by Fox, Addison
That reticence he’d sensed earlier in her tone finally had an explanation and he was pissed he hadn’t laid the guy out when he’d had a clean shot. “Because he’s an asshole.”
“While I appreciate that assessment, it doesn’t change the fact that I spent an awfully unpleasant year losing a part of myself again.”
Again? The question was quickly obliterated as a dark haze descended over his vision and Booth fought to keep his perspective. This moment was about Camryn, not what he’d like to do to punch that wanker’s face in. “I wish I could change that. Wish that you could see the vibrant, beautiful woman that I see. And if I’d known how deeply he’d hurt you I’d have laid him out this morning.”
“The Ritz-Carlton frowns on that sort of thing.”
“Not when you tip big.”
He felt her mood lighten immediately as her laughter built once more. The shoulders that had stiffened under his arms loosened and the hesitancy he’d seen faded as if it had never been. “You’re amazing. I’m sorry that anyone, anyone at all, made you forget that for even a moment.”
“I’m sorry I brought that here. Between us.”
“I’m not. You don’t have to hide from me. Not your thoughts. Not anything.”
Camryn reached for him, pulling his head toward hers for a kiss. Booth drank her in, her sweet flavor the most sultry aphrodisiac. “Touch me, Booth.”
He made quick work of her bra before sliding his hands lower to the waistband of her panties. He dipped one finger beneath the elastic on an unerring quest for the slickness at the apex of her thighs. Her warm heat surrounded him and Booth couldn’t hide the feeling of being the conquering hero as he slid a finger inside the tight walls of her body.
“Booth!”
Even as his own body strained for release, he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to turn her as crazy with need as he was. “Turnabout is fair play.”
Moments spun out between them, long and lazy with need as Booth watched Camryn take her pleasure. The golden brown of her eyes grew darker as her pupils expanded, telegraphing her desire, even as her body grew tight with her need for release. And then the moment broke, her body taking her over the edge.
Booth watched in awe as pleasure suffused her features. Her chest flushed a delicate shade of pink and her head lay on the pillow, a riot of dark curls framing her face. He trailed a line of kisses up her body.
Camryn’s voice was husky when she spoke. “You really are the perfect host, you know that?”
“How so?”
“You provide luxury accommodations, all the food and drink your guests could ask for, and you provide orgasms on demand. Are you available for parties? I bet we could even write a few articles on you for Modern Woman.”
“You ain’t seen nothing yet.”
…
True to Booth’s promise, Camryn realized quickly that he was far from finished having his way with her. Fortunately, she was not only up to the task, but she had a few tricks up her sleeve as well. With a quick shift, she had him on his back, straddling his hips.
“Smooth move, McBride.”
“I can be even smoother.” Camryn leaned forward, allowing her hair to fall over his chest. She saw the stark need that covered his face just before she leaned forward to press a trail of kisses over his chest. The hard points of his nipples highlighted his arousal and she flicked her tongue over each one before moving on down toward his stomach.
A light trail of hair fascinated her as she moved lower before being met with the full evidence of his arousal through the silky material of his briefs.
“We’ll need to remove these.” She moved quickly, but carefully, and had his briefs down his thighs and over his calves before tossing them aside.
“Impressive.”
“To borrow your phrase, you ain’t seen nothing yet.”
Booth must have sensed her intent because his strong fingers gripped her shoulders and dragged her back up his body. “I want you so bad I can’t see straight. You spend any more time down there with your mouth that close to my body and our evening is going to come to an awfully untimely end.”
Once more, the reality of how she affected him rose up to swamp her with pleasure. Add on how freely Booth shared his praise—and how honestly he told her how he felt and what she did to him—and Camryn knew her illusions about simply having a fling with the man were deeply misguided. She’d be lucky to get out of this with her heart intact.
“Are you with me?”
His words penetrated her thoughts and Camryn knew she’d never been more ready.
He reached up once more and captured her lips with his before neatly turning her over onto her back and capturing her body with his. The long, hard length of him pressed against her thigh before he leaned off the bed to reach for his shorts.
The quick crinkle of the condom packet echoed in the room before he put it on, then positioned himself against her body. “I want you so badly, Camryn.”
She wasn’t sure if it was the words, or his use of her name or the very real weight of him seeking entrance into her body, but a well of emotion opened up and all she could do was nod her agreement.
The desire that had been building for months was finally given free rein and Camryn allowed herself to follow wherever it led.
Booth filled her, then began to move with long, sure strokes. The same pleasure built as before, only this time there was another layer. Another dimension. His large body, rising and falling over hers, the light slap of their flesh, and the need that tightened every one of his muscles made the experience deeper.
Richer.
And as her own pleasure built, impossibly higher, Camryn gave herself permission to fall.
…
Booth rolled over in the large bed to pull Camryn closer and came up with empty hands. They’d drifted off to sleep earlier, but the loss of her warmth pulled him fully awake. “How long did we sleep?”
She turned from the double doors that led out to his bungalow’s veranda. “A few hours. I wanted to open the doors and get some of the night breeze.”
“Good idea.” Moonlight framed her figure from behind and he could see the slender outline of her body, now draped in one of the hotel bathrobes.
“What time do you have to get up in the morning? I should probably let you have your bed to yourself and find my way into mine.”
“Early. I need to be down in the dining room at seven, so I thought I’d get up around six.”
“That is early.” She fiddled with the belt at her waist. “I can get going.”
“I’d rather you stayed.”
“I don’t want to impose.”
Booth pushed back the covers and walked toward her. He didn’t miss her gaze as it roved over his body, before shifting—and staying focused—on his arousal. “You’re not an imposition.”
She lifted her eyes. “I know a lot of people prefer their space…after.”
He pulled her into his arms. “I’m not most people.” Booth pressed a light kiss to her cheek before drifting his lips toward the sensitive flesh of her ear, his actions rewarded with a light shudder. “Which I keep trying to tell you but maybe I need to show you.”
Another light shiver racked her shoulders. “I know but I didn’t want to assume.”
“Camryn.”
“Hmmm?” Her head fell back as she gave him better access to her ear.
“Untie your robe.”
He was amused to see how quickly her head snapped up. “What?”
“Untie your robe.”
“Why?”
He stepped back, giving up the warmth of her body to watch her. “Because I want to see you, naked in the moonlight.”
That cute little blush he was coming to love crept up her cheeks. “You’ve seen me naked.”
“I want to see you again. Now. You know, in case I’ve forgotten a few details.” He kept his gaze on hers, unwilling to break the emotional contact, but could see her hands float to her waist from his peri
pheral vision. With deliberate slowness, she dragged one tie, then the second, untying the bow.
“That’s not all of it.”
“Maybe you could help me.”
“No,” Booth shook his head. “I need you to do it.”
“Why?” Her voice was breathless, that one word heating his already-sensitized body into overload.
“Because I want to watch you bare yourself to me. Give me that gift. Please.”
Her fingers resumed their place over the tie of her robe and he saw indecision hovering in her gaze before a little spark flared to life. She ran her fingers over the length of material and he imagined those same fingers as they ran over his cock, from base to tip and back. He knew the moment she registered the very same, her gaze dropping once more to focus on his arousal while her fingers plied the silk.
“I’m waiting.”
“I know.” She took a step toward him, her fingers dragging on the single tie still left at her waist.
“You’re teasing me.”
“A little.” She smiled. “Okay. A lot.”
“The sooner you remove the robe, the sooner I can get my hands on you.”
“And where’s the fun in that?” He nearly sputtered at her words before she continued. “Let me amend that thought. While there is a lot of fun in that, the longer you look at me, the more I imagine your hands on my body. Caressing my breasts, dragging my nipples into tight points before your lower your mouth and lick them with your tongue.”
The game he’d been so intent on playing—encouraging Camryn to come to him—had been neatly turned on him. By her words alone, she’d managed to send a fury of need pounding through his system that demanded attention.
“And then what will I do?”
“You mean after you drag so many sensations from my breasts you move me to orgasm?”
“Yes.” The word came out on a strangled moan, the image of her suffused in pleasure nearly unmanning him right then and there.
“Then you’ll run your fingers over my clitoris, which will be desperately throbbing for your touch.”
The taut thread he hung on tightened another notch. “And will you come?”
“No.” She frowned slightly, her mouth drawing down into a pout. “You’ll tease me, drawing me close to the edge but never quite taking me all the way.”
Once more, the image she painted filled his mind with vivid images, full of the most desperate wants of his heart.
“But I finally will give you release?”
“Yes.”
“How?” Booth waited with bated breath for her answer, the only sound between them the distant rush of the ocean as it crashed to shore. “How, Camryn?”
“With your tongue.”
Whatever he’d been about to ask next vanished in the picture that formed in his mind. Camryn spread before him, like a sensual feast. He imagined bringing her words to life, artfully drawing sensation after sensation from her body as she writhed in pleasure beneath him.
Before he could even think to produce a coherent thought, she mercifully put him out of his misery. With slow yet deliberate movements, she undid the belt at her waist. She shifted out of the robe with a sinuous shrug of her shoulders, allowing it to fall to the floor.
Booth gave himself the moment to simply gaze upon her perfect form. The long, slim column of her throat where is descended gracefully into her collarbone. He continued his visual exploration, with high, firm breasts, her nipples pointed with need. His gaze followed lower, over her flared hips and flat belly, then lower to the curls at the apex of her thighs. And still, his gaze continued, over the firm flesh of her thighs, down her slender calves before taking in the small feet with cherry-red toenails.
“You are beautiful.”
“Booth.”
“Hmm?”
“You can touch me now.”
He didn’t wait to be told twice.
…
Camryn lay in the circle of Booth’s arms, the unceasing lap of waves outside the open French doors a counterpart to his heavy, even breaths. She’d spent the last hour vacillating between supreme satisfaction and bone-deep surprise at the wanton things she’d done.
And said.
What had happened to her? And where had those things come from?
She’d always believed herself to be a sensual person, but the reality, she knew, was that she was sort of a sensual person on hold. Waiting for the right person to unlock her inner needs and desires.
Clearly Booth Harrison was the one with the key.
On some level, she expected that if she ever found herself in this situation, she’d be confused. Her sisters had certainly dealt with their fair share of bewilderment and misunderstanding on the way to their happy relationships.
Of course, she wasn’t thinking marriage with Booth so it wasn’t a fair comparison.
The pleasant satisfaction that had ridden her limbs for the last hour vanished at the direction of her thoughts. Because no matter how powerful their moments together—or how intimate—there was no way what she had with Booth was leading toward marriage or any other relationship that smacked of permanence.
This was a fling, nothing more. She had to keep telling herself that.
Maybe, Camryn hoped, if she said it to herself enough times she’d begin to believe it.
Chapter Ten
The lights in the ballroom went down, and Camryn began her speech at the sales conference. Although she couldn’t see much beyond the first few rows of round tables, she could see Booth, and his presence calmed her, even as her insides did a happy flip of excitement.
If the night before had been a lesson in embracing her inner sensuality, waking up with Booth had been a revelation. She’d awoken in his arms, his mouth hot, fierce, and demanding on hers. Although they both needed to be up and downstairs for the conference, they’d lingered over the moments they did have, then raced to the opening breakfast, telling smiles on their faces as they avoided touching each other.
Okay. As she avoided touching him while he kept trying to pull her under his arm the entire walk to the ballroom. She could still feel Booth’s whisper against her ear before she stood to go up on stage. “You’re a bad influence on me.”
The moment gave her another shot of adrenaline and she launched into her presentation, excited and enthusiastic about her material. She could only assume that excitement came through, based on the throng of people who greeted her after the speech.
“Well done, Ms. McBride.” Jeff, the man she’d sat next to the night before, shook her hand after waiting in the line of well-wishers.
“Thanks, Jeff. And please, it’s Camryn.” She glanced around the now-empty room, a wry smile suffusing her face. “That was awfully nice of you to wait for me. It looks like everyone’s taking their midmorning coffee and doughnut break. I’m sorry you’re missing out.”
“Since my wife’s meeting me for a few days after the conference, I figure the good meals and booze will do enough damage.”
His response was sweet and cheerful and Camryn couldn’t help but feel bad for thinking ill of him the night before. “Fair enough.”
“Listen. I was hoping I could get your opinion on something. You were so helpful last night and I thought maybe, well…”
“Of course. What’s going on?”
“I’ve been thinking about what you told me last night. About ad space and editorial.” She nodded and clearly it was enough for him to continue. “This is all new to me and I’m afraid I may have made a few missteps.”
“It’s a learning curve, Jeff.” She voiced the polite pleasantries, but even as she did, their conversation from the night before nudged at her. From what he’d recounted, he wasn’t making advertising choices that were entirely aboveboard and she was honor-bound to correct his misperceptions. “Based on what you explained to me, it sounds like you haven’t been making the distinction between advertising and editorial. It’s an easy enough fix moving forward.”
“I appreciate it
.”
“Of course.” Despite her assurance, the man still looked concerned. “Is something else the matter?”
“Well, I can’t help but wonder if I did the wrong thing with what’s already run. I have a copy with me. Would you mind taking a look?”
The subtle nudging at her conscience ratcheted up a few notches as she stared at the folded newspaper pages Jeff thrust in her hands. “You were front page of the business section?”
“Yes.”
She scanned the article, the subtle discomfort that had ridden her since the night before morphing into distinct distress, overlaid with a fair amount of anxiety. “This piece basically endorses your business.”
“Right.”
“I mean no disrespect, but that’s not really the purpose of editorial. For the same reason a journalist shouldn’t tear you down with veiled suspicions they can’t back up, neither should they blithely endorse you, either.”
“Am I in trouble?”
“I hate to pull the ‘I’m not a lawyer’ routine but I’m afraid I need to if you’re that concerned.” She continued scanning the article, flipping to the carry-over editorial further back in the section. “This is only a quick scan, but there doesn’t appear to be anything too bad in here. No one’s suggesting an investor buy with you or go with your firm. But I’d suggest you avoid doing business this way in future.”
“Of course.”
They exchanged a few more pleasantries before Jeff went on his way, but Camryn was still thinking about their conversation a half hour later as the next presenter took the stage.
What were they doing at the Financial Journal?
She read the paper religiously and hadn’t noticed anything particularly amiss, but if she were being fair, she also didn’t diligently review their advertisers and bump them against the editorial product. An image of the stack of papers in her home office filled her mind’s eye. And she’d been more distracted than usual over the last few months, between the takeover attempt by Nathan and a heavier-than-usual workload. She was lucky if she had time to scan the front page and a few other key articles, catching up on the rest of her reading via the web or a few quick scans on her tablet.
