by Ali Parker
That wasn’t saying I didn’t want to cross them because he looked handsome as hell, and every passing day brought us closer together. But I didn’t want to hurt him more than I had to in two weeks.
“We should go,” I said. “We made a commitment. And Bradley would be disappointed if you didn’t at least make an appearance.”
“Who’s Bradley?”
I laughed and pushed at his chest. “It’s just a dress.”
“Not on you, it’s not.”
He needed to stop saying sweet things to me. I’d almost decided to get really ballsy and go panty-free tonight, but I’d caught my own mistake before it had a real chance to unfold. I was already dangerously attracted to Camden. The last thing I needed was him looking sexy as hell in his element at work while the freedom between my thighs teased me endlessly.
I could hear Janie’s cautious warning like a foghorn. “Put your damn panties on, Piper. Better yet, buy a pair of granny panties to go the extra mile.”
I had not voted for granny panties. Instead, I’d opted for a black lace thong cut high on the hip. If my dress wasn’t backless, I’d have worn my matching bra. But it was. Therefore, there was no bra.
Camden nodded for me to go ahead of him toward the elevator. I did. As I walked, I could feel his eyes on my back, could practically feel them following the line of my spine and the sway of my hips with every step I took.
Yes, it was a very good decision indeed to be safe and wear the damn underwear. My lady bits were already on high alert, and we hadn’t even left his suite yet.
When we did leave his suite and step onto the elevator, Camden placed his hand on the small of my back. The warmth of his palm against my bare skin sent a tingle through my entire body. We rode the elevator down in silence, and I basked in the scent of his cologne, musk and citrus. Fresh and masculine all at once. Bold.
I swallowed hard as I followed him off the elevator. Daniel waved at us from behind his desk, and before I knew it, I was in the backseat of a luxury car, en route to Camden’s office tower.
He put his hand on my knee. “Don’t be nervous. You’ll like everyone. They’re all good people.”
“I’m not nervous.”
His eyes flicked to my hands, clenched into fists in my lap. “Could’ve fooled me.”
Forcing myself to relax my hands, I let out a soft laugh. “All right. Maybe I’m a bit nervous. But…”
“But?”
“But I don’t think it’s for tonight’s party.”
He nodded knowingly. “Ah. This is about tomorrow night?”
I tried to look less terrified than I felt and failed.
Camden smiled. “Don’t worry. The rest of them will be just as nervous as you. Believe me. They have a hell of a lot more at stake.”
I groaned internally at his words. He was only trying to help. He didn’t realize he was pouring more guilt into my already shitty recipe of bad decisions.
“You’re right,” I said thinly. “It will be fine.”
“There you go,” he said, flashing me his perfect straight white teeth. “That’s the spirit. I was starting to worry you weren’t going to enjoy your first Christmas party of the month. I couldn’t very well let that happen, could I?”
The car pulled to the curb. “No. You couldn’t.”
We got out of the car. We’d arrived at our destination. Camden took my hand and led me inside. Like at The Laurient, his offices were on the top floor. We rode the elevator shoulder to shoulder, and Camden turned toward me. “You’re still thinking about it, aren’t you?”
“I can’t help it,” I whispered. “It’s… it’s like it’s burned into my brain. I need a distraction. Or a—”
Camden wrapped an arm around my waist and yanked me to him. I stumbled forward into him. The impact of my chest against his made me gasp, and he sucked the air off my lips with a blood-rushing kiss that went straight to my head and made me dizzy.
An invisible weight slipped from my shoulders and settled at my feet, where I would leave it for the rest of the night. Camden traced my cheekbone with one finger as the kiss deepened, and when we broke apart, he pulled away just an inch or so to look deep into my eyes.
“You just tell me if at any point you need another one of those, all right?” he purred.
My mouth worked to find words and failed. Then I ran out of time. The doors slid open with a chime and revealed an office dripping in garland and lights and icicles. Christmas music rolled over us, and I followed Camden into the office.
Children raced around our legs and made for the Santa Claus perched on a velvet-covered stool in one corner. The face under the faux beard was quite young, and I wondered if it was some poor intern who’d got suckered into the gig.
Giant sparkly snowflakes hung from the ceiling above, as did little disco balls that made the place come alive with light.
Camden turned his chin my way to talk over his shoulder. “I’ve never come to one of these before, you know.”
“Really? Not one?”
“Nope. This is a first. And I have to say. It looks pretty good.”
A familiar-looking man made his way through the crowd and clasped hands with Camden. They did one of those manly, one-armed hugs while clapping each other on the back before pulling apart, and then Camden brought me forward. “Bradley, you remember Piper? Piper, this is my business partner, Bradley.”
“Hi.” I smiled.
He grinned. He had a friendly way about him. “Piper. I remember you. It seems you leave an impression on every man you meet.”
“He’s married,” Camden said.
“Quite married,” Bradley agreed. “But that doesn’t make me blind to a beautiful woman.”
“Thank you.” I giggled.
Bradley grinned at me while Camden rolled his eyes and shooed him off. “Go find your wife. I’m sure she needs saving from whatever small talk she’s caught up in with one of your damn employees.”
Bradley hurried away, looking back only to wink and say, “Nice dress, by the way.”
I was still laughing under my breath when Camden brought me a glass of wine and led me down to his office where the party was quieter. “Sorry about him. He’s harmless.”
“He seems charming,” I said.
Camden’s brow ruffled. “Bradley? Charming?”
I nodded.
“Don’t tell him. It will go right to his head.”
“My lips are sealed,” I said.
Camden chuckled as his eyes wandered down to my mouth. “Speaking of lips, I could really go for another one of those kisses right about now.”
“Whatever could you need distracting from?” I asked, toying with him.
Camden flashed me a smile as he pushed his office door open. “Everything, dear Piper. Everything.”
Chapter 16
Camden
Piper’s tight little body pressed up against mine was enough to drive a man wild.
And wild, I was.
The kiss in the elevator had set fire to my blood that needed to be sated. And the only way I could see to calm the burn was to kiss her again. And again. And again. I would kiss her until I’d had my fill and whatever came next would either be my undoing or my saving grace.
Either way, I didn’t care.
I wanted the girl.
And based on the way she was clinging to me as I walked her to the sofa in my office, she seemed to want the same thing as I did.
Heat.
Pleasure.
A pleasant mix of both.
Piper clawed at my suit jacket until she managed to pop the button open. Her hands slid inside my coat to run along my sides to my back. She wrapped her arms around me and pulled me in close to devour my mouth with hers as I lowered her down onto the sofa.
Things were happening quickly.
I hadn’t expected this.
She was breathless beneath me as she hooked a leg around mine. Her hand snaked up my back, over my shoulder, and around my neck, where
her fingers played with the collar of my shirt.
I trapped her fingers at the base of my throat with one hand and looked her in the eyes. “Should I lock the door?”
She licked her lips. Her eyes darted back and forth between mine. And then to my surprise, she nodded.
I wasted no time pushing up from her and moving to the door. I locked the handle and turned back to her as she propped herself up on the sofa. She watched me approach, and her gaze did a slow sweep of me from head to foot.
“Come here,” she breathed.
I went.
Piper met me with more eager kisses. I steadied myself with a hand on the back of the sofa over her shoulder so as not to lean into her. The dress she wore was pretty form-fitting all the way down, and there wasn’t any room for me to go to my knees between her legs, which was where I presently really wanted to be.
I settled for more kisses.
They didn’t last as long as I wanted them to. Piper broke away and pushed back, creating some space between us.
Frowning, I sat down beside her. “Is everything all right?”
Had I done something to scare her off?
Piper swallowed. “Yes. Everything is fine. I just… I don’t think I can do this right now. In your office. With the party tomorrow night, my head isn’t in the right place.”
I didn’t know what was more frustrating. Knowing that she was making a wise decision and declining to act on rash impulses, or the fact that I now had a raging hard-on I’d have to contend with before rejoining the party on the other side of my office door.
She looked up at me. “I’m sorry, Camden. I got carried away.”
“We both did.”
She chewed on her bottom lip.
It was plain to see that she felt bad. I didn’t want her feeling that way, so I stood up and went to the liquor cart. I poured us each a small glass of bourbon and handed her one. She sniffed the contents and arched an eyebrow.
“Is this going to have me making a fool of myself at your work party?”
“Not at all,” I assured her. “But I need something to do before I go back out there.”
Puzzled, she quirked her head to the side. Then as it donned on her, her eyes slid down to my crotch, widened, and shot back up to my eyes. Her cheeks turned pink, and she covered her mouth with one hand as a fit of giggles consumed her.
I tried to keep a straight face. “Think that’s funny, do you?”
“It’s a little funny,” she managed through breathless giggles.
It is significantly less funny when you’re the one with a swollen cock and an impending case of blue balls, I thought. But I didn’t say it. Instead, I shrugged one shoulder. “I just need a couple of minutes.”
She nodded and sipped her bourbon like it would be the cure to her laughter. It was not. She proceeded to struggle with the entertainment of my predicament, and I didn’t say anything to steer her off course. If I was being honest, I found her laughter kind of delightful. Even though it was at my expense, I’d do whatever it took to make her laugh like that.
Especially when I knew she was having a bit of a hard time with the Casanova party looming over her head tomorrow evening.
In the last couple of days, she’d become a little withdrawn. I’d caught her staring off into space on more than one occasion, and when I asked her about it, she’d gotten this doe-eyed look and told me it was nothing.
I didn’t believe her.
She wasn’t in the best of positions right now. I could recognize that. She had twelve men vying for her affection, and we were closing in on the finish line. In about two weeks, she would have to make the most important decision of her life and choose which one of us she wanted to spend the rest of her life with.
Based on how she’d been pulling away, I suspected she didn’t know herself who she was going to choose yet.
That must be a terrifying thought—to know in two weeks you would be engaged but not knowing which man would be the one on your arm. I didn’t envy her decision. And I sure as hell didn’t envy what it would cost her.
What if she made the wrong choice and chose the wrong man? What if she only learned it was the wrong choice too late and the right man couldn’t forgive her?
It was a whole can of worms.
“Piper?”
Her smile faded away as she gazed up at me. She must have heard the serious level to my voice. “Yes?”
“You know I’ll have your back at the party tomorrow night, right?”
She blinked. “Sorry?”
I sat down beside her. “I know you’ve been struggling with the party coming up. If I was in your shoes, I’d be nervous, too. I just want you to know that I’m going to be there to support you. If you want to leave, you just come find me. I’ll get you the hell out of there faster than I can get rid of this hard-on. I promise.”
Her smile returned, and it lit up her entire face. “Sweet and vulgar all at once. My Romeo.”
I laughed. “I mean it. I can only imagine what it must feel like to walk into something like that. If I can make it easier for you, please give me the chance.”
Piper put her hand on my knee. “Thank you, Camden. Really. I appreciate it. I didn’t think there was anything anyone could do to calm my nerves, but this? This helps. A lot.”
“Good.”
She smiled. Then she rose smoothly to her feet, her glass of bourbon half sipped away. She drummed her nails on the glass. “Shall we return to the party before they start to think we did unsavory things in here?”
“Unsavory?” I stood. “Unsavory is not a word I would use in reference to keeping intimate company with you, Piper James.”
Her cheeks flushed a brilliant shade of red that matched the Santas plastered on the walls out in the shared office. “Stop that.”
“I can’t. I won’t.”
Giggling, she took my hand in hers and led me out of my office. I trailed behind her, more than happy to be the man in her grip, and she brought me back out to the party, where nobody seemed to think anything of our temporary disappearance.
Piper finished her bourbon and accepted a glass of wine from Bradley, who was excited that the children were all taking their leave with babysitters or parents who weren’t staying at the party. His own kids had already left with their sitter, but his wife was staying, and the two of them were spending the night in a hotel down the street.
“Been a long time since me and the Mrs. had a night just to ourselves,” Bradley said, waggling his eyebrows at me. “It’s about damn time. Love those kids, but shit, you can’t get a moment of privacy, you know?”
I clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Your woman deserves a good evening in your care, Brad. Don’t drink yourself stupid, all right?”
“Drunk sex can be fun,” Bradley said defensively.
I shook my head. “No. Not for her.”
Bradley looked imploringly at Piper for help.
She backpedaled. “Don’t look at me. I’m with Camden on this one.”
“What?” Bradley asked, his shoulders slumping. He looked at his wine glass.
I laughed. “Drunk men in bed are just…” I paused to find the right word.
“Sloppy,” Piper supplied for me.
“Sloppy?” Bradley asked incredulously.
Piper nodded. “Yes. Quite sloppy. There’s nothing worse. All sense of self-awareness is gone. And a man with no self-awareness in the bedroom? It’s not sexy. Sorry.”
Bradley set his wine down. “Well then, consider me educated.”
I pulled Piper into my side. “You sound like you have experience in the subject?”
For the hundredth time that night, her cheeks reddened. She tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear. “I think every woman is unlucky enough to have been crushed beneath a drunk horny man. Even if you really care about them and are attracted to them, it’s still not a good look.”
Bradley wandered off to find his wife, and Piper and I spied him across the room a half-hour
later, whispering sweet nothings in her ear while sipping a glass of what we assumed was ice water. His wife, a willowy brunette in a long-sleeved red dress, giggled and turned her face into his shoulder.
Piper smiled. “She’s smitten with him.”
“They’re a good match,” I said. “They’ve been together almost two decades. Childhood friends to lovers.”
“It’s beautiful.”
I’d never thought much about it, but she was right. It was beautiful. Bradley always had a woman to come home to. To pick him up when he was down. To hold him together, prepare him for the storms, and love him when he was lonely. To raise his children with. To dote on. To kiss. To worship. To protect.
I gazed at Piper.
For the first time all month, I was realizing I wanted those same things with her.
She caught me staring at her. “What?”
“Nothing. Nothing at all.”
Chapter 17
Piper
Time was a fickle thing.
One year ago, I was embarking on the journey of a lifetime by setting foot in the Casanova Club to meet the men I never expected to actually have the chance to date. And now, a full three hundred and sixty-five days later, I was standing on the same front steps of the building that held a future of unknown complications, of love, pain, joy, and betrayal.
Camden stood beside me. Snowflakes clung to the shoulders of his black suit and melted in his hair. His eyes were on me. I could feel the heat of his stare and the uncertainty burning within him. It burned in me, too. I wished I could offer him encouraging words to let him know I was all right, that I could handle this.
But I was fairly certain I could not.
I’d spent the entire month trying to fight the fear of this evening. And now that it was here, that panic and worry had tightened around my throat like an invisible hand. The grip tightened with every passing minute, and I’d been lightheaded since we got out of the car.
“Are you ready?” Camden asked.
How could I ever be ready for this? “No,” I admitted.
