Falling Fast, Contemporary Romance (Last Frontier Lodge Novels Book 4) (13 page)

She took a deep breath in a futile effort to clear her mind. “I need you,” she blurted out.

When he arched a brow and started to speak, she cut him off. “Now. Let’s go to your suite.”

Cam was completely still for a moment before he nodded his head sharply. “Right. Okay.”

His hand left her thigh as he stood from the table. She felt the absence of his touch immediately. She grabbed her purse and quickly stood up. She started to walk briskly out of the restaurant. She knew they could go up the back stairs to his suite, but she didn’t want it to be obvious to anyone where they were going. Cam caught up to her when she’d almost reached the archway leading into the reception area. “You forgot your jacket,” he said.

She glanced over and saw her puffy red down jacket hooked over his arm. “Thanks for getting it.”

She started to reach for it as they walked past Harry at the reception desk. “I got it,” Cam said softly. He nodded in Harry’s direction. “Night, Harry. You in tomorrow morning?”

“Nope. I’m not on duty until evening again. See you then. Night, Ginger,” Harry replied with a wave.

She returned the wave and breathed a sigh of relief when they passed through the reception area into the expansive hallway and saw no one around. She paused and looked up at Cam. His amber eyes coasted over her. She practically felt the burn of his gaze. He turned and slipped his hand down her spine where it came to rest in the dip of her waist. His touch sent a jolt of electricity through her. She hurried at his side up the main stairs and through the halls, so focused on getting alone in a room with him that she didn’t even care if anyone saw them.

They reached a door at the far end of one of the hallways. Cam swiped his key card in the lock and shouldered through the entrance. As soon as they stepped inside the room, he kicked the door shut behind them and whirled her around. Her purse fell off her shoulder and onto the floor. He tossed her jacket behind him and planted both palms on the door behind her. His eyes were dark and intent. Without a word, his lips crashed to hers.

Chapter 11

The last thing Cam saw as he nearly lunged at Ginger was the flash of blue fire in her eyes. Somehow, he had no idea how really, he managed to keep his hands to himself and behave like a rational man in front of everyone during dinner. Underneath his attempt to be casual and social had been the constant drumbeat of lust pounding through his body. Ginger was like a drug for his body. Kissing her was like breaking the surface of water after being underneath far too long. He fit his mouth over hers and poured his need into their kiss. She arched up into him, her tongue stroking against his. Her lips were so soft and her mouth so sweet that it only drove him wilder. He’d been rock-hard for hours. Kissing her was a relief, but it also sent his need for her into overdrive.

He tore his lips from hers, frantic to taste more of her. He traced his tongue along her throat, savoring the moans humming through her. She tasted like she smelled—like strawberries and vanilla. She wore a fitted blouse, her full breasts straining at the buttons. He was too driven to care when he yanked at the blouse and a button went flying, pinging against the wall before it clattered on the floor. Ginger sighed deeply when he peeled her blouse apart and flicked his thumb under the clasp of her bra. He was too impatient to take it slow right now and needed to feel the tight beads of her nipples in his mouth.

Without preamble, he leaned forward and stroked his tongue in a swirl around one nipple before he sucked it swiftly. At her cry, he bit down softly and smiled against her skin when his name came out with a sharp gasp. He almost came in his jeans when she arched her back, pressing into his mouth when he gave the same attention to her other breast. He forced himself to take a step back. He thought he could somehow get control of himself, but he took one look at her and his knees nearly buckled.

She leaned against the door with her shirt open to her waist. Her nipples glistened in the dim light from the single lamp he’d left on in the corner. Her breath was heaving. Her blue eyes were wild—flashing with fire. Her dark hair fell in loose waves around her shoulders, mussed and rumpled. She reached out with one hand and hooked it under the hem of his shirt. With a single finger, she lifted his shirt up slowly, her eyes on him. She stroked her other palm up his chest. His heart hammered inside his chest. With another stroke, she moved down and cupped his cock in her palm, sliding back and forth over the denim of his jeans. Barely able to see through the haze of lust, he grabbed his shirt at the back of his neck and yanked it off in a single swoop. He dug his wallet out of his pocket and nearly dropped it in his haste to get a condom out. After the other night, he’d made a quick trip to the drugstore to make sure he was prepared if he was lucky enough to have another night with Ginger.

Meanwhile, Ginger was swiftly unbuttoning his jeans. He stepped closer and nudged her chin up for another kiss. Her lips were so damn soft. It was like coming home to a home he’d never known he had. Several sense-stealing moments later, he lifted his head and dragged his hand down her side, cupping the edge of her breast, before stroking his palm between her thighs. She wore a pair of soft, swingy pants that hugged her hips. The cotton was thin enough he could feel the damp heat of her through it. Her breath hitched when he stroked a finger back and forth.

He couldn’t wait anymore and shoved her pants down, her underwear along with them. She kicked them off, along with the clogs she wore. She was quite the multi-tasker, somehow freeing his cock in the midst of this. His jeans hung low on his hips while she curled her fist around him and stroked. He couldn’t hold back his groan. Her hand on his cock felt so damn good. She shimmied down against the door, her lips trailing a path of fire down his chest and abdomen. Kneeling, she tilted her head up and caught his eyes before she dragged her tongue along his cock. With his heart pounding so hard he thought he might break a rib, she took him in her mouth. The hot, wet heat of her mouth nearly pushed him beyond his endurance. She alternated with bringing him fully into her mouth, licking, sucking and stroking. The pressure built and built within him until he was pushed against the edge of his release.

He barely managed to choke out her name and reached down to pull her up. She leaned against the door, her lips swollen and her eyes hazy. He tore the condom out of its packet. His eyes on her, he rolled it on and hooked his hand under her knee. Lifting it high, he stepped into the cradle of her hips. He lifted her against him, using the door behind her for support. Her eyes widened when he dragged his cock back and forth through her folds. She was so wet, the moisture of her soaked his fingers. His cock throbbed as he tried to force himself to hold back. Her head slammed back against the door.

“Cam! Now!”

He looked into her eyes, wild with need and a tinge of frustration. He surged into her in one swift stroke, seating himself to the hilt. Her head fell forward, landing on his shoulder, as she groaned. She felt so damn good—slick, tight and hot. He held still for enough time to gather some control and then began to move. She curled her legs around him and flexed with every stroke, bringing him deeper and deeper.

With her soft pants and cries raining down around him, the pressure inside unraveled and he pounded into her. He could hear the door rattle with each drive, but Ginger thrashed against him. He couldn’t slow down if he tried. He felt as if he was barreling toward his own unraveling—every stroke into her wet velvet clench pushed him further and further. When he felt her channel being to throb around him, he dragged his thumb down between them, circling over the slick nub where they were joined. She went taut and cried out hoarsely. Only then did he let go into the hot rush. Several deep strokes and his own release rocked him, so intense that he had to brace a hand against the door behind her to hold himself up.

***

The sound of a raven calling outside the window woke Ginger. She was sleeping curled up on her side with Cam spooned behind her. His warm, muscled form felt so good, she sighed and closed her eyes. After he’d blown her mind again last night, she’d somehow pulled herself together and started to get ready to go home. Cam had tugged her to him and attempted to persuade her to stay there, but when she’d reminded him she had to get home to take care of George, next thing she knew he was following her back to her place. Falling asleep tangled up with him was a luxury she wasn’t so sure she could allow herself too many times. It felt so good to be held against his strong body—a physical and emotional comfort she wanted to sink into and savor.

Her bed was built in against the windows. Whoever originally built the home clearly wanted to capitalize on the phenomenal view. She’d worried the windows would be too cold in the winter, but they were double insulated and she’d hung quilted curtains over them. She’d come to love falling asleep with a view of the moon and stars and the sunrise to greet her when she woke. She nudged the curtain out of the way and looked out over the bay. The winter dawn was slowly coming. The sky above the mountains was barely light with wisps of lavender and pink reaching skyward. The sun had yet to make its appearance. She let the curtain fall and slowly rotated in Cam’s embrace. No matter how much she wanted to laze around in bed this morning, she knew he needed to get back to the lodge before his absence became too obvious. It wasn’t that he couldn’t have a life outside of the lodge, but rather that Ginger preferred not to broadcast his night with her just yet.

The steady rhythm of Cam’s breath was interrupted when she rolled over to face him. His palm slid from where it had been resting on her hip to her low belly. He shifted his legs and straightened them. She felt the shivering stretch of his body in her core. His eyes opened in the dim light of her bedroom. In the soft quiet, they lay still. After several moments, he cleared his throat. “S’pose I should get up and get going.”

She lifted her hand and traced it along his collarbone. “You should. What time do you need to get back to the lodge?”

“I’m usually up and at it before sunrise. Of course, sunrise around here is pretty late in the winter,” he said with a gruff chuckle.

She kept tracing her fingertip back and forth along his collarbone. A wash of emotion crested inside of her. The wish to stay right here with him was an unfamiliar feeling. She simultaneously wanted to dive into it and run from it. Internally restless, she needed something to do. “How about I make some coffee before you go?” she asked as she kicked the covers free of her legs and sat up.

Cam pushed himself up on his elbows causing the sheet to fall to his waist. Her mouth went dry. Dear God, the man was just too damn sexy for his own good. His chest and abs were practically carved from stone. She swallowed and tried to slow her pulse, which had taken off at a gallop the moment he sat up.

“Coffee would be great.”

“Got it,” she said quickly as she scrambled past him on the bed.

The hardwood floor was cool under her feet. She scurried to the bathroom just off her bedroom, threw on her warm, fleece robe and stuffed her feet in slippers. She paused when she stepped back into the bedroom and flicked on a small lamp on a table beside the bathroom door. Her bedroom contained the built in bed by the windows, which was piled high with pillows and a fluffy down quilt. Aside from the bed, there were nightstands on either side of the bed, a dresser on the wall across from the bathroom and a large, comfy chair by the closet, which she tended to use as an improvised laundry basket. At the moment, clothes were draped all over it.

A multi-colored circular rug was on the floor at the foot of the bed. Cam had leaned over to peer through the curtains. “Wow, you can’t beat this view for watching the sunrise.”

She looked through the small gap between the curtains to see the sun cresting the mountains, its white-gold rays breaking through the colors. “I know. I love waking up here.” When he glanced to her, she gestured to the bathroom. “Feel free to use the shower. I’ll go get some coffee started.”

The temptation to crawl back in bed was so strong, she had to force her feet to move. Once she got through her bedroom door, she hurried down the spiral staircase. She turned up the thermostat and greeted George who leapt down from his favored morning windowsill and followed her into the kitchen. She started a pot of coffee and then fed George.

A while later, she looked through the living room windows and watched Cam drive away. Her heart squeezed in her chest. This morning was too easy, hence her mind was running in circles. He’d had a cup of coffee and waved off her offer to make breakfast, saying he needed to get back up to the lodge. The sound of his engine faded, and she turned to look out the back windows. The sun hadn’t quite fully crested the mountains, but the sky was brightening and shimmers of light rippled on the surface of the water.

Her mind was a jumble of confusion. She’d so thoroughly convinced herself a relationship wasn’t in the cards for her, she didn’t quite know what to do with how she felt. Two nights with Cam and her hopeful heart was clamoring for her to pay attention. With a sigh, she ran upstairs and jumped in the shower.

Chapter 12

Cam leaned against the bar and grinned at the sight of Don gingerly cradling Marley and Gage’s daughter, Holly. Babies were cute all by themselves, but put a baby in the arms of a man like Don—rough around the edges with a warm heart—and together they were beyond adorable. It was the quietest time of day at the lodge. Late afternoon was when the lunch rush was over and most of the guests were up on the mountain. The restaurant was close to empty. Gage and Marley had emerged from their private quarters in the lodge with Holly. Cam had returned from a busy morning working with Don to post all the trail signs Marley had ordered.

Delia had sent him down to Midnight Sun Arts early this morning to pick up the signs. Risa Thomas, the gallery manager, had met him at the door. Once upon a time, Cam might have been drawn to her with her dark hair and flashing brown eyes, but Ginger was all he could think about these days. He’d been relieved at his lack of attraction to Risa when her husband, the local chief of police, had arrived while they were loading the artistically rendered trail signs in the back of Cam’s truck. Cam had enjoyed chatting with Darren and Risa for a few minutes before he raced back up to the lodge. The more time he spent in Diamond Creek, the more he liked it. Anytime he met someone new, they spent time asking about what brought him to the area and were warm and welcoming. He had enough sense to know, in a town this size, he was being assessed as well, but he didn’t mind. Whether he’d expected it or not, Diamond Creek was starting to feel like a place he could call home.