Chapter 8
CHAPTER 8
E dward had acted so irresponsibly leaving one of their guests out in the pasture alone with a storm brewing. And when she had been unable to locate Cameron, she’d been terrified.
Her brother was a total screw-up.
No one went off and left a rider unfamiliar with the territory alone during a storm. Especially a Burnett. A handsome Burnett.
Thank goodness she’d remembered where the cabin was that they used in the summer when the calves were being born.
“Edward has always been in some kind of trouble. He and Daddy fought all the time about his lack of responsibility regarding the ranch, and yet my parents left him the Mistletoe Ranch in their will. Daddy always said, ‘You’ll marry and move away.’ But I don’t think so. If anything, I might have to take Mother and move the two of us somewhere and get a job, but right now, I’m just trying to keep everything together.”
The thought of that made her chest ache. She loved this land and the ranch, and it should be handed down to her children or even Edward’s kids. Not be handed off to strangers.
“Since your father died, has Edward taken good care of the property?”
With a sigh, she glanced out the window at the snow that made it impossible to see anything. He was a guest. Why was she being honest with him?
“No, things have gotten worse,” she said. “Right before the employee Christmas party, the food truck stopped delivering. We were ninety days behind. How can I host the biggest event for our struggling wedding business if we can’t feed our guests.”
She sighed as she remembered Emily coming to her and saying Edward had not only fired her helper, but they were no longer receiving any shipments of food.
“That’s a problem,” Cameron said and he reached out and took her hand in his.
Warmth filled her. She had not been able to confide in anyone about the precarious shape their business was in, not even her mother. No one knew and she was afraid to look at the books, though Casey kept asking her to meet with her.
But with the wedding party here, she wanted to put it all off until after this event. Then she would face everything that was going on, including how lame her brother was. If she had to, she would take drastic measures and somehow keep Edward from being the manager any longer. If he couldn’t take care of their family property, then she would.
Sometimes she just wanted to stop and think about herself – her desires and not the demands of their new business and her family. When would it ever be her turn?
“Yes, Casey and I are still working to get that resolved. We may not have food for the wedding dinner. If this ceremony isn’t perfect, I fear we’ll never be able to dig ourselves out of the hole we’re in, and I have no clue how we got here. Daddy wasn’t one to let us know if things were financially bad, and Edward, he isn’t telling us what is wrong either. How can I fix it if I don’t know the issues?
“I’ve got to meet with Casey and learn the truth. Monday morning right after the wedding on Saturday, we’ve scheduled a meeting. I’m going to do everything in my power to save our ranch and to make this wedding business a success. I’ve got to. I have no choice.”
His thumb rubbed the back of her hand and she glanced into his dark sapphire eyes and wanted to get lost in his gaze.
Standing, he came around and pulled her to her feet and into his arms tightly against his chest. His warmth filled her and brought tears to her eyes.
“You are under a lot of stress and I thought you should have a hug,” he said, his voice deep and low close to her ear.
A tear trickled down her cheek. No one understood the pressure she felt, and yet this man did. This man was the one who was thinking of her. Not her brother and she didn’t want to worry her mother.
His big strong arms around her had her gazing into his eyes.
Unable to resist, she watched as his mouth descended toward her and she wanted his kiss. She’d dreamed of those lips and they did not disappoint.
His firm mouth covered hers and she melted even further into him as she wrapped her arms around his neck and he pulled her closer.
This was what she’d wanted since the first time she’d met him. While his kiss started out tender, it quickly became more demanding and she surrendered to the feelings he evoked in her.
They could have died so easily today out in the blizzard, but instead, they were here in this cold cabin, alone and she’d poured her heart out to him. And he’d responded by giving her comfort.
The kiss was so tantalizing and seemed to touch every nerve in her body, zinging all the way to her toes. Oh, how she longed for and wanted this. She deserved some happiness. And she liked Cameron a lot.
Her fingers reached for the buttons on his shirt, the urge to touch him overwhelming her. She wanted to feel those firm muscles that had tempted her the first moment she saw him.
Slipping her hand inside his shirt, he moaned and broke the kiss. He stared at her as if assessing how to react to her touch.
What was she doing? They had only known each other for a couple of days and yet it felt like forever. There was a bond between them that she’d never experienced with another man. A demand that urged her to be bold.
She slipped another button open on his shirt.
His hand grabbed her wrist and she could see that he struggled to say the right words.
“Sam, I want you in the worst way. We’re stranded in this cabin all alone and unless this is what you want, we should stop.”
The last time she’d had sex was in college and that was over two years ago. Right now, all she wanted was this man.
“I need to feel your arms around me, holding me, making me forget the choices I’m soon going to have to make. Right now, all I want is you,” she whispered just as a blast of wind shook the little cabin.
She unhooked another button on his shirt while gazing into those eyes that sent shivers through her.
With his shirt now open, she raked her fingernails down his chest and a groan filled the shack.
“There’s something you should know,” he gasped.
“Not now,” she said as she pushed the shirt from his body, leaned into him, and sucked his nipple into her mouth.
What was wrong with her? She was acting like a wanton, but she didn’t care. This was all for her. Whatever he wanted to tell her, they would talk about later. Right now, she hungered for him in the worst possible way.
He reached for the bottom of her sweater, pulled it over her head, and then tossed it onto the chair she’d been sitting in. Next, he unclipped the back of her bra, but when he went to remove it, she pushed his hands aside and slowly revealed her breast to him.
Leaning down, he took her nipple into his mouth and sucked. Throwing her head back, she lifted her chest to his mouth and moaned as his mouth laved her nipple. This was such a risk to give herself to this man, but right now, the solace she sought in his arms she demanded more than her next breath.
With all the stress and turmoil in her life, she wanted Cameron. Needed him.
“Cameron,” she groaned as her body melted against him.
Lifting his mouth, he gazed at her. “Tonight, I’m going to make you mine.”
His words made her want him all the more and she pulled him to the bed, praying the sheets were clean and not dusty from not being used.
Sinking down onto the bed, she pulled her boots from her feet and then turned to him and knelt in front of him. Quickly she pulled his cowboy boots off and then his socks. Reaching for the button on his Levi’s, she unhooked his jeans and then slid the zipper down.
Her body craved him and required the comfort he provided. Cameron had shown her the night he’d driven the sleigh that he had a way of making her laugh and disregard her obligations and enjoy life once again.
Her mind demanded this time with him to gather herself and prepare for the coming tsunami she feared she would have to face.
Right now, she longed for his comforting arms to transport her and let her enjoy life. Right now, she wanted him to give her the solace and pleasure she craved. Tomorrow she might regret her actions, but tonight this time was for her. Her needs, no one else.
Maybe that was selfish, but she’d already given so much to her family, the business, and even Edward.
Though Cameron told her they needed to talk, deep down the only language she wanted to express was with her body. She wanted to feel Cameron surging within her. She wanted his fingers to do all the talking in a language only they knew. One where they both rode a rocket to Mars, orbited the moon, and returned to Earth totally shattered.
Her fingertips skimmed over the solid muscles of his chest and abdomen. He let out a hissed rush of breath and she smiled with pleasure.
How long had it been since a man responded to her caresses like he hungered for her? Lifting his hips, she pulled his jeans down and then tossed them onto a chair. The man wore boxers that clung to his hard-on, letting her know that he wanted her just as much as she desired him.
Taking a deep breath, she pulled his underwear down, letting the fabric pool at his ankles. He was naked while she still wore her jeans.
His erection sprang at her, hard, rigid, and eager. She wrapped her fingers around him, stroking him. Kneeling on the floor, she took him in her mouth, her lips enveloping his hardness. A groan echoed in the room and she knew she’d pleased him. Like an ice cream cone, she licked him, her tongue running up one side and down the other, stopping to pay special attention to the head.
“Sam,” he moaned. “If you don’t stop…you have way too many clothes on.”
He pulled her up and reached for the button on her jeans. “We should talk before we do this.”
There was nothing to say to one another that their bodies couldn’t communicate.
“Are you married?” she asked.
“No,” he hissed as he unzipped her jeans and pushed them to the floor. She stepped out of them.
“Do you have a sexually transmitted disease?”
“Of course not,” he said glaring at her.
His fingers slid inside her panties, right to the folds between her legs.
She gasped when he touched her.
“You’re so wet,” he said.
“Shut up and make me forget about everything but you and me,” she replied.
A chuckle escaped him. “You’re a greedy wench.”
“No, I want you,” she whispered as she moved between his legs.
He pulled her down onto the bed with him, flesh against flesh. Desire flooded her like a summer thunderstorm, fast and hot. The little cabin was being battered by the storm outside, but inside, the wood stove had heated the room and the passion between them was creating an inferno.
For a moment, they stared at one another, and then his mouth skimmed over hers before his lips went lower. Samantha’s mind halted as the feelings he was evoking washed over her, and she reveled in the sensations. Cameron’s scent wrapped her like a tantalizing piece of chocolate.
The desire she felt for this man was staggering.
What was she doing? And yet she would never stop him. This was what she needed to soothe the ache in her heart. The fear in her chest and the pain she would have to endure if they lost the ranch.
Tonight was about her. No one else, nothing else, only her. And she damn well deserved this one moment of pure happiness.
When his tongue swept across her breast, she arched her back in a fevered response. Heat blazed from her breasts to her belly, leaving her wanting and needy. Urgent to touch him, eager to feel him, she ran her fingertips down his face in a caress.
Now was the time to let herself feel the passion this man aroused in her body. Now was the time to push all thoughts from her head and just experience feeling. Forget everything but what the two of them were creating.
Flicking his tongue across her nipple, he moved farther down the bed, his mouth trailing kisses. His hands reached for her knees as he spread her legs, opening her for him.
“Beautiful,” he whispered as his tongue delved between her legs.
“Oh,” she cried as she arched off the bed gripping the blanket as his mouth teased her. This man intrigued her as he humbled himself between her legs, lovingly licking her inner folds, teasing, sending fire spiraling through her.
Unable to stop herself, she gripped the top of his head, holding his mouth against her. It had been years since she’d had a man give her an orgasm. Years since anyone had ever put their mouth on her. Years that she’d given up on finding a man like Cameron.
She was a young woman with more responsibilities than any young woman deserved, and right now, this time was all about her.
Tension radiated from her center, holding her hostage until she gave in to the pleasure and screamed Cameron’s name. The orgasm gripped her and rode her like a rodeo star. How long had it been since she’d experienced this kind of pleasure?
Too long. Way too long.
When it was over, she lay there breathing hard. When Cameron stood, she feared he was walking away, but he grabbed his jeans and pulled out his wallet. Searching inside, he pulled out a foil packet. Ripping the condom package open, he quickly sheathed himself.
Turning back to the bed, he stared at her before he crawled back to her. Reaching down, he teased the nub between her legs once again and she caressed his face, staring into those sapphire eyes that left her gasping.
“Cameron, please,” she said. “I need you.”
“Samantha,” he groaned and lifted her hips to meet him as he plunged deep inside her.
She welcomed him as he slid within the confines of her body, gripping him inside her, holding him tightly within her heart. As if he realized the impact of what they were doing, he paused and then he slowly eased almost all the way out before plunging in once again. Desire spiraled through her, rising rapidly, and she opened her eyes and stared deep into his sapphire ones, wanting to touch his soul as much as she could feel herself wanting him.
Why had she felt this attraction to this man, she didn’t understand, but this was what she desperately needed.
Unhurried, he took her mouth, his lips consuming hers. She wanted him to devour her as desire rippled through her like an aftershock. Their tongues mated and danced as his lips moved over hers. Why with this man did she feel so much passion? Why did her body respond like it had come home?
Like this was where she belonged. Here in his arms.
“Cameron,” she cried, breaking the kiss, hungering for him.
With each thrust, Samantha met him halfway, her hips moving of their own accord, her body completely in tune with his. They moved as one, in unison, in perfect harmony.
“Don’t stop.”
“Sam,” he cried. “I’m not going to last long.”
Gazing down at her, he pounded into her again, again, and again, and with each thrust, she stared into his eyes, connecting with him. Unimaginable pleasure roared through her, leaving her breathless and dizzy.
Magic filled her, tightening, centering, and sizzling with an intensity that Cameron created. Never before had she felt so connected to a man, the pleasure riding her hard.
His eyes darkened as his body shuddered his release. Like an arching bolt of lightning, Samantha let go of the orgasm she’d felt gathering. Tremors rippled through her. She clasped his back, holding him tightly, wanting to absorb him into her soul where she could cherish these moments together.
He slumped on top of her then rolled them to their sides. For a moment, the two of them lay there as their breathing returned to normal and their heartbeats slowed. Never had she felt so good after being with a man. Never.
The room was silent except for the sound of their lungs spasming for more air. Outside, snow and ice pelted the windows, but she lay curled in the arms of this big, strong cowboy, warm and safe for now.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
Turning in his arms, she gazed up into those sapphires that mesmerized her.
“Yes,” she said softly as she caressed his face, her fingers trailing down his cheek. “Thank you.”
A grin spread across his face. “Damn, Sam. You surprised the hell out of me.”
She giggled. “When we started talking about the ranch and then you gave me a hug, it was like I knew what I required. And it was you. It’s been years since I’ve been with a man.”
Leaning down, he kissed the tip of her nose. “I’ll be right back.”
Cameron slipped off the mattress and went into the bathroom.
When he opened the door, his face had an odd expression.
“Sam, you should know. The condom broke.”
Her heart plummeted inside her chest. What the hell? A pregnancy was not what she wished for at this moment in her life. Oh no, please not now, not with everything up in the air.