Operation: Tempt Me (19 page)

Her smile did
things to his insides that he had never felt before. The way his heart
constricted like it was in a vice grip, the way his chest felt like someone
stood on it, the way his flesh came alive with tiny goosebumps. Christ. What
was this woman doing to him?

“And I just
want you to know, Lt. Daly, that I’ve never had so much fun in my life. You
bring out a side of me, well, that I never knew existed.”

“That’s only
because you never gave yourself a chance to follow your heart and know the
happiness you try so hard to give to your aunt, the library, your friends.”

Her slender
shoulders gave a shrug. “Maybe. But before I met you, I could never imagine
giving a blowjob in broad daylight in the middle of the woods where anyone
could have seen us.”

“It was
thrilling, wasn’t it?”

She laughed,
the sound a soft music to his ears. “Oh, hell yes. I really got into it.”

His cock
twitched in his pants. “Oh, I know you did.”

“I felt…free.
I felt…sexy. The feeling was simply amazing. I feel like a new woman around
you, Miller. Thank you.”

“Thank me?
For what?”

She shrugged
again. “For agreeing to be my pen pal.”

He returned
her smile with a wide one of his own. “Best damn decision I’ve ever made. That
is the God’s honest truth.”

They stepped
onto a small ledge overlooking the falls. Water sprayed from a rock ledge
across from where they stood. Green foliage covered every inch of land. Nature
sang as birds chirped, insects buzzed, and butterflies hummed.

Wrapping his
arms around her, he held her back to his chest and kissed her neck. “It’s
gorgeous,” he spoke against her skin. “If it weren’t so chilly, I’d suggest
making love right here. What I wouldn’t give to hear your screams of pleasure
echo off of that waterfall.”

She turned
into his embrace, burying her hands inside his jacket to rest on his sides.
“Mmmm. That sounds divine, but since we can’t then I’ll settle for a kiss
before we head home to make love. We’ll drive by the library to get your
motorcycle.”

Lowering his
head, he captured her lips, surprised when she matched his power. He held her
tightly for fear of losing his balance. He thought he tasted a little of himself
on her tongue, tanginess mixed with her usual sweetness.

Their tongues
danced together in a slow battle of wills, each wanting to conquer the other,
to devour the heat flowing from their connection. When her fingernails dug into
his shoulders, his dick stirred to life at the twitch of pain. His lust grew
with each swipe of her tongue against his. Damn, this woman was like the
sweetest addiction. He feared never getting his fill.

What was it
about Cambrie that he lost his thoughts at her touch? His mind blanked of all
other matters in his life and filled only with visions of her naked body lying
beneath his while his cock slipped into her bare pussy lips. His hand slid
under the sweatshirt and scanned over her belly to her breast, capturing the
soft mound in his hand. Squeezing, he wished he had the nipple between his lips
sucking it hard until she cried out in pleasure and begged for more.

She chose to
break the connection, stepping back gasping for air. The flushed skin on her
cheeks highlighted her delicate features. There was no doubt in his mind he
could wake up staring into those dancing eyes for the rest of his life. With an
inward sigh, he wanted to kick himself. Thinking like that would only make his
departure that much harder when the time came.

“I’m cooking
you dinner, Cambrie. Come on, we should head back,” he said, needing to walk
and leave the romantic waterfall behind them.

A peel of
laughter from Cambrie caught his attention. Just what the hell was so funny?

As if she
read his mind, she spoke up. “We can feast on frozen pizza or mac and cheese.
Take your choice, but neither really can constitute a real dinner. They just
barely pass as sustenance. Consequences of being single and not knowing how to
cook. If I have any more fires at my apartment, the Maddyville Fire Department
has threatened to issue a ‘No Cooking Allowed’ order. The chief, who knows
Auntie, has even promised to have the Town Council make it a law.”

Miller joined
in her laughter and walked with his arm around her shoulder. “Well, rest
assured, my dear, that I know how to cook without setting the place on fire.
And since I went to the market before I came to see you at work, I picked up
dinner. And it’s real food, not frozen or canned or boxed.” He kissed the top
of her head before they stepped over a fallen log. “We’ll enjoy a romantic
dinner before I ravage you all night.”

There had
never been a romantic bone in his body until Cambrie. The woman stirred him to
do things that he had never imagined. And he had enjoyed every second with her
so far.

“Okay, then
I’ll take care of dessert,” she said, back at the car.

He glanced at
her. “And what will that be?”

“Me with
whipped cream.” Her mischief was an instant turn-on.

“Damn, woman.
I think you could make me go AWOL.”

The car
filled with laughter as Cambrie sped home, the sun offering its last rays of
the day as the temps fell with the loss of the sun’s heat.

And Miller’s
heart swelled with an emotion so strong he just couldn’t figure it out. For the
first time, his training couldn’t help him.

Chapter
Thirteen

Cambrie
inhaled the mouth-watering scents coming from the kitchen where Miller
dutifully cooked dinner. She peeked in, adoring the sight of him at the stove
stirring a chicken stir-fry.

“Okay, I’ve
changed my clothes,” she said, standing in jeans and a clean T-shirt. “What can
I do to help?” she asked, stepping to his side and peering into the steaming
pan.

He kissed her
forehead before whisking the contents of the pan. “Just set the table, hun.
This is done.”

She was
pleased to at least have decent dishware even if frozen pizza typically adorned
it. When she’d sold Aunt Annabelle’s house, there were a few things she managed
to keep, like the antique China plates she cherished and used now for her
romantic dinner with Miller.

When he
plated the stir-fry and took his seat, Cambrie joined him. Digging into the
food, she tasted heaven. What a treat to actually have a homemade meal.

“God, Miller.
You don’t have to worry about going AWOL. I’m not planning on letting you
leave.” She sipped her iced tea. “I haven’t had a home cooked meal like this
since Aunt Annabelle dished one up.”

Miller
offered a slight smile before forking more food into his mouth. Every time she
looked up, she caught him watching her.

She waved her
fork. “You’re going to make me self-conscious if you keep watching me so
intently while I eat, Miller.”

“Not to turn
the mood somber, but how old were you when you lost your parents?”

She never saw
that question coming. Holding her fork, she used it to toy with her veggies.
His hand covered hers and stopped her motion. Forcing her eyes up, she saw the
quiet determination in the depths of his soft gaze.

“I know it
must be hard as hell to talk about, but you’ll have to tell me eventually how
you came to be with Aunt Annabelle.” With a tender tone, he spoke in a manner
that comforted. “I won’t force you to talk about it. Hell, I know there are
some things that can be just too damn difficult to talk about. But someday I
hope you trust me enough to share that part of you because it’s made you who
you are, Cambrie Brasher. A wonderful, brilliant, adorable woman who takes my
breath away.” He gulped his iced tea. “Aunt Annabelle is a major part of your
life. I’d love to hear more about her. When you’re ready.”

Miller didn’t
pressure her, didn’t demand answers, didn’t complain that she hesitated to
speak of a past she wished not to relive. But he was right. She owed him at
least an explanation about why Aunt Annabelle was important to her.

Taking a long
sip of her drink, she was thankful for the coolness on her dry throat. “My
parents were expecting my baby brother. Mom went into labor so they rushed me
to a neighbor’s house and sped off to the hospital because Mom was in a lot of
pain. It was a beautiful summer’s night. You could see every star in the sky. I
went to bed that night hardly able to sleep because I really looked forward to
being a big sister.”

She took a
long, steadying breath. “But sometime during the night I started having bad
nightmares, like scary monsters all around me. I heard adult voices but didn’t
want to spy. I wanted my mom but remembered she was with Daddy at the hospital.
Sleep finally overcame me and I woke up in the morning. Aunt Annabelle was
already there speaking with the neighbor lady.”

Cambrie
sipped her drink again, fought back the tears that threatened each time she
allowed that horrible day to resurface. “Aunt Annabelle told me I was going to
go live with her, that my parents had been…killed in a car accident…hit by a
drunk driver enroute to the hospital. None of them survived, not my parents or
my baby brother. Just the drunk driver lived.” She looked at Miller. “Some
fucking justice that is, huh? The guy slaughters three people and he gets to
live. The useless bastard.” Anger vibrated throughout her body. She hated
re-living the nightmare. “I was seven-years-old.”

“Sometimes
justice isn’t always served immediately, honey,” Miller said, his voice
soothing and understanding. “But I firmly believe that somehow that bastard
will pay for the pain he caused you and your family.”

Cambrie
sighed, her shoulders heavy. “Aunt Annabelle had just retired the year before.
She had to go back to work to support me. Imagine a retiree being forced to
raise a child? She should’ve been enjoying herself, traveling, relaxing, doing
all the things she had looked forward to.”

“Unfortunately,
it happens all too often for various reasons. And I’m sure Aunt Annabelle
didn’t do anything she didn’t want to.” He scooped a forkful into his mouth.

She finished
chewing another bite before speaking again. “My parents had life insurance but
it was just enough for the funerals. So Auntie gave up her retirement for me
when I had no one else. I could never abandon her now. I’m all she’s got. Just
like she was all I had. All that’s left are distant relatives that I’ve never
met and live out of state. Auntie did good by me all these years and I intend
to do just as good by her until the Lord takes her.” She scooped one last bite
into her mouth.

A smile
creased Miller’s lips. “Have I ever told you what a remarkable woman you are,
Cambrie?”

Returning the
smile, the tension slipped from her body now that she had pretty much bared her
soul. “Remarkable is Aunt Annabelle. I’m just a product of good upbringing.”

“With a great
heart to go along with the gorgeous package. There’s more stir-fry if you want
some. Looks like you were as famished as me,” Miller said eyeballing her plate,
standing to carry his to the sink.

She looked at
her empty plate, not remembering eating it all. But with her belly full and her
heart aching with bad memories, Cambrie set out to save the rest of the night
and make the most of the time she had left with Miller.

“Care for a
nightcap?” she asked, hoping to discuss more entertaining topics than her past.
“I’ve got a nice bottle of red wine.”

“That, my
dear, sounds fantastic.” He winked. “I want to seduce you, drive you wild until
you beg for my cock to drive into that sweet pussy.”

She purred,
leaned her hip against the counter, and angled her head. “How do you manage to
do that?”

He looked
puzzled. “Do what?”

Opening her
cabinet, she chose two crystal glasses. “Make me feel like the sexiest woman in
the world while getting me hornier than I’ve ever been?” she demanded, poured
two glasses of wine and handed one to him. Taking his hand, she led him to the
couch and pulled him down until they were both seated, their legs touching, the
heat from his body warming hers.

Sipping his
wine, he watched her over the rim, before lowering the glass and speaking. “You
are
the sexiest woman I’ve ever met and I’m just speaking the truth. I
wish you understood how aroused you get me. First, with your hot emails. Then
with that first kiss. Baby, the fire in my belly isn’t lying.”

“Maybe
it’s heartburn,” she teased, almost choking on a laugh as she sipped the wine.

His cocked
eyebrow warned of his playful mood. “Smart ass.” His knuckles trailed down her
cheek to her jawbone earning a shiver. God, she loved his touch. “I love how I
feel when we’re together, Cambrie. Love that hidden naughty girl side that only
I’ve been allowed to see. And as my pen pal, your mission is to please me.” The
smirk he offered was more mischievous than teasing.

As his words
melted her heart, her frisky side heated up. “And as my pen pal, you had better
fulfill those fantasies you conjured up in my imagination.”