“That’s not quite what I had in mind, but okay.” He shut the cabinet and followed her into the kitchen. “I’m not sure we have all the ingredients.”
“We do.” She pulled a slab of chocolate down from the cupboard and began to break it into chunks.
“Where did that come from?”
“I brought it with me,” she said.
“You always travel with your own supply of chocolate?”
She looked at him as though he were a dimwit. “Of course.”
“Oh, right, guess you never know when you’ll be called on to make dessert.”
“That’s right.” She placed the chunks in a small saucepan, added a touch of water and put it on the stove.
“That’s it?” he said, his tone dubious.
She pointed to the pan, then the fire. “Chocolate. Hot. Equals hot chocolate.”
“It seems like cheating.”
She rested her fist on her hip. “You think I should carry cocoa beans and grind them to dust first?”
“Something like that.”
She laughed. “This skips a step or two.”
He gave her another skeptical look, then stared at the pan. “I’m not sure about this.”
She stirred the mixture slowly. “Because you’ve always made it with cold milk and chocolate syrup.”
“Well, yeah,” he said, biting back a grin as he leaned against the bar. “Anything else is just un-American.”
“Don’t judge until you’ve tried it,” she said mildly, adding some more drops of water as she continued to stir.
“It’s starting to smell good.”
“Here, you stir,” she said, handing him the spoon as she turned down the fire slightly. “I need to make whipped cream.”
“I suppose you brought that with you, too.”
“Always.” She pulled a container from the fridge.
He couldn’t hold back his smile. “I like the way you travel.”
She reached into a drawer and pulled out her own hand mixer, poured cream into a bowl, threw in a heaping spoonful of sugar, and began to mix it up. Less than four minutes later, she had a bowl of thick, pillowy whipped cream. She poured the creamy chocolate into two small coffee cups, added a dollop of whipped cream on top, and handed one to Cameron.
“Sip the chocolate through the cream,” she instructed. “That way, you get the hot with the cold, but you don’t dilute either.”
She stood inches away, watching him as he tried the concoction. He watched her, too, as he sipped the hot, creamy chocolate through the cool, soft whipped cream. It was possibly the most sweetly decadent thing he’d ever eaten.
“Well?” she said.
He stared at her and wondered what the chocolate and whipped cream might taste like when licked off her breasts.
“It’s almost immoral, it’s so good,” he said, his voice husky.
Her cheeks began to turn pink again and he found he enjoyed making her blush. He also savored watching her realize the direction his thoughts were traveling.
She coughed to clear her throat. “So, you like it?”
“Like it?” He took another long sip and emptied the cup. “Yeah. I’d suggest you package it, but I’m afraid it might be banned in thirty or forty states.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” she said demurely, and placed her cup on the counter. “Thank you.”
“No, thank you. It was delicious.” He put down his cup and reached for her. “I want to taste it on your tongue.”
Before she could utter a word of protest, his mouth consumed hers.
The heat was instant and overwhelming. The sweetness of her mouth was incendiary. Pressing her against the kitchen wall, he kissed her again and his tongue swept inside, tangling with hers. Now he tasted the need in her. Now he sensed the surrender he’d craved from the first moment he’d seen her in his shower, her long legs wet and warm, her breasts firm and round. He wanted her with a fervent passion he hadn’t felt in months, maybe years. Maybe since the last time he’d been with her.
He ravaged her mouth again and again, sweeping and plunging and reveling in her heated depths. She wrapped her arms around his neck and raised herself so that the apex of her thighs pressed against his burgeoning erection. He held her there with one hand while he shifted his other hand up to cover her breast. She moaned and he knew she wanted him as much as he wanted her.
His body shouted at him to take her here, now, against this wall. Tear off her clothes and plunge into her over and over again until they both slid to the floor from sheer exhaustion. He couldn’t remember feeling like this, couldn’t remember ever needing a woman this much, as much as he needed another breath. Maybe more. She was his. Now.
Julia broke away to take a deep breath. “Oh, Cameron, I can’t…”
“I know.” He ran his mouth along her exposed jawline and down her neck, sucking and nibbling his way to her shoulders. He began to unbutton her blouse, pulling the fabric back to feast on her soft skin.
“Cameron, please,” she murmured. “I…I’m sorry.” She pushed away. “I can’t do this. I can’t…”
He groaned. “You can. You did. Watch. I’ll show you.”
She pressed her hand against his chest. “I know how it’s done. I just…”
His brain clicked into gear and with great reluctance, he shifted back a step. “You mean you’re not ready to do this.”
“Oh, I’m ready,” she said with a contrite smile. “But I’m not stupid. I know how you feel, Cameron.”
“I think it’s pretty obvious how I feel,” he said, carefully pressing himself closer.
It was her turn to groan. This felt too good, but she had to stay strong. “I mean, how you feel about me. You think I’m lying to you. You think I set you up and I’m trying to trap you into fatherhood.”
“No, I don’t.”
“Yes, you do,” she said calmly. “You have rules. I have Jake. We need to get through the blood test before we can even think about…well, I should go to bed.”
Crap, he thought. The damn blood test. He really was a dolt.
“Julia, listen to me,” he said with all the sincerity he felt in his heart. “I do believe you. I know Jake is my son. I haven’t ordered the blood test because I know you’re telling the truth.”
Her shoulders sagged a little. “You’re just saying that because we’re this close to jumping into bed together.”
“I’m not just saying it,” he insisted, then gave her a sideways glance. “But is it working?”
She smiled softly. “I would love to be with you more than anything tonight. But it won’t help matters at all. In fact, it’ll just complicate everything.”
He studied her for a moment and saw in her wide, expressive eyes a mix of storm clouds and uncertainty. And more than a remnant of passion. “I say we go with the complications.”
Now Cameron could see a touch of sadness there in her eyes. It felt like a punch to the gut.
“I don’t want to be with you simply because I happen to be the woman staying in your hotel suite.”
“But you are the woman staying in my hotel suite.”
“Exactly,” she said. “Which makes me convenient, that’s all.”
“That’s not what I meant.” He swept his hands through his hair in frustration. “I’m saying all the wrong damn things. Let’s start over. I believe you, Julia. Jake is mine. I know you weren’t lying. And I want you. I desire you. You. Not some woman sleeping in my suite.”
She stared up at him, searching his face for answers.
“I want you, too,” she said finally. “And I’m glad you believe me. But I know you have your rules. I know that once we leave here, you won’t want me anymore. And I can’t go through that. I won’t. Not again.”
Staring back at her, he saw the resolve. He also saw that if he continued his tender assault, he could melt away her reserve. But at what price? It wouldn’t be what she wanted, what she needed right now. With great reluctance, he stepp
ed back. “You’re wrong, sweetheart. But I’m not going to convince you of that tonight, am I?”
She slowly shook her head. “I’m sorry.”
“You and me, both.” He couldn’t help but lean over and kiss her full, ripe mouth once more. “Sweet dreams, Julia.”
Five
His freaking rules.
Talk about being hoisted by his own…whatever. Cameron punched his pillow, knowing once again that he wouldn’t get much sleep tonight. It was just as well, because he needed to spend some quality time mentally kicking himself. And he really needed to rethink a few things. Like those rules of his. It’s not that he would change them because, frankly, they worked. But he certainly wasn’t going to talk about them anymore. Especially not to a woman who might’ve been lying in his bed this very minute, were it not for him and his big mouth.
Screw the rules, he wanted Julia.
How could he convince her that he believed her? He should’ve told her immediately that he knew Jake was his son. He’d known it almost from the first minute he’d seen the handsome little kid. But hell, that wasn’t even Julia’s point, was it? He smacked the mattress in disgust.
Whatever her point was, he still wanted her. Rules be damned. But if he tried to tell her that, she would think he was just saying it to get into her pants. And while that may be true…no, damn it, it wasn’t.
He liked her. He liked her mind, and her sense of humor, and her integrity. Okay, he liked her pants, too, and everything inside them. Nothing wrong with that.
And besides, she was the mother of his child, so they’d be seeing each other at least once or twice a week for the foreseeable future. And since he’d be coming by to see Jake all the time anyway, why shouldn’t they have a…a what? A relationship? An understanding? A regularly scheduled booty call?
Sounded good to him.
Oh, right, he thought. Even Cameron was smart enough to know she would kick his ass into next week if he suggested that scenario.
But she wouldn’t keep him from seeing Jake. No way. Cameron would let her know in the morning they would need to work out a custody arrangement.
And now that he thought about it, he would have to make sure his house was baby-proofed. He made a mental note to call Housekeeping the next day and tell them to take care of it.
But just baby-proofing the house wouldn’t make it a home for Jake. He would have to transform one of the bedrooms into a room for the little guy. A bed shaped like a race car. A computer. And toys. A football.
He would put up a fence around the pool immediately, but he would also teach Jake to swim as soon as possible. His son would be a champion swimmer.
He would build a super-deluxe swing set on the side of the house, with a slide and monkey bars to play on. And Jake would need a dog. A big one.
Cameron was just beginning to doze off when it occurred to him that the thought of Jake visiting once every few weeks didn’t appeal at all. Maybe Julia and Jake should simply move into his sprawling home on the cliffs overlooking the bay. The place had six bedrooms. There was plenty of room for all of them and the kitchen was big enough for Julia’s baking stuff.
Whoa. In a flash, Cameron threw off the covers and sat on the edge of the bed. “Am I insane?”
What was he thinking? He wasn’t fit to be a father. And he had no business inviting Julia to move in with him. Hadn’t he been through this before? Had he forgotten about Martina?
Years ago, long after the fiasco with his high school girlfriend Wendy, he’d left the marines and gone to work with his brothers to start up their development company. Through business acquaintances he met the very attractive Martina Moran. He thought he’d learned his lesson where love and women were concerned, but once he met Martina, his good sense flew out the window. She came on strong, and almost as a test of his own will he began dating her.
Their relationship flourished and he thought he might be falling for her. Anxious to prove he’d grown as a man and was no longer subject to his father’s cruel legacy, he proposed, and Martina said yes. Cameron thought he might be able to finally relax and looked forward to many happy years of married life.
He had been young, stupid and oh, so wrong.
It turned out that Martina had been using Cameron to make another man jealous. Her scheme worked and that man, trust-fund baby Andrew Gray, had begged Martina to marry him. She walked out on Cameron as fast as her Jimmy Choo shoes could carry her.
Cameron had taken Martina’s betrayal as a message from the fates. His birthright could no longer be ignored and he had to force himself to accept that he was, indeed, a bad risk, a loser and irretrievably flawed. It was a hard lesson to learn, but it was for the best that he’d vowed never to give in to love again. It could end only in disaster.
He was older now, but was he any smarter? Could he actually make this work with Jake and Julia? Did he really have any choice in the matter? Jake was his son and Julia was Jake’s mother. He was determined to make it work. Julia would have to understand that it was all for Jake. As long as they both had Jake’s best interests in mind, everything would be fine.
He lay back down and as he drifted into sleep, a plan began to form in Cameron’s mind.
It was an effort just to slide the key card into the door slot, Julia admitted the following evening. She was exhausted. She hadn’t slept well the night before and she’d just spent one of the most grueling conference days ever. She was looking forward to a glass of wine and a long soak in the tub after she got Jake settled for the night.
But as she stepped into the foyer of the suite, she was instantly assailed by the sounds of controlled madness. Music was playing and people were laughing and talking. Was Cameron having a party? Where was Jake?
Julia had just spent ten long hours working the conference. She was not in the mood for a party. Could she possibly get away with sneaking straight through to the hall and disappearing into the back bedroom?
But that would be a spineless act of cowardice. Julia considered the alternatives and decided she was okay with that.
Before she could make her move, though, a woman about her age walked into the living room and spied Julia lurking in the foyer.
“You must be Julia,” she said with a smile. “Cameron’s told us all about you.”
And what was that supposed to mean? Julia wondered.
“Hello,” Julia said, trying not to eye the other woman with too much suspicion. Not only was she drop-dead gorgeous and tall, with thick brown hair and perfect skin, but she looked really nice and friendly.
Was Cameron dating her? Not that she would blame him; the woman was lovely. But did he have to rub Julia’s nose in it? Had he invited his friends over for a party? Julia was more convinced than ever that slinking off to the back bedroom was the way to go. She had no place here among Cameron’s friends.
At that moment Sally Duke marched into the living room. “Trish, where is-” She stopped when she saw Julia and cried, “Oh, she’s here!”
“Hi, Sally,” Julia said, now thoroughly confused.
“Come in, sweetie. We’ve completely invaded your territory and you must be beat after that long day.”
“That’s okay,” she said weakly.
“Come meet my boys and have a glass of wine. You’ve already met Adam’s wife, Trish.”
“Not exactly.” Julia turned and smiled much more warmly and extended her hand to shake the other woman’s. “Hi, Trish.”
Trish ignored the handshake, instead pulling her close and giving her a hug. “I’m so glad to meet you. Jake is precious. We’re all so lucky Cameron found you both.”
“Thank you. I’m happy to meet you, too.”
“I’m relatively new to the family, too,” she said, linking her arm through Julia’s. “Adam and I just got married a month ago.”
“Oh, how wonderful. Congratulations.”
“Thanks. We’re really happy.”
“Well, of course you are,” Sally said with a wink. “I wouldn’t h
ave planned it any other way.”
They both laughed, then Trish glanced at Julia. She must’ve been wearing a look of sheer bewilderment because Trish quickly said, “It’s complicated.”
Sally laughed again. “But you’ll hear the whole story eventually. Come meet my sons.”
Sally grabbed Julia’s other arm and she and Trish led Julia through the dining room and up to the kitchen bar.
The first thing Julia noticed was that the spacious kitchen area was literally dwarfed by three big, handsome men, obviously Cameron and his brothers, who chatted and laughed with Sally’s girlfriends, Beatrice and Marjorie.
The next thing Julia noticed was that the largest of the brothers was holding her baby over his head as though Jake were a paper airplane about to be launched across the room. Jake screamed with laughter and excitement.
Julia, on the other hand, had to take some deep breaths in order to remain calm. This had to be Brandon who was holding Jake. Cameron had told her he used to be an NFL quarterback.
“I want to hold him,” the third brother said. By process of elimination, this was Adam. Without waiting for an okay from Cameron, Adam reached over and grabbed Jake mid-flight.
Jake cooed with delight.
“Hi, Jake,” Adam said, staring up at the baby. “Welcome to the family.”
Brandon reached up and tickled Jake’s stomach. “Hey there, kiddo. You’re pretty happy to be here, aren’t you?”
Jake giggled and his little legs bounced back and forth.
Brandon turned and thumped Cameron on the back. “He’s awesome.”
“Yeah, he is,” Cameron said, taking the baby from Adam. Just for a moment, he held Jake close to his chest, and Julia could almost see his heart on his sleeve.
The moment passed and Cameron swung the baby up above his head so his brothers could get another good look at him. Jake continued to smile and coo at the men, thrilled to be flying in the air. Cameron brought the boy down to eye level and with a note of pride, said, “Notice how handsome he is? Looks just like his father.”
“Aw, don’t insult him like that,” Brandon joked.
Adam laughed. “Yeah, this is a good-looking kid.”
Sweet Surrender, Baby Surprise Page 6
