Clearwater Romance

by Marissa Dobson

  “Me too, but your leg…”

  “It’s fine.” He slipped his hand under the loose silk nightshirt that she wore, and pulled it up her body. “You have too many clothes on.”

  She leaned up allowing him to slip the shirt over her head. “You too.” She grabbed the waist of his shorts.

  “Then help me resolve that.” He told her before lowering his head to her neck, kissing gently. His tongue trailing soft lines down her neck, teasing her and nibbling against her smooth skin, bringing the desire coursing through them.

  She broke the kiss, and rose to her knees. With agonizing care, she pulled down his shorts. “Are you sure you are up to this?”

  “I think it speaks for itself.” He raised his eyebrows suggestively. He leaned up, and caught her dusky pink nipple into his mouth. He knew pregnancy had made her nipples extra sensitive; so he laved it in a lazy, tender circle with his tongue. Her sharp gasp coupled with the clasp of her hand on his head was all the encouragement he needed. Gliding a hand down her body, he explored the gorgeous curves. She really had never been more beautiful. And he promised patience in the future, but he’d missed her for far too long. Teasing her sensitive flesh, he lifted his head to catch the soft cry with a long, satisfying kiss.

  “You’ll have to be on top.” He murmured against her mouth.

  She rose, moving to straddle his body, her hands running along his chest, careful to avoid the white bandage covering his burns. “If you’d been hurt worse…”

  “Shh.” He gave her hips a light squeeze. “No more of that. I’m here. We’re together.”

  For the barest moment, her lower lip trembled and she seemed to be caught between tears and a smile. The utter vulnerability tore him in two. . “Cameron, I need you.”

  “I’m here. I’ll always be here.” It was a solemn oath, one he should have given her a long time ago. She deserved long stroking touches, teasing caresses, and languid kisses until she screamed—but rose carefully and he helped her balance as he fisted himself and angled his shaft to help her glide down into place.

  She settled around him like a hot, liquid glove and he couldn’t stop his own groan. Hell, he didn’t want to. They lay there, suspended in that moment and he looked up at her. The unbound length of her hair framed her gorgeous face and she smiled. “You feel good.”

  Laughing softly, he rubbed a hand up her side and cupped her breast. The angle sucked, but he was creative—he would manage. “Move, sweetheart.”

  She wrinkled her nose. “Bossy.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” He couldn’t arch his hips, it would jerk his leg, but he flexed his arms and helped her rise and she did it with agonizing, exquisite slowness that ripped another pair of long, sighs from both of them. It was like pleasurable torture, a slow, inexorable build. She roamed her hands over him, petting him, teasing him, but always with smooth, strokes that wrapped his shaft, fisting him with her inner muscles.

  Need turned him inside out and he slid a hand between them to tease that tight bundle of nerves. Her rhythm faltered and he watched the pleasure break out over her expression, her release clamping down around him and pulling his own. He came with a shout—the slow, sensuous eroticism of it all made perfect because it was Tessa.

  It had always been Tessa.

  He helped her ease down on the bed next to him. And caught her lips for another long, breathless kiss. “I love you, Tessa.”

  It would always be her.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Cameron leaned against his new truck, looking at the house they just bought. He just brought a load of their belongings over while Tessa and Chloe were busy packing at the cabin. Moving from North Carolina they decided to start over, selling everything, so the first thing they had to do after they bought the house was decorate it. All the furniture new, and fit their style contemporary and comfortable, representing the new lease they both had on life. His life had done a one eighty in only a few months. Clearwater was something he never thought he wanted, the small quiet life but he couldn’t be happier now. Lost in thought he didn’t turn around to the vehicle coming up the drive, suspecting it was Jordan.

  A truck door shut behind him, jarring him back to the presence. “Hey Cameron.”

  He turned to find Sheriff Ryan Ryder walking towards him. His long legs closing the distance quickly, his hand was on his gun like a character leaping out of the pages of some novel from the old west. It was a natural pose for him. “Afternoon Sheriff, what can I do for you?”

  “There’s something I’ve wanted to do for years—but being the only law enforcement in Clearwater time never seems to be enough—but you might be just the person to bring it to Clearwater now that you’re sticking around.” Ryan took his hat off laying it on the front of Cameron’s truck. “We need someone around here to teach self-defense, gun training.”

  “Sheriff I don’t think that’s needed here…”

  “Hear me out Cameron…self-defense has always been something I support. People need to defend themselves, and their families. Clearwater is a safe town, but we have many people traveling through, so trouble can spring unexpectedly. We have a lot of small shop owners that could be in danger if a patron got out of control.” He adjusted his gun belt, looking off to the vacant land that at one time had been used for farming, surrounding the house. “Gun training…damn that’s the call I deal with most. Someone out hunting and they don’t know how to handle the weapon properly. Many of these hunters were taught by their father, or grandfather, passing it down the line, but guns have changed. They’re advancing and if people are going to use them they need to be trained.”

  “You make a good argument, but I don’t know…” Cameron slipped his hand into his pockets.

  “I understand.” Ryan looked around the ground again before turning his attention back to Cameron. “You have enough land here that you could do it right here. Put up a building for the classes and shooting range, and you could be running within a few weeks.” He grabbed his hat off the top of the truck, and slipped it back on. “All I’m asking is think about it.”

  “I will.” Cameron watched Ryan walk back over to the Sheriff truck, and opened the door.

  “One last thing, there’s a woman in Jackson Hole…she’s in a difficult situation…self-defense could make all the difference to her.” Ryan got into his truck and drove away.

  Damn him! He knows I won’t turn away from someone in need. Self-defense…gun training…that could be the answer to what to do with my time. He opened his truck door and climbed in. He needed to talk to Tessa before he made any decision.

  Chapter Twenty

  Four Months Later…

  Tessa was lounging by the lake, her head back with her eyes closed, soaking up the last of the early evening sun rays with Chloe. Rosalie slept peacefully in the bassinet, and the men were grilling. It was a perfect day, making her thankful for all she had. Her life had changed so much in the last few weeks, and everything for the better.

  They had moved into their beautiful home only days before, but she already missed the daily connection with Chloe and Jordan. “How’s Hope doing managing Winterbloom on a day to day level? Or are you still having problems giving up the control?”

  “Hope’s doing well. Once Jordan finishes our log home, she’ll move into our quarters. It’s nice to be able to give over some of the duties to someone else. Winterbloom has been my whole life for so long, it’s nice to have a little free time to step back and enjoy life, even better now that I have someone to do it with.”

  Tessa opened her eyes and looked across the lake, midway between Winterbloom and the cabins where Jordan and a local construction team were building Chloe’s new home. The log home was coming along nicely, and would soon be ready for them to move into it.

  “How’s motherhood and the new business?”

  “Amazing. Rosalie is a doll, and she sleeps most of the night. I couldn’t ask for a better daughter. Which is great since Cam is busy getting Clearwater Combat and Gun
s set up.” Memories of how lost Cameron was without the schedule of the Marines controlling his day-to-day life flooded back. She had almost begun to think it was a mistake for him to leave his career for her and Rosalie. As much as she loved Clearwater, she’d have followed him anywhere. His leg grew stronger each day, and if he wanted he could have returned to the Marines within a few months, even the limp he had was beginning to fade.

  Clearwater Combat and Guns had put the passion back in Cameron that he lost, bringing joy and harmony to their lives. He was doing something they both believed in. Even out of the Marines, he was still being a hero to many. The business was the final piece that completed Cameron, and gave her everything she ever wanted.

  “It’s becoming larger than we originally expected. There will be a gun shop, and shooting range, but he’s also doing different classes for self-defense based on skills, gun training, and other weapons. Cameron also hired another retired Marine to teach karate and martial arts, he’ll arrive in August, there’s already a number of students from Clearwater School signed up.” She looked across the patio to Cameron and then towards Rosalie. “Oh Chloe, everything is just perfect. I love my life and wouldn’t want things to be any different.”

  Losing to Win

  The war vet…

  Juan Carlos Marquez lost everything he valued in one fateful Marine mission. Now an amputee, trying to put the pieces of his life back together, and to still be a provider for his mother and siblings, might be all he can handle.

  The lonely barista…

  Rebecca James found a new beginning in Clearwater after running from a disastrous past. As a part-time barista and studying for her business degree, she rarely has time for socializing, let alone a relationship.

  The instant connection…

  They weren’t looking for love, love found them. Will the sparks between Juan Carlos and Rebecca be just what they need to give them both a happy ending?

  Chapter One

  Juan Carlos Marquez waited for the plane to disembark in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Within the hour, he’d be in Clearwater where he’d agreed to spend the next six weeks helping his former Gunnery Sergeant, Cameron White, with his new business, Clearwater Combat and Guns. JC had no idea what to expect. He was an amputee now. What could he do to help? Yet, when the man who saved his life asked for help, he couldn’t turn his back.

  Since returning from deployment, JC felt like a ship lost at sea. He was unsure what to do, and his family treated him differently now. In that one mission, his life changed so dramatically. He went from being the man of his family—caring for his mother and eight younger siblings, to being useless. At twenty-one, he had provided a decent income for his mother and siblings, thanks to the Marines. But he was recently discharged because of his injury, which left him no other choice but to find something else to do.

  Just the thought of that fateful mission sent phantom pains where his leg should have been. He rubbed his knee above the prosthesis, hoping to chase away the pain. Nothing helped ease the ache. It was never-ending and exhausted him. When the discomfort crept in, it was unbearable, breaking him down until he had nothing left.

  He closed his eyes for a brief second, and that fateful day shot across his memory. Just another normal day of duty, the mission was going smoothly, and everything seemed innocent enough until their Humvee hit an IED. The detonation sent him flying through the air and his leg was in excruciating pain. It wasn’t until he landed hard on the ground, fifteen feet from the explosion, that he realized his leg was gone below the knee.

  Cameron, the man JC owed everything, was there for him—making sure he held on to reality. Cameron reminded him of his family, refusing to let him give up. Cameron got him through the ordeal, and he owed his life to his former Gunnery Sergeant.

  “Sir, excuse me, sir. We’ve landed.”

  Opening his eyes, he saw the flight attendant standing next to his seat in the otherwise empty plane. Lost in his thoughts, he hadn’t heard her step up beside him.

  “I apologize, ma’am.”

  “It’s fine. Do you have someone waiting for you?” She leaned against the seat in front of him.

  “No one waiting, but I do have an appointment I need to get to.”

  “If you’re new to the area, why don’t I show you around after your appointment? Maybe we can grab some dinner. I don’t fly out again until tomorrow afternoon.” She bent forward to pick up the tray next to him, giving him a glimpse down the front of her blouse.

  “I appreciate the offer, but no thank you.” He rose from his seat, grabbing his carry-on. He was ready to get off of the airplane, find a rental car, and make his way to Clearwater.

  She reached into her pocket and handed him a business card. “Here’s my number if you change your mind. I fly this route a few times a month, so if you ever want to meet, call me.”

  He shoved her card in his pocket and then headed up the aisle. No woman had approached him since his injury. His air of authority and the uniform were gone, taking away the reason so many women were attracted to him in the first place. Now flirtation from a woman made him uncomfortable. He didn’t know what to say.

  He walked quickly off the plane, putting distance between him and the flirtatious flight attendant. The ache in his leg slowed his progress. He hadn’t been this sore since he was fitted with his prosthesis. As soon as he arrived at Clearwater Combat and Guns, he would take his medication to dull the pain, but he hated the pills because they left him in a haze, unable to feel anything.

  Stepping out into the fresh air, he made his way to the rental car. His limp returned, making itself known. He worked so hard to hide it, to pretend he was normal. Though sometimes the limp refused to be hidden.

  * * *

  JC drove up the long gravel driveway, surprised by the beauty spread out before him. Lush trees bloomed, lining each side of the drive. Ahead, were mountains, more trees, and a deep blue sky with fluffy, white clouds. The only sounds, through his open window, were the birds chirping their happy songs.

  This area was so different from the city, which was always busy with blaring horns, people yelling, and the stench of the many different restaurant smells mingling in the open air. He inhaled a deep breath, filling his lungs with the clean mountain air. Rejuvenation eased some of his pain.

  No wonder Cameron never returned to North Carolina. This place would be hard to give up.

  JC knew what it felt like to live in a city where Marines were stationed. Everything was a daily reminder of what he’d lost. In the three short years the Marines became his life, the routine and discipline reflected in every aspect of his life, even now.

  He stepped out of his rental car. Clearwater Combat and Guns was a large building to the right of the driveway. It had to be over three thousand square feet, if not more. The rustic black sign with silver letters had recently been painted. He was impressed with the sheer size of the business, and wouldn’t have guessed a small town needed something so large.

  “You must be Juan Carlos.” A soft female voice called from behind him.

  He turned to find a woman with a baby in her arms walking down the porch of a ranch-style log home. The house dominated the other side of the driveway. Red rose bushes decorated the porch’s perimeter, drawing his gaze before he could view the rest of the house.

  “Yes, ma’am. Please, call me JC. You must be Mrs. White.” He held out his hand.

  “Tessa, please. I’ve heard so much about you. It’s a pleasure to finally have you here.” She placed her delicate hand in his, giving it a gentle shake. “Cameron is in the shop.” Her long brown hair swayed over her shoulders as she rocked the baby in her arms. “Come, I’ll show you around, unless you prefer to settle in first.”

  He wanted his pain meds and to sleep for a while, but he came to help Cameron, and he needed to find out why his friend really wanted him to come here.

  What does he expect from me?

  “No, that’s fine. I’d like to see Cameron.”
<
br />   “Very well.” She turned in the direction of the shop, walking next to him instead of in front like most people tended to do since his walk was a little slower. “Cam will be glad you’re here. With our baby daughter, Rosalie, and the business, he doesn’t have time to breathe. Neither of us expected the shop to take off as it has. The other man he hired, Thor, will be teaching most of the hand-to-hand combat, self-defense, karate, and martial art classes, but he doesn’t start until August. So everything’s falling on Cam now.”

  “I’ll do what I can to take some of the burden from him.” JC didn’t add that he’d be useless at physical training.

  She stopped in front of an open door. “Well, I’ll let you two divide the work load. I’ll be up at the house. When you’re ready, I’ll show you to your room.”

  “Don’t think you’re going to get away that easy.” A deep, raspy voice JC remembered from his days in the Marines, hollered from inside the room. “Bring my little Rosie in here.”

  JC followed Tessa into the office and found Cameron behind a large cherry wood desk. His hair was a little longer and contentment glistened in his eyes. Pictures of his family filled the walls. Cameron, the man who drilled into JC that marriage and Marines didn’t mix, had found the two things he always said weren’t for him—happiness and family.

  Cameron took the baby from Tessa, hoisted Rosalie in his arms, and then shook JC’s hand. “I’m glad you came. Have a seat.”

  JC couldn’t believe his former Gunnery Sergeant, who had dedicated his life to the core, was now a family man. He held the baby like a seasoned father, yet JC couldn’t help but think how small the baby seemed to be in the big man’s arms.

  “Cam, I was going to put Rosie down for a nap.” Tessa smiled at her husband cradling their daughter, and then pointed a finger. “If you’d come up to the house before she went to bed at night you’d get to see more of her.”