Green Mountain Collection 1 Read online

  “I don’t want to hurt you.”

  She covered his hand with hers and squeezed. “You won’t hurt me. I love it.”

  That was all he needed to hear. Something inside him seemed to snap as he gave her what she wanted—what they both wanted. He’d never been so turned on or so desperate to come in his life. His balls ached with need as he reached around to find her clit hard and throbbing under his fingers.

  She cried out and came harder than the first time, which shattered him. He drove into her so forcefully that her arms gave out, sending him even deeper into her sweet heat. Collapsing over her, he ran his tongue over the bumps and grooves of her backbone as he continued to throb inside her. He reached under her to cup her breasts and felt her nipples tighten against his palms.

  “Are you okay down there?” he asked after a long period of silence.

  “Mmm.” Her inner muscles contracted around his cock, making him gasp from the pleasure. “That was amazing.”

  “Totally amazing.” He couldn’t stop kissing her or licking the salty almond-flavored moisture from her back. While his body cooled and recovered from the intense release, he knew in his heart that she was the woman he’d waited his whole life to find. It became very clear to him that he’d do whatever it took to make this work, even if it meant giving up his life in Vermont to be with her in the city.

  He’d do it if he had to, but he really hoped he wouldn’t have to.

  Cameron devoted the next week to website research, which was usually her favorite part of any project. She loved delving into a business or organization and getting to the heart of what made it special. In the case of the Green Mountain Country Store, she’d decided at the outset that what made it special was the family who ran it.

  She spent Monday evening baking cookies for the local nursing home with Molly, Hannah, Ella and Charlotte, all of whom were shocked to discover that she’d never baked a thing in her life, though none of them actually said so. Since she couldn’t very well tell them that she’d grown up with a chef in residence who’d studied at the Sorbonne, she brushed it off as a lack of interest.

  “We’ll have to teach you,” Molly declared, dropping an apron over Cameron’s head. The chocolate chip, snickerdoodles, peanut butter blossoms and oatmeal-raisin cookies they made that night were among the best she’d ever had.

  “Could we feature these recipes on the website? They’d make for a nice addition to the family section.” Cameron asked as she bit into her second snickerdoodle. She had to admit there was something incredibly satisfying about eating a treat she’d made herself.

  The other women exchanged glances, all of them looking to Molly for a verdict.

  “I don’t see why not,” Molly said. “They were passed down from my mother, and I bet she’d be delighted to share them with others. That’s a great idea, Cam.”

  Cameron basked in the glow of Molly’s approval. She had a full-fledged crush on Will’s mom. Warm and funny and stern and loving all at the same time, Molly joked around with her daughters, critiqued their baking skills and ran the entire operation like a kindhearted drill sergeant.

  After the last of the cookies were in the oven, the three sisters went into the family room to watch The Bachelor, much to their mother’s dismay. The four of them had a huge and humorous argument, with Molly asserting the many ways the show set back decades of progress for women everywhere and the girls proclaiming not to care.

  “It’s a train wreck that I can’t not watch,” Charlotte said as she led her sisters to the TV.

  When Molly caught Cameron staring at her when the two of them were alone in the kitchen, she stopped what she was doing and raised a brow. “Do I have flour in my hair or something?”

  “No, no,” Cameron said, mortified to have been caught staring. “It’s … I … I think you’re so cool.” Heat rushed to her face. “I’m sorry. I must sound like such a dork, but I’ve never met anyone like you.”

  “Where are my children when I’m receiving such a lovely compliment?”

  “I’m a total dork, but I love how you’re baking up a storm one minute and espousing women’s rights the next.”

  “You’re not a dork, honey,” Molly said with a gentle laugh. “You grew up without a mom, so it’s only natural you’d gravitate to someone who describes herself first and foremost as a mother.”

  “Your kids were so lucky to have you.”

  “And I was lucky to have them.”

  “I might be a little bit in love with your family.”

  “You couldn’t pay me a higher compliment.” Molly’s eyes and smile were warm as she squeezed Cameron’s hand.

  Screaming from the family room preceded the sisters’ return to the kitchen.

  “Oh my God,” Hannah said. “They must pay these girls to be as hideous as they possibly can. How can they go on national TV and act this way?”

  “I bet most of them forget they have to go back to their real lives after the bachelor dumps them,” Ella said as she topped off everyone’s wineglass.

  “I’d do the show in a second,” Charlotte said. “Imagine how much fun it would be to get paid to be catty and nasty.”

  “Charley,” Molly said, frowning.

  “What? How could it be any worse than my dating disasters right here in Butler?”

  “She does have a point, Mom,” Hannah said.

  Charlotte tossed a handful of flour at her sister, narrowly missing a direct hit to Hannah’s face.

  “Girls!” Molly went from amiable to stern in the blink of an eye. “Do not start that!”

  “Used to happen all the time,” Hannah said, smiling at Cameron.

  “They’d make a bloody mess of my kitchen,” Molly said.

  When Will picked her up at ten o’clock, he teased her about the flour on her face and her slurred speech. She’d lost track of how many bottles of wine the five of them had consumed, but she was enjoying the blissful buzz of wine and sugar coursing through her veins as well as the ache in her ribs from nonstop laughter.

  Molly hugged her good-bye. “I hope you’ll consider our home your home whenever you’re in town, Cam.”

  “Thank you so much for a wonderful evening. I can’t remember the last time I had so much fun.”

  “We did, too.”

  When they got back to his place, Will enjoyed discovering that alcohol made her horny and had been more than happy to accommodate her every desire.

  On Wednesday, Will drove her to his grandfather’s for lunch. When they pulled up to Elmer’s house, Cameron laughed at the three-level sign that hung from his mailbox: JUSTICE OF THE PEACE, NOTARY PUBLIC, FREE ADVICE.

  “Is he really a JP?”

  “Sure is. He marries three or four couples a month, and he’s forever notarizing something for someone. Free advice is the backbone of his business, however.”

  “That’s fabulous. I love this town.”

  He gave her an odd look that she didn’t have time to question before Elmer was bounding down the stairs from the front porch to greet them both with hugs. Cletus followed him out of the house, and sure enough, the word clitoris popped into Cameron’s mind, making her want to bite her tongue so she wouldn’t call him by the wrong name.

  Will sent her a devilish smile that told her he knew exactly what she was thinking. And then he deliberately let his gaze wander down the front of her, making her desperately wish they were alone.

  Elmer said good-bye to Cletus and shepherded Will and Cameron into his cluttered house.

  “Welcome to Gramps’s museum, where everything he’s ever owned is proudly displayed.”

  “Don’t be insolent, young man,” Elmer said, his tone full of affection for his grandson. “I like to be able to enjoy my stuff, and what good is it if it’s all stashed in closets where I can’t see it?”

  “That’s very true,” Cameron said, earning her a wide grin from Elmer.

  “I like this girl, William. Don’t mess it up, ya hear?”

  “Ah, yeah
, Gramps. I’ll do my best not to.”

  “If he does,” Elmer said, winking and nudging Cameron, “you know where to find me now.”

  “I sure do.”

  As Will groaned, Elmer drew a platter of sandwiches from the fridge and a bag of potato chips from the counter. “I didn’t know what you liked, Cameron, so I got some tuna and some turkey. Hope that’s okay.”

  She loved the thought of him going to the grocery store and thinking about what she might like to eat. “That sounds wonderful.”

  They passed a delightful afternoon with Elmer, poring over photos and ledgers and journals that detailed the store’s early history. He told her about the Depression and the devastating impact of rationing on the families in the valley. The store his parents founded had given them a way to help out during those sparse years, and they’d found their life’s work—and his—in the process.

  Cameron took photos of Elmer and filled pages in her notebook. Rather than take priceless items that could never be replaced if lost or damaged, Cameron photographed pages from the ledgers as well as the photos from the store’s humble beginnings.

  By the time she left with promises to return again soon, she was fully in love with another member of Will’s family, and Will said he’d learned a few things he hadn’t known about the store and its origins.

  Cameron spent time with each member of the family and gained in-depth knowledge of every corner of the business. She took hundreds of photos and spent hours exploring the store, befriending employees who were more than happy to share what they knew about the store and its products.

  On Thursday, she had lunch with Hannah, who’d come into the office to deliver her latest jewelry creations to Will.

  “I’ve been thinking about your suggestion,” Hannah said tentatively after they were seated at the diner.

  Cameron had been thinking about it, too, but she held her tongue to give Hannah a chance to share her thoughts first.

  “I love the idea of a sanctuary for other women who’ve been through what I have. I love the notion of keeping Caleb’s memory alive by using the home he loved to do something good for others.”

  “That sounds wonderful.”

  “Except …”

  “Except what?”

  “I wouldn’t have the first clue how to go about making it happen.”

  “Well, that’s where I come in. I could help you set up a website and Facebook presence and anything else you might need.”

  “That’s very nice of you, but I couldn’t afford to hire you.”

  “You wouldn’t have to hire me. I’d love to do it for you pro bono.”

  “I couldn’t let you do that! You have a business to run!”

  “You have to understand … I know what happened in Iraq had very little to do with 9/11, but at the time we thought it did, and it was my city that was attacked by terrorists. This feels like something I could do to give back to people who gave so much after that horrible day.”

  Hannah’s eyes filled as she shook her head. “Caleb had interest from professional hockey teams, but he chose to follow his father into the army. The 9/11 attacks happened a couple of months after he was commissioned.”

  “Let’s work on this together and make his sacrifice continue to count for a long time to come.”

  “I’d love that, Cameron. Thank you.”

  “I’m not being entirely altruistic,” she said with a smile, hoping to cheer the other woman. “It’ll give me more excuses to come visit your brother.”

  “I’ve never seen him so happy, but I worry about him, too.”

  Cameron sighed at the reminder that the fantasy wouldn’t last forever.

  “Do you two talk about what happens at the end of next week?”

  “Not if we can help it.”

  “I hate that it’s such a quandary. Instead of celebrating the fact that you’ve found each other, you have to think about how you’re going to make it work long-distance.”

  “Does anything ever really work long-distance?”

  “It can. I’m sure.”

  Megan dropped their plates on the table with as much finesse as she normally did. This time, however, she stared down Cameron who refused to wilt under her glare. “When are you leaving?”

  “Very soon.”

  “Good.”

  Cameron and Hannah burst into laughter as soon as Megan stormed off.

  “At least he’ll have Megan to soothe him when I go,” Cameron said jokingly, even if the thought of another woman soothing him made her seethe.

  “God help us,” Hannah said. “More important, God help him!”

  God help them all, Cameron thought as she dug into her salad. They were going to need all the help they could get.

  CHAPTER 16

  Love leaves you grinnin’ like a mule eatin’ saw briars.

  —The gospel according to Elmer Stillman

  When they weren’t working, Cameron and Will continued to exist in the fantasy world they’d created for themselves. In that world, no talk of next weekend was permitted.

  As lunchtime on Friday approached, Cameron tried to take advantage of the office Internet connection to focus on her overflowing e-mail inbox while Will worked on his computer. They’d fallen into the habit of using opposite ends of his desk even after Hunter offered to find her a space of her own.

  “I’m fine here,” she’d said, knowing Hunter was wise to the fact that she wanted to be near Will.

  Now she watched Will’s eyes dart back and forth over the screen and his sexy mouth purse in thought before he began typing again. She bit her lip to contain her smile as she moved slowly to remove her sock and slip her foot under the hem of his jeans.

  The second her bare toes made contact with his leg, his eyes heated, but he kept them on the screen as he continued to type.

  Her e-mail chimed with a new message.

  I want you. Right now.

  Delighted by the message and the fact that he’d sent it when he was sitting a foot from her, she kept her toes on his leg as she contemplated her response.

  Here?

  I have to go home to let the dogs out. Come with me.

  Let me think about it.

  The nonchalance belied the fact that his opening statement had set her blood on fire.

  Are you done thinking?

  Not yet.

  I’m going to spank your bare ass for torturing me this way.

  What are you waiting for? Let’s go.

  She wasn’t sure who moved first, but they were out of the office and in his truck less than five minutes later. The ride to his house was marked by tense, edgy silence. Cameron had enough time with her own thoughts to accept that this relationship, or whatever it was, had gotten totally out of hand. She wanted to spend every second of every day and every night with him. None of her past disasters could begin to compare to the obsessive need she felt for Will Abbott.

  Even knowing it was totally out of hand, even knowing the crash and burn was coming soon and was going to hurt worse than any other, she was powerless to resist him and had no desire at all to try. For as long as the fantasy lasted, she was all in. Everything she had was his.

  Outside his house, he tugged her toward the porch, let the dogs out and then stripped her naked right inside the door. He produced a condom from his pocket, dropped his pants to his thighs and lifted her onto his rock-hard erection.

  Cameron clutched handfuls of his hair as he surged into her, pressing her against the door so tightly she had no choice but to surrender completely to him. When he made good on his threat to spank her bare ass, the orgasm hit her like a fiery flash of light and heat and overpowering emotion that sent tears streaming down her cheeks.

  “Christ, Cam.” He went perfectly still and kissed the tears from her face. “I’m so sorry. Did I hurt you?”

  “No, no.” She wrapped her arms around his neck and burrowed her face in the rough fabric of his shirt.

  “Are you sure?”

  She
nodded, and he began to move again, slowly, gently, reverently, which did nothing to quell the flood of tears.

  He gripped her bottom and shuffled to the sofa, coming down on top of her without losing their deep connection. Gazing into her eyes, he seemed undone by her tears. “What is it, sweetheart?”

  “Nothing bad. I promise.” Cameron wrapped her legs around his hips and raised her arms above her head, surrendering to him, giving him everything she had to give.

  His fingers dug into her bottom as he bent his head to lave at her nipple.

  She arched her back, wanting to be as close to him as she could get.

  “You’re so beautiful, Cameron. So hot, so sexy, so sweet.”

  His words were every bit as powerful as the deep thrusts of his cock and the bite of his teeth on her nipple.

  “Come with me, baby,” he whispered against her breast. “I’m so close.”

  Seduced by his words as much as the heat of his body, she clutched his head to her chest and gave up the last remaining piece of her heart, the one she’d tried to hold back so there’d be something left for when this ended.

  He came with her, thrusting and groaning and holding her so tightly, so perfectly. Their lips came together in a hungry frenzy of tongues and teeth and breathless moans.

  “God, you’re amazing,” he whispered. It seemed he was also well aware that what had transpired between them went far beyond sex and into the realm of lovemaking. “I keep thinking this is too much, too fast, but I don’t care about any of that. What does it matter how it happened?”

  “It doesn’t matter.”

  “It’ll matter in a week.”

  She rested her fingers over his lips. “We’re living the fantasy, remember?”

  “How could I forget? But all I can think about is what happens next weekend when you have to leave.”

  “We’ll worry about all of that in a week. Until then, I want the fantasy.”

  “I feel like I’ve known you forever and can’t begin to imagine what I’ll do without you when you go.”

  Cameron gave herself over to his passionate kiss, knowing full well that their lovely fantasy had just taken a hard turn toward reality.