Electricity sparked between them, a phenomenon that had nothing to do with the lightning that struck around them.  Leaning closer still, his face only a breath away from hers, Travis whispered onto her upturned lips, “I wouldn’t want to offend you.”
Savannah froze for moments too long, waiting for the warmth of his lips upon hers, but then she came to her senses when her Southern upbringing sounded an alarm in her confused mind.  She took a step backward into a tree trunk and stumbled, her slick muddy boots sliding across an exposed root, causing her to topple toward the ground.  In an instant, his strong arms caught her and held her there for a heartbeat before she was righted and steadied with those same brawny arms.  Through the cold rain upon her skin, she could feel the heat of his hands while they lingered in the hollow between her ribs and her hips.  Her disappointed eyes followed him as Travis stepped away from her after he saw that she could stand without falling again.  Then she lowered her head and pulled the slicker tighter around her shivering frame.  A demure smile and a mumbled ‘thank you’ was his only reward.