Page 93 of Be Mine Forever

“Like what?”

“Like after Haiti, join Kerris and me and the girls in Dubai. Now that Dad’s back, I’m finally getting to take some time off.”

“No, that’s a family trip.”

“And you’re family. We’d love to have you.”

“I don’t want to be a third wheel. I mean, even with your two little tiny wheels, you and Kerris will be all over each other. I’ve seen it up close and it’s just disgusting.”

“True story,” Walsh laughed from the other end. “So bring a friend.”

Jo kicked her seat around to face Peter, who had pulled on his glasses to read the documents.

“Peter, wanna go to Dubai with me?”

“Jo, are you sure that’s a good idea?” Walsh asked.

Jo ignored him.

“What do you say, Peter?”

“That’d be perfect.” Peter pulled his glasses off and ran a hand over his tired eyes. “It’s exactly the kind of thing I was thinking of. When?”

“When, Walsh?”

“Jo…”

“When, Walsh? We leave for Haiti tomorrow. When are you going to Dubai?”

“In a couple of days, but—”

“Great we’ll meet you there.” Jo held her hand out for Peter to pass the papers they needed to discuss. “I’ll get with Kerris for details.”

“Jo, you’re playing a dangerous game.” Walsh’s voice harbored a soft rebuke. “I know you miss Cam, but don’t drag someone else into this.”

Peter didn’t feel dangerous. Right now, he felt like her greatest comfort. Her realest friend. Some killjoy voice at the back of her mind sided with Walsh, but Jo had been through too much alone. She could use a vacation and she could use some company.

“Gotta go, Walsh. Work awaits.”

Chapter Thirty-Two

No painting this morning?”

Cam glanced up from his iPad, accepting the cup of coffee Etty offered him before she took her seat at the table.

“In a little bit.” Cam sipped the coffee, grimacing. “I don’t think I’ll get used to Greek coffee. Do we have any of the plain old leaded coffee?”

“There’s a Starbucks up the road.” Etty batted her lashes over her mug. “You’d actually have to leave the villa for that, though.”

Well played, Etty. Well played.They both knew he was not leaving this villa anytime soon. He had stuffed a few things in his saddlebag, jumped on his Harley, and rode off before Jo woke up. Etty once mentioned that her family owned a villa in Crete if he ever needed somewhere gorgeous to paint, so he’d taken her up on that offer. You could have knocked him over with a beret when Etty came sashaying through the villa doors three days into his self-imposed exile.

And she’d been here ever since.

He’d made it incredibly clear to her that he wasn’t interested, and so far, she had respected the protective wall he’d built around his cock. He’d been tempted more than once to leave and find somewhere else to crash, but he was getting so much done. He’d finished the protocol for the film. Producer—pleased. Nice. He had started new pieces for the exhibit, and they were some of his best work to date.

Also, there was something dark and sad hiding behind Etty’s bright blue eyes. Cam understood dark and sad. He had a patent pending on his own brand of dark and sad. He’d been around enough heiresses to know wealth didn’t guarantee happiness. There were times Etty reminded him of Jo. They were completely physically dissimilar, but they both had so much brass. And they could make him laugh. The scars on Etty’s wrists told him she hadn’t always been quick to laugh, and sometimes, she might laugh so she wouldn’t cry. He’d been Mr. Tears of a Clown himself on occasion. A little while longer here in Crete wouldn’t hurt.

In the meantime, God, he missed Jo. “Missed” was a tepid word for the dull, achy emptiness gnawing a hole in his heart daily. More like withdrawal. Was this what his mother had felt, willing to lay aside morals and self-respect in search of her next high? Jo was his field of poppies. A needle lodged in his arm, shooting dreams through his veins. She was sweet smoke filling his lungs with every inhale. His hallucinogen, rolled between his lips, fooling his heart that it was whole. Infiltrating his bloodstream. She was the hit he needed but would deny himself until he knew it was safe.

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