Jill Shalvis - Just Try Me…

It might have been minutes, hours, or even days later when Jared rolled off Lily, gasping for breath.

Lily did the same.

Together they stared up at the night sky, waiting for the air to return to their lungs. Lily could have stayed right there, skin damp, the air cooling them, Jared still panting for air next to her for…well, much longer, but…

Ah, hell. She needed to get up, needed to be alone to think about how it was that when she was with Jared, she felt…whole. She reached for her clothes, and heard Jared sigh.

“Yeah, we’ve got to stop meeting like this,” she said, hopping into her jeans. “It could get predictable.”

“And wouldn’t that just be the end of the world as you know it.”

In the act of slipping into her shirt, she stopped and faced the gentle sarcasm. He was still sprawled out, sexy as hell, and it took some control not to go back to him. “What does that mean?”

“It means I know. I get it. You don’t like to do the same thing more than once, including a guy.”

“I did you more than once, didn’t I?”

“And now you’re running scared.”

Ignoring that zing to her heart, she tied her boots. “I’m not running scared, I’m just…Damn it, I told you. I told you what this was.”

“Just sex.”

“Yes.”

“But this isn’t just sex, Lily.”

“I’m sorry you feel that way.” She straightened, hands on her hips. She knew it was a classically aggressive, defensive stance, but she couldn’t help herself. She was wearing thin and knew it. “I have things to do.”

“I know,” he said.

She whirled away, then back. “I’m sorry.”

“I know that, too.”

She lifted her hands, sank her fingers into her hair. “Then…where does this leave us?”

With a long exhale, he stood and reached for his pants. “I just don’t want to be that guy you hooked up with that one summer. The one you smile fondly over but can’t remember his name.”

Now she sighed, and walked back to him, setting her hands on his chest. “I’m not going to forget your name, Jared.”

He covered her hands with his. “Stay with me tonight. In my tent.”

Staring down at their joined hands, she thought about how nice that would be. Not just because they could get naked again, but because he could hold her all night, and she would know who she was.

But what about when this was over? Slowly, she shook her head. “I’m sorry.” She barely managed to keep it together. “Not yet.”

“Lily…I learned the hard way not to put off something that matters. Life is too short for that.”

She looked deep into his eyes and knew he knew what he was talking about.

“You matter, Lily,” he said quietly. “I know it’s been only a short time, but you do. You matter so much.”

Oh, God. “Let me catch up.” Her hands fell free, and she backed away. Needed to be alone to fall apart. “I really do have to go.” She whirled away, then stopped. Turned back, and admitted the truth. “But for what it’s worth? You matter, too. More than I wanted you to.”

LILY CAME AWAKE at dawn to the sound of someone unzipping her tent.

Jared. In reaction, her body tingled, electrified, and without opening her eyes, she stretched, nearly purring at the thought of a quickie before breakfast-

Then she opened her eyes and squeaked in surprise at the face that stuck itself into her tent.

Not Jared.

Jack.

“She’s gone,” he said, face pale.

“What? Who?”

“Michelle.”

She sat up and reached for her clothes. “Define gone.”

“As in not here.” He shoved his fingers through his hair, his face tight with worry. “Do you think she’s just messing with me? Trying to get back at me? Yeah,” he said answering his own question, and letting out a ragged breath. “That’s probably what she’s doing. Right?”

“Jack, tell me what happened.”

“She woke me up a while ago, when it was still dark. She said she had to go to the bathroom. I was still sleeping pretty good, so I handed her the flashlight and said go.”

“And she went?”

He grimaced. “She said I should come with to protect her. Protect her from what? I said, and she got mad and stomped off. I think I fell back asleep because the next thing I knew, the sun’s coming up, and she never came back.”

“How long ago did she go, do you think?”

He looked at his watch. “Half an hour, tops. I called for her, and walked around a little bit, but I can’t find her. She’s probably hiding, just trying to scare me, making me feel guilty. Which is working, by the way.”

Lily yanked her sweatshirt over her head. “Except that doesn’t really sound like her. Wanting her hair products, yes. Screaming at a frog, yes. Going off into the woods by herself…no.”

Jack looked horrified as he nodded his agreement. “And the worst thing? When I got out of the sleeping bag, I tripped over the flashlight. Lily, she never took it with her.”

Lily came up to her knees as she wriggled into her jeans. “Give me one minute, I’ll be right there.”

Jack nodded and left, and Lily let out a breath, telling herself Michelle was fine. She wouldn’t have walked off far on her own, she was too nervous out here to do that.

But she hurried out of her tent and went directly to Jared’s. “Jared?”

“Yeah. Come in.”

His voice was morning gruff, and in another time and place she might have paused to enjoy the innate sexiness of it, but instead she stuck her head into the door.

He was still in his sleeping bag, though the thing had fallen to low on his hips. He wore no shirt and a rumpled, sleepy-eyed look that heated at the sight of her. “I was dreaming about you,” he said, looking as far from the city guy she’d first met as seemed humanly possible.

She let out a breath and tossed him the jeans from near his feet. “I need you.”

“Works for me.” He tossed the jeans aside and lifted his arms for her to join him, the expression on his face making her thighs quiver, while between them, something else happened entirely.

“Uh, no,” she said. “Not that kind of need. Michelle’s missing. She went to the bathroom a half an hour ago and hasn’t come back.”

He was already out of the sleeping bag and grabbing jeans. “Maybe she finally cracked and decided to walk to the nearest mall.”

“Yeah, I’d agree,” she said, trying not to notice how cute he looked flashing his bare ass as he pulled on his jeans. “Except that whole she-hates-walking thing.”

Nodding, he grabbed his boots. “So she’s lost?”

“I’m not sure. But I was thinking about that heat-seeking doodad you’ve got. Could it help?”

“Got it.” He dug through his backpack for it, then took her hand. Tugging her close, he gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, then pushed them both out of the tent.

Without hesitation.

She’d had wild sex with him-no, that wasn’t right. Even she knew better. They’d made love, twice now, and each time it had been so good, so off-the-charts amazing actually, that he’d connected with her on a level no one else ever had, which in turn had sent her running.

And still, he was there for her, no questions asked. It awed her, stunned her, and when he caught her staring at him, he smiled. “What?”

She could only shake her head. “Let’s do this.”

HALF OUT OF HIS MIND, Jack waited for Lily, picturing all that could be happening to Michelle with each passing moment. He couldn’t believe he hadn’t gotten up with her, that he’d let her go by herself. What had he been thinking? He’d been warm and toasty and maybe, just maybe, still a little frustrated, enough to only half listen to her-God. He’d never forgive himself. “I really don’t think she’s doing this on purpose,” he told Lily when she appeared with Jared. “I know she’s spoiled sometimes, but…” He’d never felt so sick, so absolutely panicked in his life.