“Good. I need Cameron working on a land development deal on Thursday.”
“Are you building something here in the city?”
“No, we found a piece of land over by San Pedro. We want to develop it, but the landowners don’t want to sell. I’m hoping Cameron will change their minds.”
“What kind of development?”
“It’s part of our neighborhood restoration project. We take on one each year. We have a client willing to put up a grocery store and provide a loan to a neighborhood businessman or partners to own and operate the store. There will be some smaller shops in the complex and the same offer will be made to locals if they want to use the low interest loan to set up shop.”
“Sounds wonderful. You know, a lot of communities are desperate for something like that in their neighborhoods. It also gives the local community members the chance to own their own businesses and remain in the community and help support local growth and community involvement.”
“Exactly. I try to give back as much as possible. I’m sorry. This must bore you. I’m in charity mode, and I have enough ideas for this development project to do five more.”
“Maybe you’ll get the chance.” Marti knew of a piece of land in a local community Fairchild Industries planned to develop years ago, but they got turned down on the building plans by the city because they’d wanted to build offices. The city building commission might approve a plan like Jenna’s. Maybe Fairchild Industries could team up with Merrick International for the project.
Her uncle was always telling her to get more involved in the business. Here was her chance. She bet she could get the board to agree. As it stood now, the land was just sitting there, unused. This way they could put the land to good use and provide jobs and opportunities to locals.
“I lost you for a minute. What were you thinking about?”
“Sometimes things work out for the best when you meet the right person.”
“I don’t think you’re talking about you and Cameron.”
“That’s one thing that won’t work out and will only end bloody for me. I already know and I’ve accepted it. I’m here for Emma. I have a few surprises for her before I have to say goodbye.”
“Does it have to be goodbye?”
“Not forever, but I can’t stay and watch him marry her and be with her. I just can’t, not even for Emma. She’ll have to learn to accept Shelly in some way.”
“She told Elizabeth and me that she wants you to be her mother. When she sees Cameron marry Shelly it will hit her you’ll never be her mother and it will hurt her to the core.”
Marti couldn’t speak. She had nothing to say. She just nodded her agreement.
“Well, I’m off. Jack is waiting and I have to see if anyone has called about the art I need.”
“I bet you’ll get a call by the end of the day. It’ll all work out. I promise.”
Jenna gave her an odd look. “I like your optimism. Time is running out. I really want this to be perfect.”
“It will be.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
* * *
SHELLY SLAMMED HER apartment door, furious she’d been dismissed by that bitch Marti.
Who the hell does she think she is?
She tossed her purse on the sofa and grabbed the ringing phone off the side table, hoping it was Cameron. Disappointed by the number showing on caller ID, she answered, despite wanting to throw the phone against the wall.
“Hello, Mom.”
“Shelly Bean.”
God, she hated that nickname.
“How are you?” her mother asked, her voice gratingly cheerful.
Pissed. Furious. Frustrated, she admitted. Things with Cameron weren’t going as planned and she needed to put things back on track and quick. “Fine,” she answered her mother. “What’s up?”
“Well, your father’s diabetes is acting up and he needs a new blood pressure medicine.”
“He needs to lose fifty pounds,” Shelly snapped.
“It’s not as easy for him as it’s been for you,” her mother scolded. “He tries the best he can to stick to the doctor’s diet restrictions.”
Easy. If her mother only knew what she went through to stay thin and pretty. How much it hurt. How frustrating it was to throw up a perfectly good meal because she was unable to stop herself.
“Sorry, Mom. How is he?”
“Getting by. Still, Shelly Bean, things are tight. I’ve had to put off some bills and sell a few things to make ends meet. Your father missed some work and cut back on his hours.”
“How much do you need?” It cost her mother’s pride dearly to call and ask, so Shelly tried to ease her guilt with the offer.
“A couple hundred would tide us over. Your father can retire in a couple years. We’re thinking of selling the house and downsizing. The monthly bills and property taxes are more than we can manage with our medical expenses.”
“Well, don’t make any changes yet. I’ll send you the money you need now. Pretty soon, I’ll be able to help more.” With Cameron’s millions at her disposal, her parents would never need to worry about money again.
“You will? Does this have to do with the new man you’re seeing? How’s his little girl?”
“She’s fine.” Shelly hated to admit she’d made a huge mistake on the boat trip. Not until she arrived at the hospital with them and the doctor explained the seriousness of the cut and hypothermia Emma suffered did she really understand. Emma could have died and Cameron would have been devastated to lose her. He’d lost his wife. Her manipulation prompted the marriage proposal that wasn’t a proposal at all, but a way for Cameron to make things right.
He’d be disappointed when he discovered there is no baby, but she vowed from then on she’d do everything in her power to show him they could be good together. Maybe she’d made some mistakes in her attempt to keep him, but she’d make things right.
She’d signed the prenup without a word of protest to the terms. Not that she could complain. True to Cameron’s generous nature, he’d been generous in the settlement if they divorced. She’d never have to work a day in her life as his wife, or as his ex.
“Is everything okay with you and Cameron?”
“We’ve hit a rough spot, but I’m hoping to make things up to him as soon as he returns from a business trip.”
“You know what Gammy always said, ‘You catch more flies with honey.’”
Shelly smiled, remembering her grandmother fondly. “As you would say, I’ve been showing a bit too much vinegar.”
“You always had a single-minded determination to get the things you wanted. Sometimes, honey, you forget other people have feelings too. If you push too hard, you just might push him away.”
When she didn’t say anything, her mother went on, “We are so proud of you. Your father and I want you to be happy in whatever you choose in your life. If he’s the one, it’ll all work out.”
Was Cameron the one? She liked him. He had everything she’d always wanted to find in a man and husband. Her mother married her father for love when they had next to nothing. They’d been married over thirty years and still loved each other, despite spending their lives just getting by.
Shelly wanted a different kind of life. She wanted more than getting by and asking her kid to help her out now and again. Shelly knew that life and wanted better. She wanted one lavish and beautiful and free of worry. She never wanted to have to think about pinching pennies, clipping coupons, and having garage sales to scrimp together enough money to pay for medication and food.
Shelly didn’t subscribe to her mother’s notion that things simply worked out if they were meant to be. No, sometimes you had to make things happen. Still, she’d gone after Cameron without considering the sensitive, honorable man behind the wealthy, strong, determined businessman she’d originally pegged him for. His determination to marry her stemmed from his need to provide his children with a stable family. Marti might be a distraction for him right now, but i
n the end, he wanted his children to have a mother and a father. If she wanted the man—and everything that came with him—she needed to remember she’d already played her ace and won the pot. She didn’t need to push anymore. All she had to do was step into the role of wife and mother. Be the woman he wanted and he’d have no reason to call off the wedding. She could do that. Maybe she’d made a few mistakes, but nothing she couldn’t smooth over with a gentler hand.
“Shelly?”
“Sorry, Mom. I drifted off. Listen, everything is fine here. Cameron is away on a business trip and I’m just missing him.”
“Time apart can make the coming home that much sweeter.”
Most of the time she thought her mother needed a reality check. Today, Shelly appreciated her mother’s optimism.
“I’ll send the money. Tell Dad I said hi. We’ll talk soon.”
Shelly hung up with a new determination to do what she originally set out to do. Like she told Cameron, they may not love each other now, but they could build a relationship based on friendship. The tension between them would ease, and they’d settle into marriage and a life together.
Chapter Twenty-Six
* * *
CAMERON HAD PUSHED up all his meetings and flown all night to get home. He didn’t like being away from Emma when she was sick. Even with Marti there, he’d worried about his little girl.
When he came into the penthouse, he figured everyone was asleep. Past midnight, the house was quiet and dark.
He dropped his bags in the entryway and headed for Emma’s room. He snuck in, only to find an empty bed. The sheets were rumpled and her butterfly nightlight shined a soft glow over a cup of water on the nightstand beside the bed and her favorite Tina’s Travels books spread out on the blankets and floor.
Maybe Marti took her to George’s. He’d come all this way and almost a day early and they weren’t even home.
Disappointed, he walked into the master bedroom and saw the sweetest sight he’d ever see. Marti and Emma slept curled up in his big bed together.
He didn’t think about what he was doing or what the consequences might be. He stripped off his rumpled suit, put on a pair of pajama bottoms, and crawled into bed behind Marti. She had Emma wrapped in her arms and her back to him. He curled up behind her and held them both to his chest.
He buried his face in her hair and when he smelled her fresh, clean scent, he sighed and fell into a deep, contented sleep.
MARTI WOKE UP and noticed four things: light shown through the slit in the drapes, Emma wasn’t in bed with her, Cameron was on top of her kissing her, and he was naked. His hard cock pressed against her thigh. Not a dream. Reality. Cameron was here with her, kissing her. He slipped off her nightshirt, ran his hand down her stomach to her panties and pulled them down her legs. He came back to her and continued loving her awake with soft openmouthed kisses across her belly and up to her neck.
“Cameron.” Was that her breathless voice? He’d never touched her or kissed her like this. One stolen kiss here or there when he came to see George, but nothing as deep and passionate as this.
He kissed her neck and collarbone and his fingers combed into her hair, holding her head still. His entire body pressed down the length of hers. She loved the feel of his weight on her.
Giving in to temptation and need, she threw her arms around him and held him to her. She ran her hands down the smooth line of his back and dug her nails in when he licked her earlobe and sucked it gently.
“Emma woke up and saw us all sleeping together. You know what she said? Can I have some cereal? That’s it. She’s in there watching a cartoon movie and eating breakfast. She thought it was the most normal thing in the world to wake up in bed with both our arms around her.”
“You’ve been here all night.” He trailed kisses down her neck and over the swell of her breast, and she sighed with sheer pleasure.
“I got in a little past midnight and found you two in bed. I couldn’t help myself. I crawled in with both of you and held the world in my arms all night.”
He moved up and took her mouth. He’d wanted to kiss her, really kiss her, for so long he couldn’t think straight half the time.
He kissed her soft and gentle, traced her bottom lip with the tip of his tongue, and when the tip of his hard throbbing erection pushed against her and she gasped he thrust his tongue into her mouth and slid it over hers. She sighed and moaned deep in her throat and grabbed the muscles of his back and pulled him to her more.
She spread her thighs, so he fit between them more easily, and she ran her feet up the outside of his legs.
She loved the way he felt. He was so strong and male. His legs were hairy and tickled her feet. She stroked her feet up and down them, bringing his erection to her entrance and away with each push and pull of her legs up and down his.
She moved her hands up and over his chest, on to his strong shoulders and into his rich, dark hair. She held his mouth to hers and matched each stroke and slide of his tongue with hers.
He released her mouth and she pulled his hair in protest until he took her nipple into his mouth and suckled and circled the tight, aching bud with his tongue. Then, instead of pulling his hair, she moaned and pulled his head to her asking for more.
He loved how she responded to every touch, every lick, every kiss and caress. She was embers in a fire and he was the wind flaring them to life. Her flames licked at him in turn with each stroke of her tongue on his neck, every little nip and bite she took, and every press of her hips to him, seeking for him to ease the fire and make it flare at the same time.
He lapped, licked, stroked her breast with his tongue, suckled, and she writhed beneath him. He wanted to bury himself in her fast and hard. With a supreme act of will, he slowed himself down, savored every contour of her body and the taste of her skin.
He moved his hand down over her ribs and stomach and found paradise. When he found her slick and wet, he groaned deep in his throat and took her mouth. He slid his finger inside her tight sheath and stroked until her passion spilled over his fingers.
She was on fire, burning only for him. She was being consumed by him. His finger inside her matched each stroke of his tongue over hers. She felt like she was being tightly wound around him, and just when she thought she couldn’t take it any longer, he thrust two fingers into her and she exploded into a million sparks, flying in the wind to heaven. His thumb circled the soft little bundle of nerves and kept those sparks flying out. Heat built in her core and expanded out over her body.
She pressed her hips up, searching for him to end the torment once again.
He took her bottom lip gently in his teeth and bit softly until she opened her eyes. “I need you, Marti. I want to be a part of you if only for a moment, this moment, for however long it lasts. Say yes.”
“Yes, Cameron, my love. I need you too.”
He pushed deep inside her in one strong thrust. Her hips came up to meet his, and she took him deep inside herself. The world spun away and all he felt, all he knew, was Marti. He pulled out slowly and loved the sweet tight feel of her around him. He thrust deep again. Her nails raked down his back and over his ass and pulled him to her deeper.
She loved the feel of him inside her. Full and complete, for every stroke out, she met him when he came back to her with as much passion and pleasure as he gave to her.
He kissed her neck and nipped at her shoulder, keeping their pace slow and sultry. He loved every moan and sigh he drew from her. Her legs moved up over his hips, and he thrust into her hard. She called his name and groaned for him, only for him.
He moved his hand over her breast and squeezed her firm roundness. He plucked at her nipple with his thumb and finger and she arched up to him for more.
He moved his hand under her hip, pulled her up tight against him, and increased the pace. Her moans came fast, ripples of contractions ran through her.
He took her mouth and drove his tongue deep inside, tasting everything and stealing her breath.
He thrust again and again.
She pushed up to him, harder and faster until finally she called his name and threw her head back and held him to her. When she settled back into the bed, he thrust once more deep, groaned, and spilled himself inside of her.
Completely spent and satisfied, he let everything else go and just settled into being with Marti. Her hands rubbed up and down his back, soothing him. He wrapped his arms around her and rolled onto his side, keeping himself locked deep inside her. He didn’t want to let her go. Not yet. He never wanted to let this moment pass.
She lay limp and lax as a rubber band. Her whole body pressed down the length of him. He was warm and held her so tightly, not a centimeter of space separated them.
She felt protected and surrounded by his heat and strength, like nothing could touch her.
For the first time in her life, she knew what it meant to belong to another, truly belong to them. She was Cameron’s for this moment, for a lifetime. She’d never love another like she loved him.
Her breath whispered over his skin and her arm draped over his side, her fingertips stroking his back. She nuzzled into his chest and used her arm to hold him tightly to her.
He’d never felt so wanted and needed more so than he did in this moment. Even with Caroline, his emotions hadn’t been this strong, his need this possessing. He had to have her.
He grew rigid inside her, and she moaned. He tilted her head up to take her mouth, kiss her so tenderly it brought tears to her eyes. They spilled down her cheeks, and he kissed them away.
He draped her leg over his hip and moved slowly, pressing his hips to hers and pulled her to him. He stroked his hand up and down her thigh and over her hip, moving inside of her. She felt so good. He couldn’t stop touching her.
He moved his hand and caressed it up her side and over the top of her breast. Her hard nipples pressed against his chest and he moved back and rubbed his palm over the peaked tip. She moaned and pressed her breast into his palm.
The Right Bride: Book Three: The Hunted Series Page 14
