by Ellie Hall
Beckett didn’t appear to find it as humorous. “I’d say your ex is having some serious second thoughts.”
“You think he wants me back?” Camdyn choked out.
Beckett locked his gaze on her. “I don’t know.” The muscle in his jaw ticked. “But he sure didn’t like finding out that you and I are dating.”
“Are we dating?” Camdyn blurted out. Dang it. She really didn’t mean to ask that out loud. “Never mind. Don’t answer that.”
Beckett’s brown eyes melted into pools of dark chocolate as his lips slowly curved in a smile that was dangerously sexy. “I don’t recall you making a no-dating rule.”
Her breath caught. “That’s true.” She bit down on her lower lip, not sure how wise it was to open herself up for more rejection, especially now that David was here. But she had to know. “And once the weekend is over?”
Beckett’s smile faltered a little, and she braced herself for another ride on the rejection train. “I don’t know,” he answered in a low voice. “To be honest, you scare me.”
Camdyn felt like she was one of those cartoon characters when their jaw literally drops to the ground. “I scare you?” she squeaked out.
“Yeah.” Beckett ran a hand through his hair, making it look deliciously disheveled. “You have no idea how much.”
“I’m not sure how to take that,” she said, keeping her feet firmly planted right where she was so she didn’t give in to the temptation to smooth his hair down.
“Trust me. It wasn’t a slam.” He studied her for several heartbeats. “Camdyn, we obviously need to talk about what’s happening between us. But how about for now we just get through this wedding and stick to the rules?”
Camdyn wasn’t any good at this, but she was pretty sure that wasn’t an outright rejection. She desperately wanted to ask him to explain exactly what he meant but simply nodded her head. “Okay,” she said, even though she was still dying to ask for more details. “We’ll stick to the rules.” She held out her hand. “Do we need to shake on it?”
Beckett’s smile was back as he reached for her hand. “No,” he said, threading their fingers together. “I think this calls for another kiss.”
“How believable is this kiss going to be?” Camdyn whispered as Beckett tugged her close and lowered his head.
Beckett didn’t answer her with words but on a scale of one to ten, Camdyn gave it an eleven.
8
Sitting in the luxury golf cart, Beckett glanced at his watch, wondering if Camdyn was back from Savannah yet. This morning, she’d taken his car and gone shopping for a swimsuit since she’d forgotten to pack one. She also promised to pick out matching T-shirts.
Beckett wished he could’ve gone with her but he’d been unable to get out of an early morning golf game with his bosses, Randall Jessup and Houston Porter, at the exclusive country club not far from the estate. The senior partners of the marketing firm had invited Beckett to join their game when Beckett had introduced Camdyn to the two men and their wives last night.
He couldn’t say no, especially since James Dalton, a billionaire philanthropist and local resident of Wilmington Island, was their host. Jessup and Porter Marketing had been trying to get a foot in the Dalton Corporation for several years now. The Riverfront Estate belonged to James. He and Randall had struck up a friendship over a love of golf and sneaked in the tee time this morning.
Normally, Beckett loved playing golf and wasn’t half bad. Today he was stinking it up. So far, his score was already above 100 strokes and they had two more holes to go. He would like to blame it on an unfamiliar course, but the truth was all he could do was think about how long it had been since he’d last seen Camdyn.
This wasn’t good. Not when Beckett wanted to take things slow and not rush into anything. But it was already too late for that. Beckett was in a truck without brakes, careening down a mountain.
Beckett had no one to blame but himself. He’d been out of control since the first time he’d kissed Camdyn. The instant he’d tasted her lips, he was hooked and felt like a drug addict who needed his next fix and was willing to do anything to get it. He was seriously considering faking an injury so he could leave early. But golf wasn’t exactly a contact sport, so he was stuck.
Pulling his phone from his pocket, he thought about texting Camdyn, asking her to call him back with a made-up emergency. Then he would have an excuse to leave early because his girlfriend needed him.
His girlfriend. He was still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that he was falling for his little sister’s best friend. Not just pretend falling but the real deal like he’d just jumped out of an airplane and was free-falling.
“Alright, who is she?” Mr. Dalton asked as he walked toward the golf cart.
Beckett snapped his head up. “How do you know it’s a woman?”
James laughed. “Son, I know that look well. It’s the same one I had when I first met my wife, Shelby.”
“It’s that obvious, huh?” Beckett asked, not bothering to deny it.
“Yeah.” James grinned and climbed in behind the wheel of the golf cart. He and Beckett were in one cart while Randall and Houston were in the other one with Stephanie’s fiancé Kirk and his daddy. Beckett was grateful David hadn’t been able to make the golf game this morning since he and Ellery were picking up her parents from the airport.
“But Randall and Houston may have mentioned a pretty girl was messing with your game since you usually are a much better player,” James said as he pressed lightly on the gas pedal and followed behind the other golf cart.
“I hope they don’t hold it against me,” Beckett said. “I’m not sure I have time to fall in love right now.”
“Let me give you a little advice,” James said, glancing over at him. “Chasing business deals and making money will always be there but you can’t ever make up time with people.”
That was easy for him to say since he didn’t have to worry about money or promotions.
“I know what you’re thinking,” James said with a grin. “I didn’t always have money and almost missed out on marrying my wife because I was too busy seeking the next deal.”
Beckett listened carefully, asking a few questions and even telling James about his concerns. By the time they got to the last hole, he’d told James all about the history with his sister and the deal he’d made with Camdyn. James laughed when Beckett also told him about Camdyn’s rules.
“Here’s another piece of advice,” James said. “Do you remember what General Douglas MacArthur once said about rules?”
“Rules are made to be broken?” Beckett answered.
“Right.” James got out of the golf cart. “But just because I have old-fashioned Southern values, I recommend breaking the no falling in love rule first.” He selected a club from his golf bag. “And talk to your sister. I have a feeling she won’t mind you falling for her best friend.”
Mr. Dalton was right. Nikki didn’t mind. Beckett’s ear was still ringing after his sister’s piercing scream of delight. After returning back to the estate, Camdyn had texted him that she was stuck in traffic. So Beckett had used the time to call Nikki and talk to her. The service had been spotty since Nikki and Jeff were on a deep-sea fishing excursion. But the connection had been good enough to find out that Nikki was excited, and he made her promise not to talk to Camdyn until they were back home.
Beckett needed time to talk to Camdyn without his sister’s input or the pressure of Camdyn’s ex-boyfriend constantly watching them. At least Paisley had stopped bugging him last night after she’d made a connection with one of the groomsmen. Both of them had been pretty drunk when they’d left the party, so he wasn’t sure how long it would last. According to Stephanie, the guy had already hooked up with several of the bridesmaids.
Beckett had heard a lot of doors opening and closing during the night, which meant there were going to be a lot of regrets this morning. Hooking up was never his thing. Even if Camdyn wasn’t here, Beckett would h
ave kept his door locked.
Glancing at the digital clock on the nightstand, he hoped Camdyn had made it through the traffic. The multi-vehicle car accident had affected both lanes and she was worried about being late for the party. The last text she’d sent was fifteen minutes ago, telling him to go ahead to the pool and she would meet him there.
Making sure he had his phone, Beckett grabbed a towel and his sunglasses and headed down the stairs. He used the loud music and laughter to guide him in the right direction. He wondered how many of the wedding party had recovered from their night of heavy drinking. He bet a few were wishing the music wasn’t quite so loud.
Over the past couple of years, Beckett had been to a few weddings before but he’d never met a more laid-back couple than Stephanie and Kirk. Beckett loved how chill they were about everything. Their parents, not so much, especially Mrs. Jessup. This morning, Randall had let it slip that this wedding was not making his wife very happy and was costing him a fortune trying to keep the peace. Stephanie’s mother had planned on a big church wedding for her daughter but the bride wanted a simple ceremony on the beach. The compromise was to have the wedding at the Riverfront Estate, giving mother and daughter a little of what they both wanted.
After setting his towel and phone on a lounge chair, Beckett searched the poolside, looking for Camdyn. She wasn’t here yet, but he saw plenty of others from the party, including Paisley and her two girlfriends, huddled in one corner of the pool deck.
Disappointed Camdyn wasn’t here, Beckett took off his sunglasses and peeled off his tee, tossing them both on top of his towel. It was hot and he just wanted to get into the water.
“Hey, Beckett,” Kirk called out from the pool. “You up for a little B-ball?” he asked, tossing a basketball in the air and catching it again.
“Sure,” Beckett said, noticing David was on the opposing team. He and Ellery must have been in front of the accident and missed all the traffic when driving home from the airport.
Moving to the edge of the pool, Beckett made a shallow dive, the cool water sliding over his skin. When he surfaced, Beckett slicked back his hair and joined his team. While Kirk explained the rules, Beckett saw Stephanie and Ellery sitting close together, laughing and sipping on bottles of sparkling water. Hopefully, Camdyn could join the two women since they weren’t part of the mean girls club.
David and his team won the coin toss and got the ball first. Right away, Beckett realized this wasn’t a friendly pick-up game in the water. The guys from the other team were aggressive, especially David, who was all over Beckett like a tick on a dog.
“Where’s your girlfriend?” David asked when Beckett stole the ball out of his hands.
“Dude,” Beckett said, trying to get around David so he could pass the ball to Kirk, “what’s with all the hostility?”
“It’s called basketball,” David said, swiping at the ball and hitting the surface of the pool with his hand.
“Not what I’m talking about,” Beckett said, faking a toss and swimming around David to make a three-pointer.
“That was awesome,” Kirk said, giving Beckett a high five.
“Thanks, man,” Beckett said.
The opposing team had the ball again, but David was more interested in harassing Beckett than playing ball. “I talked to Jeff this morning, and he said Nikki had no idea you and Camdyn are dating.”
“Not that it’s any of your business,” Beckett said, wishing David would guard someone else. “But we didn’t want to say anything to Nikki yet.”
“Why not?” David asked.
“Look, man, I get that you aren’t over Camdyn dumping you,” Beckett said, knowing full well it would piss David off since he was the one who had ended things. “But you need to get over it.”
He was right. David missed a ball aimed for him, giving Beckett a clear shot for another two points.
“Yo, David,” one of his teammates said. “Get your head in the game.”
Beckett smirked when David whirled around and got a face full of water from one of Beckett’s teammates trying to get the ball back.
A few seconds later, David was all over Beckett again. “Did she tell you that she broke up with me?” he asked, not even caring that someone tossed the ball to Beckett.
Beckett ignored David and passed the ball to Kirk, who was wide open for a shot. The ball bounced off the rim, but another one of their teammates got the rebound and made two more points.
“Time out!” a guy named Ted called out. “David, you feeling okay?” he asked, swimming over to him.
Beckett didn’t stick around to hear David’s lame excuse and ducked under the water, swimming over to Kirk and his other teammates.
“Hey, what’s up with David and you?” Kirk asked, tossing Beckett a bottle of cold water. “Do y’all know each other?”
“Not well, but he’s friends with my little sister’s fiancé,” Beckett said, unscrewing the cap. “So we’ve met a few times.”
“He doesn’t seem to like you all that much.”
“Yeah, I noticed.” Beckett took a long drink. “He knows my girlfriend and is super uptight that she’s here.”
“Is he cheating on Ell?” Kirk asked, shaking some water out of his left ear.
“I have no idea.” Beckett glanced over and saw David was talking with Ellery. Neither of them looked very happy. “I just know Camdyn’s not a huge fan of him.”
Kirk turned his head and squinted at his cousin. “Not gonna lie, but I think Ellery can do better.”
“Maybe she’ll see a different side to him and dump his butt,” Beckett added before finishing off the water.
“Let’s hope,” Kirk said, swimming to the edge to put his empty bottle on the cement.
Beckett did the same, noticing a few spectators had gathered around to watch the game. Paisley was sitting next to her sister, her eyes locked on Beckett. “You’re hot,” she mouthed, giving him a sultry wink.
Not about to say thank you, Beckett pretended like he didn’t see her and sank under the water, staying under for a few seconds before coming to the surface so his back was to the ladies.
Just as the game got underway again, he caught sight of a pretty blonde walking across the courtyard, carrying several bags. His breath hitched as he tracked Camdyn’s progress toward the house, tempted to ditch the basketball game and go after her.
“Don’t even think about it,” Kirk said, splashing him in the face. “She’ll be back soon enough.”
“She might need help with her bags,” Beckett said, even though he knew he’d probably break more than the first rule if he went after her right now.
“Yeah, and then we wouldn’t see you for at least an hour,” Kirk said with a smirk.
Beckett thought about sharing Camdyn’s list of rules to let Kirk know nothing would happen other than some pretty hot kisses, but David was nearby, watching him like a hawk.
Camdyn was almost out of sight when she stopped and looked his way. He knew the second she saw him as her eyes locked on him like a heat-seeking missile zeroing in on its target. Yeah, Beckett didn’t care all that much about the game. He moved toward the edge of the pool, ignoring all the ribbing from the other guys.
As if they were one of those couples who understood each other without saying a word, Camdyn shook her head and held up her bags to point at the house.
Amazed that he got her message, Beckett lifted his chin in acknowledgment and followed her until she was out of sight.
“You are so gone,” Kirk said, throwing the ball at Beckett.
Smiling, Beckett caught the ball. “Yeah, I guess I am,” he said, making a three-pointer.
9
Wearing the new bikini, Camdyn kept the coverup on as she made her way over to watch the heated basketball game Beckett was playing with some of the other guys. She’d hoped she could sit by Stephanie or Ellery, but they were squished between a line of girls cheering from the side. The last thing Camdyn wanted to do was end up sitting by Paisley
and her friends.
Passing by a table laden with delicious looking sandwiches, fruit and cookies, Camdyn decided to grab a plate of food since she’d skipped breakfast. Today had not gone as planned. She and Beckett were supposed to have been this cute couple out shopping for matching shirts. Instead, she ended up going to three different gift shops before she found the same shirt in Beckett’s size.
It was totally worth the trouble, and she couldn’t help smiling when she thought about giving Beckett the shirt. She knew he would get the inside joke the minute he saw the design. Others might get the wrong idea, but she didn’t care. It was funny, and she couldn’t wait to see him laugh.
That pit in her stomach was back and it wasn’t just because she was starving. She’d missed Beckett in an I’m-miserable-without-you kind of way. It wasn’t as fun as all the romance books she’d read made it out to be. As hard as she’d tried not to break the first rule, she was pretty sure she was falling in love with Beckett. It was going to suck if he told her he wasn’t interested in seeing her again.
Needing more carbs, she grabbed another cookie before sitting down at a small table shaded by a colorful umbrella.
She heard someone approaching and hoped it was Ellery coming to talk books with her. She knew it was weird that she liked her ex-boyfriend’s girlfriend so much. Sure, they’d hit it off since the woman loved Camdyn’s work. But it was more than that. Ellery was sweet, and Camdyn wished she could steer Ellery away from David. She was too good for him.
Glancing up, she felt her stomach turn when Paisley stood before her, looking like an emaciated Barbie in a bubble gum pink bikini that barely supported her huge breasts. Her boobs couldn’t be real. But Camdyn shouldn’t judge. She was well endowed and had been asked more than once if they were surgically enhanced.
“Hello, Paisley,” she said, regretting her decision not to sit closer to the basketball game.
“I hope you aren’t going to eat any of that,” Paisley said. “Do you have any idea how many carbs are in one of those cookies?”