Piper finally stuck out her index finger, which was pale and skinny. Her worried expression turned into a giggle when the bug crawled from Cameron’s finger to Piper’s. She turned her palm over to track the insect’s movements, and her grin widened.
“It’s tickling me,” she marveled. She let out a squeal when the ladybug started crawling up her arm. But the fun was over when it unfolded its wings and flew away.
For a second, Cameron thought Piper was going to burst into tears, because that’s what kids did, right? He braced himself for the barrage and let out a sigh of relief when she just blinked at him. “Can you tie my shoe?”
He hadn’t been expecting that, but he glanced down anyway as she stuck her little foot out. Her white-and-pink sneakers were dirty with the pink sparkly shoelaces loose and untied. Holding back a grin, Cameron tied them as tight as he could, then patted her knee.
“All set,” he told her.
“Can I go sit in your swing?” she questioned as she pointed to the wooden swing on the back porch.
“Sure,” he told her. Then she was gone, snatching up Jellybean and bounding up the porch steps.
Cameron stood, then paused when he spotted Audrey, standing next to the trailer watching him.
He approached her, taking in her tight skinny jeans, knee-high boots, and flannel shirt. The sleeves were rolled to her elbows, revealing pale, delicate forearms. And why was he even looking at her forearms?
“How long have you been standing there?” he asked.
Audrey shrugged, sending her high ponytail swishing along her back. “Long enough to know what a sucker you are.”
That’s really what she thought of him?
Audrey took another box out of the trailer. “But seriously, that was a really sweet thing you did. She’ll remember that for a long time.”
Cameron just shrugged. “It was nothing.”
“That’s right, because you don’t even like her.”
He narrowed his eyes at her. “I never said that.”
Audrey hefted the box higher in her arms. “But you don’t want her here.”
Cameron took the box from her, ignoring the exasperation that swam in her eyes. “I never said that either,” he told her as he climbed the steps and entered the guesthouse. The place wasn’t that big, just two small bedrooms, with one bathroom, and an L-shaped kitchen with a love seat. There wasn’t even a place for a table, so Cam had stuck a couple of stools under the bar top so his guests would have a place to eat.
“Okay, so I’m the one you don’t want here,” Audrey remarked as Cam stuck the box on the couch.
He straightened and considered her. “I didn’t say that either.”
“But you haven’t exactly been very welcoming.”
Okay, that was true. “Cut me some slack here. You show up on my doorstep with a niece I’ve never met and expect me to know exactly what to do.”
Audrey crossed her arms over her chest and seemed to think about that. “Okay, I’ll give you that. But technically I didn’t show up on your doorstep.”
He tucked his hands in his pockets and scanned his gaze over the freckles lining her nose. “Are you always such a stickler for details?”
She offered a coy smile, which was like a punch to his gut. “Always.”
He nodded. “I’ll try to remember that.”
She regarded him for a moment, as though she didn’t know what else to say. Cameron understood her confusion, because he didn’t know what to say around her either. Something about her muddled his brain as though she were a mesh of contradictions that he hadn’t figured out yet. As he took a step closer, Cameron reveled in his aha moment when her pupils dilated. Yes, she had a weakness, another side she kept hidden from the world, him included.
She wanted him. And she didn’t want to want him. She probably hated herself for wanting him.
The control she prized so much wasn’t able to stop the quickening of her breath when his attention zeroed in on her mouth. It was a kissable mouth, with full lips that were bare, perfect for capturing and moistening with his tongue. They’d probably swell when kissed hard enough, and they’d be unbelievably responsive, just like the rest of her. Cameron liked a woman who was responsive and owned her body.
She cleared her throat, abruptly ending the moment. “So, this is a cute place,” she commented.
Maybe they should chat about the weather too. “It was here when I bought the house,” he replied, without taking his attention off her. “It came furnished too.” No one had ever actually stayed here. He’d christened one of the bedrooms with an old girlfriend, but he wasn’t about to tell Audrey that.
A red flush bloomed up her neck. “Do you use it a lot?” she asked, as though sensing his thoughts.
“You’re the first,” he replied. “It needs some repairs, but it should be sufficient for the two of you.”
Audrey nodded and bit her lip.
Nervous much?
Cameron embraced the swell of gratification at the knowledge that he made her fidgety. “Do you need some help getting the rest of your stuff unloaded?”
“No, I’ve got it. And why are you here in the middle of the day? I figured you’d be at the school.”
She was right. Normally he worked through lunch, but today he’d decided to come home. Yeah, right. You just rushed over to see if she was here. “I came home to grab some quick lunch.”
Just then Piper ran through the door, dragging Jellybean behind her. “Audrey, I have to go potty.”
Cameron glanced at the kid, taking in the rosy cheeks and messy hair. He pointed down the hall. “The bathroom is across from the first bedroom.”
Audrey clasped Piper’s hand in hers. “I have to take her. She’s terrified of toilets.”
“She won’t go to the bathroom by herself?”
“Nope.”
He didn’t get it. “What’s so scary about a toilet?”
Audrey leaned closer, giving him a hint of lemons.
