

“The best.” Raven flopped back in her chair. “Ever.” Then she abruptly sat up straight. “Hang on. Back the truck up. You slept with Silas?”

Mia was surprised it had taken her this long. “Twice.”

“When? Where?” Raven made a rolling motion with her finger. “You know, all those questions.”

“At Wildflower Lake.”

Raven thought about it for a second. “So, Brodie was right.”

“Brodie?”

“He thought you two were acting weird. But Silas told him it was the radio thing.”

“The radio thing?”

“The lessons.”

Mia was stunned to hear Silas had told Brodie. She was even more shocked he hadn’t told her Brodie knew.

“You didn’t have to keep it a secret,” Raven said. “I think it’s great.”

“You know how Brodie is.”

Raven looked puzzled. “How do you mean?”

“You saw his expression when I flattened the truck tire.”

“He can be impatient,” Raven allowed. “It can be hard to prove yourself to him.”

“Was he mad about the radio lessons?” Mia asked, thinking that might be why Silas had kept quiet.

“He was mad,” Raven said with a wry laugh. “But then Silas told him it was just for fun, something easier for you to learn.”

Mia didn’t understand. “For fun?”

“It doesn’t matter if you’re never going to use it,” Raven carried on. “Expanding your skill set is admirable.”

“Right,” Mia said slowly as a simmer of anger rose inside her.

She’d worked her butt off learning the radio, learning about weather, terminology, air traffic control, flight tracking. She’d done it to help at WSA, not as an exercise in fun.

Silas had sworn he had faith in her, and then he made love to her, and all the while he was patronizing her.

“Silas says you’re really good at it.” Raven’s carefree voice was jarring as she stood. “You surprised him. More wine?”

Mia’s anger turned to humiliation and a cold sense of betrayal. She swallowed hard and rose to her feet, cobbling together the scraps of her pride as she followed Raven into the kitchen.

“It was a bit of a lark,” she managed, setting down her glass. She was desperate to move on from