Page 35 of Be Mine Forever

Jo faced him, leaning against the bathroom counter. She pulled her headband off and the elastic holding her hair hostage. She fiddled with them both before wrapping them around her wrists and looking him in the eye.

“Did you…did you scratch yourself like that, Cam?”

Jo would never understand not feeling clean. Like in-your-bones, under-your-skin dirty. Beyond-scalding-water dirty. One day in and he was already giving her reason to regret taking a chance on him. She’d think he was crazy if he told her he smelled that monster’s cologne on his shirt, on his skin, in his hair. The man was dead.

“Maybe I’m having some allergic reaction.”

He walked over to her, tightening the knot on his towel as he went, until he stood directly in front of her. He swept her mass of hair over one shoulder, leaning down to kiss behind her ear.

“Good morning.” He smiled when she shivered from his breath in her ear. His responsive girl. “Did you have a good run?”

“Yeah. It was fine.” Her words sounded light and airy.

He took a step closer until the water from his chest dampened the fabric of her running top. He ran his finger along his new favorite body part, Jo’s collarbone. So delicate, like elegant dashes just under her skin.

“And now I’m getting you”—he kissed her ear and brushed his hand over her bottom, down her thigh, and gently gripped—“all wet.”

She lowered her long, curly lashes until they rested on her cheeks.

“Are you trying to distract me with that beautiful body, Cameron Mitchell?”

Wow, the full name. And, yes, he had been, but he’d forgotten Jo wasn’t one of these girls he could bat his lashes at and turn her mind to mush.

“Me?” He touched the chest riveting Jo’s eyes. “I distract you?”

He stepped back, turned on his heel, and walked toward the bathroom door.

“Good to know,” he said, giving her a wicked grin over his shoulder. “I’m going to cook breakfast. You should probably shower. Don’t you have a meeting?”

Jo just looked at him for a moment through the steam still floating in the bathroom. Without a word, she pulled her top over her head and did a slow peel of her running shorts over her hips and legs. Cam’s mouth fell open. That was the last thing he’d expected her to do. She stood tall and naked and absolutely perfect, the steam curling lovingly around her long, lean body and clinging to the lush curves, concealing as much as it showed.

“Now who’s distracted?”

She walked over to the shower, turned the water on, got in, grabbed a sponge, and started soaping her body in long swipes.

“I don’t need much in the way of breakfast, but there is some Walsh Foods turkey bacon in the fridge. And maybe just some fruit.”

Cam didn’t even realize his feet were taking him toward the shower until Jo snapped her fingers at him, borrowing his wicked grin.

“Don’t getdistracted. And I thought you wanted to take it slow?” Jo closed the shower door. “My breakfast, please.”

Cam backed out of the bathroom with slow steps, relishing the opaque flashes of Jo’s body through the glass. Slow was overrated. He might want to sort things out in his mind before making love to Jo, but his body was readynow. He wasn’t sure how much longer he’d be able to convince his body to wait until he was sure it was safe.

Chapter Thirteen

Jo fell back, starfishing on the bed, letting the mattress envelop her tired body. She didn’t even bother taking off her dress and heels. What a day. She had been in meetings, taking calls, and plowing through paperwork all day to get things settled for the first Haitian adoptions. And Kenya wasn’t far behind.

“Am I doing good, Aunt Kris?”

Not that she ever expected an answer, but sometimes it made Jo feel closer to speak aloud. Made her feel like Aunt Kris watched and cared from heaven. That one spot no one would ever occupy again flooded with loneliness and overflowed Jo’s eyes. Just a few tears. Fewer every time. It had been nearly three years, and Jo still sometimes forgot she and Aunt Kris wouldn’t be headed for Paris to shop. Or planning the annual Christmas benefit. Or doing any of the many things that had drawn them closer than blood. That had made them friends. That had always made Aunt Kris feel more like Jo’s mother than the mother she had never known.

“I’m trying my best,” Jo whispered, her throat swollen with tears. “You always told me that’s all you expected from me.”

Seemed everyone else had other expectations of Jo and had no trouble making them known. The board expected bigger donations, more fund-raisers, a quicker pace on the adoption project. And what about the domestic front? Let’s not neglect home for foreign soil. Daddy was chairman of the board and had brilliantly positioned the foundation as one of the country’s most respected nonprofits, but Aunt Kris had been the heart, drive, and soul behind it. Aunt Kris was irreplaceable, and Jo had to replace her.

Thank God for Peter. Little had she known when the board hired him that he’d be such a godsend. Maybe he was just passing through. Hell, he had his family’s lumber empire waiting for him, but Jo would enjoy the help and support while she had him. And his friendship, even though he so obviously wanted more. Now that Cam had finally shown her how he actually felt, she knew she would have to talk with Peter. He had asked her to an outdoor concert tonight, and she’d pled exhaustion. Valid, but still a delay tactic. If Cam hadn’t stolen her heart long ago, Peter would have been the perfect match.

Even though she and Cam hadn’t made formal plans before she’d left after breakfast, he said he would see her after work. Daddy and Q were both still out of town. Jo closed her eyes and smiled. Maybe she could persuade him to stay again. She shivered a little, anticipating a repeat of the night before. Maybe more.

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