“Wait! Miller, stop. Please.”
He placed her on her feet just as quickly as he had lifted her off of them. “I’m sorry, Cambrie. I don’t mean to be rough.”
“Oh, hush. I don’t mind rough. I’m sure I’m going to like rough with you, but I need to check my messages.” She hurried to the machine and pressed the play button.
“You what!” His shock couldn’t be any more obvious at the mood kill.
She wrung her hands, wishing the old machine would hurry up and spit out the phone call. “I’m sorry. Long story. Only my aunt’s nursing home has this number. For emergencies. I must’ve missed the call on my cell phone.”
Her heart pounded as the voice came across the machine. “Miss Brasher, sorry to alarm you but this is Dixieborough Nursing Home. Your aunt has taken a small fall and the doctor is with her now. Please call us when you get this message or stop by.”
“Oh, no!” Cambrie yelled. “I’ve got to go see her. She’s all I’ve got, Miller. I’m so sorry.” Cambrie grabbed her purse and bolted for the door with Miller on her heels. “I know you came all this way and—”
He cut her off on the porch when she locked her door. “And we can pick up where we left off once we know that Aunt Annabelle is okay. Let’s walk and talk, darling. The sooner we get you to her, the sooner we can get that horrified look out of your eyes. I don’t like seeing you upset.” His fingers latched onto her elbow and hurried with her to the driveway. “Pity the person who ever intentionally hurts you, baby.”
“Why’s that?” she asked, appreciating his protectiveness.
“You don’t want to know.” He piled into the passenger seat. But his large frame didn’t fit well in her small, practical car.
“Sorry the car’s small,” she said, her fingers shaking as she inserted the key into the ignition.
“Not to worry. Being six five makes most things small for me. Now drive.”
Chapter Seven
Silence filled the car while Cambrie drew slow breaths to calm her nerves. Being wound up from Miller’s kiss was one thing. Add her worry about Aunt Annabelle to that, and she might be a candidate for a heart attack.
“Tell me about Aunt Annabelle.” Miller’s soft command was welcomed as she merged through traffic.
“She’s the only family I have left. She raised me since I was a little girl.”
“What happened to your parents?”
She swallowed hard, harsh memories working their way back into her mind after years of being buried. She just couldn’t allow them to resurface.
“I’d rather not talk about it. I’m sorry. Please don’t be mad. Just some things are better left in the past.”
Miller stared straight ahead. “Agreed. So why is Aunt Annabelle in a nursing home?”
Phew. He hadn’t been offended that she brushed off his question. She liked how easy he was to talk with. “Um. Well, she’s been there since she had a heart attack. Then they found breast cancer, but they caught it in time thanks to the heart attack.”
“Lucky. If you can be at all with either illness.”
“That’s how I looked at it. Oh, I hope she’s all right. It’s just ahead.”
“You’re very close to her, aren’t you?” Miller asked, his voice soft, soothing.
Cambrie pulled into a parking spot. “Yes.”
“And what do you feel right now?”
“Scared shitless.”
Offering her a smile when she glanced at him, he spoke with assurance. “Well, besides that. Your gut. Trust it.”
She jumped from the car and they rushed toward the building. She looked at him. “I feel like she’s fine.”
Miller held the door open. “Then I bet she is.”
And he was right. Aunt Annabelle was giving the home’s staff hell when Cambrie bolted into her room.
“Oh, thank God, Cambrie, you came,” Aunt Annabelle screeched, holding her arms up and sitting forward in her bed.
Cambrie rushed over to the bed and accepted the hug. “What happened? You scared me half to death.”
“All I wanted was to go down to the lounge, and they said no. They just want to keep me locked up in here like a prisoner.”
Cambrie straightened and faced the nurse who spoke with her hands on her hips. “Now, Miss Annabelle, you know that is the furthest from the truth. Really. I can’t believe you, of all people, fibbing like that.”
Aunt Annabelle’s cheeks reddened and she pursed her lips shut, refusing to look at the nurse. Cambrie bit back a laugh. Aunt Annabelle would be just fine if she still had attitude swirling within her.
“Miss Cambrie,” the nurse said, “we just needed her to wait until after meal time. Then we would dispense meds and we could’ve had her go down to the lounge. It’s the same routine every night. But, oh no. This woman needed to have her own way. She’s awfully lucky to only have a bruise on that stubborn butt of hers. Hmmpff.”
When the nurse stalked out of the room, Aunt Annabelle’s mouth dropped. “Well, I say. I’ve never been spoken to like that. How dare she? I’ll see that she’s fired right away. And you, Cambrie, didn’t stand up for me one bit.”
Cambrie sat on the edge of the bed and straightened the sheets. “Now that’s not true and you know it. And you’ll not be getting Nella fired. You know she’s been real good to you here. You were wrong to get out of bed by yourself. You’ve been warned so many times.”
Aunt Annabelle shook her head, the perfectly styled short gray and white hair didn’t move. “Well, I’m sorry if being cooped up in here all day makes me lose my manners. Any sane person would go nuts here.” She looked past Cambrie’s shoulder. “Who is that handsome young man?” Her tone had changed from bitchy to curious.
Cambrie’s eyes widened and she jumped up, having totally forgotten Miller had accompanied her to the nursing home. This wasn’t exactly how she wanted him to meet her aunt. “Oh, I’m sorry. Forgive my manners. Aunt Annabelle, this is Lt. Miller Daly. He’s the pen pal I told you about that I’m working with to win a grant for the library.” And keep my job.
Miller stepped into the room, instantly stealing all free space with his width and height. Taking his place beside Cambrie, he stood like a majestic statue. “Pleasure really is all mine, Aunt Annabelle. And I must say that you have a lovely niece.” He glanced at Cambrie before turning back to the older woman. “It’s obvious where she gets not only her looks but her smarts as well. I don’t blame you for standing up for yourself in here.”
Cambrie wanted to slug him. He didn’t know that he was encouraging a monster when Auntie set herself to doing something.
Aunt Annabelle sat straighter in the bed and primped her hair, an automatic gesture Cambrie had witnessed from her any time she received a compliment. “Thank you, Mr. Daly. It’s nice to see Cambrie associating with such a fine gentleman.”
“Thank you, ma’am. And please just call me Miller.” When he took Aunt Annabelle’s hand and kissed the knuckles, well, Cambrie thought she’d seen it all. With a few words and proper attention, Miller had calmed Aunt Annabelle’s temper and won her over. The old woman beamed and appeared twenty years younger now that her scowl had disappeared.
Aunt Annabelle grabbed his arm and studied his tattoo on his upper arm. It peaked out just enough from under his sleeve for the edge to be viewed. “Who is this woman?”
Cambrie noticed the tattoo for the first time. It had been too hard to see on the picture he had sent. And she had been too busy being stunned at his arrival earlier to even notice. Her heart sank. Did he love the woman?
Miller looked at the tattoo and at Cambrie. “It’s your niece I believe.”
Cambrie gasped. “That can’t be true,” she said through gritted teeth. “You had that tattoo in the picture you sent. The picture was a year old. Way before I ever emailed you.”
He faced her. “Yes, I know. I’ll explain when we have time.”
“Why don’t you have time now?” Aunt Annabelle insisted.
&nbs
p; “Because I’m just getting into town after a very long trip and I’m afraid if I try to make any sense now I won’t. I’ll let you ladies visit while I excuse myself to find a men’s room. I hope you feel better, Aunt Annabelle. Cambrie, I’ll be in the waiting room, but please take all the time you need.”
When he marched from the room, Cambrie had the pleasure of viewing his ass, snugly encased in blue jeans that showcased the hard muscles of his thighs. Her cheeks blushed when her mind wandered to all the kinky things she wished to do with him.
“Well, young lady. I must say you’ve landed yourself a live one,” Aunt Annabelle quipped, her smile still lighting up her face.
Cambrie waved her hand in the air. “Oh, stop it. He’s just a pen pal who’s part of a project for work.” Yeah, right. More like he was the man who ruined her expectations for any other man.
Aunt Annabelle made a skeptical face. “If you say so. But I don’t know of many men, or pen pals, that trek around the globe to meet a woman. Sounds like that would be contradictory to being a pen pal.”
“Would you please stop saying pen pal like that?”
The old woman rested her hand across her heart and widened her eyes. “Like what?”
“Like it’s anything more than it is.” Cambrie paced the room. “And if it were, it’s up to me where I take it. Understood? I won’t have you prying into my life and trying to force me into something I’m not ready for.”
Aunt Annabelle threw her hands up in the air and let them fall back onto the bed. “There you go again, worrying I’m rushing you down the blessed aisle. All I’m saying is a proper young lady like yourself should see fit to have some romance in her life. You did say Emma and Finn know him?”
“Yes, Finn used to be his commander.”
“I do adore Finn, fine young man. Well, at least you have someone that can vouch for Miller. And he seems like a fine boy. And very easy on the eyes, I might add.”
“Auntie!” Cambrie stared in shock. “I’ve never heard you talk in such a way. What’s gotten into you today? Maybe you hit your head in that fall.”
“Maybe I don’t want my favorite niece to pass up a good thing because she feels she owes me something. You owe me nothing except to be happy. Just remember, the best way you can repay me for taking you into my home is to make a home of your own with a man who cherishes you as much as you do him.”
Cambrie studied her aunt. “You watch too many movies in that lounge, Auntie. Romance isn’t what it used to be in your days.”
“Which is a damn shame, pardon my language. A man knew how to properly court a woman back then. Nowadays, couples don’t have a clue about how to love without boundaries. All I ask is that you open your heart to the possibility, especially when it travels around the world to meet you.”
Cambrie swallowed the knot in her throat, her mouth very dry. She had to admit that Aunt Annabelle was right about one thing. Miller had come a very long way just to meet her and had gone through a lot of effort to avoid her telling him not to visit. And they hadn’t even talked on the phone, just emailed. But the tattoo on his arm had to be discussed before they could become any more intimate. Looking at another woman on his muscles while Cambrie made love to him would really be a killjoy. It was supposed to be her…did he think she was born yesterday? She didn’t take him as a man to play head games but, then again, she still had to get to know him.
“Well, it’s good to see that you’re not arguing with me, Cambrie. Shows you’re thinking about what I just said. Good for you. Now your young man is waiting. Go to him. I’ll still be here in this prison when you can visit again.” Aunt Annabelle held her gaze on Cambrie.
“Fine. I’ll get going but you, Auntie, had better follow the rules. Just the other day, Mr. Hackler commented on how you were one of the last true Southern Belles. You wouldn’t want to damage that reputation by causing trouble. Would you?”
Aunt Annabelle’s mouth dropped open. “Now that’s not playing fair.”
Cambrie smiled. At least she could get through to her aunt when it involved people’s perception of her. “Sure it is. Behave and you have nothing to worry about.” Cambrie kissed her cheek. “I’ll call tomorrow and come by soon.”
“I can’t wait to hear stories about Miller.”
Cambrie waltzed from the room before her blazing cheeks could stir up more questions. No one would ever guess the wicked sexual fantasies Cambrie kept hidden deep inside her. They’d think she was some kind of freak.
Walking into the waiting room, she caught a glimpse of Miller standing at the window peering out. When he turned and smiled, Cambrie no longer cared what anyone thought. She wanted Miller and planned to fulfill all of her fantasies if he’d allow it.
“All set?” he asked, striding toward her.
She smiled. “I am now. Let’s head home and see if we can find where we left off.”
Chapter Eight
“What’s in the box, Cambrie?” Miller asked, hovering over Cambrie’s shoulder while she attempted to push the box to the far side of her kitchen counter.
Of all the things she hadn’t had time to put away, it had to be the sex toys delivered last week. Before she could stop him, he picked up the box and studied it. Now that shouldn’t have been a problem since the company used a discreet business name on the return address label. But Cambrie jumping at him like he had stolen her diary had stirred his curiosity. He hadn’t stop badgering her since they walked through the front door five minutes ago.
“None of your business,” she said, hoping her carefree reply threw him off of his nosy quest. “Are you hungry? I’m afraid all I have is frozen pizza or pasta.”
“Oh, I’m very hungry. But not for food, darling.” The glimmer in his dark brown eyes sent a delicious tingle down her spine as memories of where they had left things re-surfaced.
“Mmmm. I do like the sound of that, Miller. Kiss me.”
The devilish smile creeping across his face held warning. “Sure. Open the box first.”
Christ, did he never let up? “Why are you so fascinated with that box when you could be dragging me into the bedroom to drive me wild like you promised?” She hoped the purr in her voice would be enough to force him to concentrate on her instead. She’d much rather open her package in private to discreetly have the toys in a drawer in the bedroom for their use. She shouldn’t have put off doing that. Damn!
His finger swooped over her ear to push her hair behind it. The innocent touch sent a blistering shock wave through her body. Shivering was a reaction she couldn’t stop as his gaze remained on hers. “I’m betting there are some things in that box that will help me drive you wild, baby.”
She gasped. How the heck could he have guessed that?
His knuckles skimmed her cheek, the warmth of her skin heating more by his touch. “And by this pretty blush on your cheeks, I’d say I figured out your dirty little secret, Cambrie. I might add here that I like dirty.”
A battle between embarrassment and annoyance grew within her. “Okay. Fine. I ordered sex toys.” There was no escaping his embrace. She was forced to stand her ground in front of him under those watchful eyes. “But how did you figure that out? There’s nothing on that package to indicate what the contents are or where it came from.”
He lifted the box to point at the business name. “ABC Company. Who the hell names their business that? A generic name like that always indicates something from the sex industry.”
“Oh.” Now didn’t she feel foolish thinking she’d be so smart trying to cover up her naughty side?
Oh, God then the mailman probably knew where it came from too. How would she ever face him again? Worse, what if someone in town started gossiping and it got back to Aunt Annabelle? Cambrie sighed inwardly—the challenges of living in a small town—too many nosy people with boring lives always looking for gossip on another poor soul.
Miller’s voice filled with humor and acceptance. “And I’ve ordered enough porn in my lifetime to recognize tho
se labels anywhere.”
His admission provided her comfort. “You have?”
He smirked. “Well, of course. I’m a guy. Now stop driving me wild wondering what you ordered and open the damn thing.”
She laughed, her belly swarming with butterflies. This was even more exciting than perusing the naughty website. She could open her presents with Miller here to watch. Miller’s silent respect made her feel like there was nothing she couldn’t do. For the first time in her life, she didn’t have to worry about impressing someone or following rules.
Cambrie quickly opened the brown package and dug through the bubble wrap to the contents. The vibrator, butt plug, metal handcuffs encased in pink fuzzy fur, paddle, and lube were all in plastic packages. The chest harness came in a black box with a picture of a woman straddling a man’s chest while he fucked her with the dildo. Cambrie swallowed hard.
“Holy shit,” Miller exclaimed, his wide eyes glancing between her and the toys. “You have to run away with me, Cambrie,” he vibrated with excitement while he grabbed the harness. “We think so much alike, it’s scary. Have you used any of this before?”
Shaking her head with a little too much force, she answered without looking at him, her gaze never straying from the toys. “No. Never. Well, except for a vibrator. A girl goes without sex as long as I do, she needs a little something to help keep her sane.”
When she dared to look up, she caught him studying her. “Are men around here fucking blind?” He held up his palm. “Don’t even answer that because I know they are if they’ve allowed a beautiful, sexy woman like you to walk around unclaimed. But their idiocy is certainly my fortune.”
He kissed her forehead, the simple touch swelling her heart like nothing ever before. Feeling desired and cherished, she fought to keep from shaking and focused on the muscular arms inches from her. “I like you, Miller.”
Operation: Tempt Me Page 6
