I've Been an Awful Good Girl (5 page)

In
a moment, the door opened and Cam filled the space wearing jeans, a T-shirt and
a pair of silly antlers on his head. He grinned. “Hi, come in and join the
party.”

As
Emma stepped inside, she thought it funny she didn’t hear any other voices. Cam
lightly kissed her lips, took her hand and led her down a short hallway, past
the kitchen and into a den. No one was there but them. The hardwood floors
gleamed in the soft lighting and a fresh tree stood in the corner twinkling
with lights and decorations. A fireplace was adorned with greenery and large
pillar candles were lit. A coffee table, in front of a leather sofa facing the
fireplace, was laden with goodies and a bottle of champagne chilling in a
silver bucket. Through the French doors that led onto a balcony, she could see
the lights of the city with a few lights here and there throughout the mountains.
She turned to Cam. “I thought you were having a party.”

“I
am. I wanted you to see my new place and I thought we could have a Christmas
celebration, just the two of us.” A frown appeared on his brow. “You aren’t
disappointed are you?”

She
smiled as her heart soared. Maybe her wish was about to come true.
“No, not at all.
Just surprised.”

He
took her coat and hung it in a closet. The fire was lit and she gravitated
toward it for warmth. The last of
I’ll Be Home for Christmas
finished
and the radio played some recorded messages from soldiers who were serving
overseas to their families. A lump grew in Emma’s throat and tears sprang to
her eyes. The flames in the fireplace blurred along with the holiday
decorations.

“Hey,
how about a glass of champagne to start the party,” Cam said from behind her.

She
swallowed and blinked back her tears trying to compose herself. When she didn’t
turn around, Cam stepped up beside her, placed a finger on her jaw and turned
her face toward his. “What’s wrong? I thought this would make you happy?”

She
gave him a watery smile. “It does, I promise. You misunderstand my tears.” She
licked her lips. “I could use that glass of champagne now.”

He
poured them each a glass and they settled on the sofa in front of the fire. She
took a sip and felt the cold liquid ease down her throat.

“Are
you ready to tell me why you were about to cry just now?”

She
set her glass on the coffee table. “It was a combination of the song and then
the recorded messages from soldiers to their families. The love and longing to
be with their family in their voices, hits me in the center of my heart and
makes me think of all the loved ones who are separated at this time of year,
but it also makes me thankful for the ones who aren’t.” She paused and looked
down at her hands. “I’m sorry. Christmas is my favorite time of year and I get
hopelessly sentimental. It’s such a hopeful, joyful time of year for me, but at
the same time I realize it’s not that way for everyone.” She smiled. “I’d
better have some more champagne before I start tearing up again.” She picked up
her glass and sipped. When she finished, Cam took the glass from her hand and
set it on the table. “Come here.”

She
eased into his arms and he kissed her slowly, thoroughly. “Don’t ever apologize
for being sentimental. It’s one of your most endearing traits.”

She
smiled, snuggled against his chest and laid her head on his shoulder. Emma
stared at the fire, enjoying the quiet moment. “So that’s one endearing trait.
Are there anymore?”

He
chuckled and the deep rumble in his chest caressed her ear. “Let’s see, I like
your sense of adventure. A woman who dresses up like a genie to seduce a man is
a great trait to have. I’m also glad I was the guy you tried to seduce and not
someone else.”

She
sat up.
“Really?
You didn’t seem very happy about it
at the time.”

“No,
but I’m happy now.”

“Why?”

“Because
I realize I want you to be the lover in my arms and I want to be the lover in
yours. You look great in that dress by the way.” He tipped up her chin and
looked into her eyes. “I bet you’d look great out of that dress too.”

She
smiled. “I thought you’d never ask.”

Emma
wrapped a hand around his neck, lifted her head and kissed him, a kiss that
seemed to go on forever, melding from one into another and another. Her skin
heated and her pulse pounded in her veins. Yearning to feel Cameron’s hands on
her bare skin filled her. Her dress suddenly felt uncomfortable and scratchy
against her skin. She wanted his bare body beneath her palms, his hands
touching every inch of her. She pulled up his shirt, yanked it over his head
and dived in for another kiss. He kissed his way from her mouth to her neck,
found the special place beneath her ear where her birthmark rested and licked
it. A shiver raced over her skin, through her stomach and into her core. His
fingers found the zipper of her dress, slid it down slowly then pulled it from
her shoulders. She was on her knees before him with her dress bunched at her
waist. He undid her bra, tossed it to the side and admired her breasts. “You’re
beautiful.”

Almost
reverently, he rested his hands on her breasts teasing her nipples into tight,
hard peaks, before replacing his hands with his mouth. Her head lolled back and
she closed her eyes as ecstasy swept through her blood. He pulled her forward
until she lay over him, kissing her as his hands plunged inside her dress and
pushed it down her legs. She kicked off the garment and only her panties were
left. He was still dressed, which she found inordinately sexy. He started to
remove her panties intact and she said against his mouth, “Rip them off. I wore
them especially for the occasion.”

He
stared into her eyes as his hands bunched one side of her panties.
“You naughty girl.”
She giggled and heard a rip as cool air
swept over her behind. She stretched fully on top of him. He was still dressed
in his jeans and she loved the feel of his toned chest under her hands, the
warmth of his skin, but she wanted to experience more of him.
All of him.
“Now that I’m naked, it’s your turn.”

Straddling
him, she undid the button of his jeans and lowered the zipper. Then she pulled
the jeans down over his thighs and knees to his ankles, where he wiggled his
feet out of them. The only thing left was his jockey shorts. She couldn’t help,
but grin. “I always thought of you as a
tightey
,
whitey kind of guy.”

He
smiled. “No, I like for the boys to have room to breathe.”

           
“My kind of man.”
In a moment, his jockey shorts were
off and they lay together body to body with her heart beating over his. He
cupped her fanny, placed his other hand around her neck and kissed her as he
turned her over. Halfway, he stopped and asked, “Would you rather be on top?”

           
“If you wouldn’t mind.”

           
He rolled back over and brought her with him. “I’m all yours.”

           
With every kiss, every touch, every sweep of his hands and fingers, he lifted
her higher and higher toward the precipice. Just when she thought he would
release them both, he backed off, teasing her, torturing them both until
finally, finally he flung them both into the dark, sensual abyss. It took her a
moment for her heart to slow down, for the sweat to dry on her skin and bring
her back to reality. Breathless from the exquisite lovemaking, she propped
herself up and looked at him lying quietly with his eyes closed and a smile on
his lips. “I can’t believe we’re both still alive.”

           
He chuckled, his eyes opened. “Me either. Come here.” He pulled her into his
arms and held her close, while they listened to the fire flickering in the
hearth. Her stomach growled and she laughed. “Guess I worked up an appetite.”

           
They sat up on the sofa and he wrapped them both in a quilted throw in navy and
crimson colors. Together they fed each other dips and chips, finger sandwiches
and iced brownies. She licked her lips. “I didn’t know you could cook.”

           
He took a bite of a sandwich she fed him, chewed and swallowed. “I can make
basic stuff, but the grocery store helped out with this.
How
about some more champagne?”

           
After he poured them each another glass of champagne, he turned some music on
low and they cuddled together. “So, was tonight what you hoped it would be?”

           
“Hmm, well I do have one criticism.”

           
He arched a brow and looked at her. “Like what?”

           
“The zipper on your jeans gave me a little trouble.”

           
He laughed and rewarded her with a smacking kiss.
“Cute, very
cute.
I thought you were going to criticize my technique.”

           
She softly kissed his lips. “You have excellent technique.”

           
He exhaled a breath. “Good, because there is something we need to talk about.”

           
“Okay.”

           
“I want to get to know you better, really know you. Is that something you see
in your future?”

           
She sighed.
“Absolutely.
I want to get to know you
too.”

           
“You helped me see that I had been feeling sorry for myself for not being
injured. But then I saw some soldiers on television and listened to their
inspiring stories and I realized they aren’t feeling sorry for themselves at
all and they have lost body parts, some their eye-sight and even others have
come home with anxiety disorders. I still have things I need to work out, but
I’d like for you to be around while I do that. Are you up for it?”

           
She gazed at him with her heart expanding in her chest. “Yes, I’d like to be
around.  You’re building houses and I’m building a law practice. Maybe we
can build something together.”