by Fox, Addison
“I know.”
He leaned back, the hard lines of his body drawing her eyes and torturing her with the image of what it would be like to touch him. To stroke her fingers over those broad shoulders and firm chest and simply give in.
His next words pulled her from the brief fantasy. “I’m not going to shut off my interest simply because we’re on an outing that happens to involve business.”
“That’s not why I came along.”
“I never thought it was.” Storm clouds glazed his vivid blue eyes. “We both have professional responsibilities, but they shouldn’t stop us from being human.”
She broke off a small piece of her bread. “I just don’t understand why you’ve been so persistent.”
“Now who’s fishing for a compliment?”
The words had their desired effect as her gaze shot to his and she couldn’t quite hold back the overtones of anger she knew flamed in his direction. “I most certainly am not.”
“Could have fooled me. I’ve practically stood on my head these last few months trying to get you to notice me.”
“I do notice you.”
“As a nuisance.”
His quiet words penetrated the small bubble of self-doubt she hadn’t been able to shake around him. “People don’t enjoy the company of nuisances and I do enjoy yours. Although I did consider the idea that this trip was simply an excuse to get me into bed.”
The quick flash of annoyance that filled the sky blue of his eyes gave her all the confirmation she needed that his motives had been pure. “Absolutely not.”
“Good. I’m glad.”
“It doesn’t change the fact that I’d like to get you into my bed. As soon as possible, Camryn.”
…
As his body grew increasingly uncomfortable, Booth took great joy in the obvious evidence Camryn was as off-kilter as he was.
For the life of him, he couldn’t quite understand what she did to him, but he was enjoying the sensation too much to give it up. He’d spent his life enjoying casual relationships with women. Very few of them lasted longer than a quarter, and when they ended he wasn’t sorry to usher the women out of his life. So what was it about Camryn McBride that had him so out of his depths? He knew this wasn’t casual, but despite his repeated attempts to reassure her, it was foolish to think there’d be no consequences if the two of them got together. The DNA of their acquaintance ensured that.
He’d also be lying if he didn’t admit, at least to himself, that he had some concerns. He’d spent his life in a strained relationship with his half brother and finally, in the last few months, they’d begun to make inroads. Entering into a relationship with Nathan’s new sister-in-law was likely not the pathway to ensure those fences stayed mended. Even if he wanted the woman with an all-consuming hunger that refused to let go.
Their waiter arrived with the cups of soup both had ordered and the interruption was enough to break the tension. He wanted to keep pressing her—wanted to see just how far off-kilter he could push her—but he also knew he needed to tread carefully.
Her continued concerns about a “messy” relationship were steeped in something deeper than merely business complications, and it wasn’t hard to understand why. It was no secret her father had made a mess of the family legacy and as the financial maven of the bunch, no one could know and understand that better than Camryn. Add on the quietly sad words she’d said about her mother earlier and Booth knew her early life hadn’t been easy.
But he had feelings for her, and the attraction was primal.
And if he hoped to have them returned, he needed to play his cards carefully.
…
Booth hadn’t planned much beyond their lunch so he was pleased when Camryn suggested they go watch the sea lions on Pier 39. It was fun and frivolous and for the first time Booth saw a different side to the woman who normally kept the world at bay with quiet reserve.
Her smile was broad as she held up her phone, snapping pictures and pointing to the various animals sprawled on the floating wooden piers, sunning themselves in the bay. “Look at that one! He just pushed off two smaller guys.”
Booth laughed at the grumpy antics, a joke springing to his lips. “Just like a man, hogging the bed.”
Camryn shrugged but he saw a small, edgy smile tinge her lips. “Or he wasn’t up for a threesome this afternoon.”
He grinned right back at her despite the sudden discomfort of his hardening body at her not-so-subtle innuendo. “Interesting take on their position.”
“It seemed apt.”
They moved down the pier to get another view, both pointing out various sights as they walked. Booth couldn’t hold back a laugh as another round of “push off” started on another wooden platform, even as what felt like a wall of smell wafted toward them. “They’re definitely not the most sweet-smelling animals.”
Her wry grin punctuated her ready agreement as she looked up from where she typed on her phone. “They’re sort of a bold blend of rotten fish and salt water.”
“Don’t tell me you’re doing work?”
She held up her phone, face-first. “Only in the best sense. I’m sending a few of the pictures to Mayson to suggest she consider this for her upcoming family travel issue she’s putting together. I don’t think we’ve covered San Francisco in a while.”
“You’re really in touch with the products.”
“Sure.” She shrugged and shoved the phone back in her purse. “I have a sense of what’s going on editorially in all the titles we put out.”
“It’s impressive. And yet another reason you and your sisters have found success. Most financial folks in this industry look at the bottom line only. I bet nearly all of them would be hard-pressed to tell you if they printed magazines about fish or computer chips.”
“The magazines and the websites are the fun part. It’d be a shame to miss out.”
“Yes, it would.”
Booth moved in, narrowing the space between them on the rails. Before he could bend his head and finally satisfy the urge to taste her again, she shifted the conversation. “So what about you?”
“What about me?”
“How’d you end up in financial journalism?”
Booth let out a low sigh as the moment evaporated and turned to focus on one of the smaller sea lions, jockeying for position among a group of neighbors. “It’s something I’ve had a natural aptitude for. Writing about numbers.”
“It’s a dry subject.”
He turned to her and wasn’t surprised to see a smile hovering at her lush mouth. “You think?”
“To your credit, though, you make it interesting. And now under your editorial leadership, the entire paper is interesting, cover to cover.”
“Thanks.”
“I mean it. You’ve made financial news something attainable and practical, without dumbing the content down.”
While he’d originally thought their time on the pier might give him an opportunity to further prove there was something between them, it was a heady feeling to find himself seduced.
Her compliment—and her seemingly effortless ability to understand one of the things that made him tick—touched him. The bright smile faded, her mouth straightening into a grim line. “As usual, I’m way too critical, offering up opinions no one really wants or needs to hear.”
“I was thinking a bit differently.”
“Oh?”
This time Booth refused to lose the opportunity to satisfy his need to taste her again. He planted his hand on her lower back to keep her in place. “It’s nice to hear a compliment that reinforces one of the ways you see yourself.”
“Those are nice.” She whispered the words against his lips as he leaned in toward her, his mouth a breath away from hers.
“More than nice, I’d say.”
Any further comment was unnecessary as his mouth covered hers and he finally took what he’d wanted so desperately for the last several weeks.
Her lush lips softened
under his and he felt the muscles of her spine flex under his fingers. He shifted them against the rail so their bodies were flush against each other, then used the change in angle to tilt her head back and deepen the kiss.
And once again felt the tables turn when her tongue sneaked out to mesh with his.
Hot liquid need rushed his veins as the seduced became the seducer. His already-sensitive body tightened and he felt every touch of her hands like an exquisite brand upon his skin.
The play of their tongues was carnal and a series of bright flashes exploded behind his eyes when she sucked his into her mouth. Unwilling to be bested in their erotic battle of wills, he lifted a hand to her neck, holding her in place as he plundered her in return. He felt her hands fist in the material of his shirt, just above his waist. Desire punched through him with demanding urgency and it was only a particularly loud shout from one of the sea lions that had him pulling back.
What was he thinking?
While he wanted her desperately, he prized his self-control at the very top of the list of personal attributes. And for the last several minutes, all he’d wanted to do was rip off her clothes and devour her in public. With deliberate movements, he released his hold on her arms, but did reach for her hand, linking their fingers.
“I’m sorry. This is a public place.”
“No one’s paying us all that much attention.” She pointed toward a group of sea lions that had begun some rather diverting antics, falling off their wooden slats and pushing at each other. A row of kids screamed in glee a short distance away. “I’d say the sea lions are definitely the main attraction.”
For all the resistance she’d put up thus far, Booth was pleased to see how breezy and unaffected she was by his he-man behavior. On impulse, he couldn’t resist poking at her unflappable cool a bit. “If I’d continued kissing you, darling, I can promise you we’d have become the main attraction.”
“Talk, talk, talk, Harrison.” She waved a breezy hand in the air. “You’re all talk.”
…
Camryn wasn’t sure what she’d done with the practical, “all business all the time” woman who normally lived inside her body, but she’d firmly fled under the direct and appreciative stare of Booth Harrison, only to be replaced with a softer-spoken woman who had suddenly developed the ability to flirt.
She still couldn’t believe she’d kissed him so publicly on the pier. She also knew that she would still be kissing him if he hadn’t developed some sudden sense of propriety and decorum.
Booth interrupted her still heated thoughts. “Where to next?”
“I saw a line of shops on the other side of the pier. Want to get some dessert?”
“Cotton candy or fudge?”
“Both.”
“I like the way you think.”
“Why do you think I forced myself to have the salad for lunch?”
They followed the milling lines of tourists back down the pier, the barking—and the smell—of the sea lions fading as they walked. Booth pointed toward a large group of people gathered around a street performer. A heavily made-up clown was tying balloons for a group of awestruck children. “The magazine article’s a good idea. I don’t think I’ve ever done this before. Or if I did, it’s been too long to remember.”
“Oh, I don’t know. The smell of those sea lions alone would leave a sense memory that would be hard to forget.”
“Fair point.”
Once again, that subtle flash of awareness that there was something underlying his words struck Camryn and she used the easy camaraderie they’d sunk into to probe a bit. “You didn’t do a lot of trips as a kid?”
“We did very elegant trips to Europe where we ate in high-end restaurants and visited museums. And then my mother and I would spend a month on the Harrison yacht, docked along the Mediterranean Coast.”
“A most excellent experience, I’m sure. My family’s summers weren’t all that different, but at least we got out a bit.” She added a small smile. “We didn’t go to Europe every year.”
His gaze was directed somewhere in the distance and, she suspected, his thoughts as well. “It was excellent and I’d hardly deserve any sympathy for such a life, but it was awfully boring most of the time.”
She couldn’t quite shake the image of a very privileged little boy, trapped on a boat for an entire summer. While certainly not a hard life, it couldn’t have been all that stimulating. It was also further proof of an idea she’d realized long ago: prisons came in all shapes and sizes, and no matter how lush or lovely they were, they still meant you were trapped.
Chapter Six
“Do I need to ask your intentions?”
Booth nearly choked mid-swig on a bottle of water as his half brother’s voice came booming through the phone. The thinly veiled warning in Nathan’s voice had Booth up and pacing his hotel suite. “When did you suddenly become a Boy Scout? Or a grandfather?”
“When I fell in love with the greatest woman in the world and developed an equally strong yet brotherly affection for her two sisters. Besides, my best friend already went hound-dog and got Mayson pregnant. I figure I’d better hedge my bets a bit earlier with Camryn.”
Booth couldn’t hold back the good-natured smile, even as his brother’s words hit a bit close to the mark. “Holt never could be trusted.”
“Obviously. But since not only has he made an honest woman of Mayson, he’s so besotted with her it reflects off of him like a mirror, I’ve decided to cut him some slack.”
“How generous of you.”
“What can I say? I’ve mellowed.”
Where his first reaction to that statement would have been a snort of derision, Booth knew the statement was 100 percent true. “You have.”
“Hard to believe, I know.”
“It’s a definite improvement.”
“But it doesn’t mean I’ve gone completely soft.” With a tenacity Booth had always been slightly envious of, Nathan neatly shifted the conversation back to his earlier question. “So I repeat my initial question. What are your intentions toward Camryn?”
“I’m not looking for your approval.” Booth squeezed the bottle in his hands and willed his voice to stay calm. In control. “I enjoy her company. I want to get to know her better.”
“Wrong answer.”
“I don’t want to get back to that awkward place between us but I won’t back down. She’s a dynamic woman and I’m interested in her.”
“Asshole.”
“Takes one to know one.” The easy camaraderie had been hard-won, but the few moments with his brother were more than welcome after a difficult week of planning for the conference, his usually heavy slate of meetings, and the typical head-butting with his father.
They were even more welcome considering not even a year ago they were barely able to be civil to each other.
“What do you think of the proposal I sent you on the Vegas property? You interested in taking over the entertainment portion?”
Booth was more than interested, and he’d spent the last two weeks running the numbers in his spare time and trying to figure out how quickly he could staff up to take advantage of the opportunity in Nathan’s new hotel project in Sin City. “I’m interested, but I want to put a full business plan in place. You’ll have it late next week.”
The quiet on the other end was absolute for the briefest moment before Nathan spoke. “Look, Booth. I know we haven’t always seen eye to eye, but I’ve come to you because you’re the best. Your production company is more than impressive on its own. When you factor in the fact that you’ve built it all while helming the largest financial newspaper in the world, well, it’s extraordinary. It’s good business sense for me to partner with you on this. Assuming you want in.”
“Hell yeah, I want in.”
“Then sign the papers. We’ll figure out the business plans later. I’ve no doubt you’ve got a damn fine one.”
“Thanks, Nathan.”
Nathan’s voice was husky when he
finally spoke. “I’m glad we got here. Damn glad.”
“Me too, brother. Me too.”
Booth hung up the phone and tossed it on the bed. He’d already unpacked and hit the hotel gym, but he was restless for the evening to get started. A quick glance at the clock indicated another hour before he and Camryn were supposed to meet up, and he toyed with the idea of calling her and asking her to be ready early so they could grab a drink.
Give her some space.
The thought chafed, especially since he considered himself a man of action, but he knew it was the right thing to do. Lunch had given him hope he might finally prove to her his interest was real. That what was between them was real.
If she’d just drop those thick walls, so full of stubborn resistance and, he suspected, a past hurt. When she stopped thinking about being serious and in control—today with the sea lions, for example—he saw those glimpses of a happy, carefree woman who reached for what she wanted.
But then she reeled herself in, tamping down whatever it was that made her happy.
He wanted to see that happy, carefree woman. Wanted to hold her in his arms and explore the passion that lived and breathed between them. When you really got down to the nuts and bolts of it, he just wanted her.
…
The green dress she’d been so confident of earlier in the week now had Camryn’s stomach in knots as she stared at herself in her full-length hotel room mirror. What had she been thinking, bringing something like this outfit to a business dinner? She had a closet full of beautiful, elegant business suits, all of which would have been appropriate for this evening. A hapless glance toward her open suitcase brought the same satisfaction as the last four times she looked.
None.
Each and every carefully folded item in there was already earmarked for the time in Hawaii and she knew full well the green dress would be even less appropriate while helming the microphone at the sales conference.
A quick shot of tears slammed the backs of her eyes and she took a deep breath, fighting them back with sheer will and determination. God, why did she always feel so out of her depth? When it came to her business decisions she never questioned her instincts. Never ran from a good fight.
