Sea Swept
Page 76
Saying nothing, nothing at all, he shifted, drew her close, possessively close, to his side, and let the rain lull him to sleep.
anna awoke with thesun shooting into her eyes and was stunned to find herself wrapped up in Cam. His arms had a good strong hold on her, and hers were snug around him. Their legs were tangled, with her right hooked over his hip like an anchor.
If her mind had been clear it might have occurred to her that while they both assumed their affair was casual, even sophisticated, in sleep they'd both known better.
She slid her leg down, hoping to unknot their limbs, but he only shifted and anchored hers more firmly.
"Cam." She whispered it, feeling foolish and guilty, and when she received no response, wriggled and spoke more firmly. "Cameron, wake up."
He grunted, snuggled closer, and muttered something into her hair.
She sighed and, deciding she had no choice, lifted the leg that was caught between his until her knee pressed firmly against his crotch. Then she gave it a quick nudge.
That got his eyes open.
"Whoa! What?"
"Wake up."
"I'm awake." And his just-open eyes were all but crossed. "Would you mind moving your…" When the pressure eased off, he let out the breath he'd been holding. "Thanks."
"You've got to go." She was back to whispering. "You shouldn't have stayed in here all night."
"Why not?" he whispered back. "It's my bed."
"You know what I'm talking about," she hissed. "One of your brothers could get up any minute." He exerted himself to lift his head a couple of inches and peer at the clock on the opposite nightstand.
"It's after seven. Ethan's already up, has probably emptied his first crab pot. And why are we whispering?"
"Because you're not supposed to be here."
"I live here." A sleepy smile moved over his face. "Damn, you're pretty when you're all rumpled and embarrassed. I guess I have to have you again."
"Stop it." She nearly giggled, until his hand snuck around to cup her breast. "Not now."
"We're here now, naked and everything. And you're all soft and warm." He nuzzled his way to her neck.
"Don't you start."
"Too late. I'm already into the first lap."
And indeed when he shifted, she understood that the starting gun had already sounded. He was inside her in one easy move, and it was so smooth, so natural, so lovely, she could only sigh.
"No moaning," he said with a chuckle at her ear. "You'll wake up my brothers." She snorted out a laugh and, caught between amusement and arousal, shoved and rolled until she straddled him. He looked sleepy, and dangerous, and exciting. A little breathless, she braced her hands on either side of his head. She bent down and sucked his bottom lip into her mouth.
"Okay, smart guy, let's see who moans first."
And arching back, she began to ride.
Afterward, they decided it was a tie.
she made him climb outthe window, which he claimed was ridiculous. But it made her feel a little less decadent. The house was quiet when she came downstairs, freshly showered and comfortable in olive-drab cotton slacks and a camp shirt. Seth was still sleeping on the rug. Foolish stood guard on the floor.
At the sight of Anna, the pup scrambled up, whining pitifully as he followed her into the kitchen. She assumed it was either an empty stomach or a full bladder. When she opened the back door, he shot out like a bullet and proved it was the latter by peeing copiously on an azalea just struggling into bloom. Birds were singing with full, joyful throats. Dew sparkled on the grass—and the grass needed mowing. There was still a light mist on the water, but it was burning off quickly, like blown smoke, and through it she could see little diamond sparks of sunlight on calm water.
The air was fresh from the night's rain, and the leaves seemed greener, fuller than they had only a day before.
She built a little fantasy that included steaming coffee and a walk down to the dock. By the time she'd taken the first step toward brewing the coffee, Cam came in through the hallway door. He hadn't shaved, she noted, and found that the stubble of beard suited her image of a lazy Sunday morning in the country. He lifted a brow.
She got two mugs out of the cupboard, then lifted hers. "Good morning, Cameron."
"Good morning, Anna." Deciding to play along, he walked over and gave her a chaste kiss. "How did you sleep?"
"Very well, and you?"
"Like a log." He wound a lock of her hair around his finger. "It wasn't too quiet for you?"
"Quiet?"
"City girl, country silence."
"Oh. No, I liked it. In fact, I don't think I've ever slept better." They were grinning at each other when Seth stumbled in, rubbing his eyes. "Have we got anything to eat?"
Cam kept his gaze locked on Anna's. "Phillip ran his mouth about making waffles. Go wake him up."
"Waffles? Cool." He ran off, his bare feet slapping on the wood floor.
"Phillip's not going to appreciate that," Anna commented.
"He's the one who started the waffle rumor."
"I could make them."
"You made dinner. We take turns around here. To avoid chaos. And the shedding of blood." A loud and nasty thud sounded over their heads and made Cam grin. "Why don't we pour that coffee and take a walk out of the line of fire?"
"I was thinking the same thing."
On impulse, he grabbed a fishing pole. "Hold this." A hunt through the fridge netted him a small round of Phillip's Brie.
"I thought we were having waffles."
"We are. This is bait." He tucked the cheese in his pocket and picked up his coffee.
"You use Brie for bait?"
"You use what's handy. A fish is going to bite, it'll bite on damn near anything." He handed her a mug of coffee. "Let's see what we can catch."
"I don't know how to fish," she said as they headed out.
"Nothing to it. You drown a worm—or in this case some fancy cheese—and see what happens."
"Then why do guys go off with all that expensive, complicated gear and those funny hats?"
"Just trappings. We're not talking dry fly-fishing here. We're just dropping a line. If we can't pull up a couple of cats by the time Phillip's got waffles on the table, I've really lost my touch."
anna awoke with thesun shooting into her eyes and was stunned to find herself wrapped up in Cam. His arms had a good strong hold on her, and hers were snug around him. Their legs were tangled, with her right hooked over his hip like an anchor.
If her mind had been clear it might have occurred to her that while they both assumed their affair was casual, even sophisticated, in sleep they'd both known better.
She slid her leg down, hoping to unknot their limbs, but he only shifted and anchored hers more firmly.
"Cam." She whispered it, feeling foolish and guilty, and when she received no response, wriggled and spoke more firmly. "Cameron, wake up."
He grunted, snuggled closer, and muttered something into her hair.
She sighed and, deciding she had no choice, lifted the leg that was caught between his until her knee pressed firmly against his crotch. Then she gave it a quick nudge.
That got his eyes open.
"Whoa! What?"
"Wake up."
"I'm awake." And his just-open eyes were all but crossed. "Would you mind moving your…" When the pressure eased off, he let out the breath he'd been holding. "Thanks."
"You've got to go." She was back to whispering. "You shouldn't have stayed in here all night."
"Why not?" he whispered back. "It's my bed."
"You know what I'm talking about," she hissed. "One of your brothers could get up any minute." He exerted himself to lift his head a couple of inches and peer at the clock on the opposite nightstand.
"It's after seven. Ethan's already up, has probably emptied his first crab pot. And why are we whispering?"
"Because you're not supposed to be here."
"I live here." A sleepy smile moved over his face. "Damn, you're pretty when you're all rumpled and embarrassed. I guess I have to have you again."
"Stop it." She nearly giggled, until his hand snuck around to cup her breast. "Not now."
"We're here now, naked and everything. And you're all soft and warm." He nuzzled his way to her neck.
"Don't you start."
"Too late. I'm already into the first lap."
And indeed when he shifted, she understood that the starting gun had already sounded. He was inside her in one easy move, and it was so smooth, so natural, so lovely, she could only sigh.
"No moaning," he said with a chuckle at her ear. "You'll wake up my brothers." She snorted out a laugh and, caught between amusement and arousal, shoved and rolled until she straddled him. He looked sleepy, and dangerous, and exciting. A little breathless, she braced her hands on either side of his head. She bent down and sucked his bottom lip into her mouth.
"Okay, smart guy, let's see who moans first."
And arching back, she began to ride.
Afterward, they decided it was a tie.
she made him climb outthe window, which he claimed was ridiculous. But it made her feel a little less decadent. The house was quiet when she came downstairs, freshly showered and comfortable in olive-drab cotton slacks and a camp shirt. Seth was still sleeping on the rug. Foolish stood guard on the floor.
At the sight of Anna, the pup scrambled up, whining pitifully as he followed her into the kitchen. She assumed it was either an empty stomach or a full bladder. When she opened the back door, he shot out like a bullet and proved it was the latter by peeing copiously on an azalea just struggling into bloom. Birds were singing with full, joyful throats. Dew sparkled on the grass—and the grass needed mowing. There was still a light mist on the water, but it was burning off quickly, like blown smoke, and through it she could see little diamond sparks of sunlight on calm water.
The air was fresh from the night's rain, and the leaves seemed greener, fuller than they had only a day before.
She built a little fantasy that included steaming coffee and a walk down to the dock. By the time she'd taken the first step toward brewing the coffee, Cam came in through the hallway door. He hadn't shaved, she noted, and found that the stubble of beard suited her image of a lazy Sunday morning in the country. He lifted a brow.
She got two mugs out of the cupboard, then lifted hers. "Good morning, Cameron."
"Good morning, Anna." Deciding to play along, he walked over and gave her a chaste kiss. "How did you sleep?"
"Very well, and you?"
"Like a log." He wound a lock of her hair around his finger. "It wasn't too quiet for you?"
"Quiet?"
"City girl, country silence."
"Oh. No, I liked it. In fact, I don't think I've ever slept better." They were grinning at each other when Seth stumbled in, rubbing his eyes. "Have we got anything to eat?"
Cam kept his gaze locked on Anna's. "Phillip ran his mouth about making waffles. Go wake him up."
"Waffles? Cool." He ran off, his bare feet slapping on the wood floor.
"Phillip's not going to appreciate that," Anna commented.
"He's the one who started the waffle rumor."
"I could make them."
"You made dinner. We take turns around here. To avoid chaos. And the shedding of blood." A loud and nasty thud sounded over their heads and made Cam grin. "Why don't we pour that coffee and take a walk out of the line of fire?"
"I was thinking the same thing."
On impulse, he grabbed a fishing pole. "Hold this." A hunt through the fridge netted him a small round of Phillip's Brie.
"I thought we were having waffles."
"We are. This is bait." He tucked the cheese in his pocket and picked up his coffee.
"You use Brie for bait?"
"You use what's handy. A fish is going to bite, it'll bite on damn near anything." He handed her a mug of coffee. "Let's see what we can catch."
"I don't know how to fish," she said as they headed out.
"Nothing to it. You drown a worm—or in this case some fancy cheese—and see what happens."
"Then why do guys go off with all that expensive, complicated gear and those funny hats?"
"Just trappings. We're not talking dry fly-fishing here. We're just dropping a line. If we can't pull up a couple of cats by the time Phillip's got waffles on the table, I've really lost my touch."
