Part 12 (2/2)
”I'm sorry, Cam. I don't like the feeling that she's trying to pull one over on us,” Justin said. ”She's not.”
”I'm not,” Becca said at the same time. ”I didn't trust your brother to be a good man.”
”I didn't see it that way,” Justin said.
”That's because you are used to seeing the worst in everyone,” Selena said, coming up net to her fiance. ”I'm Selena Gonzalez, by the way. You must be Becca.”
”I am. Nice to meet you,” Becca said, holding her hand out to Selena.
”You, as well. Please excuse Justin. He just-”
”Doesn't want to see his brother treated poorly,” Justin said.
”I'm not treating him poorly. That's why Ty and I are here,” Becca said.
”I'm sorry for being so rude,” Justin said, easing up a little after a moment's pause. ”I don't trust people who keep secrets like that one.”
Becca nodded. ”I don't trust men.”
Cam looked over at her. ”Do you now?”
”Yes,” she said.
”That's all that matters,” Cam said. He pulled Becca back into his arms and danced her away from Justin.
After that, Cam held her close for the rest of the night until it was time to go home. He collected Ty from Jasmine, and when he left with his son and Becca, for the first time since his dad died, Cam felt like he had something of his own.
When they got home, he watched Becca tuck their son in and felt another surge of some emotion he refused to define. She turned to catch him staring at her.
”What?”
He waited until she was out of Ty's room, and then he pulled her into his arms and whispered hot needy words in her ear. Told her exactly what she made him feel and how happy he was that she'd come back into his life.
He carried her into her bedroom and placed her on the center of the bed. He reached up under her dress and pulled off her panties and then opened his own pants and slid inside her. He rested there for a minute and looked down at her.
He kissed her long and hard, the way he'd wanted to since he'd pulled her into his arms. His tongue rubbed over hers as his hands swept over her body.
”Thank you for my son,” he said.
”You're welcome,” she said. ”Now make love to me.”
And he did. He made love to her, and then when they were done, he undressed them both and slowly built them to a fevered pitch again. He held her in his arms all night and didn't question the fact that he'd never had a relations.h.i.+p with a woman feel as right as the one he had with Becca.
He held her through the night, awake while she was sleeping, and watched her. She had changed his life, and he had no idea what he was going to do with her.
Marriage didn't seem to be the solution. Becca was used to being alone and he didn't want her to feel trapped. There was a reason beyond his callous behavior that she'd kept Ty to herself.
Though his brothers were getting married, he knew that the inst.i.tution wasn't necessarily for him. He did know that he wanted Becca to stay in his life and in his home, and he wanted to figure out a way to make her presence here more permanent.
He drifted off to sleep without finding a solution, which later on would bother him. He was the kind of man who always had to solve a problem before he could sleep. But not with Becca.
It was odd to him, but he finally thought he was coming to trust her. And that scared him almost as much as the fact that he needed her.
Her cell phone rang a week later, and she glanced at the caller ID. It was Cam. ”h.e.l.lo.”
”Hi, Becca. I have an emergency meeting with the community leaders at the Mercado. We are supposed to have one of the tenth-anniversary events there and I thought you might want to come and join me.”
The week had been hectic. Nate's wedding was beautiful and had made Becca long for something more with Cam. She knew she should be content with what they had-it was more than she ever dreamed of. But a part of her-that little girl who'd waited for her own family to be complete, she suspected-wanted Cam as her husband.
She'd continued to work on designs for the Mercado and was slowly settling into a routine here in Miami. Cam had adjusted his schedule and had early dinners with her and Ty before he went to the club at night. He was making time for Ty, which was what she'd asked for, and she saw the signs that he could be a very good dad.
Though they hadn't really discussed it, she felt as if they'd found a new truce and were moving toward a committed relations.h.i.+p. There was a certain peace between them. Justin still didn't seem to trust her, but Nate and Jen had been friendly each time she'd seen the newlyweds.
”Okay. Why?” she asked.
”I want you to talk to the community leaders and get some of their input on the stores you will be designing.”
”That sounds great. When should I come down there?” she asked. Work had been her solace and her guiding light, and she needed it to help her get back on task. She needed to focus and not let Cam throw her so off balance.
”Now would be perfect.”
Of course it would be. ”Um...I just gave Jasmine the afternoon off.”
”That's okay. You can bring Ty with you.”
”We will be right down there,” she said.
”Good. I'm sorry about the last-minute notice.”
”It's okay. Just let me get dressed-”
”Whoa, are you working naked?”
She laughed. ”No. Why did you think that?”
”I'm a man,” he said.
”And men think about s.e.x all the time?” she asked.
”Exactly.”
”So are you not thinking about it now that we've become lovers again?” she asked, kidding him. They had never had a teasing relations.h.i.+p before and she was interested to see another side of Cam.
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