by Marie Force
“Good luck, son,” Molly said.
“Are you taking the boys?” Lincoln asked of Will’s dogs.
“I figured I would. They love the lake.”
“Yes, they do. Have fun.”
“We might be a little late on Monday, but we’ll be there.”
“You should take Monday off. It’s been ages since you had a day off.”
“Not that long,” Will reminded him. “I had a week off when I helped Cameron move.”
“That doesn’t count,” Lincoln said. “That was work.”
Will would hardly consider a week alone with Cameron work, but he didn’t argue the point. “I’ll see what she wants to do. She may want to get back sooner rather than later.”
“Up to you.”
“I’ll see you. Have a good weekend.”
“You, too, honey,” Molly called after him.
Will headed for the door, eager to get back to Cam and make sure she was just tired and not something else. It couldn’t be that. Could it?
* * *
Lincoln returned to his seat at the table, picked up the paper and settled in to read, his mind racing with scenarios and hoping he’d done the right thing by letting Will go to the lake when Colton was already there.
“That’s it?” Molly asked. “You’re not going to say a word about what just happened here?”
Lincoln folded the corner of the paper down so he could see his lovely wife, who was, in fact, still very lovely nearly forty years after he met her and had the good sense to marry her. “Excuse me?”
“Don’t play dumb with me, Lincoln Abbott. I happen to know you gave the other set of keys to Colton.”
He did his best not to squirm under her intense glare. “And how do you know that?”
“I have my sources. So what’re you about?”
“It’s a big house. They won’t even see each other.”
Molly raised a brow to let him know she wasn’t buying his bullshit. She always could see right through him.
“I don’t see what the big deal is. Colton went fishing.”
“Is that what he told you?” Molly laughed. “And you believed him?”
What to say? If he admitted he didn’t believe him, he’d walk right into her trap. “Why wouldn’t I?”
“Oh, Linc, you can fool some of the people some of the time, but not me. What’re you up to?”
“Nothing.”
“And when Will walks in there to find Colton with a woman, will you still say you weren’t up to anything?”
“That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.”
She shook her head. “You are too much. I hope your little scheme doesn’t blow up in your face.”
Her words were a jolt to his system. He hoped so, too.
* * *
Cameron was still asleep when Will returned to the cabin. He paced for half an hour, the dogs following him anxiously, sensing something was wrong. When he finally heard her stirring in the bedroom, he went into the room, intending to subtly work his way into the question he needed to ask her.
But seeing her sleep-rumpled and beautiful, subtlety flew out the window. “Are you pregnant?”
Her hazel eyes went wide, and her mouth opened and then closed.
“Cameron, answer me. Are you?”
“Not that I know of. Do you know something I don’t?”
“You’ve been so tired, and the dark circles, and you’re hungry all the time, and your breasts, they’re well, you know . . .”
“I don’t know. Why don’t you tell me what my breasts are?”
If he wasn’t mistaken, she was enjoying his discomfort. “They’re . . . bigger and more sensitive.” He cleared his throat. “Lately.”
“Who put the idea I might be pregnant in your head?”
“My mom.”
“Your mother? What did she say?”
“I mentioned you’d been tired lately, and she said she’d noticed that, too. She asked if it was something more than overwork causing it.”
“So you totally freaked out and jumped to all kinds of conclusions?”
“Not totally. Only kind of.”
“Come here.” Smiling indulgently, she held out a hand to him. “You didn’t tell your mother about my breasts, did you?”
“Of course I didn’t.” He was so wound up he could barely function. However, any time Cameron held out her hand to him, he took it. This time was no exception.
She laughed at his discomfort and tugged him down next to her in bed.
“Sorry,” he muttered when he was curled up to her. “I let my imagination run wild.”
“Did you stop for one second to wonder how I could be pregnant when I’m on birth control?”
“Nothing is foolproof. Just ask Max about that.”
“I’m not pregnant, but after seeing you so freaked out, I’m a little concerned about what would happen if I were.”
“What does that mean?”
“It doesn’t seem like you’d be happy about it.”
“Are you serious? I’d love to see you pregnant with our baby. I can’t imagine anything that would please me more.”
She responded to that with the soft smile he’d come to love so much, especially when it was directed at him. “Then why the freak-out?”
He blew out a deep breath. “I guess it was more the idea that something like that could be going on with you, and I didn’t even notice. I was afraid I’d missed something important.”
“You haven’t missed anything. I promise.”
“But you are incredibly tired.”
“I won’t deny that.”
He cupped her breast and ran his thumb over the nipple that hardened under his caress. “And you’re more sensitive.”
“Probably PMS.”
“That I can’t do much about, but I’ve got an idea to deal with the exhaustion.”
“What’s that?”
He withdrew the key his father had given him from the front pocket of his shorts and held it up for her to see.
“What’ve you got there?”
“That, my love, is a key to the Abbott family lake house in Burlington.”
“Ahh, I’ve heard about this lake house of which you speak. Something about a wedding happening there later this summer . . .”
“I thought we might run away for a couple of days.”
She stared at the key as she contemplated his offer. “Would I be allowed to bring my laptop on this adventure?”
“I suppose I could permit that if you’re willing to put a time limit on how much you work. The goal is to rest and relax.”
“Three hours a day.”
“Two.”
“Three.”
“Two, and that’s my final offer.”
“Two and a half, and that’s my final offer.”
“Done. How soon can you be ready to go?”
“Twenty minutes if you make the coffee.”
One of the things he loved best about Cameron was that she was very much a girl, but she didn’t spend hours making herself look like one. She didn’t need to. “You’re on.” He started to get up, but she gave his hand a tug.
“Thanks for being worried about me and for making a plan to get me away from work.”
“It’s sort of a selfish plan, really.”
“How so?”
He kissed her, lingering over the sweet taste of her lips. “Since you’ve moved here, I’ve had to share you with my family. I’m ready to have you all to myself for a few days.”
She ran her fingers through his hair. “Have I been neglecting you?”
“Not at all. I love how much you love my family and vice versa. But I also love the idea of being completely alone at the lake for a few days.”
“I love that idea, too.”
“Then let’s get to it.”
“What about the boys?” she asked of the dogs.
“Coming with us, but don’t tell them until we’re ready to go, or they’ll go nuts.”
>
“Yay, a few days alone with my three favorite guys. What could be better than that?”
Drinking in the bright smile that made her eyes light up with joy, Will couldn’t think of a single thing better than that.
CHAPTER 6
We are collecting sap. The lower tanks are filling up. Sunshine this morning stirred the trees; the temp finally pushed 40°F. The snow pack on the woodshed roof has begun to curl over the edge, notched at the edge like jigsaw puzzle pieces.
—Colton Abbott’s sugaring journal, February 28
Colton came awake slowly but was instantly aware of the soft female curled up to him. Her hand rested on his chest, directly above his heart, which began to beat double time when her scent filled his senses. Dark auburn hair spread out on the pillow next to his, and he was pleased to see that the curls he’d become quite fond of had returned overnight.
He wound one of them around his finger, pulled it straight and then let it spring back into place. She’d told him she hated those curls, but he couldn’t imagine why. He loved them. Moving slowly so he wouldn’t disturb her, he put his hand on her shoulder and smiled when she burrowed deeper into his embrace.
Then she startled, and her body went rigid.
“Hey,” he whispered. “It’s just me. Sorry to wake you.”
She relaxed in tiny, uncertain increments, as if she weren’t entirely sure why she was sleeping naked in his arms.
He vividly remembered the incredible night they’d shared. He’d never forget it. Despite his isolated life on the mountain, he’d been with his share of women, but none of them had ever rocked his world the way Lucy had. Just thinking about how amazingly responsive she’d been had him hard and longing for more of her.
When she shifted to find a more comfortable position, her belly pressed against his erection, making him groan.
“What’s wrong?”
Not wanting her to think he let his dick run his life, he pulled his hips back, seeking relief. “Nothing.”
“That didn’t sound like nothing to me.”
“Nothing a cold shower won’t fix. Don’t worry.”
Damn if her hand didn’t start to move south, sliding from his chest to his stomach and below. Before his brain could catch up to anticipate her intentions, she had her soft hand wrapped around his extremely hard cock.
“Lucy,” he said through gritted teeth. “You don’t have to do that.”
“Why not?”
The innocently spoken question was in sharp contrast to the way she stroked him, from root to tip, running her thumb over the moisture that gathered at the top.
“Christ.”
“Good?”
Was it good? He wanted to laugh at the absurdity of the question. “Mmm. Yeah.”
Then she shocked the living shit out of him by pushing him onto his back and kissing her way down the front of him, taking the same path her hand had traveled. He couldn’t believe that shy, reserved Lucy was about to—
Holy mother of God and all things holy. The heat of her mouth on him was nearly enough to finish him off—and that was before she brought her tongue to the party.
Colton grasped handfuls of her hair as he tried to ignore the overpowering urge to take control.
“Am I doing it right?” she asked, looking up at him with those crystal blue eyes that were a window to her emotions. In them he now saw concern and hesitation.
“You’re perfect in every way.”
Her smile lit up her face before she bent to return to the task at hand.
Colton sucked in a sharp deep breath and kept his eyes open to watch as he gave in to the exquisite pleasure. The combination of her hand stroking him, her lips and tongue . . . “Lucy . . .”
She mumbled something that sent a shock wave of vibrations through his cock.
“Lucy.”
Stopping what she was doing, she looked up at him with those eyes, her lips gone swollen from her efforts. “Did I do something wrong?”
He sat up, reached for her and pulled her on top of him. “You did everything exactly right.”
“I wanted to finish.”
He kissed the pout off her lips. “Another time. I want to finish with you.”
“Oh.” Her entire body flushed with color and heat. He couldn’t bear to have her so close and not touch her, especially when her skin turned that appealing shade of pink. With his hands on her back, he encouraged her to lean back so he could reach her breasts as he entered her.
As he took a hardened nipple into his mouth, her slight whimper had him stopping. “What?”
“A little sore from last night.”
“Do you want to stop?”
“No,” she said, sounding as breathless as he felt.
“Mmm, I’ll go easy.”
She released a deep breath and combed her fingers through his hair, surrendering to him so completely it was all he could do not to move things along quickly. But he wanted to give her time to catch up before he gave in to the desire that pounded through him relentlessly.
Mindful that she was sore, he remained wedged just inside her as he sucked gently and licked softly, first one breast and then the other, loving the soft sounds of pleasure that came from her.
“Colton.”
“Hmm?”
“I want . . .”
“What do you want, honey?”
“You know!”
“Tell me anyway.”
“You. I want you.”
“I’m right here.”
She groaned with frustration and aggravation as her forehead landed on his shoulder.
He chuckled as he cupped her breasts and ran his thumbs over her damp nipples. “Tell me what you want. Be specific.”
“You’re trying to embarrass me, aren’t you?”
“Not at all. I want to be sure to please you.”
“You do please me. You know you do. I gave you ample evidence of just how much you please me several times last night.”
The conversation was making her complexion even pinker, if that was possible. He kissed the rosy glow of her cheeks before focusing on her lips, which were pink and puffy and so very tempting. As he captured her mouth in a deep kiss, he cupped her bottom and pulled her in tighter against him.
“You still haven’t said the words,” he whispered as he went to work on her neck, licking and nibbling his way from her jaw to her throat.
She reached between them, curled her hand around the base of his erection and squeezed, making him see stars. “I want this. All the way inside me. Now. Any questions?”
“Nope. I think I got it.” With his hands still full of soft buttocks, he lifted her and brought her back down. Her sharp intake of breath had him slowing things down. “Still sore?”
“A little.”
“Want to stop?”
“Don’t you dare stop.”
“You’re in the driver’s seat, babe. Go as slow as you want. I’m all yours.”
Though it cost him tremendously to turn over control to her, the last thing he wanted was to cause her pain when everything about this felt amazing to him. He propped his hands behind him, reclined slightly to enjoy the show.
Lucy leaned forward to put her hands on his shoulders and began to move in slight increments that had his head falling back and his eyes rolling into his skull as he bit down hard on his lip, hoping the pain would give him something to focus on other than the growing crisis below.
She felt so damned good, and so damned tight and so damned hot. He’d never felt anything even remotely like the pleasure he’d found with her right from the very beginning, before he’d ever even touched her. She was funny and sweet and loyal and talented and sexy as all hell, especially when she wasn’t trying to be.
Then he’d touched her and kissed her, which was all it had taken to discover she was different from any other woman he’d ever known. He couldn’t begin to articulate what made her so special. There was just something about her, and he’d known that from the first tim
e he saw her.
Last night had demonstrated once again that his connection with her was unique, something to be treasured and nurtured if only she’d let him.
He was almost to the point of no return when she finally took all of him, and suddenly it wasn’t enough to only be connected to her there. He needed more. Sitting up straight, he wrapped his arms tight around her and held her close, loving the feel of her breasts pressed against his chest and her racing pulse under his lips on her neck.
The flutter of her internal muscles expanding to accommodate him took him right to the edge of insanity, and they’d barely moved yet. “You are incredible,” he whispered. He wished he could tell her everything she made him feel, but he lived in constant fear of going too far too fast and driving her away. “You feel so good.”
“So do you.”
“Does it hurt at all?”
She shook her head.
He flattened his hands on her back and ran them down to her hips and then to her legs, curling them around him before moving back up to cup her ass. “Hold on to me.”
She tightened her arms around his neck but kept her eyes locked on his, watching him carefully as he began to lift her up and down. As a sexy flush overtook her, he watched her lips part and her eyes flutter closed.
Colton picked up the pace, his biceps doing most of the work as they moved together at an increasingly frantic pace. He curled his left arm under her, freeing his right hand to reach between them to coax her. At the same time, he dragged her nipple into his mouth and felt her detonate around him, crying out from the pleasure and sending him into an equally explosive finish.
She sagged against him, pulsating from the aftershocks that continued to ripple through both of them, and held on tight to him.
He buried his face in her hair, breathing in the alluring scent of her as he came down from the incredible high. Still lodged deep inside her, he arranged her so she faced away from him and cuddled into her back, continuing to press into her repeatedly until she trembled in his arms.
The words amazing, incredible and life-altering filtered through his mind in the aftermath. He wanted to tell her that it’d never been like this for him before, not with anyone, ever. But he didn’t. He didn’t say that or anything. Rather, he reveled in the pleasure of having her in his arms, of the feel of her soft skin under his hands and lips and the internal contractions that massaged him until he was hard again.