Page 28 of Caught in the Middle

He gave her a funny look. “You know we could just slip on clothes and go, right? You don’t have to get all dolled up.”

She frowned. “I’m allowed to like to look nice when I go somewhere,” she said, a bite to her tone. “It’s not as if I can’t leave my house without makeup on or something.”

He chuckled, hands lifted in surrender. “That’s not what I was implying.”

“Then what were you implying?”

He gave her that puppy dog grin. “That you already look beautiful, whether you wore that or one of those pretty outfits.”

She looked down, the unexpected compliment warming her more than the sunburn she earned today. “Pretty outfits, huh?”

Cam chuckled, never taking his eyes off of her. “Yeah, but I have to admit,” he reached out, gently taking the edge of her swimsuit cover between his finger and thumb, “I think this green bikini might be my favorite.”

Emma’s head popped up, seeing the intensity in his eyes and the way he watched her. That boyish smile took a wicked turn as he took a step closer. She had no clue what he was thinking, only that he skimmed over the hem of her sheer cover-up until his hand was at her neck.

Before she could process what to think or say, the doors were opening and he dropped his hand, stepping out while she stood there still clueless.

She quickly followed him out and down the hall.

“So room service? That works for me.”

Emma only nodded, not that he could see her as she was walking behind him. She was still trying to figure out what just happened, or didn’t happen, and it’s not that she could blame the lack of clarity on the drinks at the pool because they’d quit drinking long ago before they all finally decided to go their separate ways for the evening. Oh no, she had a clear head, but it was the thundering of her heart and other sensations that had her dazed and unsure.

Cam unlocked the door, smiling to himself at the look he’d witnessed on Emma’s face. He held it open for her, noticing she avoided any further eye contact.

Too bad for her. He’d felt it in the pool, knew there was a spark of something between them and he’d be damned if he was going to be dragged on this trip for a woman who might be interested in him, especially when that woman was Emma, and not even make an attempt.

It wasn’t about getting laid or a week of hooking up. No, it was the way he wanted to protect her. And not from life, because she had that in the bag. This was a fierce woman who knew how to live, thrive, and go out into the world and experience it. He wanted to protect her from feeling alone, invisible, unseen, or like there wasn’t a soul who understood her.

Because he did understand her. And he knew she felt whatever that was in the pool, too. Now he just needed to get her to acknowledge it. Take a chance on it. On him.

“Do you want me to order while you get changed or shower?” he offered.

Emma was flipping through the contents of her suitcase, debating on sweats or her pajamas. There was something about cozying up in sweatpants in the cold of the A/C on vacation that sounded good.

Not thinking too much, she piped her remark at him. “And here I thought you liked me in this swimsuit?”

Once the words were out, she tensed. She’d never thought too much about flirting or second-guessing what she said before, but then again she’d been in a long-term relationship for a while and hadn’t had much luck in the dating department since.

But flirting with Cam? Especially after whatever that was back in the elevator, the tingling in her toes still lingering, maybe that wasn’t her smartest decision if she was trying to make it through this week without wrecking it all.

She heard his voice rumble through the room as though he didn’t have a care or shame in the world. “I wouldn’t mind you out of it, either.”

Emma chewed her bottom lip, a million things to say popping in her mind, though nothing as vivid as the images his rough voice sent through her.

She took a deep breath and then turned, leaning back on the desk and crossing her arms. She eyed him, taking in every bit of that still-exposed torso and muscular arms that could easily toss her over his shoulder and carry her to bed.

Her eyes narrowed. She knew better than to entertain the thought. Her last plan of a one-night stand ended in kicking the man out within five minutes. She couldn’t take that risk here. It would be too messy, she told herself.

But Cam didn’t say a word as he watched her measuring him up. He could see those brown eyes calculating, wondering. And he’d let her do just that, because even though he knew she’d think better of taking this fake dating to the next level, he had no intention of making the decision easy on her this week. Not anymore. Not after the way she looked at him in that pool.

“Are you flirting with me, Cameron Wright?”

God, she wasn’t going to make it easy on him either, was she? The way she asked it while looking calm, leaned back against that table. The things he could see himself doing to her right there on that very desk. No one made him want to hear his name, his full name, as much as Emma Cooper. He wanted to make her scream it.

“Would it bother you if I was?”

She tapped her fingers on her bicep, a movement she noticed drug his eyes to her arm before they slowly crawled up to her shoulder then neck, lingering on her lips before meeting hers again. She tried to control her breathing. No look should be able to leave a trail of tingles like his did.

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