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“Tussles …,” Camilla said. “You’re cute. That’s definitely something a rich princess would say.”
“I beg your pardon?”
“Never mind. I swore he’d grow up to become an MMA fighter instead of a polished businessman sitting behind a desk.”
“Just how much trouble did he used to get into?”
Camilla’s eyes narrowed, and then she grinned. “I keep his secrets, he keeps mine. That’s the way it’s been since we were kids. He’s older by quite a few years but we click, you know? In an annoying-the-shit-out-of-each-other way.”
Abby laughed. “I see.” Clearly she wouldn’t get a thing from the loyal cousin. “What kind of secret would a woman like you have?”
Camilla’s brows elevated. “A woman like me?”
“Gorgeous.” Abby waved her hand around the posh dining room. “Rich.”
A melodious laugh filled the room. Camilla sat back and sighed. “Honey, none of this is mine. Damian is the rich one. I make my money working as an escort.”
Seconds of stunned silence ticked by, and Abby didn’t know if Camilla was joking or not. “An ... escort?”
“Uh huh. I’m studying … getting my Master’s in psychology. Tuition is a bitch, and as much as Damian offers, I refuse to take handouts from him. It wasn’t how I was raised. My temporary job fits my schedule and keeps me fabulous while I go to school. Plus, the experience will make for great stories when I’m old and gray and ready to write my memoirs.”
Abby gave Camilla an owlish blink, unable to find anything to say.
“I’m a high-end escort, Abby. That’s why I didn’t intervene with the entire debacle just now. I would have told Damian to pipe down and let his mother live, but he’s been keeping my secret for months, and I would hate for Aunt Arlet to find out because she’d blab to my mother back in Cuba, and there’s nothing scarier than an angry Cuban mother.”
Abby’s brows lifted. Yes, there was something scarier. An angry Celeste.
Camilla shrugged. “It’s best to just keep my head down.”
Abby’s lips quirked. Camilla certainly was an interesting character. “Why are you telling me this? You don’t know me.”
Camilla leaned forward with a devilish grin. “Well, if by tomorrow or sometime in the near future there’s a rumor circulating that the cousin of Damian Coldwell, often seen with him at high society functions, is a high-class prostitute, I’ll know your true motive for dating my cousin, and then you’ll be done for, Abby Aldridge. Yes, he told me who you are, and as you can imagine, my suspicion flag started to fly high. I have no problem risking my reputation to protect my cousin. He’s a good man.” She grinned. “We have nothing to worry about though, because you’re not up to anything devious are you, Abby?”
Gulping, Abby struggled to keep her expression neutral. “Of course not.” With a weak smile, she asked, “How’s the escort business going these days? My family is about to lose everything, you know. I might need a second income.”
Camilla’s laugh was loud and infectious, but there was no mistaking the fierce glint in her eyes. “I hope to hell you’re not playing Damian, Abby, because you’re not all that bad for an Aldridge.”
Abby felt sweat trickling between her breasts. Camilla was like a pretty kitten with lethal claws. The look in the woman’s eyes alone made Abby want to abort her mission. “I’m not playing anyone, Camilla.” Nausea rolled through her stomach as she uttered the bold-faced lie. “I should go check on Damian.” Her chair scratched the hardwood floor loudly as she jumped to her feet. She couldn’t escape Camilla’s piercing stare fast enough. She found him in the backyard, brooding. It was a good thing she had a mind to grab her coat and his before venturing outside. The biting cold immediately made her begin to shiver.
***
“Hey, Superman. You may be immune to the cold, but I brought your coat anyway. Do me a favor and put it on for my comfort.”
Damian glanced over his shoulder with annoyance. His mouth was in a grim line, but she swore she saw his expression soften just a bit. She approached him cautiously and offered the heavy coat in silence. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched him shrug on the garment and then proceed to stare at her.
“You want to say something ...”
“Nope.” She shook her head. “I was merely concerned you’d freeze to death before you could take me home.”
His mouth kicked up at the corners. “So compassionate … You don’t have me fooled. You’re dying to comment on what you witnessed in there. You have that look. Spit it out.”
“No comment.” She stared ahead, contemplating the scene that had unfolded at the dinner table. She barely knew Damian’s family and should stay out of their personal affairs. Why get attached to them when she was plotting to destroy one of their own? But his mother was so damn nice.
She sighed. "Okay. It’s none of my business, but I do have one thing to say. Let your mother live, she’s a grown woman, and you totally overreacted. That was two things, and I’m finished.”
His eyes swept over her face once and turned icy. “You’re right, it’s none of your business.”
Abby’s jaws clenched. “You wanted to hear what I had to say and because it doesn’t suit you, I should shut up? Grow up, Damian.”
