Slow Summer Burn: A Loveswept Contemporary Romance (15 page)

She was officially burning up now, and when he slipped a hand inside the jacket, cupped her breast and ran his thumb over her nipple, she almost ignited. Want, need, desire … it all swelled up, threatening to swallow her whole. He was kissing her deeply now, stroking his tongue against hers in a mesmerizing rhythm.

Just as she started to sink into him, he wrenched his hand and mouth away.

“Wha—” He’d scooped her in his arms and was striding toward his boat.

“I think I need to get you inside,” he said, shoes making a hollow sound on the damp pier.

“I think I know why,” she murmured, kissing him everywhere she could reach. Somehow he got them onboard, but that was as far as they got. He put her down on deck, and she didn’t even blink before he’d pressed her up against the side of the cabin, right underneath a string of Christmas lights. Then, he simply devoured her, his mouth hot and dark. And his big hands—oh God, they were everywhere, stroking and smoothing her heated flesh, his lean body one big promise.

He was being gentle now, and that just made her hotter. She thought he’d pick up the pace. Thought things would be as wild and heated as they were last night. But she was wrong. Oh, was she wrong!

He instead slowed his pace, kissing her so thoroughly and deeply, that when he pulled away she was dizzy. Carefully, he led her below deck and laid her on his bed. Slowly, he undressed her, peeling off her clothing layer by layer until she lay naked before him. And then, he worshipped her body, first with his fingers, trailing over every inch of her skin—and finally with his mouth. She was sensitized, every nerve ending a little electric current of need. When he spread her and licked the insides of her thighs, she started to quiver. And when he used his tongue to lap between her legs she thought she was going to die.

No … that came when he slid a finger inside her body and coaxed one shuddering climax out of her. It was so easy, so smooth, that she barely felt herself slip over. One moment she was shaking with desire and the next, she was on the other side, having fallen off the cliff.

“I want you,” she said, her voice sounding throatier than it ever had.

He lay back, eyes glowing in the darkened room. His lip curled up. “Show me,” he said.

It was her turn to play. She shucked off his jacket and shirt, then pushed him back on the
bed. Sliding up beside him, she placed her palm on his cheek and turned his face toward hers. Then she kissed him the way he’d kissed her, undulating her tongue against his in a seductive rhythm, and ran her hand down his arm. His bare skin was hot to the touch. He’d given her tacit permission to do anything she wanted, so she slid her palm up his chest and ran it over his nipple. He shuddered and all of a sudden, the gesture seemed more intimate. She scraped her teeth over the tip and he hissed.

“Did that hurt?”

“No,” he said gruffly. “Do it again.”

So she did, and he hissed again and kissed her more deeply. Emboldened by this newfound power, Cameron repeated the gesture with his other nipple, eliciting the same response. She undid his belt and tugged his jeans and boxers down his legs before pushing him back down. He was watching her, a slight smile on his face.

Then she bent her head and replaced her mouth on first one nipple, then the other, lightly flicking her tongue. Val groaned and captured her head in his hand, burying his fingers in her long strands.

She wanted him to touch her, too, so she shoved his hand from where it was resting on her hip up to her breast. He laughed a little and obliged her, plucking and stroking in time with the rhythm of her mouth.

By the time she’d taken the length of him in her hand, he wasn’t laughing anymore. As she regarded his powerful beauty, he became deadly serious. She could see the way his jaw was clenching—the way it always did when he was holding himself back.

His hand stilled on her breast. “Cam—baby—you don’t have to.”

“I want to,” she said, just before she closed her mouth over his tip. He shuddered and groaned. She blew on him, her hot breath warming his already heated flesh. He groaned again. A wave of satisfaction washed over her.
She
was doing this to him, making him moan and shake. Then she took as much of him in her mouth as she could.

“Aw, Cam, that’s just … 
damn!
”

She licked her way from root to tip and went back for more. The feel of him in her mouth was the ultimate aphrodisiac—she was powerful. Beautiful. Sexy. She would have tried to swallow him whole, but all of a sudden she was on her back, with Val between her knees. And then he had a condom on and was pushing into her, and God, nothing had a right to feel this
good.

When he was fully seated, he slipped an arm under her neck and smiled.

“My turn,” he said, and when he began to move slowly—ever so slowly—her world just fell apart. The heat built and built along with the pleasure, until the pressure bore down on her so hard she could barely breathe. Her nails clawed at his back, but he didn’t even flinch. Just kept up the same slow, artful pace. Made her feel every nuance, the sensations amplified in a way she could never have believed was possible.

And when she thought she couldn’t stand another minute, with a flick and a twist of his fingers, she went over, falling, gasping his name, barely aware that he was right behind her.

Afterward, she lay on the bed, breathless, wrapped up in Val’s strong arms. He kissed her once, on the mouth.

“You good?” he asked.

She couldn’t speak, so she nodded. Yes, she was good. More than good.

Val was unlike anyone else she’d ever been involved with. He wasn’t afraid to touch her, to show her how much he wanted her. Instinctively, he knew exactly how far to push her, and when to back off. He understood her—could read her the way others couldn’t. All at once, everything she’d been missing in her life up until this point … passion, desire, and yes, even love … came rushing over her in a wave of emotions. Had it always been like that? Her, living in a little bubble, not feeling, not even living?

With his straightforward, even manner, he’d unlocked all of the emotion, all of the passion she’d been keeping under wraps. It had taken a man—this man, not of her world—to show her what it was like to really live. That familiar tingling in her tear ducts threatened once again. One of the perils of being a Stahl—when the emotion came, it came hard, a gift from her dad’s side of the family, who were notoriously easy criers. She blinked fast to keep her tears at bay.

“You sure you’re good?” he said.

“Yes,” she responded, her voice thick with emotion.

He studied her some more, his clear blue eyes flicking over her face. Then he kissed her again, this time more deeply. “No guilt, Cam.”

“Never with you,” she said.

He nodded once, and brushed a stray tear from the corner of her eye. “No regrets, either.”

“No regrets.”

Val watched her for another long minute.

“Go wash up,” he said.

She went to the small washroom and scrubbed her face, afraid to look at herself in the mirror. Val followed shortly after, and then they both got back in bed. He looked at her again, eyes searching her face. Seemingly satisfied by what he saw, he covered her up, tucked her against him, and kissed the top of her head.

In no time at all, she was asleep.

Chapter 15

When Cameron woke up the next morning, she was refreshed, but disoriented. What time was it? There was no window, no clock—nothing she could use to get her bearings. Just a lighted strip around the floorboard emitting a yellow-green glow. Val was gone, the only indication he’d been there last night the rumpled sheet next to her. She bent her head to his pillow. And his scent—man and sea. She breathed in deeply. If only she could bottle it.

Pushing her hair back from her face, she sat up and looked around. The cabin was sparse and masculine. The walls were lined with wood, and a few nautical images—some seafaring etchings and an old framed map—were the only decorations. In one corner of the room, a hammock swung from the ceiling. She bit back a smile, wondering if Val actually slept in the thing. In another corner, there was a low bench on which her clothes had been neatly folded.

Being here felt right. She was happy. And Val had made her feel this way.

Remembering where the commode was from last night, she rose and took a quick shower. When she was scrubbed and fresh, she put back on the same clothes she was wearing yesterday—a definite first for her—and went to find Val. She didn’t have to search long. He was up on deck, drinking coffee from a stainless-steel mug.

As she approached, his gaze slid over her and his eyes warmed. She liked the way he looked at her—with a mixture of awe and desire. She’d never felt more wanted. Then he covered the distance between them and bent his head, kissing her deeply.

“Morning,” he said.

“Morning,” she responded.

He held up his mug. “Want some?” he asked.

“Please,” she said, still half-drugged from the taste of his lips on hers. He nodded and went below deck. In a minute he was back with another mug and his coat. He handed her the mug and draped the coat over her shoulders.

“I just guessed. Cream, no sweetener?”

She nodded. “Yes, thanks. For the coat, too.”

“It’s always chilly by the water in the morning. Even during summer. Here,” he said,
gesturing to two beach chairs that had been arranged on the deck. They sat for a while and sipped their coffee. Fog blanketed the harbor, spilled over the boardwalk, and laced the cobblestoned streets of the town with clammy wisps. By nine, it would all be burned off.

“Sleep well?” he asked, staring out at the water.

“Yes, thank you. And you?”

“There you go, being polite again.” He turned to her, his gaze hot. “How do you think I slept, Cam? I slept great. Got you in my bed, tiring me out, keeping me warm. You keep moaning like that for me, and I’m going to be useless for anything else.” He put his coffee cup down and reached out his hand.

Cheeks burning, she took it. She still wasn’t used to hearing anyone speak like that, like she was something to be coveted, but she was starting to like it. They sat in silence for a few moments before Cameron spoke again. “So what are you up to today?”

“Do you have to work?”

“No, but I’m supposed to go back to Boston this morning.” Her brows creased. “In fact, I’m meeting Junior for—”

“Whatever it is, cancel it,” he said curtly.

“We were going to meet for coffee,” she explained. “I was going to tell him we were through.” She’d been fighting the truth for some time now, but Junior simply wasn’t the right guy for her. Despite Clarissa’s insistence, he never would be.

“You can’t do that by telephone?”

“I thought it would be more respectful in person.”

A little muscle ticked in his jaw. “If you need to head out, fine. But I think we both know that after the events of the past week, you going out on what Junior thinks is a date would be a bad idea.”

“I—all right,” she said, searching his face. “I’ll cancel our meeting. And I’ll tell Junior another time that I don’t want to see him anymore.”

Val nodded, and she pulled her cell phone out of her pocket. Junior sure wasn’t happy about her cancellation—she could hear it in his tone—but as always, he was the perfect gentleman. Crisply, he told her they’d have to reschedule some other time, then bid her a good day. She clicked off her phone. “It’s done,” she said.

“Good,” Val said with satisfaction, regarding her with those blue eyes that seemed to see
right through her. “Now, are you heading back to Boston or not?”

In response, she put down her coffee cup and turned to him. “Not.”

Val was about to kiss her, but she put a hand on his arm, stilling him. “Wait.
You’re
not seeing anyone else, are you? I mean, not that I was really
seeing
Junior—more like going out with him once in a while—but I’ve just turned down the only other guy that I was …” When he raised his gaze and gave her a hard stare, she trailed off.

“Do I seem like a man who screws around?”

“No,” she said. “But I have to protect myself. You understand.”

“I’ll say this all once, for the record. I’m not seeing anyone else, and I won’t be while you and I are together. Period. If you’re with me, I’ll expect the same commitment.”

Commitment. Not expecting that one so early in the morning
. “Yes.”

He sat there casually, as if he said that kind of stuff every day. But she knew he didn’t. Yes, he had a reputation for being a taciturn man. But he had other reputations, too. Once she’d started paying attention, she’d heard them: Straight-shooter. Uncrackable moral code. She could add another—good in bed. All of a sudden, the heat was back, insistent, seductive. She licked her lips. “So what should we do?”

Finally, the hint of a smile was back on his lips. “I have an idea. Want to come fishing with me?”

She laughed. “Do I—what?”

He repeated the question in the same, calm tone.

“That really wasn’t what I was expecting you to say.”

His lips quirked up at the edges. “And what was?”

“I don’t know. Just … not that.”

“It’s a great day for it. If my brothers are around, we usually all go together, but I happen to know that each of them has plans for today.”

“So I’m your backup plan?” she teased.

“You’re nobody’s backup plan, Cam, and you never will be. But you already knew that.” He kissed her again, leaving her breathless. “So what do you say? In or out?”

“In.” She wasn’t going back to Boston this morning. Strangely, the thought of going back later wasn’t too appealing, either. “So what do we do?”

“First, we head over to your place to pick up some fresh clothes for you.”

“Or we could stay here,” she said, slightly shocked as the words came out of her mouth.

He smiled, but it wasn’t patronizing. “As much as I’d like to spend the day in bed with you, we both need some down time. Besides, if we don’t get to Mutterman’s Pier in the next hour, we can kiss any of the prime spots goodbye.”