Hot Commodity (Banks / Kincaid Family #1)(32)

"So, why don’t you hate me anymore?"

He shrugged, and now it was his turn to avoid eye contact. "I’ve had time to cool down. Besides, what you said…" He finally met her gaze. "I deserved to be put in my place. I was acting nasty and rude. And I wasn’t mad at you really. I was more upset with myself. I just took it out on you."

She didn’t respond as she studied him with blue eyes that melted something hard and cold that had lived in him for years. Ten years to be exact.

Cameron usually didn’t like to talk about his feelings. He hated opening up to people. But then, usually, the only people who cared enough to want him to open up were his family, and he didn’t want to hurt them by revealing how messed up he’d become.

The woman in front of him wasn’t family, though, and for some reason, he suddenly wanted to ease some of this constant pressure off his chest. So, he glanced away and confessed, "You didn’t say anything I hadn’t already thought. Why did she kill herself? What did I do wrong? What should I have done that I didn’t?" He shook his head, letting the agony of those thoughts press against his throat, constricting his airway. "Toward the end, I got so tired of it all. I was sick of trying to make her happy, worn-out from watching every little thing I did and said. I just wanted a break. I wanted…" He shook his head, and his eyes slid to Olivia. "I don’t know. I just keep wondering what would’ve happened if I hadn’t slacked off, if I’d

just kept at it, kept working to make her smile."

When Olivia’s eyes filled with pity, he wished he’d kept his damn mouth shut. She started forward. He shook his head to stop her, lifting his hand to ward her off. When she kept coming, he took a step in reverse. "I wasn’t mad at you in Vegas," he repeated.

"I was still wrong," she countered. "I shouldn’t have spoken ill of your wife. I’m just used to…"

His eyes narrowed. "Used to what?"

She shook her head and lifted her fingers toward his face.

He caught her wrist and eyed her uncertainly. "What’re you doing?"

Her grin hinting at amusement, she said, "I thought you came here looking to get lucky."

"But I don’t want sympathy sex," he growled, dodging her hand as she reached for his hair once again.

"You want sex though," she countered flirtatiously, her grin doing crazy things to his already stiff member. "How about I throw in the sympathy for free?"

"Damn it," he hissed, grabbing her other hand when she refused to back off. "I don’t do pity. This is just about physical relief and a couple of mind-blowing orgasms."

She let out a husky laugh that went straight to his loins, damaging them even more. His balls tightened almost painfully and the zap of awareness that shot through his dick had him turning titanium hard. He wanted to strip her and lay her on the bed more than anything. She was wet and open down there, warm and ready for him. He didn’t want to talk anymore. It was time to get busy.

"Then you shouldn’t have fed me such a sob story," she said. "Because now I just want to touch you and make you feel all better again."

At the promise of some blessed relief, his body stilled. But so did his soul. What would it be like to let her soothe him emotionally, to let her take away all the guilt and pain? Maybe she could ease him.

Ha! As if that were even possible.

"No," Cameron said firmly and stepped away. "Look, I’m a lost cause in that department, Livy." When she frowned as if she didn’t believe him, he lifted his hand and added, "I just want straight sex or none at all. I don’t want to complicate this annulment by adding strings and feelings and crap like that."

Olivia watched him thoughtfully for a minute. Then she nodded. "Okay. No sex then. No feelings. I’ll just give you a few words of encouragement."

Cameron winced. "Make that no feelings, no sappy lecture, but some sex, and I’m in."

Olivia rolled her eyes and grinned. But when she caught his eye, the laughter in her face mellowed. He knew the constructive criticism was coming a split second before she said, "You’re not nearly the monster you think you are."

He nodded. "Good words of encouragement. Thanks. Now can we have sex?"

She threw back her head and laughed. Cameron moved closer and hovered. His eyelids lowered to half mast as his gaze slid down her nightgown.

"Sorry," she murmured softly as she lifted her face and pursed her lips so he could kiss her if he wanted to. "But I still feel all soft and cuddly toward you."

"Give me ten seconds and I’ll change those mushy feelings to hot and wanton." He finally kissed her. Bypassing her mouth, he pressed his lips to her throat, licking his tongue over her pulse and making her body shiver.

*

Still tingling from the orgasm her own pearl necklace had given her, Olivia wanted to experience another explosion of raw hunger. She wanted to feel Cameron move inside her. She wanted to clutch him with her inner muscles and milk him to his own release.

"You weren’t this gorgeous in my memory," he murmured, touching her shoulder lightly and with such delicate care she couldn’t help but feel cherished. He did exactly what he’d done their first night together. He cupped her face as if she was precious to him, and he swooped in low, taking her lips into his and cradling her against him like he wanted to protect her from harm.