gripped her waist as his hand moved faster. Her body kept up with his rhythm and Mac watched as a pink tint crept over her face. A sheen of sweat covered her forehead and nose, but she never once took her eyes off him.
Her body jerked. “Mac, I’m—”
“Do it,” he demanded.
When she tightened around him, his name slid off her lips like a whispered promise. Her eyes widened as if she wasn’t expecting the onslaught. Mac held her close and kept pleasuring her until her body went lax.
Wrapping both hands around her waist, he pulled her against his chest. Her heartbeat seemed to be just as frantic as his own.
The sound of the rushing water, the occasional bird chirping and Jenna’s panting were all music to his ears. Nothing else mattered but this moment, this woman. Words eluded him. Honestly, if he opened his mouth right now, he didn’t know what he’d say. He was aching to be with her, but he wouldn’t put her in that position. Beyond that, he wanted to say something sweet, something romantic...but that wasn’t them. They weren’t here for romance and he sure as hell didn’t want her to get the wrong idea.
Jenna’s hand slid over his board shorts, heading toward the one spot he needed her most. But he pulled away.
“No.”
Jerking back, her brows drew in as she searched his face. “Why?”
Mac clenched his teeth. “This isn’t about me or even us. This was all for you.”
A slight grin tipped one corner of her mouth. “Hardly seems fair.”
Taking her hands in his, he kissed her fingertips and placed her palms flat on his chest. “I don’t want you to think you’re like other women. This wasn’t about sex, Jenna. I need you to know that.”
She stared at him for a moment without saying a word. “I don’t know what to think,” she finally said. “You don’t want anything in return?”
With a painful laugh, Mac shook his head. “You already know the answer to that, but you deserve more and I never want you to think that you’re in a group with any other woman I’ve been with. You’re completely different. I’ve never...”
Damn it. He didn’t plan on confessing his doubts. He wanted to pleasure her, enjoy a little swim, have a few laughs and fly back to their bungalow. Why did this have to be so difficult?
“You’ve never what?” she prompted, moving closer to wrap her arms around his neck.
Swallowing any fear of opening up to her, Mac stated, “I’ve never just given without expecting something in return. I’ve never wanted to. A relationship has never been in the future for me so I always make sure to...”
Mercy. The more his thoughts started taking a stroll out of his mouth, the more he sounded like a jerk.
“I’ve been a bastard,” he confessed, guilt slamming into his chest and squeezing like a vice. “I purposely find women who only want one thing and then I move on. I never set out to be that way, Jenna, and I don’t know why I’m telling you this.”
Mac dropped his head because the last thing he wanted was for Jenna to see him vulnerable or broken. Damn it, he hadn’t even known how much this hurt him until he started saying the words out loud. He’d used his body in an attempt to ignore all the anxiety and fear that came with relationships. And maybe he hadn’t even noticed until right now.
“You’re telling me because you care.” She tipped his chin up and he was rewarded with a megawatt smile that told him she completely understood and wasn’t judging. “You’re telling me because you value our friendship and you don’t want to hurt me. And I never thought you were a bastard.”
Mac reached up and framed her face. With her lush wet body plastered against his, he never wanted to leave this place, either. Why couldn’t they just run away and be—
Wait. What the hell was he thinking? Run away? As in, together? He didn’t have time or the emotional stability to attempt anything like a relationship and he sure as hell wouldn’t make Jenna his guinea pig.
Just because he’d had some grand epiphany over his suppressed emotions like some damn woman didn’t mean he wanted to explore boyfriend territory. He was still out for a good time...he just wanted that with Jenna and then he wanted to move on.
Damn it. He’d created a giant mess and plopped her right smack dab in the middle.
“What you did just now.” She bit down on her lip before continuing. “Nobody has ever put my needs first. The way you look at me, the way you touch me...”
“What?” He wanted to hear her say it. Needed to hear her say it. And that made him not only a bastard, but a masochist, because he had nothing to offer her beyond the physical.
“You make me feel beautiful,” she whispered.
Every part of Mac wanted to rejoice in the fact that she’d finally seen herself as he did. “You are, Jenna. I’ve been trying to tell you that, and I needed to show you. It’s been hell trying to keep my hands off you, but I didn’t know another way. I wanted you to see how desirable you are, how much a man can completely break by being near you. You’ve got this power I don’t even think you are aware of possessing.”
Toying with the ends of his wet hair, Jenna held his gaze. “Things won’t be weird between us, will they? Because I can’t lose you.”
“No,” he vowed, praying he wasn’t lying. “You won’t lose me.”
But he wouldn’t, couldn’t ignore this ache. No matter the internal battle he’d been waging with himself, Mac had gotten the briefest glimpse of Jenna’s passion. He knew there was so much more to uncover and he planned on doing just that in the remaining days. He could figure out what to do for the long term later.
First things first. Jenna would be his.
The ride back in the helicopter was...strained. So much for things not getting weird. Of course, she couldn’t even think about the tension that had settled between them because her body was still humming from that entire experience in the pool by the waterfall.
Oh, mercy, her best friend had skills. Why? Why did they have to be so compatible in the sexual department, too? Why did every part of her still ache for more, even after he’d satisfied her?
What did they talk about now? Seriously. Because no matter what subject they broached, she wasn’t sure she could give up any of her mind space to mundane things.
So, silence it was, since he was apparently not up for a chat, either. Was he having regrets?
No. That was one thing she was pretty certain of. He’d made it a point to tell her she was different from other women. His raw honesty had surprised her. She’d never gotten a sense of any vulnerability from him whatsoever. He’d always been so strong, so confident...so many things she wasn’t.
But maybe they were more alike than she’d
