Cammie had ventured in to ask that all-important question…how was it? She thought that might cheer her up, bring her back from wherever it was she had been all this time.
Instead it was worse, far worse. She heard how he had slept with Cin, sent her home in a cab, and told her he’d call…even as she knew he wouldn’t. She remembered how he dressed after, wouldn’t be seen with her, and had even overheard Adam make some joke about having trouble finding good help. He was the worst kind of guy. He wasn’t even a man.
From that moment, Cammie had distanced herself at all the parties. He had called her out, complained that she had the right amount of bitter to be someone he slept with, but he never would have guessed that she wasn’t the sister he had wronged. Through the years, various scenarios had played out in her head. They all involved trickery, lies, and deceit. Quite frankly, she was no good at any of that. No, Cammie was honest and open. Her mother applauded it. Her father called it a hindrance to success. Cin simply thought she was a showoff…little miss perfect. All she wanted was to build her own catering business and surround herself with people she chose to work with, but didn’t feel compelled to be around because they shared the same bloodline.
That was when her dreams of her very own catering business began. That was when everything changed with Cin. See, although he was supposed to be a conquest of the body…Cammie had only ever wanted his heart. Her approach had been different. That was why for every party that promised to have Adam Davenport, she would request a costume, face paint, a mask. Clearly they had caught on, figured out the common thread. She hadn’t ended up in that pink bustier by accident. In truth, the sex hadn’t been an accident either. She was curious. He was willing and interested. It made for a lovely way to pass the afternoon. Hell yeah, she’d do it again. Only next time, she would take her time. She wouldn’t have these years of pent up feelings to cloud her abilities. With that final thought, she fell asleep wearing something unusual for her…a smile.
He had tossed and turned for hours. He had tried out the top bunk, the bottom bunk, and Sam’s bed before breaking down and traipsing back to the other wing. It wasn’t that the beds were uncomfortable. It was that he was too far away. He couldn’t hear her breathe or move or anything. He hated not knowing. So he finally walked out of Sam’s room, crossed the wide-open empty great room, and headed down the hall towards the master bedroom. Taking a moment to lean on the door and listen intently, he discovered that somehow Cammie had managed to fall asleep. How could she when he was struggling so? He peered in at her. Her long blond hair was fanned out around her head. Her eyes were shut and the moonlight made her skin appear even paler than before. It was those eyelashes fluttering slightly as she dreamed that made the biggest impact.
Though he hadn’t managed to wake up with her from their afternoon delight, he would make certain that soon, he would. After a meager four hours of sleep, he climbed out of his parents’ bed, took a long hot shower, dressed, and headed into the kitchen. While he had secretly hoped she would be up and waiting for him there, she had unknowingly disappointed him once again. To discover her car was gone when he glanced out the window only added further injury to his ego.
With little else left to do, he moped out to the great room, stretched out on the couch, and fell back to sleep. Adam, who was always calm, confident, and self-assured, was now simply shaken. His ego had done nothing but take a beating since that woman walked into his life.
Soon he awakened to the sound of her laughing. “How is it possible that you are still sleeping? Get up. We have work to do. I brought food…”
That was enough to urge him from his rest: Cammie’s presence and the chance to spend time with her. A smile spread across his face as she poked him. “I’m up!” He argued half-heartedly with a chuckle.
“Oh, no. See by definition, you are the exact opposite of up. It’s called lying down for a reason.” She prepared to