by Marie Force
“This has been so much fun. Thank you.”
“It’s been fun for me, too.”
She glanced up to find a pulse of tension in the side of his face and traced a finger lightly over it, making him gasp. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong. You’re missing all the scenery.”
“I can tell something is bothering you. You’re all tense.”
His laugh sounded tortured. “It’s nothing a cold shower won’t take care of when we get back to Butler.”
She let her gaze drop to his lap where she saw obvious proof of his “problem.” Before she took the time to consider the consequences, she straddled his lap and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.
“Christ, Cam, have mercy on me, will you?”
“I’d rather kiss you.”
Hours of pent-up desire came bursting forth in a kiss so potent that Cameron wondered what she’d unleashed with her forward behavior. He positively devoured her as his hands found her bottom to bring her in tight against his arousal.
Cameron couldn’t seem to get close enough.
He broke off the kiss, gasping for air, his fingers digging into her cheeks. When he trembled, Cameron tumbled off the cliff she’d been clinging to as she tried not to repeat her past mistakes. She’d officially lost control of this situation.
“This is nuts,” he whispered as he held her.
“Totally nuts.”
“And yet …”
“And yet.”
“Is it still day three?” he asked, his lips warm and soft against her neck.
Cameron laughed and shivered at the same time. “Still day three.” With her hands on his shoulders for balance, she got up from his lap and returned to her seat next to him.
As he had all day, he reached for her hand and linked their fingers.
Cameron rested her head on his shoulder, feeling content and aroused and conflicted. Her ringing cell phone surprised her. “It’s always a shock to me when I have service here.” She glanced at the caller ID and was doubly shocked to see her dad’s name. “Dad?”
“Yes, Cameron, it’s me.” Patrick Murphy’s deep voice was as distinctive to her as anything in her life. She’d know it anywhere.
“I realize that. I have this new invention known as caller ID on my phone.”
Will chuckled at the comment.
“To what do I owe the honor of this call?”
“I heard you were in Vermont with Lincoln, and I wanted to see how it’s going.”
“It’s going well.” She gave Will a small smile. “We got the job building the site for the store.”
“Very good. I told Lincoln he could do much worse than my daughter’s company.”
No doubt her dad thought that was high praise, but as usual, his “praise” left her wishing for more.
“Interesting place up there, isn’t it?”
Cameron pretended not to hear the sarcasm in his tone. “It’s beautiful,” she said as she gazed at the snow-covered valley below. “I love it.”
“I’ve only been there once for Linc’s wedding. Told him he was making a huge mistake giving up a job on Wall Street to take on a girl from Vermont and her family’s Podunk store, but I guess he’s made a go of it. Not surprised. The guy is positively brilliant. I hated to think of him wasting his talents in Siberia when he could’ve been a titan on Wall Street.”
She had no idea how she was supposed to respond to that statement with the man’s son sitting less than an inch from her—and probably able to hear her father’s every word.
“Still there?” Patrick asked brusquely.
“I’m here. The cell service is spotty up here, so you’re breaking up.”
“I won’t keep you, then. You got the ballet tickets I sent?”
“Yes, thank you.”
“They were hard to come by. Make sure you’re back in time to use them.”
“I’ll be back in time.” Her stomach turning at the reminder that she’d be returning to New York in two short weeks.
“Call me when you’ve returned to civilization.”
“I will.”
He was gone before she could tell him she loved him, that she missed him … His habit of ending the call before she was done talking dated back to her childhood. Patrick Murphy hadn’t changed one iota since then.
“Dear old Dad,” she said with a small smile for Will as she stashed the phone in her pocket.
“He likes to do the talking, huh?”
“Usually.” She didn’t mention how wildly out of character it was for him to call her. Most of the time, if they talked at all, it was because she called him.
“What do you have to be back in time for?”
“The ballet. Two weeks from today. He got prime tickets from someone and gave them to me because he wouldn’t get caught dead at the ballet. Now he wants to make sure they don’t go to waste.”
“Doesn’t he have other things to worry about than whether ballet tickets he got for free go to waste?”
“And there you’ve stumbled upon the paradox that is Patrick Murphy. Richest guy in the known universe despises waste of any kind. It goes back to his hardscrabble upbringing when he had nothing. And I do mean nothing. He’s a fanatic about not wasting anything. Always has been.”
“I respect a guy who can go from nothing to what he has now. That doesn’t just happen.”
“No,” Cameron said with a sigh, “it doesn’t. And of course I respect him, too. I know better than most people how hard he worked to get where he is. It’s just …”
“What?”
Smiling, she shook her head. “It’s not worth talking about.”
He took her hand. “I want to hear it anyway.”
This thing that was happening between them was most frightening to her at moments like this one when he demonstrated his genuine interest in truly getting to know her. That, alone, made him different from every other guy she’d given her heart to. “Sometimes I wish he enjoyed his life more than he does. He’s all work, all the time. There’s not much room for anything else in there.”
“Including a daughter who adores him despite his failings.”
She nodded and shrugged. “What can I say? He’s my dad, and I love him, even when I want to shake some sense into him.”
“If anyone can, I bet you can.”
“I don’t know … All these years, and he still hasn’t figured out I hate the ballet.”
“Wait. If you hate the ballet, why does he send you tickets?”
“Because I loved ballet class when I was six and walked around on my toes for a year. He didn’t notice when I grew up and lost interest.” Cameron was appalled to realize she was telling him things she never talked about with anyone—even Lucy, who loved the ballet and made sure Patrick’s tickets didn’t go to waste. “He’ll never change. I’ve had to accept that, you know?”
“To a much lesser extent, I do get that. My dad drives us nuts sometimes with his desire for bigger, better, more, more, more … What’s wrong with what we have?”
“Nothing that I can see. However, I do think the website will enhance what you already have, so in that way, your dad might’ve been a teeny, tiny bit right.” She used her thumb and forefinger pressed together to make her point.
His eyes widened with disbelief. “Are you taking his side against me?”
“Perhaps,” she said, holding back a laugh.
He attempted to look sinister but failed miserably, and she couldn’t help but laugh. “Disloyalty and laughing at me. I’m making a note of these failings of yours.”
“There’re a lot more where they came from.”
As the gondola reached the mountaintop, Will guided her out of the car. “I look forward to discovering every one of these so-called failings of yours.”
She shivered from the cold as much as the promise behind his words.
They returned to town late that afternoon, and Will pulled up in front of Hannah’s house. “I’ll pick you u
p around seven, okay?”
“What should I wear?”
“Whatever you want. You’ll see the full range of attire, from jeans to dresses and everything in between.”
She found that she was reluctant to leave him. “I had fun today.”
“So did I. A lot of fun.”
With his gaze locked on her mouth he leaned in, and Cameron met him halfway, placing her hand on his face. The sweet, chaste kiss made her heart pound and her mouth go dry. She’d never wanted anyone the way she wanted him, and the desire was every bit as frightening—and stunning—as the emotional wallop of his eyes connecting with hers.
Fortunately, he seemed as stunned as she felt. His thumb caressed her cheek. “I’ll see you soon.”
Frazzled and off kilter, she gathered up her purse and the bag containing the Chunky Monkey T-shirt she’d bought at the Ben & Jerry’s factory.
“Cam.”
She looked over at him, her belly flip-flopping at the very sight of him. This was so, so bad and getting worse with every minute she spent in his irresistible presence. “Yes?”
He gripped the wheel so tightly his knuckles were white. “I … Will you come home with me tonight? I want you to come home with me and spend the night with me, even if we don’t do anything but sleep in the same bed. Will you?”
She licked lips that had gone dry. “I’ll think about it.”
He zeroed in on the movement of her tongue over her lips, and her entire body heated. “Okay.”
Cameron fumbled with the door handle.
He reached across her body to open it for her.
“Thanks.” She got out of the truck, closed the door and forced her legs to carry her up the walk to Hannah’s front door, all the while she was acutely aware of him watching her go. Her fingers had turned into thumbs as she used her key in the door, closed it behind her and leaned against it, trying to regain her equilibrium.
“Hey,” Hannah said as she came into the foyer from the kitchen, carrying a steaming mug. Her dark hair was piled on top of her head in a messy bun, and she wore red flannel pajama pants with a green I LOVE VERMONT sweatshirt. “I thought I heard you come in.” She took a closer look at Cameron. “Are you okay?”
“Um, yeah. I’m good. Sorry, I was …” She sighed. “No, I’m not good. I’m freaking out, and none of my friends are here, and I can’t get a good cell phone connection to call them, and I don’t know what to do, and you’re Will’s sister, so you’re the last person I should be freaking out all over.”
Laughing, Hannah stepped forward to hook her hand around Cameron’s arm, compelling her toward the cozy sitting room where a fire burned brightly. “Sit.” Hannah directed her to a love seat and curled up across from her on the sofa, next to Homer, who dropped his head on Hannah’s leg.
Mortified by her outburst, Cameron did as she was told.
“Speak.”
“You’re his sister,” she said miserably.
Hannah stroked Homer’s silky ears, and the old dog sighed with pleasure. “I’ll do my very best to not be his sister for a few minutes.”
“I really, really like him,” Cameron said, her eyes filling with tears that infuriated her. She was all done crying over guys. Those days were over. Or so she’d thought …
“He’s a really, really good guy.”
“You’re not his sister right now,” Cameron reminded her sternly.
“My apologies,” Hannah said, her lips quivering with amusement. “Please continue.”
“I’m scared.”
“Of Will?” Hannah asked, seeming truly stricken by the thought.
“Not of him, but of how I feel when I’m with him. I just met him, Hannah. It’s happening so fast. I feel like I’m on a luge track flying down the icy hill, totally out of control. And I just know I’m going to crash and burn at the bottom, and it’s going to hurt like hell when that happens.”
“Why are you so sure you’ll crash and burn?”
“Because I always do, and I already like him more than I’ve ever liked anyone, so the crash and burn will be worse than ever. And there’ve already been some bad crashes. Some really bad crashes.” She slumped into the comfortable love seat. “Even knowing the crash is coming, I can’t seem to stop wanting to be with him.”
“You sound like a woman in love.”
Cameron gasped. “No! I’m not in love with him. I just really, really like him.”
“So you’ve said. A few times now.” Hannah took a sip from her mug and put it on the coffee table. “I knew my husband, Caleb, since sixth grade when he moved here after his dad retired from the army. He was friends with Hunter and Will, so he was around our house a lot. He went out of his way to bother me and was like an annoying extra brother to me. He pulled my hair on the playground almost every day until I punched him in the face when we were thirteen.”
“You did not!”
“Yes, I did. I got in big trouble at home and at school, but it was well worth it to get him to leave me alone. Then one night a group of us were out at the quarry, doing what kids do. Drinking beer, talking trash. We were sixteen that summer.” Hannah seemed a million miles away, lost in her memories.
“We had a fire going, and Hunter was roasting marshmallows. I remember Caleb saying how gross they tasted with beer. That made me laugh, and when I looked over at him, he was looking back at me with this expression on his face I’d never seen before. It was like everything changed between us in that one moment. I was completely overwhelmed and extremely confused, so I got up to walk down to the water. I remember my mind was racing. I couldn’t make sense of what that look had meant. I’d never seen it before from him or anyone.
“He followed me, calling my name. It was dark away from the fire, so I couldn’t see him, but I knew he was right there. And then his hands were on my face and he was kissing me, and my whole life changed in that one second. I’d known him for years, actively hated him for most of that time—or so I thought—and it took one second, one kiss, for everything to change.”
Cameron realized tears were rolling down her face, and she brushed them away. “I’m so sorry for your loss. I can’t imagine …”
“I hope you never have to find out. You know why I told you this, don’t you?”
Cameron nodded. “Thank you for sharing that with me. It helps to clarify things.”
“I hope so. Life can be precarious, Cameron. If you find someone who makes you feel special, that’s something to be treasured. All the obstacles are just that—obstacles. You can work them out if it’s meant to be. You can work out anything if you find the right person to work it out with.” Hannah reached for her mug. “And now I’m going to be Will’s sister again, and tell you he’s one of the very best guys I’ve ever known. I don’t know what I would’ve done without him and Hunter, in particular, after I lost Caleb. They took turns staying here every night for months afterward.”
Cameron could easily imagine him dropping everything for his grief-stricken sister, and that made her care for him even more than she already did. “I can so see him doing that.”
“That’s who he is.”
Feeling like she’d made a new friend in the last few minutes, she met Hannah’s dark-eyed gaze. “He wants me to go home with him after the dance.”
“Is that right?” Hannah’s smile conveyed her approval. “Do you want to?”
“Well, yeah. I want to. It’s just that I’m staying here with you, and I wouldn’t want you to think—”
“Stop.” Hannah held up her hand. “No worries there. You’re a fully grown adult, and so is he. No judgment here—and no gossip either. I promise.”
“You’re making this too easy,” Cameron said with a teasing smile.
“I’d love to see Will happy with a nice girl like you.”
Touched by Hannah’s kind words, Cameron said, “That’s very sweet of you. Thank you.”
“He’s been burnt badly in the past, so if he’s willing to take a chance, that’s a good i
ndication he’s pretty invested, too, so please don’t hurt him.”
“I won’t. I couldn’t.”
“Good.”
Cameron rested her head against the back of the love seat, enjoying the cozy room and the chat with Hannah. “This is a really amazing house. It must be a lot to take care of on your own.”
“It is, but it gives me something to do when I’m not working, and I like to think I’m doing it for Caleb because he loved this place so much. That’s why I could never sell it.”
“Do you ever give any thought to maybe opening an inn or something?”
“That’s just what Vermont needs—another B and B.”
“Maybe you could do a different sort of inn.”
“Like what?”
“Thinking out loud here, but what about a place where other war widows can come and meet people who understand what they’ve been through. Like a sanctuary of sorts.”
Hannah didn’t say anything, which led Cameron to wonder if she’d overstepped her boundaries. “Sorry. That’s probably an awful idea. The last thing you need is to be around other people dealing with grief.”
“It’s not an awful idea. It’s actually a really good idea.”
“You think so?”
Hannah nodded. “Definitely worth considering.”
Since she didn’t want to push her luck, Cameron decided to change the subject. “Are you going to the dance?”
“Nah.”
“You should come. I could use a girlfriend with me when the whole town comes out to get a look at the girl who hit Fred.”
Hannah laughed, a delicate sound that lit up her face and eyes. “That might be fun to see.”
“Please? I’d love to have you there.” Thinking of what Will had told her earlier, Cameron also thought it might do Hannah good to get out, but she kept that thought to herself.
“Oh all right. I’ll go for a little while.”
“Yay! It’ll be fun.”
“If you say so.”
“You have to help me figure out what to wear.”