“You know, if she’s ever bothering you, you can just send her back to me,” she said.
Cameron’s head tilted as though he didn’t understand the question. “Bothering me?”
Audrey tried not to let his tone get under her skin. She had the feeling she’d insulted him. “Yeah, you know. Piper can be a lot if you’re not used to her.”
“Meaning?”
Audrey picked at a splinter on the wood railing. “I just don’t want her to wear you down before I leave.”
“Wear me down?”
She blew out a breath. “Why do you keep repeating everything I say?”
“Because I’m trying to figure out where you’re going with this,” he told her.
Where was she going? Audrey wasn’t sure she knew. The only thing she was certain of was that seeing Cameron look almost concerned for her had thrown her off balance. Audrey didn’t like being off balance, despite the fact that it was a permanent condition around this man. So she’d done the only thing she knew how to do.
She was trying to get her bearings back, to get her surroundings back under control. Usually it worked, but around Cameron, her normal methods always seemed to fail her.
She shook her head, knowing Cameron wouldn’t understand. “Forget it. So Piper got off the bus at three thirty,” she told him.
Cameron blinked as though trying to process the change in subject. “Okay.”
Audrey nodded and watched him. Not even a flicker of interest. “Don’t you think that’s something you should know?”
“And you just told me,” he said without skipping a beat.
“Yes, but what if I hadn’t told you? How would you know when she got home? And who will be here to meet her after I leave?”
Cameron held his hands up. “Okay, hold on. Why don’t you tell me what’s really going on?”
Audrey blinked. “What do you mean?” Except she knew exactly what he meant.
He took a step closer to her so that his hand rested next to hers on the railing. Close enough to feel the heat from his body, even though the temperature was in the low sixties. “I mean why you’re so hell-bent on picking a fight with me.”
“I’m not,” she lied. “I just need to make sure we’re on the same page—”
He stepped closer. “Audrey…”
“How are you supposed to know these things if I don’t tell you—”
“Audrey,” he murmured again as he placed his hand over hers on the railing.
His tone stopped her cold, and she dropped her attention to his hand, so much bigger than hers, cradling it with a soft yet firm touch. His hand felt good. Like warmth blooming across her belly, toe-curling goodness. Which begged the question…if his warm palm felt this good with just a simple touch, what would it feel like if he were to really touch her?
“Holy John Galliano,” she muttered to herself.
One side of Cameron’s mouth kicked up. “Christ, don’t start that again.”
“I can’t help it. You’re so…” Her voice trailed off because she didn’t know quite how to explain Cameron, especially to the man himself. Actually, that wasn’t true. She had a pretty good idea which words to use. Smokin’ hot. Seriously sexy.
Yeah, no way was she saying that to him.
The grip on her hand tightened. “So what?”
Audrey opened her mouth, then snapped it shut when her brain almost malfunctioned and forced her to spew out obscenities, like smoldering and tight-as-shit-abs. No reason to balloon the man’s ego any bigger than it already was.
“Don’t hold back, Audrey,” he said to her. “Tell me what you really think.”
How was she supposed to do that when the thumb stroking back and forth over her hand was short-circuiting her wires?
She blew out a breath. “Karl Lagerfeld.”
“You’re going to have to start using your words, Audrey,” he teased.
“You’re just…” she started. “Too much.”
“Too much,” he repeated.
She couldn’t help the smile that curled her lips. “There you go again repeating my words.”
He shook his head. “And there you go again saying things that don’t make sense.”
Well, it made sense to her. She just didn’t know how to explain it to him. At least other than I want to jump your bones and bang like rabbits.
“You’re too much for me,” she blurted out.
She expected him to pull back. Instead he grinned. A big, sexy, you-know-you-want-me smile that had shivers skating down her spine.
“That wasn’t meant to be funny,” she scolded.
“I’m not laughing,” he said around his shit-eating grin.
“Kind of seems like it,” she argued.
His thumb continued back and forth over her knuckles. “Yeah, it’s kind of funny.”
Lovely to know her torment was so hilarious to him.
He leaned even closer, so that his nose was a breath away from her. She could feel his breath, hot on her skin. She resisted the urge to close her eyes and lean in to him, for just a moment to feel his warmth and strength. Maybe tuck her head in the curve of his neck…
“Because you want me,” he stated. As though he were giving her a weather report.
Why was he not as off balance as she was? Why was she the only one who seemed to be affected by…whatever it was between them? The thought left Audrey feeling cold and treading in familiar waters from every other guy she’d been involved with.
“You have a high opinion of yourself,” she countered, because that was easier than admitting he was right. Cameron straightened and chuckled. “Yeah, okay.” He gave her hand a tug and led her toward the sliding glass door. “Let’s get some dinner.”
She followed him blindly because his hand felt so damn good wrapped around hers. Protective and fitting. Like their fingers belonged tangled up in each other. The thought startled Audrey as much as it created a warm bubble around her heart.
Just as she was about to follow him through the door, he surprised her by stopping and pinning her against the door frame. Her brain screamed at her to push him back, to slap away the hands that were creeping over her hips and tugging her to him so that she
