Читать книгу Reunited...with Child / One Month with the Magnate: Reunited...with Child - Katherine Garbera, Michelle Celmer - Страница 11

Cam had a hard time looking at Becca and not touching her. There was something about her that called to him, and he knew part of it at least was the false feeling that they were still intimates. It didn’t matter that it had been over two years since he’d last seen her. He wanted her, and it felt to him that no time had passed.

“I’m glad we met again tonight,” he said. He rubbed his finger over her cheek. Her skin was so soft that he could touch it for hours.

The cab pulled to a stop in front of his hotel, and he paid the driver before following Becca out of the cab. The doorman held the door open as they approached.

“I have to call for a car now or I’ll never get one later,” she said. “I’ll meet you in the bar. Go ahead and order me a Baileys.”

“I’ll take care of the car. You go get a seat and I’ll be right there.”

“I’d rather—”

He put his finger over her lips. They were full, and he was dying to kiss her again. Touching her mouth, he found it soft and even more tempting than he’d expected.

“I said I’ll take care of it.”

She playfully nipped at his fingertip and then turned and walked away.

He watched her. She’d surprised him, and he reminded himself that a lot had changed with Becca in the last two years.

And he was dying to know more.

But if he was going to build trust with Becca, he needed to respect the fact that she didn’t want to be rushed into his bed. So he called for a car, asking for it to arrive in an hour.

He joined her in a quiet area of the bar where she’d found two large armchairs and a small table.

“I ordered you a Baileys, too.”

“Thanks. Your car will be here in an hour,” he said.

“Great. So what did you want to talk to me about?” she asked.

“Us. Are you going to give us another chance to get to know one another?” he asked.

As she nibbled on her lower lip, he wanted to groan out loud but didn’t. He wanted her mouth, and promised himself that before he put her in a car back to Long

Island, he was going to taste her and prove to himself that she couldn’t taste as good as he remembered.

“I’m thinking about it,” she said at last. Their drinks arrived, and she held hers with both hands. “It’s hard for me to just rush into anything with you.”

“If we are going to get to know each other, we should talk,” he said. “Tell me something about you that I don’t already know.”

She paused, her eyes darkening.

“I don’t like surprises,” she said.

“What kind?” he asked.

“Any of them. I like my life to go according to plan. I can adjust and change my plan but I don’t want to have to do it too often.”

“Me, too,” he said. “Though to be honest, usually I just bully my way through a situation until I get the results I want.”

“Hence me having a drink with you tonight,” she said.

He just smiled and lifted his glass toward her. He took a sip and sat back in his chair.

“Tell me more about why you are in Manhattan,” she said.

“Justin and I are exploring the idea of expanding Luna Azul someday. We are discussing eventually opening clubs in other parts of the country. Manhattan is the first location we are contemplating.”

“That’s a big step,” she said.

“It is. And to be honest, I love our Miami locals. But we are ready for it. And now that you and I have reconnected I will have another reason to come up here.”

“Cam—”

He shook his head when she tried to speak. “I want to get to know you better, Becca.”

“I don’t know if that is a good idea. I’m more complicated than you probably have time for,” she said. Her eyes had narrowed, and she tipped her head to the side, studying him.

“I know that. That’s why … Am I wrong here to think that there is something between us?”

“No. We’ve always had that attraction that is impossible to resist, but I want more than that. And you don’t.”

“I’m willing to try it.”

“Try what? I had a hard time getting over you, Cam. I don’t think I want to take a chance on letting you break my heart again.”

“I can’t make promises,” he said. “But I do know that I want more than a secret affair. Will you at least agree to come to Miami for the Tenth Anniversary party and spend the weekend with me? “

“As your lover?” she asked.

“I hope so. Definitely as my friend. I want to get to know you better. I feel like we have something unfinished between us.”

Becca didn’t panic. But she wanted to. Cam had no real idea of what was unfinished between them. She knew that he was talking about sexual attraction or maybe the kind of thing that made her tick. And she knew she wasn’t going to share too much with Cam until she could trust him.

“I think that isn’t going to be as easy as you might think,” she said.

“I know it’s not. But anything and anyone worth having is worth working to get to know.”

She wasn’t sure if he’d mellowed or if it was simply that he was keeping the passion that had flared between them the first time under wraps. But talking was making her realize that Cam was a decent man. A man she wanted to know better and maybe a man that she wanted her son to know.

“I agree.” She had to find out more about his past. Had to understand the best way to tell him they had a son. “So tell me what kind of woman you would choose to have a child with,” she said.

It was the one thing she wanted to know. Telling him about Ty was only the first step—making sure that he treated her son well once he knew that Ty was his was the important part.

“That’s a big jump in conversation.”

“I know, but I want to know the kind of man you are.”

He leaned back in his chair and took another sip of his drink. “I’ve never really thought about it. My dad was everything to me when I was growing up, and my mother was more concerned with her social position than her children.”

“I’m sorry.”

He shrugged. “It is what it is. No changing the type of woman she was. But I want to make a better choice than my dad did. I want a woman who will want to be a mother to our children. Who will make them a priority,” he said.

His words made her feel better that he was Ty’s father. But she still didn’t know if he was just paying lip service to the type of man he thought he should be. And to be fair, he probably didn’t know either. She’d had similar uncertainty about becoming a parent. She’d never expected to be a mom and had thought she’d have a nanny who took care of the kid all the time. But once Ty was in her arms, she’d realized she didn’t want to miss a moment of his life.

She nodded. “I want that, too. I mean in a dad. I don’t want a man who is on his BlackBerry with the office while he is at home and supposed to be spending time with the family.”

“Good. Something we have in common,” he said. “We both think family should come first. That is partly why I wasn’t ready to settle down with you two years ago, Becca.”

“Life is complicated sometimes,” she said.

“Very.”

He leaned forward and took her hand in his. “I really do want this to be a fresh start for us.”

She was afraid to believe him. She knew that they’d never be able to make a fresh start unless she came clean first about Ty. But tonight she didn’t want to ruin the feeling between them. That excitement and hope that came from getting to know someone the first time—for her it was building on the fantasies she’d spun around Cam since she’d had Ty.

She wasn’t going to lie; she’d wanted him to come back into her life. She just never thought that he would. And now here he was.

“Why are you staring at me?” he asked.

“I just realized that I like you.”

That made him chuckle. “What’s not to like?”

“You are autocratic and bossy,” she said.

“I think you like that, too. You need a man who doesn’t let you ride roughshod all over him.”

“Did I do that before?”

“No, but I think I was the exception. You are very used to getting your way,” he said.

“I am. I have had to be. Since I was twenty I’ve been on my own and that means I have to make good choices.”

“Have you always made them?” he asked.

She shook her head. “No, but I try not to have regrets. I mean I can’t change any decision I made to get where I am today.”

That was one thing she’d learned growing up. Her mother had said that everyone makes mistakes. A wise person learns from them and moves on. A fool lingers over them and spends all their time wishing they’d done something else.

He lifted his glass. “A toast to knowing what you want, and getting it.”

“A toast,” she said.

He looked at her as if she was the very thing he wanted. That made her feel warm all over, and she knew no matter how hard she tried to keep this tame, it wasn’t going to work. She wanted Cam. He was everything she liked in a man. She loved his height; he was taller than she was, with big shoulders and firm muscles. She remembered the way they’d fit together when they’d made love, so perfectly, and she wanted him again.

It had been a long time since she’d slept with a man—since Cam to be exact—and she felt overdue. But a one-night stand wasn’t the answer.

“I have a confession to make,” Cam said.

She didn’t want him to tell her anything else. She just wanted this hour to pass and for her to get into the car and drive away. And this time she hoped that they’d stay apart because the more time she spent with Cam, the more she realized that she missed having a man in her life. Missed having this man in her life.

“And that is?” she asked.

“I’m going to kiss you before you get in the car tonight,” he said.

She shivered, and everything feminine in her came to attention. She wanted to feel his big strong arms around her again. Wanted him to hold her and make her feel like she wasn’t alone in the world.

“I was planning to let you,” she said because she didn’t want him to get the upper hand. And because it was the truth—other than the one big lie, she was going to be honest with Cam.

“I thought you wanted to start slow,” he said.

“I do, but denying there is lust between us is silly. I want you and I suspect you are very aware of it.”

“I am. But I don’t want you to feel pressured,” he said.

And that made her heart melt. That one comment made her realize that Cam was a man that she wanted not only in her bed but also in her life.

The driver of Becca’s car sent Cam a text when he was outside the hotel.

“Your car is here,” Cam told Becca.

“So soon? I really enjoyed talking to you tonight. I’m glad you insisted we get together.”

She sounded so casual, as if they were old friends and not old lovers. He knew that was the only way to be unless they wanted to rehash every moment that they’d been apart.

“Me, too,” he said. He had enjoyed talking with her. She was intelligent and well-spoken and not afraid to laugh at herself. “I’m going to insist we have breakfast together as well, and then we can discuss business. If you can’t help with the Mercado, I think that the Manhattan club will be right up your alley.”

“It might be,” she said, getting to her feet. “If we have breakfast it will have to be at my place. I hate the morning drive to the city.”

He laughed. “Very well. I will come to your place. Give me your address.”

She gave it to him as he led the way through the lobby. But instead of taking her out the front door, he pulled her down a hallway to a small intimate alcove.

“I don’t want to say good night in front of other people.” He put his hands on her waist and drew her into the curve of his body. She fit next to him like a puzzle piece that had found its mate.

“Why not?” she asked, tipping her head back to look up at him.

“I told you I’m going to kiss you, and some things should never be done in public.”

He pulled her closer. “That was one thing we did right the first time, kept this private.”

She stared up at him. Her eyes were wide and pretty, but he thought he also saw some trepidation in them.

“I agree there. I don’t like everyone to know my business,” she said.

He stroked his finger over her cheek and then traced her bottom lip with it. She opened her mouth and the tip of her tongue brushed his finger. Everything tightened in his body, and he leaned down, rubbing his lips back and forth against hers before gently mingling his tongue with hers.

She tasted just as good as he remembered, her mouth hot and moist. The Baileys they’d drunk flavored the kiss, but it was the taste of Becca that was addictive.

She moaned deep in her throat, and he tilted his head to deepen the kiss. He was starving for her and was only just realizing it. Letting her go had been a mistake.

He reached down her back and spanned her small waist with his hands, lifting her off her feet towards him. The small mounds of her breasts rested against his chest.

She pulled her mouth away. “I think this is getting out of control.”

She had a point, but he didn’t want to let her go. Not yet. He lowered his head again, and she lifted hers to meet him. Her tongue slipped into his mouth, rubbing seductively against his, and he hardened.

Letting her go was going to be difficult. But he had made her a promise that they’d go slower this time. And he’d keep it, even if it killed him.

Slowly he let her slide down his body until she was standing on her own again. He pulled back and lifted his head.

“Definitely out of control, but I like it.”

She rubbed her fingers over her mouth. “I do, too. But I don’t want to make a mistake.”

“What kind of mistake?” he asked.

She shook her head. “Nothing. So how about nine-thirty for breakfast tomorrow?”

“Sure. But I’m not letting you change the subject,” he said.

She bit her lower lip. “I just want to make sure we both know what we are doing.”

“I do,” he assured her. He took her hand in his and led her back out into the lobby. It was odd to think of the passionate embrace they’d shared happening so close to the real world and strangers.

“You sound confident but there are things you don’t know, Cam,” she said.

“Then tell me about them,” he invited. “I want to know everything this time, Becca. No halfway for us.”

“I’m not ready to talk about all my secrets,” she said.

“I’m not going anywhere, so when you are ready we will talk. There are things that take time to find their way out,” he said.

“Do you have secrets?” she asked, then shook her head wryly. “Of course you do. You are a complex man.”

“Am I? I think I’m a simple man with simple needs.”

“And what are they?” she asked as they approached the front door of the hotel.

“Right now, they involve you in my arms. But that’s not happening tonight.”

“So what are you going to do?”

“I think I’ll go to my room and pour myself a drink.”

“Drinking is never the solution,” she said.

“I know that, but it will take the edge off my wanting you.”

“Does that really work?” she asked.

“I have no idea, but I’m going to give it a try,” he said.

She turned and then leaned up and kissed him really quickly. Just a brief touch that sent sparks through his already aroused body.

“Thank you.”

“For?”

“Stopping and not pressuring me. It would have been very easy for you to change my mind,” she admitted.

He knew that, but he wasn’t going to say it out loud. “I want more than one night with you, Becca.”

She tipped her head to the side to study him. “I hope so. I’m not that temporary woman I was back then.”

“I can see that. I hope you will learn that I’m a different man, too. I’m ready to settle down with the right woman,” he admitted.

“I’m not sure I’m that person,” she said.

“No pressure. I just wanted to let you know that I’ve changed, as well.”

“I could tell right away. No BlackBerry in your hand during dinner,” she said.

“With you by my side I’m not focused on work as much as pleasure.”

She flushed. “You are very good about pleasure.”

“Thank you.” He kissed her hard and deep. “See you in the morning.”

She nodded and walked to the car. He watched until the car drove away and then turned and headed back upstairs. He needed to know more about Becca but he had to be careful. He didn’t want to be the man to hurt her … again.