by Simply BWWM
On top of all of that, her senses were still rioting with the feel of him, the scent, the electric nearness of him, and it seemed that no matter what she tried to do to distract herself, her senses were not ready to let go of the wild exhilarating ride they had just been on.
Work was going to be her only escape, and she delved into it completely.
Chapter3
At a quarter to six that evening, she put her computer away and headed into the dining room, finding that her mother and Wilson were already there. Adam came in moments after Natalie did, greeting her as Wilson and Charisse had, with a smile and a hug.
Wilson was particularly interested to know how she had gotten along her first day there in the new house. “Well? Did you give the home a good looking at? Find your way around all right?” He looked hopeful.
She smiled back warmly and nodded. “I did. I even went for a swim in the pool this afternoon,” she told them, trying to push Cameron from her mind and just think of the swim by itself. It was impossible for her. He was glued to the memory.
Cameron walked into the room just then, looking just as roguishly handsome as he had when he had come into the library. His fingers were stained with different colors, though they were clean, and she wondered about it briefly before she turned away from him and took her seat. He sat directly across from her.
Wilson brightened then. “Oh, have you met Cameron yet? This is my younger son, Cameron. Cam, this is Natalie, Charisse’s daughter and your new stepsister.”
Cameron raised his blue eyes to her then and gave her a smile and a nod. “Yes, we did meet.” He turned his attention to his father then and practically ignored Natalie, and she could feel the swift and deliberate difference in his demeanor toward her.
“Dad, I want to host a party on the yacht,” he started, acting as if she wasn’t sitting right there across from him at all, even though he was directly in front of her. “I thought I’d make it this Friday, if that works. A fair few friends. Everyone is home for a few weeks in between trips this summer. What do you think?”
“That would be fine. Don’t sink the boat.” His father’s eyes were twinkling with humor, and his smile was endearing.
Cameron shook his head. “I never have, and I never will. Thanks, Dad,” he added and picked up his wine, sipping at it while his eyes stayed on everyone at the table and everything around the table except her. She was invisible to him, and it began to grate on her nerves.
Natalie could not begin to understand how he could have been so warm toward her in the library when they were alone, and then act as if she was practically a ghost a few hours later in the dining room. It was maddening to her. She stabbed a few leaves and a tomato in her salad with a little extra gusto and tried to hold it all inside as she chewed her bite with bitter thoughts.
There was absolutely nothing about him that she understood, and she had met many different kinds of people all over the world, yet none of them had made her as utterly confounded as he had, and none of them had ever had the effects on her that he did. She swore to herself that he would never know about how he made her feel. She was going to figure out how to control herself better, and she was definitely going to hide her reactions from him. The last thing he needed was more ammunition against her to make her feel bad.
All the same, there was something deeply enticing about him, she could not deny as she sat there and watched him talk and eat and laugh with the rest of his family. He was engaging and funny, he was handsome and clever, he was cool and sexy, and she hated that she found everything about him appealing. It was as if she was betraying herself, and if she was, then that meant that no one could save her.
Adam shook his head and looked at his younger brother. “Theresa and I will be out of town on Friday. I won’t be able to make it to your yacht party. Sorry, brother. I know you’ll have a good time anyway without me there to corral you.” He laughed softly.
Cameron shook his head. “More trouble for me to get into without you, then, but I can save some for you later, if you like.”
Adam nodded. “Theresa likes a little trouble here and there. It keeps things interesting, she says. Don’t forget though, you are representing the family, so whatever you do, please do it well!”
Cameron crossed his heart. “My solemn vow to you. Have I ever let you down before?”
Adam narrowed his eyes at him. “Do you mean just today, or are we talking about always, because the accountant has already gone home for the day, and I don’t work in digits that size.”
With a shake of his head, Cameron just laughed and sipped more of his wine. His father and Charisse both gave him a dubious look, and Natalie wondered just how much trouble Cameron was used to getting into.
Wilson raised his brows and pointed his wine glass at Natalie while his eyes were locked on his younger son. “Cameron, why don’t you invite Natalie to your party? I’m sure she’d like to go. She’s new in this area. Perhaps she could make some friends and have some fun there. We need to introduce her to everyone anyway.”
His suggestion was not an optional suggestion, and though Natalie’s heart had stopped cold in her chest, she could see by the expression on Cameron’s face that he fully understood what his father was telling him. It wasn’t a choice.
He hesitated a moment and then shrugged and kept his light eyes on his father. “Perhaps she has too much work to do to be off getting wild with strangers on the boat. She was already working this afternoon when I came home, and I think she worked straight through until dinner, so it’s a good bet that she’s got a lot to do. I wouldn’t want to intrude on that or make her feel obligated to go. She’ll meet everyone at the wedding anyway, and she’ll certainly be looking her best there. Why don’t we wait for that?” Cameron asked evenly.
Charisse waved her hand dismissively in the air. “Oh no! Not at all, Cam. She could always make time. Couldn’t you, Natalie?” Her mother gave her an encouraging look and continued, “Of course she’d love to go! Wouldn’t you, Natalie? Then you could meet some of the friends of this family that are closer to your age, and you would have so much fun! A party on the yacht. How exciting! Of course you’ll go, won’t you, darling?” Her mother looked at her expectantly.
Natalie glanced from her mother to Cameron, who was focused intently on the design of the wallpaper over his brother’s head. He sighed and shrugged his shoulders. “I suppose, sure. If she wants to go, that would be fine.” He looked as if having her along was the last thing in the world that he wanted, and he was being made to take her against his will.
She clenched her jaw slightly. “I guess that would be all right. I will go.” She didn’t feel as if she had any choice at all in the matter, and there was no way out. She was trapped. He was trapped. There was no saving it. She hated the feeling she had in the pit of her stomach, like she was unwanted and couldn’t change it.
She wondered to herself if there would be any way to get out of it during the week, but nothing came to her. If she backed out, then she would be the one who failed their parent’s request, not him. It would make her look like the flake. She was just going to have to go; there was nothing more that could be done about it.
The flow of conversation changed, and at one point, her travels in Asia were brought up. Cameron did not look at her and made no comments nor asked any questions while she talked about where she had gone and what she had done, but she knew he heard it all. Adam, Wilson, and Charisse peppered her with questions and interest in her work, and she was happy to talk about it to them, until the conversation turned again, and they discussed the upcoming wedding.
When the meal was finished, they talked a while, and then everyone retreated to their own corners of the house, and Charisse and Natalie went for a long walk through the grounds together, talking about so many things that had happened while they had been apart. It was a good long catch up, and one that they both had wanted for so long.
At day’s end, they said goodnight and kissed each other’s cheeks
, and Natalie went to her room so glad that she had come back to California and that her mother was marrying a man whom she loved so much. She was glad that Wilson and Adam were so kind and warm to her, welcoming her into the family, and she told herself that it didn’t matter about Cameron, that she didn’t have to deal with him unless he was around, and that she could fill her time with other things so that she only saw him when she had to. She didn’t know what his problem was, but she wasn’t going to worry about it.
The next morning, she called Ophelia and invited her to the house, telling her that she was vertical again and asking her to come and visit. Ophelia was thrilled and said she would come right over.
Half an hour later, Natalie was welcoming her best friend at the front door of the mansion with big hugs, laughter, and a kiss on the cheek.
“I’m so glad that you’re here! I’ve missed you so much!” Natalie cried as she unwrapped her arms from Ophelia’s neck and stood back to look at her.
“Same for me, sister, same for me!” Ophelia replied with an ear-to-ear grin. “Did you get enough rest? You’re feeling normal again?”
Natalie shrugged a little and laughed, looking down. “Normal? Do we ever really feel normal? I guess I’m good. I got a lot of rest, and I’m walking and talking now, so it’s all okay.” She gestured to the house. “Why don’t you come in and see the house? It’s amazing!”
“I bet it is! It certainly is impressive from the outside!” Ophelia tilted her head and squinted her eyes, looking up at the massive edifice. She returned her gaze to meet Natalie’s. “Okay, let’s go!”
They walked into the house together, and Natalie took her from room to room, showing her everything that she had found to that point. She still hadn’t seen the entire house herself. They wandered around the main floor, looking at all of it from one side of the house to the other, and then they got drinks in the kitchen and went out to sit beside the pool in the sunshine.
“I’ve never seen a more beautiful house. This really is such an amazing place.” Ophelia eyed her friend curiously then. “So, how is the rest of it going? How is it adapting to a new family?”
Natalie’s thoughts immediately went to the one problem she had in the family, but instead of talking about him right away, she turned her focus to the good things. “Well, of course it’s really great to be back with Mom. I missed her so much. I didn’t realize just how much I missed her until I got to spend some time with her here. It’s the little things that you miss most, you know? The way she laughs, the expressions on her face, the way she elbows me when she’s teasing. Her making me a cup of tea just because she’s thoughtful. Things like that. I just miss it. I missed her as a person while I was gone, but it wasn’t until I got back and I was around her that I recognized all of the little things that I miss most of all.”
“Awe! I know just what you mean. I miss those things with us too!” Ophelia agreed, grinning at her friend.
“Me too!” Natalie leaned over closer to her and gave her hand a squeeze. “Exactly the same thing with you and me too.”
“What about your new stepfamily? How are they?” Ophelia looked hopeful that things were going well.
“Wilson is a really good guy,” Natalie began with a grin, thinking of her stepfather. “He even said he’d like for me to call him Dad if I’m comfortable with it, and I wanted to feel it out a bit first, you know, think about it and get to know him and see if he really deserves that name, but I can already tell that he does. He’s such a good man. He’s really good to my mom, and that’s the most important thing, but he’s been so warm and welcoming to me too. I can see why she loves him and why she wants to marry him. She got really lucky with him, and he got lucky with her too.”
Ophelia clasped her hands together and listened intently, a smile forming over her face as the sweet news and romance unfolded in her mind.
Natalie continued. “His oldest son Adam is the same way; he’s just like his dad, really kind and open-hearted. I’m glad that I’m going to be part of their family. They’re both already treating me like we’re family, and the wedding is just a formality. It’s nice that they’re being like that. So nice.”
Ophelia grinned. “That’s great! So, you’ll have a stepfather and one stepbrother?”
Shaking her head slowly, Natalie looked down at the glass of pink lemonade before her. “No, Wilson has two sons.”
“Oh, cool! What’s the other one like? Have you met him yet?” Ophelia asked curiously.
“Yeah, I’ve met him. His name is Cameron. He’s not really like his brother and his father.” Natalie sighed and raised her eyes to meet her best friend’s gaze. “He’s a beautiful man, and from what his dad and his brother say, he’s kind of a playboy. Just from the few times I’ve seen him, I can only say that he’s really complicated.” She scowled slightly, irritated at the thought of him.
Ophelia frowned slightly and tipped her head to one side. “What do you mean? What’s gone wrong so soon? You’ve only been here about ten seconds; how can it be so bad so fast?”
The corner of Natalie’s mouth turned up a little. “You never miss anything, do you?” She appreciated just how well her friend knew her. “He’s good with his family. They have a great bond. He even has a really good relationship with my mom, but it’s different with me.”
“How so?”
“Well, when I met him, he was really awful. He was cold and mean and totally unwelcoming. If he had stayed that way, I’d know just what he thought of me, but he didn’t. We had this terrible introduction, and thankfully it was just the two of us, but it went all wrong right from the start. Then, he came to me later after that and apologized and…” She trailed off and bit at her lower lip for a moment.
“What? He apologized and what?” Ophelia asked with intrigue.
“He hugged me and kissed my cheek, and it felt… different.” Natalie’s heart picked up its pace just thinking about that moment with Cameron and how he had felt and smelled and sounded, speaking in her ear. She tried to push down the rush of heat that swelled in her, and she took a deep breath.
“Different how?” Ophelia pressed.
“Well, it wasn’t like Adam or Wilson. It was… it felt more like… more like it was romantic,” she said in a quiet voice, not quite believing herself when she heard her own words echoing in her ears.
Ophelia’s mouth dropped open, and she stared at Natalie. “You have got to be kidding! Do you think he was coming on to you?”
Natalie shook her head. “No, I really don’t. In fact, I can’t figure out what he was doing. He just got so… so close to me, and then he left, and he’s been ignoring me ever since. We all had dinner together after that, and he barely said two words to me, and he wouldn’t look at me. It’s so confusing! I have no idea if he’s mad that I’m here or if he’s just a jerk or what. He’s been so hot and cold with me; it’s incredibly frustrating! It’s kind of driving me crazy. I don’t want to think about it, but it’s so weird that I keep thinking about it, even though there are countless other things that I’d so much rather be thinking about. It’s like having a little rock in your shoe while you’re trying to walk, you know? It’s such a little thing, but it just irritates the hell out of you, and it shouldn’t matter at all.”
With a sigh and a deeply sympathetic look, Ophelia leaned over and hugged Natalie. “I’m sorry, Natalie. I bet that’s awful to go through while you’re trying to find your place in a new family, but think about this as a bigger picture. This is a time of change for all of you. You’re all being brought together without a choice in the matter. It’s easier for some than others. Not that I’m defending him at all, because I’m not; there’s no reason for him to treat you poorly, but that may explain why he’s being so on and off with you. Plus, you have to consider that you just arrived, so it’s still the very early stages of adjustment for all of you. Everyone is trying to figure out where their new place will be and how all the new dynamics will work. You just need to give it some time
. It will work out. In the meantime, just give him some space and give yourself some peace of mind. If he’s still a jerk after the wedding, then it’s a personality disorder, but it might just be something like him trying to get used to you being here.”
Natalie sighed. “I know you’re right. It’s just no fun while we’re going through all these growing pains.”
“Well, think about this too: you’re both adults. It’s not like you have to play together or anything, not in any real sense. You two can go about your ways and lead your own lives, and if it is a rocky relationship in the future, you can just agree to disagree and stay in your own corners. You don’t have to be around him except for family functions, and when you have those, you have the rest of the family there as a buffer anyway. It’ll work out. You’ll see. Besides, you have one stepbrother who is glad you’re here and is treating you well, so hang out with him and get to know him and don’t think too much on this Cameron, at least for now while there’s tension in the air with the upcoming wedding. I bet when the wedding is done and all the dust settles, everything will calm down, and you can all have a fresh start.” Ophelia looked as if she was certain about what she was saying.
