by Darcy Burke
Kelsey looked at her beer. “You know, I usually drink this with lemon.”
Luke jumped up. “I’ll get you some.”
“You don’t have to,” Kelsey said.
“No, but I want to.” He flashed her a smile, and Brooke wondered how long Kelsey might stick to her no-dating resolve. Assuming Luke was interested. Maybe Brooke just saw a Westcott smile and immediately assumed they were on the hunt. Ugh, that wasn’t fair. Especially with regard to Cam. He’d been a gentleman last weekend, and she should thank him for that.
Brooke shook away the last vestiges of her irritation as Luke took off to get the lemon.
“Actually, I’m going to run to the ladies’ room,” Kelsey said. “Be right back.” She left, and suddenly Brooke and Cam were alone. Well, alone in a boisterous bar.
Cam sipped his beer and cast her a sidelong glance. “You look great.”
“Thanks. You too.” He wore a crisp green T-shirt and dark gray shorts that had clearly been pressed. He always looked so put together. So bizarre for a guy, and such a turn-on for her.
He turned his head to look at her. “Thanks for your help with the wine dinner. The critic from Wine Enthusiast is a huge get. We really appreciate it.”
“My pleasure.” That word set off warning bells in her brain. She looked at his chest and recalled how sexy he looked when it was bare. She jerked her gaze back to his face but ended up staring at his mouth, remembering what it felt like on hers. Fighting a blush that would tell him more than she wanted him to know, she picked up her beer and drank.
Luke came back with the lemons. “Where’s Kelsey?”
“Ladies’ room,” Brooke said.
Luke nodded. He looked between her and his brother, his gaze assessing. He knows. But what exactly? He’d watched them leave the wine tasting last weekend. Had he drawn his own conclusions, or had Cam filled him in? She leaned back against the wall and watched Cam drink his beer.
“Hey, I need to drop by sometime this week to pick up some more samples,” she said.
“You’re on fire,” Luke said. “We hit the jackpot when Cam hired you.”
Cam slid her an appreciative look. “We sure did.”
Uh-oh. He was flirting again. They weren’t supposed to do that.
She glared at him and muttered, “Knock it off,” so that only he could hear.
He looked away and exhaled, appearing defeated. Good.
She sipped her beer, and the alcohol infused her with a welcome sense of relaxation. She edged away from the wall and settled back against the booth.
Kelsey returned then, and she and Luke picked up their conversation again.
“That’s better,” Cam murmured too close to her ear. He’d leaned toward her. “You looked like you might crawl through the wall to get away from me.”
She turned her head and gave him an ultrasweet smile. “Careful, or I might do it again. Stop flirting with me.”
He blinked one eye closed and scrunched his face briefly. “I tried, but I can’t help it. Sorry.”
“Try harder.”
“Yes. I will. I mean it.” He gave her a determined look, and she almost laughed.
“This really is hard for you, isn’t it?”
“Only with you.”
That was not what she needed to hear.
Time to save them both from temptation. “I think I should go.” She made a show of yawning, even though it was all of, what, nine thirty?
Kelsey, bless her—she was clearly a great wingman—bought the clue. She looked at Brooke in question, read her nonverbal response, which Brooke delivered in the form of a pleading stare, and gave a slight nod. She drank more of her beer, taking it down to the halfway mark. “Yeah, time for me to head home too. Working two jobs takes a toll.” She stood up. “Enjoy the table.”
Luke smiled at her. “Thanks. It was nice chatting with you.”
Cam slid out to make way for Brooke. She followed him, and as she stood, caught her foot on the base of the booth. She stumbled, but Cam clasped her waist and kept her from falling. “You okay?” He didn’t let go, and his green gaze blazed into hers.
She pivoted—reluctantly, if she was honest—and his hands finally dropped to his sides. “Yes. Good night.”
She turned and followed Kelsey from the bar. Outside, the temperature had dropped a couple of degrees, and there was a lovely breeze that felt divine against her flushed cheeks.
“What’s the story there?” Kelsey asked as they walked back toward the main part of town.
Brooke looked over at her, not terribly surprised that she’d detected something. “With Cam, you mean?”
She hunched her shoulders briefly. “Sorry. If you’d rather not talk about it, I totally understand. I just… You guys have crazy sparks.”
“I know.” What else could she say? “But we work together, so it’s a nonstarter.”
“That’s too bad.”
“Not really. He’s a player. Even if we didn’t work together, it would be a flash-in-the-pan kind of thing.” That sounded terrific. Just what she needed, probably. “Which wouldn’t be so bad at this point in my life, actually.”
“Well then, that sucks. Maybe you should stop working with him. It’s not like you’d have to quit your actual job, right?”
Brooke had told Kelsey about her job earlier, so she knew that Cam wasn’t her employer. “True, but so far, West Arch has proven to be a good income stream. Not sure I want to give that up for a few nights of fun.”
“Yeah, that makes sense.” Kelsey shook her head. “Tough situation. Whatever you decide, I’m here if you need to talk.”
Brooke smiled, glad that she’d met Kelsey and that it seemed their friendship was off to a great, solid start. “Thanks. I appreciate that.”
They reached Second, where they would part ways, and Kelsey said, “So, I’ll let you know when we’re going to meet about the exhibit.”
“Sounds great. See you then.”
They exchanged waves, and Kelsey crossed the street while Brooke took off toward her building.
A few minutes later as she stepped into the elevator, she pulled out her phone and texted her sister. Okay, tell Mom I’ll meet the guy from Mac.
Rhonda’s response came as Brooke stepped into her loft. Excellent! This is going to be great. I can just feel it.
The only thing Brooke could feel right now was a pull to Cam’s townhouse across the street. But that wasn’t an option. Yes, it was time to make some changes. Starting with putting herself back on the market.
Cam hefted the case of wine onto his shoulder as he stepped off the elevator onto Brooke’s floor. He ought to have called or texted first, but he didn’t want her to tell him not to come. He could’ve just left it for her at the winery to pick up, but he wanted to talk to her. The other night at Ruckus had been unnecessarily awkward. Things didn’t have to be like that. At least he hoped they didn’t.
But damn, he had to admit it was difficult being around her and not pursuing a romantic relationship. Difficult, but not impossible. He could do this.
He knocked on her door. A moment later, her voice came through the wood. “Who is it?”
“It’s Cam. I brought your wine.”
She unlocked the door and opened it to reveal her skeptical expression. “You didn’t buzz up.”
“Someone else was coming in the building.”
She frowned at him. “You aren’t supposed to do that.”
He narrowed his eyes at her, fairly certain she wasn’t teasing. “Do you want to call the police? Just let me set the wine down, if you don’t mind.”
She opened the door wider and gestured him inside.
Somehow they’d gone from uncomfortable to adversarial. He really didn’t like that. He set the wine on the floor in her entry. He noted she didn’t close the door. “Can we talk for a few minutes?”
She hesitated but ultimately shut the door and walked farther into her loft. He watched the sway of her hips, cloaked in de
nim shorts. They cupped her ass perfectly and had a sexy, tattered hem, like they’d been torn. He got an instant visual of ripping them off her and started to sport wood.
Down boy, he cautioned. He hadn’t come here to do anything but apologize and hopefully smooth things over.
She turned to the right and walked into her kitchen, standing next to a long, rectangular island. “What do you want to talk about?”
He joined her at the counter, but left a few feet between them. He leaned against the granite edge and crossed his arms. “I wanted to apologize for the other night. Things seemed uncomfortable, and I really don’t want them to be.”
She blew out a breath and crossed her arms too. “I don’t either. Any ideas on how we do that?”
He’d spent a lot of time thinking about that. Too much, probably. And his thoughts generally veered in the wrong direction, where he ended up undressing her in his mind and having spectacular sex with her.
Yeah, that wasn’t helping.
“I’m hoping we can be friends. Maybe if we focused on doing friend things, the…uh, the attraction between us might fade.” He nearly laughed at how stupid that sounded.
She arched a brow at him, and her expression seemed to echo his thoughts. “You really think that will work?”
“Hey, it’s worth trying.” He cocked his head to the side. “What do you suggest?”
She hesitated a moment before saying, “Finding someone else at Willamette to take your account.”
So they could pursue a romantic relationship? The rampant desire he was trying so hard to rein in pulsed through him.
She dropped her arms, and her brow furrowed. “But I hate to do that. This is a good account.”
He didn’t really want her to do that either. She was great, and the business part of his brain didn’t want to lose her. “So back to my friend idea, then.” Which sounded even more unappealing than it had two minutes ago.
She laid her palm flat on the counter and seemed to study the granite. “It’s not a no. I just don’t know how it will work.” She darted him a glance. “I do like you. As a friend.”
He edged closer and uncrossed his arms. He mimicked her, putting his hand on the counter so that their fingers were maybe a foot apart. “I like you too. A little more than as a friend, but I’ll take what I can get.”
She straightened and looked at him, her blue-green eyes sharp and beautiful. “Maybe we should just get this out of our systems. I know you’re worried about us working together, but it’s sort of not going all that great right now anyway, is it?”
Their communication had become stilted, and even though she was still doing a great job, things were awkward. All in all, she had a fair point. But was she serious about the getting-it-out-of-their-systems part? He couldn’t tell.
He offered a self-deprecating smile. “I was trying to be a gentleman. And look where that got me.”
She laughed softly, and her eyes lit. He ached to touch her.
“I appreciate you trying to do that—really. Even if I was pissed at first. But it’s good. You’ve actually encouraged me to get back out there. My mom and sister are setting me up on a blind date.”
She could’ve kicked him square in the balls, and it might’ve had less of an impact. His chest tightened, and his insides swirled with turmoil. Apparently, she hadn’t been serious about getting their mutual attraction out of their systems. “Well, that’s progress, I guess,” he said tightly. He stalled the incremental movement of his hand—which he’d only been partially aware of—on the counter.
Her eyes narrowed slightly and only for a second, as if she’d caught the nuance of his reaction. Shit, maybe it wasn’t that nuanced. Maybe his face screamed his envy. Time to get the hell out of there. “So let’s try the friend thing, then. I’m confident we can do it. You can even tell me all about your date when I see you next.” He forced a smile before turning and starting from the kitchen toward the door.
“Hey, you seem mad.” She caught his hand. “Don’t leave mad. Friends don’t do that.”
He turned, his fingers twining through hers. “Friends don’t do a lot of things. Like think about how they want to toss the other one on the counter and screw them senseless.”
Her eyes widened and immediately darkened with desire. “See, I told you we should just get it out of our systems. I bet that’s all it would take.”
She was serious. “That’s a line I would use. You’re killing me with it.”
She lifted a shoulder and ran her thumb along his palm. “Maybe it’s fun to play the player.”
The sexy lilt of her voice and the seductive glint in her gaze completely destroyed whatever willpower he’d been clinging to. He clasped her waist and spun her around so that her back was up against the fridge. She gasped softly, but her eyes slitted as he pushed his body into hers.
He massaged her waist and brought her hand up, pinning it against the stainless steel. He leaned in close and inhaled her spicy, floral scent. She stared at him, her eyes daring him to take the next step. He shouldn’t…he couldn’t…he had to.
Angling his head, he kissed her hard and fast. He let go of her hand and cupped the side of her neck. Her hands came up around his back and clutched at him. He felt his shirt bunch up as she tugged at the fabric.
Their hips pressed against each other, their bodies pulsing and seeking. The kiss was deep and lush, delicious strokes of tongues and fevered moans. He cocked his head the other way, searching for new ground, claiming every part of her he could find.
She thrust into him, grinding her pelvis and opening her thighs. Hot lust poured through him. Mindless, he found the hem of her tank and pulled it up, yanking it over her head as he broke the kiss for the briefest of moments.
Her breasts were flush against his chest, full and enticing. He cupped the underside of one, his thumb and fingertips skimming over the lace decoration of her bra. She arched her back, pushing her breast into his hand. He pulled his mouth from hers and bent to her chest. Slipping his fingers into her bra, he tugged it down to pop her breast free. God, she was beautiful. Perfect. He ran his thumb over her nipple and watched it peak. It beckoned him to taste, and he didn’t need much urging. He licked at her flesh, lightly, teasingly. She thrust her hands into his hair and pressed him against her. He held her breast, capturing it for his mouth. Then he taunted her with slow, gentle licks before he closed his lips over her.
She moaned, her fingers digging into his scalp. He squeezed her flesh and used his teeth lightly, making her gasp. “Yes.” The word floated from her mouth—a plea, a demand. Over and over, she prodded him with that word and with her body. Her hips continued to rotate into his, and her hands moved over him, seeking and claiming. She clasped his ass and pulled him tight against her. His cock nestled between her legs, finding her heat despite the clothing between them. He needed her now.
“Cam.”
It sounded as if she needed him too.
He reluctantly left her breast, and she clasped the hem of his shirt. He whipped it off and threw it aside, then pulled her away from the fridge long enough to unhook her bra. Then he brought her against him and kissed her again, reveling in being flesh to flesh with her at last.
He pinned her against the fridge, and she tilted her hips. The movement caressed his cock just right. He groaned and grabbed her ass, lifting her. She wrapped her legs around him, bringing him even closer to that sweet spot. He mentally cursed the clothes they were still wearing.
She twined her arms around his neck and kissed him as she squeezed him with her legs. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d been this worked up. Not even last week when she’d interrupted him in the shower. This was utter bliss. This was heaven. This was Brooke.
He considered where to go next—he needed to get the rest of their clothes off. He interrupted the kiss long enough to form a single-word question. “Bedroom?”
She kissed him, her tongue sweeping against his. “Mmm, yes.”
He mentall
y undressed her and then him and then—
Shit.
He pulled back slightly. She opened her eyes and gave him a dusky stare.
“I, uh…” He hadn’t come prepared for this. “I don’t suppose you have a condom?”
Chapter Eleven
Brooke flattened her back against the refrigerator. The irony of Cam not having a condom nearly made her laugh…until she thought about the fact that they didn’t actually need a condom, assuming they were both clean.
As if he read her mind, he said, “I’m clean. I get tested every six months, and I haven’t, uh, had a partner since my last test. If you’re on birth control, we could forgo the condom—but only if you’re comfortable with that.”
She would’ve been. But she wasn’t on birth control. Because I don’t need it.
She unhooked her legs and pushed at his shoulders.
Lines creased his brow, and he stepped back. “What’s wrong?”
She pushed her hair back from her face. “Nothing. I’m not on birth control, and I don’t have any condoms, so…” You should go.
He wiped a hand over his forehead and blew out a breath. Then his eyes found hers, and they sharpened with hope. “I have condoms at home. I can be right back.”
She bent down and picked up her bra and tank top, then walked away from him to put them on with her back to him. “I think this is probably the Universe telling us to put on the brakes, don’t you?”
“Uh…” He sounded confused. Or frustrated. Or both.
She hooked her bra on and wiggled into it, pulling up the straps. After she shimmied into her tank top, she turned. He was still standing there bare-chested, and damn if she wasn’t sorely tempted to pick up right where they’d left off.
She took a deep breath to calm her speeding pulse. “The points you made last week—about not ruining our working relationship—are as valid today as they were then. Maybe even more so since things have been kind of awkward. You came here for a reset and that’s a great idea. We got carried away, but thankfully had a good reason to stop.”