Chapter 13
IZZI
The kiss tasted of whisky and spicy ginger and Izzi leaned into it, cherishing the pure pleasure of finally being devoured, of being able to lose herself in a place she felt at home.
She’d waited too long already. She wrapped her leg around Cameron’s side, relishing the feel of his rough, bare skin, pressing the edge of her foot into his calf as she opened and flattened herself against his hard body while he stroked a firm hand over her side – trailing it up and down with his calloused fingertips, slowly exploring the curve of her hip before stroking up again. Teasing her.
She felt him pause momentarily at the edge of her breast and shuddered as nerve endings she’d forgotten existed tingled and begged and she began to tremble when he traced his fingertip over her nipple.
She reached up and placed a hand at the edge of his jaw and moved until she’d lined herself up with the hot, hard ridge of him.
Then she pressed herself closer, feeling her whole body warm and liquify as their bodies met at her centre.
‘I’m ready,’ she breathed. She was impatient too. Cameron was on the same page because she heard him curse under his breath and caught the end of it with her mouth as their tongues tangled in an intimate dance. One she didn’t want to end.
Every part of her was ready. She gently moved Cameron’s hand lower, trying to guide him to where she wanted him most and felt him grip the curve of her bum cheek, before slowly exploring the dips and arcs of it as if mapping and committing her to memory.
But he still didn’t touch her where she wanted, even when she shifted her hips, trying to help him find the perfect spot.
Yes there, dammit. But he wouldn’t comply.
Instead, his fingers stroked and teased making her moan louder.
She broke off the kiss so she could press her mouth to his jaw, eagerly pushing herself against him again, making him growl.
She loved that sound, almost as much as she loved feeding him, watching the way his eyes lit and his entire body seemed to animate when she cooked or baked something she knew he’d love.
Showing him with actions rather than words how her feelings were growing.
She began to kiss her way hungrily down his body, starting under his jawline, pausing to take in his scent: the heady mixture of cinnamon and cloves. He smelled spicy and delicious and she pressed the tip of her tongue to his neck because she had a sudden urge to taste him there.
‘I’m going to make you come, Izzi,’ he whispered, slowly easing her over until she was lying on her back under his heat.
‘But I want to taste you first,’ he rasped, pressing his lips to the curve of her neck before trailing kisses downwards, over her collarbone, the curves and peaks of her breasts, to her stomach – finding all the sensitive places that made Izzi arch with pleasure.
Then he pushed the duvet off them both and eased her legs wide exposing her, before pressing his tongue to the exact right spot, making her hips catapult off the bed before he pressed her down again.
She groaned as he licked and sucked and her body was red-hot as she melted until she was a steamy liquid mess, a jumble of nerve endings, a puddle of desperation.
She gasped, so ready she felt like she was going to explode.
Then started to climb as Cameron continued to explore and tease.
She gasped with pleasure, spiralling upwards and upwards as her breathing grew shallow, her breath short.
Then something cold dripped onto Izzi’s forehead and she shrieked and shot up, blinking rapidly as she came to, slowly focusing on her surroundings before searching her rumpled bedding and the scatter of plump cushions piled up. Then her pulse slowed as disappointment flooded through her.
Because Cameron was nowhere to be seen. Nobody had been kissing or stroking her body, driving her half out of her mind. Instead, she was completely alone. Which meant everything that had just happened was just a dream…
Izzi swallowed a wave of regret, and flinched when something dripped on her head again.
She looked up, but it was too dark to make out where it had come from, so she jumped out of bed and switched on the light and then frowned at the small hole that had appeared in the ceiling.
It hadn’t been there earlier. At least she didn’t think it had – then again she’d been so caught up thinking about Cameron she’d barely noticed anything else.
It dripped again, a far larger drop this time, and she heard tree branches batter the sides of the cabin as the wind grew more furious.
The storm from earlier had grown in intensity and now she focused on it – no longer having the hottest dream of her life – she could hear it howling.
Could hear the loud thrum of rain as it hit the roof of the cabin.
Water dripped on her head once more and she flew out of bed before quickly dragging off the damp sheets.
It took a couple of attempts to shove the mattress aside too.
Then Izzi went into the bathroom and searched for something to catch the now steady stream of water coming from the ceiling.
There wasn’t much in the cabin – no buckets or tools.
Just a small bowl which she used to wash up her mug in the bathroom sink when she’d used the kettle to make herself a hot drink.
She put the bowl on the ground, trying to line it up in between the firm wooden slats of the bed, ensuring it caught the drips.
It would probably fill quickly, but it was better than just leaving the water to puddle on the wooden floor.
That wouldn’t be fair on Cameron. Speaking of Cameron…
She eyed the door and checked her watch.
It was two am – she’d need to leave for work in three hours and couldn’t leave the cabin leaking like this.
She’d have to wake him. She guessed he’d be upset if she left it until later.
She quickly grabbed the coat she’d borrowed, wrapping it around her shorty pyjamas.
The ones she hadn’t been wearing in her dream.
As the memory of being naked and wrapped around Cameron filled Izzi’s head again, her ribcage tightened and her body flooded with fire until she shut her eyes, determined to push the vision away.
But she still felt restless and aroused. It was like she desperately needed to scratch something but couldn’t find the source of the itch. Only one person could…
She quickly shoved on her shoes, checking the cabin to make sure it wasn’t leaking anywhere else. She didn’t have much here to call her own – and didn’t want what she did have getting ruined. But the leak was only coming from the spot above the bed, so she didn’t bother packing anything up.
As Izzi padded across Cameron’s garden, she kept her head low, protecting herself from the battering wind. The coat she’d borrowed for her sprint to the cabin was a lot less waterproof than the one she’d used earlier and rain began to seep through the cloth, making her pyjamas wet.
She sucked in a breath when she thought she saw the black shape she’d spotted earlier darting across the garden, then shook her head when it disappeared because she’d probably imagined it. She was so tired, she was probably hallucinating. Either that or she was going crazy.
The back door was locked so Izzi searched under the mat for the key Cam had been leaving out.
She frowned when her fingers found only wet stone so peered into the house as rain continued to pour down, soaking her more.
At least Cameron hadn’t pulled the blind down, so she could see into the dark hallway.
Although all that did was confirm he’d definitely gone to bed.
‘Cameron!’ she shouted, knocking on the door, hoping he’d hear above the wind. If he didn’t, she’d just have to go back to the leaky cabin and wait until morning.
She was about to give up when Cupcake suddenly appeared, barking loudly enough to wake the dead. She pressed her nose to the window as he shot across the downy hallway carpet and then leaped up, splaying his paws on the door, still barking and howling.
‘Good boy. Friend!’ Izzi smiled – and promised herself she’d bake him a new batch of dog biscuits later to say thank you.
Izzi saw the lights come on in the kitchen a few seconds later, and then Cameron appeared at the end of the hallway too.
Her stomach contracted when she saw he was only wearing a pair of navy boxer shorts.
She watched him approach, admiring his long, muscular legs and the wide torso with chiselled muscles that told of long hours working with his hands and most likely even more pumping iron in the gym.
He was built, not excessively so, but her eyes traced his toned muscles and the light dusting of dark hair on his stomach which led down to the place her fingers had been itching to reach for only a day before. Goosebumps danced across her skin, but she couldn’t tell if it was the cold or him.
She swallowed a wave of arousal as Cameron tugged Cupcake out of the way and peered through the window. Then his eyes widened and he quickly opened the door, grabbed her arm and pulled her inside, onto the silky hallway runner.
‘What the hell are you doing?’ he asked, stepping back so he could check her over. ‘You’re wet.’
‘I know.’ She gulped. ‘The key wasn’t there.’
‘I’m sorry.’ He pulled a face. ‘I think I left it in the pocket of my jeans. I was too distracted by your cooking.’ He looked appalled and guilty.
‘That’s okay.’ Tears of rain trickled down Izzi’s cheeks and she slicked her hair back, trying not to shiver even though she was freezing and dripping water all over the rug. ‘Your cabin’s leaking. It’s the roof,’ she said through chattering teeth. ‘I’ve moved the bed and—’
‘Goddammit. I’ll need to stop it before it gets worse,’ he said sharply.
‘Take off the coat and dry off.’ His eyes flickered down her wet body before rising to her face.
She could see attraction in his eyes again and felt a hard thump in her chest as her breathing slowed.
How was she supposed to keep her hands off this man when fate kept intervening, forcing them together?
‘You can borrow my dressing gown.’ His voice was pinched.
‘You know where it is.’ He gazed down at her for another hot moment, looking dazed, and Izzi wondered – wished – he’d pull her in for a hug because she badly needed him to touch her.
He took a step closer and her pulse leaped, but then he stopped abruptly and made a sharp tutting sound as if admonishing himself. Then he shook his head and turned away.
‘I won’t be long,’ he said before shoving on his shoes, opening the door and disappearing into the garden at a run.
‘It’s raining,’ she yelled after him. ‘You’re going to get wet.’
He turned, then glanced down at his boxers as if he’d forgotten he was mostly naked. She watched his Adam’s apple bob in his throat as rain pounded on him. ‘That’s okay, I think I might just need to cool off.’
With that, he headed towards the cabin, leaving the door wide open. Cupcake let out another of his howls and stared into the darkness before chasing him outside.