“You need to be careful. I’m pretty sure your mom thinks you and I make a good match.”
He grimaced. “You noticed too, huh?”
She nodded.
His lips slowly curled upward. “We just need to be covert so she doesn’t get any ideas.”
“Pretty sure she already has ideas.”
“Any more ideas then.” He patted her leg. “We can handle this.”
Elliot, resting on his own float, propelled his arms through the water until he bumped into Tommy. “How long are you home for?”
“’Til Saturday,” Tommy replied. “Then I’m driving out to Minnesota for the next race.”
Elliot whistled. “That’s a long time, for you. Especially in the middle of the season. But then again, that win on Saturday was so close, you probably need a break for a minute.”
“Don’t remind me.” Tommy’s voice became low and gruff. “It was too damn close. I should be practicing for Minnesota. But you’re right, I needed a break.”
“If we see him at all during the motocross season,” Elliot explained for the girls’ benefit, “it’s for a day or two max. He’s always either racing, practicing, or doing publicity stuff.”
There was the reminder Camila needed. If you sleep with this guy, it will be a one-time thing, and that’s not what you’re looking for.
Not that she was necessarily looking for happy ever after at the moment, although she certainly wouldn’t turn him away if Mr. Right showed up in her life.
She did, however, know that she did not want to start something with a guy who was most definitely Mr. Right Now. So maybe she should back off on the flirting after all.
She offered him the drink and then nudged his arms. “I’m going to get in, do some laps.”
When she reached the end of the pool and flipped around, using the wall to propel herself forward, Tommy swam up next to her and began pacing her. “What are you doing?” she asked, pausing when she reached the other end of the pool.
She was breathing heavily, almost gasping, while he didn’t look any more winded than someone taking a leisurely stroll down a walking path with no incline whatsoever.
“Swimming.”
“Go swim somewhere else.”
“Kind of hard, since there’s only one pool.”
“I was doing laps to try to get away from you.”
He frowned. “Why?”
She sighed. She was sending the poor guy mixed signals. “I just wanted a few minutes alone, that’s all.”
He didn’t say anything. But he did pluck his glasses off her nose before climbing out of the pool and heading over to Elliot and Maddy sitting under the pergola with Freddy lounging at their feet.
Good. That was exactly what she wanted.
Even if it made her feel bereft.
Chapter Five
Okay, fine, he’d leave her alone. That’s what Camila said she wanted, right? Hell, she wasn’t staying at his parents’ house for his pleasure; she was here because some guy was stalking her and she was scared enough to not want to be at home alone.
Not to mention, Tommy kept orbiting around Camila like he was stuck in her gravity field, and he was sure Mom was noticing. Yes, he’d love to hook up with the beauty for a day or two or maybe three, but that was it. By the weekend he’d be back to his nomad life, alone, regardless of what Mom wanted. Or him, for that matter.
So yes, he was an idiot for hitting on her.
Mom came outside and asked if grilled chicken breasts and hamburgers sounded good for dinner. Tommy jumped out of his seat. Camila and her sister were in the water, lounging on pool toys, while Elliot sat in a cushioned chair on the deck, head bent over his phone.
“Let me change into dry clothes and I’ll come help.”
Tommy returned to the kitchen a few minutes later wearing a T-shirt and gym shorts.
“I’m thinking about staying at my apartment tonight after all.”
Mom gave him a startled look. “Why? I’ve already made preparations for you to stay here.”
He started shaping hamburger into patties. “There aren’t even enough beds. I’d be camping out on the couch.”
“Which you’ve done a million times before.”
“Yeah, but that was before I had my own place.”
She shook her head. “This is a pointless argument. You’re staying here and that’s final.”
He almost laughed. Had the woman forgotten that he was a grown-ass man with his own bed that was only twenty minutes away?
She washed her hands and then turned away from the sink. “Keep working, I need to go take care of something real quick.”
A few minutes after she left, Camila stepped into the room with a beach towel wrapped around her torso. “Your mom said you needed help with dinner.”
Ah, crap.
“The only reason she sent you in here is because she’s trying to push us together.”
Camila sighed and gave the gleaming, state-of-the-art appliances a longing look. “I know, but I really love to cook, and I’ve never had the opportunity in such a gorgeous, well-equipped kitchen.”
He offered up what he hoped was a sympathetic smile. “Well, we’ll be dealing with raw chicken and hamburger meat, so I’m thinking we can do this without flirting. We should be safe enough.”
She cleared her throat. “I just need to go put on some clothes.” And then she took off toward the stairs.
When she returned, she’d changed into a ribbed tank that showed off both her bronze skin and perfect breasts, and a pair of white shorts that were frayed around the bottom. Her hair was still up in a messy bun, and her makeup had been washed off in the pool. Simple, casual, and sexy as all hell.
Tommy said, “Seriously, you
