The Harvest by N.W. Harris Page B

gently
rested his hand on the back of her neck. “I didn’t let the critters
get to you in Atlanta, and I won’t let anything hurt you now, or
ever.”
    She smiled, the corner of her lip trembling
like she might reply. An unexpected look of concern showed on her
face, like she didn’t like what he’d just said. He looked at her,
nervous he’d done something wrong. She leaned closer and pressed
her soft lips against his. Lingering in the kiss, she slid her free
hand up, resting it on his chest. Shane was sure she could feel his
heart pounding. Her touch and the taste of her mouth ignited a fire
in him that burned away his anxiety.
    His attention was drawn from everything
around him, entirely focused on her. He wanted more than just the
kiss, his head spinning with desire. He wanted to touch her, to
press her against him, but he held back, afraid of moving too fast
and pushing her away. She pulled her lips from his and smiled,
sighing like she was resisting the urge to do more. Laying her head
on his shoulder, she pulled his hand into her lap, squeezing it
between her thighs, most of which were left exposed by her black
running shorts. Her skin felt like heaven, and it made him dizzy to
touch her. The flowery smell of whatever shampoo she’d found in the
barracks mixed with the piney fragrance of the forest.
    He struggled to relax and just sit quietly
next to her, but the inferno she’d ignited in him made it hard to
keep still, made it hard to breathe. Being this close to Kelly
Douglas, inhaling her fragrance and feeling her touch—his wildest
fantasies were coming true. He resisted the urge to turn her toward
him and kiss her again, afraid of coming on too strong.
    Kelly sighed, sounding like she might be as
breathless as he was. Squeezing her legs together tighter, she
pressed the soft inner flesh of her thighs against his hand. His
heart raced even faster, and his stomach felt like it was filled
with helium. A surge of heat started him sweating, and then he
remembered the itty-bitty running shorts he was wearing. Suddenly
terrified of what she’d think of what was happening, he cleared his
throat and forced himself to think about the forest animals
attacking, hoping fear would be a sufficient distraction.
    “What?” Kelly lifted her head and looked at
him, her cheeks flushed and her pupils dilated. Was she thinking
the same thing?
    “Awe, nothing,” he replied, gazing into the
forest.
    “We’re gonna be alright,” she whispered. “I
don’t know how I know, but it’s for certain. I can tell you
that.”
    “For some reason,” he said, “I think you’re
right.”
    She laid her head on his shoulder again, and
he leaned into her, forcing his mind to go blank and trying to just
enjoy being near her. They sat in silence for a long time, until
the shadows grew inky and began to spread through the forest,
taking over as the light of the sun diminished. Shane smacked a
stinging on his bare leg.
    “We’d better head back,” he said. “The
no-see-ums are comin’ out.”
    “That’s the only thing I used to not like
about the woods,” she replied, swatting at her face. “The darn
bugs.”
    The darkness concerned him too. Even if most
animals wouldn’t attack them in the absence of the limbic
manipulator, there were coyotes in these mountains. Even worse,
there were cougars, though he’d only ever seen their paw prints.
They stood on the log and jumped onto the hillside above, then
blindly made their way between the trees back up to the base. About
halfway back, Kelly slipped, and he grabbed her hand to keep her
from falling. Once she regained her footing, he loosened his grip
so she could let go, but she didn’t. Instead, she clung to him
until they made it to the thick brush at the edge of the
forest.
    Shane pushed ahead and held the briars aside
so Kelly could pass.
    “Why, thank you, sir,” she said with an
exaggerated southern-belle drawl, then curtseyed once she was
beyond the thorns and on the