Smolder (St. Martin Family Saga) (3 page)

She didn’t make a sound, but he gasped from the struggle to hold back. After sheathing himself all the way inside, he gave her a minute to accept his size. When he could hold back no longer, he pulled out and thrust in again. He drove in and out of her repeatedly. His pace became more aggressive and erratic, and he reached down to massage her clit, feeling her tightly controlled body tremble. He felt the increased wetness and knew she’d climaxed, though she showed little reaction. He’d never had so much trouble getting a woman off. When Camp came inside her, he looked to her face. She had her eyes closed tight as tears leaked from under the lashes. The situation seemed hopeless.

As Camp drove to his house twenty minutes later, he was conflicted about his relationship with Kim. He suspected he’d rushed into an engagement to satisfy his need to be with someone—he hated returning to an empty house. He’d always imagined coming home to dinner bubbling on the stove, kids running around screaming, and a loving, passionate wife. Kim would give him that—except for the passion. And what about love? Did she love him? Did he love her?

No, he didn’t think that he did. He felt sympathy for this woman who was unable to let go and trust him with her body. If she couldn’t do that, would she trust him with other things? Her life, her future?

As he pulled into the driveway, he saw Cash’s truck and Isa’s Camaro. That meant she was staying over again. Isa was his friend and Cash his twin brother, so of course he couldn’t be happier for them, but their intimacy in all things—even the most mundane tasks—and their consideration for one another made his situation more pronounced.

He’d asked Kim if she wanted to see someone about her issues. She didn’t understand his suggestion. He’d told her she recoiled at all things sexual. She’d told him she just didn’t like sex. Camp had asked her about other men. There had been two. He knew one of them—Jerry Joe. Had she thought they were a romantically involved couple? He didn’t have the heart to tell her that Jerry Joe was gay. When he asked her about the second guy, she’d told him he left to pursue his calling at seminary. Missionary position indeed.

What was it Cash had told him? Death was preferable to a lifelong marriage with no passion. Camp sighed loudly in frustration as he headed toward the front door. He thought about Jenny and how just her presence caused him to become hard as steel—she was gasoline and he was fire. To stay hard tonight he’d actually been thinking of her naked body, the heavy, swaying breasts and erect nipples. He’d climaxed inside Kim, but only because he’d been reliving Jenny’s hand slapping him across the cheek. What a fucking mess. He was engaged to one woman and yet coming at the thought of another. Shit.

He knew what he had to do and once that task was completed, he knew what he had to have.

He wasn’t a fool, and wasting time was foolish. Not going after what he needed was foolish too.

Yeah, he was all about going after what he needed.

≈

Camp didn’t want the situation with Kim looming over him, so he’d called her at lunchtime the following day. He was on his way to her home now to break off the engagement. He couldn’t live like a monk with her. He was no missionary and he definitely wasn’t gay.

As they sat on the couch in Kim’s home, she handed him the engagement ring he’d given her. He hadn’t had to say anything; she was breaking it off with him.

“Camp, I can’t satisfy you. You know how I was raised. I feel dirty doing those things.”

Her parents were strict, but Camp thought that she, like most people raised by parents that were too unyielding, was ready for a rebellious stage. Once again he’d been wrong about a woman.

Her head hung low. “You’ve been so patient with me and you’re very kind. The truth is, I don’t want to be laid bare and I don’t want you to make my body hum, as you say.”

God, she couldn’t even look him in the eye.

“I like all the layers of clothing. I don’t want my body to be exposed. It makes me uncomfortable.”

That was the understatement of the century. Camp also thought it was a waste since she’d been given a body that could rival any supermodel’s.

“My parents had pushed me to accept your engagement. I thought I could learn to be all the things that you wanted, but your… your raw sexuality scares me. You deserve to be with someone who can satisfy your desire. I love you as a sister loves a brother. Let’s not be sad about this. It wasn’t meant to happen for us.”

Utterly relieved, Camp sat forward and took her hands in his. “Kim, I wish you all the happiness in the world, and I will always be here for you, just as a brother should be.” He could do that, and he sensed that she really did see him that way, as a brother or a friend. “If you ever need anything, you can come to me any time.”

On the drive home Camp experienced a calm and satisfied contentment he hadn’t felt in over a year. He wondered at the push by society and parents for children to do something that was clearly not in their best interests. He knew Kim had felt that push, just as he knew she was now enjoying the same relief he felt. He was convinced that she would be okay. But Kim was the past, and he didn’t intend to spend any more time thinking of her.

An undercurrent of excitement thrummed through his body. He couldn’t wait to get to Lake Charles and to Jenny.

3

C
amp, ticked off,
was headed to Lake Charles. He needed to get to the bottom of some delivery mix-up, and he hated walking in to issues cold. He always had his deliveries running like clockwork; it was all about diligent scheduling. He would get to the bottom of this screw-up and determine who was responsible.

Renovations were in full swing when Camp arrived at the site. Dumping his bag in his suite, he could make out Jenny’s voice. God, that warm and rich voice as comforting to him as coffee with cream, he’d never tire of listening to it. They’d been leaving the connecting double doors open between the suites. Occasionally, she would sing, particularly, he noted, when she was closely focused on something. He delighted in the deep creamy and throaty rasp that carried her velvety voice through the airwaves.

Currently she was in the next room explaining to the tiler the star-shaped grid pattern she wanted for the bathrooms.

John, the project manager, walked into Camp’s suite just moments after he’d arrived.

“Camp, take a look at this.”

“What is it?”

John handed him a form. The earth-moving equipment that would be needed for the outdoor pool and garden area was here now. The only problem was, the crew wasn’t due until next week and an extra week’s rental on at least forty heavy trucks and machines totaled in the hundreds of thousands.

“It’s a week early. Who authorized this delivery?”

John slapped another piece of paper on top of the one in his hands. “Not sure; it’s illegible.”

The signature was illegible, but Camp had come to recognize it. Jenny had accepted delivery of the equipment. What the hell was she doing making decisions like that without contacting him first and why the fuck was she involved at all with equipment orders? His blood boiled. He bellowed, “Jenny, get your ass in here now!”

Jenny walked through the attached doors. “I don’t appreciate being summoned by an expletive, if you don’t mind.”

“Do you want to explain this?” He held the invoice in front of her face.

Jenny took the paperwork from his hands. “Oh, you weren’t here and they needed to deliver their equipment, but they wouldn’t without a signature, so I signed for you.”

Camp inhaled deeply, willing himself not to yell. The quick pep talk didn’t work.

“Do you know what your mistake is going to cost me?” Jenny’s lips tightened and her hands balled into fists. “I’ll just take it out of your budget, what do you say? Should be about two hundred thousand. You can say goodbye to your stupid entry fountain and ridiculously oversized lobby fireplace that won’t ever even be lit in southeast fucking Louisiana!” His nose was centimeters from hers.

Face red, she pressed even closer. She pushed at him with what seemed to be all her might and managed to move him only a couple of inches. Then she stabbed a finger into his chest, and her eyes narrowed to tiny slits as she placed her free hand on her hip. “You’re the one who dropped the fucking ball. Had you been here tending to your shit, I wouldn’t have had to take care of it for you.”

Clay must have heard the commotion because he’d entered the room. Stepping close, but not quite between them, he said, “Guys?”

In unison they replied, “Stay out of it, Clay.”

Clay threw his hands in the air and backed out slowly, leaving them to have at one another. Camp caught the smirk on his face, but he simply channeled that ire into his anger at Jenny. Everyone else vacated the area, slamming both his outer door and hers. The echoes sounded loud in the suddenly quiet suites.

“You should’ve called before you signed. Better yet, you should stick to what it is you think you know. Decorating.”

Jenny’s shoulders squared off, and she yelled, “The word is
designing
.”

“Whatever. I’m taking this money out of your budget.” He moved to the table where all his paperwork was organized to perfection. He pulled the budget for
decorations
. “Let’s see what we have here.” He picked up a pen and scanned the budget. “Ah yes, here it is—one ridiculous big-ass fireplace.” He drew a thick line across it with the pen. “Done!”

“You’re a fucking lunatic!” Jenny screamed. “You’re so inconsistent. Just last week you were hollering at me for
not
accepting delivery of sheet piling.”

Camp bent over to put himself on her level. He shouted, “That’s because I fucking told you to sign for the sheet piling.”

Jenny violently shook her head. “No, you said to sign for the pool and garden deliveries. What the hell does sheet piling have to do with pool and garden? Earth-moving equipment I know is necessary, so I signed this time and you still aren’t happy. You’re fire and ice, hot one minute and cold the next. I never know where I stand with you.”

Camp howled and raised his arms, surrendering. “You’re fucking useless!”

Jenny’s thick lips thinned and her eyes narrowed to laser fine points he was sure she was using to induce an aneurism in his brain. She abruptly lunged forward and cleared the contents of his makeshift desk in one quick swipe. His organized papers landed in a jumbled heap on the floor.

His blood boiled up and over. He actually felt it push beyond his limits. Fire and ice? Fuck ice, he was all fire, and he’d incinerate them both if she couldn’t put it out in time. In a standoff, they faced each other from opposite sides of the table. Together they dove for each other, meeting in the middle and crashing onto the worktop in a tangle of roaming lips, fingers, hands, tongues, and teeth. Camp yelled, “Fuck!” His hands were under her shirt. She pulled at his until she had it off and threw it down to join the papers on the floor. He squeezed at her breast hard, and she bit down fiercely into the soft tissue of his bottom lip. He ripped her shirt open with one hand and buttons went flying. He had her by the hair, and he closed a bunch in his fist until she cried out. He pulled her off of the table with him until they were on the floor. Jenny took his nipple between her teeth and bit hard.

“Dammit!”

They rolled and then both jumped up, gaping at each other as their chests rose and fell from their exertions. She took her time taking in his naked chest. His pants had slipped low during their rumble and now they rested at his pelvic bone. Her eyes were fixed on his pubic area as she panted, her mouth open slightly. He had an unobstructed view of her breasts and saw when her breathing hitched and became short, labored rasps. Her tongue darted out and traced her lips as her gaze narrowed in on his erect cock, and she’d yet to blink or move, just unabashedly stared, like an animal, like a feral seductress who wanted to devour him.

She stood there with her ripped shirt hanging from her body, making no move to cover herself. Her nipples were so hard they could cut metal. And then she moaned. The sound was low and soft, but he heard it, and his cock jumped in her direction.

She ran to him and jumped into his arms, fastening her legs around his waist. She groaned as she took his mouth. She plunged her tongue in deep and he sucked it, tasting her. They were a tangle of teeth, tongues, and lips as they consumed one another. She reached between them and grasped his erection. She first tightened her fingers and then she slid her loose fist down his length. His cock jumped. God, she was measuring him. She was actually checking out his length and thickness. Their kiss broke apart when she gasped as she appreciated his size. Her eyes grew wide. Camp smiled at her provocatively, and she responded with a sultry smile of her own.

She cleared her throat and slid down Camp’s body. She pulled away and clasped her shirt together, closing her eyes, taking a deep breath and exhaling on a sigh. When her eyes opened, they were slow burning embers. She turned and started to walk away. Not a chance in hell! He gripped her hips from behind and snaked his hand up her torso, pushing her back against his naked chest, and fondled her breasts. Never loosening his hold, he walked her to the table and forced her down on it. Reaching his hands around her waist, he unbuttoned her pants and slid them down her legs. When they fell to her ankles, Jenny kicked them off. Her shoes had been lost somewhere in their battle.

Camp’s cock tightened at the sight of her ass in a black lace thong. She had the sexiest ass he’d ever seen. It was firm, ripe, and juicy. He hooked his thumbs into the thong and slid it off. He watched her lower her chest to the table, effectively lifting her ass and exposing the lips of her sex to his gaze. She arched her back even more when she got into position, and all he could do was watch her suggestive movements. He was frozen in place; she had him entranced. She turned her head over her shoulder and made eye contact with him, and then she moved one leg to emphasize her offering. He knew he would look back on this moment his entire life as the single most erotic thing that had ever happened to him. He let out a snarl and planted his hands on her luscious ass cheeks and spread her open so he could see all of her. She pushed back while he had her spread and rubbed herself on his still-clothed dick.

She whispered, “Do you like what you see?”

He would have to be deranged not to. “Yeah,” was all he could manage between rapid breaths.

“Do you want me?”

Again, deranged not to. “Yeah.”

“Well, take your pants off and fuck me.”

A tortured sound was ripped from his throat. He was out of his pants in an instant. He wanted to taste her so bad, his mouth was filling with saliva. So he spread her again and licked the length of her seam. Using his thumbs he opened her even more, exposing her pink center. He licked her glistening core and pushed his tongue into her warmth. He felt her fingers come up to massage her clit. He licked her fingers too.

“Mmm.”

She moaned, raspy and deep, as he pushed into her deeper with his tongue. He pulled back and slid his wide tongue over all of her and pulsed there while she massaged her clit.

“God, Camp. Mmm… I want to come on your tongue.”

She was moaning and talking dirty, and he loved her for that. She was completely uninhibited. He’d never met a woman like her.

After he lapped up every drop of her cream and he couldn’t take it any longer, he fisted his erection at the base and lined it up with her entrance, of which he had a front row view. He pushed in slowly, and she gasped and whimpered. He released the remainder of his length from his fist and pushed into her all the way to the root.

“God, yes.” She rocked him gently.

Using her hips, he pushed her forward and pulled her back onto his cock while he simultaneously thrust. Once she was fully seated, he released her, grasped her shoulders and found a hard rhythm that he sensed she wanted and knew he did. Using the grip he had on her, he pulled her down and pumped into her vigorously—so vigorously the table was bumping against the wall to their rhythm.

She reached through her thighs and massaged his balls while she breathlessly whispered, “I’m going to come.”

His stomach was in knots hearing her talk like that. Her words took his breath away, and he knew he hadn’t been doing a good job of responding in kind.

“Give it to me, baby,” he said low and raspy as he pumped at a steady pace.

She released a guttural sound, and her body shuddered beneath him. Her contractions tightened the inner walls that gripped his penis, and he exploded into her. He came with vigor and when he pulled out, ropes of his come dripped down her thighs. He grunted at the sight that had him instantly hardening again. He placed his hand to her lower back and said, “Wait here.”

He padded into the bathroom, turned on the faucet, and lifted a towel from the rack, then moistened it while staring at himself in the mirror. He had a sliced lip, dried blood on one nipple, and scratches on his shoulders and neck. “Damn.” They had gone at each other like they were at war. Part of it could be attributed to their frustrations with one another regarding the building of the casino, but he sensed there was another catalyst surrounding her behavior. He wanted to know everything about her and thought maybe she’d share room service with him and sleep in his bed so he could hold her while she confided in him. He also thought she should know why he’d been frustrated with his life before he met her. He’d recently dealt with his problems head on—had she confronted hers? He knew he was making assumptions but he sensed she was dealing with a few issues of her own, given her aggressiveness.

He returned to her waiting body. He put the cool cloth beneath her thighs and wiped gingerly. She gasped at his touch. When he had her cleaned, he pulled her up from the table using her upper arms. He turned her to face him. Her ivory skin showed his handprints where he’d grasped at her breasts.

“Uh, we went at it rough. Are you okay?” He raised a brow at her.

She let out a hollow laugh. “Please, Camp, don’t get all sentimental now. I can take a little rough fucking every now and then.”

Dumbfounded, he frowned. That wasn’t the reaction he’d been expecting. He’d thought their connection was a game changer. “So you’ve done this before then?”

Her brow furrowed as she studied him. “Sex? Well, yeah, I am twenty-seven years old.”