by Alexa Wilder
Cami watched in horror as he reached out and grabbed hold of the woman’s arm. She struggled to get away but he wouldn’t let her go. Instead, he leaned forward even more, until his face was almost pressed against hers.
“You do not get to talk to me like that, woman,” he growled.
Cami was just about to step out of the corridor and intervene, when another masculine voice rang through the hall.
“Let go of her right this moment, Robert!” Drew demanded as he stalked into the room from the kitchen. He didn’t seem to notice Cami, standing just down the hall.
The drunken man—Robert—turned towards Drew, glowering, but didn’t let go of the woman.
“Don’t you dare tell me how to talk to my wife?”
“I can and will tell you how to treat my sister. You better let go of her right now and walk away, or you will find yourself extremely sorry.”
Drew wasn’t as tall as Robert, but he still seemed intimidating as he got right up in the drunken man’s face. The two men glared at each other for a moment before Robert pushed the woman away and stomped off.
“You better pack your bags and call a car, Robert. I don’t want to see you again this weekend,” Drew called after him. “Or I cannot be held responsible for my actions.”
“Calm down, D,” the woman said, reaching out to grab Drew’s arm.
“Are you okay, Els?” he asked, studying the woman with concern in his eyes.
“No,” she admitted, looking down.
“What are you doing Elsie? Why are you still with him?” Drew asked quietly.
“It’s not always like this,” Elsie replied.
“It should never be like this,” Drew said emphatically. “I thought you said he quit drinking.”
“He did,” she said, tears still streaming down her face. “But then he started again.”
“How long?” Drew demanded.
“About a month, this time,” Elsie admitted.
Drew growled angrily, but he pulled the woman into a tight hug.
“You have to leave him, Els,” he said against her hair.
“But what about Robby?” she asked, distraught.
“It’s better for him to grow up without a father than with one who’s an abusive alcoholic. Do you really want Robby to learn how to treat women from him?”
The woman closed her eyes and buried her face in Drew’s shoulder, but she shook her head.
“You’re a great big brother,” she said after a moment. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“Yes, you do,” Drew said with a smile. But his smile quickly turned into a frown. “And you deserve so much more than Robert.” Elsie didn’t respond, so Drew continued. “You’re an amazing woman, Elsie. You’re smart and funny and beautiful. You have so much going for you. You deserve someone who is going to love you the way you need to be loved—someone who is going to teach Robby to be the kind of person you want him to be.”
Elsie nodded against her brother’s chest.
Cami suddenly felt like she was eavesdropping on a very personal moment—which most definitely she was. She quietly slunk back the way she came, exiting the house then walking much louder back down the hall in an attempt to alert Drew and Elsie to her presence.
But the siblings either didn’t hear her or didn’t care whether or not they were seen, because they remained where they were, hugging each other in the alcove. Drew was patting Elsie’s hair as his sister sobbed.
Cami couldn’t help but feel a slight pang of envy as she regarded the siblings. Yes, Elsie was in a bad situation. Her husband reminded Cami of Ken in so many ways that it kind of terrified her. In fact, Cami was pretty sure that she and Ken had arguments almost identical to the one she’d just overheard.
But at least Elsie had her brother. Cami would have given anything to have someone like that in her corner while she was going through her divorce—someone to love her and stick up for her as unconditionally as Drew seemed to.
Cami’s mom had been there for her. And her mother really had meant well. But she had also been hypercritical and didn’t truly understand why Cami had chosen to leave Ken, despite the drinking and the partying and the possible cheating. When her mother looked at Cami’s ex-husband, all she saw were dollar signs. It was hard to convince someone who had worked herself to the bone for decades just to scrape by that money wasn’t the answer to every problem.
Shaking her head in an attempt to change her train of thought, Cami slipped past the siblings and moved towards the stairs. After grabbing the sunblock from the room she and Maggie were sharing, Cami headed towards the kitchen. She couldn’t help but notice that Elsie and Drew had disappeared.
“Can I help you?” asked a middle-aged woman in a black and white uniform.
Cami smiled at the woman. “Yeah, I think. Maggie told me that there was a ready-made stock of margaritas in here.”
“Yes, of course.” The woman gave her a kind smile. “How many do you need?”
“Oh, it’s just Maggie and I,” Cami replied as the woman reached into the fridge to pull out a large pitcher full of margarita mix.
“Are you out on the patio, dear?” the woman asked as she pulled out two delicate fishbowl glasses.
“No, actually. We’re on the beach.”
“Oh,” the woman said, frowning at the glasses. “Then these probably won’t do.”
Instead, she pulled two large, insulated cups out of the cabinet, filling them up with the icy mixture before affixing them with lids and straws. Cami’s eyes widened. The cups were huge, and Cami felt certain that she and Maggie were doomed to another batch of hangovers on the way home. She grabbed two large water bottles to make sure they stayed hydrated, then headed out the door.
In the main dining room, Cami came face to face with Drew. She remembered how she had left things between them that morning and opened her mouth to speak, but was quickly interrupted.
“Come on, Drew,” Grant called as he turned and headed into his office. Drew offered her a small smile before following behind Grant.
Cami walked back to the beach while replaying every interaction she’d had with Drew in the last twenty-four hours—as well as the one she’d witnessed between him and his sister. The man was so confusing.
“Took you long enough,” Maggie bitched as Cami handed her a cup and a bottle of water.
“Quit complaining!” Cami demanded with a smile.
Once again, Cami considered discussing Drew with Maggie. She really was mystified by his actions. At some moments, he seemed so sweet and genuine. At others, he came off as completely snobby and self-involved. Cami would chalk his constantly changing demeanor up to his trying to get into her pants—only he’d been so protective and supportive of his sister. He really did seem like a truly nice guy—except when he wasn’t, that is.
Cami spent the remainder of her afternoon sipping her margarita in the sun while contemplating the enigma that was Drew Sloane. By the time the girls made their way back towards the house, Cami was pretty sure that she did like Drew. After all, she’d witnessed him being open and kind more times than she’d seen him be snobby and rude.
That evening, she would give him another chance, she decided. Perhaps they could take another walk, get to know each other a little bit better. She even wondered whether or not he had been assigned his own room, though Cami kept telling herself that it was too early to think about sex.
Only, Cami couldn’t stop thinking about sex—sex with Drew. The memories of the previous night, though covered with the shiny haze of inebriation, were nothing short of amazing. It had been years since a man had touched her, and Drew seemed to know exactly how to push her buttons. She’d had a better orgasm on his fingers than Ken had given her…perhaps ever. Maybe, just maybe, Cami thought, if they really connected tonight, she’d be willing to finish what they started the night before.
Cami took extra time getting ready, sweeping her hair back to the side and giving herself a bit more dramatic eye
makeup to match the little black cocktail dress she was wearing. Once again, she looked at herself in the mirror and conceded that she was smokin’ hot.
When the girls headed down to dinner after freshening up, Cami was disappointed to find that the large crowd from the night before had returned. Surveying the masses, she was finally able to spot Drew near the bar.
“I’ll be right back,” Cami said to Maggie before heading in Drew’s direction.
As she approached, she realized that he was in a deep conversation with the snooty older couple from the night before. She hesitated for a second, but eventually decided that she was not about to let some rude old snobs stop her from a potentially awesome romance. Taking a deep breath, she made her way through the rest of the crowd.
She was less than ten feet away when the model from this morning—Analise, Cami remembered her name to be—sauntered up next to Drew. She handed him a drink before moving even closer and putting an arm around his waist. To Cami’s horror, Drew returned her easy affection, wrapping an arm around her bony shoulders and rubbing circles against Analise’s back the same way he’d done to Cami the night before.
Cami cringed as she watched the pair. They moved together naturally, as if they’d been with each other for a while. Cami couldn’t help but wonder whether or not they actually were a couple.
Had Drew cheated on Analise with Cami? With that thought, Cami felt sick. She needed a drink. She continued walking again, this time past the group that Drew was a part of, to the bar, where she ordered a strong cocktail.
She took a long sip of her beverage before turning from the bar to scan the crowd for Maggie. Unfortunately, Drew happened to be staring right at her, and she accidentally met his eye. He offered her a small, almost sad smile. Cami didn’t return it. She turned instead and walked towards the other side of the patio.
She was more than ready for this weekend to be over.
9
DREW
Drew was speaking to a group of investors when he noticed Cami at the bar. The little black dress she was wearing perfectly accentuated her pert, round ass. As she leaned over the bar, the skimpy fabric rode up a little, revealing her taunting milky thighs. He remembered what it had been like to run his hand up those legs the night before.
He tried not to let his investors realize he was no longer paying attention, still smiling and nodding along with their conversation…but his mind was on Cami’s delectable body. It wasn’t just her body, though. Cami also had the most stunning face he’d ever seen: beautiful alabaster skin; soft, pouty lips; large emerald eyes that shone with intelligence—all framed by fiery red hair that bounced around her head, thick and lustrous.
Drew realized that he was waxing poetic about a woman he barely knew, when his future—the future he’d worked so hard to build—was standing right in front of him. Drew shook his head to clear his mind, then smiled weakly at the group of investors—men he’d grown to hate over the course of the last few weeks. Unfortunately, they were also men that he knew he needed in order to get him where he was going. Self-involved men only out to make money, yes, but needed just the same.
He glanced around the group before him. They were all so different from Cami. He’d only known her for a short period of time, but she’d proven herself to be completely unpretentious, kind, and funny. She was also extremely caring. Hell, she’d wanted to go searching for an abandoned champagne bottle in the middle of the night simply because she didn’t want to add to the workload of the staff. She was exactly the kind of woman he could see himself settling down with.
“Isn’t that right, Drew?” James Cook, president of the investment firm, was asking.
“That’s right,” Drew agreed, though he had no idea what they were talking about.
He shook his head again, berating his own lack of focus. He didn’t have time to date right now. He could think about settling down later. Tonight, he needed to woo his investors.
He offered one last longing look towards Cami’s curvaceous back. As if on cue, she turned towards him, giving him a perfect view of her large breasts, which were nearly spilling out of the top of her dress. Her huntress eyes met his, and he felt the chemistry between them sizzle, like the night before. But it was the briefest of sparks, gone as soon as it started. He offered her a small smile, sad that he couldn’t be over there with her. Perhaps they could catch up later.
Cami shot a pointed look at Analise Cook, James’s daughter, who was still unfortunately hanging off Drew’s arm. Cami then rolled her eyes and turned away, disappearing into the crowd. Drew felt something inside his gut coil into a bitter nausea.
Cami couldn’t possibly think that he was interested in Analise, could she? Analise was attractive, sure, in a cold, calculating way. She had none of Cami’s heat, nor her kindness. She was like an emaciated prune, compared to Cami, who was a delectable, fresh, mouth-watering plum. Of course Cami didn’t know that, but she had to realize that he wouldn’t have let things get so heated last night if he had feelings for another woman.
But how would she know that? She didn’t really know him from Adam. And right now, he did have his arm wrapped around Analise Cook—though that was only because she initiated it, and he couldn’t afford to push her away and offend her father and thus alienate the investors. But then again, Cami couldn’t know that.
Quit obsessing over Cami, he commanded himself again. He would have plenty of time to date once this deal was done. He only needed to impress these people for another few weeks. He could hold out that much longer. He could wrap his arm around Analise’s bony frame and pretend to care about her modeling career. He could laugh at James and Nancy Cook’s awful, elitist jokes.
It’s a means to an end, he reminded himself.
However, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t seem to get his mind off Cami. He continued to nod and smile, half listening to the conversation so that he could add a comment here or there. But his mind was miles away—or right across the deck, where Cami was laughing with Grant, his sister, and a bunch of their friends.
His mind wandered to the night before, the way she’d writhed beneath him so wantonly, shaking with desire at the mere touch of his mouth and fingers. Her lavish breasts had undulated as she twisted in pleasure. She’d been so wet, so hot and tight around his fingers. He couldn’t help but think about how hot and tight it would feel wrapped around his cock.
He’d gone up to his room last night and thought about just that as he’d stroked his rigid cock. He’d pumped into his fist, imagining it was Cami’s wet heat. He’d come harder than he had in a long time—with a partner or without.
Despite all this, right now he was right where he needed to be—right where he’d always wanted to be—standing in the middle of a group of multi-million dollar investors. Yet Drew couldn’t help but wish that everyone else would just disappear. He wanted nothing more than to be alone with Cami, to watch her smile and hear her laugh, then listen to her moans mingle with his own as he buried himself deep within her.
Just a few more weeks, he reminded himself, as he forced a laugh at another stupid joke. I can make it a few more weeks.
10
CAMI
After walking away from Drew, Cami had spent the remainder of the night getting drunk with Maggie, Grant, and their friends. She tried to push every single thought of Drew Sloane out of her mind as she sipped cocktail after cocktail.
Maggie was almost as drunk as she was, hanging off Declan in a way that Cami was sure she’d regret in the morning. She made a mental note to make sure Maggie ended up back up in the room with her. She wasn’t going to let her best friend make a drunken mistake like the one Cami had made the night before.
Just thinking about it sent another wave of frustration through Cami. She knew better than to fool around with strange men—especially when she’d been drinking. This was why she was single in the first place. That was exactly what she and Maggie had been discussing on the phone the other night—after their mother
s had both tried to pick apart their weight. Cami had absolutely no lack of interested men. It was just that all of the men that were interested in her turned out to be jackasses. Or, perhaps all men were jackasses, she thought with a chuckle.
But Drew had been such a sexy, seemingly sweet jackass.
Cami shook her head, willing thoughts of Drew out of her mind. That didn’t work, so she flagged down a server to order another drink.
By the time Cami and Maggie finally stumbled up to their room, it was after midnight and they were both completely wasted. Maggie crashed face-first onto the bed and immediately fell asleep on top of the comforter.
Cami took her time getting ready for sleep, brushing her teeth, washing her face, and slipping into a comfortable little pair of soft shorts and a silky camisole. But even after that entire routine, she lay in bed awake. She couldn’t rid her mind of images of Drew.
It was one thing if he didn’t like her at all—if he had just turned out to be a total ass. But he hadn’t. The scene she’d encountered with his sister had been completely genuine. And the way he’d looked at her last night on the beach—like she was the answer to all of his problems—that had been genuine, too. Plus, their chemistry, when they were together, was undeniable.
With a growl of frustration, Cami rolled onto her back. She was extremely thirsty, she realized. Not wanting to wake up dehydrated and excruciatingly hung over for the second morning in a row, she decided to make a quick trip to the kitchen and get a bottle of water. Then she’d be able to sleep, she reasoned.
Cami debated whether or not to leave the room in her skimpy sleepwear. She didn’t have a robe to throw over, or even some comfortable sweats. So, changing would require pulling on one of her sexy little dresses, which she really didn’t have the energy to do. It was almost one in the morning, she reasoned to herself. The likelihood of running into anyone at this time of night was slim to none.