10
UNLIKE HIS USUAL SELF, Tanner woke in small degrees, coming to consciousness slowly.
His hearing came first. Or lack of, since there was only silence.
Then came sensation. Warm and toasty. Good.
He liked warm and toasty.
Sight came last, and as he blinked the lacy curtains and white down surrounding him into focus, he remembered.
Cami.
After their incredible wet-wall experience, they’d made their way to the dock out back, where they’d sat and talked beneath the twinkling stars. One thing had led to another, and they’d ended up without clothes again, making love to the sound of water slapping against the wood.
Then they’d hit the shower and had removed all the paint from Tanner’s bare butt. All soaped up and slippery, they’d made good use of the shower. When they’d finally staggered to her bed, they’d turned to each other yet again.
He felt like some sort of superhero. And given the state of his body at the moment, which happened to be ready to rock and roll yet again, he grinned and rolled over, reaching for Cami, thinking of a million wicked ways he could wake her up.
“Mew.”
He’d rolled over on a warm, sleepy female, all right. A warm, sleepy female
No Cami.
Sitting up, he ignored the hopeful purr from Annabel and searched the room. There were still candles everywhere, so he hadn’t imagined that. And yep, there on the wall, right there, was a spot suspiciously devoid of paint thanks to his backside.
And on the floor were Cami’s clothes from the night before. Blouse, pants.
No panties.
A certain part of his anatomy twitched at that. He wanted Cami in bed, warm and willing and maybe even screaming his name, as she had just a few hours ago.
But even more than that, he wanted to tell her what he’d discovered. That despite his own personal belief that he wasn’t made for a long-term relationship, despite never wanting one in his past, things had somehow changed.
“Sorry, Annabel,” he said, shoving covers and cat aside to get out of the bed. Hmm. No sight of his clothes. In fact, the only thing he could find was his tool belt, which he’d jokingly brought in the night before, teasing Cami about her fantasy.
Grinning, he slipped the belt on. Didn’t cover much. Wearing nothing else except for a silly, hopeful grin, he strode out the door and down the hall, following the sounds coming from the kitchen.
Cami was at the kitchen sink, her back to him.
Fully dressed in a rose-colored business suit he’d never seen before, sipping from a steaming mug and staring pensively out the window. Staring at his truck, which was still parked in front of the small yard.
She looked as if she wasn’t quite certain whether seeing it sitting there was a good or a bad thing.
Slipping up behind her, he put his hands on her hips, but when she would have turned, he held her still. He needed a moment to get his heart out of his throat. “Morning,” he said softly. “I have to tell you something, and I have to say it quick.”
“Look-”
“No, wait. Please,” he added with a gentle squeeze. “I just want to get it out. I wanted to tell you last night, but that got quickly out of hand.”
She stiffened.
“I wasn’t looking for you, Cami, that’s for damn sure, but you’ve come into my life like a breath of fresh air, when I didn’t know I needed one.”
She let out a slow breath. “Tanner-”
“I love you, Cami. I know that wasn’t part of the bargain, but-”
Jerking out of his grip, she whirled around. “Bargain? There was a bargain?”
Then she caught sight of his attire. Or lack thereof. Her eyes went huge. Her mouth opened, then closed, then went wide with a grin.
A grin wasn’t quite the reaction he’d been hoping for.
“Cami!” she yelled, staring at the tool belt. “Better get out of the shower quick. I’ve got quite a sight for you.”
Footsteps came racing down the hallway, skidded into the kitchen.
It was Cami.
Again.
Seeing double, Tanner staggered back and encountered cold tile at his butt. Yelping, he leaped forward, and stepped on Annabel, who yelped louder than he had.
Cami number two, wearing only a towel, put her hands to her mouth.
Cami number one continued to grin. Widely. “He says he loves you, honey. So take pity.” Reaching for the kitchen towel on the counter, she tossed it to Tanner.
Tanner grabbed the towel-which was far too small-and blinked. Hard.
Yep. Still two Camis.
And neither of them seemed to be able to take her eyes off his tool belt, even as he fumbled to hold the towel in the correct place.
“Twins,” he said brilliantly. Once again he backed into the counter. He could handle a cold butt, as long as it was covered. “You’re twins.”
“Bingo,” said Cami number one, lifting a finger to her nose. “You’re quick. He’s quick, Sis.”
“That’s Dimi,” the Cami by the door whispered. “My sister.”
Tanner divided a startled look between them, trying to come to terms with this. “So all those mornings, when I thought you-” he pointed to Cami “-were in bed asleep, and yet you-” he pointed to Dimi “-would come dancing through the kitchen muttering about makeup and chips, that was…?” His pointer finger floundered.
Dimi smiled and waved. “Me.”
He couldn’t stop looking back and forth between the two women who were so alike and yet so dissimilar. “I thought you were half crazy,” he said to Cami.
“Well, she is,” Dimi confided. “But we don’t talk about it much.”
“Dimi,” Cami warned.
Tanner had about a bazillion questions, leading off with why the hell she’d never told him that very important fact about herself, but he had a more pressing problem.
Even more pressing than his nudity.
More pressing than the fact he’d made an ass of himself by opening up to the wrong twin.
The
“Okay, look,” he said, holding the towel to his essentials and feeling more than a little ridiculous. “I’m definitely at a disadvantage here.”
“Maybe you should go get dressed,” suggested Dimi, not moving from her spot, which meant in order to get past her and down the hall, he’d have to parade his back half in front of her. His naked back half.
He waited for her to move.
She didn’t. Not until Cami came forward and gave her twin a sharp glance that obviously was some sort of silent communication. Dimi sighed loudly in response.
“Fine,” she said, miffed. “Although since I’ve already seen everything, this seems a little unnecessary.” But she covered her eyes.
Cami didn’t, and yet when he moved toward her, she backed away, giving him room to pass.
