Hot Commodity (Banks / Kincaid Family #1)(39)

"Maybe it’s just plain old me that’s bad luck for you," he suggested with a careless shrug.

He reached out to take the bottle from her but she held it away from him.

"You didn’t drink a drop all the way here from the hotel this morning," she said primly. "And no pianos have fallen on me yet, so I’ve concluded it’s the alcohol. Besides, I thought you were a recovering—"

"Yeah, yeah," he snapped. "I know." Cameron switched his scowl from the bottle to her. But as soon as their gazes meshed, he blew out a breath and closed his eyes. "Sorry," he said as he rubbed at his forehead. "You’re right. I’ve been imbibing more than I should lately. I’ll stop."

When he opened his eyes, his irritation was gone. He gave her a sudden seductive grin. "So, if I’m not allowed to drink, you’re going to keep my mind occupied on other matters, right?"

She rolled her eyes. "Is sex the only thing you ever think about?"

His eyebrows arched. "When I look at you? Yeah. Pretty much." He reached out and touched a sensitive spot on the side of her neck.

She shuddered, wanting to ignore the way her body responded and quickly stepped away. "Cameron," she groaned. "I’m serious. What are we going to do? What am I going to do? I can’t just stay here."

"Sure, you can. I’ve got plenty of bedrooms. You can take your pick—"

"No," she cut in. "I’m not talking about today. What am I going to do with the rest of my life?"

He shrugged, obviously unconcerned. "You can stay as long as you like. I don’t care."

She gritted her teeth. "I can’t stay forever. I have to decide what I’m going to—"

"Livy, honey," he said, reaching out to take her arm and pull her toward him.

For some reason, Olivia didn’t resist. She let him tug her into a warm, comforting hug, where she closed her eyes and sank into the blessed sensation.

"You don’t have to figure out your entire future tonight," he murmured, softly stroking a hand down her back. "It’s late. You’re tired. You’ve had a big day. Let me just show you to your room, and you can sleep on it. Tomorrow, while I’m at work, you can use my computer, cruise the internet, and try to come up with some ideas. Okay? Sound like a plan to you?"

She nodded her head against his shoulder. It sounded marvelous. Images of a huge, comfortable bed filled her mind, and all she wanted to do was close her eyes and dream the rest of the night away.

Cameron made an approving sound as she unconsciously cuddled closer. "Say," he murmured in her ear, his warm breath a subtle caress compared to his hand, which was sliding over her hip with hot, bold strokes. "You don’t really want to sleep all alone in some big scary foreign bed tonight, do you? Why don’t you just come with me to my room. I’ll keep you company. And then tomorrow, you can scout out the house and feel better about—"

"You are so not funny, do you know that?"

"Oh, come on. Not even a little?"

Olivia jerked away. "I’m not sleeping with you again. We’re getting an annulment."

"But, Livy," he cajoled, reaching out to haul her back into his arms. His nose nuzzled her cheek, and the swell of emotion that followed kept her from resisting him when his fingers found their way under her shirt. "How can you say you don’t want me?" he asked, eliciting a hurt tone in his voice. "To me, being with you is the most amazing experience of—"

"I didn’t say I didn’t want you," she interrupted quickly, before she could hear any more of his oh-so-sweet words.

If she listened to him much longer, he’d talk his way into getting what he wanted. Geesh. No wonder the guy was insanely rich. He could talk a doughnut from a cop.

"Then why are you saying no?" he asked right before dipping his head and kissing the side of her neck. His tongue lapped her sensitive skin and then his teeth gently closed over the area.

*

Thirty minutes later, Cameron rolled off her and landed beside her on his king-sized bed. Still coming off the peak of her climax, Olivia stared up at his ceiling in wonder.

This was all wrong. She wasn’t supposed to fall for his corny come-on lines. She wasn’t supposed to tumble into bed with him every time he crooked his finger.

What in the hell was going on?

"How do you always do that?" she demanded.

He paused in the process of running a finger up and down her arm. "Do what?"

"Coax me into bed," she grumbled.

Cameron merely turned his head so he could send her a lazy grin. "What can I say?" he replied, breathing on his knuckles and buffing them against his bare chest. "I’m irresistible."

She sniffed and turned onto her side away from him. But he only spooned up behind her and wrapped his arm around her waist. It felt so wonderful; she wanted to relax against him. But wanting him—sleeping with him—couldn’t be good. She shouldn’t get used to this. As soon as she made her plans, she was out of here. She didn’t want any ties to him. She didn’t want—

"Don’t think it to death," he murmured sleepily in her hair as if he could hear her thoughts, and they were keeping him awake, too. He patted her hip. "Let’s just enjoy this while we can. We’ll figure the rest out later."