Almost Just Friends (Wildstone #4)(97)

She’d dropped to her knees and kissed him. “Yes,” she’d whispered against his mouth.

Remembering this now made her miss him all the more and she moved to the kitchen window, staring out at the lake for a little bit of happy.

Chance, sensing her sadness, whined and licked her chin.

“Thanks, baby.” She hated these forced separations so much. She’d never let Cam know, not wanting to add any stress to his plate, but it was getting harder and harder to be apart. That was when she realized there was an odd silence in the kitchen behind her, and she turned around.

Cam was right there in front of her, and with a gasp of surprise, she threw herself at him. He caught her—and Chance—with ease, and then, without any words, their mouths found each other. His kiss was hard and desperate and hungry . . . everything she was feeling, and it said everything that needed to be said. Love. Longing. Desire. Affection. Everything . . .

When they surfaced for air, Cam looked down at the puppy giving him huge eyes. “Who’s this?”

“Chance.” She held her breath.

“He ours?”

“Yes,” she said softly, hoping he’d be okay with that, that he’d understand she’d been lonely as hell and—

“Nice. He’s cute.” He nuzzled the puppy, looking heart-stoppingly sexy while doing it, then gently set him down. He then picked up Piper and plopped her on the counter, making himself at home between her legs. He was holding her so tight that she couldn’t breathe, but hey, who needed to breathe?

They were alone. Well, relatively anyway, as Chance was sitting on one of Cam’s feet.

“Never again,” he murmured against Piper’s lips.

“At least until they call you, right?” she quipped, trying to make light.

“No.” His eyes were dark. Serious. “Never again.” He pulled a very official envelope from his back pocket and set it on the counter. “I’m out. It’s official. I’m a retired man, babe.”

“Wow,” she breathed. “So I’ve got you all to myself now?”

“Every inch.”

She felt love and happiness fill her heart. “I’ve got plans for those inches. Lots of plans, Cam.”

His smile went a little wicked as he picked her up again and, as she wrapped her legs around his hips, strode with her to their bedroom. He stopped short in the doorway at the fresh paint on the walls and the sheets covering all the furnishings.

“Um,” she said. “Surprise.”

Without skipping a beat, he took her straight into the bathroom and kicked the door shut. “The shower will do.”

“Agreed.”

“And then the hot tub.”

She nodded eagerly.

“And then—”

She sank her teeth into his lower lip and gave a playful tug. “Let me save you some time, soldier,” she whispered, and slid her fingers into his hair. “Anywhere. Anytime. For the rest of my life. I’m all yours.”

He let out a breath and pressed his forehead to hers, his eyes soft and warm and full of more emotion than he usually showed. “And I’m yours, Piper. For the rest of our lives.”

Sounded like the perfect plan.





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Meet Jill Shalvis


About the Book



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Reading Group Guide

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Coming Soon . . . An Excerpt from The Summer Deal





About the Author


Meet Jill Shalvis


New York Times bestselling author JILL SHALVIS lives in a small town in the Sierras full of quirky characters. Any resemblance to the quirky characters in her books is . . . mostly coincidental. Look for Jill’s bestselling, award-winning books wherever romances are sold, and visit her website for a complete book list and daily blog detailing her city-girl-living-in-the-mountains adventures.

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About the Book


Reading Group Guide


Piper has a very hard time asking for help. Is this something you have in common with her? Do you think men or women are more prone to not asking for help?

Piper loves keeping lists, even if she doesn’t always cross everything off them. Do you find to-do lists and journals helpful or harmful? What are the benefits? What are the downsides?

Gavin struggles with drug addiction. Is there someone in your life who has dealt with this? How did it affect you?

What did you think of the way Piper and her family handled Gavin’s situation? Would you have done anything differently?

Do you think Winnie was justified in lying to Piper about her pregnancy and dropping out of college? If not, how do you think she should have handled it?

Are there situations where you think lying is the right thing to do? How do you decide what those are?

Was Piper correct when she made the decision to sell the property without talking about it with her siblings?

How much of Cam’s decision to help Winnie and Gavin was influenced by the death of his brother?