Читать книгу The Dare Collection July 2019 - Nicola Marsh, Katee Robert, Katee Robert - Страница 22

THE NEXT DAY couldn’t go fast enough. Cameron had never resented his work before, but it had never kept him from something he wanted before. Someone. Trish had set up shop back in their suite, while he was left to make the trek to Concord Inc. on his own. It had seemed reasonable at the time, but he swore he could actually feel the distance between them growing.

Not to mention the seconds ticking away from their time left together.

He didn’t know how to fix that. She’d been ready to call the whole thing off before he’d distracted her with an offer for a reprieve. He wasn’t delusional to think that more time spent in his presence would endear him to her. His cock? Fuck yeah. But it had been too long since he’d tried to tiptoe around someone else’s emotions. Just from the law of averages alone, he would say something to piss her off and screw things up before the week ran out.

Unless we just keep having sex until we’re too tired to talk.

As appealing as that option was, he wanted more. The haunted tour last night had been goofy, but Trish’s excitement had rubbed off on him, and seeing the tour through her eyes meant he enjoyed the hell out of it. He wanted to watch her favorite horror movies to have her prove him wrong about the genre. He wanted to share his favorite books with her. He wanted to know everything about her, where she’d been, where she was headed.

Cameron could count on one hand how many people he’d actually wanted to spend more time with...and still have fingers left over if he wasn’t including family. Trish was so refreshing and amazing, and she never seemed to take it personally when he said the wrong thing. Set him straight? Without a doubt. But she didn’t huff and walk away from him and leave him wondering where the hell he’d gone wrong.

Over the years, he’d picked up bits and pieces from Aaron about his two sisters, but Cameron had never paid much attention because he never expected to actually meet them.

He didn’t give a damn what Aaron had to say about Trish. He wanted to hear her history for himself.

Moving too fast.

Was he, though? He’d dated enough to know that something like this didn’t come around often. It didn’t come around at all for him. He’d be a fool to let her go, no matter how unfathomable he found this new territory.

Besides, it was hard to move too fast when she was already planning her exit strategy.

He forced thoughts of Trish from his head as he got to work on the security system Concord Inc. had commissioned. It was relatively straightforward as such things went, for all the nondisclosure agreements and secrecy, but setting it up required time. He could put together the appropriate firewalls and systems in his sleep, but Cameron hadn’t gotten to where he was by half-assing anything.

No matter how much he wanted to do just that today.

He made himself keep working until five, and then packed up and headed back to the hotel. With each step that brought him closer, excitement thrummed in his chest. He’d drag Trish into the shower with him to ease their thirst for each other, and then they’d head out for food and a little more sightseeing.

He barely made it through the door.

Trish appeared as if by magic—as if she’d been waiting—and gave him a quick kiss even as she started unbuttoning his shirt. She wore a different one of his shirts, and she should have looked absurd in the oversize clothing with her bare legs. Instead, she looked downright delicious. “You’ve been gone all day.”

Surprise kept his feet planted and his hands off her as he watched her finish with his shirt. “That was the plan.”

“I know. It was a stupid plan.” She shoved his shirt and jacket off his shoulders and gave a little hum of satisfaction. “Do you know how many times I ended up in our bed with my hand between my legs, thinking about you while I worked myself into a frenzy?” Trish had his pants undone and shoved them down before he had a chance to speak. She stroked his cock and gave him a sweet little smile. “We can talk in a minute, okay?”

Cameron leaned back against the wall next to the door and sifted his fingers through her curls. “You’re crazy if you think I’m going to stop you. I’ve been thinking about you all day.”

She pressed a kiss to his jaw. “Good. I’d hate to suffer alone.”

“Perish the thought,” he murmured. He forced himself to keep his eyes open, to watch her kiss her way down his chest until she was on her knees. Cameron used his hold on her hair to push it back from her face and ensure an unobstructed view. He didn’t want to miss a moment of this.

She stroked him once, twice, and then took him into her mouth. How many times had Cameron jacked himself to the image of her brightly painted lips wrapped around his cock? Pink, red, and on one memorable day, she’d worn purple. Today her lips were a pink bright enough to be seen from space, and the sight of his cock disappearing between them was almost as good as the feel of her mouth sucking him deep. She went after him with the same desperation he had churning up inside him every time he thought about what would happen once they boarded the plane back to New York.

His cock bumped the back of Trish’s throat and it was too much. Cameron hauled her up his body. “I need more than your mouth right now.”

“No fair.” She wrapped her legs around his waist as he walked them toward what had become their bedroom. “You go down on me all the freaking time. I want my turn.”

“Later.”

“Why do I think later means never?” She laughed as he dropped her onto the mattress and yanked off the shirt. She wore absolutely nothing beneath it. Her laugh was like nothing he’d ever heard before. Joyfully filling up the room until all he could focus on was this woman in this moment.

As if he’d want to be anywhere else.

Cameron bracketed her hips and dragged her to the edge of the mattress. “If later meant never, then I’d say never. Later means later.” He pushed a single finger into her and cursed when he found her wet and tight. “Were you fucking yourself with your fingers while I was walking here?”

Her grin turned evil. “Maybe.”

“What am I going to do with you, Trish?”

Her laugh turned into a moan as he pushed a second finger into her. “I have a few ideas.”

“I’m all ears.” He kept slowly fucking her with his fingers, ensuring he hit that spot inside her that made her eyes damn near cross with every stroke. He circled her clit with his thumb. “Hmm?”

“You’re unbelievable.” She reached up and hooked the back of his neck, towing herself up to kiss him. “You want it spelled out? I want you. Hands. Mouth. Cock. All of it. Every position. Over and over again.”

His stomach dropped, and even though Cameron knew better, he still said, “Your list of my attributes leaves a lot to be desired.”

Trish rolled her eyes and flopped back onto the mattress. “What do you want me to say? That I am having fun with you? That I like how much thought you put into the haunted tour and making sure we eat somewhere that has fish and chips because you know I’m a little obsessed? That I really dig your kind of closet nerdy thing with the fantasy novels? Or maybe that I think it’s really sexy how smart you are, and your inability to filter yourself has become charming instead of infuriating? That’s the lamest dirty talk out there.”

“You like me.”

“No, really? Of course I like you—sometimes in spite of yourself.” Something akin to vulnerability crept into her blue eyes. “If you haven’t noticed, I’m not exactly great at this stuff.”

She’d just thrown out a revelation he thought he’d never hear. Oh, he knew Trish enjoyed their time together, but there was a vast difference between enjoying how he made her come and enjoying him.

Cameron started to reach for the nightstand where they’d stashed the giant box of condoms, but Trish burrowed her hands under the pillows and came up with one. She tore it open. “Pays to be prepared.”

“Words after my own heart.” He spread her wetness over her clit as she rolled the condom onto his cock. He pushed into her and they both went still at the sheer perfection of how good it felt. Not enough, though. It was never enough, because it always ended. He hooked her thighs and lifted her legs as he thrust forward, bending her in half and allowing him as deep inside her as he’d ever been.

“Oh, Cam.” She clutched at his shoulders. “God, that’s good. Don’t stop.”

The same thing she said every time they had sex. Don’t stop. And he answered just as he always did. “I’ll never stop, Trish. Not as long as you want it.”

Cameron kept his strokes steady and reached down to stroke her clit how he knew she liked it. He’d had Trish at night and in the morning, but late afternoon Trish might be his favorite. The clouds that had lingered all morning finally parted and golden sunlight bathed her skin, making her damn near glow beneath him. Her expression went ecstatic and her pussy clenched around him as she came. He couldn’t hold out longer. He didn’t want to. With her milking his cock so sweetly, he let go and came hard enough to see stars.

Never want to let you go, Trish.

He managed to keep the words inside, if only barely. It was time to change how he approached this. Trish had admitted she liked him, and it was a small step from liking to falling for him.

He wasn’t going to give her up without a fight.

* * *

After a detour into the shower, Trish finally allowed Cameron to haul her out of the hotel for some exploring. Night had long since fallen, but the city hadn’t slowed down in the least. It felt different from New York, though. Less frenetic, maybe. Cameron tucked her under his arm and pulled her close as if they’d walked down the street together a thousand times before.

As if they’d walk down a thousand more streets in the future.

Knock it off. You told him you didn’t want to talk about that until you’re back in New York, and so there’s no point in obsessing over it.

No point, but that had never stopped her before.

She was enjoying this far too much to successfully categorize it as a fling. Not that Trish had much experience with that sort of thing, but it just seemed wrong to enjoy her time out of bed with Cameron as much as she enjoyed her time in bed.

“Hungry?”

She glanced at him and smiled. “Always.”

He led her into a tiny restaurant. “This place comes highly recommended.”

They took a little table near the window so they could see the street. It was so...normal. She fiddled with her fork. Talking about work seemed like a cop-out at this point. They were past that. She wanted them to be past that. Maybe it’s time I stop fighting it and admit the truth? Trish opened her mouth to break all their rules and broach the subject of them, but the distracted look on his face had her chickening out. “Have you been to London before?”

“A few times.” He refocused on her and nudged over the menu. “How’d the day go?”

Guess we’re talking about work, after all. “It was good. The time difference means a slight lag in emails, but nothing too dramatic has hit since we’ve been gone. I set up two meetings with potential new clients for the week after next. I figured a little cushion time wasn’t a bad idea in case complications arose with the current job.”

“Trish.”

She dragged her gaze up to his. God, he was gorgeous. The square jaw that she’d spent plenty of time dragging her mouth along, and the sensuous lips and deep, dark eyes. She pressed her own lips together, sure she could still taste him there if she concentrated. “Yeah?”

“I didn’t ask how work went. I asked how your day went. Did you manage to get out and see anything or were you locked up with a computer the entire time I was gone?”

“It’s my job to be locked up with a computer during the day.” When he just stared, she sighed and relented. “I took an extra-long lunch break and went to see the Tower of London. The weather was kind of dreary, but it just set the tone.” She smiled a little.

Cameron leaned forward, a small smile tugging at his lips. “For someone who’s the personification of a ray of sunshine, you sure as hell have a lot of obsessions with dark shit.”

“I like it. It’s good to try and focus on the positive in life, but that doesn’t mean you ignore all the stuff that goes bump in the night. It’s entirely possible that Richard III had his nephews murdered in that tower. If that’s not a horror story for the ages, I don’t know what is.” She made a face. “Though, to be honest, a lot of the Tudors could have starred in their own horror show. They were pretty freaking terrible.” And she loved it. If ever there was a family that acted as a cautionary tale for the corruption of power, it was that one.

“It’s a shame we don’t have time to visit Amsterdam after we’re finished here. There’s all sorts of macabre museums and things to see there.” He picked up his menu. “Maybe next time.”

Next time.

The two innocent little words rang through her like a gong. He’d thrown them out so casually, too. As if they were a given, as if they wouldn’t rock her right down to her core. “Cameron.” She waited for him to set the menu down and give her his full attention. “What are we doing?”

“Trying to get dinner.” He frowned. “Ah, I see. You mean what are we doing.” The slightest of hesitations, so slight she wouldn’t have seen it if she wasn’t watching him so closely. “I thought you didn’t want to talk about that yet.”

“I changed my mind.” She’d gone too far to backtrack now. They’d gone too far. “I like you,” she blurted out. “I know that’s inconvenient and you were very clear about boundaries and limits, but I’ve never been all that good about following the rules, and I like you, okay? I can’t help it.”

“There are more than a few people who’d think you were crazy for that.”

She glared. “Can you be serious, please?”

“I am being serious. Are you sure it’s not the intimacy of sex that’s clouding your judgment?”

For the love of God. She sat back and crossed her arms over her chest. “Are you seriously trying to talk me out of liking you? Who does that?” But she knew who did that—Cameron O’Clery. The man was nothing if not obstinate.

“No. Definitely not.” He reached out and grabbed her hand. “I’m saying this wrong... Which shouldn’t surprise you. I’m simply trying to understand the change of heart.”

It would be so easy to retreat, to agree that, yeah, she’d let the sex go to her head, and no, she wasn’t really falling for him. It wouldn’t be the truth, though. The truth was that she liked Cameron despite the fact she couldn’t see an outcome where this wouldn’t blow up in their faces. One way or another, it would end in tears. She wouldn’t stay with Tandem forever, and if she pursued the job she’d gotten a degree for, she’d be traveling. Between that kind of work and the number of hours Cameron put into the company, she didn’t see how it could possibly work.

If he even wanted it to work.

He still hadn’t said anything in response.

Maybe because he still waited for an explanation from her.

She cleared her throat. “I have always had a very clear idea of where I want my life to go and what I want it to look like. It hasn’t worked out. Not once. This is the first time where the plan falling apart might not be the end of the world. I didn’t plan on enjoying spending time with you so much, but I do. I don’t know if I can go back to not being with you once we go home.”