by Darcy Burke
Cam went for the wine list first. He groaned, and it reminded her of the noises he’d made the other day in his office. “So many great pinots from Eyrie.”
Brooke forced herself to focus on the menu and not how insanely attracted she was to Cam. “I think I want to try the tasting menu, and there’s a wine pairing for it. What do you think?” It included a salad, three main courses to share, and a dessert trio.
“Looks great, and the wine pairings are spot-on. I’m game if you are—there’s a chardonnay, you know.” He looked at her in question, reminding her of the night they’d met and first discussed wine, including their mutual ambivalence toward chardonnay.
“I saw that, but I actually enjoy that one a lot.”
“Me too.” He glanced longingly at the wine menu.
Brooke laughed. “It’s like going to church for you, isn’t it?”
He smiled sheepishly. “A little bit. I’m rather passionate about it.”
“I can see that. It’s cool because I feel the same way—okay, maybe not quite as much as you.”
When the server came, Cam ordered for them. A few minutes later, they had their chardonnay, and he proposed a toast. “To being on a real date. Thank you.” He tapped his glass to hers.
She chuckled. “You’re welcome. I notice this date is happening a long way from Ribbon Ridge. We didn’t talk about whether this was a secret thing.” She sipped her wine. “I recall you didn’t want your mom to know you might be seeing someone.”
He flinched. “That was stupid of me. I didn’t want to be a piece of Ribbon Ridge gossip, but no, this isn’t anything I want to hide.” His gaze was warm and earnest and heated her in all the best physical and emotional ways. “And anyway, my brother totally saw us canoodling in the parking lot the other day and asked what was up. I told him we were dating—casually. I don’t mean to diminish it by saying that. I just want you to know that I respect our plan.”
She appreciated that and didn’t take it any other way. They were on the same page, and that was great. “I’m fine with you telling him. Or anyone else for that matter. Because I told my sisters the same thing this weekend.” Okay, she’d told them a bit more than that, but that was what sisters did.
He set his wine down after taking a drink. “Do I want to know what they said?”
She recalled her sisters’ reaction and decided it would be funny to share. “Hallelujah?”
His eyes widened briefly before he dissolved into laughter. “That’s funny.”
“It had been a while since I…but you know that.”
“Yes, but I don’t know any specifics. Like about your ex. How long were you married?”
“Almost five years.” She weighed what to say and decided to keep it simple. “We met in college and got married right after.”
“Divorce sucks. My dad’s divorce from Dylan’s mom was pretty acrimonious. It was awful for Dylan—just be glad you didn’t have any kids. What happened?”
Her brain tried to freeze up after his kid comment, but she willed herself to relax. He was right. Splitting up would be terrible if you had children, but in her case, the lack of them had been the cause. Or had it? She’d begun to think that their marriage wouldn’t have worked out either way. If he couldn’t stick with her through infertility, what other issue would’ve caused him to stray? “We just weren’t meant to be.”
It was like a weight lifted from her as she realized that wasn’t a trite phrase but the truth.
He curled his hand around the bowl of his wineglass and swirled the chardonnay without lifting it from the table. He looked from the wine to her, his gaze probing. “That’s a pretty romantic thing to say.”
She wasn’t sure what to make of that comment. “Well, marriage is romantic, isn’t it?”
“I only meant that you sound like a romantic—like you have a nice heart.” He smiled softly.
She recalled the conversation they’d had a couple of weeks ago at Taste when they’d danced around the topic of their past love lives. “What about you? Are you ready to confirm that you were in love once?”
He took a long drink from his chardonnay. “Yep, I was in love. Like you, we started dating in college. Unlike you, we did not get married, thank God.” The sharp bitterness in his voice could’ve cut bone.
“And why was that such a good thing?”
One side of his mouth curved up. “We just weren’t meant to be.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “I see what you did there.”
“Only what you did.” He took another sip of wine. “Look, that relationship is ancient history for me.”
“And yet you haven’t had any others since.” She saw a darkness creep into his gaze and hoped she hadn’t pushed too much. Especially when she wasn’t in any hurry to talk about Darren and her…issues. She reached across the table and touched his hand. “Hey, it’s fine. This is a casual thing, right? I’m with you because it feels good, and we’re having fun. Are we still having fun?”
He took her hand and leaned forward to kiss the back. “I am.”
Their salads arrived then, and they discussed food and wine pairings. The conversation turned to the wine dinner that was happening that weekend.
“Are you happy with how the final menu turned out?” she asked. “I know you were hoping for a salmon dish.”
“Yeah, but Kyle won me over with his halibut. I think it’ll be good. And we have amazing guests coming—thanks in part to you.”
“I’m happy to have helped.” She liked working with him. She liked talking wine with him. She could imagine going to France with him and showing him the places she’d been. “When are you taking that overdue trip to France?”
“No time soon. We’ve got the harvest coming up after this dinner.”
“Next spring maybe?”
“Maybe.” He looked at her as if he might say more, but didn’t.
She’d been about to offer to go with him, but planning things six or eight months in advance was pretty much the antithesis of “casual.”
The salad plates were cleared and the server brought dinner, which included beef, halibut, and duck dishes.
“Should I leave the duck for you?” she asked, recalling their first dinner together.
He laughed. “I guess, since you don’t really like it.”
“I’ll try a bite. I like to be adventurous.”
He raised a brow, and his gaze turned seductive. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
She shook her head, smiling. “I actually think that dinner was our first date. It was supposed to be a business meeting, but you rather manipulated the situation in your favor.”
“I did, didn’t I?” He showed absolutely no remorse.
She laughed. “Unapologetic, I see.”
He grinned as he cut a piece of steak. “Completely.”
“Oh, look!” She gestured toward the window and the magnificent sunset they’d been ogling throughout dinner. “The sun is just about to disappear. I love that moment when the orange sinks into the sea, like it’s dissolving so it can rest before re-forming again tomorrow. Like it’s home.”
“Beautiful.”
She turned her head to see that he was watching her. “The sunset, silly.”
“You.” His gaze was focused and intense, and she felt it all the way to her toes.
Their flirtation continued through dinner and dessert—what little of it they could eat. They had the remainder boxed up for later.
He drove her back to the condo, and they walked up the stairs and toward the door. She dug the key out of her purse and turned. “Thanks for dinner.”
“Uh-oh, this sounds like a good-night. It’s a long drive back to Ribbon Ridge.”
“Only an hour. But no, this isn’t good night.” She unlocked the door and pivoted with her hand on the knob. “I didn’t mean to be nosy at dinner. It just seems like…it seems like we’ve both been hurt, and I’m wondering if this is really casual or if we’re just going very, very slow.”
>
He caressed the side of her jaw and cupped her neck, his fingertips massaging her. “I’m not sure there’s a difference. Anyway, like you said, this feels good.”
It did. Especially the way he was rubbing her neck and how deeply he stared into her eyes—as if he could see right into her soul and the pain she kept inside. She tried to see into him, to understand why he needed to go slow.
But maybe he was right. Maybe it only mattered that this felt good.
She turned the knob and backed into the condo, pulling him with her. He closed the door behind him and locked the bolt. Then his hands came around her waist, and he kissed her. She reached out and dropped her purse, hoping it landed on the console table in the hallway, but heard it hit the floor.
He pulled back and bent to pick it up, then deposited it on the table. He set the dessert box next to it before coming back to her.
His eyes found hers, and he just stood there a moment—promise and intent carved in every line of his face, burning in the depths of his stare. He clasped her sides gently and backed her to the wall, his mouth descending on hers. She expected an assault, but this was gentle, searching. And over too soon. But just so he could nip at her lips and kiss her jaw. He massaged her hip as he licked along the flesh beneath her ear. He held her there, pinned between him and the wall as he feasted on her neck. Brooke closed her eyes and let sensation take her away.
He scooted her along the wall until they hit the corner, then he guided her along the short hall to the bedrooms, turning right into the master. “Oh, look, a bed,” he whispered before kissing her again. His mouth opened over hers, his tongue deftly sliding into her, eliciting soft moans from her throat.
She held him against her. He felt so good—his hands, his mouth. Everything he did sent need spiraling through her.
He pushed off the canvas jacket she’d thrown on earlier, letting it fall to the floor. His hands massaged her shoulders as he plundered her mouth. He was still gentle, his tongue caressing her in sweeping, delicious strokes.
He broke the kiss, surprising her. He held up a finger as if to say hang on and pulled his phone from his back pocket. He quickly typed into it, and soon music filled the room. It was something sexy. Justin Timberlake, she was pretty sure. He tossed the phone onto the nightstand, then kicked off his shoes.
She followed suit, losing her slip-ons. Her bare feet sank into the plush carpet, but only for a moment because he eased her back onto the king-sized bed. He shrugged out of his long-sleeved button-down and stretched out beside her, turning her so that they were on their sides, facing each other. “I’ve been looking forward to this. So much.” Desire darkened his voice and filled his gaze with heat.
“Me too.” She caressed the side of his face, from his temple to his jaw. He had the barest amount of scruff. It tickled her fingers as she traced along his flesh. She closed her eyes and leaned forward to kiss him.
He met her halfway, their lips connecting briefly before coming apart and finding each other again. They were playful kisses. Teasing and seductive. The kind that stoked your need into a steady burn.
He propped his head on his hand while the other hand traveled from her hip to her breast and back again. He pressed her back onto the bed, bringing his body over hers. He settled between her legs, his erection hitting the perfect spot and spurring her desire. His tongue dove into her mouth, and she felt absolutely devoured—but in the best way possible. She felt revered. Treasured even.
She clutched the hem of the T-shirt he’d had on beneath his button-down. He sat up and tore it away, then came back to her, his mouth finding hers as his hips ground down. She arched up into him, need pulsing through her. She ran her hands up and down his back, exploring every muscle, appreciating every plane.
He pushed her shirt up over her breasts and reached under her to unclasp her bra. Then he shoved that up too, impatient, apparently, to get to her. He knelt between her legs and used both hands to cup her. She loved how he touched her. He seemed to know exactly what would feel good.
He pulled on her nipples and caressed her flesh, using slow, deliberate strokes and light, gasp-inducing pinches to arouse her. Fire burned in her belly, and she ached to feel him naked against her.
She opened her eyes and saw the determination—the power—in his gaze and gave herself over to him completely. She opened her legs farther and arched up to clasp his hips, but he pushed her back.
“My turn,” he said. He stripped her shirt and bra away, then dropped over her, taking her breast into his mouth. The music, a new song now, but just as sexy, washed over her. Combined with the feel of his tongue on her and his familiar, delicious scent, she could barely keep herself together.
Moaning, she begged him not to stop.
He nipped at her flesh. “Never.” Then he moved lower, his fingers working at her jeans until he had them open. She arched up, making it easier for him to tug them off her.
When he’d pulled them away, he turned her over to her stomach, surprising her. He pushed her thighs apart and knelt between her legs. “I’ve been obsessed with exploring your back.”
He pushed her hair to the side, exposing her neck. His lips touched her flesh, then his tongue. He kissed her softly all along her nape and onto her shoulders, then traced his tongue down her spine to the middle of her back before using his fingers to continue all the way down, to just above her backside. “Here,” he rasped. “This little concave place entices me. I want to pour wine in it and drink it from your flesh, but I think it would trickle everywhere, and then I’d just have to lick you clean.”
His words enflamed her, and she couldn’t keep from arching backward, seeking his touch between her legs. But no, he was torturing her. And she loved it.
“Another time,” he said, his hands caressing her lower back and drifting to her ass. He massaged her flesh, arousing her with each caress. Sensation coursed through her and gathered in her core. “Should you kneel up and we’ll do it like this? I’d love to watch this gorgeous back as I make love to you.”
She gasped.
“Is that a yes?” He asked the question next to her ear before he tongued her there, sending shivers of delight down her spine.
“Yes. I don’t care how…I just…need…more.”
“Turn.”
She did as he said, turning, but also feeling a little disappointed that he wasn’t going to do what he’d suggested. And he was still wearing his damned jeans. She reached for the waistband, but he grasped her hand and held it up over her head. He kissed her again, his tongue probing deep. “You want more?”
She nodded. “Yes.”
He tweaked her nipples and moved down, his lips and tongue skimming their way to her hips. She twisted and arched, her body crying out for release. “Cam, please.”
He pushed her legs up, planting her feet on the bed on either side of him. She sensed what was coming next but wasn’t completely prepared for the full brunt of his mouth on her. He sucked on her flesh, then buried his tongue inside her. She bucked up, her orgasm hammering for release. But not yet. He wasn’t done torturing her. He pulled back and thumbed her clit, making slow, agonizing circles over her flesh. Taunting her, tormenting her. She opened wider for him and clutched at the bedspread, her fingers digging into the fabric.
“You like this?” he asked.
“I’d like you to go faster.” She sounded harsh, her voice deep and needy. Foreign. But excitingly so.
“Really? I think this is good. But maybe a little more.” He slipped a finger into her, and lights flashed behind her eyelids. She arched up, her muscles stiffening. No, she actually didn’t want to come yet. She wanted this to go on and on.
“Yes, more. Please, Cam.”
He pumped into her but didn’t increase his speed. He spread her folds wide and licked her, his tongue sweeping long, devastating strokes along her heated flesh. Want became desperate need as she writhed beneath him. When he entered her again, she was sure it was two fingers. More, but still not
enough.
“Faster. Cam.”
“Like this?” He speared into her, his fingers filling her. Then his mouth was on her again, sucking at her clit. She was mindless with need.
“Come for me, Brooke.” His voice was coarse and demanding. Thoroughly enticing. “Come.”
She couldn’t keep it at bay any longer. Mind-numbing pleasure crashed over her. The lights behind her eyes dimmed to black as she tumbled headfirst into the abyss. Still, he didn’t stop. His hand and mouth continued, drawing her orgasm out until she whimpered.
Then he was gone. She heard him take his pants off, then the sound of a wrapper. A second later, he was back between her shuddering legs. He didn’t hesitate but drove into her, filling her at last. As he hit her G-spot, another wave of pleasure washed over her—a mini-orgasm she’d never had before.
He kissed her, and she tasted herself. This was a new experience, and, surprisingly, it didn’t turn her off. In fact, it somehow heightened her desire for him. He sucked her lower lip and came to a stop between her legs.
“Open your eyes and look at me, Brooke.”
She let her lids flutter open. The room was dark with just the light from the hall cascading through the doorway, but she could see him clearly. The tense, sexy set of his jaw, the dark intensity of his green eyes.
He brushed her hair back from her face. “I want to look at you when you come again, and I want you to look at me too.”
He began to move once more, filling her, then withdrawing in easy, measured strokes. She rocked with him, meeting his thrusts and striving to keep this pace. Though it was slow, it was absolutely devastating in its power. She clutched at his back and his ass, feeling the muscles stretch and contract as he plunged into her.
She lifted her legs and wrapped them around his back. His eyes closed briefly as he slid in even deeper than before.
“Damn, Brooke.” He moved faster, his hips snapping against hers.
Their gazes connected as their bodies moved, binding them together in a way that went somehow beyond the physical. Wonder filled her, heightening her pleasure.
