Oceans Apart (Ocean Dreams Book 1) (6 page)

Cam looked down at Annie. She was seeing the view of the beach through fresh eyes and her wonderment made Cam realize what he took for granted. Strands of Annie’s hair had fallen out of her ponytail and were fluttering across her face. Cam moved his hand up and tucked them behind her ear. His touch made goose bumps jump to the surface of her skin. Annie tensed slightly before a warm rush of shivers went through her body. His thumb lightly rubbed over her cheek while the rest of his hand slid around the back of her head. Annie looked up and directly into Cam’s eyes. They stared at each other for what seemed like forever to Annie. He then leaned down slowly and got closer to her, their faces just a few inches from the other. Annie broke eye contact and looked down but Cam placed his other hand on her chin and brought her head back up. He held on to both sides of her face, moved in, and gently kissed her. Softly, sweetly. Then Annie released a sigh, which seemed to give Cam more confidence. His hands moved from her face to around her waist and he pulled her in toward him. Annie’s hands were flat against his chest and she could feel his heart was beating just as fast as hers. His kiss changed from soft to more intense as their tongues tussled together. Annie was more than willing to match what he gave her. Cam turned Annie around and pushed her against the stone wall bordering the side of the balcony. His hands ran down the sides of Annie’s breasts, which peaked her nipples instantly. If she weren’t already highly turned on, that move would have done it. Just as Cam was about to lift the tank top up and over her head, a loud wolf whistle shook him out of his trance. He pulled back and looked down toward the park his house neighbored. They had a group of ogling beach-ready teenagers as an audience.

“Get a room!” one called up to Cam.

Cam chuckled, held his hand up, and flicked his middle finger up at them. Annie could feel she had turned bright red and put both hands over her face, hoping to hide it from Cam. She inhaled and sighed heavily before looking back at him. Cam was smiling broadly. He wasn’t embarrassed one bit and the evidence was proudly straining against his shorts.

“I think it’s time to eat,” Annie said quickly, hoping that he hadn’t seen her looking down below his waist. “Yeah, sure,” Cam replied. He was about to turn and head to the kitchen but he needed to taste those sweet lips again. Cam moved back and planted a big kiss on her lips, which surprised Annie, and then let her go and went to start breakfast.

Annie didn’t move. ‘
Oh, my fucking God!
’ she exclaimed to herself. The warmth Annie was feeling throughout her body wasn’t just from the sun above. Annie had never kissed a guy without having been on at least a date or two with them first, but this kiss felt so right. Comfortable. Hot as hell! A cool breeze tickled her body as it blew up from the beach. Annie had never felt so alive. All of her senses were working overtime and she wasn’t sure she was able to tell what each was telling her. Annie straightened up and walked back inside. She had to face Cam sometime.

Annie entered the bright, sunlit room where she could smell breakfast cooking. Cam looked relaxed at the stovetop, flipping the egg mixture over in the pan. Annie watched him and every move he made as if her life depended on it. He was the sexiest man she had ever been around. His tanned skin made the sun -lightened strands in his hair stand out, but she couldn’t take her eyes off his face. She could drown in those beautifully framed blue eyes; and his smile would make anyone, male or female, just about do anything he asked. Annie was mesmerized by this God in front of her and had to shake herself into the moment when she heard a voice in the background.

“Annie?” Cam looked at her like he was waiting for an answer.

“Sorry. Lost in thought.” She nervously giggled.

“I asked you what you wanted to drink. Coffee? Juice? Tea?”

“Coffee would be great. No sugar but a little cream, thanks,” Annie replied.

“Coming right up.” Cam moved over to the fancy coffee maker and pressed a button. A whirring sounded from the machine and within thirty seconds, a piping hot cappuccino was being passed to her. Annie reached across to take the mug from Cam but he didn’t let go. He held firmly onto the mug, which made Annie look up and into those eyes again.

Cam just wanted to drop the mug, reach over, and pull her up on top of the counter so he could lose himself in this Angel from Nashville. He might have done that at one time; but his instincts were telling him to try to control himself, and to take things slower than he usually would. That would be a hard task but he wasn’t willing to let Annie go just yet, or even ever.

“Thank you,” Annie said to Cam as she tugged just a little so he would release the mug to her.

“No worries.” He winked at her as he turned back to the stove. Annie’s heart flip-flopped back and forth. How on earth was she going to spend the day without losing her mind? She had no answer.

“Can I help with anything?” asked Annie.

“It’s all good, Nashville. Take a seat and I’ll serve it up now.” Nobody had ever given Annie a nickname before, and she found herself grinning internally every time Cam called her Nashville. Cam busied himself serving the omelette onto two plates and brought them over to the long rectangle dining table where Annie was sitting at one end.

“Wow! Impressive,” Annie said as Cam placed her meal in front of her.

Cam chuckled. “It’s just eggs with a few veggies thrown in. Nothing special.”

Annie took a mouthful of the ‘not so special’ omelette. She closed her eyes so she could concentrate on the flavors exploding in her mouth. No one had ever cooked breakfast just for her. The cook her parents employed when she was growing up only gave Tracey and her oatmeal, and it wasn’t until Annie went to college that she tried anything different. This might have been nothing special to Cam; but to Annie, this was another experience that may never have happened just a few weeks ago.

“You’ve never had an omelette before, have you?” Cam questioned her.

“Why would you say that?” Annie asked defensively.

“I’ve just never seen anyone nearly orgasm over my cooking,” he replied cheekily.

Annie couldn’t believe what he had said and she had no idea how to respond to it either. She just kept eating until her plate was clean. She didn’t even want to make eye contact with him since Cam affected her more than she had first thought.

“Well, if nothing else, at least my food can satisfy you,” Cam said as he stood and cleared the table.

“Let me help you with those dishes,” Annie said.

“It’s all good, Nashville. The housekeeper will do them when she arrives. We have some other business to get down to,” Cam said. He put the plates into the sink, turned back, and walked straight over until he was inches from Annie.

“What business…do you mean?” Annie could feel her heart speeding up and her breathing getting quicker. Maybe he was talking about finishing what he started out on the balcony before breakfast. She looked up at him with her wide, chocolate brown eyes, waiting for his reply.

Cam could have very easily, leaned in, and ravished her there and then. Hell, he probably would have with any other woman, especially the groupies. Cam could tell Annie was different. He felt different. He wanted to protect her, to move slowly and satisfy this intriguing woman. These were feelings that normally wouldn’t even cross his mind. Yes, he still wanted to take her there and then but he knew he would lose her.

He dropped his head just enough so his lips touched her forehead in a sweet kiss. “Surfing business, sweetheart.” Cam smiled. “I need to show you how to enjoy the beach and surf without having to be rescued each time. ‘Cause I may not always be around to save you and I’m also not sure I can let anyone else touch you again,” Cam said cockily while flashing his megawatt grin. His hand lifted and cupped her cheek.

“Yes, of course.” Annie was getting flustered again but she couldn’t take her eyes off his. She was entranced. Annie needed to collect herself and calm down if she was going to have any chance of enjoying her day with this Aussie Surfing God. “Can I use your bathroom before we go?”

“Sure thing. Downstairs and on your right. You passed it when we arrived. I’ll meet you down there in five minutes.” He didn’t want to but he let go of her cheek. Annie picked up her bag and headed down the stairs, looking back as she reached the landing, and smiling sweetly at Cam before heading down.

A loud sigh escaped from Cam’s lips. “Bloody hell,” he said as his hands ran back and forth vigorously through his hair. What the hell was he doing? Cam knew she wasn’t like the girls he usually brought home. She was different. Sweet, innocent, big-hearted. Not the kind of girl he would normally want to have a quick fling with. She was the settling down, complete commitment type of girl. Unfortunately, whatever magic she cast over him, he was falling under her spell and fast.

Their day at the beach ‘date’ was nothing short of amazing for Annie. Cam tried to teach her the basics of surfing but Annie just wasn’t coordinated enough. She would slip when she tried to jump up onto the board, and that was while the board was still on the beach. Cam was patient with her and made the whole experience fun. Annie thought he may have gotten irritated with her for not mastering it but he didn’t seem to care about that at all. She was feeling so comfortable around him, which was unlike any other guy she has previously been with. It had been incredible having his hands on her too. Very distracting and possibly the reason why she failed to coordinate herself. Cam didn’t try to kiss her again either. They just enjoyed the sun, sand, surf, and each other’s company.

After a quick wash down using the beachside showers, Cam and Annie stopped for a late lunch at a nearby coffee shop. Cam led her to a small table at the rear of the shop and pulled out a seat for Annie.

“Thanks.” Annie smiled, sat down, and wondered, ‘
Is he always such a gentleman?
’

Cam sat opposite her. “You’re welcome.” He picked up a menu and handed it to her. Annie tried to take it from him but he didn’t let go. She looked up from the menu. He was staring at her. His blue eyes fixed on hers and neither of them was willing to look away. Annie could feel her blood pumping hard, making her heart race. He was affecting her and she liked it.

Their moment was interrupted by the waitress who had come over to take their order. Annie looked at the waitress, but she only had eyes for Cam. How would she not? He was handsome from every angle but he didn’t act like he knew that he was. Yes, he may have been cheeky at times but never arrogant.

“What can I get for you?” the waitress asked. It was more than obvious it was directed at Cam, as she had never once looked over to Annie.

He released the menu to Annie’s hands and turned to the attractive young girl. “A steak sandwich and bottle of water,” Cam said.

“Sure. Coming right up,” she said with a grin. The waitress had turned to walk to the kitchen when Cam said, “Aren’t you going to wait for my friend’s order?”

The waitress’s cheeks turned a bright shade of pink as she sheepishly walked back to the table to wait for Annie’s order. “What do you want?” was all she said to Annie.

“The chicken Caesar salad, please. Oh, and a bottle of water, too.”

The embarrassed girl flounced off to the kitchen. Annie was hoping she didn’t spit into her salad.

“Sorry about that,” Cam said to her apologetically.

“About what?” Annie questioned.

“Her ignoring you. No one should be treated like that, no matter how much I take their breath away,” he winked at her after he said that.

Annie laughed. She knew he was having a joke with her but the truth was that people often ignored her. “It’s okay. It’s happened many times before.”

“How could anyone ignore you?” he asked with a serious look on his face.

Annie sighed. “Trust me. It happens. It’s okay though. You do get used to it.”

“Sometimes, I wish people would just ignore me,” said Cam with a look of what she thought was regret.

“But why? Why don’t they ignore you?”

Cam took a moment before he spoke. “I guess I should have told you this from day one,” he said, almost looking ashamed. “I’m a professional surfer, so I’m rather well known here in Australia and in other parts of the world, too.”

This wasn’t new information for Annie but things like this never happened to her. He was a professional surfer. He was famous. He was drop dead gorgeous…and he was with her. She was the girl in the background who most people didn’t even realize was in the same room.

Annie’s confusion must have been written all over her face. “You okay?” Cam asked her.

Annie didn’t really know the answer to that, but she nodded and smiled. “Sure, it was just a surprise, that’s all. I mean, it’s not every day you meet a professional surfer.”

“Okay.” Cam smiled at her and leant back in his seat. Annie could tell he was having a tough time trying to read her actions, which made her smile. Men often found the actions of women confusing and it made her feel good to keep him guessing about her thoughts.