“You have five more minutes.” She turned to see Caleb speaking from the bank. “Rodland said to remind you that he was the cook.” He shook out the towel and held it out to her. “I told him that I wasn’t the one to send after you.”

“Yes, you are. Because Rodland told me how unique you are and that I should take advantage of you.” She stood there looking at him and could sense the sheer arousal enveloping him. It was electric, almost as if he were outlined in fire. Every muscle was poised and ready as his gaze ran over her naked body. How many times had she seen him like this? Yet it was always new and created an instant response. She could feel the muscles of her abdomen clench and her breasts swell. She knew what was coming, and good heavens how she wanted it.

She walked over to him, and he wrapped her in the towel and then slowly began rubbing her down. The sensation was excruciatingly intimate as the soft roughness of the towel left her breasts and the friction became lower, hotter. “Though I’m not sure this is what he meant. I still believe I should follow his advice. What do you think that—”

He was stripping off his clothes.

He was inside her! His hands were on her buttocks, lifting her, and her thighs went around his hips. Then she was on her back on the creek bank, and he was moving, lifting, pushing inside.

Deep.

Deeper.

Deep. Deep. Deep.

Hot. Filling. Too full…

She couldn’t breathe.

She didn’t want to breathe.

More. More.

Then he rolled her over and she was on top, taking all of him, his lips on her breasts, pulling at her nipples.

She gasped, moaned.

She couldn’t stand the intensity.

She opened her lips to scream but it was too primal even to permit that release.

Then the explosion came with the same fiery power that he’d shown from the instant she’d seen him standing on the bank.

She collapsed on top of him.

She couldn’t move for a moment.

Evidently neither could Caleb. His heart was pounding hard against her. “I think we’ve blown your five minutes.” Then he was on his feet, picking her up and carrying her back into the creek. “I hope you believe it was unique enough to be worthwhile.” He let her slide down his naked body; she experienced the coolness of the water and his every hard sinew and muscle. She began to feel another stirring. He added softly, “It was for me.”

“Cook or not, I’m not letting Rodland orchestrate this particular action.”

“Hallelujah. Then let’s see how it feels underwater.”