Falling Fast, Contemporary Romance (Last Frontier Lodge Novels Book 4)

by J. H. Croix

  His eyes became somber and he set his pizza down. “If someone asked you what we were doing, what would you say?”

  She managed not to choke on the sip of wine she’d just taken. She’d just started to think it was a good thing they’d actually gone out for dinner like normal people and then he had to go and ask that. She set her glass down and tried to calm her pounding heart. She must have waited a tad too long because Cam spoke again.

  “Did I freak you out?”

  She shook her head quickly, and his mouth lifted at one corner. “I think I’d say…” She ran out of words and bit her lip. “I-I don’t know.”

  His gaze stayed on her. Something flickered in their depths. His shoulders rose and fell with a breath. “It’s just we keep doing what we’re doing, but I don’t know what that means. I’ll be honest. I didn’t expect anything like this, but it’s, uh, more than I expected.”

  Her breath was shallow, and her stomach felt queasy. She didn’t want to feel the way she did. She wanted to just enjoy what was happening and not think about the potential ramifications—not think about how much he was gradually knocking down the barriers she’d erected around her heart, not think about how every time she thought about him leaving after this winter, her heart felt almost bruised, not think about how she couldn’t help but hope maybe, just maybe she could have a chance at the one thing she’d thought she’d never have…love. As long as they were drifting along, thrown together by the convenient circumstance of his job at the lodge and acting on the wild drumbeat of desire that pounded between them, it seemed like she could handle it. It was this almost surreal experience.

  To have him try to put words to it made it seem real, and she wasn’t so sure she could handle real. Yet, he wasn’t dodging and she sensed this wasn’t easy for him. She managed a somewhat full breath. “I didn’t expect this either. In case you were wondering, before I met you I pretty much decided I wasn’t going to do relationships. At all. Casual or not. But this…this…with us is hard to ignore.” Her heart sped when she realized her words were tumbling out, and she was being more open than she’d meant to. He didn’t need to know her past and why she decided against relationships. “If someone asked you what we were doing, what would you say?” she asked, blurting out the same question he’d asked her.

  He shifted his shoulders and took a swallow of beer. “Well, Harry told me today it looked like we were in a relationship.”

  A laugh bubbled out. Of course Harry had to go and say something. Harry was the quiet observer of all goings on at the lodge. He didn’t gossip much, but he noticed everything. “What brought that up with him?”

  The slightest flush rose on Cam’s angled cheekbones. “Apparently, he noticed the way I look at you. Oh, and he thinks we’re going to set the place on fire,” he said with a rueful smile. “I think he was trying to be helpful.”

  Ginger couldn’t help but laugh. A sense of relief stole over her to hear Harry had noticed how Cam looked at her. She hoped maybe he was in over his head as well. “Well, was he helpful?” she asked.

  “He’s the one who said I should talk to you.” Cam paused and took a bite of his pizza. After a moment, he spoke again. “Look, I have no idea what I’m doing here. Every time I think about not being with you, I don’t like that idea at all. So, I figured maybe I should say something. If you’re wondering, I’ve never had much of a chance for any kind of relationship. All through high school and college, I skied every spare minute I had. I started racing early and never stopped until Eric died. I didn’t have any plans when I came up here other than to find somewhere to ski and maybe get my head back on straight. I met you and…well…”

  Ginger was oddly relieved he ran out of words. She’d gotten over the whole speechless thing with him, but she didn’t want to feel alone, the only one who was stumbling around in the dark with her feelings. His honesty warmed her, and dammit, it made her like him even more. She took a steadying breath and met those amber eyes of his that made her want to dive in. “I have no idea what I’m doing either. I’m not sure what you’ve heard, but I got married straight out of college. It didn’t go so well. I imagine someone’s said something to you about it because Diamond Creek’s not exactly big, and I have friends who stick their nose in my business. I know this because I stick mine in theirs when I care. Anyway, my divorce was final just over two years ago. It’s so embarrassing to be divorced before you’re even thirty. So maybe I wasn’t flying all over the world skiing, but I don’t have much experience doing the relationship thing the right way. I’ve got the ‘messed up, wished I’d had more sense sooner thing’ down.”

  Her laugh held only a faint tinge of bitterness and almost no feeling left behind it. It was more habit than anything. She had learned the hard way to be careful. After she finished speaking, she anticipated that familiar feeling of vulnerability, of discomfort, but it didn’t come. Instead, she was relieved. Maybe actually talking wasn’t such a bad idea. She might have to thank Harry.

  Cam’s eyes stayed on her, somber and searching. “So we’re both stumbling along then? I suppose that’s a good thing,” he said with a soft chuckle before his gaze sobered. “I’m sorry things didn’t go well with your marriage. That must’ve…”

  “Been a shit show,” she interjected helpfully.

  He angled his head to the side with a smile curling slowly across his face. “If that’s your description, there you go.”

  She shrugged. “Sarcasm takes the edge off sometimes. Seriously, it was for the best in the end, but it doesn’t change the reality that I’m not any more experienced at this than you. I guess neither of us expected this, and here we are.”

  He nodded slowly and took another bite of pizza. She took a gulp of wine and leaned back, the tension slowly easing from her shoulders. She thought perhaps they’d talked enough for tonight. She was so relieved she wasn’t turning into a ball of stress over it, she wanted to quit while she was ahead. “I think we’ve talked enough for now.”

  His eyes widened and a slow smile followed. “Alright then.”

  Feeling playful and emboldened, she kicked his shin under the table. He kicked right back, and she burst out laughing. Over the next few minutes, she sipped her wine while conversation moved onto lighter territory. The waiter came to clear their plates and topped off her wine. While she was chatting with the waiter about Diamond Creek’s local baseball league, she felt Cam’s palm slide up her thigh and had to force herself to hold still. He dragged his fingers slowly along the inside of her thigh, his touch hot through her leggings. Her face heated, liquid need spinning inside of her and moisture drenching her panties.

  The friendly waiter—she thought his name was Bradley—continued talking excitedly about how he hoped to make it onto Diamond Creek Batters, her old team. He appeared completely oblivious to the fact Cam was driving her nearly wild under the table. Bradley was still talking when his name was called from the bar in the center. He stopped midsentence. “Oops. I’ve got some pizzas to serve. You two need anything else?”

  “Just the check. Take your time,” Cam said with a smile. Bradley may not have noticed the wicked gleam in his eyes, but Ginger did.

  When Bradley turned away, she caught Cam’s eyes and shook her head. ‘Stop it!” she hissed.

  He shook his head. “Not yet.”

  His fingers, which had been teasing along her thighs, dipped between them. He stroked a finger firmly across her, the sensation sharp and sweet. Her channel throbbed, and she couldn’t help but arch her hips into his touch as he dragged his fingers back and forth. When she had to bite back a moan and realized her knees had fallen apart and she was all but straining to get closer to him, she straightened in her seat and shot him a warning glance. “Behave.”

  Though he’d been the one driving her mad, that subtle flush had returned to his cheeks and he took a gulp of air as his hand slowly moved away. She felt the loss of his touch all the way through her. Here they were, in the middle of a restaurant, a most d
ecidedly public place, and all she wanted was to crawl across the table and straddle him.

  Her pulse carried on in its usual uncontrolled state with Cam while she tried to get her breathing under control. Cam ran a hand through his hair and leaned back. Not a word passed between them and she felt more connected to him in that moment than she ever had to anyone. Somehow their conversation earlier had made the connection between them real. The living breathing force she couldn’t ignore and couldn’t turn away from now had words and feelings attached to it. They weren’t her words and feelings alone, so it wasn’t as terrifying as she’d imagined it could be.

  Bradley swept by with a pizza in one hand and their check in another. He set it on the table with a grin. “Thank you! Sure you don’t need anything else?”

  Cam arched a brow in question to her. She glanced up at Bradley. “We’re good to go. The pizza was delicious.”

  “Definitely! Thank you,” Cam said as he slipped the check to his side of the table and quickly looked down. In a flash, he passed over the bill with cash. “Keep the change.”

  “Thanks! You two come again soon,” Bradley said before he swirled off.

  Cam’s eyes swiveled to her. “Let’s go.”

  She looked over and almost melted into a puddle at the dark desire swirling in his gaze.

  Chapter 16

  Snow started to fall on the drive to Ginger’s house. Plump snowflakes floated down, illuminated in the beam of headlights. Cam turned into Ginger’s driveway and came to a stop. When he turned the engine off, quiet settled around them. Since they’d left the restaurant, he’d barely been able to keep the lust pounding through his body in check. He couldn’t have said what he expected from attempting to talk to Ginger, but the effect had been one of immense relief followed by a straight shot of desire. He’d looked across the table at her with her translucent blue eyes, which darkened and brightened depending on her mood, her tousled brown hair and her plump lips, and all he’d wanted to do was yank her across the table into his lap. He’d settled for teasing her under the table, only to realize his own limits. By the time they left, he’d barely gotten his hard-on under control.

  The porch light was on, and it cast a soft circle of silvery light with the snow drifting down. He glanced to her, colliding with her gaze. The lust surging through him tightened its grip. “Are you coming in?” she asked, her words raspy.

  “Definitely.”

  Her eyes darkened, and she unbuckled her seatbelt. Without a word, she opened the door to his truck and climbed out. He followed quickly. Once they were inside, she hung up her coat and kicked her boots off, gesturing for him to do the same. George bounded over to greet them. Cam had come to learn George expected a few minutes of petting. Ginger lifted him in her arms and stroked his head while she walked through the archway into the kitchen. She busied herself getting his food ready and handed George over to Cam. He sat down at the kitchen table and idly stroked George who leapt down once Ginger filled his water bowl with fresh water.

  She stood and turned to Cam. “Do you want anything to drink?”

  He shook his head and stood, taking two quick strides to stand just in front of her. Without preamble, he dipped his head and caught her lips in a fierce kiss. A bolt of heat shot through him as her tongue met his in a wild tangle. He tugged her close, sliding a palm down her back to cup her bottom and pull her against him. She moaned into his mouth and arched into his hips. His cock was so hard, it bordered on painful. He broke away from their kiss, his breath heaving. “Upstairs,” he choked out. He latched a hand around one of hers and started to walk to the stairs.

  At the base of the spiral staircase, she stepped in front of him onto the bottom stair. In slow motion, she traced his jawline and stroked a hand into his hair. The air around them was charged, beating with the pulse of desire between them. When she whispered his name, heat blazed through him. Her lips dropped to his neck where she trailed hot, wet kisses while she slipped her palms under his shirt and dragged it up. She only leaned away long enough to yank his shirt over his head and fling it across the room. Her mouth and hands traveled in a meandering path until she swiftly unbuttoned his jeans and curled her hand over his cock. He was throbbing with need, so desperate to be inside of her he could barely hang on.

  “Ginger, let me…”

  He felt her shake her head. “Uh, uh. My turn.”

  When he managed to drag his eyes open and look down, her gaze met his—a gleam in her eyes. She shoved his jeans around his hips and freed his cock from his briefs. She settled her hips on the step behind her and took him in her mouth. His knees buckled, and he had to grab onto the railing to hold himself up. She proceeded to drive him to the point of madness with her hot, wet mouth. She dragged her tongue along the underside of his shaft and cupped his balls lightly in one hand. She curled her other around his cock and alternated between bringing him fully into her mouth and stroking him in her wet grip.

  He was on the verge of exploding when she slowly drew back and stood. Driven solely by frantic need, he hooked his hand under the hem of her shirt, lifted it swiftly and tossed it aside. He needed to see her, needed to feel her skin against his. With a flick of his thumb, her bra came undone and her breasts tumbled free. Her nipples were a deep, dusky pink and taut. He cupped a palm around one of her breasts and captured the nipple between his thumb and forefinger. Her head fell back on a small cry. He couldn’t resist and leaned forward to swirl his tongue around her nipple while he shoved her leggings down around her hips, dragging her underwear along with them. She kicked her leggings free, and they twirled around the stair railing. Everything became a blur as he sucked her nipple into his mouth and plunged his fingers into the slick heat of her channel.

  On the verge of madness, he tore his mouth away and roughly turned her, stroking a hand over the soft give of her bottom and dragging his fingers into her folds. His brain was fuzzed with desire when he heard her say his name over her shoulder. “Huh?”

  “I’m on the pill,” she said.

  He shook his head, trying to clear the haze in his brain. “Are you sure? I can...”

  She rolled her eyes over her shoulder. He could see the corner of her mouth lift in a smile. “I wouldn’t have said anything if I wasn’t sure.”

  That was all he needed. He dragged his fingers once more through the pulsing, wet heat of her before gripping his cock in his hand and positioning it at her entrance. He stroked a hand down her spine, bringing his palm to rest in the sweet dip at her waist before surging into her clenching heat. With her hips rolling to meet his, he set a rhythm—slow and deep. He gripped her hip in one hand, the soft give of her skin under his fingers almost intoxicating. Need tightened inside him with each stroke and he drove deeper and faster, pounding against her. He slipped a hand around her waist, sliding over the curve of her belly and delving into her folds to stroke her clit. She arched and flexed against him, pushing her hips back into him. Her breath broke on a sharp cry. With her channel pulsing around him, he finally let go, the pressure spinning loose inside. His release crashed over him hard and fast.

  He held her against him for a long moment. Their breath heaved and slowed in unison. When her body softened, he eased his hold and stepped back, immediately missing the feel of being inside of her. He dropped a kiss on the back of her neck before lifting her in his arms.

  ***

  Cam gathered her against him and looked down. Again and again, Ginger almost lost herself in his amber gaze—it was like honey washing over her. He started to take a step and almost lost his balance. She giggled. “Are you really going to try to carry me up a spiral staircase?”

  “Of course. I’ve got you,” he said with a low chuckle.

  His hold never wavered, although their progress up the stairs was slow. He carried her straight to the bed, lifting the soft down quilt and letting it drift down over them. The rush of cool air pebbled her skin, but he immediately curled around her, the warmth of his body dispelling the mo
mentary chill. She’d left the curtains open this morning, and the stars spread out across the sky in their glittering glory.

  “Wow, it’s beautiful out,” Cam said.

  His voice was a low rumble against her neck.

  “It is. I like to leave the curtains open just for that.” The moon was visible in the corner, an almost perfect curved sliver sitting pretty above the mountains. Even in darkness, the hulking shapes of the mountains could be seen. The surface of the bay shimmered under the soft light cast by the moon.

  Ginger rested in Cam’s arms and felt her heart slowly settle. His palm was resting on the curve of her hip, the warmth anchoring her. After losing herself in him and in the wild storm between them, she savored the feel of him beside her. An aching sweetness stole through her when his lips landed softly on her neck.

  Chapter 17

  Cam felt the vibration of his phone in his pocket. He’d stopped to check on a skier who’d seriously overestimated his skills and tried to jump the stream. Of course, the young man had landed shy of the other side and tumbled onto the ice. The skier was fine, but bruised and with a broken ski. After getting the radio call, Cam had ridden up with Don on the snowmobile. He sent the skier back down and was in the middle of a quick loop on the trails when his phone buzzed. He skied to a stop by the start of the trails and slipped his phone out to see Ivy’s name flashing on the screen.

  “Hey Ivy, what’s up?”

  “Hey Cam! Guess what?”

  Cam smiled wryly, but he went along with Ivy’s question. “What?”