Chase’s brows snapped together. “So, there is someone, huh?”
“Well…not exactly…” What the hell should he do now?
“And that’s not a no. Who’s the lucky lady?”
He shrugged “Sorry, man. I don’t kiss and tell.”
*****
Moon grabbed a cold bottle of root beer from the ice chest, popped open the cap and took a long drink—almost choking on the fizz when she spotted the cowboy who had been on her mind nonstop since they’d almost been caught without their clothes on.
Cam.
Gorgeous, sexy, sweet Cam.
She lowered the bottle and attempted to gain her equilibrium that was suddenly turned upside down. How was it possible that he made her want things she couldn’t have? And there wasn’t a chance she could ignore and push away these feelings, not when she saw him every time she turned around today. And now here he was, and here she was. Here they were. Oh, brother. It was useless to ignore the feathering sensation doodling romance all over her heart.
She was scheduled to be artificially inseminated soon. That should be her focus. That was a difficult task when she’d been having the hottest sex with the hottest cowboy, hands down, that she’d ever had the pleasure of being near. For the first time in a long time she had a new joy to her step and after the insemination process, she would be out of commission. Her sex life would come to an abrupt end and she’d be back to being along.
How would she tell Cam they could no longer see each other?
She had always worked hard, did her best to be the person her parents wanted her to be, but by golly what was so wrong with enjoying yourself with a man who had the same desires and needs she did—to scratch an itch without commitment.
You’re arguing with yourself, woman.
She scanned the crowd. Cam had disappeared.
She groaned and took another gulp of her root beer.
“I think I’ll have me one of those.”
The thick, deep voice behind her made her snort the root beer out her nose. Quickly wiping away the liquid, she turned. How in the hell had he closed in on her so quickly? “Sure. Let me grab you one.” She reached into the ice, grabbed a bottle and handed it over.
He popped the lid and drank thirstily. He pulled the bottle away and read the label. “Wow. Not what I expected. You’re going hard tonight, huh?”
“Nothing but the best.” She saluted him with her bottle and took a sip. “How’d you get the black eye?” She’d wanted to ask while they were standing around the pen, but she’d warned herself that she needed to steer clear of speaking to Cam in public as much as possible. Stuttering and getting sweaty while stationary weren’t normal reactions.
“Little did I know that when you step outside a sliding glass door here at Nirvana you can’t expect to get back in without a key.”
She absorbed his words. “Cam, I’m so sorry. How did you get out?”
“I had this crazy idea to climb a tree down. I was almost a superhero until my boot slipped and I fell, and which leads to answering your question. The ground didn’t bounce.”
She opened her mouth to respond, but didn’t get a word out.
“Hey, you two. Come join us,” Jace called from where he sat on a bale of hay close to the fire. Cole was sitting nearby.
“Shall we?” Cam asked.
“Do we have a choice?” If she had her way she’d drag him behind the barn and kiss the root beer right off his lips.
She chose to sit next to Jace and Cam dropped down into a plastic chair next to her. His knee brushed hers and she flinched, then looked around to see if anyone noticed her sudden reaction. Jace and Cole were too busy chatting about the new hands.
“Are you working with the wedding couples, Moon?” Jace asked.
She shrugged, rolling her finger around the lid of her bottle. “Haven’t checked my mailbox yet to get my information.”
“Did you hear who is getting married here?” Cole flipped the lid off a bottle.
“You boys know I’m out of the loop.”
“That actor who played in the action movie, Taking the Castle. He and his hot, supermodel girl are getting hitched right here at Nirvana.” Cole elbowed Cam. “Aren’t you glad you’re hanging out at Nirvana more these days, doc? Maybe she’ll ask you to examine her while she’s here.”
Cam met Moon’s gaze before he scrubbed his smooth jaw. “Sure am.” He didn’t pull away.
Her chest tightened and she cleared her throat. There was enough heat in that look that her inner thighs boiled off the charts.
“Man, I can’t wait to see if she wears those bikinis like she does in that magazine she models for.” Cole swiped the back of his hand across his forehead.
“Don’t get your panties in a bunch, bro. From what I hear her soon to be husband is quite the stud. So, if I take a gander at what they’ll be doing, I’d bet they won’t be surfacing beyond the four walls of their cabin the entire time they’re here,” Jace added.
“Good thing I still have that magazine where she posed wearing only a tiny thong. Damn, I know I’d be eyeball deep in that pus—” Cam elbowed him. Cole jerked back, rubbing his arm in pain. “Ouch, man. What was that for?” He shot Cam a pissed look who returned it with full force.
“We have the presence of a lady. Let’s show some respect,” Cam practically growled the words.
“Who? Her?” Cole turned his cold, disapproving gaze on Moon who sat quietly. “Heck, she ain’t a woman. She’s one of us.”
Used to being ‘one of the guys’ around Nirvana, Moon didn’t even flinch a muscle. Instead, she shrugged and finished off her root beer.
“Hell, you don’t mind if we have a little locker-room-talk do you, Moon?” Cole laughed.
“Hasn’t stopped you before, has it?”
“Darlin’, when you’re working around men you have to grow thick skin.”
“Yeah, please let me change to make you more comfortable,” she sneered.
Cole started to open his mouth, but the thrumming of a guitar coming from the barn cut off the conversation. Moon cleared her throat. “That must be our new guest. I heard she was going to entertain us tonight with a few of her songs. I think I’ll go listen.”
Jace surprised her when he jumped up. “Damn! I need to take a walk.”
“Okay. You go take a walk then. You look pale.” Moon laughed. She was unsure of what just happened, but she also got up and headed toward the barn. She was surprised when Cam raced up beside her, gently touching her elbow.
“Don’t let Cole ruffle your feathers,” he said.
She chuckled lightly. “Cole ruffle my feathers? I’ve learned long ago to overlook immaturity. Thank you for standing up for me though.”
He lifted a shoulder and let it drop. “You ever have one of those boys chase you on the playground? He teased you relentlessly, sometimes in an inappropriate way?”
“I had a few of those boys who didn’t know how to tell a girl he had a crush on her.”
“Well, I think you can lump Cole into that category. Just a bigger kid in a man’s hat.”
She squinted. “No way. Cole crushing on me? That’s crazy.”
“Why is that crazy?”
“Because I…well…” What she would have said suddenly didn’t seem fitting. “First, he doesn’t like me. I think he’s afraid a woman will show him up. Although he’s a skilled, hard worker, he tends to get frustrated too quickly and loses his temper. I’m certain Chase has had several conversations with him about his short fuse.”
“I’m still guessing he has a crush.”
“He wouldn’t because, just like he said, I’m ‘one of the guys’. He wouldn’t even notice if I walked through Nirvana naked.”
Cam’s laughter rushed through the silence. He wheezed, “Are you serious? Trust me, you walk anywhere naked and you’ll have every single man, as well as a few married, falling at your feet.”
Her cheeks warmed. “Well, that’s a theory I don’t plan o
n testing for truth. Let’s agree to disagree when it comes to Cole. I’d rather not waste my time worrying about him.” They both entered through the open door of the barn. Bales of hay lined the floor as makeshift seating and Jessa Garvey thrummed a few chords, testing the sound of her acoustic guitar. Moon had always admired the woman for her music and she was much prettier in person than in her pictures. Her infectious smile and bright eyes weren’t overlooked by the men because they were gathering close. They gawked at her pale blonde, sweet, tanned features. Jessa waved at someone and her cheeks flushed. Moon looked back and found Jace standing in the doorway. His jaw was hard and his gaze was narrowed on Jessa. Before Moon could dig deeper into what was happening, she felt Cam’s hand on her lower back and it triggered all sorts of sensations in her body. She made her way through the maze of hay and plopped down on a bale against the back wall, slightly away from the others and in the shadows giving them more privacy. She had to remain aloof, but it was very hard when she wanted to hold Cam’s hand, get a glimpse of what it would be like if they were a couple.
He sat beside her, their bodies touching, his warmth seeping through her clothing and warming her all the way to the center of her bones. She inhaled his leather, masculine scent and her nipples beaded. She had to be careful because she lost control when he was close.
Jessa began a song—her most popular, slow song that was a lullaby to Moon’s senses, along with Cam’s scorching heat boiling her blood. She leaned back against the rough wooden wall and found herself slanting closer to his shoulder, but she didn’t touch.
Cam brushed her knee and she swore she heard a soft, tormented moan escape him. He moved his fingers along his outer thigh, drawing a line along hers. Her mouth went dry and her heart hammered her rib cage. She kept her focus on Jessa, but Moon’s vision blurred. He shifted his shoulder, rubbing hers. Goose bumps scattered her sensitive skin. This was the most erotic way of being untouched.
Her inner thighs clenched and her clit throbbed.
He leaned ever so slightly and placed his fingers on her hip. Would he move closer to the one place that dripped with need for him? No, he wouldn’t have the guts to touch her here, surrounded by others, even if they sat in the shadows where she guessed very few could see them. He didn’t make any more travels with his fingers and she brought her chin up as he looked down at her, grinning ear-to-ear. Yeah, he knew perfectly well what he was doing to her. She nearly shot out of her boots when he slid one finger through the crease of her hip and thigh, so close now to her throbbing core that she could barely breathe. She nibbled on her bottom lip, anticipating his next act.
She didn’t like that he had this much control over her body, and yet it was deliciously erotic. His grin stretched. He was enjoying teasing her. She could join in on the game…
Drawing her knee up, she subtly brushed against his leg and casually dropped her hand onto his thigh. His muscles stiffened and she heard another groan from within his chest. Walking her fingers ever so slowly between his legs, she could feel the heat from his bulging zipper. By the looks of things, she now had him by the balls, relatively speaking.
His jaw tightened and his eyes glazed. My God, she felt powerful, watching his jeans stretch with desire—for her.
This was risky, for sure. Anyone could walk by and spot her hand in the wrong place, but the risk was an adrenaline rush. Not nearly as intoxicating as knowing how much she wanted to touch him.
Gliding her fingers over the bulge, he jerked and she bit her bottom lip to keep from giggling. Damn, she was giddy with emotion and excitement. She forced a blank expression to her face, staring as Jessa flirted with the boys in the front row, yet Moon couldn’t see anything through the waves of need washing over her.
Sliding her finger along his zipper, following the thick swell, she swirled the tip and his breath hitched. She turned her chin upward, meeting his scorching gaze and she rolled her tongue along the seam of her lips. He shivered and she smiled. His jaw was tight, his lips thin and his hand was clenched into a fist. What she saw in him made her spine tingle and her toes curl. The draw between them grew in intensity.
The song ended and everyone clapped as well as Cam, except for Moon who didn’t pull her hand away from her cowboy. She had him under her spell and she planned to work him into a frenzy before the night was over.
“Moon, you’re working up a sweat here.”
“Oh, you haven’t even seen the most of it yet.”
His irises flared and she could practically smell his desire. His eyes pinned her mouth and she guessed he wanted to drag her against him and kiss the spark right out of her, but then again, that’s what she wanted him to do. And if he did, would she deny him? Push him away? Never. He had her in a dangerous position and she was ready to announce to the world that this cowboy had her primed and ready.
She pulled away and stood up. Question filled his gaze. “Meet me in the staff quarters in ten minutes,” she whispered and left the barn. The cooler air didn’t even cool the heat between her legs, not even a little.
CHAPTER NINE
After Moon left the barn. Cam waited another good solid five minutes before the bulge in his pants finally went flaccid, at least enough so that he wouldn’t draw anyone’s attention to the fact that he was heading in the direction of pure heaven. He wanted nothing more than to crawl next to Moon, remove her clothes with his teeth and finish what they’d started and didn’t finish.
He left the barn, stepped toward the path that would take him to the staff quarters where Moon was waiting and was stopped by a silhouette standing close to a tree. Cam looked closer and realized it was Cole. He dropped his cigarette, snuffed it out with the toe of his boot. “I thought that was you,” Cam said as the other man stepped out into the moonlight.
“Expecting someone else?” Cole’s slurred speech told Cam that the man had a few too many. He understood. That’s what these special occasions were for, to let loose because the cowboys worked hard every day.
“Nope. Just thought I’d take a walk. It’s nice out tonight.” Cam looked toward the sky, hoping he looked discreet. He’d never had to lie about his intentions before and he wasn’t sure he was any good at it either.
And by Cole’s snarky grin, Cam had a feeling he needed to brush up on his game a bit.
“Let’s see.” Cole scrubbed his jaw. “Moon slips away. Five minutes later you’re following? I’d say that’s more than a walk to enjoy the night air.”
Cam shrugged. “Two people taking a walk on a nice night? Nothing secretive about that.”
Cole stuck his thumbs into his front pockets. “I probably wouldn’t have thought anything about it if you hadn’t jumped to Moon’s rescue earlier.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, my friend. I was taught before I learned to walk how to be a gentleman. Back where I grew up, a man treats a woman like she’s a lady no matter the circumstances.”
Cole smirked. “There you are. Defending her again. Come on, she doesn’t care.”
“Even if she’s never complained, I know she cares. I even think you know she cares.”
“What are you talking about?” He sniffed loudly.
“Hey, it’s just the two of us, buddy. You don’t have to pretend right now.”
Cole’s thick brows snapped together. “I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about.”
“Oh, I think you understand completely what I’m saying. I’d bet my last dollar you have a thing for Moon and you hide behind asshole remarks and bitter intentions.” Cam saw several expressions flit over the man’s face before it settled on humor.
“You couldn’t be farther from the truth.”
“Fine, if that’s what you say, then so be it. But I’d like to think you and I are friends and that’s why I’m telling you buddy to buddy, I don’t like seeing a man disrespecting a woman, no matter what his reasons are. I’m saying if you can’t control yourself around her, then stay away. Simple.”
Cole’s eyes widened, but
he gained control rather quickly. “Wow, I respect the fact that you like playing hero, Cam, but don’t forget you and I roll on different sides of the fence here at Nirvana. I’m a cowboy and you’re a doctor. I have calluses on my hands. You treat them. Simple.”
Cam took a short step that brought him eye to eye with the other man. They were about the same height, probably weighed close to the same. “Yeah, I’m a doctor, but mark my words, you mistreat Moon again and this doctor will treat you with an ass kicking unlike anything you’ve ever witnessed before. Don’t believe me? Well, let me fill you in on a little fact. I was the youngest of four older brothers. None of them messed with me after I turned fifteen. There’s a good reason and I’ll certainly give you an up close and personal view if that’s what you’d like. But I don’t think we need to go to that extreme.” He dipped his hat. “Now, good evening.”
Cam turned on his heel and made his way along the path, not even bothering to look back to see if Cole was watching. Cam was sure they had come to an agreement. Although he didn’t see fear in the other man, Cam did see understanding.
He wasn’t lying when he told Cole he’d grown up with a rowdy bunch of brothers. Every day he’d been pestered and teased until finally he’d taken up for himself. He started winning the ‘wrestling’ matches and his brothers started seeing him as a force to be reckoned with. Still today at family holidays when they all come together to celebrate, Cam held his own.
He reached the staff quarters and all of the lights were off except for one he saw through the window onto the patio. “Moon?”
He made his way through the small kitchen, around the long table and noticed that the back door was left open a few inches. He peeked out. “Moon?”
Stepping out, he scanned the dimly lit space, and then he saw her. She was sitting in the hot tub, her arms stretched out over the sides, her head back and her eyes closed. “There you are.” His voice squeaked.
She lifted her head as a smile glided over her full, pink lips. “And there you are, doc.” Her eyes dazzled.
A Perfect Cowboy Daddy (Cowboys of Nirvana Book 7) Page 9
