Falling Fast, Contemporary Romance (Last Frontier Lodge Novels Book 4) (24 page)

Garrett threw his head back with a laugh. “Aw, come on. Are we quitting that soon?”

Cam grinned and nodded. “Hey, you got two games out of us. Take what you can get.”

He and Ginger were at the lodge for dinner and their usual gathering with friends. He glanced over to see Ginger at the corner booth by the kitchen, deep in conversation with Marley and Delia. Her dark hair fell in tousled waves around her shoulders and her hands were moving animatedly as she spoke. His heart clenched and a sense of warmth stole through him. He and Ginger had married a few months ago, almost precisely a year after she’d landed at his feet in the snow. She’d wanted a small, intimate wedding, which was perfectly fine with Cam. All he wanted was to be with Ginger.

Gage and Garrett were bantering about something. Cam stood up and walked over to Ginger, sliding into the booth beside her. He slipped his arm around her waist and dipped his head to drop a kiss at that sweet spot he loved—where her neck curved to meet her shoulder, a place where her skin was always soft. When he lifted his head, he saw her pulse fluttering in her neck. Her cheeks were flushed, and her blue eyes were dark. She took a breath and let it out in a soft huff.

Marley chuckled softly. “Well, we don’t need to wonder if you’re still gaga over Ginger,” she said wryly.

Cam shrugged, entirely unabashed. He didn’t care who knew it. He was more than gaga over Ginger. She held his heart in her hands. The heat between them blazed so hot and fast, he couldn’t imagine it ever waning. He felt the rise and fall of Ginger’s breath when she gulped in air. She glanced up at him, appearing to have gathered herself.

Her eyes bounced from him to Marley and back again. “Cam likes public displays of affection. No matter how many times I tell him a little privacy isn’t a bad thing.”
 

He was surprised she didn’t wag her finger at him. He gave her hip a squeeze and leaned back against the booth. “Garrett won twice, so we’re done with poker for the night.”

Delia rolled her eyes. “Oh God. He’ll brag about it later. He loves beating Gage at cards. Says it’s because he used to lose all the time when they were growing up.”

Conversation carried on around him while Cam soaked in the moment. He was with the woman he loved who he happened upon in one of the most beautiful places in the world. He’d found far more than he’d ever have hoped for when he came to Last Frontier Lodge. He’d been able to find the peace he sought after his brother’s death, he’d found a love he hadn’t expected, and he’d found a home and community.

A balled up napkin bounced again his shoulder. “What the…?” he began to ask when his eyes landed on Garrett who was approaching them.

Garrett grinned. “You were spacing out. Just making sure you’re still with us.”

Cam shook his head and tossed the napkin back at Garrett. A while later, he and Ginger walked out of the lodge into the winter darkness. He paused at the foot of the stairs and looked ahead. The night sky stretched out in front of them, the stars glittering bright in the cold night air. A half moon was high above the mountains across the bay, its light shimmering on the water below. He glanced down at Ginger just when she looked up. His heart clenched and that familiar longing rolled through him. He dipped his head to drop a kiss on her lips.

***

Ginger woke with the warmth of the sun on her face. She opened her eyes and looked out the windows by the bed. The sun had just crested behind the mountains. Its light struck sparks on the surface of the bay. Cam was spooned behind her, his palm resting on her abdomen. She closed her eyes for another moment and savored his warm embrace. For the first few months after they were really together, she’d struggled with doubts and worried the rightness she felt with him would fade and surely he would come to his senses and politely depart her life. He most emphatically hadn’t, and she’d finally eased into the comfort she felt with him.

She took a deep breath and opened her eyes again. His hand shifted and slid over the curve of her hip. She felt his muscles tighten into a shivering stretch before he relaxed against her. “Good morning,” he said, his voice husky with sleep. His words were muffled against her hair.

She rolled over in his arms and grinned when he opened his eyes. He was an early riser, but tended to be half-awake until he had at least one cup of coffee in him. “Good morning,” she replied, running a hand through his ruffled hair. “Coffee and pancakes?”

Not much later, they were seated on the couch in the living room. Two empty plates sat on the coffee table, and Cam was nursing his second cup of coffee. George hopped onto the coffee table and sniffed curiously at the plates before bouncing off the far side of the table and onto the windowsill.

“What are we doing today?” Cam asked. He held his coffee in one hand while his other arm was stretched across the back of the couch with his hand idly sifting through her hair.

She looked out the window. The sunny morning had blown away with wind and heavy, gray clouds. Snow was on the way. She looked back at Cam. “Let’s make a grocery run and come home. It looks like a storm is coming. I’d like to be settled in front of the fire before that happens.”

“Sounds good.”

Later that evening, the snow was blowing wild in the wind. The power had gone out hours ago. The room was lit by the glow of candles. Ginger leaned back with a grin when Cam played a winning hand. He’d stopped letting her win every card game a while ago. They kept a tally, and each week whoever lost the most games had to cook the other one dinner. She was definitely on track to make dinner next. She gathered the cards and set them on the coffee table before closing the distance between them and climbing on Cam’s lap.

“Are we sleeping down here tonight?” she asked.

His lips were so close, she could feel them move when he answered. “Unless we want to freeze upstairs.” With that, he caught her lips in a kiss.

~The End~

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Please enjoy the following excerpt from
Stay With Me
, the next book in the Last Frontier Lodge Series!

(Excerpt from
STAY WITH ME
by J.H. Croix; all rights reserved)

Chapter 1

Jessa Hamilton stared at the photo in her hand and swallowed against the tightness in her throat. She kept pulling this photo out and looking at it, as if she looked enough it would change. Yet, it never did. Walls blackened with smoke, charred furniture and nothing else recognizable. Only she knew the shape of the room and what had been contained within its walls. Hot tears pressed against the back of her eyes, and she took a gulp of air. Her name was called, and she quickly slipped the photo in her purse and stood. She walked up to the small pick-up counter and grabbed the coffee with her name on it. Once she sat back down at her table, she took a sip and glanced out the windows. The view here was simply breathtaking—a picturesque bay sparkled under the sun with mountains rising tall on the far side. A glacier lay in a valley between two peaks, glowing translucent blue and almost mesmerizing her. The sheer beauty took her mind off the reasons behind her visit.

After a few more minutes of coffee and soaking in the view, Jessa felt able to drive the last leg of her journey. She slung her purse over her shoulder and walked outside, her coffee cup warm in her hand. It was early spring in Diamond Creek, Alaska and the air had a definite chill to it. Her small blue truck was waiting for her. She climbed in and sighed. Right now, this truck was the closest thing she had to a home. It held everything she owned, which at this point was the clothes she wore, a small bag of clothing, and a toolbox that contained her beloved paintbrushes and art supplies. She ran her good hand over the dashboard and gave it a loving pat. “Okay Blue, we’ve got about fifteen more minutes and then you can take a break for a while.”

She started the engine and put the truck in gear. She had to maneuver carefully with her left hand, which had been injured in the same fire that burned up the apartment she left behind. With a quick glance behind her, she started to back up when she felt a thump. She whipped her head further back and saw a black truck to the far corner of her line of sight. “Oh hell. Really? Did I really just back into someone?” she asked no one, unless she could count Blue as a conversation partner. She took a deep breath and rolled the truck forward before putting it back in park. Another deep breath and she climbed out, prepared to face the music of an irate driver. She prayed she’d left nothing more than a small dent in the other truck.

When she walked to the back of her truck, she saw a man leaning against the corner of the black truck and immediately lost the ability to breathe. The man in question had dark brown hair and green eyes that locked onto her the moment she looked up at him. He wore a denim jacket over a navy blue t-shirt and faded jeans that were so worn the soft fabric molded over his muscled thighs. A pair of scuffed brown leather boots completed the ensemble. His shoulders filled out his jacket, and she caught a glimpse of his muscled chest and abs in the gap where his jacket hung open. His thumb was hooked in a pocket. Her brain fuzzed and her pulse galloped. Her lungs suddenly took over and she managed to gulp in some air.

“Hi, um, I think I backed into you. I’m really sorry. I thought I looked, but I obviously didn’t look enough. Is there any damage? Let me get my insurance card and…”

The man pushed away from the truck, shaking his head. “No need. Your bumper took the hit,” he said, gesturing to Blue’s rear bumper. “My bumper’s so beat up, I probably wouldn’t have noticed anyway.”

Her eyes seemed stuck. She just stood there and stared at him. When he arched a brow in question, she finally managed to tear her eyes away and look at her bumper. The corner of Blue’s rear bumper bore a round dent. The knot of tension in her chest loosened slightly. She’d been carrying the little ball of tension for so many weeks now, she was used to it. Any easing of it was a pleasant surprise. She took a breath and looked back at the man, her pulse rocketing again when she met his green gaze.

“Well, that’s not too bad. Blue can live with it,” she said, gently patting the bumper.

“Blue?”

“My truck. Her name is Blue,” she offered in explanation.

“If that’s how you name trucks, I guess I should be calling mine Dusty,” he said with a chuckle.

His eyes glanced from her truck to her. “You from Washington?”

“Good guess.”

“Not a guess. Your license plate.”

“Oh, right.” She couldn’t seem to think of what else to say, not when this way-too-sexy man had her tongue tied and her thoughts fuzzy.

“If you’re planning to get that dent banged out, my friend has a mechanic shop just down the street.”

Normally, she would want to get the dent taken care of, but normally she wasn’t flat broke. She shrugged. “I’m not sure when I’ll have a chance to do that. I’ll be in town for a bit.”

He nodded slowly. “Well, if you decide to get it fixed, Dan does good work. Can’t miss it. It’s the shop down the road, says Auto Shop outside.”

“Just Auto Shop?”

“Yup. Dan keeps it simple. What brings you to Diamond Creek? Long drive from Washington. Well, long drive from just about anywhere outside of Alaska.”

Jessa was doing her damnedest to get her pulse under control, but her pulse appeared to have a mind of its own. Aside from the fact that she couldn’t seem to think clearly around this man, the last thing she wanted was to think about what brought her to Alaska. She took an unsteady breath and called upon her manners.

“I’m here visiting family for a bit.”

“You have family here?”

“My brother, Gage Hamilton, runs Last Frontier Lodge. My other brother, Garrett, moved up here last year. He’s married to Delia. I think her maiden name was Peters.”

“I’ve only met your brothers a few times, but everyone in Diamond Creek is damn happy about the lodge being open again. I’ve been up there a few times to ski myself.” His green eyes crinkled at the corners. “Suppose I should introduce myself. I’m Eli Brooks.” He held a hand out.

Her arm moved of its own accord, lifting and placing her hand in his. His palm engulfed hers, the calloused surface and warmth sending shivers followed by heat rushing through her. Once her hand was in his, she froze again. After a long moment, too long to be polite, he slowly loosened his grip and released her palm. Another few beats passed when he spoke again.

“Don’t suppose you’ll tell me your name?”

Her cheeks heated. “Oh, oh, right. Jessa Hamilton.” Right about now, she wouldn’t have minded if a hole opened up in the ground. Cliché or not, she would have liked somewhere to fall in and hide. Eli was doing nothing other than being polite, and she could barely hold a conversation with him.

“Nice to meet you, Jessa,” Eli replied with a slow smile. “If you’re here for a bit, I’ll probably see you around. Diamond Creek’s pretty small.”

Her belly fluttered and her heart gave a little kick. What the hell was going on with her? She’d backed into Eli’s truck and was all but drooling on him. She realized she was about to enter into another long moment where she should say something. That’s how conversation worked. One person said something, the other person listened and formulated a reply. If this were a game of tennis, she would have definitely lost with the tennis ball flying by her each time. She gathered her scrambled thoughts and forced herself to speak.

“Nice to meet you too. I’m sorry about bumping into your truck. It’s been a long few days of driving. I’m glad your truck’s okay.”

Eli grinned. “No problem. Like I said, even if you had dented my bumper, it would have been joining a club.” He stepped away and opened his truck door. “See you around,” he said with a quick wave.

She watched while he drove away. A gust of wind blasted from the direction of the bay just across the street, blowing her hair wild.

***