Still, he resisted. “We don’t have—” He stopped short.

She snorted out a laugh. “Were you about to say condoms?”

He cleared his throat. “Maybe.”

She cupped his face and kissed him softly. “You’re adorable.” She wiggled on his lap, causing his already heavy erection to thicken further. “You want me, that much is clear.”

“Dr. Kendrick, I’ve wanted you from the moment I stopped being inside you last time. I’m pretty sure I’ll never get enough of you.”

“I’ve wanted you since then too. That night felt…momentous. Even then, I was sure it was more than just a one-night stand.”

“I’m sorry I—”

She put her fingers to his lips. “Shh. Let’s set that aside for tonight. This is you and me, coming together in the way we were meant to.” She let out a soft chuckle. “And I didn’t mean ‘coming together’ in that way, but it fits too. Let’s try it and see.”

And with that, he no longer had even weak resistance. He was enthralled by her. Had been from the start. They had a few hours and an uncertain future. He would show her with his body what she meant to him.

She climbed from his lap and pulled off the bra as she said, “Get naked.”

As a Naval warrant officer, he knew how to respond to a direct order and rose from the bed to doff his clothing.

As he removed his shirt, he recognized his shoulder was going to be a problem. He wouldn’t be supporting his weight with his left arm any time soon.

But there were work-arounds they’d both find satisfying. Fully naked, he stretched out on his back, his erection pointing to the ceiling. She sat to the side with her legs tucked beneath her.

She was more shadow than light, her soft curves a dark silhouette. Beautiful, but he wanted more. “If we close the curtains around the bed, we can remove the towel from the lantern, and I can see you.”

Without a word, she pulled the canvas curtains closed on one side while he closed the opposite. They each grabbed the curtain at the foot and met in the center.

The four-poster had log beams to form a canopy. Between the foot-diameter logs that made up the posts, the five-inch-thick beams, and the king-sized mattress, the bed appeared fit for Paul Bunyan.

Tonight, this bed where they’d first made love would be a haven. An escape from cold and danger. And maybe it would be the start of something real with Audrey.

He grabbed the lantern from the nightstand and placed it on the log headboard, then pulled off the towel, giving their tented bed a soft yellow glow.

The warm light caressed Audrey’s skin. “I wish I’d washed my hair instead of just using a washcloth to scrub myself when I first stepped into this room.”