Cameron stared at Aubree. Technically he stared at the back of her head since she’d turned away from him a split second after their palms had touched. Had she felt it too? That spark? Was that why she’d reacted the way she had? Or maybe it was just a continuation of all the other weird reactions she’d had. Like she was on edge. All. The. Time. What was up with that? Did she have some nutty boyfriend in the wings that she was afraid of?
“Hi, Maya,” he said, acting like nothing out of the ordinary had happened.
Maya smiled a big doggie smile, her tail swinging from side to side.
“If you want to come back about six tonight,” Aubree said, her words trailing off.
She was dismissing him. Not used to that, he hesitated. That, plus he was half afraid to leave. What if she changed her mind about dinner? “I have a better idea. What if I take you out?”
She stared at him a moment. “Are you worried about my cooking skills?”
He chuckled. “No.”
“Okay then. We’ll eat here.”
Wow. Okay. “Can I bring anything? Dessert?”
A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. “Sure. Just not cereal.”
He smiled. “Right. No cereal.”
She walked to the door, then pulled it open. “I’ll see you in a few hours.”
With no other option, he walked toward the door, and with a single nod, he left, eager to return.
Chapter Thirteen
When it was time for Cameron to arrive for dinner, Aubree found herself unaccustomedly nervous. Why, she didn’t know. This wasn’t a date. It was a do-over of the bungled thank you dinner.
Still, the thought of Cameron sitting across from her for a couple of hours put her on edge. Maybe because the last time she spent time alone with a man over dinner it had been with Tyler. And that had ended in disaster.
This isn’t the same thing so stop obsessing.
Easier said than done. Even so, she focused on finishing setting the table. The chicken was baking in the oven and she would heat up the rolls when the chicken was done.
A few minutes later, a knock sounded at the door.
Sucking in a breath, Aubree ran her hands over her blouse, then looked down at the jeans she was wearing. Maybe she should have dressed up more. Too late now. At least her high-heel boots gave the look a more dressed-up feel.
Blowing out a breath, she made her way to the front door. Maya was already there, whining and prancing around.
“Do you like him, sweet girl?”
Aubree twisted the knob, then pulled the door open. And there he stood. Dark jeans, sapphire blue button-up shirt that emphasized the blue of his eyes. Beard neatly trimmed. Face as handsome as it had been every other time she’d seen him. So why did he seem so much more attractive this time? Maybe it was because he’d come over to spend the evening with her. Even though it wasn’t a date, it still seemed very date-like.
Not sure if she liked that or not, she held the door open for him. “Please. Come in.” And this time she wouldn’t do anything stupid like throw him out without giving him a chance to explain whatever it might be he would do.
“Something smells delicious,” he said as he stepped inside, a plate of brownies in his hands.
Pleased that he’d noticed, Aubree smiled. Then, wanting to lighten the heavy mood that seemed to surround her all the time, she said, “Maybe my cooking skills really aren’t that bad.”
He chuckled. “That will be evident soon enough.” Then he smirked. “Besides, there are restaurants open late.”
She liked his sense of humor—and the fact that he wasn’t tripping all over himself to compliment her like other men she dated typically did.
But this wasn’t a date. She had to remember that. It was an apology and thank you dinner.
Mentally shaking herself, she focused on Cameron, and with a laugh, said, “If you go to a restaurant after we eat, you’d better not tell me.”
His lips stretched into a smile. “I may be dense, but I’m not stupid.”
“I see you brought dessert,” she said with a glance at the plate in his hands.
He held it out to her. “I hope you like chocolate.”
She laughed as she took it from him. “It’s only my favorite.”
“Good.”
A timer beeped.
“The chicken’s ready,” she said as she turned toward the kitchen.
“Can I help with anything?” Cameron asked as he followed her.
“Just keep me company while I finish up a couple of things.”
He nodded and followed her into the kitchen.
She set the plate of brownies on the counter before taking the baked chicken out of the oven and placing it on a trivet on the table, then she slid the cookie sheet of rolls into the oven. Next, she took the salad makings out of the fridge and began putting the salad together. As she worked, she glanced at Cameron, who was leaning against the counter watching her.
“You’re good at that,” he said.
She smiled as she chopped the tomato into chunks. “Thanks. At one time I worked as a chef.” One of many part-time jobs she’d held while waiting for her big break. And once that big break had come in the form of her part on Love & Lies, Tyler had brought it all crashing down. Forcing away the frown that tugged at her lips, she sliced the avocado and tossed it with the rest of the salad.
“I’m not surprised,” Cameron said.
With her thoughts on Tyler, she’d lost the thread of the conversation. She looked at Cameron. “Not surprised about what?”
“That you worked as a chef.”
“Why’s that?”
“That’s a creative field. And you like to paint.” He smiled. “You’re a creative person. What other creative things do you do?”
Aubree carried the salad bowl to the table. Acting was creative, but she didn’t want to tell him she was an actress. If he knew, he might tell the world. Then Tyler would be able to find her. She couldn’t risk it. She swept her hand toward the table. “Go ahead and sit. I’ll grab the rolls and then we can eat.”
He nodded, and after they were seated and had dished up their food, he said, “You didn’t answer my question. About what else you like to do.”
Deflecting, she said, “I’ve been thinking about trying sculpting. But what about you? Besides cutting up tree trunks and rescuing lost dogs, what do you like to do?”
Cameron laughed. He opened his mouth, about to tell her that he spent the bulk of his time writing gaming apps, but then he paused. She obviously thought he was a regular guy and had no idea he was a billionaire. She was getting to know him as simply Cameron. Not some uber-rich man who women threw themselves at in the hopes that he would buy them things.
Kind of loving the idea, he smiled. “I like to be outdoors.” Which was true. It was just that he didn’t have a lot of time to actually be outdoors. Unless he was sitting outside working on his laptop. But that didn’t really count.
“I like the outdoors too,” she said with a smile. “I’m always looking for the perfect scenery to paint.” Then she sliced off a bite of chicken and placed it in her mouth. After she ate it, she said, “Do you like to hike? You know, since you live in the mountains.”
“Yeah. From time to time.” He liked to be physical and hiking was a great way to get a workout.
“Earlier you said you’d just bought your cabin,” she said. “What made you choose this area?”
Would it give the wrong impression if he admitted that he’d bought the cabin to be away from people? To be isolated? Deciding to not go all the way there, he said, “I like the peace and quiet of the mountains.”
She nodded but didn’t offer her own reasons for being in these woods.
“You said this is your friend’s place,” he said. “How long will you be staying here? And where do you call home?” He took a bite of salad as he waited for her answer, then he looked at her in expectation, but she had a deer in the headlights look.
What was t
hat all about?
Panicked at the questions Cameron was asking, Aubree froze. Realizing she didn’t want to reveal very much about herself, she nearly stuttered as she answered. “I’m, uh, just visiting.” Well, duh. He already knew that.
“Okay.” He smiled, like he knew she was deflecting again. “Don’t tell me if you don’t want to.”
Deciding to be bold, she smiled, her lips tugging up saucily. “All right, then. I won’t.”
His eyebrows shot up, but then he laughed before shaking his head and piercing a chunk of chicken.
The way he’d accepted her refusal without batting an eyelid made her want to tell him more. Which made no sense. Was he using reverse psychology? Holding back a chuckle at her almost pathological need to tell him something, she said, “I mean, I’m staying here indefinitely.” Or at least until my stalker situation is sorted out. Holding back a frown, she looked at her plate.
“Nice friend to let you stay indefinitely,” Cameron said.
That got Aubree’s attention, and she lifted her gaze to his. “Yeah. Janie’s the best.” Especially since I’m not paying rent. Which is because I no longer have a job. The frown tugged at the corners of her mouth, but she fought it.
“I gather she lives somewhere else?”
“Yeah. Southern California.”
Cameron slowly nodded, like he was putting two and two together.
So what if he figured out she lived there too? It wasn’t like he was going to follow her when she went back. “That’s where I’m from too,” she heard herself say. What was wrong with her? Why couldn’t she keep her mouth shut?
“Uh-huh,” he said with a small smile and a nod, like that was interesting, but it really didn’t matter to him one way or another.
His response comforted her.
“What do you do when you’re in SoCal?” he asked. “For work, I mean.”
“This and that,” she said without even thinking.
“This and that,” he echoed as one side of his mouth quirked up. “You’re kind of a mystery, Aubree.”
Yes. And she intended to keep it that way.
Chapter Fourteen
Cameron couldn’t fault Aubree for keeping her cards close to the vest. Not when he was holding back information of his own.
“What do you do, Cameron?”
And here we go. “I’m a software developer.” Which was totally true. Just an unusually successful one.
“Ah. A techie.”
He laughed. “Yeah. I guess you could say that.”
She smiled. “No wonder you knew about the GPS collar. Which I ordered, by the way. It’ll be here tomorrow.”
Somehow pleased that she’d not only listened to him, but acted on his suggestion, he smiled. “Nice.”
“How’s your chicken?” she asked with a twinkle in her eye. “As good as the restaurants make?”
“It’s perfect. Tender and delicious.”
“Hmm.”
“What? You don’t believe me?”
She laughed. “It’s not like you could tell me if it tasted bad.”
“That’s true. But it really is delicious.” He held up his right hand with three fingers together and his thumb and pinky down. “Scout’s honor.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Are you really a scout?”
“Yep. Got my Eagle Scout and everything.”
“Okay. I believe you about the chicken.”
Maybe he could get her to tell him more about herself. He took another bite of chicken, slowly chewing before swallowing. “So, Aubree.”
She lifted her eyes to his. “Yes?”
“Tell me about yourself.”
She looked at her plate, then met his gaze and shook her head. “I’m really boring. You don’t want to know about me.”
He seriously doubted she was boring. And he definitely wanted to know about her. But this wasn’t a date. So he couldn’t expect her to divulge too much about herself. Still, it was worth a try.
“If you don’t want to tell me about yourself, how about you tell me about your boyfriend?” Not that he really wanted to know anything about the man, but something just seemed off and Cameron wanted to see if there was anything he could do to help her.
“My boyfriend?”
“Yeah.”
“Why do you want to know about him?”
One side of his mouth tugged up. “We’ve got to talk about something. Why not talk about him?”
Her chin lifted slightly. “Fine. I’ll tell you about him.”
“Okay.”
She took a sip of water, set her glass down, straightened the napkin in her lap, and then she smiled. “His name’s Wyatt. He’s tall, kind of like you. Blonde hair, brown eyes. Really handsome, as a matter of fact.”
Cameron was already regretting this conversation. But at least he’d gotten her talking. “What does he do for a living?”
“He’s a surgeon. A pediatric orthopedic surgeon, to be precise. He recently went to Africa on a humanitarian mission to help children there.”
Wow. This guy would be hard to compete with. “Noble.”
“Oh yes. He’s very noble. And kind and sweet.” Her face kind of lit up as she spoke.
Of course Aubree has the perfect man. Look at her. The guy probably has model good looks to go with the rest of his perfectness.
Then again, if this guy makes her light up like that, why does she seem on edge so much of the time?
She’s hiding something.
Would she tell him what it was if he asked?
Wyatt sounded like a dream man. Too bad she was describing her love interest on Love & Lies. Too bad it was all make-believe.
“Enough about my boyfriend,” she said as guilt pinched her. “Tell me about you.”
He chuckled, then shook his head before spearing a chunk of chicken and placing it in his mouth.
Why had he reacted like that? Had her description of Wyatt been over-the-top? Well, yeah. It kind of had been. But he’d asked. Goaded her, really. Anyway, it was better for him to believe her boyfriend was every girl’s dream. That way he would have no reason to even begin to imagine there could be a future for them. If only Tyler had believed she had a serious boyfriend maybe that would have kept him from developing the illusion that she was in love with him, that they were engaged.
Yep. Convincing Cameron that she was in love with the imaginary Wyatt was a brilliant idea after all.
“Can I get you anything?” she asked, anxious to turn the conversation in another direction, to lift the mood. “A bowl of cereal, perhaps?”
His gaze shot to hers, but he didn’t smile and he didn’t laugh.
“What?” she asked, sensing something was on his mind.
He stared at her a moment as if he was considering his next words. A muscle tightened in his jaw. Then he held up his fork and smiled. “This is probably the best chicken I’ve ever had.”
She knew that was a lie. Her cooking was nothing special. Mediocre even. He had something else on his mind. She could tell.
About to ask him, when he pushed his chair back and stood, then asked where the bathroom was, she had no choice but to point the way.
Cameron strode in the direction Aubree had directed him, but he didn’t need to use the bathroom. He just needed a moment to figure out what was going on in his head. Normally, if he wanted a question answered, he simply asked. But with Aubree he’d held back. Why?
But he knew why. Because she’d proven herself to be skittish and he didn’t want her to throw him out again. For all he knew, if she tossed him out, she could vanish into the night and he’d never see her again. Not something he was ready to chance.
Then how could he find out what her story really was? Because he knew she had a story.
Sighing, he stared at himself in the mirror, then after freshening up, he walked back toward the dining area. As he approached, his gaze went to Aubree. He could only see her profile as she sat at the table, but even so, he couldn’t deny his attraction t
o her.
She stared at her plate as if she didn’t hear him approaching, her hands twined together in her lap.
Not wanting to startle her, he cleared his throat, but her whole body jerked as her head twisted in his direction.
Okay. That was enough. He had to ask, had to know. What was she so afraid of? Was she painting her boyfriend in false strokes of praise? Was he actually a monster?
A smile—obviously forced—pulled her lips upward as Cameron settled back into his seat.
Though he wanted to come right out and ask her what was going on, he knew he needed to be more delicate than that. She didn’t know him, not really. Why would she trust him with her secrets?
Chapter Fifteen
Aubree hated feeling so jumpy, so on edge. Hated feeling weak and vulnerable. Her fury at Tyler and that her every move was centered on what he might do made her blood pressure rise. It took everything within her to keep a smile plastered to her face.
“Everything okay?” Cameron asked as he picked up his fork.
No. Nothing was okay. And nothing would ever be okay until she felt safe. When would that be? What would it take? And honestly, even after her stalker issue was resolved, how could she ever know that something like that wouldn’t happen again?
“Yeah,” she said, her voice soft. “Everything’s fine.”
Cameron sawed off a bite-sized piece of chicken, then speared it with his fork before lifting it to his mouth. But then he stopped and stared at her, a challenge in his eyes. “Could have fooled me.” Then he placed the piece of chicken in his mouth, all the while keeping his eyes on hers.
Between falling at the store, skulking about on his property before threatening him, irrationally throwing him out the other night, and now startling when he’d merely cleared his throat, she knew it was beyond obvious that something was wrong. Clearly, Cameron had seen that. Still, she wasn’t ready to spill her secrets.
“Why do you say that?” she asked as she straightened her already perfectly straight napkin on her lap.
The Protective Billionaire Page 6