Operation: Tempt Me (28 page)

“Greg? Do me
a favor?” she asked, when Greg walked up with a smile on his face for the first
time since she’d known him. “I need you to take a picture of me using my
phone.”

“Sure thing.”
He snapped the pic and handed her back the cell phone.

“Glad you
could make it tonight, Greg,” Cambrie said, pleased that he looked like a real
teenager for once instead of a scared kid.

“I’d like you
to meet my mom, Miss Brasher. Mom,” he yelled to a woman behind him. “Mom, this
is Miss Brasher, the librarian I told you about.”

“She doesn’t
look like a librarian tonight, dear. I love your costume, Miss Brasher. It’s so
nice to finally meet the woman who inspired my Greg to read so much.”

Or rather,
escape his father’s wrath. “It’s a pleasure to meet you as well,” Cambrie
began, but a man in a pirate costume caught her eye before disappearing into
the crowd. Jeesh, she missed Miller so much now she was having hallucinations
of him. “You have a great son. He’s been a fantastic help to me not only with
the military program, but also with anything I need assistance with here at the
library. He definitely takes after his mom.”

The woman beamed
like the sun shown on her. “I’m having a great time. So many faces I haven’t
seen in ages. You enjoy your night, Miss Brasher.” She wandered off toward the
dessert table and a small group of ladies from the bridge group.

“You too.”
Where did that pirate go? She just wanted another glimpse to prove to herself
that it wasn’t Miller. And to prove she was finally losing her mind. “Greg, you
keep having fun.”

The boy went
back to his friends. Cambrie texted the pic Greg took to Miller and shoved the
phone back into the pocket of her shorts.

Many people
stopped Cambrie and lifted her spirits with their compliments of the party and
her efforts to support the troops.

A tap on her
shoulder had her turning to face the mystery man. Thank God she wasn’t holding
any punch or it would’ve fallen from her hands.

“Miller? Is
it really you?” she asked, her heart pounding as she studied the man behind the
bandana and mask.

“You tell
me,” he said, gripped her waist and hauled her into his tight embrace. His lips
landed on hers, the kiss demanding. Without caring that she was at a party
surrounded by the folks of Maddyville, Cambrie sank into the kiss, opening her
mouth to allow his tongue to sweep in and steal her heat, her fingers raking
through his short hair.

When he broke
the connection, but held her close, she stared at him. “Yes, it’s really you,
Miller. I’d recognize those lips anywhere,” she said, running her finger along
his jaw and over his lips.

His smile
matched hers as she leaped into his arms and clung to his neck, reveling in his
strong embrace. “God, you feel so fucking good, baby.” He placed her down after
a few minutes. “And you look sexy as all hell, my little mermaid.”

Cambrie
modeled her emerald green costume, twirling in the shiny shorts that flared at
the edges like a mermaid’s tail and still allowed her to walk. Her silky top
was sexy but conservative enough for the library, a short sleeved sequined
blouse that resembled scales. “You like it? I thought it was a no-brainer to
dress as a mermaid for a costume party.”

“Like it?
Baby, I’m blown away by the image of you as a mermaid. One look from across the
room when I arrived and I couldn’t breathe. It was like seeing you in my dreams
again.”

“I thought
that was you. I just lost you in the crowd.” Her heart thudded hard against her
breasts.

“I promise
you’re not losing me tonight, baby.”

“Will you
dance with me, Miller? I’ve been jealous all night of the couples on the dance
floor. The offers I had weren’t appealing.”

“Lead the
way,” he said, and they found a cozy spot on the edge of the make-shift dance
floor and rocked slowly in each other’s arms. “Good thing you turned the
bastards down, I would’ve hurt someone if I’d walked in and found you dancing
in another man’s arms.”

“Stop it.”
She slapped at his chest.

“Dead I’m
telling you. They’d be dead,” he said, but without a lot of heat. The spark of
jealousy made her feel even sexier.

The heat
emanating from his body warmed her in every private place she possessed. Her
body wishing his was naked and making love to her.

“You must
have paid attention when I emailed you about the party because you’re here.”

“Always,” he
said, pressing his body into hers. “Even if it doesn’t seem like I’m listening,
believe me…I hear everything.”

“This is the
best surprise ever,” Cambrie said, shaking her butt to the music while holding
his hands. “You should’ve told me you were coming.”

“I like
surprises. I can stay until tomorrow early afternoon, baby. Sorry. Wish it
could be longer but there’s a lot of shit going on at work that needs taking
care of. But I should be in the States for a bit. Who knows? At least we’ll be
able to talk.”

She didn’t
want to think of him leaving when he just got here. Again! “Then shake what
your mama gave you and let’s tear up the dance floor.”

He laughed.
“Darling, you keep shaking that hot ass of yours and the only tearing I’ll be
doing is at our clothes to get us naked.”

“Now,
wouldn’t that make this a party to remember?” she teased, her heart overflowing
with joy.

“Smart ass,”
he said, and leaned closer to her ear. “Remind me to spank you later for that.”

“I plan to.”

****

Being the
hostess meant Cambrie had to stay until the last guest left. The Teen Readers
Group promised to come in the next day and clean up any remnants of the party
but, for the most part, people were careful to keep the library clean. Cambrie
didn’t want the night to end now that she had partied for hours with Miller.

“Who would’ve
guessed that a bad ass Navy SEAL could dance up a storm? You looked pretty darn
sexy out there on the dance floor, Miller. I think quite a few ladies had to
fan themselves, and it’s fifty degrees out!”

Miller shut
the library’s heavy wooden front doors and inserted the key that Cambrie handed
him. Once he shook them to double check that they were locked, he grabbed
Cambrie’s hand and walked her down the front steps to his truck.

“I learned a
thing of two about dancing after being stationed in Rio years ago. Very wild
city.” He opened the truck door and she stepped up into the cab. “We’ll come
back for your car tomorrow, Cam.”

Without
waiting for a reply, he shut her door and took giant steps to his side and
climbed in.

“Wow, you’re
getting to know your way around these parts pretty good,” Cambrie complimented,
as he sped off toward her house without any prompting or directions.

“All part of
my training, my dear. I’ve been taught to navigate third world countries with
nothing more than a compass and a map. Getting around a quaint town like
Maddyville ain’t no problem. Hell, y’all have signs marked so well it’s
impossible not to know where you’re going.” He dragged her hand to his mouth
where his lips smooched over her knuckles. “Besides, I don’t want to waste any
time getting home. If I had to watch you wiggle that ass one more time tonight
without being able to bury my cock in you then I’d probably kidnap you for some
privacy.”

His sexy talk
drenched her in goose bumps. How could she not squirm when he hinted at how he
wanted her? “I’ve missed you, Miller.”

If she could
chew her tongue off she would. Why the hell did she blurt that out now? The
mood was light and fun. Why layer it with heavy and deep emotions? Ugh!

“Ditto. I
only broke two laptops, though, while waiting to get back to you.”

“What? How?”

He shrugged
as he turned the corner to park in her driveway. “Got tired of the fucking
Internet bouncing me off every time I needed to talk to you.”

Needed to
talk to you.
Could he have missed her as much as she did him?

“Cade, one of
my buddies on my team, said I didn’t know my own strength and then busted my balls
when my best friend, Chance, ratted me out that it was over a woman.”

Oh, man this
was getting heavy. Hot sex first then heavy emotional talking.

“I hope you
don’t mind that I played with my toys while you were gone. I tried to web cam
you, but it failed to connect. Oh, it was so kinky to sit in front of my laptop
hoping you’d get a connection and see me manipulating my pussy with the
vibrator.” She squeezed her legs together as best she could in the sitting
position but still a heavy ache developed deep within the muscles of her pussy.

Miller killed
the ignition and practically growled. “Stop or I warn you, you’ll be naked
before you reach the porch, baby. And I don’t give a damn who watches.”

She quickly
exited the truck while he waited for her to come around to his side where he
took her hand and walked side by side.

“God, I’m
blistering your ass for this hard-on,” he complained and adjusted the front of
his jeans. “Can’t even walk.”

She stifled a
laugh and walked to her front door, keys in hand. “Don’t worry, Miller,
sweetie. I plan to show you in person what you missed.” Her feet felt like they
floated on air.

Inside, he
tossed his jacket aside and had barely shut the door when he had lifted her to
straddle her legs around his waist. His mouth landed hard on hers, branding her
with a fiery tongue whipping inside her mouth. She matched his power, unable to
fight the growing need within her to devour every inch of him. His fingers dug
into her sides as she felt the room moving. When a soft cushion hit her back,
she broke the kiss to find he had laid her on the couch.

“Beautiful.
Fucking beautiful,” he said, his desire plain even in the dimly lit room. Only
the small desktop lamp illuminated their bodies. “Just want to remember you in
this costume forever. My mermaid,” he whispered, the corners of his mouth
lifting in a smile.

Her hand slid
under his shirtsleeve on his upper arm and captured his tattoo beneath her palm
and caressed the decorated skin. “I was with you, Miller.”

“Absolutely,
baby. And not just on my arm.”

The reality
that sprang forward with his admission had her trembling, not out of fear but
out of concern. The last thing she wanted was to be a distraction while he
worked. If he ever took a bullet, or worse, because he had been preoccupied with
thoughts of her then she’d never forgive herself.

She stared at
the sharp angles of his handsome face and smiled. No, Miller would never let a
distraction keep him from performing his best on the job. He was too good a
SEAL to do that. It was evident in how organized he was with his time, how
controlled he was with his emotions and temperament, and how dedicated he was
with any endeavor he took on.

Bracing her
wrists above her head with one hand, Miller unbuttoned her blouse, sliding his
hand under the silky fabric to melt over her breasts. Oh, God how she had
yearned for his touch all of these lonely nights. Now that she had it, she
didn’t want it to stop. She prayed for time to stand still.

“Touch me
everywhere. Miller, I need to feel your touch.” She didn’t care if she
whimpered. All she cared about was Miller’s closeness.

With
devastating slowness, he undressed her until she lay naked on her couch. He had
only pulled his shirt off and straddled his half naked body over hers.

“I had a
dream of you while I was away, Cambrie,” he whispered into her ear, his hot
breath tickling the sensitive skin along her neck.

“Dreaming of
mermaids again, were you?”

“No. Only of
you.” He hovered nose to nose with her, his gaze glued to hers. The closeness
shared a glimmer of heat deep in those brown depths, but it was the
vulnerability she saw shadowed in the depths that stunned her. “Let me show you
how my dream was, Cambrie. I promise wild and crazy for later. But first let me
show you how I dreamt of us making love on this couch with the moonlight
streaming through the windows.”

“Miller.” Her
strangled voice came out in a hushed tone.

“Sshh. I’m
right here, Cambrie, baby. Give yourself to me. Let me love you like you
deserve.” He kissed her lips. “Let.” Kissed her jaw. “Me.” Kissed her cheek.
“Love.” He kissed her ear lobe. “You.”

A shiver so
strong ran through her, that his hand holding her wrists above her head
tightened its grip.

“I broke
speeding laws to get to this moment, Cam.” The admission weighed heavily with
emotion so raw she felt like she had been elevated on a pedestal, cherished
beyond measure.

God, was that
the most romantic thing she had ever heard? The man was all about upholding
laws and here he went and broke them to get to her. She never wanted tonight to
end. Living in this moment forever would be just fine with her.

The hand on
her breast squeezed, caressing the heated flesh. With his fingers, he tweaked
the nipple, rubbing his thumb over it until flames shot down to her pussy. He
worked her body into a frenzy of fire, sparks igniting under her skin where the
roughness of his fingers roamed.