by Jo Leigh
He caught sight of Molly at the bar and couldn’t help admiring the way she looked in her jeans. He didn’t want to be in the bar anymore. His plan had worked, and he was reasonably sure the family would ease up on their push to marry him off.
Someday, when he had the job situation settled, he’d meet the right person with the forever kind of chemistry and the whole situation would resolve itself. He was even more certain of that now. Hell, things felt pretty right with Molly, and she wasn’t even the kind of long-term partner he was looking for.
“Cam!”
The sharp note in Amber’s voice made him turn back toward the table. “What?”
“I had no idea you liked her this much.”
“What do you mean?”
Amber threw a rolled-up piece of napkin at him. “She walks away from the table and you’ve been in dreamland ever since instead of here with us. I’ve never seen you act that way before. Is there something you want to share with the class?”
“I like her, okay? A lot. But don’t make more of it than there is.” He pointed at Amber, then Emmy. “I mean it.”
“Yes, sir.” Amber saluted, which was annoying. “What I was going to say before you didn’t hear me call your name four times was that I like her. And that you two are very cute together.”
Molly’s beer glass hit the table, and then she was leaning over him to steal a kiss. When she sat down again, she grinned at Amber. “I agree.”
Cam got very still as he tried to process the past ten minutes. She’d heard his stay in Queens was temporary. She’d come back and kissed him. In a much better and more relaxed mood, no less.
Hypothesis? The new information made her happy. Because she’d be rid of him soon? The quality of her smile had changed. She seemed more animated. But the bare foot that was sneaking underneath his pant leg suggested the answer was something better.... “What’s that?” he asked, nodding at her beer. “I’d guess the cream ale, although you’re pretty daring, so maybe it’s the blond?”
“You were right the first time. I wanted something smooth and easy. I have a busy night ahead.”
“Do you?” he asked, lowering his voice as he moved in closer to her.
“You’re an idiot,” she said, her voice just above a whisper.
“I know,” he said. “What for this time?”
“You really don’t get it?”
“Give me a hint,” he murmured, glad his sisters were busy arguing over a baseball score on the TV screen.
Molly’s toes slid higher up his calf. “You should have told me you weren’t going to be here long.”
“I’m not certain when I’m going. I don’t even know when I’ll know.”
Her right hand landed on his left thigh. “We could have avoided a lot of confusion.”
“No,” he said, putting it all together. She’d have slept with him already if he’d mentioned Syracuse? “Seriously?”
She grinned.
“Why does my leaving make such a big difference?”
“Come on. Four months? Maybe we’ll get together, what, ten, twelve times? How complicated could things get?”
“Huh.”
“Yeah.”
He stood up, dislodging both her hand and, in a move that nearly caused her to lose her balance, her foot. “We’ve got to go. You’ve all been great. See you tomorrow.”
Molly’s cheeks turned pink, but she didn’t seem to mind that he’d said they were leaving. “What about my beer?”
“Take it with you if you want. I can get a growler. I have connections here.”
“No, it’s fine.”
He took her hand and started to pull her away, but she slipped free. “Cam. Give me a minute.”
“Cameron,” his father said, frowning. “What’s gotten into you?”
He might have overdone it there. Lucky for him, Molly was more gracious about saying her goodbyes and didn’t appear to be put off by his sisters laughing at him so blatantly or his poor dad’s confused expression.
As soon as he and Molly were outside, he kissed her, but not for long. There was much to do upstairs. He doubted they could squeeze in all the things he’d thought of, but they could make a good start.
By the time they reached his door they were both panting and she’d spilled a quarter of her beer. Didn’t matter. He’d get her more. He’d get her all the beer. As long as they were inside, and she was his for the night.
* * *
NEVER. NOT EVER, ever had there been a man in Molly’s life who had wanted her so much.
It was probably the anticipation. For the past couple of weeks she hadn’t skipped a night with her vibrator—and she hadn’t given as much as a thought to Mr. Cumberbatch. So she supposed she shouldn’t feel so flattered that Cameron was more than eager.
But she couldn’t deny the thrill that shot through her when she could so clearly see the urgency in his eyes.
His gaze traveled across her face from side to side, up and down. He didn’t blink. Not once. Just swallowed, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down. His hand rose but didn’t touch her face.
A second later he blinked. And blinked again. Then he laughed, but the sound was more wry than amused. “I want to do everything at once.”
“Kiss first, maybe?”
“Kiss.” He nodded but didn’t make a move other than that. “We can do that.”
She wondered if she ought to take the reins, give him a break, but then it was as if he came to with a jerk. In one smooth movement, he swept her into his arms, pressed his body against her and brought his mouth down on hers in a hungry kiss.
It was different, kissing him this time. Knowing it was the opening act, and that she got to stay for the finale.
All his awkwardness vanished as he moved her into the apartment as if they were dancing. The heavy bass from the taproom below mirrored her heartbeat, strong and fast.
He shifted his approach to the kiss, and she managed a quick inhalation, but even as he slipped his tongue back between her lips, she put her hand on his head to keep him there. God, she didn’t want to part for a second. Not when it felt this good. When she’d been so afraid of having this moment.
Why had she ever thought, even for a second, that having sex with Cam would be a bad idea? She should have known from the moment she’d caught a whiff of his scent. He smelled wonderful, and she didn’t think that very often.
Now, though, she was lost in a sea of taste and touch. His hands on her back, holding her close, the way he teased her tongue into following his until she was licking the center of his upper palate.
He broke away, gasping. “Clothes,” he said. “Bed.” Then he stripped off his shirt in one swipe before kissing her again.
She nodded as Cam steered her to the side of the bed and climbed onto his knees, keeping her with him, mouth to mouth, until they were knee to chest on his big blue comforter. His hands moved from her back to the buttons on her blouse, which he took care of with such alacrity that she briefly wondered if he was a pianist or if he did card tricks. But when he kissed her neck as he pushed the blouse from her shoulders, she no longer cared.
“You smell so good,” he said, his lips brushing her cheekbone, then making their way down toward her jaw.
She was all in favor of him showing initiative. To encourage him further, she put her hand on his chest, just above his heart.
He licked the side of her neck with his warm tongue and captured her earlobe, sucking it gently.
She gasped, getting the feel of him. He had a gorgeous chest, lean but strong. Her palm brushed a nipple and he bit her lobe, just hard enough to make her yelp.
The goose bumps that covered her arms and raced across her body were unexpected.
She hadn’t even felt him unhook her bra, but she sure was
aware the moment he stripped it off her and they were skin to skin, chest to chest. So different from one another.
At the thought, she lowered her hand to his fly. And why was he still wearing his jeans? The only surprise she found while cupping him was just how much of him there was to cup. And while she suspected his bottom would be hard as a rock, she knew for a fact it was true about his penis.
“Can you tell how much I want you?” he whispered, his breath warming the shell of her ear.
She went for his zipper but she wasn’t coordinated enough to do the deed with one hand. Hating to part from his talented mouth, she pulled back and tackled his belt first. So efficiently, it turned out, that she pulled the whole thing clear and flung it to the floor.
The button wasn’t as simple. But it didn’t matter because he came to the rescue, and soon his fly was conquered and she was able to sneak her hand down, beneath the waistband of his boxers.
She felt the dampness on the backs of her knuckles seconds before she found the reason for the moisture. One finger swirled around his impossibly smooth head, making him groan like a man tortured.
Seconds later, he grabbed her wrist, pulling her hand up until she lost contact. “Why?” she said, and it sounded an awful lot like a whine.
“Miles to go,” he said.
“You have a lot of willpower, Mr. Crawford.”
“I’m afraid we’ll finish too fast and then you’ll leave.”
“I’ll wait until you catch your breath.”
He pulled back to look at her. “Uh...”
“Kidding,” she said, smiling at him. She leaned forward. Kissed the tip of his nose. “But I probably won’t spend the night. I didn’t bring anything with me.”
“I’ve got an extra toothbrush. A new one. And I won’t tell a living soul if you go home with no undies on. Or you can borrow a pair of my boxers. Huh.” He pushed his hips against her. “That would be sexy. I’d think about it all day.”
She pushed back, causing him to hiss. “Everyone will know what we did if I leave in the morning.”
“Everybody already knows what we’re doing.”
“It’s your family.”
“So? They’re not going to ask for details.”
“What’s your coffee situation?” she asked, bumping her hips against his, her hand still halfway down his underwear. She didn’t really care about coffee, but she did want to catch her breath before the next act.
“I’m a brewmaster.”
She laughed. “Touché. But seriously.”
“Tell you what. If you don’t love the coffee I make for you tomorrow morning, I’ll run down to Starbucks and get you whatever you like.”
“Promise?”
He nodded.
She kissed his nose again. Then his lips. The banter stopped and was replaced by panting and the slick sounds of wet kisses. By the time she came back up for air, both hands were gripping his back, his jeans were halfway down his thighs, and she was aching with want.
“You have condoms?”
He nodded.
“I’m also on the pill.”
“Great,” he said. “But we still have too many clothes on.”
“Right,” she said, then maneuvered her legs over the side of the bed and stood up. Just as she was going to strip down, she looked back to find Cam still on his knees, motionless, staring at her butt, his lips parted, his pupils huge.
She decided to give him a little show. She might be crap at small talk, but she understood how to do this. Before she’d fallen into the world of wine, she’d read a lot of fiction. A lot of steamy fiction. And college had been educational in a number of ways, as well.
“Oh, God,” he said, moaning as she wiggled her ass, taking her sweet time lowering her jeans. She hadn’t expected this, so she hadn’t worn particularly fancy panties, but he didn’t seem to care.
From the sound of him, he might have actually been in pain. A quick glance over her shoulder confirmed that—yep, being that ready had to hurt, at least a little.
Once her jeans dropped, she hooked her thumbs in her plain white bikini panties and pushed them down. But before she could step out of her clothes, he grabbed her by the waist and flung her onto the bed.
She yelped again and laughed out loud. He looked like a wild man, his gritted teeth bared, kicking the last remnant of his jeans off his leg, and while she still thought he was sex on wheels, it was a sight.
Especially the bounce of his bobbing cock.
She covered her face, afraid she’d spoil everything by making him self-conscious, but no, he was laughing, too.
Until he wasn’t.
The shaking had stopped and he took both her wrists this time, so he could see her face. “You’re gorgeous,” he said. “I’m so happy you’re here.”
“Me, too.”
“I can’t even be upset that we waited. Tonight’s been perfect.”
“I could have done without the jitters, but it all turned out well, didn’t it?”
He nodded, balanced above her as if he were about to do push-ups. “You keep surprising me,” he said.
“What do you mean?”
“The conversation at dinner the first night. How amazing you were giving that speech at the banquet. Being brave enough to ask for what you really wanted. Now this.”
“What’s this? You mean wanting to sleep with you? I told you I did.”
He let out a huff of breath that washed over her face. He smelled like beer and arousal. “I just... I’m really glad you picked me.”
“Show me,” she said.
11
CAM WAS ON FIRE. He’d imagined her naked a hundred times. Who was he kidding, five hundred at least, and he hadn’t come close to the real thing. There was no part of her that didn’t appeal to him, as if she’d been made to order.
He ran his tongue over the harder, uneven texture of a scar on her chest, several inches above one of the most beautiful breasts he’d ever seen. “What happened?” he asked, although she might not have understood as he was unwilling to stop licking her.
“Stabbed,” she said between pants. “Accidental. I was seven.”
“You were seven,” he said, hating the thought, but then his attention went back to her breast.
“Oh, God,” she said, the words breaking up as she gasped, her back arched.
He couldn’t talk, but talking was overrated when he could suck and lick and tease and taste. It was all he could do not to just lift her legs and plunge into her, but that would end things too quickly. He wanted to wring every last gasp and moan out of her before they were through.
Okay, maybe the next time he’d stretch things out, because he didn’t have a lot of time to maneuver here. Not when every brush of his cock against any part of her body nearly crippled him.
The condom. It was right on the nightstand. Too far. Way too far. But he wasn’t about to let the hard, sweet nub between his lips go. He swung his hand in the approximate direction of where the condom should be. The sound of glass breaking didn’t even make him blink. He just moved his hand up and down until it landed on the foil packet.
“Something fall?”
He shook his head as he switched to her other breast. “All the way over...” It was just as perfect as the first nipple, and if it wasn’t for the uncomfortable pressure of his cock, he’d have hung out right where he was for a couple of days.
Her hand touched his hip and he tensed, knowing what was coming but unable to stop it.
She slipped her hand around his shaft.
He gargled. Or something. He’d never made a sound like that before. “Stop,” he said, about an octave too high.
She let go instantly. “What’s wrong?”
He flopped down beside her, which wasn�
��t the most brilliant move on his part, because his dick hit his stomach a second later. “Shit,” he said.
She’d turned on her side, facing him, her head propped on her hand. “What? Are you okay? Should I do something?”
Slamming his eyes shut, he shook his head. He wasn’t going to be embarrassed about this. It’d happened before. When he was seventeen, but still, it was normal. “Just need a minute,” he said. “To cool down.”
“Oh,” she said, and okay, he was a little embarrassed.
“Do you want some water or something?”
He opened his eyes, sure he’d find her laughing at him, but she wasn’t. Smiling, yeah. Also a little cocky. “You’re enjoying this?”
She nodded. “Very much so.”
“That’s not very nice.”
“I never said I was nice.”
He smiled back, the acute emergency over for now, although he needed a couple more minutes. Once he was inside her, he wanted to stay as long as possible. “You’re very beautiful,” he said.
“Between the two of us,” she said, “I think you’re the better-looking one.”
He dismissed that nonsense with a wave of his hand. “I wasn’t finished.”
“Sorry.”
“And you smell great.”
She giggled again. It was the best.
For now, he had to kiss her again, to run his hand down her back and feel that glorious bottom of hers. Once he got there, his thoughts fizzled away and instinct took over. Once again, she was on her back, parting her thighs at his touch so he could move up close.
Her beautiful hair was spread across his pillow, her gorgeous breasts rising and falling faster and faster. He kissed her lips then moved south. Kissing. Licking. Nibbling. Inhaling. All the way down to her adorable belly button, but her scent drew him farther yet.
Burying his nose in her trimmed V, he smoothed his palms over the astonishing softness of her inner thighs. His tongue worked its way into her cleft, the slightly sweet, pungent tang of her an aphrodisiac all its own. It made his heart beat faster to find her already swollen, her clit moist and plump between his lips.
