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Because there had never been anyone for her but Dane.
That made her want to cry again, real tears this time, not just misty eyes.
One tiny sob, little more than a hiccup, escaped her.
Dane’s hold on her grew only tighter, overwhelming, tempting. She never wanted it to end.
* * *
Every part of Dane’s body lit up with the feel of her in his arms. More than his next breath, more than his next heartbeat, more than the rush of blood through his veins, he wanted to kiss her.
And that made him the world’s biggest ass. He was supposed to be consoling her, not relishing the feel of her body against his, her scent swirling around his head, her breasts against his chest.
For God’s sake, she’d just lost her uncle. Yet here he was getting horny all over her when she was still grieving.
Somehow it was like the day he’d gone ballistic on Troy for asking her out. He’d actually wanted to pound his fist into his own brother’s face. That’s how crazy he’d been. How totally inappropriate. Just like now.
Luckily, no one had ever mentioned the Troy incident again, though he was aware it had become family legend, the one and only time their big brother had lost it. The problem was, Dane did things without thinking where Cammie was concerned. Thank God his family hadn’t understood the real reason.
But if he thought of her in another man’s arms the way he was holding her now, he’d go crazy. He admitted to having one or two daydreams of pounding on a few of the jerks she’d dated. Especially the last one, seven years ago. He’d wanted to wipe the floor with that ass and throw him out with the trash. How dare the man hurt Cammie?
But he hadn’t beaten up anyone. He’d pretended he didn’t know the full extent of her heartbreak. Because he knew the rules. And if he broke them, he could lose her.
But holding her like this, feeling every inch of her against him, he knew without a doubt that this was where his mind and his body wanted to be. Just like that night twelve years ago…
She lay beneath him as he tasted her like she was the sweetest ambrosia. She was more beautiful than any woman he’d ever seen. Her hair was like silk, her skin like satin, and her taste like fire. She moaned as he pushed her to the peak. He wanted her right there, right on the edge, trembling, begging him with her sighs and her moans and her cries. And only then would he take her fully, burying himself inside her, staying there endlessly…
Before he could kiss her in the here and now, before he could taste her the way he craved—so badly his guts ached with the need—Cammie stepped away, blowing the daydream to bits.
Chapter Thirteen
During the days after the barbecue, Cammie did her best to shake off her thoughts and feelings. To ignore how badly she’d wanted Dane to kiss her right in the middle of that beautiful hug. Otherwise, wanting something she could never have would make her crazy. Her desire would drive her to despair. And she absolutely would not be that kind of person. She wouldn’t spend her life mooning over something out of her reach.
She’d learned that lesson when her parents died. No matter how much she hoped and prayed, they never came back.
The new resort project provided the perfect panacea. Especially when, a week later, she and Dane were seated side by side at the conference table in the Pebble Beach office, going over her endless lists.
He sat back abruptly, folding his arms over his broad chest—an action so tempting she had to look away. “You’ve got fabulous ideas. But we need to figure out how to get from idea stage to completed project. Let’s fly to the island, where there won’t be any distractions. We’ll spend a couple of days throwing out ideas and brainstorming the whole thing.”
Outside the office’s floor-to-ceiling windows, the ocean lay before them, the morning fog finally burning off and the sun sparkling on the waves. Though spring had rolled in, it was still cool, and a dip in the ocean would require putting on a wetsuit. Dane’s Caribbean island was exactly what she needed—warm waters and hot sand, where she could lounge around in only a sundress all day. They could even lie on the beach while they brainstormed, recording their discussions on her phone for later transcription.
“Brilliant,” she said.
It would be the first time the two of them had been alone in a very long time. Then she had to laugh at herself. They wouldn’t be alone. Fernsby went everywhere with them. And she wouldn’t think about Dane sleeping on the other side of the lanai. Just like she didn’t think about him sleeping down the hall right now in the big house. She hadn’t allowed herself those thoughts since the barbecue. That way lay heartache.
