a slow smile, she knew he’d heard and discerned her feelings. “Shut up.”
She kissed him quickly, but the lingering warmth remained. Stupid libido.
“Great. Come on.” He walked out of the gym with his hand at the small of her back. They passed John, and she nodded at him.
He nodded back, a frown on his face.
At her car, Cameron waited while she unlocked it and got in. Then he leaned down as she powered down the window. He had to be freezing in the cold garage, especially in those silky nylon shorts. The shorts that outlined his every muscle and bulge. Oh wow. She felt hot.
“Yeah?” she growled, needing to leave before she did something stupid, like pet him.
“Yeah?”
She cleared her throat. “I meant, thanks for walking me down.”
“So your dinner on Friday. Where are you meeting?”
“At the Four Seasons.”
“What time?”
“Seven. Why?”
“Well, I thought I’d give myself a nice break from Dad. Maybe I’ll get a room there Friday night. I’ll have dinner around seven or eight, so before you leave, you might bump into me.”
She flushed. “You don’t have to do that.”
“I’ll meet a client for drinks and write it off. How’s that?”
She chuckled. “Drinks, huh? Glad I’m not your accountant.”
He grinned. “I’ll make it all official, don’t worry. But a luxury hotel room overlooking the water, what’s not to like?” He straightened, waved good-bye, and walked back toward the stairwell.
As she drove away, she sighed to herself. Cameron McCauley—what’s not to like?
Chapter 4
Cam spent the next few days working on his plan to woo Vanessa. The coming week would make the perfect stage to slowly seduce her. He’d be there for her, showing support. Maybe tempt her into a drink or two. Then move on to a real date. That’s if he didn’t truly go to jail for killing his father first.
“Boy, you got anything that tastes like real meat?”
With the refrigerator door open, he could only see half of his father’s torso, waist, and legs. If only his father’s invisible head would mute the man as well.
“How about the bacon, made from real pork?”
“Yeah, but it’s apple smoked and has pepper all over it. I think those are peppercorns. Peppercorns .” James snorted. He was a big man with a hearty laugh and a giving heart that had room for anyone needing him—except his youngest son.
From birth, it seemed Cam could do no right by the man. He’d heard the story of how he’d cried when his father had first held him. How he’d peed on the man, tried to hit him with a wiffle ball bat many times as a toddler, and how he never gave his father the time of day while growing up. In elementary school , but God forbid his father let the stories die.
Cam had been intimidated. His father always seemed so overwhelming. For all that his boys took after him, James had handed down his personality to Mike, Flynn, and even Brody, but not Cam. Cam took after his mother. More cerebral in his pursuits, quieter, deeper.
He had that McCauley competitive edge though. And the temper, though his was slow to boil. Case in point, almost two weeks of living with his father and he hadn’t brained the man.
His father closed the fridge with an unnecessary slam, then foraged for snacks in the pantry. He found pretzels and some cheese chips he’d bought himself—because Cam wouldn’t touch the death traps filled with excess sodium and things he couldn’t pronounce—and sat next to Cam on the couch.
They sat in silence while the Lakers played on TV.
“So.” James finished chewing and spoke again. “You and I haven’t talked much about the situation with your mom.”
Much? Try at all. “No.”
“You okay with it?”
Cam turned to regard his father with incredulity. “You’re kidding, right?” Rage boiled to the surface, an anger he hadn’t known had been brewing. “How the fuck can I be okay with you and Mom splitting up? What did you do?”
His father’s brows drew
She kissed him quickly, but the lingering warmth remained. Stupid libido.
“Great. Come on.” He walked out of the gym with his hand at the small of her back. They passed John, and she nodded at him.
He nodded back, a frown on his face.
At her car, Cameron waited while she unlocked it and got in. Then he leaned down as she powered down the window. He had to be freezing in the cold garage, especially in those silky nylon shorts. The shorts that outlined his every muscle and bulge. Oh wow. She felt hot.
“Yeah?” she growled, needing to leave before she did something stupid, like pet him.
“Yeah?”
She cleared her throat. “I meant, thanks for walking me down.”
“So your dinner on Friday. Where are you meeting?”
“At the Four Seasons.”
“What time?”
“Seven. Why?”
“Well, I thought I’d give myself a nice break from Dad. Maybe I’ll get a room there Friday night. I’ll have dinner around seven or eight, so before you leave, you might bump into me.”
She flushed. “You don’t have to do that.”
“I’ll meet a client for drinks and write it off. How’s that?”
She chuckled. “Drinks, huh? Glad I’m not your accountant.”
He grinned. “I’ll make it all official, don’t worry. But a luxury hotel room overlooking the water, what’s not to like?” He straightened, waved good-bye, and walked back toward the stairwell.
As she drove away, she sighed to herself. Cameron McCauley—what’s not to like?
Chapter 4
Cam spent the next few days working on his plan to woo Vanessa. The coming week would make the perfect stage to slowly seduce her. He’d be there for her, showing support. Maybe tempt her into a drink or two. Then move on to a real date. That’s if he didn’t truly go to jail for killing his father first.
“Boy, you got anything that tastes like real meat?”
With the refrigerator door open, he could only see half of his father’s torso, waist, and legs. If only his father’s invisible head would mute the man as well.
“How about the bacon, made from real pork?”
“Yeah, but it’s apple smoked and has pepper all over it. I think those are peppercorns. Peppercorns .” James snorted. He was a big man with a hearty laugh and a giving heart that had room for anyone needing him—except his youngest son.
From birth, it seemed Cam could do no right by the man. He’d heard the story of how he’d cried when his father had first held him. How he’d peed on the man, tried to hit him with a wiffle ball bat many times as a toddler, and how he never gave his father the time of day while growing up. In elementary school , but God forbid his father let the stories die.
Cam had been intimidated. His father always seemed so overwhelming. For all that his boys took after him, James had handed down his personality to Mike, Flynn, and even Brody, but not Cam. Cam took after his mother. More cerebral in his pursuits, quieter, deeper.
He had that McCauley competitive edge though. And the temper, though his was slow to boil. Case in point, almost two weeks of living with his father and he hadn’t brained the man.
His father closed the fridge with an unnecessary slam, then foraged for snacks in the pantry. He found pretzels and some cheese chips he’d bought himself—because Cam wouldn’t touch the death traps filled with excess sodium and things he couldn’t pronounce—and sat next to Cam on the couch.
They sat in silence while the Lakers played on TV.
“So.” James finished chewing and spoke again. “You and I haven’t talked much about the situation with your mom.”
Much? Try at all. “No.”
“You okay with it?”
Cam turned to regard his father with incredulity. “You’re kidding, right?” Rage boiled to the surface, an anger he hadn’t known had been brewing. “How the fuck can I be okay with you and Mom splitting up? What did you do?”
His father’s brows drew
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