Rose in Bloom (Sex and the Season #2)(19)

“You can deal with it,” Rose said. “Kat will recover, and I will do whatever I can for her and for you.”

“You’re an angel,” Cameron said. “I don’t deserve you.”

“Perhaps I don’t deserve you,” Rose teased.

Cameron rolled his head back and erupted in laughter. “Now that’s funny.” He twirled his finger through a loose curl. “Only an angel as sweet as you could be that deluded.”

“I’m not deluded.” Rose smiled. “I’m not as angelic as you think I am.”

“I’ll never believe that.” He stood up, lifting her, and kissed her as he held her in his arms. “I think your bath water is warm enough now, sweet.” He put Rose down gently, took the water from the grate, and poured it into the slipper tub. “I’ll leave you now.”

“No. Stay. I want you to.”

“You want me to stay while you bathe?”

“Why not?” She suddenly wanted it more than anything. “Then you can bathe here when I’m done.”

He smiled. “As tempting as that sounds, I need to go back in and check on Kat. I’ll come to you later.”

“Promise?”

“Yes.” He kissed her chastely on the forehead and left.

Rose bathed quickly, her legs cramping in the small tub. She washed her hair and toweled it dry as best she could. She brushed her teeth, creamed her body with scented lotion, put on her nightdress, and lay down seductively on the bed and waited.

And waited.

After two hours, she finally wept herself to sleep.





Chapter Four


“Rose, Rose.”

Someone nudged her. For a moment, Rose didn’t know where she was, until her eyes adjusted to the dark and she recognized Cameron’s handsome face.

“Cam?”

“Yes, sweetheart, it’s me.”

“Why didn’t you come to me?” she asked, fumbling for a match to light a candle on the night table.

“Here, let me.” He lit the lamp. “I’m sorry. Kat took a turn for the worse. My mother was beside herself. I couldn’t leave her.”

“My God.” Rose’s belly churned. “Is she all right now?”

“Yes. She had a seizure, but she came out of it.”

“Why didn’t you come to get me?”

“There was nothing you could have done.” He stroked her cheeks. “You were crying.”

She swallowed. “I…I thought you didn’t want me.”

He laughed softly. “How could you think that?”

“Well, you didn’t come, and I didn’t know about Kat. I’m just so glad you’re here now. Hold me, will you?”

He climbed onto the bed with her and took her into his arms. She nestled into his embrace and kissed his mouth passionately, frantically tugging at his shirt.

“Slowly, sweetheart,” he said. “I’ll love you all night long.”

“Will you, Cam?”

“I like it when you call me Cam,” he said. “It sounds almost like we’re….”

“What?”

“I don’t know. Married, I guess. But that can never be.”

“Are you saying…that you…” Rose gulped as her heart thumped wildly.

“I’m saying that I love you, Rose. God help me, but I do.”

“Oh, Cam…”

“I can’t fight it any longer. The constant battle drains me. It’s like trying not to eat or sleep.” He smoothed her hair lovingly. “I’ve never said that to a woman before.”

She caressed his cheek. “You’ve given me a precious gift,” she said. “I don’t—”

“Shh,” he said. “You don’t have to say it back, sweetheart. I just wanted you to know.”

“I want to say it back. But I’m frightened. What if we can never be together? And what am I going to tell Evan?”

“Xavier? I tell you I love you and you mention Xavier?” Cameron shook his head and moved away from her.

“Don’t pull away from me. Please. I didn’t mean to anger you. I…do love you. I do.” She pulled him to her. “My God, it felt good to say it. It felt right.”

“Yes, it did.” He kissed her throat. “I’m not going to share you, Rose.”

“You won’t have to. We’ll figure something out. But we don’t have to work it all out tonight. Tonight is for us. Let’s not worry about anyone else. I just want to be with you. It’s all I’ve thought about for weeks.”

Cameron slowly unbuttoned Rose’s nightdress. He eased it over her shoulders and pulled it down and off of her body, until she was naked. “You’re so lovely, sweet Rose. So very beautiful.”

Rose shivered. “The candle, Cam.”

“No. I want to see you.”

“But—”

“I want to know every inch of you, and I want you to know every inch of me. The candlelight—it makes your skin glow.”

He lowered his head and kissed her, coaxing her lips open with the soft caress of his tongue. He nibbled on her lips, kissed her deeply. He brushed his lips over her cheeks, to her ear, and gently caressed it, pushing his tongue into the shallow cove.