Erin held him close and trailed kisses over his shoulder and up the side of his neck. He clung to her like a child, too spent to pretend she hadn’t just rocked his world. Erin. He’d dreamed of holding her like this, and now that he had, he didn’t know if he could ever let her go. Tears flooded into his eyes and dripped onto his cheeks, and her signal to him wasn’t a tap, but a fierce clench of her arms around his neck that nearly choked him but also told him she understood what a life-altering moment this was for him. And maybe for her as well. At least he hoped.

He lifted his head to look down at her precious face, and she gazed up at him with love for him shining in her eyes. That was all he needed to see, and he prayed she saw it in his as well, because he was too exhausted and mentally drained to compose a single word and try to say it.

They fell asleep wrapped in each other’s embrace. When Wyatt awakened later, he had no idea how much time had passed, only that they’d left the light on. He lifted his head to gaze down at her face. Her dark lashes fanned over her sun-kissed cheeks. Her full and oh-so-kissable mouth was lax. He could feel Domino snuggled against his back, but he didn’t care if the dog got a crash course in sex education. He wanted Erin again, so he kissed her awake, first nibbling at her lips and then moving down to her breasts.

This time when he made love to her, his sole intent was to give her pleasure. He couldn’t hear any moans of enjoyment, but he could feel her shivers of delight and the rush of hot wetness at the apex of her beautiful legs. She also double-tapped repeatedly, which meant, Don’t stop. He took his time and left no part of her unattended. He wanted her to burn for him, just as she’d made him burn for her.

Paybacks were sometimes pure hell. But sometimes they were a man’s most carnal fantasy. Something he’d yearned for and never found. A dream that vanished the moment he opened his eyes each morning. A wish that he’d been afraid to ever make.

* * *

Trying to cook breakfast over a campfire was an attempt that was aborted before Erin and Wyatt finished their first cup of coffee. They ended up back in the tent again to make love for the third time. For Erin, it was pure bliss. She was with the man she loved, and there was no doubt in her mind that they were meant for each other. Maybe Wyatt still fooled himself into believing this was a temporary departure from normal and their former relationship could be reestablished when they left the lake, but she knew he wouldn’t be able to let her go when that time came. Not if he felt about her the way she felt about him. This was forever stuff, and she knew he would come to realize that as the days they had left together wore on.