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She stared into his eyes and shook her head, incredibly aware of the heat of his body under her hands "I won’t I… can’t"

"Good," he said "Because I can’t give up either Not on her Not on you And not on us"

Her heart stopped, and he sain, painfully Then he rose to his feet, slipping his good arht his breath He turned toward the rocks

"Matt--"

But he was already cli back up

"Matt--"

"I’m fine"

Great, he was fine But she was so not fine She orried sick She stayed right behind hi to do if he fell, she had no idea At least she had a really great view, since he was stripped to just his pants and boots

"We could see better if you shined the light out in front of us instead of at ht and ignored his soft laugh

Finally theyin front of her fire, Matt holding his arht have torn soet you back?"

"I’ll be fine byAnd you have to be back!"

"Aainst him "It’s just a job"

She couldn’t believe it, couldn’t believe what he’d done for her She burrowed through her backpack and came up with the Dr Pepper she’d packed At the ti one of Matt’s sodas silad she’d done it She opened it and handed it over to him

He looked as if she’d handed him the moon She waited until he’d downed it "Matt," she said quietly, "you love your job"

"I do But I lovedelse, including ain"

"Ever is a long ti else I’ off my shirt unless you take off yours" He knocked her backward off the log and followed her down

"Careful of your shoulder!" she squeaked, flat on her back, held to the ground by two-hundred-and-twenty pounds of sexy forest ranger

"It’s not my shoulder you should be worried about," he said, then covered herhis stubble scrape against the pads of her fingers His lips h she ot hurt any further, she found herself kissing hih of hiotten how she felt when he kissed her like this? She was panting for air when he rolled to his back "Are you okay?" she ers were surprisingly dexterous given that he had lientle and tender as he got her out of her clothes in record ti on his chest "Matt, what--"

"More," he said, pulling at her until her knees were on either side of his ears "There," he said with deep satisfaction

There was nothing gentle or tender about his even farther and buried his face between theue, he had her in a heated frenzy, crying out as she claxed Before she’d stopped shuddering, he’d guided her down onto his body and shoved his pants down enough to push inside her as his ue She was trying to be careful with his shoulder but her nails dug into his back He sed her cries as he thrust up into her, powerful and primal She couldn’t think, all she could do was feel, and what she felt so overwhelmed her that she felt her eyes fill

His eyes were dark and heated as he looked up at her "Again," he said "Let go forHe was right with her, shuddering in her ar her hip as he pulled her down and tucked his face into the crook of her neck She could feel the heat of his breath against her skin as he struggled to control his breathing

She couldn’t have controlled hers even if she’d tried He was still buried deep inside her, and she held hiether

Finally she lifted her head and looked into his clear, gorgeous light brown eyes, and that’s when she knew

He was it for her

No matter what happened, no matter what he said now, that fact remained

"I’ve made some pretty spectacular mistakes in my life," he said quietly "The latest hen I let you think I’d given up on us"

She tried to cli her down to hi his lips to her teht have given up," she said "I’d lied to you"

"Yeah" He nodded "Which just proves that I’m not the only one who can ood to know"

She couldn’t smile back Her heart was in her throat She’d learned a lot about herself lately, iveness, and harder still to give it To let go and trust But worth it Oh, God, so worth it "I’m so sorry," she whispered

"I know," he said "And I’m sorry, too So daiveYou can trust aze held hers prisoner, and it was too much

Way too much She felt too open and… nad She dropped her head to his chest "I do trust you," she whispered "I just don’t knohat I’ood hand down her back "You’ll figure it out I have faith in you"

Lifting her head, she stared at hi to be the hero and offer to solve all my problems?"

"I’m not here to solve your probleoing to walk away, Aht here at your back"