Not Just Friends

Though she was a pastry chef, it didn’t look like she ate much of her work. She was slender and long-limbed, with a body that he longed to touch. “Morning,” he said. “Is that for me?”

“It is. Everyone has been wondering about you. I told them you got in early this morning, after I was up.” Her gaze slowly drifted down his body as she approached, the mug wrapped in her outstretched hands.

Adam smiled. He liked that she stared. She was interested enough to look. Curious, maybe? They’d have a whole week together and he didn’t want to waste another moment. Adam wanted to know more about her, to spend some time together, to see where this attraction might lead. Yet he knew he ought to be patient. Jules wasn’t the kind of woman who jumped into bed without careful consideration of the consequences.

“I guess I fell asleep,” he said, taking the coffee from her. “I probably should have taken one of the bunks but—”

“It’s all right,” she said, shifting nervously from foot to foot. “Nothing happened. You were the perfect gentleman.”

“Lucky you couldn’t read my thoughts,” he said taking a step toward her. She didn’t move away and Adam took that as a good sign. He brought his hand to rest on her waist and smoothed his palm over her hip. Then, he slowly bent closer and brushed his lips against hers.

The kiss was a test, he reasoned. If she reacted negatively, then he knew exactly where he stood, but if she… An instant later, Julia threw her arms around his neck and returned the kiss. But this wasn’t a test. This was a full-on, tongue-tangling passionate kiss.

Adam stumbled slightly, the coffee sloshing onto his hand and scalding him. With a groan, he dropped the mug and it smashed on the wooden floor. But the kiss easily distracted him from the pain in his hand. He grabbed her waist and pulled her along to the bed and they fell onto it, her body coming down on top of his.

He cupped her face in his hands, trying to slow the frantic assault and she softened beneath his touch, then drew back to look down into his gaze. Her eyes were wide and questioning. “Are you all right?” he murmured.

Julia nodded, breathless.

“That was nice. Do you want to try it again?”

She frowned. “Was there something wrong with the first time?”

“Oh, no. There was nothing wrong. Here, let me prove it.” Their second kiss was much more relaxed and they lingered over each other’s mouths, teasing playfully, tasting deeply. “Who needs coffee when I have you to wake me up?”

She ran her hands over his bare chest, pressing her lips to shoulder in a deliberate trail. “You can’t stay here,” Julia said. “You have to find another place to sleep.”

“I know.” She kissed him again and he groaned softly as his hands trailed over her back. He bunched the fabric of her skirt in his fists, pulling it up until her legs were bare. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to stay.” He ran his thumb over her lower lip, still damp from his kiss. “What if I come back in the middle of the night when no one is awake? I’m really good at sneaking through camp without getting caught.”

She nodded. “You need to come to breakfast. They’re going to wonder where I am.”

“Only if you kiss me. Once more.”

She smiled then leaned down, running her tongue along the crease of his mouth before indulging in one last, long, perfect kiss. Then Julia pushed off of him and stood beside the bed, clutching her hands in her loose skirt.

“I think we should keep this between the two of us,” she said. “I don’t want to be the talk of Camp Winnehawkee.”

Adam nodded slowly. He was going to let her set the terms for now. “All right. That sounds reasonable.”

She walked to the screen door, then paused before she turned back around. “I’ve always wondered what that would be like,” she said. “Kissing you. Back then, you kissed a lot of girls at Camp Winnehawkee.”

“The only one I really wanted to kiss was you.”

“And was I what you expected?”

Adam nodded. “You do know how to kiss, Jules, I’ll give you that.” He looked down at the erection pressing against the fabric of his boxers, then covered it with his hands. “Sorry. That tends to happen when I get excited.”

With a soft giggle, she shoved the screen door open. “Put that away before you come to breakfast.”

He moved to the door to watch her as she strolled down the hill. She tripped on the same tree root she had the night before, pitching forward before she righted herself. Hopping on one foot, Julia rubbed her toe and turned back to see if he was watching. “Are you all right?” he called.

“Fine,” she replied, giving him a wave.

“Breakfast,” he murmured as he moved back to the bed. He grabbed the clothes he’d chosen and tugged them on, then slipped his feet into a pair of boat shoes. Though he was anxious to see Mason and Ben again, there was only one person on his mind right now and she had a sweet mouth and a soft body and a smile that made him crave her more than her cinnamon rolls.

A FEW MINUTES later, once he was sure he was decent, Adam jogged down to the dining hall. When he walked inside, he found all his old friends gathered around a table near the kitchen doors.

“Well, there he is!” Mason cried. “We were about to send out a search party. We’re burning daylight and you’re getting your beauty sleep.”

Adam crossed the room, grinning at Mason. “I can see you’ve had a bad case of insomnia. There’s nothing pretty about you, Mase.” He held out his hand and Mason grabbed it, pulling Adam into a hug.

“Good to see you.”

Adam gave Frannie and Ben a wave, then shook Derek and Steven’s hands. “I always thought you two belonged together. I’m happy for you both.” He glanced around. “Where can I get something to eat?”

“Kate has everything set up in the kitchen. Grab yourself a plate. Coffee is out here.”

As Adam walked to the swinging door, Kate burst through with a tin of maple syrup in her hand. “I found it! I don’t know if this is—Adam!” She threw her arms around his neck and gave him a fierce hug. “There are pancakes and sausage in the kitchen. I can make you eggs if you like. When did you get here? Where did you sleep?”

“Late. I brought along my sleeping bag,” he replied. He wasn’t sure that Jules had explained last night’s sleeping arrangements, so he decided to play it cool. “Pancakes will be terrific.”

Adam pushed the door open and stepped inside, following Julia back into the huge camp kitchen. Julia pulled a baking sheet out of the old commercial oven. “If you’re making more of those cinnamon rolls, I could eat four or five.”

She turned around and smiled at him. “Scones,” she said. “Raspberry.” Julia plucked one off of the baking sheet and tossed it at him. “Be careful, they’re hot.”

He pulled up a stool and sat down at the huge prep table, dropping the hot scone in front of him. “So what’s the plan for today? Can I just stay here and watch you bake, or do I have to do some work?”

“You need to move your stuff out of my cabin,” she said.

“Why? Nothing happened last night. I’m sure we can cohabitate peacefully.”

“This week isn’t about us. It’s about Mason and Kate.”

“But we’re not going to be working all day and night. We’ll have time to ourselves. So, maybe we could go into town tonight for dinner? Just you and me?”

She stared at him for a long moment, as if trying to figure his motives. Hadn’t he been clear? Or did she simply not trust him? Was he moving too fast, expecting more than she was ready to give. But that kiss. It was all there in that kiss—the need, the longing, the desire. Was he supposed to ignore that?

“You’re right,” Adam said, picking up the warm scone and biting off a corner. “We need to focus on the job at hand.” He held up the biscuit and nodded. “It’s good.”

With that, he turned and walked out of the kitchen, leaving Julia to think about how she wanted to play this. If he was right about the kiss, then she’d come around to his way of thinking sooner or later. And for a woman like Julia, Adam was willing to wait.

“So, what’s on the agenda for today?” he asked his friends, reaching for the carafe of coffee.

“We’re re-roofing three of the cabins,” Mason said. “The girls are going to be replacing the screens in two of them and then I’m hoping someone will volunteer to wallpaper the nurse’s office. The last time Kate and I wallpapered, we almost came to blows.”

“I’m good at wallpapering,” Julia said as she came out of the kitchen, a basket of scones in her hand.

“Me, too,” Adam added. “I’m an expert.”