The Doctor Wears A Stetson (Contemporary Western Romance) (14 page)

Jessie wiggled free from Cameron's hold. He
said he wanted to continue where they'd left off. Then maybe they
needed to go back to where it had all begun.

"Jess?" Confusion and desire burned in his
blue eyes. "Let me love you, please."

If only he could
. Jessie took his big
hand in hers and tugged. "Come on, Cameron."

He hung back. "Where are we going?"

"Lover's Point."

"Lover's Point? Why?"

She placed his hand on her heart. "Because
that's where all of this started."

"And that's where you think it should
end?"

"Not end," Jessie said. "Begin. Let's make a
new beginning."

"I'd like that, Jess. I'd like that a
lot."

The drive to Lover's Point took less than
ten minutes. Ten long minutes that had Jessie wrestling with
second, third and fourth thoughts. Could she put years of
self-blame and sorrow behind her and move on? Or would this just
cause more inner turmoil?

Cameron turned off the main road and drove
up the bluff leading to Lover's Point. He parked the Jag on the
ridge overlooking the deep canyon and cut the motor and the lights.
The moon glowed brightly in the dark sky and a trail of wispy
clouds floated across its silver face.

Jessie gripped the door handle, ready to
hurl herself from the car. She wasn't ready . . . she wasn't sure .
. .

"It's all right, Jess. We're not going to do
anything until both of us want to."

Jessie's heart turned over at the tenderness
in his voice. She licked her dry lips. "It's silly, but I'm
nervous."

"I'm a little nervous, too." Cameron leaned
against the doorframe and faced her in the darkness. "The last time
I was up here, it was with you. You were nervous then, too. You'd
never been to Lover's Point. You'd never been kissed."

"You remember it was my first kiss?"
How
sweet was that?
Maybe he cared for her more than he
realized.

"I remember feeling glad I was your first.
You were so innocent and so damned young." Cameron snagged her
gaze, his eyes tender and hot at the same time. "I remember a lot
of things about that night."

"Like what?" Jessie tucked one leg beneath
her, positioning herself toward him.

"Like I was glad I asked you to the prom. I
was glad you accepted my invitation."

"But I was your last resort," Jessie said.
"The prom was only a few days away. You'd broken up with Patti and
there was no one left to ask."

His eyes burned into hers. "You weren't my
last resort, Jess." His deep voice wrapped around her like a
caress.

"I wasn't?" Her heart thudded in her
ears.

"Not by a long shot," he said. "There were
several girls in Girard and Cactus Gap who would've gone with me.
You were
not
my last resort."

"Really?" Jessie's stomach did a belly flop.
All these years she'd believed she was his last choice. That it had
been a total fluke when he'd asked her to the prom. She'd been
wrong. What else had she been wrong about?

"Yes, really." Cameron leaned closer. "Know
what else I remember about that night?"

Jessie leaned closer, too; she couldn't help
herself. "What do you remember?" she asked softly.

"I remember how beautiful you were in that
dress. You looked so grown up. And
sexy
. I'd never seen you
out of your coveralls."

Cameron reached for her and slipped his
fingers behind her neck, drawing her across the console until they
were only millimeters apart. "I'd give anything to see you out of
your coveralls again." She felt his warm breath on her lips.

"
Why
did you come back?" Jessie
asked, searching his eyes in the darkness.

"I couldn't stay away, Jess. I just couldn't
stay away." He ground out the words as he clamped his mouth on
hers.

Jessie's heart shifted in her chest. She
gave in to the whirlpool of passion, kissing Cameron like she'd
been longing to do, tasting him, savoring the feel of him.

After a couple of minutes, Cameron pulled
back and smiled a smile so sexy, so intimate, whatever barriers
Jessie had erected crashed and burned.

"This is good, Jess. This feels right." He
pushed the bucket seat away from the steering wheel and hauled
Jessie onto his lap. He wrapped his arms tightly around her and
brushed his lips across hers, back and forth, teasing,
taunting.

Jessie's breasts grew heavy. Her nipples
ached to be touched. She felt Cameron's arousal thrusting against
her. She wriggled until they fit snugly together. The layers of
clothing only intensified the wanting, the longing, the desire.

Cameron scattered fleeting kisses over her
eyelids, her cheeks, the tip of her nose. He kissed the corners of
her mouth, nipped her chin, caressed her face with his lips, but
never tasted her fully.

Jessie thought she might die if he didn't
kiss her,
really
kiss her. His words echoed in her ears.
This
did
feel good; it felt so right to be in his arms
again. She tried to catch his mouth, but he held her captive with
one strong hand tangled in her hair.

"Please, Cameron." A liquid heat gathered
low in her stomach.

"Tell me what you want," he said, quickly
dipping his tongue into her mouth, only to retreat again.

"Kiss me. Please kiss me," she said.

With his hands on either side of her face,
he slanted his head and fastened his mouth on hers, plunging
deeply, grinding his lips against her softness. He shifted his
lower body to stroke her from below. She groaned into his
mouth.

Cameron cupped one breast, kneading gently
through the layers of cloth. "I want you, Jess. Let me make love to
you."

Jessie knew if she rejected Cameron now, she
would regret it for the rest of her life. She was so tired of the
turmoil and self-reproach. She was ready for a new beginning with
Cameron. She loved him. She'd loved him forever. Maybe she could
make him love her back.

Cameron touched her cheek. "Jess?"

She caught his hand and kissed his palm. His
blue eyes glittered in the dark interior of the car.

"Is that a yes?" he asked.

"Yes, oh, yes!" She couldn't resist him any
longer; she captured his mouth in another heart-stopping kiss.
"Let's go to my house."

He smiled his killer smile. "Excellent
idea." Kissing her one more time, Cameron set her from him and
started the car.

"It's getting late," Jessie said, buckling
her seat belt. "I'll need my pickup in the morning for work."

"All right. We'll go back and get your
truck. Then I'll follow you home." He leaned over and took her
mouth again before reluctantly breaking contact.

They didn't talk on the way to the garage.
Cameron stopped the car beside her pickup. "Go on, Jess. The
quicker we get to your house, the quicker we can get naked and into
bed."

The provocative words flowed over her like
warm honey. Her body pulsed with desire. She didn't know how she
made it to her truck; she was sure her feet never touched the
ground.

Jessie kept glancing in her rear view mirror
on the drive home, mesmerized by Cameron's headlights. Feelings of
elation alternated with misgivings. This was a big step. Could she
handle the aftermath? Could she make Cameron love her?

****

She parked at the back of the house and so
did Cameron. He stood close behind as she opened the door, then
followed her into the dark kitchen. Jessie switched on the lights
and made a beeline for the heater. She struck a match and the blue
flame leapt to life.

"Sorry it's so cold," she said. "I turn
everything off before I go to work. I better light the other
heaters, so we won't freeze to death."

Cameron reached for her. "I don't think we
need to worry about that."

Suddenly shy, Jessie slipped from his arms
and dashed to the living room. "You don't realize how cold it
actually is. I won't be long," she called.

After a few minutes, she came back to the
kitchen and stopped in the doorway. Cameron stood by the stove,
warming his hands, his presence filling the room. He turned to warm
his backside, and his eyes fastened on hers.

"Come on over here, Jess." He held out his
arms, and she walked straight into his embrace.

Cameron enveloped her in a bear hug, slowly
rotating so she could be warmed by the fire. She wrapped her arms
around his waist and rested her head against his chest. For a
moment, they stood just like that, taking advantage of the heat
from the stove. Soon, a different kind of heat built between
them.

Jessie looked up. Cameron's eyes were heavy
with desire. Her stomach jittered nervously. "Do you want a
drink?"

He shook his head and gave her a smile so
sensual, it stole the breath from her lungs. "No, all I want is
you." He slid his hands to her bottom and pulled her hard against
his body.

"There's something I need to tell you,"
Jessie said.

He rubbed his hands up and down her spine.
"What is it, sweetheart?"

"I haven't . . . done this in a long
time."

Cameron's hands stopped rubbing. "Exactly
how long do you mean?"

"I haven't been with anyone since TR." She
thought she might as well confess it all. "I haven't been with
anyone except TR."

Cameron moved his hands again. "It'll be
good between us. I'll make it good. I promise." He kissed her,
dipping into her sweetness. His tongue swirled around her liquid
warmth.

Jessie closed her eyes, tilting her head
back. Her lower body readied itself, growing damp, throbbing to be
filled. Her knees sagged. She kept from falling by clasping her
arms more tightly around Cameron's waist. How many years had she
dreamed of this moment?

Cameron hooked an arm under her legs,
lifting Jessie with ease. She grabbed hold around his neck and
nestled her head in the crook of his shoulder.

"Where's your bed?" he asked, his voice
ragged.

"Through there." She motioned toward the
living room. "But it's going to be freezing," she warned.

"Not for long."

With quick, determined strides, he found the
bedroom. He set Jessie on the big double bed and flicked on the
lamp, then shrugged out of his jacket. The coldness hit him like a
blast from the Arctic.

"Damn, you're right," he said, blowing on
his hands. He sat next to Jessie and briskly rubbed her arms.
"These sheets are like ice."

Jessie made a quick decision. She handed two
pillows to Cameron and grabbed the quilt. "Follow me." Now that
she'd made up her mind, her shyness evaporated. Despite the frigid
temperature, her body was on fire.

In the living room, she spread the quilt in
front of the heater. She took the pillows from Cameron, dropped
them on the pallet and pulled an afghan from the sofa. Closing the
distance between them, she wound her arms around his neck and
kissed his chin. "Is this better?"

"Yes, ma'am." Cameron kissed her deeply, his
tongue exploring and tangling with hers. After a few delicious
minutes, he knelt and grasped her round bottom, kneading the firm
flesh through the sweatpants, placing kisses across her
fleece-covered abdomen, pushing the pants down her legs and
following their path with little nips and kisses.

Jessie kicked off her shoes and stepped from
the puddled heap of fabric. She ran her fingers through Cameron's
crisp brown hair and gasped when she felt the heat from his mouth
between her thighs. Even through her panties, the sensation caused
an unbearable tension to coil in the pit of her stomach. She pushed
forward, seeking closer contact.

"Cameron . . ."

"Easy, Jess. We have the whole night before
us." He pushed the edge of her sweatshirt slowly upward, trailing
his tongue and lips over the bared skin. He lingered over her
breasts and suckled the nipples through the lacy bra. Cameron eased
the shirt over her head and returned his attention to the
lace-captive flesh. With one arm supporting the small of her back,
he unfastened the bra, releasing her breasts, feasting his eyes on
the enticing curves and rosy brown nipples.

"Beautiful. You're so damned beautiful." He
bent to kiss each nipple, flicking his tongue, nipping with his
lips, blowing his hot breath across them until they beaded. Jessie
arched her back, offering herself, moaning deeply in her
throat.

Cameron felt himself throbbing with need,
and the pressure against his zipper begged for release. He'd never
failed to pleasure a woman, but Jessie was different. Special. She
had always been different. Always been special. Knowing how long it
had been for her, what value she placed on sharing her body--all of
it was driving him over the edge too damn fast. The fierce need to
possess her scared the hell out of him. He had never felt this way
about a woman. Never.

"Please, Cameron," Jessie pleaded, reaching
for him.

Still on his knees, he buried his face
between the soft swell of her breasts. He trailed his tongue along
the curves, teasing the nipples, bathing the tips with the flat of
his tongue. Jessie's body jerked with reaction.

Cameron gently lowered her to the pallet,
never breaking contact. Jessie frantically pulled his shirt from
his jeans. She plunged her hands under the fabric, pressing her
palms and fingers over his warm skin. It wasn't enough. She groaned
in frustration and tugged the shirt upwards.

Cameron's control slipped a notch. Her small
hands on his body made him want to immediately thrust inside her.
"Slow down, sweetheart. We need to slow down."

"I don't want to slow down. I need you. Help
me get your shirt off."

Cameron sat up and pulled the offending
garment over his head. Jessie's impatience was contagious. He
hooked his fingers under the elastic of her panties and peeled them
down the length of her long, shapely legs. With his eyes on hers,
he reached for his zipper and unfastened his jeans. Pushing them
down, he shucked them out of the way.