Operation: Tempt Me (31 page)

“I need your
cock in my ass, Miller. I want to feel your heat.”

With the butt
plug secured in her ass, Miller’s hands rubbed her tender ass cheeks and the
rest of her body with slow gentle caresses. The fire between her legs ignited
once again with the tender nerves lining her pussy awakening from their spent
passion.

Now a hunger
consumed her again. Miller’s hand slid under her body to pinch her nipples
until she writhed with desire.

“Miller, I
don’t want to wait any longer. Fuck my ass like you fuck my pussy. I need you.”

He waited for
no more pleas, removing the butt plug. A slurping sound caught her curiosity
and she turned to see him slathering his cock with the lube. His erection
sported its usual thickness and length. Just watching his hand jerk over the
engorged cock aroused her beyond explanation. Wiping his hands on a towel, he
moved toward the bed again.

The mattress
dipped with his weight. His arm glided under her belly to haul her onto her
knees. With his hips against her ass, he pushed his cock into her tight rosette
with patient strokes until he was seated fully inside of her. The tightness
subsided as her body adjusted to the intrusion. The intimacy they shared never
failed to thrill her, making each time better than the last.

“My God, Cambrie,”
he said, the words rushed, his hands gripping her upper thighs hard enough to
hold himself against her. “Fucking your ass is too damn intense. You make me
want to come with the first stroke.” A rush of air left his lungs before he
started pumping his hips again.

Moaning with
the ripples of pleasures racing through her pussy that lingered from her last
explosion, Cambrie reflected on the orgasm that teased her, hovering within
reach yet unwilling to show itself yet. How could this man give her so much pleasure,
take her body to places that stole her breath and mind?

Long strokes
pounded her ass as his grip tightened. Her pussy lips, moist with her juices,
ached to be touched, caressed. Her clit pulsed with a life of its own, begging
for a finger to flick it or skim it. Miller fucked her ass harder and deeper
than the last time, edging her toward the bliss she craved.

“Cambrie!
Fuck! Oh, Cambrie!” Miller yelled, holding his cock deep within her ass. His
explosion sending hot cum into her tight ass.

Rocked by his
loving, Cambrie joined him with a release as powerful as the one preceding it.
This orgasm had smaller but numerous tremors radiating through her womb.

“Miller.
Don’t. Stop.”

And he didn’t
until they both collapsed on the bed, gulping air and murmuring words. When he
climbed off of her, she didn’t have the energy to move. He applied a warm
washcloth to her ass, cleaning away their loving. She adored how he pampered
her, always attentive to her needs.

Miller
crawled back into bed and hauled her on top of him to cover them both with the
blankets. He scooted her to his side and cradled her head against his chest.
She draped a lazy leg over his.

“Tell me not
to leave, Cambrie, and I won’t.” His tone was soft, but there was no mistaking
the seriousness within.

Did she just
hear him right?

She took a
moment to let the statement sink in. She believed he would stay if she asked
him to. He’d give her anything she wanted. Even if he hadn’t said the words…he
loved her. There was no doubt in her heart. So she did the only thing she could
do.

“I won’t,
Miller, and never ask me to do that again,” she said, leaning up on her elbow.
“You’re the only one who can make that choice.”

Staring at
the ceiling, pain etched in his expression. “I know. But there’s nothing I wouldn’t
do for you.”

“I believe
that. Really I do. But you had a life before me and that life needs you, too.
You make a difference in this world, Miller. I could never ask you to stop
doing that. No matter how much I love you.” Her words hung between them as his
head slowly turned to face her.

“Why do you
love me, Cambrie?”

“Because you
never tried to change who I am. Only helped me discover the real me.” She
sighed but kept eye contact. “I like who I am when I’m with you. I’m relaxed,
energized, happy. I love you, Miller, because you gave me a chance when you
didn’t have to. Because you have one of the biggest hearts I’ve ever seen.”

“God,
Cambrie. Just what the hell am I going to do with you?”

“Well, you’d
have to give me some time to rest, but I think we can come up with some ideas.”

He flashed a
killer smile that made butterflies dance in her belly. “That’s not what I
meant.”

“I know,” she
whispered, unable to smile. “But let’s not do this to ourselves. Our lives are
what they are. End of story. Dwelling on it or wracking our brains for a
solution is a waste of time and energy. We just need to accept that there’s no
real future for us.”

“My team has
a saying we all believe in. Never say never.”

She snuggled
close, resting her cheek on the soft mat of chest hair. “Those are just words,
Miller. Reality sucks is all.”

****

Cambrie
loved him. Holy fucking shit in hell. When the fuck did that happen? Aw, hell.
He knew she had fallen in love with him. It was easier to deny because facing
reality sucked big time.

The warm body
snuggled in his arms while she slept kept his cock hard and his mind wandering
to all sorts of possibilities. With sleep evading him, he stared at the dark
ceiling, his thoughts jumbled.

The military
had been good to him throughout the years just like he had proven his worth and
did a damn good job with every new challenge. He could retire, seek other
employment, move near Cambrie. If he quit the military then he’d be free to
move anywhere he chose.

Miller loved
Cambrie. He had gone and fallen in love with this amazing woman. When? Oh, he
knew exactly when it had happened even if he couldn’t admit it to himself until
now.

When he awoke
to find her staring at him sitting on her porch, the very second they had first
met. He had fallen in love first with her beauty and then with everything about
her.

Closing his
eyes, he prayed for sleep to come because no matter how hard he wracked his
brain, there was only one solution that would work.

With a heavy
heart, Miller squeezed Cambrie tighter, needing her warmth when he felt so damn
cold.

Chapter
Nineteen

Cambrie
should really be used to this by now, but each time Miller packed up to return
home, something in her heart broke, another piece shredded with pain.

“Are you sure I can’t take you to
pick up your car?” Miller asked.

Cambrie shook her head. “No. I could
use the walk.”

“I’ll miss
the hell out of you, Cambrie. I don’t think I can come back for a few months.”

She faced
him, her palms flat against his chest. “I understand. Just be safe.” She didn’t
feel like talking, fearing she may give in to selfishness and beg him to stay.

He leaned
down and kissed her lips, the heat from his body warming her. Her hands roamed
his body, the last touch they’d have for months maybe. She opened her mouth,
allowed his tongue to whip inside, needing his kiss to linger when he left. At
her sides, his fingers kneaded her skin like they couldn’t let go.

Stay. Please
stay.

She took her last taste of his warmth, his power.
If she didn’t break the connection now, she feared she never would. Stepping
back, she licked her lips. Trembling, she stood and watched him lift his duffle
bag. With one last kiss to her forehead, he opened the door.

“Don’t worry,
baby girl. I could never stay away from you.”

When
the door shut, Cambrie remained where she stood. It wasn’t until she heard
Miller’s truck speed off that she allowed herself to sink to her knees onto the
floor, bury her head in her hands, and cry.

Why
hadn’t she begged him to stay when she knew he would’ve? Damn!

Deep
down inside her breaking heart, she knew that wouldn’t have been the right
thing to do. It wouldn’t have been fair to force Miller to choose between her
and a career he loved. He would never ask her to choose between him and Aunt
Annabelle, so she could never ask something of him that she wasn’t willing to
do herself.

After she was
all cried out, she got back to the one thing she knew how to do. Work.

****

Waiting for
the results of the grant program added to Cambrie’s anxiety. She hadn’t heard
from Miller in four days and their hectic schedules interfered with any real
communication in the three weeks since he had left. Hating her job for its
constant reminder of Miller, she knew she was screwed and stuck with no
options.

“Cambrie, is
it true that the Veterans Affairs Department is sending a committee here today
because we’re a finalist for the grant?” Mrs. Ginnity asked, rushing in from
outside.

“Yes, ma’am,
it is. Although they were expected by now,” she said, glancing at the clock on
the wall by the front desk before returning to the work she had been doing.
“Must be something keeping them.”

“Oh, I’m sure
they’ll be here any minute.” The woman was very giddy but Cambrie dismissed it
as one of her usual quirks. “Mr. Hackler is outside waiting to greet them.”

Cambrie
would’ve replied but the front door swung open and a highly decorated military
man stepped inside with Mr. Hackler and a contingent of military personnel.
Cambrie swallowed hard and stepped from behind the desk.

“Miss
Brasher,” Mr. Hackler began. “General Sherwald from Veterans Affairs.”

She shook his
hand alarmed by the number of people still streaming in through the doors.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir.”

“Ah, the
pleasure is all mine, Miss Brasher. I assure you. I can’t tell you how glad I
am to finally meet you. I wanted to come here personally.” The general’s tone
was confident and professional.

Cambrie
caught sight of familiar faces in the crowd surrounding the general now that he
had stepped forward. “Emma? Finn? Oh, my God!” she yelled and jumped into
Emma’s arms for a big hug before doing the same to Finn.

“God, I love
when I can make Miller jealous,” Finn whispered to Cambrie.

“He’d have to
be here to be jealous,” Cambrie said, her heart aching for the man she loved.

“Young lady,
when did you lose your eyesight?” Aunt Annabelle hollered from a wheelchair
behind Emma and Finn.

“Auntie? What
are you doing here?” Cambrie gasped and looked around at the crowd. What was
going on? Why were all these people here? Did they win the grant?

When Cambrie
went to speak to the general, she froze and stared at five impeccably dressed
military men standing behind their leader. “Miller?”

“About time
you opened your eyes, girl,” Aunt Annabelle quipped, but Cambrie ignored her.

Cambrie
covered her heart with her hand and stared at Miller. “Oh, my God.” She faced
the general. “What is this about?”

“Like I said,
Miss Brasher, I wanted to come to see you personally. You have been an example
for our nation with your support of Lt. Miller Daly’s military service. I have
come to offer you a job with my national office in Washington, DC.”

The crowd
gasped and some clapped while Cambrie stood stunned, her eyes flashing between
the general and Miller who hadn’t made a move toward her, just remained
standing with the other men in a serious stance, feet together, arms at his
side.

“I’ve made
arrangements for your aunt to move with you as well. Her doctors agree that the
medical facilities in the area are superb,” the general continued.

“You what?”
Cambrie asked before turning to her aunt. “You’d move, Auntie? But why?
Maddyville has always been your home.”

Aunt
Annabelle waved her hand in the air. “Oh, sweetie. There’s nothing left for me
in Maddyville. My home is gone. Most of my friends are dead. I feel terrible
that you won’t leave here because of me, so I’ll come with you. We can always
come back for a visit. And the general here has promised to help me learn the
Internet thingy so I can, what’s it called, go onboard?”

“Online,”
General Sherwald corrected, clearing his throat and flashing a bright smile.
“Or the job can be set up in Maddyville for your aunt’s convenience.”

“Nonsense,
general,” Aunt Annabelle scolded. “We’ve already discussed this and I’m all for
breaking out of that prison and looking forward to a change of scenery.”

Miller
stepped forward when the general signaled to him. “Cambrie, listen to your
aunt. You have the right to want your own life. You’ve done a great job taking
care of her and repaying her kindness. That’s what family is all about.” He
looked back at his men then back to Cambrie. “You don’t have to be alone
anymore, Cam. You can be with me and together we can take care of Aunt
Annabelle, with her permission of course,” he said toward Aunt Annabelle.