Hot Commodity (Banks / Kincaid Family #1)(58)

He knew full well it was Cameron’s. The loser of the previous game always started the next game, and his dear cousin never forgot anything. He just wanted to hear Cam admit he’d lost yesterday.

Cameron took a sip of his cola, wishing the bartender had accidentally slipped in a dash of bourbon. "I think it’s yours."

Boston laughed. "Yeah, whatever." He handed a cue stick to Cameron. "You know you lost yesterday."

"Okay, fine," Cameron grumbled as he hefted the stick and leaned over the table. "If you want to remember it wrong, then far be it for me to correct your faulty brain."

He broke, and the balls cracked against each other, spreading across the green felt as they rolled madly to escape each other. When nothing dropped into a pocket, Cameron obligingly offered the stick to Boston. His cousin promptly sank three before missing.

During Cameron’s second turn, the woman walked in.

He didn’t spot her but the other guys around the smoke-filled joint definitely did, wolf-whistling and ogling the entrance. Cameron hovered over the table and aimed. He didn’t bother to glance over, but Boston did. Cameron saw his cousin’s eyes widen.

"Uh, Cam," he said in a strange voice.

Cameron hit the cue ball, straightened, and glanced over just as Olivia caught sight of him. As their gazes connected, something passed through him and made every nerve in his body shudder. God, she looked good.

It took him a moment to realize she was pissed.

He swallowed briefly, a sinking feeling landing hard in his gut. For some reason, he knew things were about to get ugly. But he smiled anyway and said, "Hey, baby. Want a drink?"

Her eyes flashed to his glass and she picked it up to take a sniff. When she was satisfied it wasn’t alcoholic, her glower settled a little. She set his cup down. "What’re you doing here?"

Cameron glanced toward Boston. "We’re playing pool," he answered. "What’re you doing here?"

"I went to see you at work," Olivia said.

Cameron grinned. "Really? A nice, wifely visit, huh? Was I going to get a nooner?"

Olivia glared. "Not hardly." She crossed her arms over her chest. "I was...I was…" Her face turned a bright red in embarrassment, making Cameron think maybe she had been coming to give him a nooner. Well, hot damn. Now he felt bad about being away.

Tightening the arms she still held over her chest, she turned from Cameron and watched Boston aim and hit his cue ball, pocket it, and then look around at what he wanted to aim at next. Her gaze slid to Cameron.

"So, it’s real busy at work, huh?" she demanded. "No time for you and your lawyer to work on annulment papers. Isn’t that what you said last night?"

"Hey, everyone needs a break every now and then," Cameron answered.

"Oh, really?" Olivia set her hands on her hips. "That’s funny. Your receptionist said you’d been gone for almost three hours. And this was the third time this week you guys have come down here to ‘take a break’."

His smile faltered. "Okay, so I lied. We’re pretty much dead at work. Our last venture recently fell through." Thanks to her mother.

Olivia’s mouth dropped open. "You lied?" she repeated as if she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

"Well…" He shrugged and sent her a pretty-boy smile. "Yeah."

"You lied!? You lousy son of a bitch. What about my annulment papers? I want an annulment!"

Boston totally missed the cue ball he was trying to hit, and everyone in the place stopped what they were doing to turn their way.

"Yo, lady," some idiot actually called. "If you’re going to be single, you can go out with me."

Olivia told him very rudely where he could shove it.

Cameron sent her a frown. "Hey now. Old Mack over there’s a decent fellow. You might want to take him up on his offer. You’d probably have a lot of fun on a date with him."

Olivia stared at Cameron. "Have you even started the papers?"

He squinted his eyes as if he was thinking about it, then straightened, and shook his head. "Nope."

Olivia stomped her foot. "Why the hell not?"

"Well, probably because I don’t really feel like it right now. I’d rather play pool." He glanced at her as he bent over the cue ball to aim. "If you’re so hot and fired for an annulment," he added, squinting one eye on the ball. "Get your own damn lawyer. I sure as hell won’t try to stop you."

He hit the ball, totally missing his target, and glanced Olivia’s way. She looked like she wanted to let loose with a shrill scream, but she must’ve been so mad, she couldn’t even manage that. She merely turned and stomped from the building. He watched her leave before he glanced over at Boston. "Want to finish this tomorrow?"

Boston shook his head and laughed like he didn’t know why Cameron was even asking. "Just go."

Cameron tossed his stick onto the pool table and hurried after his wife.

He caught her by his Miata. "Hey, could you give me a lift home? I think I’ll knock off for the rest of the afternoon."

Olivia completely ignored him and threw herself into the driver’s seat. Cameron opened the passenger door. He barely shut it before she