by Tawny Weber
“Is that so?” Her calculating blue eyes slid toward Hope, then back to Cam. She arched one rounded brow as if to say, yeah right, then shrugged. “That’s fine. I’m sure we’ll have plenty of time together after tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?” Cam and Hope asked in stereo.
“Mmm, tomorrow.” Still completely ignoring Hope, Rae stepped close enough that her perfume wrapped around him like a predatory vine. Before Cam could do more than frown, she tapped one bright red fingernail on his chest and smiled sharply. “You’re the top prize at my special event.”
“What event are you talking about?” Hope asked just before Cam could snap the same question in decidedly less polite words.
“Oh, didn’t someone from the council tell you?” Rae fluttered her heavily darkened lashes at Hope, the look as insincere as it was dismissive. “I convinced them to hold a bachelor auction. All proceeds go to the center, of course. And every single man who checked the volunteer box is up for bid.”
Beside him, Hope made a sound suspiciously close to a hiss. Distracted by that, Cam wasn’t fast enough to avoid Rae’s pat on his ass. Her trademark goodbye gesture.
He watched her saunter away, her hips swinging like a leather metronome. His hand still pressed against Hope’s waist, he waited until Rae moved through the crowd, not surprised to see people part for her as if she were royalty… Or a rabid fox. Then he glanced down at the sweet-faced brunette curled tight to his side.
From the look of horrified frustration on her face, she wasn’t nearly as surprised as he was over Rae’s little bombshell.
Cam didn’t say a word. He slid his hand down to take Hope’s, then calmly walked them toward the relative privacy of the veranda. There, he reluctantly let go of Hope’s hand. Even as irritated as he was, he liked the feel of her skin against his. He watched her as she watched him, and admitted to himself that Hope was the reason he’d come back to Diver’s Cove. The only reason.
And she’d deemed him a prize to be sold.
“So… I’m up for auction.” He arched one brow in a casual gesture but couldn’t keep the frustration from his voice. He’d grown up about as welcome as a sexual disease in this town, a charity case for the do-gooders and a suspect by the police. Now they wanted to bid on him? “What do you know about this? Care to share any details?”
CHAPTER THREE
How was she supposed to live out her wildest sexual fantasy if these damned people kept ruining her plans? It was as if there was some grand universal scheme to keep her from stepping out of the vanilla world she was trapped in for a place where orgasms came with screams.
Hope shot a frustrated look at Cameron, wondering how he could look so easy and calm in the face of this stupid bachelor auction. Maybe it was part of his bad boy charm. Maybe he was so used to being in tight, uncomfortable, potentially dangerous situations that being in this one didn’t even merit a scowl.
No wonder he’d became a SEAL.
“So what’s the deal with the auction?” he asked, sounding about as interested as he would be in the weather.
“Rae is on the community center committee,” Hope explained, pacing in time with her words. Her heels clacked on the cobblestone with each step, the sound echoing her irritation. “She’s on the side that wants to keep it an adults only venue, though. She tried to block my every effort to fund the play areas and teen center. The question is, why’d she put forward an idea that will bring in a lot more donations, and do it behind my back?”
“Knowing Rae, she’d only do it if there was something in it she wanted.”
“I’m sure there is.” Hope glanced at Cam as he leaned against the wrought iron railing, the bleeding colors of the garden framed behind him like watercolor at night. He was so damned gorgeous. Sexy and, even though she knew he’d protest the term, sweet.
But it was the sexy she knew Rae was after.
“She wants you.”
Cam just laughed and shrugged before reaching out to grab her as she paced past.
“Damn, sweetheart. You do have a way of moving that grabs my attention. Then there’s your nice ass.”
“Cam.” Hope shivered with a sharp kind of heat at his touch. He’d never really touched her before, and had only mildly flirted. She laid her hand on his arm. Oh, my, he was hard. Before she gave in to the urge to see just how hard, and in how many places, she made herself resume pacing. “This is serious.”
“Not really.” He shrugged off her concerns with an easy assurance. “I won’t agree to be auctioned.”
Hope wished it could be that simple.
“But Rae’s right. You did agree to volunteer.” Hope nodded to save him the effort of pointing out that volunteering had limits, and that it wasn’t binding. Because as sick as it made her feel, she had to convince him to go through with it.
“Here’s the thing,” she said slowly, weighing each word as if it might explode. “Even my most optimistic expectation for this fundraiser will raise just enough for the center. If donations fall short—even by a few dollars—we’ll lose the kids programs, the teen center, everything my mother had hoped for.”
“What are you hoping for?”
Hope frowned. Had anyone ever asked her that question? She could only think of two things. The first was to be done with her responsibilities to this town so she could leave. And, of course, the second was to be with Cameron.
But she couldn’t say either aloud.
“I guess I’m hoping to force the town to fulfill my mother’s vision of the Community Center instead of hijacking it with arbitrary rules and red tape.” Rules that could still derail that vision unless she raised enough money. Hope’s stomach tightened with dread, but she forced herself to continue. “I know Rae’s intention was purely selfish since she wants to suck you down like a lollipop, but the auction will bring in enough money to ensure that goal is met.”
“This benefit should do that?”
“Well…” It was slated to. But the council could be tricky. Hope took a deep breath, then feeling as if she were giving up a fantasy for a dream, she offered her most beseeching look. “Will you do it, please? Take part in the auction. For me.”
Damn it.
Damn it all to hell and back.
Cam wanted to say no. Actually, he wanted to say hell, no. But he couldn’t.
Not when faced with the look on Hope’s face.
But he’d be damned if he was going to put his virtue—such as it was—on a platter for Rae Burton to ravage.
Cam tilted his head toward the private walled garden on the other side of the decorative fence, then started walking. As he’d expected, Hope hurried to catch up.
By the time they’d reached its relative privacy, he’d made up his mind.
“I’ll tell you what you’re going to do.” He trapped Hope between his body and the wall, planting his palms, one on either side of her head. He leaned closer until they were eye to eye. “You’re going to outbid her. If I have to be a prize, then you have to win me.”
“You’re kidding, right?”
Cam watched Hope’s face closely, loving the way the emotions raced over her without artifice. She was seriously sweet. And more to the point, she was seriously turned on.
And so was he.
Cam leaned in, trapping Hope’s body between his and the wall. Her curves gave way to the hard length of him, breasts pressing temptingly to his chest, her hips cradling his in an erotic welcome.
One hand still on the wall, Cam slid the other into the silken fall of hair framing her face, tilting her head back to the exact angle he wanted it.
Then he took her lips.
Their mouths fit as if they’d been custom made for each other. Their lips moved together in an easy dance that started slowly, gently, gliding together as soft as a breeze.
He could feel her heart speed up, her breath coming faster against his mouth. Need tightened and built, strong and insistent. Cam deepened the kiss, teeth and tongue demanding more. She met his dem
and with one of her own, sucking his tongue deep into her mouth.
Cam groaned. He thrust, his tongue sliding, tangling with hers. She pressed closer, her fingers gripping tight on his shoulders, sending shafts of need through his body. He wanted to feel those fingers on his naked skin. He had to have them wrapped around the throbbing length of him.
Just the thought was enough to make him rock hard.
A noise triggered the alarm in the back of his head, reminding him that they weren’t alone. That this probably wasn’t the place to imagine Hope touching him.
But it wasn’t the sound of raucous laughter that made him pull away. It was the thought of how Hope would feel being caught making out in the garden.
As her breath came, fast and soft over his face, Cam waited for her eyes to focus again.
When they did, he smiled.
The slow, wicked smile that’d earned him his bad boy reputation when he’d run wild in Diver’s Cove.
“Just a taste of what you’ll be getting when you outbid her,” he murmured, his fingers tracing the delicate curve of her ear. “Just think of how good it’ll feel.”
He brushed his thumb over her swollen bottom lip, imagined how it’d feel when he repeated the move on a few other delicious parts of her body.
“It’s going to be amazing,” he promised, replacing his thumb with his mouth again so the words rubbed against her lips. “It’ll be the best you’ve ever had. A memory that’ll last you a lifetime.”
He waited a beat, letting that sink in.
Because a memory was all he could promise her.
It’d be a hot memory.
If she was up for it, it’d be wild memory.
They’d get their fill and they’d say satisfied goodbyes.
Because that’s how Cam lived his life.
He got what he wanted, and he left.
And he wanted Hope.
But he wanted her to know what she was getting.
“Or are you scared to let people know you’re hot for that bad boy, Drake?” He nipped her lower lip, then stepped away.
“Are you too afraid that bidding on me will ruin that sweet reputation of yours?”
As confusion clouded those dark eyes, a frown tight between her brows, Hope reached out as if to stop him. But Cam did what he had to do.
He walked away.
This was a decision she had to make on her own.
CHAPTER FOUR
A kiss.
One kiss.
How could one single kiss make her lose her mind?
Sure, it’d been hot and sexy.
Yes, she’d been shocked to know how much pleasure a tongue could give her while her clothes were still on. Hell, she’d never known that much pleasure, period.
Hope blew out a breath, wishing she could release the hot need churning through her system as easily. But how could she with the memory of Cameron’s mouth, so hot and mobile as it had danced over hers in a sensual invitation.
The taste of him, more addictingly rich and decadent than the best chocolate.
The feel of his body against hers, the hard planes and rigid muscles a sweet seduction that’d made her want.
Need.
Crave, even.
Hope drew in another breath, this one a little shaky as desire pulsed through her system.
All she’d been able to think about in the twenty hours since Cameron Drake had kissed her into a puddle was the feel of his lips.
Well, that kiss and his parting dare.
Because of that, she’d spent the last day alternating between hot flashes of desire and frustrated irritation.
Damn him, Hope scowled, flipping through the hangers in her closet for just the right dress for the auction to make him eat those words.
He thought he knew her so well.
He thought she was afraid of what other people thought?
Yeah, right. Years of never living up to her mother’s idea of the perfect lady had ended any and all worry about what others might think about her.
Dress in hand, Hope turned her scowl to the bedroom her mother had decorated, insisting that the fussy florals and delicate pastels suited her favorite child.
Favorite. Hope sighed, tossing the little black dress onto the four-poster bed. The only child of an ailing widow with a gift for guilt trips, Hope had given in on the bedroom décor just as she’d given in on so many other things. Because it’d made her mother happy.
She was doing the same thing now, she realized as she tossed her robe aside.
The town council wanted to put arbitrary rules on the center so they could get their own way. Fine. Instead of protesting or arguing, she simply found ways around those rules.
Cam wanted her to bid on him as if he were a piece of fine art, knowing that a bidding war with Rae Burton would put Hope in the position of losing a lot of respect from the very people she needed donations from.
Still, she’d tucked her checkbook and three credit cards into her evening purse.
He clearly expected them to have sex, which was why she’d tucked a dozen condoms in her purse, too. She had her own high expectations, after all.
Of course, Rae expected Hope to meekly stand aside so the wild redhead could have her way with Cameron’s body. Every time Hope thought about that, she had to stop herself from grinding her teeth.
Now that she’d had a taste of what Cameron’s mouth could do, she’d be damned if she’d let Rae’s silicone filled lips taste it, too.
Had she ever been so conflicted in her life?
Knowing the answer to that was a firm no, Hope shimmied into the tight black fabric of her dress. Even with a side zipper, the fit was snug. Just as she’d maneuvered the square cut bodice into place, she paused.
Frowned.
Glanced down at her already covered hips.
She might not have decided whether or not she was bidding on fantasy sex tonight, but she did have a dozen chances for it tucked away in her purse.
Hope wriggled right back out of the dress and hurried over to her dresser. She riffled through mounds of hosiery in search of black stockings to replace her boring pantyhose. She tossed a pair over her bare shoulder, then dug into another drawer for a garter belt. Then, hoping she didn’t jinx herself, she put it back and unwrapped the tissue on her La Perla boy shorts that had the built in garter. The black lace shimmered against her fingers as if promising magic.
She’d take all the magic she could get.
Hope stepped out of her pantyhose—and her comfort zone—and into fancy sex-wear.
Just sliding into the silk and lace made her feel as if she could do anything. She could take down Rae in a bidding war. She could face the judgmental looks and nasty behind-the-hand whispers. She could handle the reality that sex with Cameron was to build memories, not a future.
Within an hour, Hope was ready, willing and determined as she strode into the hotel in her little black dress, sexy lingerie and—to hell with the fact that ladies wore pink—Do Me Red lipstick.
“Hope, wow.” Bonnie’s smile was both welcoming and surprised. “You look hot.”
“Hot enough to take on Rae?” Hope wondered as butterflies did backflips in her belly.
“Hot enough to take on anyone,” Bonnie assured her, tucking her arm through Hope’s as they and dozens of others followed the signs advertising the First Annual Diver’s Cove Bachelor Auction. Before the stepped into the room, Bonnie leaned closer and whispered, “Can you believe Rae got the council to go along with marketing man meat?”
Hope’s laugh chased away the last of the butterflies.
But, unfortunately as they took their very prominent seats at the front of the ballroom, not her concerns. Those kept playing out, one against the other, as the auction began. Even as the calculating part of her mind tallied the take for each bachelor sold, she couldn’t decide what to do.
Then Cameron stepped onto the stage.
And every logical argument and even the illogical ones simply flew from her
mind.
All Hope could do was stare.
And pray she didn’t drool.
In a typical bad boy move, he’d refused to wear his dress uniform. Instead, he wore the simple service uniform of black slacks and a khaki shirt. He stood at attention, eyes forward, hands at his sides and his expression neutral.
Hope wondered if anyone else could see how uncomfortable he was. There was just the faintest hint of a frown creasing his brows, and she was pretty sure he was clenching his teeth.
Poor sweetie.
All thought of letting him suffer through a date with Rae fled as sympathy surged. Since she couldn’t rush the stage and give him a hug, she’d have to settle for following orders.
“Ladies and gentlemen, may I present Petty Officer Cameron Drake. A Navy SEAL from our very own Diver’s Cove, Cameron is a graduate of Roosevelt High and the owner of a brand new Harley. Ladies,” Pete March, the town council treasurer peered over the top of his glasses at the crowd. His bulldog face chided well ahead of his words, “Don’t forget, we have helmet laws.”
And then the bidding began.
Hope noted that Rae’s was the first hand in the air.
Cameron didn’t seem to be paying attention, though.
Instead, he was staring right at her. His eyes were intense, a smile playing over his lips. As if he were remembering what she’d tasted like. As if he were thinking about tasting her again.
Hope took a shaky breath, then lifted her chin high.
“You look fierce,” Bonnie observed with a surprised laugh. “Are you gearing up to bid?”
“No.” Ignoring the surprised looks from everyone seated around them, Hope stood. She didn’t want a single gesture to be overlooked. “I’m gearing up to win.”
CHAPTER FIVE
It’d taken Cam a couple of hours and an ice cream sundae to find out Hope’s schedule for the rest of the benefit events. He’d also learned her day-to-day schedule, her preference for chocolate over vanilla and most of her life history—including the fact that she was doing this whole benefit thing to honor her late mother.