“Rem, please don’t—”
“No, Camille. Listen to me. I went to Charlie because I know you love him and you care what he thinks. He and I aren’t the best of friends, but I had to tell him that I want you and plan to have you.”
“You said that to Charlie and he didn’t punch you?”
Remington smiled. She was joking so she hadn’t panicked because of his words. Or maybe she wasn’t joking. Charlie was as protective as her father, so maybe the man truly believed Remington cared for Camille, which was why he hadn’t demanded Remi stay away from Camille. That meant Charlie was on his side.
The thought that this tentative plan of his may actually work relaxed Remi. He was still worried about how she’d react when she found out he was running for mayor, but by that time she’d be his fiancée and he’d have a plan to make sure their small Bible-thumping town didn’t try to crucify Camille when they found out how she earned her money.
* * *
“I’ve been going over this condition my dad had and I’ve even done a little research. He may feel better, but...”
Her words trailed off when she saw him sitting there in her family home staring at her as she struggled to put on one of her shoes. He’d offer to help, but he couldn’t stop staring at her. She was beautiful as a girl, but as a woman there was a grace and femininity about her that commanded attention. She was more than beautiful, she was stunning.
She’d changed into a white dress that stopped midthigh, giving way to long brown legs. The dress was snugly fitted to her body and she had downplayed it with a pair of floral printed laceless canvas shoes, yet she still held herself like a stylish woman of twenty-eight. She had tossed a light sweater on the ottoman in front of him that looked as if it could fit a toddler. The sight of her caused him to grin devilishly as he thought about her small body wrapped around him, controlling him as if he was the smaller one.
She bent down again to put on her shoe, the curve of her rear hiking into the air, and he groaned. This sight was doing a number on Remington’s sanity. The sexiest part about it was that she had no idea how she affected him.
“You okay?” Camille said hesitantly, seemingly cautious of his silence.
“Fine, Ladybug. Just waiting for you. What were you saying about your father?” Remington recovered and rose from his seat to get away from thoughts of throwing her on the ottoman and burying himself deep inside her. She needed time to recover since it had been her first time. And while he’d been a selfish bastard the night before, he’d let her mend properly before he allowed himself to have her again. He just needed to have some control.
Remi wiped his hand down his face and stepped to the window. He was once again reminded of times he’d spent at this house as a teenager. The nostalgia calmed his raging libido enough for him to face Camille again.
“I was going to ask if there was a food delivery service in the area you could recommend.” She started to straighten the few items that were out of place and he couldn’t take his eyes off her as she moved. Cleaning, straightening and organizing were things she used to do to keep her hands busy as she talked or listened when they were younger. It was cute to see she still had the habit. “Daddy won’t buy healthy food for himself so I figure if I have— Remi, why are you staring at me like that?”
He’d been caught.
Chapter 9
She’d described that look, she’d researched that look, she’d watched movies and videos to know what that expression could mean. But never did Camille think it could be so real or directed at her. But this was real. Remi was real. And his eyes told her that he wanted her. And she’d be damned if she didn’t want him as well even though the insistent throbbing at her core said she wasn’t quite ready to have him again.
“I know your dad was going for a walk, but is your father’s nurse here?” Remington asked. Before she could answer, he moved toward her.
“Fired.”
They weren’t touching, but she felt a distinctive magnetism, as if something was forcing them to close the final distance. Remington’s head lowered at the same time his hand cupped Camille’s hip softly. The comforting feel of his touch forced a sigh from her lips.
Her hands found Remington’s arms and held on as his fingers played with the hem of her dress. She braced herself so she wouldn’t fall over backward as his kiss forced her head to tilt back and her to go up on her toes.
He seemed to sense her distress and used his other hand to anchor her at her lower back. Not realizing she was being lowered, Camille gasped when the padded chair-sized ottoman grazed her back.
“I don’t think we should—” Camille’s protest was cut off by her own moan. Remington had such skilled fingers and when he slid her panties aside and dipped his finger into her, there were no more words or protests she could utter.
One lingering kiss to her lips and a mischievous smile was all he gave her in warning before he lowered himself with the grace of a gazelle going after its prey. Spreading her knees wide and lifting her legs to his shoulders, Remington’s head disappeared between her thighs. She gasped at the feel of his nose as it grazed the slit of her opening through the scant satin fabric.
Camille wasn’t sure if she should stop this. No, she knew she should stop this, but the sheer pleasure of the moment rendered her incapable of rational thought. Before she knew what was happening, her panties were being lowered and his tongue was devouring her core.
His lips explored her voraciously in the most intimate of kisses and his tongue stroked her most sensitive spot. His fingers dipped and delved into her, stroking her deeply and igniting her to a most unexpected release. She breathed heavily and slapped at him to move away from her when she could take no more, but he continued to lap at her, causing her body to shake with mini orgasms as he got his fill of her.
Remington kissed the inside of her thigh and Camille smiled. She couldn’t believe this was what her first sexual experiences were like. She’d heard horror stories and was glad she wasn’t among those whose first time had been forgettable. It was easy to see Remington knew what he was doing, which also begged the question of who he’d been doing it with all these years. If his grandfather so easily brought up the Brandts in front of her, did that mean Remi had been seeing Sonya?
“Are you sleeping with Sonya?”
The question was unexpected even on Camille’s end. She snapped her mouth closed for fear something else she’d wanted to think instead of say would pass her lips.
Maybe it was seeing Frederick Krane and his mention of the Brandts that had caused her slip, but his grandfather’s invite to lunch had been at the back of her mind since they’d seen him.
Camille knew it was unfair of her to question Remington since she lived out of town and planned to return to New York, but she needed to know. Sonya lived in town and was the lawyer for Krane Foods. Camille wondered if the woman had earned that position or if it was one of the perks of sleeping with the boss.
Hating the direction of her thoughts, but holding firm to wanting to know the answer to her question, Camille tried to back away from the intimate position she and Remi were in. Remington halted her, gently pulling the hem of her dress back into place and then helping her into a seated position. They shared a look that was intimate and personal, which added to all of the other intimate, personal moments they’d shared in the past hours.
Whereas Camille had once thought of this reunion as closure, she now realized she wasn’t built that way. She couldn’t sleep with Remington and not be stirred into wanting more. She’d fooled herself into thinking this could possibly be a onetime act since every time he looked at her or touched her she was reminded of the dreams she’d had of one day returning to Remi and sharing this kind of passion.
So her question was a valid one. If she was going to open herself up to him while she was here, she wouldn’t sh
are him or be in the dark about some on-again, off-again relationship he shared with Sonya Brandt.
* * *
Are you sleeping with Sonya?
What kind of question was that to pose after what he’d just done?
Remi wasn’t sure of the answer, but he’d known this would come up after his grandfather’s mention of the Brandts. Of course Camille remembered the family whom she often had to concede to on the days his grandfather insisted he go to the country club or attend some function for his business friends.
The Brandts and the Kranes were close. Remington’s father and Sonya’s had been really good friends before his parents were lost to him. Afterward his grandfather had maintained the relationship. Their families attended the same church, held the same political affiliations and had mutual business associates. And Remington had been raised around Sonya and her brother.
It had been practically an unwritten arrangement that he and Sonya would be married one day as if it was what he wanted. His mother and hers had always talked about the day when their families would be “officially” related. It wasn’t until Remington truly became interested in dating that his mother and father accepted he wasn’t going to be with Sonya. However, Fredrick Krane was not as moved by Remington’s free will.
Remington had to admit that Camille was strong because Sonya hadn’t been an easy girl to deal with back then. Sonya had often made sure to remind Camille what his grandfather thought of Camille and her father. Any other girl probably would have left Remi alone, but not Camille. She had put up with Sonya without making it an issue in their relationship. She’d never allowed Remington to be rude to Sonya and had never asked him to tell her to back off. She was confident in their relationship, which was why he still didn’t understand why she had run. They could’ve dealt with her wanting to be a writer—maybe.
Remington shook that thought off and focused on Camille’s question. “No, I am not sleeping with Sonya. I have never been in a relationship with her, but...”
“You slept with her,” Camille finished when he trailed off.
“Yes. A few months after you left. She caught me in a bad place, not that it is an excuse. I—”
“No need to explain. I left you without a word or note. I can’t be upset about it, I just needed...I needed to know just in case I have to see her.”
Remington did not want to dwell on talk of Sonya, so he changed the subject. He still lay on top of her on the ottoman as he asked, “Did you want to make those calls? You mentioned your agent and some meeting you had to do a follow-up on...”
“I’ll call them but first you need to tell me what it is you have planned, Mr. Krane. What is all this you were telling your grandfather about already having plans with me?” She flashed a flirty smile at him and he felt his manhood perk up at the simple gesture.
“How about a date?”
She hesitated and he wondered if she’d try and back out of being with him today. He’d already told her he loved her and he didn’t even care that she had not said it back. He could wait. But he wouldn’t wait long. He’d do anything he could to make her face her feelings and admit she loved him, as well. He’d help her through her guilt over leaving him. If he wasn’t angry, she had no reason to be reluctant about a relationship between them.
“Are you sure about that? It’s one thing to be doing this,” Camille said and gestured back and forth between them, “but you do know how the people of this town feel about me in regards to you? They think I made a fool of you...and I’d have to agree with them so you may not want to—”
“I want to. I don’t care what they think.” Remi placed one hand at the nape of Camille’s neck and ran the other over her thick hair and stroked tenderly. He then tilted her chin up with his thumb and hoped she could see what he felt for her in his eyes. He’d confessed a lot, but he’d give her more time to come to terms with what he already knew—she was his and she wasn’t leaving him again.
She pulled away from him and said, “What are we doing here, Remi...really?” He was losing her to her doubts. He was sure she was afraid that, even years later, the circumstances that had taken her away from him were still going to keep them apart and that scared her. Remi just thanked God that she hadn’t asked if he still wanted to pursue his political career. He didn’t want to lie to her, but she wasn’t ready for that truth just yet.
He had to first make her see what she’d missed while they were apart. He needed to show her that he hadn’t changed—they hadn’t changed. He decided to take her out the way he used to and she was in town at the perfect time to do that. “I’m winning you over,” he answered. He gave her a wink. “Freshen up and then I’m showing you off.”
“Where are we going, Rem?” Camille asked very sweetly as if that would make him talk. He wasn’t talking. Because if he did, she’d surely back out.
Half an hour later, he whipped his black Maserati into a parking space and hopped out the car before she could ask him any questions. He strode over to her side to help her out and thought how right she looked taking his hand to head out for an afternoon together. This was the way it should’ve been. It could be that way again, he told himself. He just had to convince her that she could live in Fairdell and be Reese Elaine. He’d stand by her, her father would stand by her, and she’d be surprised how many people in their town would not crucify her or criticize her for doing a job she loved—at least that’s what he hoped. It didn’t matter what she wrote about. She was a bestselling author and her star would only shine brighter if she were to come out from behind her alias.
When she got out of the car, she looked around. He could tell she was hesitant but he confidently took her hand and laced their fingers together.
“What is this?” Camille whispered under her breath and it was obvious that she wasn’t happy that he’d brought her to such a public place. They were downtown on the square, Remington explained, in the midst of A Taste of Fairdell, the annual event he’d started recently, where residents and restaurants set up tasting booths. The proceeds from the ticket sales went to the local food pantry for families in need. It was an endeavor Krane Foods had taken on under Remington’s leadership and guidance.
“How are they doing this in the middle of the day?” she asked. “Aren’t people at work or at school?”
“Well, they do this every day at lunch for a week, from about eleven to two in the afternoon. Then on the weekend the booths stay open all day. There are performances, raffles, face painting...you know, one last hurrah before the kids get too deep into the school year. A way to say goodbye to summer.”
He was glad that she looked impressed by what his company was doing in their small town, but he hated that she tensed as they received stares from people as they walked by. He could see that Camille pretended not to notice, but what she failed to realize was that people probably didn’t recognize her. If anything, they were staring because Remi was with a woman—a woman they didn’t seem to know or recognize. They’d be surprised to know this was Cammie, the girly tomboy who was her father’s shadow and Remi’s long-time girlfriend from years past. He sometimes had to look at her twice to make sure it was really her. She’d grown into quite a beautiful woman with curves, intelligence and a face he was sure got lots of attention from adoring males and jealous females.
* * *
Camille didn’t doubt that this whole event was for a good cause. She’d been to a similar fair one summer in Chicago and had enjoyed herself immensely. However, she couldn’t say the same today since people were staring. She knew they felt a little miffed with her for the way she’d left Remi all those years ago but if he didn’t have a problem with her return, then neither should anyone else. Camille decided to ignore the stares. She’d think of herself as Reese Elaine, the confident, bestselling author.
“You know they have no idea who you are, right?”
She
turned to Remi. “What do you mean? Everyone is staring... Why would they be staring if they didn’t know who I was?” After all, she’d been a resident of Fairdell for the first seventeen years of her life. There was no reason why people shouldn’t recognize her, despite the fact that her visits had been brief and few over the years.
Remi stopped in front of a store and pulled her under the shaded overhang, out of the walkway. He turned her so that he was blocking her from view and then took her sunglasses off her face and held them up to her. “This is why. Some might’ve known, but I have a feeling that this has to do with them thinking that I have decided to take up with some outsider instead of getting a ‘nice’ woman from Fairdell.” He chuckled. “Little do they know, I have the nicest and most beautiful of souls with me today.” He then leaned in and kissed her right below her ear and she shivered, the kiss reminding her of their exploits from the previous night and that morning. “I want you to relax. You’re here with me and I’m the most powerful man in Fairdell.”
The statement was arrogant but not in a condescending way. He didn’t look down on the people of their town; he was simply stating a fact. Being the president and CEO of the company that provided lots of jobs for the city, being the sexiest man in the city and being a Krane made him undoubtedly the most powerful man from Fairdell to Atlanta. Krane was a huge company and had been around since before Remington’s parents were born.
“Okay, I’ll try. You ready to feed me? Because I’m hungry.”
He took a deep breath as if her words meant more than what she’d intended. He then placed a hand on the wall behind her and she felt small with him hovering over her. He was poised to attack her in the most sensual way, but they were in public and she was already on the bad side of most of the townspeople. A public spectacle like this would just cement their opinions of her. She didn’t care what it meant for her, but she did care what it meant for her father and his reputation, as well as Remi’s.
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