He lowered his head, and Audrey braced herself for contact, even though they were already touching on the couch. But his lips bypassed hers and went for her ear, where he nuzzled and breathed and drove her out of her mind with his warm breath and soft lips.
Audrey tried to pull back, but stopped. Not because Cameron was holding her down, but because she didn’t want to. “Do you enjoy torturing me?”
He grunted, then slid a chunk of her hair over her shoulder. “You owe me another pack of soda,” he said against her ear.
The bastard was smiling. She could feel it against her skin, and every feminist bone in her body wanted to tell the man off. “How do you know that was me?” she whispered. “Maybe Pinkie Pie grew a set of opposable thumbs.”
“Audrey,” he muttered against her ear, causing another wave of shivers, “I know it was you. You’re the only soda fiend in this house.”
She grinned despite herself. “Says the guy who keeps his fridge stocked with them.”
He pulled back and grinned at her, and she wanted to yank him closer. “Because I know you’ll come sneaking.”
“So why don’t you just buy them and put them in my fridge?”
Cameron brushed his hand along her collarbone. “Maybe I like knowing you’ve been sneaking around my house.”
Audrey placed a hand on his chest, ignoring the fact that he not only knew she’d let herself in here when he wasn’t home, but he also knew that she loved her some soda. She also knew the man was observant and wasn’t surprised at the little things he’d picked up about her. A month ago, it would have terrified her, but now…now she’d grown used to it. Not only that, but she sort of liked it. Liked knowing he paid enough attention to her. That he watched her. Made her feel all hot from the inside out.
Cameron glanced at her hand on his chest, as though waiting for her to push him away. Instead, she tightened her grip and leaned closer.
“Cameron…” Audrey licked her lips and summoned her courage. “I don’t have a great history with men,” she admitted. “I’ve been with guys like you before, and it never ends well.”
“That’s not the first time you’ve compared me with some douchebag ex of yours,” Cameron pointed out. “Why don’t you try explaining that one?”
She pulled in a deep breath. “Men who…like to have a good time. And don’t tell me you’re not one of those guys,” she added with a rush before he could argue with her. “You’ve already admitted as much to me.”
“Okay,” he answered slowly. “I won’t.” He brushed his thumb over the back of her hand. “So what’re you afraid of?”
She focused her attention on his hand covering hers, because looking into his deep blue eyes was too much. It was too much to see that he cared, that he got her, when she didn’t really want him to. Because then she was left defenseless, when she’d basically just admitted she wanted to jump in bed with him.
“I’m afraid of having my heart broken again,” she admitted.
“Fair enough,” he said after a moment.
“So?” she asked, looking at him. “Are you going to break my heart, Cameron?” Maybe she didn’t want to go home to Boulder, after all. Maybe her quick trip home was less about checking on her business and more about talking to Stevie. About maybe leaving the business with her. Possibly going into business for herself here.
“That’s the last thing I want, Audrey,” he told her, and she believed him.
Fifteen
I wanna do the merry-go-round again,” Piper announced as she tugged on Audrey’s hand and bounced up and down.
Audrey stifled a groan because they’d ridden the thing three times already. Wasn’t it enough?
Apparently not, because Audrey found herself in front of the merry-go-round for the fourth time, watching Piper climb on the same horse.
So far, Cameron had been decidedly absent from this carnival fund-raiser for the football team.
He was probably off doing his thing with the players and their parents. Certainly he wouldn’t go off with some other woman.
Just because other guys had done that to Audrey before didn’t mean Cameron would. After all, he did say he’d find them and take Piper to play some games. But she and Piper had been here for almost two hours, and still no sign of him.
Seriously, you must stop obsessing.
He’d find them. Hadn’t they turned a corner three nights ago in his living room? When she’d given him a semi-green light? Whatever the hell that was. Audrey still hadn’t figured out yet what she’d agreed to. She’d assumed he’d come knocking on the guesthouse door after Piper had gone to bed and slowly peel her clothes off. Instead, she’d gotten a polite text.
Still think you’d make a good prison warden.
Okay, so not so polite. But it had still made her smile. And then she’d texted back, stop texting me already!
Piper squealed, and Audrey was jerked back to the present. She grinned at the girl and waved as the merry-go-round spun around again. Her heart lightened to see the youthful joy on Piper’s face, and it was yet another reminder that Audrey didn’t want to leave. She could easily relocate here and start another business. Then she wouldn’t have to go through the gut-wrenching pain of saying goodbye to a little girl who’d stolen her heart. Her dearest friend’s daughter who was the personification of light and practically defined the phrase “starting over.”
Maybe Audrey ought to take a page out of Piper’s book.
The merry-go-round ended, and Piper came running off the ride. Then she grabbed Audrey’s hand and started rattling on about games and winning some giant pink giraffe. Because the kid didn’t have enough stuffed animals.
“How about another ride?” Audrey suggested instead.
Piper jumped up and down. “I wanna go win a prize. Please, please, please, please—”
“All right,” Audrey interrupted. “What game do you want to play?”
“I want to go shoot the ducks,” Piper said as she pointed to
