Going to her, he carefully pulled the blanket back over her body, tucking it around her shoulders. She smelled amazing, like wildflowers and rain, and he leaned over her and pressed his lips to her temple.
For once in his life, he wanted to give in. He wanted to take what he desired and damn the consequences. What was the point of life if all he did was worry about how he’d screw everything up? Chloe was a big girl. If she was asking for a summer adventure with him, then why couldn’t he give it to her?
He wanted to. Damn it, he wanted to more than he cared to admit.
“You’ve got me all twisted up inside and you don’t even know it,” he murmured, unable to resist kissing her again. “I’ll do my best not to hurt you, Chloe.”
He hoped like hell he could keep that promise.
…
She’d fallen asleep again. It was like she couldn’t control herself but at least this time, she’d somehow ended up with her cheek pressed against a warm, solid chest, a big, muscular arm slung around her waist, holding her close. The scent of him woke her first. Fresh, clean, with a hint of pine and his own unique smell, she knew without a doubt it was Cameron.
Holding her, his arm around her while she slept on him.
Her heart in her throat, she was afraid to move, afraid to disturb this moment she wanted etched on her memory forever. One minute he was telling her he was no good for her and the next he was letting her sleep in his arms. She had no idea how she even ended up there.
It made no sense. She was downright afraid to question it.
“You’re awake.” His deep voice rumbled through his chest against her ear and she sighed, glanced up to find him watching her.
“How long have I been asleep?” She rested her hand on his chest, the T-shirt he wore soft against her palm, the steady beat of his heart reassuring.
“I’m not sure. A couple of hours, at least. I napped, too.” His voice was sleep roughened, deeper than usual and so sexy her entire body went on high alert.
This was what it would be like, waking up with Cameron. Hearing that voice, his warm, hard body so close to hers…
“Oh.” She studied his shirtfront, watched as she drew her fingers down, lightly stroking him. She shouldn’t. She had no business touching him like this but she couldn’t resist.
“Chloe?”
Tilting her head back, she met his gaze once more. “Yes?”
“Do you remember what you said to me that night at the bar?”
She frowned. There was so much she’d forgotten. Details of that night at The Tree were fuzzy. “Not really.”
He trailed his index finger down the side of her face, careful to avoid the cuts and scrapes, his touch light as a feather, making her cheek tingle. “You asked me to be your summer adventure.”
Her face burned with embarrassment. “I must’ve been drunk.”
Slowly he shook his head. “You had one of Sal’s special beers on tap. No one can get drunk on that stuff.”
Chloe pressed her lips together, wondered where he was going with this. Wondered more why he was touching her in such an intimate manner. Not that she was protesting. His finger drifting across her face made her achingly aware that he was acting much like that night at Jane’s reception. Warm and receptive, his gaze hungry as he studied her, like maybe he wanted her as much as she wanted him.
“What are you saying, Cam?” Her heart was in her throat. She felt like she couldn’t breathe as she waited for his answer.
He slipped his finger beneath her chin and tipped her head up, their mouths aligning perfectly. “I’m saying I think I want to take you up on your request after all.”
Before she could say a word, he kissed her. His mouth was warm, soft, the kiss simple and sweet. A sigh escaped her when he slipped his hand behind her head, cradling her, holding her still for his delicious kiss.
This was the kind of moment she’d dreamed of since she was a gawky fourteen-year-old mooning over Cameron McKenzie. Now it was her reality. Held in his strong arms, his mouth on hers, his tongue darting between her lips, his hand running up her side…
“Ow.” She broke the kiss first, her side aching from his too possessive touch. His expression turned immediately contrite.
“Hell Chloe, I’m sorry. I forgot about your ribs.” He disentangled himself from her carefully, arranging her on the couch so she was propped on the comfy pillows once more, the blanket draped over her legs despite her heated skin. That simple kiss had riled her up more than she cared to admit. “Better?”
She kicked off the blanket, watched it fall to the ground with a perverse sort of satisfaction. “I am now. I would be even more if you were still kissing me.”
God. If she could clap her hands to her cheeks to hide her embarrassment, she would. How bold could she be? What had this man done to her?
He chuckled, the sound warming her from the inside out. “That can probably be arranged. But later. First, I need to go do a few things.” Propping his hand on the arm of the couch, he bent over her, dropped a deep, soul-stirring kiss on her lips. She gaped at him as he pulled away, a satisfied smile curling his too beautiful mouth. “I’ll come by tonight with dinner. Is that okay?”
She nodded mutely, too surprised to answer. What had happened? What made his attitude change? First he told her he was no good for her and then he kissed her and acted all warm and sweet. His behavior was confusing.
He was confusing.
Chloe didn’t know what to think. But as she watched him leave her house, her gaze glued on his very fine butt, she knew one thing.
She wasn’t going to complain.
Chapter Six
It was hard to plan an adventure when one of the participants was laid up with injuries at home, her ribs cracked, her head battered and bruised and her spirits generally down.
“Hold still,” Cameron commanded, impatiently waiting for her to stop moving.
Chloe squirmed, driving him crazy, but damn it, he had to do this. It would help the healing process tremendously and lessen the chance of scarring, at least according to the woman at the natural supplement store down in Oakwood.
“It hurts.” She hissed when he touched the cut just above her eyebrow. “What are you putting on my face anyway? It smells awful.”
He did his best not to react to the scent of the salve he was coating each of her scrapes and cuts with. But Chloe was right. The stuff smelled like absolute hell. Sharp and minty, with hints of…damn, he had no clue but it was bad.
“The salve came recommended. It’s from a line of the most highly regarded natural products on the market.” That’s what the saleswoman had told him as he handed over his credit card with a wince. The tiny jar of salve had cost him a ton.
And he was rubbing the greasy, smelly stuff all over Chloe’s pretty face.
At least it afforded him the chance to do right by her. Oh, and gave him the opportunity to sit close to her, his face close to hers as he carefully rubbed the salve on her wounds. Even with the cuts and bruises, she was stunningly pretty.
Long, thick eyelashes surrounded those dark brown eyes as she watched him; her nose was pert, the tip curving upward so subtly, the average person wouldn’t notice. But he did, sitting this close.
And then there was her mouth. It was the stuff of dreams. All lush and pink, a little bit pouty. Memories came to him, her intoxicating taste, the way she opened to him so easily, and he blinked. Hard.
“Something in your eye?” she asked with a frown.
Yeah, you, he wanted to tell her but he kept his mouth shut. This go-around, he brushed the cream over the long, ragged cut on her cheek. They were all uncovered—doctor’s orders that they needed to breathe—and every time he looked at her, Cam was reminded how lucky she was she hadn’t suffered worse injuries.
And yet again, reminded that the accident was his fault.
“Thank you,” she murmured when he put the lid back on the salve and set it on the coffee table beside him where he sat perched on t
he edge. She sat primly in the overstuffed chair across from him, her hands in her lap, her posture perfectly straight. She’d changed out of the clothes she’d worn earlier. She was now clad in a bright blue, oversized T-shirt: the neckline was so big it slid off her shoulder, revealing the red, lacy strap of her bra.
That bra strap was driving him to distraction. Wondered more than once if she wore it on purpose.
Not to mention those little khaki shorts. They revealed plenty of long, sleek thighs, those bare legs bumping into his every time he leaned in and tended her wounds. She was bruised there, too, with nicks and cuts on her knees and calves. He wondered if she was bruised and battered all over.
He wondered yet again what she looked like naked…
“You’re welcome,” he said. They still sat incredibly close to each other and he breathed her in, absorbing her delectable scent. Her hair was pulled into a sloppy knot on top of her head, which he thought was a damn shame, considering how much he liked it down. Her elegant neck was exposed, though, and he wanted to lean over and press his mouth to that delicate spot where her neck met her shoulder.
“Now that you’ve fed me and taken care of my battle scars, what’s next on your agenda?” She sounded so hopeful, the look on her face so open, so engaging, he could forget all about his wanting to push her away. All that macho crap that he wasn’t good enough for her, could never be good enough for her.
It’s only temporary, man. You need to do right by her, make sure she heals, then you’ll bail. But if in the meanwhile, you show her a good time, she probably won’t mind. Hell, you want to show her a good time. Don’t deny it.
Cam frowned. That rotten voice inside his head pissed him off sometimes.
“What’s wrong?” she asked softly, breaking through his thoughts. “You’re frowning.”
She was perceptive. Of course, when they were sitting so close, it was easy to decipher his moods. “If you weren’t injured, I could take you out somewhere.”
Her brows rose. “You’d let yourself be seen in Lone Pine Lake with me on your arm?”
Well, he would…
He shot her a look, causing her to lean over and sock him lightly on the shoulder. “Hey, it might be fun, having an illicit affair with Cameron McKenzie,” she explained.
“Are you suggesting a secret, illicit affair between us?” Hell, he didn’t know what else to call it, let alone how to define it. And it might not be a bad idea that whatever was happening between them stayed on the down low. Might keep some of the nosier citizens of Lone Pine Lake out of their business.
Chloe shrugged, the movement sending her shirt falling lower, revealing more of her slender arm, offering him a glimpse of her lacy bra. He literally broke out into a sweat. And she was so damn casual talking about this, which tripped him out. “Listen, I know you’re not going to stick around here for long,” she said. “And I know you’re afraid I’m looking for something serious, which couldn’t be further from the truth.” She bent her head, kept her gaze on her lap. “I sort of remembered what I said to you at The Tree that night.”
Fear seized his heart in its tight grip. Swallowing hard, he asked, “What did you remember?”
“I was…pushy.”
In a cute way, he thought. In a sexy, irresistible way. “You weren’t that bad.”
She lifted her head, her gaze meeting his. “I propositioned you.” Her voice lowered to a whisper. “I’ve never propositioned anyone in my life.”
“Well, that’s a damn shame,” he drawled.
Her cheeks colored. “Stop. I don’t recall much of the conversation but I remember telling you something about adventurous nights. Yeah, that was so me propositioning you and I never do that sort of thing.”
“So you’re telling me you don’t want that. With me.” He could walk away from her right now. End this flirtation that was screwing with his head and his body, because yeah. He throbbed in all the right places and he had no business asking her to take care of his, uh…problems.
“I don’t know what I’m saying.” She shook her head, her delicate brows furrowed, her lips pursed in a tiny frown. “Okay, I know what I want but I’m too embarrassed to admit it.”
This sounded interesting. “Tell me, Chloe. It can’t be that bad.”
“It’s silly.”
“I won’t know until you tell me,” he coaxed.
She blew out a harsh breath. “Fine. Remember the summer before your senior year, when you were dating Melanie Michaels?”
A summer he’d rather forget. The summer he’d fallen in love with Melanie, only for her to rip his heart out of his chest and stomp it into the ground. All for an older guy, some jackass who was in college and had a freaking brand new convertible. “Yeah, I remember,” he said somewhat bitterly.
He’d believed they had the perfect relationship. And Melanie had shattered that illusion to bits with a few choice words.
“I was so jealous.” She pressed her lips together and shook her head. “I can’t believe I’m admitting this but I wanted that. So badly.”
“Wanted what?”
“What you and Melanie had. You treated her like gold. Took her everywhere. Hung out in your father’s boat on the lake at night under the stars, bought her ice cream at Mitchell’s Landing. You guys were together everywhere that summer. Like my favorite teen romance books come to life.” She blew out a harsh breath. “I sound like a stalker, but the whole town saw you two that summer. Plus, I spent a lot of time with Jane.”
He remembered. Chloe had been over at his house almost every day during the summer, unless Jane was over at hers. “We broke up pretty badly two weeks before school started.” He’d taken Melanie’s virginity in the middle of the lake on his dad’s boat in mid-July. By early August she’d already grown bored with him. Started avoiding his calls, and then bam.
She dumped him.
“I know,” she said somberly. “I guess what I’m trying to tell you is, I want a sweet summer romance as my adventure.”
“A sweet summer romance,” he repeated. It sounded like a cheesy made-for-TV movie.
“Yes. With lots of dates and nighttime boat rides on the lake, kissing each other under the stars.” She sighed dreamily. “I never had that.”
“You never had a boyfriend in high school?”
“No one that counted, all short-term stuff. A date here and there. I didn’t have my first serious relationship until college.”
He remained quiet for so long she finally spoke again. “It’s a stupid idea, huh? I should’ve never mentioned it.” She started to get up but he placed his hands on her slender knees, keeping her in place.
“It’s not a stupid idea.” A little quirky, but definitely not stupid. “We won’t be able to keep it secret, though. Not if we go out the way you described.”
“In public, we can just be friends, right? Two people who’ve known each other for a long time hanging out.”
Was she that clueless? The gossips would have them engaged by the end of the summer. “They’ll read into it. They always do.”
She shrugged, the bra strap slipping now. Damn it. “Let them. I really don’t care.”
He found that hard to believe but decided not to argue. “So you want me to bring you wildflowers I picked along the road and take you for a cheap burger dinner over at Mitchell’s. Can’t be The Tree because it’s a sweet summer romance and that place is a trashy bar.”
She laughed, her cheeks flushing. That he could make her blush astounded him. “Exactly.”
“And you want me to hold your hand and tell you all my hopes and dreams for our forbidden future? Oh, and take you out on my dad’s boat with a blanket so we can lie on the bow and watch the stars while I feel you up?”
That described pretty much everything he’d experienced with Melanie that summer.
Her cheeks burned bright pink. “Is that what you did with Melanie?” she asked.
“That and a whole lot more.”
“Oh.” If her cheek
s could catch on fire, they would. “Well, I have one condition if we’re really going through with this…adventure.”
“Yeah? What is it?” He was warming to the idea. Sounded simple enough and it wasn’t a hardship, spending time with Chloe.
“No sex.”
…
Chloe waited for Cam’s reaction, fully prepared for a hell no. He hid his shock well—that was a good sign. She saw it in the flare of his green gaze, though. He hadn’t expected her to say that.
“No sex, huh?” he finally asked, his expression neutral. As if they were negotiating a movie date and their preferences.
She slowly shook her head. “I’ll get too attached.”
“Right…” He still gripped her knees, those big, warm hands now stroking her skin. A distraction she didn’t want to stop. “I hate to dash your teenage dreams, but Melanie and I were engaging in lots of, err, sexual activity that summer.”
Of course they were. They’d been the golden couple. Young and beautiful, hand in hand or their arms around each other—she’d envied them so much, it had been painful. How she’d coveted a relationship like theirs, so seemingly pure, full of innocent first passionate love. As a couple they’d been so pretty, so perfect.
Always she’d put herself in Melanie’s place. Cam’s hand sprawled across her shorts-covered butt, their mouths constantly connected, gazing at each other all dreamy eyed.
Oh yeah, she wanted what she’d never had. It was probably the silliest idea she’d ever come up with but damn it, she had simple requests, enjoyed simple pleasures.
But sex with Cam would be taking it too far. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to be with him; she just knew he would eventually pick up again for his next assignment. He always did, while she never planned on leaving. Giving her body to Cam would lead her to giving him her heart. She was already halfway there. It would make her love him too much.
Make it that much harder for her to watch him go. And he would definitely go…
Tempting Cameron Page 7
