Trusting Will (The Camerons of Tide's Way #3)

by Skye Taylor

  He climbed quickly to the top and turned to watch as she started up the ladder. Before she even reached the top, she stopped and let out a sigh of delight as she gazed up at the big skylight. Slowly coming up the last few rungs, she kept looking over her shoulder at the windows that went all the way from the first floor to the ceiling on the second.

  The sun was beginning to set, and already the windows were awash with pink and orange. “This is spectacular!” she whispered in awe. Will had to agree. He’d not seen the place when the sun was going down before, and it sure was a glorious sight. The kind that takes your breath away when it catches you unaware.

  Her eyes still glittered with excitement and appreciation as he escorted her from room to room, skipping the need to return to the hall since the studs were still bare outlines, and no wallboard had been installed yet.

  New framing had been added where he’d sketched in a window seat in the room he thought of as Sam’s. Bree headed directly for it and stood gazing out the window toward the east. “You could watch the sun rise from here.” She turned to face him. “I always wanted a window seat when I was growing up. But my dad said there wasn’t a workable space to put one in our house.” She turned and headed toward the last bedroom. “This must be the master bedroom,” she said as she stepped between the studs.

  “It will be when the place is finished.” Will followed her and was rewarded with her gasp of delight as she hurried across to the upper set of French doors.

  “This is a room for early risers,” she said as she pushed open the doors and stepped out onto the balcony. “Wow! You really can see the ocean from here.” Bree turned back, her face alight with pleasure. “Look, Will. Just think of the sunrises whoever lives here will see every morning.”

  Should I tell her I’m hoping to watch those sunrises with her? “Pretty spectacular. Don’t you think?”

  “Someone is going to love it.” She turned and pointed toward the south wall. “If they put their bed there, they can watch the sun come up without even getting out of bed.”

  “That’s what I was thinking when I made an offer for this place.”

  Her eyes went completely round. “You’re the owner?”

  “I am. Or I will be once all the paperwork is done. Me and the bank.” She loved it as much as he did. Maybe he should have gotten that ring before he showed her the house. He could have proposed to her right here. Right now.

  But he still didn’t want to rush his fences. He wanted to be sure she had enough time to accept them being together as a couple. To love him enough that whatever risk she feared would be worth taking.

  “You are going to love living here. Just think about it.”

  “I have been thinking about it. I’ve been thinking about it a lot.” I’ve been thinking about you living here with me.

  “I love that the porch goes all the way around the house. You can watch the sunrise in bed, then sit in a lounger out front to see the sun set. In the winter you can have fires in the fireplace. It’s a terrific house. You’ll even have enough space for all your toys.” She turned back to the deck and stepped outside to peer down into the deepening gloom of the yard. “Is there going to be a garage?”

  Will followed her out onto the deck and pointed toward the south side of the house. “Somewhere in that direction.”

  She turned to face him, and suddenly they were very close. Close enough to touch, but he kept his hands to himself. “Did you like my surprise?”

  “Yes. Yes, I did. I love your new house. I can’t wait to see it when it’s finished.”

  “I brought us a picnic. I thought you might like to share the first meal I ever eat here.”

  “Can we eat right here?”

  “I can’t think why not. I’ll go get it.”

  Will hurried back through the empty room, down the ladder, and out to his Jeep.

  Bree was sitting, leaning against the side of the house when he returned. He joined her and opened the lunch cooler. He handed her a turkey sandwich and opened a split of champagne.

  She grinned at him. “So this is a christening of sorts?”

  “It is,” he agreed as he produced real wine glasses and poured them each a glass.

  “To your new home.” Bree held her glass up.

  “To good friends,” Will said, clinking the rim of his glass against hers. “And new beginnings.” And to this just being the first time we’ll sit here like this.

  They ate in a companionable silence as the last of the light from the setting sun played off first the ocean and then the waterway before fading into dusk.

  “Look, Will.” Bree pointed to the horizon. “The moon is coming up.”

  Fat and full, seeming bigger than usual as it climbed out of the ocean and into the sky, the moon was a beautiful, bewitching sight. Almost as beautiful and bewitching as the woman who sat beside him. With the picnic finished, Will jammed all the remains back into the cooler and scooted it out of the way. His heart hammered as he reached for her hand. She turned her head and looked up at him.

  Her eyes twinkled in the dim light. The tripping of his heart grew louder. I love you, Bree. He cradled her face in his hand and kissed her.

  She half-turned and rested a hand against his chest as she leaned in to return his kiss. He looped his arms around her and pulled her close. The feel of her in his arms, responding to his kiss, to his touch, felt so good. So perfect. The faint scent of flowers that always seemed to hover about her enveloped him and made him feel a little dizzy.

  How had he had fallen so completely in love with this woman? In spite of her initial resistance, in spite of her sometimes feisty disregard of his best advice, in spite of everything that should have been a turn-off? How can she not see how great we could be together?

  Almost as if she could read his mind, Bree climbed over to straddle his thighs and wrapped her arms about his neck. It was a total turn-on, and he loved it. She kissed him with her mouth open and her tongue teasing his. She wriggled down into his lap and rocked her hips against his.

  “Whoa, Bree,” he gasped in response. He was loving it a little too much.

  But Bree couldn’t seem to get close enough. Her hands were everywhere, first in his hair, on his face, sliding down his chest, then around his torso, anchoring him while she squirmed against him. She kissed him with increasing eagerness. Tangling, teasing, arousing.

  He was so hard. She had to feel his erection pressing into her warmth. She had to know what she was doing to him when she teased him like this. If he let this go on much longer, there would be no stopping. He wanted her so badly right now he might even sell his soul to possess her.

  He lifted his mouth from hers and trailed kisses along her jaw, then down to the place where her pulse beat wildly in the hollow of her neck.

  “Are you sure this is what you want, Bree?”

  BREE COULDN’T recall ever wanting a man this much. With so much throbbing, demanding passion. “Yes,” she whispered. “I want you to make love to me. I want you—for you.”

  “Brianna.” Will’s voice was husky with desire. He cupped her cheek and stared down at her. Dusk had disappeared, and it was nearly pitch dark, but his eyes glittered in the light of the rising moon. “Brianna.”

  Flames of desire scorched and tingled, banishing everything else but this man and the way he made her come alive. His fingers combed into her hair, and he held her face as if she was something infinitely precious.

  “This isn’t where I’d have chosen to make love to you for the first time,” he murmured as he covered her face with butterfly kisses.

  “You don’t like moonlight?” she whispered, her breath catching in her throat.

  “I love moonlight.” The chuckle vibrated in his chest. “But there’s no bed. There’s not even a blanket.”

  She’d prob
ably care later and wonder what had gotten into her, but right at this moment in time nothing mattered except that she wanted Will to make love to her. She wanted to feel him inside her. She wanted this raging need to explode in soul-satisfying release. And it didn’t matter where they were. “For a man who likes to live dangerously, it hardly seems possible you’ve never made love anywhere but in a bed.”

  “Never quite like this.” He touched her hair. “You are so beautiful with moonlight spilling over you and turning your hair to silver.” He unbuttoned her blouse, slipped his hands inside, pushed her bra up, and cupped her bare flesh in his palms. Bree reached behind her to release the clasp at her back.

  “So incredibly beautiful,” he murmured. He touched one nipple with his tongue.

  Oh. My. God! In another minute she was going to come completely apart.

  She tugged at his clothing, pulling at his belt and trying to unbutton his shirt at the same time.

  He grasped her hands in his. “What’s your hurry? You mind if I enjoy this part?” He took his time, undressing her one garment at a time, admiring her with his eyes, then waiting while she removed something of his. It should have seemed awkward, considering how they were sitting, but it didn’t. It felt like a forbidden adventure and all that much more exciting.

  “You are spectacular.” He ran his index fingers down the slope of her breasts and settled his hands at her waist.

  “You’re pretty spectacular, yourself.” She clutched at his broad shoulders and admired the expanse of bare muscled chest and the dusting of pale curls that tapered toward his belly button.

  They were so close. So intimately close. The heat and urgency in him vibrated all around her. “I knew you liked to live life on the edge.” She was suddenly aware of the cool evening air on her naked flesh and the rough boards beneath her knees, but she didn’t care about any of it. Will was so warm and so close and as aroused as she was.

  “Only way to experience it,” Will murmured, cupping her breasts in his palms, then tipping his head down to kiss her nipples. She threw her head back and savored the sensations ripping through her. His calloused hands, rough against her breasts, the warmth of his mouth, his aroused body throbbing against hers. She moaned as desire and need whipped to a frenzy.

  Then a chilling reality struck her, and she froze.

  “Will,” she whimpered in a panic. “I’m not—” She hadn’t been on the pill since Ed was killed.

  Will reached for his slacks. A moment later he had his wallet in his hand and fumbled in it. “I’m a boy scout. Remember?” He held up a small foil packet.

  A bubble of relief fought its way up her throat. Even though she’d tossed common sense and restraint out the window, she treasured his humor and caution. If he’d engineered this tryst, at least he’d been careful enough to come prepared.

  “Take me. I’m yours,” she declared as she melted back into his embrace, ready to be consumed by everything he had to offer.

  In this most unlikely place, in spite of all the fighting she’d done to avoid getting involved with this man, when they came together, it felt like coming home.

  THE JEEP HUMMED along, the only sound in the aftermath of the most mind-blowing sex of his life. Never in a million years would Will have guessed that Bree was the sort of woman who would be so eager to make love outdoors without a stitch of clothing to cover her, where anyone out walking a dog might see them. Even more surprising, she had started it. At the brink of no return, when he offered her an excuse to back off, she’d turned it down. She was an amazing woman. She had him, hook, line, and sinker. Especially after the way she’d taken charge of events on the little deck off their bedroom-to-be.

  He glanced at her across the dimly lit Jeep. With her feet tucked under her, Bree sat half-turned in his direction, watching him with a lazy, satisfied smile lurking at the corners of her generous mouth.

  “Will you spend the night with me?” Please, Bree, say yes.

  He’d declared his love. He’d committed himself. As he’d pushed his way inside her, he’d uttered the words he’d always avoided before tonight.

  I love you, Brianna.

  She hadn’t reciprocated, but he knew she heard him. He was sure what she’d felt was just as real and just as intense. Her body language told him so much more than words might have. The way she relaxed against him even after the last shudders of their release had faded away. Instead of scrambling to get dressed, she rested her cheek against his shoulder with her face pressed into his neck. He’d caressed her hair and her back and savored the peaceful togetherness, convinced she was just afraid to admit it. Even to herself.

  “Just for tonight.” He reached across the space between the seats and caressed her cheek. “Please?”

  She turned her face toward her lap so he couldn’t see her expression.

  He put his hand back on the steering wheel. His heart hammered fiercely in his chest. Almost as much as he’d wanted to make love to her, he wanted to share his bed with her, wake up with her, and make love again. Linger over breakfast. A taste of forever.

  Somehow he had to find a way to convince her that loving him would not end in a broken heart. But right at the moment, just keeping her with him seemed desperately important. Even if it was for just tonight and even if she withdrew into her shell again tomorrow. He could leave her with a memory she would never be able to erase and with feelings she might not be able to deny.

  “Okay.” Her whispered acquiescence could barely be heard over the hum of the Jeep’s tires, but his heart soared.

  Will wanted to make a fist and pump the air.

  Chapter 23

  “MORNING, LOVE.”

  Will’s sexy drawl cut through the drowsy fog of semi-wakefulness. Her eyes popped open and focused on the unfamiliar bedroom wall. They were both still naked, his body warm and comforting. He curled behind her, his knees up under hers with his arm around her waist. He tugged the tangle of hair off her face and tucked it behind her ear, then kissed her cheek. “It sure would be sweet to wake up with you every morning.”

  “You know we can’t.” Not with Sam about. “It was just for last night.” Everything Bree had been telling herself about herself and Will had been shattered last night. They weren’t just friends. They could never be just friends. They were lovers. But could it last forever?

  “I’d rather spend every night with you.” He splayed his hand flat across her abdomen and pulled her firmly against him. “I can’t think of a better way to wake up either.” He moved his hips, and his arousal was obvious.

  Instinct urged her to let him to slip inside her and take her from behind. She loved the way that felt. Without answering his stated desire, she arched her back instead to welcome his lovemaking.

  He rolled from her, and cold air sliced between them. Her heart jerked in response to what felt like abandonment. But then the sound of the drawer in his bedside table hit her ears, followed by the snick of foil being removed from a condom. He drew her in again and slid his fingers between her legs, teasing her, making her ready.

  She cried out with surprised pleasure when he thrust into her hard and deep and fast. She curled forward into a ball while he held her waist and thrust again. With each stroke, he found that magic sweet spot she’d almost forgotten she had. When the world exploded, he continued to plunge into her, again and again, moaning softly with each effort. She beat him to her climax, but she was so needy and so wet that in just moments, she was cresting again. This time they came together, and the shudder of their mutual release rocked her whole world.

  Will stayed inside her for a long time as their breathing slowed and her heartbeat ceased to thunder in her ears. A drowsy, sated feeling crept over her. This she could get used to: this half-waking, half-sleeping sense of connectedness and utter satisfaction.

  When Bree woke the second time, Will w
as entering the room wearing nothing but his briefs and a knowing smile. She had a hard time tearing her gaze away from the washboard abs and thickly muscled arms to notice the small tray bearing juice and steaming scones.

  “Breakfast in bed,” he announced as he set the tray down on her side of the bed.

  She pushed herself to a sitting position, clutching the sheet around herself for modesty, although after the last twelve hours, there was little left that he’d not seen or touched.

  “How did I deserve this?” She broke off a bite of scone and popped it into her mouth.

  “I’m pulling out all the stops in my effort to impress on you how good it would be if we could wake up together every morning.” He smiled, and his dimple creased his cheek with boyish charm. But there was nothing boyish about the rest of him, perched so close that she could feel the heat of him.

  Bree thought about the first words he’d uttered that morning. Last night he’d told her he loved her. Could she take such a leap of faith? Could she lay herself open to heartbreak again?

  Could she learn to live without him after last night?

  He touched her cheek lightly with the backs of his fingers. “I want us to have a forever kind of relationship.”

  She swallowed the bite of scone convulsively.

  “Will, I—”

  He pressed a finger to her lips and shook his head. “If you’re thinking about saying no, then don’t.” He bent and kissed her on the mouth without passion, but with a great deal of feeling.

  “Before you answer, take time to think about it first. I’ve been thinking about it for a while, so I guess you need time, too.

  “I know I can be impatient and overbearing. I know I’m not always the easiest guy to get along with. I’m impulsive, and I like to get my own way, but with you it’s different. I want you to be happy too.