Falling Fast, Contemporary Romance (Last Frontier Lodge Novels Book 4) by J.H. Croix Read Free Book Online Page B

keeping extras around for employees when she knew what they favored. He’d become practically addicted to her hard cider and took a swallow from his mug.
    Marley turned to Delia. “I’m not sure. She said she’d be by tonight, but it’s getting late.”
    Marley’s eyes coasted around the table and paused on him. He couldn’t read her expression, but she appeared to be considering something. As if on cue, he felt a prickle at the back of his neck and turned to glance over his shoulder toward the entrance. Ginger walked through. She wore a bright red down jacket. When she tossed the hood back, her dark hair fell in loose tousles around her shoulders. She wore black sweater leggings with fluffy white winter boots. As she strode across the room toward them, Cam couldn’t keep his eyes off of her, her hips swaying with each step. She unzipped her jacket and tugged it off on the way, revealing a dove gray sweater that hugged her curves. Just watching her sent anticipation surging through his body.
    Don had joined them a few minutes prior and had seated himself beside Cam in the booth, leaving Cam smack in the middle. When Ginger reached the table, Don stood up and gestured for her to sit in his place.
    “Don, you don’t need to get up just for me,” Ginger said, gesturing for Don to sit back down.
    Don grinned and shook his head. “I’m heading home. I’ve got an early start tomorrow.” He gave a general wave to the table and made his way out of the restaurant.
    Ginger hung her jacket on the corner of the booth and slid in beside Cam. The moment she sat down, his body went taut. He had to force himself to stay focused on the fact they were surrounded by friends and family to keep from giving in to the pounding desire to kiss her again.
    “We were just wondering when you’d be by,” Marley commented.
    Ginger shrugged, her eyes catching his before quickly moving on. “I always show up every few days.”
    A waitress approached their table and quickly served a glass of wine to Ginger, appearing to know what she wanted without any discussion of the matter. “Do you want to go with the buffet or order something tonight?” the young woman asked.
    “I’ll take a salmon burger with sweet potato fries,” Ginger replied.
    “You got it,” the waitress said as she quickly filled waters and checked if anyone else needed anything.
    After she walked away, conversation turned to the latest local political issue. “I can’t believe they’re thinking of closing the access to the Flats Beach. Have you heard anything else about it?” Delia asked, directing her question to Ginger.
    Ginger rolled her eyes and shifted in her seat as she took a sip of wine. The subtle motion brushed her thigh against his, sending a bolt of electricity through him. Holy hell. You need to get a hold of yourself, man. All she’s doing is sitting beside you. But Ginger sitting beside him was like nothing he’d ever experienced. His entire body prickled with awareness from her presence. He could feel the heat of her, smell the subtle scent of strawberries and vanilla—she smelled so good he wanted to taste her. He tried to remember if he’d ever noticed how a woman smelled before, and he was fairly certain he hadn’t. His attention kicked in somewhere along the way while Ginger was talking.
    “I’m not sure what to think. I understand why they’re worried about the beach though. Last time I was down there, there were tracks all over the place. I ran into Hannah Winters at Misty Mountain the other day, and she was telling me there’ve been problems with disrupting the nesting sites for the shorebirds that come through in the summer.”
    Marley shook her head. “We might not like it, but I don’t want to see the beach torn up. I hate that a few assholes ruin things for everyone else.”
    Conversation moved on to another topic. Cam was only half-paying attention when he felt Ginger glance to him. He turned to her, his eyes colliding with her