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She blinked heavily, trying to remember where she was, what day it was, who she was…‘You need some new material.’
‘My material is just fine. Are you free?’
She still needed a moment to gather the last few strands of sense that had not been unravelled by his kiss. She’d known it would be amazing, but she hadn’t expected anything could be so stunning that it could sap her of every ounce of judgement so that she stood there wide open, wanting more, taking more, any tiny little bit she could get her hands on.
She licked her lips, took a breath, then said, ‘I’m busy every night. Busy busy busy, stargazing and the like.’
‘Too busy to have dinner with me again?’
‘It’s certainly possible.’
‘I’ve never known a woman make me work so hard to pin her down for a simple dinner-date.’
He ran a fast hand through his hair, mussing it up, making him look like he’d just tumbled out of bed. The pure, unadulterated sexual energy that careened unimpeded through her brought her out of her trance quick-smart.
She pulled away just enough so that she could feel where she ended and he began. ‘The thing is, Cameron, dinner with you has never been simple.’
He trailed one hand up her back to unhook her knot of hair, sliding his fingers through it until it fell down her back. Then he twirled a curl around one finger and let it go. Again and again and again.
He said, ‘If you like simple, “yes” is a simple word. Only three little letters.’
Heck, if she was looking for simple, the word ‘no’ only had two letters. So why was it so very hard for her to say? Because cracks the likes of which she’d never experienced before were appearing in her resolve. So far she was coping okay. She was keeping her feet, she was sticking up for herself. What she couldn’t be sure of was at what point the damage would be irreparable.
Or perhaps Cameron Kelly was to be the man who would help her prove to herself just how strong she could be, and how the hard work she’d put into herself to make sure she wouldn’t make the same mistakes her mum made had truly paid off.
Less than certain of her reasoning, she still said, ‘Fine. Yes.’
His forehead unknotted, and she hadn’t even realised how tight it had been as he’d awaited her answer. Unless it was evidence of other concerns, which in the midst of her internal toing and froing she had all but forgotten he had.
‘Cameron, is…?’ She shook her head, searched for the words that would least likely bring the shutters slamming down between them. ‘I’d understand if you wanted to make time for your brothers and sister tomorrow night instead, to talk about…things. Or maybe even to go see your dad in person. I know I’m being presumptuous, but with twenty-twenty hindsight that would be my next move.’
‘Being with you tends to keep me more pleasantly occupied.’ He said it with the kind of smile he knew could make a girl’s knees go weak. But she wasn’t falling for it, not when she’d glimpsed what it felt like to really be with him on the other side of the wall. It was enough to keep her pushing.
‘So that would be a no to visiting your dad?’
Cameron’s cooling smile said it all.
‘Did you even talk to Brendan about it?’ she pressed.
His eyes narrowed.
She just raised an eyebrow in return. ‘You’re not going to scare me off the subject. Being an obnoxious teenager prepared me too well for dealing with stubborn men like you.’
A glint lit his eyes, and the corner of his mouth lifted. ‘I’m beginning to see that. Fine. He made no mention of my father’s health, but he was quite vocal about the fact that if I don’t come to the birthday bash this weekend I may as well relinquish my surname for good.’
His hand on her back slid upwards, the shift of fabric made her body melt back against him.
‘Them’s strong words,’ she said, her voice husky.
He pushed the hair he’d been playing with behind her ear. ‘Brendan’s been around the longest. He’s been indoctrinated. He doesn’t know any other type of words.’
‘Poor Brendan,’ she whispered.
‘Poor, poor Brendan.’
He leaned in and placed a kiss just below her ear, and she half forgot what they were talking about. And when he moved to nibble on her earlobe itself she forgot the other half.
An age later when he pulled away all she could remember was that they had agreed to a third date. ‘So, where to tomorrow? A spaceship? No, a submarine. It better be your basic, run-of-the-mill submarine or I’m out of there.’
‘I was thinking of taking you to the first place I ever built.’
