Hot Commodity

by Linda Kage

  "Livy," he panted. "Olivia. I want to touch you. Oh, God. I want...I want…"

  "My hips," she said and quickly changed her mind. "No. My butt, Cameron. Grab my ass like you do."

  He did. With pleasure. He clutched her backside, ground her down on him, and groaned, straining. She watched the pleasure on his face and was awed. His eyes slit open, and he met her gaze.

  "I can't...I can't hold back much longer," he confessed in a hoarse voice.

  She nodded, leaned over to kiss him, and came a second time as he clutched her hard and drove up into her.

  When he cried out the name Livy, she didn't even mind. In fact, she decided she rather liked his pet name for her after all.

  Eleven

  Cameron felt as if a train wreck had just passed through him. Exhausted and sated, yet feeling totally scattered, he ran his hand down his wife's naked back. His thumb memorized every groove and bump in her spine as he grinned at the ceiling over her shoulder.

  He could get used to this, waking up with a wife next to him, a wife he could actually tease and coax into doing it, a wife that didn't cry and withdraw into herself whenever he managed to make her come. Cameron knew he shouldn't compare. Olivia was only a temporary spouse. As soon as the annulment papers were final, she'd be gone and he'd never see her again.

  But his mind measured her against Sienna anyway. And the most alarming conclusion was that his first wife came up lacking. All the way around. Olivia smiled and laughed, and Cameron could actually make her laugh and smile—when he wasn't pissing her off. But even getting her riled showed him how lively she was.

  As much as he'd tried, he'd never been able to bring Sienna to the height of any emotion. He'd only made her miserable and more resentful because he could be so cheerful when she just wanted to die.

  Cameron's arms tightened around Olivia, but he stopped as soon as he realized what he was doing. He'd tried tightening his grip on Sienna too. Yet the harder he tried to hold onto her, the further she had slipped away.

  Forcing himself to ease back, Cameron let go of the woman in his arms so she could roll off him. When she didn't move, he smoothed a hand over her hair.

  "Okay," he said. "I have to get ready for work now, Livy."

  Nothing.

  "Olivia?"

  He craned his neck to see her face and was surprised to find her dead asleep. Tenderness tugged at him, but he swallowed it down. The poor girl. He'd exhausted her. He should've just let her sleep in. But she'd purred and arched when he'd touched her hip. Then she murmured his name in her sleep, and he was a goner.

  What else was a guy to do but pounce?

  Then again, he hadn't counted on feeling this tug of emotion when he spanked her awake. He didn't want to feel anything toward her. He didn't want to fall. Sienna had taught him not to ever make that mistake again.

  But as he gazed at the relaxed and innocent features of Olivia's face, a chunk of the ice wall around his heart thawed. Since she was out cold, he stole a few minutes to cuddle. He stroked her hair with his cheek, inhaled the heavy scent of woman, and ran his hands over her warm, nude figure.

  In her sleep, his wife sighed, content.

  ~ * ~

  Boston Kincaid glanced down at his Rolex and clenched his teeth. What do you know, Cameron was running late again. How typical. The lazy bum was probably still in bed.

  "Goes away to Chicago for three days, and the slug thinks he can sleep in this morning."

  Muttering under his breath, Boston turned on his radio and listened to the alternative music for a second, enjoying it while he could, because he was well aware Cam would change it to one of those loud, thumping hip-hop stations as soon as he slid into the car.

  The two of them were polar opposites, even though their mothers were sisters.

  When Boston's parents had gone on business trips, he'd usually found himself staying with Aunt Allison and Uncle Chuck, playing side by side with his cousin Cam. And though the two of them had grown up together, he couldn't say he'd cared much for the smart-mouthed Cameron in his youth. But these days, they were closer than most brothers. In fact, Boston was more connected to Cameron Banks than he was to his own kid brother, Monty.

  He'd gone to work for Cameron the day he'd graduated from law school and passed his final bar exam. And Boston hadn't regretted the move once. His cousin might've made some risky ventures in the past, but they'd all ended in a nice, tidy profit. Boston had sweated sleeplessly through many a night, but he'd stuck by Cam's side. He'd follow his friend to the grave if that's what he had to do.

  It still irritated him, however, that the man could never be on time. That was one of the reasons Boston had grown into the habit of driving Cameron to work. It was his way of keeping the mastermind behind their operation punctual. So Boston began coming over to drag him out of bed, push him into a shower, shove a cup of coffee into his hand, and lug him to work.

  Boston trusted his cousin's instincts over his own in the decisionmaking end of their business. Bos was just the legal back-up. If he'd had to make the choices, they'd have gone belly up years ago. He was too safe and straight-laced to make any kind of radical judgment call. Cameron, on the other hand, was almost dangerous when he threw out his opinion.

  Sometimes, Boston was convinced his friend was actually trying to go bankrupt. And if he hadn't been around to rein him in, they might've done just that too. That's why, together, they made an awesome team. Apart, they would've fizzled out years ago.

  Wondering if Cam was still asleep or just lagging today, Boston slid his new car into park and pushed open the door. He pocketed his push-button ignition key and started for the entrance. Letting himself in, he strolled up the stairs, still frowning, and went directly to Cam's bedroom. When he spotted the lump under the covers, he sighed.

  "Hey," he called, unsympathetically. "Get your lazy ass out of bed. We've got work to do today."

  When the lump only stirred as if jerking awake at the sound of his voice, Boston grabbed hold of the end of the covers and ripped them all the way off. The sheet was still in his hands when he discovered Cameron wasn't the body in the bed.

  At the sight of the naked female, Boston froze. Okay, so it'd been a few months since he'd seen a nude woman, but for a moment there, all he could do was gawk like he'd never experience the phenomenon before.

  She, whoever she was, immediately curled into a ball, chilled by the absence of her warm covers. And finally, reality kicked in.

  Boston's eyes shot open wide. "Holy shit!" he yelped and threw the sheets back on top of her. In his haste, he covered her entire body, head to toe. "Oh, my God, sorry. I am so sorry, ma'am."

  An irritated, muffled and very feminine sound came from under the blankets as she fought to uncover her head from the tangled mess on top of her. Boston watched a tanned leg kick out from the side and his eyebrow arched. Nice. Very nice.

  Then it struck him: he was staring.

  Whirling away, he turned his back to her, only to find Cameron leaning against the opened doorway of the bathroom, brushing his teeth. He was completely dressed, save for his bare feet and the fact he needed to comb his hair and tie his tie. He grinned, a twinkle of mischief sparking his eyes.

  Face heating with color, Boston glowered, already braced for the teasingly snide comment he knew Cam was sure to make.

  But Cameron merely said, "I see you've met Olivia."

  "Sort of," Boston answered on a mumble, refusing to look her way again. From the corner of his eye, however, he saw Cameron's bedmate finally shove the covers off her face. She sat up, clutching the sheet protectively to her chest. He barely refrained from licking his lips and copping one more peek.

  "Livy," Cameron said, still wearing that cocky grin Boston just wanted to pummel. "This is Boston Kincaid, the very Boston you've been hearing about. He's my cousin, best friend, and overall partner in crime. He handles all the legal matters at work."

  ~ * ~

  Still half out of it from being rudely aw
akened for the second time that morning, Olivia glanced at the black-haired fellow. He was taller than Cameron and tanner, with wide shoulders and a lean body. Boston Kincaid was just the kind of guy she would've gone for back in Pasadena. He had a sleek, sophisticated look about him with styled hair and not a wrinkle in sight.

  Next to Cameron, however, he appeared a little too polished, a little too clean, and extremely boring. Cam's hair was still sticking up at all angles, his tie hanging loosely around his neck and his bare feet gave him that sexily rumpled, undone look. The toothbrush hanging from his mouth didn't seem to add to a refined facade either. Yet, it appealed to her. Olivia just wanted to lift up her sheet and invite him back under the covers.

  Which made no sense. That's not what she wanted. Not at all. Somehow, she had to learn to evade this man so she wouldn't sleep with him again.

  Glancing at her husband's GQ cousin, Olivia murmured a polite

  All subtlety in the family must've fallen to the Kincaid side because "Hello."

  his cheekbones were stained with embarrassment, and he declined to look at her. He merely lifted a hand in greeting. "Hey," he returned. Then he cleared his throat uncomfortably and lifted his eyes to Cameron. "I'll be, uh, downstairs."

  Cameron grinned at his friend, his eyes glittering with unspoken laughter. Olivia was tempted to throw a pillow at him for not helping in any way to ease the situation. As Boston fled, she pushed her hair out of her face and scowled at her husband. "It's not funny."

  Cameron laughed aloud and swaggered toward her with his toothbrush still in his mouth. "I think it's great," he said as he crawled onto the bed and up toward where she rested her bare back against the headboard. "Now that Boston knows just exactly what I've got, he's going to be all pea green with jealousy and want to be me."

  Olivia gave him a mild look. "You don't 'got' me."

  Cameron looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "You're naked in my bed. Probably still wet from me being inside you too."

  She frowned. "Don't be crude."

  He grinned, unapologetically. "My apologies, ma'am."

  "Besides…" she muttered, irritated that his base behavior didn't repulse her as it should. She still wanted him. None of his chauvinistic words could even dim that reality. "We're getting a divorce—annulment— whatever. This is just temporary."

  He shrugged. "Well, what Boston doesn't know is going to make me look like the man."

  He took his toothbrush from his mouth and leaned over to kiss her. Olivia wrinkled her nose and turned her face away. "Cameron, ugh. That's gross. There's toothpaste in your—"

  Her words were cut off by his mouth pressing against hers. Minty breath teased her and she found herself turning toward him and meeting his tongue when he opened up. Surprised to find that second-hand toothpaste wasn't as disgusting as she'd originally thought, Olivia whimpered and wrapped her arms around his neck.

  "Damn, Livy," he rasped against her lips. "I've got to go to work." But he continued to kiss her, nibbling at her lips and then her throat until she arched back, and he took the peak of her nipple into his mouth. Her fingers plowed through his still-damp hair and she pulled him closer.

  All too soon, he groaned and tore himself away. "I have to go," he repeated and kissed her mouth again.

  Olivia reached out and wiped some dried toothpaste off the corner of his lip with her fingertips. "Have a good day, darling. I'll have a hot supper waiting for you when you get home."

  He paused, blinking. "Really?"

  Olivia rolled her eyes and snorted. "God, no. I've never cooked a meal in my life."

  Cameron's shoulders slumped. "And here I thought I might have to keep you around after all."

  He tweaked her nose and strolled from the room, grabbing up a pair of shoes on the way. Olivia watched him go and felt a spurt of panic. She'd been joking about the whole cooked-meal thing, trying to lighten the mood and remind herself of their marital status and how it was only temporary. But at his crack about keeping her around, her mood deflated. She didn't want to stay. So why did the thought of leaving depress her?

  ~ * ~

  Cameron grinned as he strolled down the stairs. Boston, with his hands in his pockets, glared back. The scowl only deepened Cameron's smile. "Ready?"

  Without answering, Boston turned on his heel and headed for the door. Chuckling, Cam followed. That was one thing he liked about his cousin. They were like two sides of a mirror. And when Cameron was in one mood, Boston was usually in the other. When Cameron couldn't seem to settle down or stop cracking jokes, Boston was usually as stiff and tedious as ever.

  They complemented each other perfectly and made an unbeatable team.

  He paused when he stepped outside and noticed his cousin wasn't strolling toward his usual drab-looking brown car, but a silver one instead.

  "Got rid of the Saab, huh?"

  "Mmm-hmm," Boston answered mildly. As they approached it, it automatically unlocked, yet Boston hadn't even pushed a button. Then it started on its own.

  Mildly impressed, Cameron lifted his eyebrows. "So, what is this thing?"

  "An Infiniti."

  Cameron snorted. "Sounds boring."

  Boston refused to rise to the bait. Too used to Cameron trying to get his back up, he merely gave the casual response, "It's in the top of its class."

  "Yeah, well, so, is my Miata," Cameron countered. "But you didn't buy one of those, now did you?"

  Still unperturbed by his criticism, Boston answered, "I prefer luxury sedans."

  Cameron shivered and made a repulsed face. "Ugh. Just hearing the word sedan makes me want to curl up and take a nap for, like, a week. Boring."

  Boston put the engine into gear. As if on cue, Cam leaned forward and changed the radio station. Loud, booming hip-hop immediately filled the speakers. Boston didn't even twitch.

  At least this ride had a nice sound system. "Couldn't find anything in red, huh?" Cameron asked, tapping his fingers on his knees to the sound of the thumping rhythm. "Though, granted, it's better than the Saab."

  "I liked the Saab's color," Boston muttered.

  Cameron snorted. "It was butt ugly brown."

  Frown growing, Boston said, "It was called Serengeti Sand."

  "More like someone puked-up-a-bunch-of sand," Cameron returned.

  Boston glanced over at him with a dry look but didn't respond.

  "So, what's all this do?" Cameron asked, learning forward to play with the screen on the dash.

  "Don't touch it," Boston snapped.

  Cameron rolled his eyes. "Are you sure you're not thirteen years older than me instead of thirteen months? Gah, Bos. Live a little. What's the use of having toys if you're not going to play with them?"

  "It's my hands-free Bluetooth phone system," Boston said, scowling when Cameron touched the screen and left a smudged fingerprint. "So, get your grubby paws off. It's voice activated. No touching needed."

  "Cool," Cameron said, lighting up at the prospect. "How's it work?"

  "Music, alternative," Boston said calmly and the radio changed back to the last channel he had playing."

  Cameron laughed in delight. "Awesome."

  "Call Cam's cell," Boston said next.

  A moment later, ringing came from Cameron pocket. He pulled out his cell to shut it up. "Oh, this is sweet," he announced. "I'm going to have to get me one of these."

  Boston rolled his eyes.

  "Hey, let me try one," Cameron said, leaning toward the center console screen. Very slowly and enunciating his words precisely, he added, "Call Florist."

  When nothing happened, he frowned across the seat.

  Boston smiled slightly, "I told it not to listen to you."

  "Bag lick," Cameron muttered and slumped back into his seat to stare grumpily out the window.

  When Cam was quiet for a full five seconds, Boston finally asked, "Isn't Olivia the name of the woman you married in Vegas?"

  Cameron glanced over at Boston and grinned. He'd been waiting for Boston
to bring her up. Actually, he was surprised his good buddy had held out this long. "Liked what you saw, did you?" he taunted. "Yeah, I know how to pick 'em, huh? Even when I'm falling-down drunk and surrounded by gambling."

  Boston scowled slightly, "You mean, she is the woman you married in Vegas?"

  "Surprise," Cam said cheerfully. "I said I was bringing something home, didn't I? Well, she's it. I got a smokin' hot wife, don't I?"

  After working with Cameron for nearly five years, Boston had learned not to be surprised by anything. So Cam didn't expect a big reaction. But his news did makes his cousin's eyebrows lift slightly.