A Passionate Love

by Delaney Diamond

  Simone thought getting set up was a terrible idea, because she was not interested in Albert. She hadn’t seen him in several years. However, her mother did have a point about the differences between her and Cameron, and there was no reason why she couldn’t at least give Albert a shot. She’d simply postpone setting up another date with Cameron until she wrapped up the meeting with Albert.

  “Sounds great,” she said.

  Ella pursed her lips thoughtfully but remained silent.

  “Perfect.” Sylvie wrote a note in her planner. “Now, where are your brothers?”

  Asking the question seemed to have the effect of conjuring them. Stephan and Reese traipsed in with huge grins, looking exactly like what they were—rich playboys without a care in the world.

  Sylvie did not smile back. “We have a reservation. You’re late.”

  “Sorry, Mother. We got sidetracked.” Stephan’s light brown eyes, which matched their mother’s, gleamed with mischief. No doubt whatever had sidetracked him had two X chromosomes.

  “We’ll pay for lunch to make it up to you,” Reese offered, the more serious of the two.

  “Yes, you will.” Sylvie rose from the chair. “Let’s go. We’re already late, and I’m quite hungry.”

  Their mother walked ahead in a black pantsuit from the Sylvie clothing line and they followed behind. On the elevator ride down, Simone barely heard the conversation taking place around her.

  All she could think about was Cameron and the next time she’d have a chance to see him.

  Chapter 10

  Cameron had gone in early to meet with staff and make sure they could handle the night without him. He almost felt guilty about taking Saturday night off, he hadn’t done it in so long, but intended to enjoy himself. Especially since a peculiar sense of unease stayed with him all day. He was tense and restless. Had been for weeks. He simply couldn’t relax and looked forward to dinner and later sinking his body into the lovely woman at his side.

  He parked his SUV and walked around to the passenger side of the vehicle. Nearby, the Chattahoochee River sparkled under the artificial lights, rolling past the landscaped grounds of Kayak, an upscale restaurant tucked away behind one of the city’s most exclusive neighborhoods. The late meal was the perfect end to an evening that started with a one-hour jazz performance at a small venue nearby.

  Cameron opened the door for Sherry. Their date couldn’t have come at a better time. He needed a distraction from thoughts of Simone. He hadn’t seen her in three weeks, yet every time he walked into his loft, he swore he smelled remnants of her perfume.

  He helped Sherry down from the vehicle. She was an attractive woman, with golden yellow skin and reddish blond curls that formed a halo around her head. She had a banging body, the kind that looked amazing in tight and short dresses, exactly like the coral mini exposing the shapely length of her legs. Anticipation buzzed through his blood. He fully expected to end the evening in her bed.

  “You haven’t said anything about my dress,” Sherry said, smoothing her hands over her hips.

  “I didn’t know I had to. I thought the way my tongue was hanging out of my head made it clear what I thought.”

  He should have paid her a compliment right away. Especially since it was obvious she’d gone to so much trouble to impress him.

  She giggled and slapped his chest. “Cam, you’re a mess.”

  They walked arm in arm into Kayak and through the small foyer toward the host stand.

  Inside, Cameron’s gaze landed on a couple in front of them. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, and his feet stopped moving. Simone stood there with a light-skinned brother. Tall and with curly hair, he looked distinguished with modern square spectacles and a couple of days’ growth of facial hair. She hung on his arm much the same way Sherry hung on Cameron’s.

  “Is something wrong?” Sherry asked. Her gaze traveled in the same direction as his.

  “No,” Cameron said shortly.

  They resumed walking and upon approach, Simone looked up, and when she saw them, her eyes widened.

  “Simone,” Cameron said.

  Unable to help himself, his gaze dragged down her body, admiring the way the loose skirt of the strapless dress managed to show her curves. The tight bodice stretched over full breasts, and the slit at the front teased the eye with a hint of leg. It looked simple enough, but the dress probably cost the same as the average worker’s weekly wages.

  “What a coincidence,” Cameron continued.

  Simone’s brown eyes flicked over Sherry, but her face betrayed no emotion. Only a fractional tightening of her lips before she smiled pleasantly. “Hello. Albert Duvalier, this is Cameron Bennett, a friend.”

  He involuntarily stiffened. For some reason, the lukewarm description pissed him off. Friend? A friend who’d had her bent over the foot of the bed while she moaned his name into the mattress.

  Cameron extended his hand to the other man. “Now, now, we were more than friends,” he said, taking Albert’s hand and giving it two hard pumps. Jeez, he was acting like an ass but couldn’t help himself.

  Simone’s eyes widened, and Albert frowned, dropping an arm across Simone’s shoulder. Cameron watched the move with a clenched jaw and tightened his grip on his date’s hand.

  Sherry cleared her throat beside him.

  “Where are my manners? Sherry Stone, this is Simone Brooks. Back from London, I see.”

  “Nice to meet you.” Simone smiled again. Serene. Calm. While the fire of jealousy raged within him.

  “Likewise.” Sherry stepped closer to Cameron, making sure their sides were flush against each other.

  “You have a reservation?” the male host asked.

  Cameron had been so busy with his obsession with Simone, he hadn’t even checked in. “Yes.” He gave his name and the man confirmed the reservation. Minutes later, a different host escorted Simone and Albert to their table, and a hostess led Cameron and his date back to theirs.

  Luckily—or unluckily—they were placed near each other, which gave Cameron an ideal view of the grounds with the river beyond, and a good view of the back of Albert’s head.

  “Is everything okay?” Sherry asked quietly, glancing up from the menu.

  The oddly tight smile on her lips shook Cameron from his haze.

  Hell, what was he doing? Here he sat with a beautiful, willing woman and all he could think about was the liar two tables away. In London, my ass. She’d blown him off to make plans with this Duvalier dude.

  “Everything’s great.” His smile was meant to appease and smooth her concerns, which seemed to do the trick, because she tossed a saucy smile his way, her eyes filled with heat and a promise of good things to come.

  The second she returned her attention to the options on the menu, Cameron’s gaze drifted to Simone’s table. Her bigheaded date shifted and blocked his view of her face, and he grunted his discontent, quickly covering the noise by clearing his throat.

  “Have you eaten here before?” Sherry asked.

  “A few times,” Cameron answered, glancing up at Albert’s head again.

  Every ten seconds his eyes found their way back to the other table. He continued like that for several minutes, interrupted only when the waiter came by to tell them the special and take their drink orders. Occasionally, Albert moved to the side or leaned forward, and Cameron caught a glimpse of Simone’s face. He kept his eyes on her during those periods, even though he knew he shouldn’t.

  She offered her broad smile to the other man, which lit up her face and eyes. It irritated the hell out of Cameron that this man was the recipient of the full magnitude of her lips and dimples.

  With a start, he realized Sherry was talking to him, and he hadn’t heard a thing she’d said. He tugged on his black tie. “What did you say?”

  “I said, I haven’t had fish in a while. I was thinking about getting the swordfish. It sounds delicious.” Keeping her eyes downcast, she traced a nail along the words on the menu.
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  Simone laughed out loud. A sexy, alluring sound that drifted on the air to his table. Then she rested her chin on her hand and gazed at Albert, her eyes soft, her lips tilted into a welcoming curve.

  Anger burned inside Cameron. Was she doing that shit on purpose?

  “You can’t go wrong with anything you choose,” he said absentmindedly.

  The waiter came by, a happy-looking guy smiling so hard he could have swallowed his ears. “Have you decided?” he asked.

  “I have.” Sherry looked expectantly across the table.

  Cameron had barely paid attention to the choices on the menu since he sat down. “I need a little more time,” he mumbled. The waiter promised to return in a few minutes and disappeared. Cameron glanced at the entrees and chose the duck, something he hadn’t had in a long time, and set the menu aside.

  He sipped from the glass of water in front of him.

  “Thank you for inviting me out tonight.” Sherry reached across the table and enclosed one of his hands in both of hers.

  “Thank you for accepting.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  She really was a good-looking woman, with full lips painted an eye-catching shade of red that ordinarily would have him thinking lewd thoughts. Instead, all he could think about was the shade of red on Simone’s lips.

  He took another sip of water, set the glass on the table, and then picked it back up and swallowed half of the contents. He was burning up.

  “So…tonight…” Sherry let the words trail off suggestively and stroked a nail along the back of his hand.

  He made himself think of those long nails dragging down his back. He imagined her as a wildcat in bed.

  “I have a little surprise for you,” Sherry continued. She looked up at him between her lashes.

  “You do, huh?” Concentrate. You’ll get laid tonight if you don’t screw this up.

  “Mmm-hmm. I’ve had my eye on you for a while.”

  As if he didn’t know. Sherry wasn’t exactly known for her subtlety, but she’d certainly made him wait long enough. “Oh really?”

  “Mmm-hmm. Ever since the first day I saw you signing documents with my colleague.”

  “Well, I’ve had my eye on you, too, and I’m glad I didn’t give up.”

  “I’m glad you didn’t, either.”

  Simone got up from her chair, and before he had time to think about what he was doing, Cameron shot up from his. The action was automatic.

  Sherry’s mouth fell open. “What—”

  “I’ll be right back.”

  He didn’t know where Simone was headed. Bathroom, probably. If that was the case, so was he. He followed her through the crowded dining room and past the bar. When they entered the back hallway, she swung around.

  “What do you want, Cam?”

  What did he want? He was like a man possessed. “Is that your boyfriend?” The words came out before he could stop them.

  Simone tossed her glossy hair and glared at him. “Jealous?”

  “Hardly.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest. “Then don’t worry about it.”

  “I’m not.” He stepped closer. A mistake, of course, because the scent of her perfume filled his nostrils—the same earthy fragrance that haunted the loft—and heated his blood. “I’m curious about what you’re doing. Three weeks ago you were in my apartment, making love to me like a woman possessed, and now you’re with this guy?”

  Her eyes went icy. “You have some nerve. Is that your girlfriend?”

  “I don’t have to answer to you,” he said.

  “And I don’t have to answer to you,” she snapped. “Whatever she is, stop ignoring her. It’s rude.”

  She tossed her hair, the movement making the glossy strands ripple and elongating her neck in a tempting way. If she did that again, he was going to grab her by the hair.

  “You’re right. I shouldn’t ignore Sherry. A sexy woman like that deserves my undivided attention.”

  Her lips tightened. “Exactly. I certainly plan to give Albert my undivided attention tonight. I haven’t had sex in a few weeks, so I’m a bit overdue and feeling kind of horny. If you’ll excuse me…”

  Cameron froze as Simone sauntered off with her trademark walk, hips swinging from side to side in a hypnotizing fashion.

  Three weeks. Three long, barren weeks since he’d sipped the nectar of her kisses and felt her soft skin under his hands. And she was taunting him with another man.

  Rage exploded inside him. With three long strides, he overtook the distance between them. His hand snapped to her wrist, closing over the delicate bones with force and yanking her around to face him.

  She gasped, her startled gaze landing on his face. Fine brows descended over widened eyes.

  The next thing Cameron knew, his legs were eating up the carpet as he pulled Simone along behind him.

  Chapter 11

  Simone glanced over her shoulder, but neither Albert nor Sherry could see them from this angle. Good thing, too, because Cameron obviously didn’t care if their dates or anyone else observed them together.

  He pushed her ahead of him through a door, and she stumbled into an opulent bathroom, bright lights glaring overhead and bouncing off the Italian tile and expensive fixtures.

  Simone placed her hands on her hips and tilted her nose toward the ceiling. “How dare you manhandle me?”

  With a cursory glance, Cameron made sure the two stalls were empty and then snapped his gaze back to her, taking slow, measured steps to back her up until she hit the cold wall.

  “You didn’t mind when I manhandled you at the loft,” he said softly.

  Then she went there—to the memory of him sliding the cheeky down her hips and fisting a hand in her hair as she straddled him. She recalled the hunger in his voice when he whispered in her ear all the delicious things he planned to do her. His voice raw. The words dirty. His hands rough as he lifted her into his thrusting hips.

  “Different time, different place.”

  “Why aren’t you in London?”

  “I came back early.”

  “You didn’t call.”

  She did, but she’d never give him the satisfaction of knowing that. She’d called the club and they’d told her that he wasn’t working tonight, and when she called his home she didn’t receive an answer. She’d wanted to make plans for when Albert left town tomorrow. But here he was, not thinking about her nearly as much as she was thinking about him. Certainly not with the hot woman seated at his table outside, wearing what could only be described as a fuck-me dress.

  “I didn’t know I was supposed to call.”

  “I guess not. You didn’t call to tell me you were going to leave. You didn’t call to tell me you were back.”

  Did she hear resentment in his voice?

  Then he was right there, in front her, pressing his palm to the wall above her head.

  “You planning to sleep with him tonight?” Cameron asked, his voice sounding strangled.

  “Stop it, Cam.” She wanted to touch him. She ached for the contact. Instead, her fingers clutched the soft material of her dress.

  Then she saw the way his eyes lowered to her lips and his nostrils flared.

  “Cam…” She didn’t know why she said his name like that, in such a pleading way. She only knew she needed him and suspected he needed her, too.

  “Let me give you something to think about while you’re with him.”

  Before he even moved, she guessed his intent. She wanted the kiss, maybe even more than he did. She hadn’t stopped thinking about him since she left his bed.

  Cameron’s fingers slid under her hair to the back of her neck and he leaned in, tugging her forward at the same time so that she was anchored to his body before his head dipped down to hers.

  Impact.

  A sweet explosion at the collision of mouth to mouth.

  Right away, a current of energy cycled through Simone’s body. The soft lips covering hers opened and close
d in a domineering caress. Her hands slid around his neck, drawing him closer as she lifted onto the tips of her shoes and strained against him.

  Cameron’s kissing game was on point. He didn’t simply raise the bar. He demolished it with a bat and splintered it into little pieces. Plucking her lower lip between his, he sucked, then dived in for more with his tongue.

  The kiss deepened into a greedy, open-mouthed attack, turning harder and more intense. Their breaths commingled. Their moans slipped over each other, making it unclear where one ended and the other began.

  One hand eased up and down her spine, then ran up under the hem of her dress and gripped her behind. Simone shivered, her nipples pebbling against his hard chest. Cameron kissed her neck, groaning and releasing heavy puffs of air from his nose and mouth.

  “Taste so good, sweetheart,” he groaned.

  Her own breathing pattern changed, turning into a jagged, irregular sound as his hands and mouth thrilled every inch of skin they touched.

  His fingers dallied around her hips, tracing the line of her underwear. Simone let out a tiny little whimper and closed her eyes, her belly trembling in anticipation of his touch.

  “You’re driving me insane,” he muttered against the side of her mouth.

  When his finger slid beneath the edge of her panties, she gasped and fisted her hands behind his head.

  A rough swear dragged from his vocal chords as he shoved two fingers into the moist cleft between her thighs.