Chapter 24

Samantha

I cover my face withmy hands. “Ugh! I shouldn’t have told you.”

It took all of ten minutes for Aubrey to determine Cameron and I had slept together. I’m still not sure how she figured it out, but I’m sure it has something to do with her being pregnant. The fact that Aubrey was currently craving both spicy foods and peanut butter, dictated our lunch of Thai peanut chicken and the peanut butter pie I brought for dessert. After lunch we make our way into the living room to talk before having dessert.

She kicks her feet up on the coffee table and takes a sip of her lemonade. “You absolutely should have, and now I want details.”

I scoff as I sit on the opposite end of the couch. “Nope, not going to happen.”

She whines making a face and it only makes me laugh. “Samantha. You’ve got to give me something.”

I sigh, exasperated by her needling. “Fine. He was a complete gentleman. He offered to take me home after dinner and I counteroffered to stay over.”

Aubrey gasps. “You hussy!”

I throw a pillow at her making her cackle. “You’re the one who wanted details.”

“Yes, but you’re leaving them out,” she laughs and throws the pillow back in my direction. “I want to know how the sex was.”

I hug the pillow to my chest and practically swoon. “It was amazing. I mean, I know it’s been a while, but…”

Aubrey squeals and claps her hands. “Eeepp, I’m so happy for you!”

“Of course, the next morning I was mortified thinking Craig may have heard us.”

Aubrey waves a dismissive hand. “You don’t have to worry about Craig. He’d never embarrass you if he did.”

I smile softly remembering how he tried to alleviate my fears. “Cameron said the same thing.”

She laughs and shakes her head. “When Kenny and Craig drove up to Cincy to move me here, it’d been six weeks since I’d last seen Kenny. Craig was going to stay in the guest room, but Kenny tried to get him to sleep on the couch so we wouldn’t have to be quiet.”

A giggle escapes me as my eyes widen. “What did you say?”

Aubrey’s smile is wide as remembers. “After I slammed my elbow into Kenny’s stomach, I insisted Craig sleep in the guest room. Luckily, it wasn’t the first time I’d met Craig so I knew he and Kenny teased each other whenever they could.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. I’d known the Hutchinson’s all my life, so I knew the cousins were more like brothers. “They’ve always been that way. I think I envied them a little growing up because they were so close.”

Aubrey cocks her head to the side as she looks at me. “You weren’t close to your sisters?”

I fidget with my fingers, avoiding her gaze as I shake my head. “They were both older than me. Beth was already in college by the time I went to high school and Christine was a senior. We’re much closer now though.”

Aubrey reaches over and squeezes my hand. “Well, that explains why we get along so well.”

I smile and squeeze her hand. “I guess it does.” The screen door opens and both of us turn our attention to the kitchen waiting to see who has arrived. I feel butterflies take flight in my belly and I know before seeing him it’s Cameron.

His eyes lock on mine as a grin tips his lips, I feel a blush creep onto my cheeks as I smile back at him. Aubrey’s voice is full of amusement as she speaks. “Hi, Cam. Did you need something?”

He drags his gaze from me and glances over at Aubrey. “Uh, yeah. Kenny wanted me to let you to know we were back. We’re going to saddle up and ride out to check on the cows.”

“Thanks for letting me know.” Aubrey’s eyes dance between us, then she grins and tips her head toward me while speaking to Cameron. “Give your girl a kiss and get on out of here big guy.”

Cameron chuckles as he approaches me. He leans down placing one hand on the arm of the couch and the other on my hip. “Hey. Will you be here when I get back?”

I bring my hand to his cheek, as my eyes take in his handsome face. “If you want me to be, I will.”

“Yeah, I do,” he says before his lips meet mine for a lingering kiss. He pulls away, leaving me near breathless and wanting more. “See you in a bit.” He leans back in for another quick peck before rising to his full height and heading for the door. “See ya, Aubrey.”

“Bye, Cam.” Aubrey waits until the screen door closes before speaking to me. The second it does, she maneuvers herself around to face me. “Sweet mercy that was the hottest thing I’ve witnessed since the last time you two were in a room together. How are you two keeping your hands off each other?”

My face flames bright red. “In case you didn’t notice, we don’t. He’s either holding my hand or has his arm around me whenever we’re together.”

Aubrey studies me for a moment. “Does it bother you?”

I ponder her question. Sometimes I forget Aubrey’s parents are both therapists and she’s a skilled attorney. Analyzing people and situations is in her DNA. But sitting here on her couch, I know she’s just being a good friend and looking out for my well-being.

I shake my head. “No, not at all. Cameron makes me feel cherished and desired.”

“Didn’t you feel that way with Alan?”

I sigh as I try to explain. “I did, but it was different with Alan. We connected instantly and we were friends before we started dating, it was almost like we followed the natural order of things without possessing a true passion for each other. I’m not saying my time with Alan was bad by any means, don’t get me wrong. I loved him. But with Cameron I felt this electricity the second he touched me. We have a completely different connection. When we’re together it’s as if it takes both of us to breathe, I inhale, and he exhales.” I shake my head and wave my hands. “I’m sorry, I’m sure I’m not making any sense.”

“Don’t apologize, you’re making perfect sense. I felt the same connection to Kenny when I met him. Looking back, I don’t think I ever felt the same way with anyone else I dated. What’s that saying, love is not finding someone to live with, it’s finding someone you can’t live without. I love the breathing analogy, by the way. Maybe that’s when you know it’s real.”

I smile, thankful Aubrey seems to understand my rambling. “Yeah, maybe it is.”

Aubrey gasps as she teases. “Either that or the Hutchinson boys are casting Voodoo spells on their women.”

I throw my head back and laugh. “I’m sure that’s totally it!”

The restof the afternoon passes quickly, and before we know it, the guys are walking back in from their ride.

Kenny walks in first going straight to Aubrey. Placing his hand on her stomach he leans in to kiss her. “Hey, Blondie. Miss me?”

She grins and pulls him in for another kiss. “Always.”

I’d been around Kenny and Aubrey long enough to be used to their PDA’s. Cameron, however, even after being subjected to it for the few months he’s been home still looks slightly uncomfortable. As he walks into the room, I rise from my seat to meet him. “Hey handsome, how was your ride?”

Cameron immediately wraps his arm around my waist and draws me into him before leaning down to kiss me. “It was good.” He tips his head toward the door. “Take a walk with me?”

The nervousness wafting off him makes me curious as to what he wants to talk about. “Of course.”

I start for the door with Cameron right behind me. His long arm reaches for the screen door and opens it for me to walk through. When we both stand on level ground, Cameron takes my hand and threads my fingers with his as he leads us down a path past the barn.

As comfortable as the silence is, I need to know what was going on in his head. I gently start the conversation with a topic I knew he’d answer. “How was your lunch?”

“It was good. We went to the diner.” He grins as he squeezes my hand. “Theresa teased me about having a girlfriend.”

I laugh. Theresa is harmless and hopelessly in love with her husband Eddie. Her personality makes her seem like the world’s biggest flirt. There isn’t a woman in town who is jealous of the way she teases the men of Blossom Creek. She is a friend to all, men and women alike.

“I bet she did. You’ve been trying to get her to run away with you for as long as I can remember.”

He stops walking and looks down at me in shock. “How do know about that?”

I simply shrug as I answer. “I’ve witnessed it a few times. You were still in high school. Christine would take me to the diner with her to meet Warren before heading home. I’d sit in the back corner and work on homework. They’d buy me an ice cream sundae or milkshake so they could have some privacy.”

He shakes his head, and we resume walking. “I can’t believe I never saw you there.”

“I’m younger than you, so there’s no reason you would have noticed me. Besides, I like to think we met exactly when we were supposed to.”

His brow furrowed. “Does it bother you? The age difference I mean.”

I laugh and shoulder bump him. “You’re not that much older than me. It was different when you were eighteen and I was…”

Cameron raises a brow and grins before finishing my thought. “Jailbait?”

I toss my head back and laugh again. “Yeah, jailbait.”

We keep walking until we reach the wooden fence surrounding the property. We both lean against the fence and look out at the farmland stretched out in front of us. Cameron laces his fingers together and looks over at me. “We ran into Coach Markham at the diner today. It seems the high school’s looking for a new automotive instructor. Since I’m a master mechanic, he thought I’d be perfect for the position.”

“Cameron, that’s wonderful!”

“You really think so?”

I nod enthusiastically. “Yes!”

I know Cameron has felt a little lost since coming home. Kenny and Craig welcomed him back to the farm with open arms, but there is little for him to do when it comes to the day-to-day operations.

He grins, “Good, because there’s more. I met with Coach and Principal King today and not only did they offer me the automotive instructor position, but they also offered me an assistant football coach position.” He turns to face me and pulls me closer. “Tell me, sweet Samantha, do you think you could love a high school shop teacher and assistant football coach?”

Tears fill my eyes as my hand cups his cheek. “As long as the shop teacher and football coach are you, I know I could.”

A smile pulls at the corners of his mouth as he holds my face in his hands, his thumbs gently caressing my cheeks. “Yeah?”

A wide smile takes over my face as I stare into his hazel eyes. “Yeah.”

He rests his forehead against mine. “I love you, Samantha Kincaid.”

“I love you too, Cameron Hutchinson.” As soon as the words leave my mouth, Cameron lowers his mouth to mine and kisses me. His tongue runs along the seam of my lips begging for entrance which I grant immediately. Our tongues do a sensual dance and when a moan escapes me, Cameron lifts me off the ground. My arms wind around his neck as I wrap my legs around his waist. I can feel the hard length of his cock between my legs, and I can’t resist grinding against him.

He drags his mouth from mine, hand still tangled in my hair. “Stay with me tonight?”

“Only if we can continue this.”

“Oh, you can count on it, beautiful girl.”