by Marie Force
She started shivering the minute she removed her coat.
“Go sit by the fire. I’ll dry off the dogs and make the hot chocolate.”
“I can help.”
“Go,” he said, giving her a gentle nudge. “I don’t want you getting sick.”
“I’m not fragile, you know.”
“Never said you were, but you’re also not used to Vermont’s brand of cold air. I’ve seen it take down hardier souls than you.”
“Fine,” she said through chattering teeth. She couldn’t deny that the fire sounded heavenly. With the red plaid blanket and a pillow from the sofa in hand, Cameron settled on the floor in front of the fire to listen to the battle going on in the mudroom between Will and the two dogs who didn’t seem to think they needed to be dried off.
“Hold still, damn it,” he said, making her giggle.
“I can hear you laughing at me.”
“I’m not laughing at you. I’m laughing with you.”
“Except I’m not laughing! They’re filthy, and they’re trying to get past me to get to you.”
That set her off again. She was still laughing when he joined her by the fire a few minutes later, his hair standing on end.
“Come here,” she said, bringing him closer to her so she could straighten his hair.
He was so still as her fingers moved through his silky hair that she wondered if he was breathing. “I like when you touch me,” he said, his voice gruff.
They stared at each other as the fire crackled and popped and the wind whipped through the trees in a spooky moan.
“I promised you hot chocolate.”
“That’s right. You did.”
But he made no move to get up. Rather, he continued to devour her with his eyes until something seemed to snap in him and he was devouring her with his lips in a kiss full of hunger and raw need.
“God, Cam,” he whispered against her neck as he bit down gently on her earlobe. “I can’t stop kissing you.”
“You don’t have to.” She loved his kisses and the press of his chest against her breasts. She loved the soft caress of his hair against her cheek and the burn of his whiskers on her neck as he placed kisses strategically along the column of her throat.
Her fingers burrowed into his hair as she waited on pins and needles to see what he would do next.
He tugged on her heavy sweater. “Could we maybe take this off?”
“Um, sure.” Cameron’s fingers trembled slightly as she found the hem and gave a tug.
He helped to raise the sweater up and over her head, revealing the form-fitting black tank she wore underneath. “Yes,” he whispered, his eyes hot and needy as they cruised over her chest, making her nipples pebble in response. His sharp inhale only made them harder.
“You’re beautiful, Cameron Murphy.”
“Even bruised and battered?” she asked, trying to defuse the tension she sensed in him.
“Even then. I want to touch you everywhere, but this is happening too fast. It’s too fast.”
He sounded so tortured that Cameron put her arms around him and brought his head down to rest on her chest.
“I feel the same way,” she said. “I want to touch you everywhere, and it’s happened way too fast. I feel out of control, and that’s not me. I’m never out of control. Not like this anyway.”
“Neither am I, but I feel the same exact way.”
“Then we should slow things down. Set some limits. Take our time.”
“What kind of limits?”
With him warm and heavy on top of her, the last thing Cameron wanted to think about was setting limits. What she really wanted was . . . Well, she couldn’t allow herself to think about what she really wanted to do. Not unless she was going to allow herself to actually do it. And she wasn’t.
“Cam? What are you thinking?”
“I can’t tell you.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s highly inappropriate to be thinking what I’m thinking about someone I met exactly two days ago.”
His grunt of laughter brought his mouth perilously close to her left nipple. “I know all about inappropriate thoughts because I’m having a few of them myself at the moment.”
“And we’re sure they’re, in fact, inappropriate?”
“If yours are anything like mine, they’re highly inappropriate.”
His gruff, sexy words sent a thrill rippling through her. Naturally, it landed in a tight knot of heat between her legs. “So what’s our limit?”
“For tonight or in general?”
“Let’s start with tonight. I’m not capable of thinking beyond the next hour or two at the moment.”
That he was clearly suffering from the restraint made Cameron like him even more than she already did.
“What if, to use middle school terminology, we were to contain our activities to second base tonight?”
Before the sentence was completely out of her mouth, he had her tank heading for her chin.
“I take that to mean you agree with my plan?” Eternally grateful for her love of lingerie, she took a moment to enjoy his pleasure in the sheer black bra that left almost nothing to his imagination.
He cleared his throat. “You can take that to mean I’m happy with anything you wish to give me.”
“What do I get in return?”
He froze, his eyes dark, his lips parted. “What do you want?”
Pleased by the desire she heard in his gruff words, she sat up and tugged on his shirt, helping him to lift that and the thermal over his head. “Wait,” she said as his exceptional chest was revealed. “I want to change my answer.”
“Which one?”
“Second base might not be enough.” She laid her hands over his pectorals and let her fingers slide through the light dusting of golden blond hair—just the right amount of hair. Her finger left a trail over a thin white scar on his collarbone. “What happened here?”
“Snowboarding. Broke my collarbone.”
She leaned in to place a chaste kiss on the scar. “How old were you?”
“Twelve.”
A series of puckered scars on his left shoulder caught her attention next. “How about here?”
He was breathing more rapidly as she kissed each of the tiny scars. “Rotator cuff at sixteen.”
“Snowboarding again?”
“Yeah.”
“Dangerous business.”
“It can be.”
Her hands moved from his shoulders to pecs, dragging her nail over flat, dark nipples, to a belly ripped with muscles. “Mmm.”
He trembled under her touch. “Cam . . .”
“Hmm?”
“I want to touch you. I’m going crazy trying to hold back.”
She straddled his lap and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “Don’t hold back. Touch me.”
His arms encircled her, bringing her chest in close to his. “Feels so good to hold you like this.” With his lips a fraction of an inch from hers and his erection throbbing against her core, he said, “Do you think . . . Could I . . .”
“What?”
He tugged on the front clasp of her bra. “Could we take this off?”
Cameron bit her lip and nodded. She looked down to watch him release the clasp and push the cups aside. Her pale breasts seemed delicate against the much darker skin on his hands.
“Beautiful,” he whispered, looking down as he ran his thumbs back and forth over her nipples, which were more sensitive than they’d ever been.
Her back arched toward him, wanting more, needing more. When he released her breasts and moved his hands to her back, Cameron wanted to cry from the loss. Her nipples tightened and strained, finding ease against the rough hair on his chest. And then he was leaning forward, lowering her onto the hooked rug and coming down on top of her, his face aligned with her breasts.
Before she had the chance to gauge his intentions, he had captured her left nipple between his teeth, rolling and biting gently while
teasing it with his tongue. The dual sensations shot through her, heating her blood and firing her desire. She’d never, ever experienced anything even remotely close to this, and the realization frightened her as he gave her other breast the same treatment.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, tuned in to her dismay.
“Absolutely nothing.”
“Don’t lie to me, Cameron. I felt you tense up. Did I hurt you?”
“No, of course not. I love it. Don’t stop.”
He dabbed his tongue in a circle around her throbbing nipple before drawing it into his mouth as he squeezed her breast gently. “Tell me.”
She grasped a handful of his hair to keep him from moving, trying to keep him focused.
“Cameron . . .” He rested his chin on her sternum and looked down at her while continuing the gentle squeeze.
“This . . . I . . .”
With his arms around her, he turned them both so they were on their sides, facing each other, her head cushioned by his arm. He kept her in tight against him, so her breasts were pressed to his chest. “Talk to me.”
“I haven’t . . . I haven’t felt like this before.”
“Like what?” His hand moved in soft, seductive circles on her back. “Tell me how you feel. I want to know.”
“I feel like I’m burning up.”
“Are we too close to the fire?”
“It’s not the fire, Will,” she said, laughing softly. She pressed her lips to his chest. “It’s you. It’s us. It’s too much, and yet it’s nowhere near enough. I just keep thinking, over and over and over again, I only met you two days ago. I only met you two days ago. And now . . .”
“Now what?”
“Now you make me want to forget all about limits and take what I want more than anything.”
“I want that, too. You have no idea how badly. I’m not like this usually.”
“Like what?”
“Desperate to get laid.”
His bluntness made her laugh. “Are you desperate?”
“Incredibly, but that’s not like me. I don’t let my dick lead me around, you know? I can go months without it, but for the last two days, it’s all I’ve thought about.”
Amused and aroused by his words, she reached over to caress his face, running her fingers over the late-day scruff on his jaw.
“You’re appalled by me, right?” he asked, seeming chagrined by his blunt confession.
“Not at all. I’m charmed by you.”
“We’re not teenagers here, Cameron. We’re both single. At least I think we’re both single, aren’t we?”
She smiled, because really, how could she not? “As I’m not in the habit of lying half naked in the arms of one man while committed to another, rest assured we’re both single.”
“That’s a relief,” he said with an exaggerated sigh. “Technically, we can do anything we want to.”
“Technically.”
“But?”
“I’d hate myself after,” she said with an equally exaggerated sigh.
“How many days will you have to know me before you won’t hate yourself after going to bed with me?”
Cameron turned her eyes upward in deep thought. “Ninety.”
His mouth fell open, and his eyes bugged. “Ninety? Ninety days or ninety hours?”
She forced her lips to stay still when she wanted to let go with a big laugh at his horrified expression. “Days.”
“Ninety days. That’s three months!”
“Last time I checked. Yes.”
“I’ll die before then, Cameron.”
“No, you won’t.”
With a big hand on her bottom, he pulled her snug against his impressive erection. “Yes. I will.” He kissed her, lingering to pay special attention to her lower lip.
“If I make love with you, Will, I’ll fall for you. I know myself.”
Nuzzling her neck, he said, “If you fall for me, I’ll never let you go.”
“Will . . .” As she said the words, she tipped her head back to give him better access to her neck. “We can’t.”
“I know,” he said with a deep sigh full of resignation.
She couldn’t keep her fingers out of his hair. “Are you mad?”
“No, I’m not mad. I’m determined.”
“What do you mean?”
“Not only do I have to make you fall for me, I have to make you see that ninety days is a ridiculous amount of time to make me walk around in this condition.”
Cameron’s eyes were heavy after the night of interrupted sleep, the heat of the fire, the workout in the snow and the effort to resist him. She snuggled closer to him, breathing in his appealing scent. “You won’t be in that condition the whole time.”
“Yes, I will.”
“I need to get to Hannah’s.”
“Stay here with me.”
“I can’t. Your sister will think poorly of me.”
“No, she won’t.”
“Yes, she will.”
“A few more minutes,” he said, hugging her tightly.
Since Cameron was so warm and comfortable, despite the underlying buzz of desire that hummed between them, she relaxed against him. “A few more minutes.”
CHAPTER 12
What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.
—The gospel according to Elmer Stillman
Will was holding her so close to him that he was aware of the exact second she fell asleep. How in the world could she sleep when he was strung so tightly he felt like he was going to implode any second?
Ninety days? He wouldn’t survive nine days wanting her as much as he did. This was truly an unprecedented situation for him. Sure, he’d known desire in his life, but nothing to compare to the needy hunger she aroused in him. With her warm and soft in his arms, he took advantage of the opportunity to run his hand over her back in small circles.
“Hmm,” she said, snuggling in closer, her breath warm against his neck.
Her closeness, her warmth, her breasts pressed against his chest, her breath sweet against his neck . . . The combination was both bliss and torture. How was it possible that she already meant so much to him? How was it possible that he couldn’t wait for tomorrow so he could spend more time with her?
He’d never felt these things before. Not even when he’d been all wrapped up with Lisa, and he’d been wrapped pretty tightly back then.
What was it about Cameron that had him feeling this way? For one thing, he’d admired her fortitude after arriving under less-than-ideal circumstances. Despite her injuries, she’d pressed forward with the presentation without an ounce of vanity, at least as far as he could tell. He’d appreciated her interest at what she’d found in the store and he’d enjoyed her obvious delight with the gifts he’d left for her.
Underneath her sophisticated veneer, he’d seen hints of the lonely young girl who’d been raised by nannies and relied on TV families to keep her company. Her loneliness touched him deeply. The only time he’d ever been truly lonely was right after Lisa left him. But surrounded by his big family, he hadn’t been allowed to wallow for long before they forced him out of his misery and back into life.
He knew what it felt like to be lonely, but he couldn’t possibly know what it had been like to grow up as alone as she had. She had great friends, people she loved and enjoyed being with, but other than her father, she had no real family. He wanted to surround her with all the things she’d lived without for so long.
No wonder why she fell in love so easily. She was always looking for something she’d never had. He wanted the chance to give her those things.
Which took him back to his original thought—how could he feel so much so soon? And why was he lying here so peacefully when he should be thinking about how to extricate himself from this suddenly intense situation?
He ran his hand over her long hair, letting it spill through his fingers, soft, silky, curly and fragrant.
No, he wasn’t thinking about extrication, he decided
as he yawned. His eyes closed. He wasn’t thinking about getting away from her. He was thinking about how he might keep her right here with him for as long as he possibly could.
“Will. Will.”
“Mmm.”
“Wake up.”
“I’m awake.”
“Open your eyes.”
“They’re open.”
“No, they’re not.”
As he forced his eyes open to find her looking at him, he smiled. “Hey.”
“We fell asleep, and it’s almost three.”
“It’s okay.”
“No, it isn’t. I have to go to Hannah’s or your whole family will know I stayed here with you.”
“I don’t care what they think.”
“I care. Not just because of what they might think of me with you, but because of work, too. Please, Will? I know it’s cold, and you don’t feel like going out, but I need to go.”
“I don’t mind taking you.” He couldn’t resist one last kiss before he set about extricating himself from her sweet embrace when extricating was the last thing he wanted to do.
As she withdrew from him, she covered her chest with her arms, her face flaming with color.
Will’s hand landed on her bra, which he gave to her.
“Thanks,” she mumbled, standing to dress with her back to him.
Something about the fragile curve of her neck and the fumble of her hands as she tried to put on her bra called to him. He stood, wrapped his arms around her and kissed the spot where her neck met her shoulder, reveling when she trembled. “Let me.”
Her hands fell to her sides.
Will hooked her bra and rested his hands on her flat belly. “Don’t start having regrets.”
“I’m not.” Her hands covered his at her waist.
“Are you lying?”
She shook her head.
“Turn around.”
Reluctantly, or so it seemed to him, she turned and looked up at him with those expressive hazel eyes that got to him every time. He took her hands and raised them to his shoulders and then rested his on her hips. “No regrets,” he whispered as he kissed her and let his gaze wander down to the fetching sight of her breasts covered by sheer fabric.