Secrets and Solace

by Jana Richards

  “Oh, really?”

  “We competed over everything. Sports, class awards and especially boys. For some reason, Laura considered me her main rival.”

  He could understand why. Scarlet was smart and beautiful and would take the attention that Laura craved away from her.

  Scarlet drank some of her tea before continuing. “Laura brought out the worst in me. She always had an uncanny knack of uncovering my most vulnerable spot and then picking at it until I exploded. She figured out my parents’ deaths was an issue for me. She made sure everyone remembered their deaths were a murder/suicide.”

  “That’s a cruel thing to do to a kid.” But it didn’t surprise him. Laura’s beauty couldn’t disguise the ugliness of her soul. He’d found that out the hard way.

  “Yes. But that didn’t excuse some of the things I did.”

  She told him about the schoolyard fights and name calling that eventually culminated in her stealing Laura’s boyfriend to get back at her. “That was the end for me. I hurt innocent people, including my own boyfriend, and I embarrassed my grandparents. I’d stooped to Laura’s level and I was ashamed. I’m still ashamed.”

  “You learned from your mistakes. Laura never did. She just kept repeating them.”

  “Bully for me. My point is, you’re a far better parent than Laura ever will be. You’re doing the right thing by fighting for Tessa. Don’t ever doubt it.” She set down her cup. “What’s the first thing you’re going to do when Tessa comes home?”

  “The first thing I’m going to do, right after I give her a big hug and a kiss, is to cook her favorite meal. Spaghetti with red sauce and little meat balls. And you’re invited.” The exciting prospect of a welcome home dinner with Tessa and Scarlet made him grin.

  Scarlet’s smile was wistful. “If I’m still at the lodge, I’d love to welcome her home.”

  Her words wiped the grin from his face, and his excitement fizzled. He’d almost forgotten she was only in Minnewasta temporarily. He couldn’t imagine not seeing her every day. “When do you have to go back to Chicago?”

  “Late October. My employer was only willing to give me a five month leave of absence, and I can’t really blame him. My co-workers can’t cover for me forever.”

  Late October. About eight more weeks. Cam’s heart pounded. So little time left…

  They sat quietly drinking their tea. Cam struggled with his thoughts. Though they’d only known each other a short time, he couldn’t imagine her not being in his life. It felt like he’d known Scarlet forever, like she was a part of him. He couldn’t believe he’d have to watch her walk away at the end of October.

  But he didn’t have a choice. She had a career and a life to get back to. Time was running out. Maybe he should quit wasting it.

  Scarlet finished the last of her tea and set her empty cup on the table as she got to her feet. “I should go. Thanks for the tea, Cameron.”

  She picked up her purse and slung it over her shoulder. Cam rose to his feet and stood in front of her, blocking her escape. “Scarlet…”

  Say it, Cam. Just say it.

  “Yes?”

  “Scarlet, I…I don’t want you to go.”

  She stood completely still. After a heartbeat, she whispered, “What are you asking, Cameron?”

  He wasn’t entirely sure himself. Was he asking for one more night or did he want more than that?

  For now, one more night had to be enough. He caught her hand, running his rough thumb over her impossibly soft skin. “I’m asking you to stay with me tonight. I’m asking you to make love with me.”

  She stared into his eyes, with not so much as a blink to hint at her feelings. “I didn’t plan this. I didn’t deliberately hang around your house, waiting for you to come home.”

  “I know.”

  “I lose track of time when I’m working.”

  He squeezed her fingers. “I know, Scarlet. I’m not accusing you of trying to manipulate me. That’s not your style. I’m asking because I want you.”

  “Are you sure we’re not a bad idea? Especially after everything I’ve told you.”

  He couldn’t let her believe the things she’d told him changed his feelings for her. “All I know is that when I’m with you, I’m happy.”

  Scarlet searched his face, as if looking for the truth of his words. Finally, one corner of her mouth turned up in a lopsided smile. “Okay.”

  “Okay?”

  “Okay, I’ll stay with you tonight. I’ll make love with you.” She stepped closer and touched his face. “I’m happy when I’m with you, too.”

  At her words, Cam’s heart expanded, lightened, floated. He pressed a kiss into her palm, his lips lingering over the smooth skin. If this was the only night they had, he wanted to make it special for her.

  He led her to his bedroom. When they were standing next to the bed, he cupped her face between his hands and kissed her. Her sigh against his mouth suggested she’d been waiting for his kiss, as if she wanted him as much as he wanted her.

  As if she needed him as much as he needed her.

  He pushed the thought away and concentrated on unbuttoning her shirt. He didn’t want to think right now. He only wanted to feel.

  When he finished undressing her, he stepped back and studied her. She was perfect, from her tousled hair to her pink painted toenails. An urge to draw her hit him with unexpected strength. He hadn’t experienced such an urge since…he couldn’t remember. He wanted to capture that look in her eyes, that combination of desire and vulnerability.

  “You’re staring.” She crossed her arms over her breasts and lifted her chin. “Do I have spinach between my teeth, or something?”

  Cam stifled a laugh. “No, your teeth are perfect. Just like the rest of you.”

  She rolled her eyes. “Hardly. Are you going to get undressed, or are we going to stand here talking all night?”

  “Maybe you can help me.”

  She stepped toward him, a little grin on her face, as she pulled his t-shirt from his jeans. “Have you suddenly forgotten how to undress yourself?”

  “No, but I think I’ll like it better if you do it.”

  “Well, then. Let’s find out if your theory is correct.”

  He helped her slip his t-shirt over his head. As her clever hands worked to unbuckle his belt, she leaned forward to lick one flat nipple and then the other. Her breasts teased his chest, her taut nipples lightly grazing his skin and driving him wild. Then, she rubbed her palm over the zipper of his jeans. His cock strained against the denim and he had to take a deep breath to keep from losing it right there. His libido hadn’t been so out of control since he was a sixteen-year-old with a raging case of the hots for a cute cheerleader.

  “Wench.” He unzipped his jeans and quickly pushed them out of the way. In one quick move, he lifted Scarlet into his arms and deposited her in the middle of the bed before covering her with his body. He braced himself on his forearms to take some of his weight off her. Her eyes were lit with amusement.

  “So, have you decided if you like me undressing you?”

  “You’re a terrible tease.”

  “But you like it.”

  He couldn’t help laughing at that. “Yeah, I do.”

  She caressed the side of his face. “I’m glad.”

  The tenderness in her blue eyes nearly undid him. “I don’t think I can wait very long.”

  “Then don’t.”

  It was all the invitation he needed. He pushed at the opening to her body with his cock, then pulled away, teasing her as she’d teased him. She whimpered, her body writhing.

  “Impatient?”

  She lifted her hips again, panting a little as she did so. “Yes!”

  “Let me help you with that.”

  He inserted a finger inside her and she gasped, her eyes going wide. Her muscles tightened around his finger as her orgasm hit.

  “Oh!” Her voice was breathless. “Oh, God!”

  His own release was close. When her spasm
s eased, he left the bed briefly to affix a condom, then returned and covered her with his body once again. Her long legs wrapped around his waist and her arms encircled him, holding him close. He slipped easily inside her and for a moment, he remained still as he savored the exquisite feeling of being surrounded by her slick warmth.

  But his impatient body demanded release. He began to move and she moved with him, matching every thrust.

  Deeper, harder, faster.

  “Cameron.”

  Her voice was barely a whisper, but he heard the wonder, the need.

  The wanting.

  He lost all control, all sense of time and space. There was only Scarlet, here in this bed. In this moment, she was his.

  All mine.

  “Cameron!”

  Her body stiffened with her climax. He followed her over the edge, his release slamming him with the force of a freight train. Wave after wave of raw pleasure rolled over him, making his body shake uncontrollably. He clung to her, needing an anchor. Needing her.

  His heart rate slowed by degrees, as did his breathing. Gradually, he returned to his body. For a short time, he’d been somewhere else with Scarlet, on a journey together to a faraway place. A place only they could go.

  Cam chuckled at the notion. Sometimes his mind took weird flights of fancy.

  “What are you laughing about?”

  “I think I had an out of body experience.”

  Scarlet kissed his shoulder. “Funny, I was thinking the same thing.”

  He nestled her close against his side and kissed her hair, glad they’d made the journey together.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  If she was a cat, she’d be purring.

  Scarlet snuggled against Cameron’s chest, loving the solid feel of him and the spicy, woodsy scent of his aftershave. He gently stroked her hair and she relaxed completely, practically melting into the mattress.

  She hoped she made Cameron even one-tenth as happy as he made her.

  He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Stay right here. Don’t move.”

  He slipped out of her arms and off the bed. Without his warmth, Scarlet’s skin instantly cooled, and she shivered. She pulled the sheet around her as she sat up. “Where are you going?”

  “To my office. I’ll be right back.”

  Bemused, she watched him leave the bedroom. For the first time she noticed that his naked backside was several shades lighter in color than the rest of his tanned skin. And what a backside it was. Silky skin stretched across taut muscles. Her fingers itched to touch him again.

  A moment later he returned, a sketchpad and a pencil in hand. He sat on the edge of the bed, his gaze darting between her and the paper. Scarlet clutched the sheet, wrapping it a little more securely around her breasts. “What are you doing?”

  “Drawing you.” His hand flew across the paper. “I want to capture you in this moment.”

  Scarlet put a self-conscious hand to her tousled hair. “I’m a mess, Cameron. I probably look like a scarecrow.”

  “You look beautiful, like a woman who’s just been made love to, thoroughly and completely.”

  His words made her smile. They were said casually, his attention riveted on his sketchpad, his face a study in concentration.

  “Well, that makes sense, since I happen to be a woman who has just been made love to, most thoroughly and completely. Good job, by the way.”

  He looked up at her with a quick grin before returning his attention to his drawing. “Glad you enjoyed yourself.”

  A boldness she didn’t know she possessed gripped her. She let the sheet slip down her body to reveal her breasts. “Oh, yes. I enjoyed myself very much.”

  He frowned at her. “You’re distracting me.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry.” She threw back the sheet and sat totally naked on the bed, her legs tucked beneath her. “I wouldn’t want to discourage the pursuit of the arts.”

  Now she had his attention. “Come on, Scarlet. You’re not playing fair.”

  “Oh, really?” She unfolded her legs and then spread them wide. “Am I a bad girl? Maybe I should be punished.”

  In one swift move, Cameron dropped his sketchpad to the floor and jumped on the bed, trapping her beneath his big body.

  “Yes, you’re a very bad girl. And I have a suitable punishment in mind for you.”

  Scarlet was breathless with desire she thought had been fully sated only a short time ago. But it seemed she couldn’t get enough of Cameron. “What punishment is that?”

  His erection nudged at the opening to her body, but stopped short of sinking inside her. His teasing drove her mad with desire. She lifted her hips, desperate to have him enter her.

  “I have my ways.”

  She had to agree that he did. Did he have any idea what he did to her? One look at the smug grin on his face told her he knew exactly what he was doing.

  Cameron slid down her body, kissing every inch of her skin as he went. He stopped to suck hard on her left nipple before doing the same to the right. Scarlet almost flew off the bed. The sensation tittered on the edge of pain but stayed firmly on the side of ecstasy. Wetness pooled between her legs and she squirmed beneath him. She wasn’t above begging at this point. “Cameron, please.”

  He lifted his head from her breast, looking at her with one eyebrow raised and a smirk on his face. “Please, what?”

  She groaned. “For God’s sake, fuck me!”

  His finger found her opening and he plunged inside. Scarlet arched her back and pushed against his hand.

  He kissed his way around her breast. “Is this what you wanted?”

  “Yes, yes.” She was breathless, her heart racing. “But I want more. So much more.”

  He put another finger inside her. Impossibly stretched, she was at her breaking point.

  She’d never had better sex.

  “Is this enough?” he whispered.

  “No, not enough.”

  “We can’t have you unfulfilled.”

  To her dismay, he removed his fingers. Before she could utter a protest, he slid down her body to the apex of her thighs, pushed her legs apart, and covered her pussy with his mouth. He licked and stroked and sucked until she was a mass of writhing need.

  Then, his tongue found the sensitive nub of nerves that sent her over the edge. Her orgasm exploded out of her in wave after wave of rapture. She heard someone scream and with a start, she realized it was her.

  But Cameron wasn’t done. He stayed with her, sucking and licking until another orgasm began building once more. This time, when it came, she was more prepared for it. She savored the bliss of her release and the exquisite sensations Cameron had wrung from her body. She had no idea she was capable of feeling such pleasure.

  It was all Cameron. She’d never experienced this with any other man.

  All too soon, Cameron kissed the inside of her thigh and rolled away from her, leaving the bed as he affixed another condom. Scarlet couldn’t do much more than whimper. She was boneless, her limbs as liquid as jelly. She’d never been more completely sated, or happy, in her life. Despite everything going on with Tessa, and despite everything still unsaid between her and Cameron, she’d never known more blissful, joyful happiness.

  Because she was in love.

  “You’re smiling.” Cameron returned to the bed and covered her body with his, his breath warm against her ear. His big hand gently caressed her breast.

  “Am I?” She could feel her smile stretch across her face. “Maybe that’s because I have an amazing lover who knows how to please me.”

  “Oh, yeah?”

  “Oh, yeah.” She opened her eyes and laughed at the self-satisfied look on his face. “I shouldn’t have told you that. You’re probably going to be insufferably smug now.”

  “I’m simply pleased you’re satisfied.”

  Oh, yes. Completely satisfied. “I’m pretty pleased about that, too.”

  He kissed the end of her nose before straddling her and settling between her th
ighs. Though she’d thought herself exhausted and completely done, her body began to stir once more at the feel of his erection pushing against the opening to her body. She laughed out loud.

  He gave her a bemused grin. “Why are you laughing?”

  “Because I can’t believe I want you again. I can’t seem to get enough of you.”

  The look of amusement left his face. He tenderly caressed her face. “I can’t seem to get enough of you either.”

  She loved him more in that moment than she’d ever thought possible, more than she ever thought she was capable of. She lifted her hand and ran her fingers through his thick, silky hair. It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him she loved him, but fear held her back. What if he didn’t feel the same? What if this thing between them was only about sex for him?

  Instead, she made herself smile. “We’re pretty amazing together, aren’t we?”

  “Yeah, we are.”

  Their lovemaking was less frenzied this time, but no less satisfying. They explored each other’s body, discovering where each liked to be touched, caressed, kissed.

  When they climaxed together, it was the most beautiful thing Scarlet had ever experienced.

  Hollowness slowly replaced her earlier fulfillment. A refrain played over and over in her head.

  I don’t want to leave him.

  The next morning, Cam followed Scarlet’s car back to the lodge, his body still buzzing from the night before. She was amazing – beautiful, funny, smart and sexy as hell. The things they’d done to each other…

  He shifted in his seat, his erection pushing painfully against the zipper of his jeans. After they’d made love that second time, he’d picked up his sketchpad and finished his pencil drawing. He didn’t fully understand his compulsion to draw her. He’d never drawn any other woman he’d slept with, but Scarlet was different. He’d needed to record the sexy toss of her disheveled hair and, especially, her smile of satisfaction after making love.

  He was probably stupid to become so involved with her when he was in the middle of a battle for his daughter. But he couldn’t imagine saying goodbye to her either. He needed her and not simply for sex.