Page 42 of Caught in the Middle

Emma realized her intentions to be quiet would be wasted the moment she opened the door to their hotel room and overheard Cam on the phone. She wasn’t sure if she’d been ready to see him again yet, but the sound of his deep laughing at whatever someone must’ve said sent a spark of excitement through her. It was silly, yet she couldn’t help it if her body got all tingly simply by being in the same vicinity as him.

Shit. When did being excited about being near Cam become a norm for her?

There was that delicious laugh again. “I’m not going to bribe, trick, persuade, or any other plan you all have conjured up to get her to come visit so you can interrogate her. You guys need to get a life if all you’ve done since I’ve been gone is conspire about mine.”

Her toes curled as she paused. Were they talking about her? They had to be, she thought, who else? Or at least they better be because Cam said there wasn’t anyone else he was talking to. And now she very much so didn’t like the idea of him talking to another woman in that way.

Oh sheesh, she was losing it. If one night of pretend sex could have her acting all sorts of out of whack, then what in good heavens would the real deal with Cam Wright do to her? She didn’t want to find out. Or maybe she did.

“Hey,” she called out, closing the hotel door behind her.

“Speak of the devil,” Cam said into the phone. He turned and smiled at Emma as she came in and sat on the end of the bed. The morning air suited her because she looked beautiful and lively in her shorts and tank, hair swept back into a ponytail. “No, you can’t talk to her to convince her, either.”

She could tell how relaxed he was on the phone, smiling wide and carefree like his friend on the other end brought out the best in him.

“Yeah, yeah. Go get some work done. Talk to you later.” Cam hung up the phone, his eyes still on Emma. “Derek’s convinced that if I get you to come visit St. Louis then you’ll fall in love with everyone and stick around even if you think I’m a dud.”

She couldn’t help but grin. How much had he been telling his friends about her? “Is that so?”

“He said if that didn’t work then Slone could plan a dinner party and you’re sure to stay once you’ve tasted her cooking.”

She laughed. “It sounds like they’ve had time to think this through.”

Cam ran a hand through his hair. “If my friends had their way, they’d be on the next flight out here to meet the woman who could drag me across the sea within twenty-four hours of meeting her.”

Her heart picked up its pace at the way he was looking at her. “Do you not want your friends meeting me?” She shouldn’t go there, she really did know better. But when did she listen to caution?

“Honey, I’d be honored to have my friends meet you.” He didn’t move an inch, yet she felt his presence like he consumed her. “I already asked you what’d happen if I fell for you, but you tried writing it off. I may be willing to suffer the heartache, but no sense in putting them through it too.”

Lulu’s warning on the beach hit her square in the gut at his words. It wasn’t that he said anything offensive. No, quite the opposite. But it was the way his words made her feel, the way they held promise and hope, and yet the lack of the latter all at the same time.

“I think you give me too much credit,” she said, rising from the bed. “Like I said before, you’ll be tired of me by the end of the week.”

“You keep telling yourself that.” He knew what she was trying to do, talk herself out of whatever she was beginning to feel. “Are you going to keep running off if I don’t?”

Her mouth dropped open. “I didn’t run off,” she said. Well, maybe she did sneak out to clear her head, but she came back.

He grinned, not buying a word of it as he stepped closer until they were merely inches apart. He could see the quickening of her chest as her breathing became more shallow.

“Good,” he said, tucking a stray hair behind her ear, his hand lingering at her jawline as his eyes slid to her mouth.

Emma wasn’t sure what he was thinking or if he might kiss her, and damn herself because she wanted him to. It was she who said it would be a bad idea, yet here her body was betraying her as a searing heat went straight through her.

But that thought went out the window as Cam leaned in closer and she could feel the light whisper of his breath on her lips. She wasn’t sure if she was even breathing anymore.

Then without any warning, he said, “Asher said we should all meet at the beach when we get around. They already reserved us lounge chairs,” and he was gone. Nothing but cool air where he’d been only moments ago as Emma still stood there, her heart in her throat.

That jerk, she frowned. He knew exactly what he was doing and when he turned and gave her that devilish grin, she forgot all the warnings and thoughts of caution that had flown through her, because she was going to get him back for that little stunt.

It was likely payback for her enjoyment of making him squirm last night when he was turned on, although so was she. But if he thought he could steal back the control in this, then boy was he wrong.

???

Half an hour later, with a beach bag on her shoulder, Emma walked beside Cam down to the beach. She saw where Henry, Lauren, and Asher had already beaten them down there. They crossed paths with Lulu going into her new room when they were headed down, so she knew her friend would be a bit still.

Henry smiled as they came closer. “Morning.”

“Good morning,” they replied.

---