Uncommonly Brazen

Brazen Sisters 4

Uncommonly Brazen Josephine Brazen is the best CPA around, but even she may not be able to help Cameron Elwood out of the mess he’s in. Reluctantly, she takes him on as a client. Cameron pushes her buttons, driving her to distraction. He makes her want to do things she’s never considered before, and having her sisters not believe her when she tells them he’s just a client forces her to realize they might be right. Joey is so organized she scares him, but Cameron knows she’s just what he needs. The more he’s around her, the more he wants to get her to loosen up. He hates that she keeps him at a distance when all he wants is to get closer. When people around town start talking about them, he decides to play up that angle and see if she can still pretend the only thing between them is business. Genre: Contemporary Length: 55,985 words

UNCOMMONLY BRAZEN Brazen Sisters 4

Rita Sawyer

EROTIC ROMANCE

Siren Publishing, Inc. www.SirenPublishing.com

ABOUT THE E-BOOK YOU HAVE PURCHASED: Your non-refundable purchase of this e-book allows you to only ONE LEGAL copy for your own personal reading on your own personal computer or device. You do not have resell or distribution rights without the prior written permission of both the publisher and the copyright owner of this book. This book cannot be copied in any format, sold, or otherwise transferred from your computer to another through upload to a file sharing peer to peer program, for free or for a fee, or as a prize in any contest. Such action is illegal and in violation of the U.S. Copyright Law. Distribution of this e-book, in whole or in part, online, offline, in print or in any way or any other method currently known or yet to be invented, is forbidden. If you do not want this book anymore, you must delete it from your computer. WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. If you find a Siren-BookStrand e-book being sold or shared illegally, please let us know at [email protected]

A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK IMPRINT: Erotic Romance

UNCOMMONLY BRAZEN Copyright © 2011 by Rita Sawyer E-book ISBN: 1-61034-154-6 First E-book Publication: March 2011 Cover design by Jinger Heaston All cover art and logo copyright © 2011 by Siren Publishing, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission. All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

PUBLISHER Siren Publishing, Inc. www.SirenPublishing.com

Letter from Rita Sawyer Regarding E-book Piracy Dear Readers, While it is a joy for me to write my books and interact with my readers, writing is also my career. It’s my way of supporting my family, and I work at it full time. I do not have another career. I love creating worlds and characters in my books and hope my readers enjoy them. I am very upset and distressed when I see my books being pirated. This means my work has been stolen. It is illegal to pirate e-books. Just because it is anonymous and easy to upload someone else’s work for free, it doesn’t make it right legally or morally. It is no different than shoplifting or holding up a store or robbing a bank. Please do not share this e-book with a friend. Do not send a copy of it to a forum, newsgroup, or file sharing site. Do not auction it. Please do not give this e-book to anyone who has not legally paid for their own copy from Siren-BookStrand or one of the legal distributor sites. Some readers may think the sharing of a copyrighted e-book wouldn’t amount to anything, but it does. It is very disheartening for me as a writer and makes it hard for me to continue to write. So, please, respect my hard work and do not pirate my books. With deep gratitude, Rita Sawyer

DEDICATION To my family, cause they me laugh.

UNCOMMONLY BRAZEN Brazen Sisters 4 RITA SAWYER Copyright © 2011

Chapter One Joey glanced at the clock again. She took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. The technique was supposed to help her relax according to her twin sister, but the incessant tap of her pencil against the desk got faster and louder. From the way her friend Alec had described the situation, she hadn’t expected his friend Cameron to be happy about meeting with her, but she had expected him to at least be on time. Of course, she’d had clients who occasionally ran a little late. Five or ten minutes was one thing, but thirty minutes was really pushing it in her opinion. Damn it, she’d managed to clear a whole hour to consult with this guy. She refused to call and leave him another reminder of their appointment. What was the use? Even if he showed up now, half an hour would barely give them enough time to scratch the surface of Mr. Elwood’s issues. Her next client would be there in forty-five minutes, which would give her fifteen minutes to eat lunch. Luckily, she had only promised Alec a consultation. Being the best CPA in a hundred mile radius, keeping the books for the lodge, and overseeing the financials for the remodel of the family lodge and cabins kept her so busy, she barely had time to stop

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and think. Her time was definitely at a premium these days. And she refused to let some half-witted nature freak waste it. Alec had practically goaded her into taking him on as a client, but she had seen into his plan and declined. When he’d said he would consider it a personal favor and that he’d owe her one, she realized just how desperate his buddy must be. Having any one of the Mitchell cousins owe you a favor could come in handy. They had so many connections it was kind of scary. With the remodel starting within the next few weeks, she just might need to call a favor or two in. Even so, she still didn’t make him any promises. Agreeing to a consult just to see how bad things were was as far as she was willing to go. Now, she was glad because she had no intention of taking on this bozo as a client. She really didn’t have enough time to devote to straightening him out, anyway. Never one to sit around and waste time she decided to use the next half hour to go over some of the cost projections her brothers-in-law had given her this morning on their way out. She entered the info from the pages into her computer going over the columns, double checking everyone’s math. So far, the estimates were right on target or below budget. Of course with them being the architect and builder for the project, she had expected nothing less. Joey hadn’t told anyone yet, but she even worked out a budget for supplies to get her sister Frankie’s how-to remodel and interior design book going. A new laptop with updated software and a state of the art digital camera were first on her list. She could probably make do with what she had now, but Joey wanted her to have the best chance to get published. Joey’s twin sister, Georgie, who was their marketing guru, decided it would be a good thing for all of them, since they could use the book and lodge as promotional tools for each other. People who bought the book and wanted to see all the changes they made for themselves could get a discount or something. The opposite would work, too. They could sell autographed copies of the book to the guests, as well. Of course, Frankie probably wasn’t going

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to really get started on the project until her fling with Hal, Victor’s foreman, ended when he left in a few days. Having this project would hopefully keep her from thinking about him too much. She pulled up the email Georgie had sent her this morning, expecting it to be more ideas. Instead, it was picture of kitten hanging from a rope, with the caption “Hang In There.” Joey laughed. Somehow, Georgie always managed to stay one step ahead of her, but there was no way she could’ve seen this coming. She looked at the clock as she got to her feet. Joey decided if he wasn’t here by now, then he obviously wasn’t coming. She walked over to the little fridge and pulled out a plastic covered bowl. The lid made a pop sound as she took it off. Joey caught a whiff of the pentup scent as it filled the air and her stomach growled. She shoved it into the microwave and hit start. While she waited for it to warm up, she cleared off her desk. She used to go meet Georgie or Frankie for lunch, but she couldn’t remember the last time she’d had enough time. Never mind going out to lunch, she couldn’t remember the last time had a real date. The last time she’d gone out socially had been with a group of delegates from the Chamber of Commerce. She’d had a good time, and a few single guys had flirted with her, but it had been a business meeting, so she’d kept it professional. Frankie had covered for her at the lodge that night and met Hal. They’d been pretty much inseparable since. That had been almost three weeks ago, and she didn’t see any chance for mingling with anyone who may ask her out on the horizon. Dating would just have to wait until the remodel project was done. She wasn’t complaining, really, because she knew she wasn’t the only one making sacrifices. Her five sisters were working hard, too, and giving up time for the lodge came naturally to all of them. It helped her to know that three of her sisters had a warm body lying next to them at night. Sooner or later, probably much later, she’d find her Mr. Right. She sure in hell didn’t have time to search for a Mr.

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Right Now, even though her list of requirements wasn’t very long. She’d like him to be handsome, but not enough to draw too much attention. Hopefully he’d be tall, or at least be taller than her five feet eight inches. But the most important quality would be his wittiness. She needed a guy who could take a joke and deal with her sisters sticking their noses into her business. Her stomach rumbled, reminding her of more immediate concerns. Thankfully, her older sister Sam had been taking care of her lunch problems. Even though Sam was busy running the kitchens at home and at the lodge every morning, Joey found a bowl or plate in the fridge with her name on it. When Joey told her she didn’t have to, Sam just waved her off. Once the baby came, Joey figured Sam might actually let them do the cooking a little bit more often. She opened the microwave and sniffed the air. It would never smell or taste as good, but at least they wouldn’t starve to death, well unless Bobbie, the youngest of the Brazen sisters, cooked. She sat down and twirled the spaghetti around her fork before stabbing a piece of the meatball. Joey dipped her head and raised the fork to her wide open mouth. Her office door suddenly flung open, and a guy she’d never seen before stepped in. He walked over and dropped into the chair across from her. She stuffed the spaghetti into her mouth, thinking this had to be the very tardy Cameron Elwood. He kind of looked the way Alec had described him, but more handsome. In fact, he probably could have made more money in front of the camera instead of behind it. Holy shit, he looked good, even if he wasn’t really her type. Joey chewed slowly while she looked him over. He had to be at least six feet tall, but with his wiry build it could be more. She found his face ruggedly handsome. His short brown hair had a little curl at the nape of his neck and above his ears. That would have been enough to make her look twice, but it was his blue eyes staring back at her that concerned her. She sensed they were the kind of eyes that saw way too much. His boots and cargo pants were splattered with mud,

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but his white T-shirt was spotless. The short sleeves showed off his muscular arms, which had a nice, even tan. Somehow, she managed to swallow and not choke. Speaking, however, was another story all together. **** Cameron pulled his Jeep into the lot and looked up at the old, faded brick building. He stepped out of the car and looked down at himself and groaned. This totally sucks rotten eggs. He couldn’t do anything about his muddy jeans and boots, but he stripped off the dress shirt he’d spent fifteen minutes ironing and re-ironing this morning. Thankfully, his T-shirt was still clean. He turned and ran for the door. He wasn’t just late. He’d missed the appointment that his buddy Alec had to beg for. Okay, that wasn’t completely true, he had about three minutes left. And since this woman was supposedly his only hope, he figured he had some major ass kissing and begging of his own to do if he was going to get her to reschedule him. Damn Cecil! His assistant had suddenly quit, but not before single-handedly destroying any type of record keeping system Cameron might have had. He hated to admit that it hadn’t been much of one to start with. There was no way Cam could get things straightened out on his own. He never should have hired an assistant, but Cecil had come highly recommended by one of his publishers, and Cam had a tendency to get swept up in his projects, so he gave it a try. Luckily, the publisher felt so bad, they were going to reimburse him for hiring someone to fix this mess. So here he stood ready to beg this woman to do whatever she had to do to get this disaster a year and half in the making rectified. Hopefully, it would only take a fraction of that time to get his records back in order. Just thinking about the boxes and boxes of receipts and

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other documents back at his new cabin made him want to drag everything out into the yard and set it on fire. Cameron opened the office door and froze. The young woman sitting behind the desk wasn’t what he had been expecting to find. Somehow Alec had given him the impression from the way he touted all of her qualifications and experience that she’d be much, much older. Her looks had never come into question, but Alec could have warned him that she was a looker. Then again, he should’ve known something was up when he told him to watch his step, because he and his cousins considered her family. She closed her lips over the forkful of spaghetti and just stared at him. Not wanting to push his luck, he took a seat and waited for her to say something. The immaculate office smelled incredible, and his stomach groaned. She raised her chin and dabbed her lips with a napkin. He heard noises indicating someone had come into the outer office. It took everything in him not to say something before she kicked him out so she could deal with her next client. “I take it you’re Cameron Elwood?” She ignored the noise and took another bite of her lunch. “Yes.” He nodded and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “I’m sorry I’m late, Ms. Brazen. I don’t want you to think I’m taking this lightly. I had planned to be on time. Actually, I had planned to be a bit early.” “But obviously something muddied up your plans.” She didn’t crack a smile, but the comment alone showed she potentially had a sense of humor. “You could say that. Look, I know you have another client coming in, so I won’t take up too much of your time. You were doing Alec and me a huge favor by just squeezing me in for a consultation, but I would really appreciate it if you could reschedule my appointment.” He waited with baited breath for her response. She moved her bowl to the side, pulled a leather bound appointment book out of her drawer and dropped it on her desk. He

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watched her run her fingers of her left hand down the pages before flipping them. Her nails were painted a light pink shade, and he happened to notice she wasn’t wearing any rings. It shouldn’t have mattered, but for some reason it did. He told himself that it was just because he hadn’t been in such close proximity to a woman in six months, at least not one this pretty. “I don’t have another opening for two weeks.” She sighed and shook her head. “Alec explained that your problem needed immediate attention, so leave me that folder with the information I asked you to bring and I’ll go over it. I’ll try to get back to you by the end of the day, but if I get hung up, it could be early tomorrow morning.” “Okay, so I won’t toss and turn thinking about you. I mean, your decision.” He shot to his feet, and she followed a little slower. She rounded the desk and leaned against the edge. It was impossible not to notice the way her tan skirt ended mid-thigh, showcasing how long her legs were. She sure in hell didn’t need the sexy high-heeled black boots she was wearing. It was even harder not gawk at the way her pink blouse stretched across her breasts. It came in at the waist, accentuating how curvy she was. She looked so tidy, he wondered how she’d look first thing in the morning after a wild night in his bed. She wasn’t what most guys would consider hot, but she was doing a damn good job at warming him up. He knew his mind was veering off into dangerous territory. He needed Ms. Brazen professionally, which meant he couldn’t allow anything personal to happen between them. Not that a woman like her would ever give a guy like him a chance. She held out her hand, and he gave her the thick folder. “Mr. Elwood, I need you to understand if I take you on, we’re going to be working very closely.” That sounded like a good plan to him. “Call me Cameron. I don’t foresee that being a problem.”

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“My time is too precious to waste, so if we have an appointment scheduled, I’ll expect you to make yourself available when I am. Are you sure this won’t cause any problems?” Her disbelief was perfectly conveyed in just one look. It was going to take some doing, but he’d prove to her just how serious he was about getting this situation sorted out as soon as possible. “If you’ll help me, I’m willing to be at your beck and call.” “I don’t think it’ll go that far.” She smiled, and he was struck by how the simple gesture created such a drastic change in her. “However this works out, I want to thank you for your time, Ms. Brazen.” Cameron held out his hand. She slid her hand into his and, for a split second, he thought about what it would be like to lean in and kiss her cheek. “You may as well call me Joey.” “Joey?” She could have taken his surprise as an insult, but she laughed. “Josephine. My mother was into romantic names, but my daddy liked the fact that our nicknames gave him the illusion it was okay to let us be tomboys.” She walked him to the door, leaving him to try and wrap his mind around her claiming to have been a tomboy at some point. “I’ll be in touch soon.” “Thanks again.” He walked through the door she held open, fighting the urge to cross his fingers until she called. **** Georgie groaned when she spotted the guy coming out of Joey’s office. “Damn.” He hadn’t been in there long. Joey had probably taken one look at his messy appearance and tossed him out. If she had seen the way he stripped out of the other shirt he’d had on before going in, she may have given him a chance. The guy moved in a way that had her thinking about sex, and she didn’t even know his name. He wasn’t

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Joey’s type—and being her identical twin, Georgie was sure of that— but Georgie figured it was about time Joey tried something a little different. Even if it was just to say “hey, been there, done that.” Joey needed to broaden her horizons a little when it came to members of the opposite sex. Her sisters would agree with her there. Probably not with what she was about to do next, though, so she just wouldn’t tell them. She waited for him to drive away before she left the store and crossed the street. Easing the back door open, she slipped through into the kitchenette and crept over to Joey’s door. The element of surprise was on her side, and she hoped it would give her a hand. Georgie swung the door open and said, “Who’s the guy?” Joey’s head snapped up, and the forkful of spaghetti she had been holding fell onto her lap. “Damn it.” “Sorry.” Georgie ran over and grabbed stack of napkins and handed them to her, “I guess that was too much, huh?” “Ya think?” Joey put the fork in the bowl and cleaned as much of the sauce off her skirt as she could. “Good thing I sit behind a desk all day.” “Don’t think just because I feel like a jerk you’re going to get away without answering my question.” Georgie sat in the chair in front of the desk and crossed her arms across her chest. She figured with anyone else Joey may have tried to bluff her way out of the situation. Georgie had more patience than her other sisters, so she had no problem digging her heels in until Joey told her who the hunk was. Joey leaned back in chair and sighed, because she right now she didn’t have time to drag it out and teach Georgie a lesson. “The guy was Cameron Elwood.” Joey’s tone was flat, giving her no insight, just like her answer. “And?” She needed to know a little more to help her decide if he was the right guy for Joey to experiment with. “And what?” Joey shrugged, “It was just a consultation.”

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“I thought you said you weren’t taking on anyone else until the remodel was over.” Georgie watched her carefully looking for any little clues to whether or not she wanted on taking him on. All she got was another useless shrug. “I wasn’t planning on it, but Alec asked me to consider helping him out.” “Oh, I see.” Georgie smiled and nodded, knowing it would make Joey think she was assuming something more was going on. “He’s a friend of the Mitchells.” “What do you see? Nothing!” Joey laughed giving a little shake of her head. “He may be a new client. That’s all.” “A hot, sexy guy like that could never be just a client.” It was true, too. Most guys like that were trouble in some form. “He can with me because I don’t have time for anything else. And believe me, he’ll know that right from the start.” “If,” Georgie waited a beat before adding, “you decide to work with him.” “Right, and that’s a really big if.” A quick series of knocks sounded on the door. “Just a second.” Joey jumped to her feet and stuffed the dish of spaghetti in Georgie’s hands. She shoved her toward the little kitchenette, and Georgie let her. For now, the subject was closed, but not for good. “I’ll see you at home where we will finish this conversation.” Georgie smiled as Joey closed the door in her face. Even if one of the Mitchells asked her to help the guy, Joey wouldn’t take him on unless there was a good reason. That meant there was a story to the bodacious Mr. Cameron Elwood. Georgie had enough connections of her own that she could probably find out all she needed to know just by making a few phone calls. She wanted to be stealthier on this mission. The fewer people who knew she was checking into him the better, so she was going to do what people all over the world did when they wanted to find out about people. She was going to look him up online. With all the search engines at her

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finger tips it shouldn’t be hard to find at least one Cameron Elwood. Hopefully, it would be just the right one.

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Chapter Two “Alex is going to owe me huge for this.” Joey said to herself. Her younger sister Bobbie stuck her head into the room and said, “Did you say something to me?” “No. I was just talking to myself.” Joey looked up surprised to see her sister up so early. “That’s a bad, very bad habit to get into.” Bobbie chuckled as she walked away. She was right, Joey thought as she closed the file, wishing she’d never opened it in the first place. That had been her second time reading about Cameron and his problems. Alec hadn’t exaggerated when he told her Cameron was truly in dire straits. Even though she didn’t know him, she felt bad. After carefully reading each document last night, she could have called him, but she wanted to think things over for awhile. Now, after rereading everything a second time, she felt very confident she could help him. Strangely, knowing she could possibly be the one that came to his rescue didn’t make her feel any better. Something about the man irked her, and it went a lot further than his sloppy appearance and tardiness. The more she tried to figure out what it was, the more she searched her mind for any other option she could give him besides taking him on as a client. She had plenty of legitimate excuses for not wanting to take him on, even temporarily. If she had the ability to give him undivided attention, she could have him in what she liked to call maintenance mode in a few weeks, a month tops. With things they way they were now it might take her three months to get him to that point. His new

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purchase of a cabin down by the lake was going to make this even more complicated, and not just for monetary reasons, either. She could think of a few people in town who weren’t going to be happy having another stranger move into town. It was what they needed, though. A fresh influx of people would bring new ideas. Hopefully, those ideas would help their little town prosper. According to Cameron’s file, he had over a year’s worth of records that he needed to go through and organize. He’d been able to get a six month printout from his bank for his personal savings and checking accounts. His business accounts were going to be harder. Even with the statements he’d provided, she needed to match the credits and debits to his receipts. If they managed to get that far, then she would need to double check all his expenses and determine whether or not he could write them off. This project needed someone who could do it justice. Someone who could spend hour upon hour with Cameron digging through and discussing every purchase he made in the past two years. Another issue she had with his request was the privacy. He didn’t want anyone knowing who he was or that she was helping him. In a way she understood he wanted to make his place in the community before they found he was a globally acclaimed nature photographer, and a very wealthy one from the looks of things. He needed to know up front that she wouldn’t lie to her sisters about who he was and why he needed her help. When it came to everyone else, she could keep them in the dark until Cameron was ready. But unless he was planning on hiding under a rock, every single woman in town, and probably a few married ones too, would be trying to dig up the dirt on him once they laid eyes on him. Everything he owned was in his name alone, so she assumed he was single, but guys that looked like him never stayed that way for long. The last thing I need is his girlfriend getting all jealous because we’re spending so much time together. She crossed her arms on her desk and dropped her head on top of them. It seemed like she was

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about to make a huge mistake and do something she shouldn’t. Joey picked up the phone and dialed, hoping he wouldn’t answer or that he’d refuse her help. It rang once then she heard his voice. “Hello.” “Hi, can I speak with Cameron?” She knew it was him but didn’t want him to know she found the deepness of his voice very distinct. “Shit! Hold on a second,” She heard a loud clunk then some colorful language “Sorry about that. I’m Cameron.” “This is Josephine Brazen.” She couldn’t help but wonder if she woke him. If so, he better get used to it because early mornings were the only time she was free. And it would be easier for her to get out to his place first thing in the morning without anyone noticing. She’d have to make sure. “Joey, please tell me you’re calling to say you’ll help me.” His desperate plea reassured her she was doing the right thing. “Yes, I have decided to help you, but there’s a few details we need to work out.” Her experience had taught her men disliked having a woman in charge, but it was the only way she worked. Cameron Elwood could either accept her terms, or go find someone else to help him. It wasn’t her ego talking when she figured he’d have a hell of a time trying to find someone more qualified than she was. Even if Cameron did agree at some point, he’d try to take the reins. That was why Joey liked to be clear right from the start. She heard him yawn into the phone and wondered if it would be best if she called him later. Before she could suggest it, he said, “Should I come into your office to discuss them?” “No, that won’t be necessary. If you don’t mind, I’d like to stop by your place and see just what I’m getting myself into. We can discuss it then.” She’d never invited herself to a guy’s house before, and it felt kind of awkward. “What time?” He didn’t sound like it bothered him at all.

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“Well, since you want to keep things quiet for a while, and my schedule is so busy, early morning seems like the best time for us to get together.” An even those might get rough if she got stuck covering the night shift at the lodge. “How early are we talking?” That was one of the questions she’d figured he would ask, but it wasn’t the last. “I usually go into the office by nine-thirty, so I think we should start about seven-thirty. That’ll give us a solid hour to work.” “It’s eight now, so why didn’t you just come over. Never mind, I’ll start the coffee. See you soon.” He didn’t give her a chance to explain she hadn’t planned to start until tomorrow. Joey could have screamed, but it wouldn’t have done her any good. She had a really bad feeling that Cameron was going to test every ounce of her tolerance. Maybe she could talk him into letting her pull Bobbie in to help. She picked up her bag and headed for the door. There was no way, no matter how hard she wished, that she could take the call back. So the only way she could move was forward, which meant driving over to his place. Once she laid down the rules, hopefully they could get to work starting first thing tomorrow morning. She reached the end of the drive, but instead of turning left toward town she turned right and drove up to the lodge. Even the smartest men thought with two parts of their body before their brain. First, they tended to think with the part of their body that protruded on a whim. Then, more often than not, their stomachs came next. Joey needed Cameron focused. Since she couldn’t, and hopefully wouldn’t, have to deal with the first, she was going to deal with the second. She pulled into the parking lot and parked in the back by the kitchen door. The odds of her getting what she wanted and making out without her sister Sam asking a lot of questions were pretty slim. She opened the door and walked into the kitchen and slapped her hands over her eyes, letting her tote bag drop to the floor.

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“Damn it, Samantha. You need to put a sign up or something.” She heard her brother in-law’s deep rumbling laugh. “You can look now,” Sam said, but Joey opened her fingers and peeked out before lowering them. Thankfully Sam no longer had her husband pinned to the wall, but Joey didn’t miss the fact that Trent was holding her placed strategically in front of him. After the way they were going at it, she didn’t have to guess why. Still if he was going to let Sam play, he was going to pay. “What if I had been Bobbie? She very impressionable, you know.” Trent’s cheeks turned red, but Sam giggled. “Please. The way that girl teases Jake, we should all be taking lessons.” Joey wished Sam hadn’t put that thought in her head. “I’ll pass. I hate to interrupt things, but I have a last-minute morning meeting, and I was hoping you could help me out.” “Sure. Go grab one of the baskets and we’ll get you set up.” Sam never turned one of them down. “So who’s this meeting with?” Trent’s tone sounded a little strange, but Joey chose to ignore it. “A possible new client. We’re meeting to discuss his needs and my expectations.” “Joey, can you really take on another client with all you do?” She knew Sam wasn’t chiding her. She just wanted to make sure she wasn’t taking on too much. Joey didn’t want her or any of her other sisters to worry, so she shrugged her shoulders like it was no big deal. “Alec Mitchell called and asked me to consider it. I guess this guy is a really good friend of his.” Sam laid a blue and white checkered cloth in the basket before she started loading it with muffins. Joey stood there, waiting for her to ask more questions, but surprisingly she didn’t. Joey chalked it up to the fact that Sam probably wanted to get her out of there so they could get back to what they’d been doing.

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Sam lifted the basket and held it out to her. “Are you going to make it for lunch today?” “Shit! Umm…yeah. I can move a few things around.” Joey had forgotten she was supposed to stop by the literacy group’s lunch to give them a brief update on the library’s fundraiser contributions. Luckily, Oliver Mitchell was going to be taking over for her at the end of the month. Oliver was more of an investor than accountant, but he could handle it. Heck, she had wondered why Alec had even called her when he had him on hand. When she asked Alec why Oliver couldn’t help Cameron, he’d explained that Oliver had recommended her for the job. “See you later,” Sam said, and Trent added, “Have fun.” Joey glanced back over her shoulder, and Trent winked at her. She walked away, forced to wonder what he’d meant by it. Asking was out of the question, and she wasn’t even sure she wanted to know. Besides, she didn’t have time to dwell on it. She had more important issues at hand. **** Cameron wondered what the hell was taking her so long. Her place was only about ten minutes away. He’d checked into her enough to learn that much. All right, so he’d done a lot of digging and knew pretty much everything there was to know about her. He hadn’t meant to, but once he started asking questions, he just couldn’t stop. When Alec and his brothers asked why he wanted to know so much, he told them the truth. He figured if she was going to know almost everything about him, it was only fair he know a little about her. Of course, her dating history, which he’d learned was slim and he found himself enjoying that fact, had nothing to do with her accounting skills. He dodged a bullet when Kyle, Alec’s older brother, offered up an excuse for him. Kyle had said he should know

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if there was a jealous husband or boyfriend who was going to be ready to pounce on him. Cameron wasn’t worried about that. He could hold his own. Not that he’d have to because he and Josephine Brazen weren’t going to be doing anything but paperwork. He looked around the cabin and groaned. He shouldn’t have cleaned the place up. It hadn’t been that much of a mess, but still, she would probably think he was trying to impress her. Unable to stand there by the door and wait, he grabbed his camera and headed around the side of the house to where he’d accidently found the mother cat and her kittens behind his wood pile. They were the ones at fault for him missing his meeting with her in the first place. He’d gone out to cover the pile in case it rained while he was gone and spotted them. Not wanting them to come to any harm, he decided to bring them inside where they’d be nice and warm. The mother cat had been watchful but let him reach down and stroke her head. He figured she must be lost or maybe just left behind by the previous owners. Touching her babies had been a huge mistake. She hissed so loud he jumped and almost knocked the stack of wood over on them. Not wanting it to happen again, he’d moved the stack around so it still protected them, but not close enough to endanger them at the same time. He looked down, happy to see her plate of tuna was now empty. A trip into town for food for both her and him was in order. He snapped a couple of pictures of the kittens nuzzling their mother’s belly. He hoped if he showed her he wasn’t a threat, eventually she’d let him move her and her babies inside. Not that he’d keep them. For a person with a career like his, pets weren’t an option. Neither was a steady female company. He wasn’t around enough to nurture things the way they needed to be. He was well aware of the fact since both of his sisters were constantly harassing at him about it. They weren’t going to be happy until he stopped traipsing around the world and settled down.

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Cameron wasn’t sure he was ready to do that yet. Even if he admitted all the traveling he’d been doing lately was getting to him, he wouldn’t know what to do about it. In a way, these next few months were going to be some sort of experiment on his part. He had work to do, but also plenty of free time to think about things. Hopefully, he’d find the answer to one of the questions that had been rolling through his mind lately. What the hell would I do if I retired? He’d spent so much time building up his career he had no idea what else he wanted to do. His agent had given him some great ideas, and one of his publishers had proposed a new book. Cameron needed to consider all the possibilities before committing himself to anything. He heard the car turn onto the little rutted lane that led to his cabin. Without even really thinking about it, he lifted the camera to his eye and zoomed in. He focused in on her face and snapped a few shots. Even frowning the way she was, she still had something that drew him in. She pulled the car to a stop and climbed out. He lowered the camera and blatantly watched her, knowing that from where he was standing she couldn’t see him. Dressed in a slick gray suit that hugged her curves, she looked every ounce the professional he’d been guaranteed, but she was damn eye-catching, too. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail that swung as she moved. He’d love to see her hair hanging down loose around her shoulders. She leaned into the car and came back out with a wicker picnic basket. He waited until she reached the porch before moving up behind her. “Hey there.” He smiled, wanting to keep this a friendly meeting. “Good morning.” She pointed to the camera hanging around his neck. “Were you working?” “Nope. I was just fooling around.” He climbed the stairs and reached around her to open the door. “Good. I don’t want to interfere, but we should get right to work.” She walked inside, and he followed.

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Probably a little closer than she was comfortable with, if he was reading her body language right. She seemed to stiffen right up. The big step she took forward and the way she tucked her arms closer to her sides had to mean something. Still, the way she walked, tall and straight, with just enough swing to her hips to make a man look, but he got the message loud and clear not to touch. She stopped at the little table bought and put the basket on it. “I don’t remember this place being so big.” “It’s funny how big a place looks with minimal furnishings.” He didn’t bother telling her that he never bothered to decorate since he rarely stayed in one place for too long. The cabin was the first piece of property he owned. It had two rooms downstairs and a loft above that was open so he could look down into the living room. It was plenty big enough for a bachelor like him. He had everything he needed, a twenty-seven inch TV, couch, and a king size bed. The small table and chairs in the kitchen came with the place. If he decided, he could use the place to hide out every now and then. The thing was with each passing day he felt more relaxed and started wondering if he could stay. The cabin came with about five acres, which meant he could build something bigger if he wanted to. He was already considering building himself a studio/workshop instead of using the little shed out back to work in. Alec would probably be able to hook him up with a contractor in the area to get it built, or depending on how things moved along between him and Joey, he could ask her. She looked around the room and nodded. “Why don’t you show me where you’re keeping your records?” He led her to the tiny pantry off the kitchen that he’d converted into a workspace for them. “If this is too small, we could work at the kitchen table.” She stepped inside and stared at the two stacks of boxes that were against the wall. Cameron had just finished putting the desk together

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when she’d called earlier. He waited for her to turn to him or say something. She looked so out of place standing there. The longer he waited the more he wanted to reach out and muss her up just a little. He knew one thing for sure. Working together in the cramped quarters, they were either going to become friends or want to kill each other pretty damn quick. Either way, they’d get to know each other real well. Cameron looked forward to finding out what made Josephine Brazen tick. He was dying to know if she was as uptight as she looked. “This will do.” She blew the dust off the top box before lifting off the cover. “We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us. Where do you want to start?” He hoped she had a plan in mind because he didn’t have a fucking clue. “With the basics.” She picked a stack of papers out of the box and shuffled them around, then dropped them back into the box. “Look, I’ll only expect a few things from you. I’ll need totally honesty from you. Also, while we’re working, we can’t have any outside distractions. But, most importantly, you need to agree that I’m in charge.” He didn’t see a problem with any of that. “Okay, since you’re in charge, tell me what you want me to do.” “Go pour us some coffee to have with the muffins I brought.” She followed him into the kitchen. Joey sat down at the table reached into her bag and pulled out a thick folder. He poured the coffee as he listened to her go on about having to use her system because she didn’t have the time to work one up for him. He liked that she compromised by telling him once they had everything organized she would try to work up something specific for him. Since the software she used was already installed on her laptop, she’d bring it with her. He looked over the forms and asked a few questions, but in the end he knew he was just stalling so he could spend more time with her.

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Too soon, they finished their coffee and muffins. She handed him a copy of the contract they’d both signed and got to her feet. He tried to think of something to say that would keep her there, but his mind went blank. She slid the file back in her bag and slipped it onto her shoulder. “Okay, so that about does it for today. I’ll see you tomorrow bright and early.” She headed for the door. Cameron followed, trying to think of something to say that would keep her there a little bit longer. Everything that came to mind sounded lame, so he kept his mouth shut and opened the door. She stepped outside and a ball of fur bolted between them. Joey squealed, teetering on her heels as she jumped back. Cameron reached out to grasp her upper arms. He just meant to steady her, but she tried to turn, and he missed. He ended up with one hand on her back the other on her breast. Joey sucked in a deep breath, which pressed her boob further into his palm. He knew he should let go. A voice in the back of his head was screaming for him to get his hands off her. She moved, and her thigh brushed across his cock, making it spring to life. If she’d kept the small distance between them, he may have been able to keep himself under control, but she leaned into him slightly. Unable to stop himself, his hands tightened on her, molding to her breast and back. It was enough to make him want way more than he thought she was willing to give at the moment. She yanked herself out of his embrace and took a huge step away from him. “I think that’s enough for today.” He stood there in awe of the fierce creature who stormed away from him. He felt something rub against his legs and looked down to see the cat, his cat now, winding around his legs. He left the door open and headed inside to grab one of the empty boxes to put her kittens in. “I guess this means we’re friends now.” He looked down at her as she trotted along beside him.

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Chapter Three Exactly a week had passed since what Cameron affectionately thought of as the booby incident. He knew it’d been a week because he’d spent every night having the most vivid dreams starring Joey. If he hadn’t touched her, maybe he would have been able to keep her from invading his thoughts. Instead, he was imagining all the ways he could strip her naked. Each day they spent together, the more intense his dreams got. Thankfully, he hadn’t acted on any of his racy thoughts. When he apologized for his unintentional, but unforgettable groping, Joey had accepted with a refined dignity not many women had. He had no idea how she was able to just push the whole episode out of her mind and get down to work. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t forget how the plump weight of her breast felt in his palm. If she noticed that his gaze dropped to her breasts every now and then, she was really good at hiding it. While her attitude toward him was totally professional, she was downright hostile with Mrs. Whiskers. The feeling was mutual. The two of them hissed and stiffened like they were waiting for the other to attack. If it hadn’t been the only thing bringing any amusement to his boring day, he may have interceded. The little dance they did whenever they entered the same room made him laugh. Their gazes would meet and stay on each other until one of them left the room. Heads held high, they would give the other plenty of room as they went about their business. Luckily, Mrs. Whiskers stayed out of the office and Joey didn’t find it necessary to spend much time in the living room. Cameron was

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fine with Joey staying in the five foot wide, eight foot long room, though more and more he found himself wishing she was in his bedroom. For now, he played gopher, getting her coffee and anything else she asked for. This morning, he’d even gone so far as to offer to cook her breakfast. She refused—politely, of course. The problem for him was her polite, business-only attitude was really starting to piss him off. If he asked her a direct question about her family or her private life, she deflected it. All he wanted to do was get to know her, but she had drawn a line and wasn’t letting him cross it. It wasn’t like he was going to steal her identity or anything malicious. Hell, he could find the answers to his questions with a simple phone call if he wanted to. Now that would be invading her privacy. Even though it would serve her right, he wasn’t going to do it. Nope, he was going to get her to talk to him. Maybe he was egotistical, but he assumed she’d want to learn a little more about him, too. He had no problem answering any of the questions she asked him. Okay, so they were all related to his records, and there weren’t many. Still, it didn’t matter because he was willing to tell her anything she wanted to know. Somehow, he needed to get her to open up to him. Since being nice wasn’t working, he was going to have to try something else. “So, is there anything to do around here at night?” He hoped she would give him more than the one word answers she’d been giving him all morning. Her fingers continued to click away across the keyboard. “I’m sure Alec can give you some ideas.” “He has, but I’m looking for a woman’s point of view.” He couldn’t hold back the smile when she looked up at him. For a second something flashed in her eyes. The light green shade darkened just enough for him to notice. Maybe she didn’t know how expressive her eyes were, but after years of watching people and animals, he knew the signs to look for. She wasn’t afraid of him, and

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she sure in hell wasn’t intimidated either. Joey was hiding something, though. He could feel it. She was too damn good at it for his liking. “Well, I guess it would depend.” She shrugged her shoulders and reached for another stack of papers. Had she meant for that to sound as cryptic as it did? “On what?” “Well, if you’re looking to find some female companionship, there’s a few places a guy like you is sure to score. You could even find someone willing to keep things quiet like you want. But if you’re just looking for some fun, there’s a couple places I’d suggest you avoid. So which is it?” “I was thinking a movie or something along those lines.” “Sitting in a dark room full of strangers who have no idea who you are doesn’t sound like fun to me. Not when you could probably find a dozen movies to choose from with that dish they installed yesterday.” “True, but I think I’m getting cabin fever.” He wished he knew what was running through her head. Did she think he was angling for her to invite him somewhere? Or that he was leading up to asking her out? He knew the risk of getting too close to her, but he also wanted them to be friends of a sort. Not friends with benefits. That would get out of hand too easily. It could be a lot fun, but it was a very bad idea. One he had to get out of his head again and find a way to keep it out. The best thing he could do was let her off the hook, for now anyway. “Alec invited me up to play some poker with him and his cousins. Guess it couldn’t hurt to sit in for a few hands.” **** Joey ducked her head to hide her smile. It wasn’t the only thing she was hiding from him. He had no idea how those looks of his were getting to her. The energy that was arcing between them was bound to get out of control if one of them didn’t get a handle on it. Not that

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she’d risk acting on it, but it was getting harder and harder to deny. Every time she looked over at him he was either staring at her breasts—which felt heavier each time—or he sat there wearing a dopey grin that had her wondering what the hell he was thinking. Luckily, he hadn’t looked back and caught her watching him walk away when he’d gone into the kitchen to refill their glasses. Maybe Georgie was right about her not being able to stay objective and keep things professional around a guy with an ass like that. Hopefully, she’d find a way to deal with her body’s reactions before he noticed. She turned back to the pile of documents she’d been sorting through. It was pretty obvious Cameron had no idea just how competitive the Mitchell cousins got when they were playing. Friend or foe, they played to win no matter what, but at the end the five of them were all still friends. They’d fleece him for sure. He’d be lucky to get out of there with just a few bruises, but hopefully they might knock some sense into him. For just a second, she thought about warning him, but since he was looking for some excitement, she may as well let him find it. He might get by for a while if he placated them like he’d been doing with her for the past few days. His niceness and all the questions he was asking irritated her. She spent too much time trying to figure out why he was acting that way, and it pissed her off. He could be asking the questions to get to know her better, but when he doted on her, it made her wonder why. Was he trying to get on her good side? Or he maybe he was just trying to show her he was grateful for her helping him. No matter what his reasons were she didn’t like it. Joey had a really strong feeling the Mitchells wouldn’t like it either. For now, she had to focus on business, and she wished he would, too. Together they’d already managed to go through one box of records and make a big dent in another. There were still some really big holes she needed to fill in before she had an accurate idea of just how bad things were. She was hoping to find everything she needed

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in the other six boxes. If not, Cameron was going to be spending some time on the phone trying to track it all down. “Maybe I’ll just head up to the lodge for dinner. I heard the food is amazing.” Joey stopped typing. The keys beneath her fingers looked a little fuzzy. It wasn’t that she didn’t want him going to the lodge or anywhere near her sisters. Well, she didn’t, but only because she already knew what they were going to see. Especially since Georgie had already pointed out that he was a handsome guy, who, yeah, happened to be single. His somewhat famous stature wouldn’t faze them in the least, but that sexy smile he liked to flash so often would. Even if Georgie and Bobbie weren’t interested, her sisters, especially Bobbie, all had plenty of single friends who would be interested. She figured trying to dissuade him from going would just encourage him. Men were like children in that aspect. Tell them they couldn’t do something and they’d try to do it just to prove you wrong. She looked up at him and smiled. “The food is wonderful. My sister Sam is a great cook. Since word got out that she was adding different choices to the dinner menu for the next few weeks to try them out, we’ve had triple the business. Everyone wants to sample her new creations.” “Really?” There wasn’t a hint of surprise in his tone, but he did sound disappointed. “Yeah.” She put her elbow on the table and rested her chin on her fist, pretending a calm she sure in hell didn’t feel. “The breakfast and lunch crowds haven’t changed that much yet, but there’s been a slight increase. Once we’re done with the remodel project we’re about to get underway, I expect them to get busier, too.” “Your family owns the lodge?” His question took her by surprise. Joey wanted to drop her head to the desk. The son of a bitch had gotten her to talk after all. He was slick. She had assumed Alec would

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have told him that they owned it. There was no taking it back now that she threw it out there. “Yeah, my sisters and I each own a sixth of it.” Curse her loose tongue. It seemed to have a mind of its own. “No brothers, huh?” His smile gave her the impression he liked the idea. She reached for the next document, hoping he’d take the hint. “Nope, just a couple of really overprotective brothers-in-law.” “So where do you rank in the sibling ladder?” He pushed back, leaning the chair on its back legs and clasped his hands behind his head. “I’m kind of in the middle.” She shrugged as she typed the info into the computer. “Kind of.” His deep, rough chuckle filled the air. She fought with herself not to look at him. “My sister and I are tied.” He may not have known about the lodge or her sisters, but she was really shocked he didn’t know that. The chair slammed to the floor, and he grabbed onto the edge of the desk, probably to stop himself from falling forward. “You’re a twin.” “Yup. Alec didn’t tell you much about me, did he?” She couldn’t believe he hadn’t filled him in on every little detail about her and her family. “Just the important stuff. You’re the only one who could help me, and you’re the best at what you do. At the time, it was all I need to know, but now I have to say I’m interested in finding out more.” The way he stared at her matched with that comment, it occurred to Joey that anyone who overheard him might get the wrong idea. “I don’t think it’s necessary for you to dig into my life for me to do my job.” She knew it sounded rude, but he was strictly a client, and she wanted to keep it that way. Cameron took her rebuff with a smile and pushed himself back into his precarious position and said, “Maybe it’s a trust issue.”

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Joey sucked in a deep breath so fast it made a high-pitched noise. She slammed the documents in her hand down on the desk and got to her feet. Not even sparing him a glance, she grabbed her bags from the floor and started to pack up her laptop and other personal stuff. If he thought she was untrustworthy, which was something no one had ever accused her of before, he could find someone he felt more secure with. “Where are you going?” he asked, lurching to his feet, which effectively blocked the door and her escape. “Since I don’t seem trustworthy to you, I’m just going to get out of your way so you can find someone better suited.” She gently slid her laptop into its case, wishing she could slam it. It would have made her feel a hell of a lot better. “I didn’t mean it like that.” He had the nerve to reach out and cover her hands. “Then exactly how did you mean it?” She pulled her hands out from under his and crossed her arms, tucking them out of his reach. “Well, it’s just that you’re learning a lot about me, and I’m a pretty private person. So, I guess I’d feel better learning about you at the same time.” What he said would probably sound reasonable once she calmed down, but right now she wasn’t ready to hear his excuse. “Like you already said, all you need to know is I am capable of helping you. But not anymore today. We’re done.” She reached for her bags, but he grabbed them first. She glared at him, not sure what he was up to now. He motioned with his arm toward the door. Joey marched out into the kitchen where she encountered Mrs. Whiskers. The cat hissed, and she stilled just for a second then did something she figured Cameron never would have expected. Joey bent over scooped the cat up and held it out at arm’s length. She turned the cat until she was staring into its green eyes. “I’ve about had all I going to take from you, too. Now go take care of your babies.”

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The cat meowed as she released it but did as she said. It ran into the living room and hopped into the box where her babies were sleeping soundly. Joey opened the door and walked to her car, not even bothering to look back and see if Cameron followed. Joey opened the passenger door and stepped back so he could put her bag in. Cameron gently put them on the seat and, instead of stepping out of her way, he just stood there. Not for the first time, probably more like the tenth, Joey wished she had refused to work with him. She started to walk away, but he grasped onto her wrist and yanked her to a stop. “Joey, I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings. I didn’t mean to. It’s the last thing I wanted to do.” “It’s fine.” She tried to gently tug her hand away, but he held on. “Let’s just pretend this didn’t happen.” As Cameron closed the small distance between them, Joey tried to ignore the way his nearness made her stomach flutter. “Can you do that?” “I’m a professional. I won’t let it interfere with my job.” She didn’t recognize the harsh, cutting tone in her voice. “I don’t doubt that, but is my lack of tact going to be a black cloud hovering over us every day?” His question brought on all kinds of thoughts rolling around her mind. Could she continue to spend so much time with him and not lose it again? Not if he kept touching her. She looked down at his hand on her wrist and then back up at him. He took the hint and loosened his grip. He didn’t pull his hand away, though. Instead, he slid it down slowly. Their palms brushed, and her skin tingled. A shiver crawled across her shoulders. She could have pulled her hand away, but neither of them moved or even blinked until their fingers lost contact. His gaze never left hers, but his eyes widened, and his lips parted just a little. Joey wondered if he was feeling the same odd sensation she was. Yeah, touching of any kind definitely needed to be off limits. She took a step away, breaking the hold over them.

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“Joey, I think we need to talk about this.” She ignored his lame protest. If he sat there with his mouth shut and only spoke when she asked him something, that would make it a lot easier, too. After spending the past week with him, she knew the chances of him being quiet for more than fifteen minutes was the best she’d get, and that would be a stretch. He kept asking questions, or when she’d ask him about a receipt or document, he’d explain it in great detail. Normally, it would lead to a story about why he needed whatever it was. She had to admit some of his anecdotes made her want to laugh. She walked away, rounding the front of the car and not answering him. He swung the passenger door shut as he followed her. Joey needed to get some distance from him and reevaluate her plan for working with him. Her hand lifted the door handle at the same time his closed over the top, holding it shut. The glare she gave him usually had her sisters giving her space, but he actually got closer. He kept coming until her back was pressed against the car, and he stood mere inches away. “You don’t want to talk, that’s fine, but I have something to say. Before we go any further, there’s something I have to do. If you don’t come back, I’ll understand.” He leaned in and covered her mouth with his. Joey froze for a second then her body’s natural instincts took over. His tongue touched her lips, and they parted, only partly from the shock. Cameron’s kiss brought on an unwelcomed surge of passion. Her hands found his chest, and she felt the rumble of his groan under her palms. Too soon, his lips left hers and he stepped away. She wondered if he thought leaving her wanting more would make her come back. He didn’t say anything else to try and convince her not to quit. Instead he just walked away. She stood there in a fog and watched him go into the house and close the door. She’d never felt so twisted before. Joey had never felt such a strong pull of desire for a guy, never mind one she knew she

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shouldn’t get involved with. She got in the car and just sat there for a minute, wondering how everything had gotten so out of her control. Maybe he was right about them not being able to work together any more. She should find someone else to help him and keep her distance while he was here. And if he decides to stay?

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Chapter Four Cameron’s absence should have been a relief, but Joey actually found herself missing him. He hadn’t explained why he had to leave for a few days. Not having an explanation only made things worse, because her mind kept drifting off, wondering where he might have gone. All he’d told her was that it was really important and it had nothing to do with the way she kissed. She groaned, remembering the way she bristled when he’d laughed. Joey looked down at the cat sitting by her feet and wondered if she was missing him, too. Some strange being had taken over her mind and mouth and offered to care for the angry little beast while he was gone. After all, she was still coming over to work while he was off wherever, so she might as well do it. He had no idea how bad she suddenly wanted to dig around his stuff and find out more about him. She didn’t, of course, but the thoughts were still there. Why did he have to kiss me? She’d had guys steal kisses before, and they were usually forgotten before he could get up off the floor. Daddy had taught them well. This time, she just couldn’t block it out and move on. She thought about stroking the cat’s head but figured it might bite her for spite. Finished for the day, Joey grabbed her stuff and headed for her car. The drive to her office only lasted about fifteen minutes, and Joey spent all of them trying to figure out what it was about him she missed. Maybe if she talked to her sisters, they would be able to help her figure it out. She pulled into her normal parking spot at the side of the building and got out of the car. They all had so much going on right now that she didn’t want to bother any of them.

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She could and would find a way to handle things between her and Cameron on her own. Before she could reach for the door, it swung open. Joey didn’t ask Georgie why she was there but just walked right by her and into her office. Georgie followed, of course, and dropped into the chair across from her desk. Joey put her bags on the cabinet behind her desk. She could have stalled by unpacking her laptop and stuff, but instead she slid into her chair behind the desk and looked at Georgie, inviting her to go ahead with whatever she was planning. “Are you ready to talk yet?” Georgie’s knowing smile irked her more than it should. “No, because there’s nothing to talk about.” There. Now Georgie could go back to work and leave her alone with her thoughts. “Try again.” Joey wanted to tell her to just leave it alone, but when Georgie got something stuck in her craw, she didn’t let go until she ripped it apart. “First, you were walking around grumbling about working with this guy, who seemed to be a real pain in the ass. Then, all of a sudden, you’ve gone way too quiet.” “Okay, so maybe I’ve been a little cranky, but I’ve had a lot on my mind with the remodel and everything.” Joey watched her sister’s mouth curve into a smile. “I’d buy that from anyone but you. I can see right through that mask of yours. Something is going on, and it’s more than work.” Georgie obviously wasn’t about to let this drop. “Fine, what do you want to know? Ask me anything.” Maybe this would help her figure out what her next step with Cameron should be. “Since you’re still leaving at the break of dawn, I assume you’re still spending time with him?” Georgie laid a little groundwork, probably leading up to what she thought was some big aha! moment. “Yes, I’m still working with Cameron.” Did the way she stressed working cause the glimmer she saw in her sister’s eyes. “Has something happened?” Joey ignored her question, knowing better than to try and lie. “What did you do?”

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“I didn’t do anything. Why would you assume if something has happened it would be my fault?” It rankled a bit that she was partly right. She had overreacted. Maybe if she had been a little more in control of her emotions, she would have been prepared for his reaction. It was Cameron’s simple, innocent touch that had brought on the kiss. Damn him and that kiss. She told herself it may have been something that was bound to happen, but knowing she put it into play irked her almost more than missing Cameron for the past few days. “You know, you never were at your best in the morning.” Georgie laughed, and Joey groaned softly and nodded, admitting it was true. “I just figured since, as you said, you’ve been cranky, maybe you said or did something. Besides, it’s not like I’ve met Cameron, so I can’t judge him.” Joey got the feeling Georgie was setting her up, but she didn’t know for what. “Well, I didn’t do anything.” “Okay, what did he do?” Georgie asked. It would be so simple to just tell her. Joey had no idea the can of worms it would open, so she decided to keep it to herself. Before she talked to anyone, she and Cameron would have to come to an agreement. One with no touching and definitely no more kissing. For now, she needed to get Georgie to ease back and give her some space to work this out. “Listen to me. I don’t need you to get all overprotective. If Cameron, which I haven’t even confirmed yet, does something, you know I can handle him.” “Yeah, but where’s the fun in that?” They both laughed, and the heaviness of the atmosphere in the room lightened. “I see. This is more about you wanting to make sure Cameron knows what he gets if he tries to become anything more than a client.” Now it all made sense to Joey, and if Georgie was this gung ho to check him out, she could just imagine how the rest of her sisters would react.

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“That’s what sisters are for.” Georgie got to her feet, wiggling a little in her new tight jeans. “Not to worry, he’s just a client.” A client who kissed me senseless. “Whoa!” Georgie shouted pointing at her. “You almost had me. I know that look. You wore a look like that for days after Mike Day kissed you in the third grade.” “You’re crazy.” Joey laughed, but it sounded harsh and forced even to her own ears. “Oh, no.” Georgie shook her head. “Either you spill right now, or I’m going to find this Cameron Elwood and ask him what’s going on?” “Good luck, he’s out of town.” The pitiful little whine she heard in her voice pissed her off. From the curious look Georgie gave her, Joey figured she heard it, too. “Damn it. Just tell me if you’re okay.” “I’m fine. I know where we live if I need backup.” Luckily, the phone rang, saving her from being questioned anymore. She lifted the receiver and said, “Hello.” Georgie waved as she headed for the door. Thankfully, she had reprieve for now. And hopefully she’d have things worked out before Georgie or one of her other sisters decided to dig a little deeper. “You need to get home. Now.” Bobbie sounded really upset. Joey said, “Georgie, wait.” She shot to her feet. Georgie rushed over, and Joey hold the phone so could listen too. “Bobbie, what’s wrong?” “Frankie and Hal. I don’t know what happened exactly, but he’s looking for her and she’s nowhere to be found. She’s not answering her phone, either.” Bobbie’s breathless rambling made no sense. “Do you want me to come get you first?” Joey asked not wanting her driving if she was upset. “No, I have a quick stop to make. I’ll meet you there.”

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“Bobbie, where are you?” Georgie asked grabbing the phone and pulling it more toward her. “School. I had to drop of an assignment. Would you two stop worrying about me? Get home and see if Frankie’s there. I’ll be there as soon as I can.” She clicked off, leaving the two of them standing there, staring at each other. “I have to grab some stuff I left in my office,” Georgie said running for the door. “Okay, I’ll call and cancel the rest of my appointments for the day and meet you at the house.” Joey knew her clients wouldn’t mind her not grilling them for not following their self-imposed budgets. She was right. Seven out of nine seemed happy to reschedule. One of the others called her before she could call him. The only one who had seemed put out was Mr. Gringly. The seventy-two-year-old man was worried his grandson wouldn’t get the twenty dollars he mailed him every birthday and holiday, including strange ones like Earth Day. She guaranteed him she’d take care of it. A good half-hour had passed by the time she finished making the calls. She grabbed her bags, grateful that she hadn’t unpacked them, and ran for the door. **** Cameron’s hands were shaky, and his palms were sweaty. This nervousness wasn’t something he was used to. He had dealt with dangerous wild animals with big teeth and sharp claws and had never felt the urge to throw up. The thought that he could’ve, and probably should’ve, waited until tomorrow morning when she came to the house to apologize for skipping town had occurred to him, but he pushed it out of his mind. Now that he was pulling up in front of her building, it managed to start niggling in the back of his mind. Still, he didn’t want to wait.

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The truth was he missed her. Though he had only been gone for three days, it felt much longer. Not calling her while he was gone was torture. If he’d been able to come up with a lame excuse for calling, he would have. Somehow he knew if he heard her voice just for a few minutes, he’d be able to take the edge off missing her. He climbed out of the truck and headed for the door. Joey came barreling out of the door and right into him. He wrapped his arms around her and held tight. She looked up at him with wide, surprise-filled eyes. “Easy there.” He felt her tremble and a strange protective instinct surged through him. “What’s wrong?” “Nothing.” She eased out of his arms and readjusted her bags. “Joey, I can see that you’re upset.” He decided right then and there that he refused to let her hide her feelings from him. “Talk to me.” “I really don’t have time right now.” She took a step to go around him, but he grabbed her hand and she stopped. “Well, you can either tell me,” he shrugged his shoulders, pretending a nonchalance he didn’t feel, “or I’ll just follow you and find out for myself.” “Look, I’ll tell you everything in the morning, okay?” The pleading tone matched with her pledge swayed him to wait. Joey looked around, and he followed her gaze. A few people were milling about with their gazes locked on them. He wondered why she cared if they were watching? She looked down at his hand then back to the gawkers. Cameron let her hand go but turned, placing his hand on her back. He applied a little pressure, and when she started walking forward, he stayed glued to her side. When they reached her car, he reached around her and opened the door. Having her trapped in the small space between him and the car he was tempted to kiss her again. She made a strange noise, something between a whimper and a frog like croak. He knew the gentlemanly thing to do would have been to step back giving her some room to move. He felt kind of guilty that he didn’t, but he wanted to see how

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she reacted. Not that it would give him any insights to whether or not she had decided to keep working with him. Then again, if he kept acting like this, it was probably going to push her into quitting. He took a small step back, dropping his arms to his sides. When Joey didn’t jump right into the car, he found himself wanting to smile. She put her bags in the car and turned back to him. He knew from that one look that he was part of whatever her problem was. He wanted to reach out to her. Just being able to put his hand on her shoulders and give them a gentle squeeze was a right he didn’t have. So he did nothing. She climbed into the car, but he couldn’t just let her drive away. Cameron grabbed onto the door before she could reach for it. “Hey, whatever’s going on…if you need something, anything, just call me.” “Okay.” She nodded, and he noticed her shoulders seemed to droop a little. He hoped it was in relief because of his offer to be there for her and not because he wasn’t making her tell him what was going on. “Drive carefully.” He closed the door and stepped back. Joey started the car, backed out of the parking spot and drove to the exit. Cameron waited right where he was, hoping she’d look back. She did, and something inside him lurched in response. He wanted to get in his car and follow her just to make sure she was okay, but he knew she’d probably freak out and maybe even quit. Worse, she might call the sheriff, whom he’d recently learned was a good family friend, and have him arrested for stalking her. For now, he’d just have to wait until tomorrow to find out what was wrong. He went about town running a few errands. Every place he went, people pretended not to be looking at him, but every once in a while, he’d catch someone staring. From the smiles some of the younger women gave him, he figured they could have just been interested in catching his eye, but he quickly looked away from them.

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He wished he could just go home to Mrs. Whiskers, but he had some errands to run in town first.

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Chapter Five Cameron didn’t think it was funny anymore. Sure, when people had stared at the two of them, that had been different. Having her squirm under people’s watchful gazes was one thing. He wasn’t going to squirm, but he wasn’t going to pretend he liked it, either. He managed to turn his frown into a smile when two old ladies he’d never seen before had stuck up strange conversations with him in the grocery store. He’d barely held his tongue while the girl who rang his order up remarked about everything he bought. When he stopped in the post office to check his P.O. box, the guy working behind the counter glared at him, and Cameron almost asked him if he had a problem. The only thing that held him back was the lady standing at the counter labeling a package and her three little kids running around like wild animals. Why was it kids were either well-behaved or little monsters? He liked kids. Hell, he even wanted to have a couple of his own at some point. He was just waiting or the right woman to come along and be their mother. It wasn’t a role he was willing to give to just anyone. She needed to be special. Cam’s stomach growled, interrupting his thoughts, which wasn’t surprising since he’d skipped breakfast and lunch. His mind had been on getting back as fast as possible, which didn’t leave time for stopping for food. Now he had two choices. He could either go home and cook himself something to eat, or he could grab a bite at the diner in town. Laziness won out, and he steered his truck toward the center of town. He pulled into the lot, relieved that it was almost empty. Still,

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when he hopped out a few people passing by looked his way. For a second or two, he considered climbing back into the truck and going home as fast as it could get him there. Instead, he ignored the cowardly thoughts and marched straight ahead. As he walked through the door, the first thing he saw was an older woman wearing a pastel pink uniform with a white apron tied around her waist. She was wiping down the counter, but her gaze was on him. He had the strangest feeling he’d seen her somewhere before. She flashed him a smile and waved her hand in front of her. “Sit yourself down anywhere you please. Can I get you some coffee?” “That would be great.” Cameron walked over and took a seat in one of the corner booths farthest away from the rest of the patrons. “Be right there,” the waitress said before disappearing into the kitchen. Cameron lifted the menu leaned back against the seat and hid behind it. He hoped he would be to avoid making eye contact with anyone. Just as he started to relax for the first time all day, he heard some giggling. The urge to look and see if the laugher was looking at him was there, but instead Cameron kept his nose stuck in the menu. The waitress set a cup down on his table. Before she poured the coffee, she turned to the other waitresses and said, “Donna, your order is up. And, Stacey, I’m sure Travis can use your help in the kitchen.” Cameron lowered the menu in time to see two young women rushing into the kitchen. The waitress followed his gaze and said, “Don’t mind them. They’re harmless.” “Yeah, it’s this one you need to keep your eye on.” Alec seemed to appear out of nowhere. “You scoundrel.” The waitress laughed as Alec pressed a kiss to her cheek. “The girls were just enjoying a little eye candy.” “Now look what you did, Mildred. You made him blush.” Alec wasn’t lying, either. He felt the heat bloom across his cheeks.

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“I’ll just give you boys a few minutes to decide what you want.” She chuckled as she walked away. “What are you doing here?” Cam lifted the mug and took a sip of the coffee. “I’m here to make sure you’re still in one piece.” The playful tone left Alec’s voice, and he wasn’t smiling anymore. Cameron raised his eyebrows as he lowered his cup. “Why wouldn’t I be?” “See, that’s where things get fuzzy.” Alec rubbed his chin along the back of his hand. “Oliver called to tell me he saw you and Joey cozying up in front of her office. I laughed that off because I warned you not to get involved with her other than business.” Cameron didn’t deny he may have taken steps beyond the business line. Besides, he could tell by the way Alec was drumming his fingers on the table he wasn’t done. “But then I got a few more calls from people asking just how good I knew you.” Alec stopped talking as Mildred approached. She poured Alec a cup of coffee and topped Cameron’s off. She chatted with Alec about his cousins for a few minutes, which gave Cam plenty of time to sweat. Cameron hated that people were speculating about him. Finally, she took their orders and left. She hadn’t gotten more than two feet away when he broke. “What did you tell them?” “Oh, don’t worry. I kept your secret for now.” Alec wasn’t one for lying, but omitting bits of the truth was another story. “I stuck to the story that you’re a friend of mine and Joey is helping you with some business matters while you’re here.” “Thanks.” Cam’s heartbeat slowed back to its normal rate. Alec laughed and gave a slight shake of his head. “I should tell you I had ulterior motives.” “Really?” That was a surprising bit of information. “What are they?”

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“Joey took you on as a personal favor to me.” Alec’s tone changed when he said the word personal. “How personal?” Cameron asked before he could stop himself. “Fuck.” Alec didn’t curse a lot in public, and Cameron found it hard not to laugh at the way he looked around to see if anyone had overheard him. “Look, being the new guy and keeping a low profile has peaked a few people’s interest, but making a play for Joey—hell, for any of the Brazen women—was like waving a red flag in front of the whole town. The guys around here are not going to take kindly to you swooping into town and trying to snag her out from under their noses.” “I didn’t make a play for her exactly. I stopped by her office once I got back into town, but she was rushing off. I couldn’t just let her drive off looking so upset.” He wasn’t making excuses, just explaining why things had gone public sooner than he planned. “She was upset?” Alec yanked his phone out of his pocket and started dialing. “Yes.” Cam wondered who he was calling. “I tried to find out why, but she wouldn’t tell me.” “Yeah, well, someone’s going to tell me.” Alec got to his feet and headed for the door. Cameron started to rise, intent on following him, but Mildred chose that moment to deliver their meals. He lowered himself back into his seat and forced a smile for her. Mildred looked out the window where Alec stood with his back to them and his cell phone pressed to his ear. Mildred sighed and shook her head. “Someone needs to strip that boy.” Cameron thought he felt his jaw drop, but he was so stunned he wasn’t sure. What the hell could he say to that? The woman was old enough to be their mother. He wondered if he should feel grossed out because he didn’t. Was he amused? Hell, yeah. Shocked? For sure,

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but she was a fine looking woman for her age, so grossed out never entered his mind. “Oh, boy, if you could see your face.” Mildred’s smile lit up her whole face. “I meant someone should take away his phone, but he probably has spares.” Cam cocked his head and squinted at her. “Why do I get the feeling you were trying to shock me?” “Just testing your metal. A man needs to be made of some pretty stern stuff if he is thinking about getting involved with Josephine.” She glanced back outside at Alec and tipped her head at him. “Ask him. He’ll tell you.” “Did I pass?” He had no idea why a total stranger’s opinion mattered so much. “Maybe. We’ll see for sure once you meet her sisters.” Mildred’s laughter filled the room as she sauntered back to the kitchen. Cameron wasn’t afraid of meeting her sisters. He was, however, concerned that he may be, however unintentionally, encroaching on Alec’s territory. Alec came through the door wearing a deep scowl, which wasn’t going to make what he was about to do any easier. He barely waited for him to sit down. “Are you interested in Joey?” From the way Alec’s head snapped up, he figured his question must have taken him off guard. “No. Dude that is so…” Alec shuddered. “She’s like a little sister. They all are.” That could explain a lot, but he still got the feeling there was something he wasn’t being told. Now wasn’t the time or place to try and drag it out of Alec. He didn’t want to do anything that would draw more attention to himself. And he didn’t want Alec to leave because having him there helped divert any females who glanced their way. Besides, right now there were more important issues at hand. “What did you find out?”

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“Frankie, one of Joey’s older sisters, had some kind of disagreement with the guy she’s been seeing.” “And?” Cam knew he’d gotten more than that. “And nothing.” Alec paused and leaned forward to sniff the steam coming from the slab of meat loaf on his plate. “The Brazen sisters always close ranks if one of them is in trouble.” “What kind of trouble?” He didn’t like the idea of Joey risking herself, not even for her sisters. “How bad is this guy?” “It’s under control. Jake Gurion, the sheriff, and Joey’s brothersin-law are there. They’ll call if they need anything.” “That’s good enough for you?” It wasn’t for Cam, not by a long shot. “The guy works for her brother in-law Victor. He’s known him a long time, so if he’s not worried than I’m not going to.” Alec’s careless shrug ticked him off. “I am.” Cam stabbed the grilled chicken on his plate harder than he needed to since it was already dead. **** Joey stood there listening to her sister’s talk. How had this happened? She’d liked Hal. Heck, they all did. Of course, being a friend and employee of Victor and Trent’s may have helped him slip under their creep radar. Still, how he could be married and pull off playing the lovesick fool. Seriously, the man spent all his time working on the lodge or with Frankie. Never once would she have even thought there was a possibility that he was such a fucking loser. Frankie was an excellent judge of character, and he’d played her for a fool. And to have his wife show up and end his charade was like slapping her in the face with all his lies. Joey had hoped that since Jessie and Sam had managed to find good guys, they all would. Wishful thinking and five cents might get them a piece of gum.

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She closed her eyes and remembered the tender look on Cameron’s face when he told her he’d be there if she needed anything. Was he honestly being caring or was he playing her to keep her working for him? A few hours ago she would have thought his offer was heartfelt, but now she wasn’t so sure. Frankie stomped her way upstairs, leaving Joey, Georgie, and Bobbie standing there wondering what to do. Sam and Jessie had their hands full outside dealing with their husbands, a pissed off looking Jake, Hal, his wife, and Hal’s father, who was an older version of the low down, dirty snake. This wasn’t going to end neatly or quietly. Joey didn’t understand why Hal was there at all. Really, the gig was up, so why fight? He should just go away and let Frankie get on with things without rubbing her face in his deceptions. Okay, maybe, and it was a really big maybe, they were missing something. Victor and Trent would never willingly let any of them get mixed up with a married man. At least, she didn’t think so. Was it possible Frankie had misunderstood something? Probably not, but the only thing she could do was wait and see. Out of the corner of her eye she caught sight of her twin sister, Georgie. She was headed her way, and from the frown pulling the corners of her mouth down, Joey could tell she wasn’t happy about this situation either. She stopped by her side and peeked out the window. Joey didn’t like the unusual cold silence between them. “Can you believe this?” “No.” Georgie gave a shake of her head. “I think there’s something more going on none of us know. Just like there’s something going on between you and your new client.” “Georgie, I told you─” Georgie held up her hand, and Joey stopped mid-sentence. “Alec called a few minutes ago. Seems he’s in town with his friend, who mentioned you were a bit upset when he last saw you.” Joey couldn’t hold back her groan, which made Georgie smile. “Oh, it gets better. Before he called here, he called Jake. You know the

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second everything is under control here, Jake’s going to start digging.” “There’s no reason for him to do that.” Joey was going to kill them. First, she’d find Cameron and make sure his end came in a very public and painful display. As for Alec, his demise was going to be a little harder. She’d have to get past his cousins who would no doubt try to protect him. Maybe it would just be easier if she talked to Jake and explained the situation. She could assure him he could dig all he wanted but ask him not to go to her sisters with what he found. Yeah, and that won’t make it look like I’m trying to hide something. “If you tell him that, it’s just going to spur him on.” Georgie was right, and she hated it. There had to be a way to get Jake to drop it before he got started. Since Alec started this ball rolling, why not throw it back in his hands? Cameron was to blame, too, for running to him, and he better do his damndest to fix this. “I have to make a phone call.” Joey reached into her bag on the chair for her cell phone. Georgie grabbed onto her wrist. “Are you sure you want to fight this?” “How many times do I have to tell you there’s nothing to fight?” Georgie’s stare penetrated a few walls and saw more than Joey wanted her to, but nothing she wouldn’t have figured out in the long run. She let go of her arm. “Until you believe it yourself.” “I do.” Her lie sounded flat to her own ears. “No, you don’t, but I’ll let it go for now. Sooner or later, you’ll need a shoulder, and you know mine is always here.” Georgie walked away, leaving her to dwell on how to handle her now messy situation with Cameron. Not one to waste time, she dialed Cameron’s cell number and listened to it ring. “Pick up, damn it!”

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“Joey, is everything all right?” The fact that he sounded a little frazzled didn’t make her want to take it easy on him. “No, it’s not.” Her snappish tone should have told him how pissed she was. Obviously, he didn’t catch it. “Tell me where you are and I’ll be right there.” “Oh, no, you won’t.” The words came out with an abrasiveness that both shocked her and made her feel little bit better. “You don’t want my help?” She chose to ignore his question. Instead, she countered with one of her own. “Are you still with Alec?” “Uh… yeah.” He hemmed before saying, “How did you know that?” “It doesn’t matter. What does is that you two have managed to cause more trouble than I think you realize. Well, Alec should have known.” She let out a deep sigh before forging on. “I suggest you two put your heads together and find a way to keep Jake from asking any questions that make my sisters think there’s anything going between us.” “But there is.” His claim may have been true for a really short period of time, but not any longer. “Yeah, business, and even that is tenuous at this point.” If he got her sisters wondering if they were anything more than business associates, she’d probably quit just to prove them wrong. “I’m pretty sure I made it clear I’d like more than that.” His tone was hushed like a whisper. “I guess you’ll just have to decide what’s more important. Me in your bed? Or me clearing up your financial disaster? You can’t have both, and if this doesn’t get straightened out damn quick, you won’t be getting either.” She couldn’t say it any plainer than that. “But─” Joey didn’t even give him a chance to plead his case. She just ended the call.

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She dropped into the chair and tossed her cell phone on the coffee table. It instantly started vibrating across the polished wooden surface. She scooped it up shut it off and jammed it in her bag. “Do you really think that was the best way to handle that?” At the soft sound of Georgie’s voice, she closed her eyes and wondered just how much she’d heard.

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Chapter Six Cameron hadn’t slept much, and his mood showed it. Two cups of coffee had gotten him moving, but it hadn’t stopped him from snapping at his sister when she called to check up on him. Of course, he’d apologized and explained to her that he was just having a bad day. It was true, but he just didn’t tell her it was because he spent the night fuming over Joey’s threat. How the hell did she expect him to deal with her ultimatum? There was no way he was going to promise anything as stupid as keeping things professional. It had taken a lot of explaining from both him and Alec to get Jake to give him some time to work things out. Jake had granted him a short reprieve, but there had been conditions. Cameron had been reminded just how much he hated people telling him what he could and couldn’t do. It was one of the reasons he loved his job. He could come and go as he pleased. Never had to answer to anyone, unless he wanted to. He did whatever he wanted whenever he wanted. Cam was amazed how that had all changed in the blink of an eye. Now here he was with a cat and six kittens depending on him. There was a woman who drove him insane with her tidy perfection that he wanted to get something at least semi-serious started with. For now, he was going purely on instinct. It might not have been the wisest choice since his impulses didn’t always turn out to be the way he should have gone. When he’d called Joey and asked her to meet him in town for breakfast, he knew his half-baked plan might fail before he even got a chance to put it in motion. Still, it was the only thing he could come

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up with, so he had to give it a shot. She’d been a little tentative, even surprised, at first, but finally after a little cajoling, she’d agreed to meet him. So now here he was, sitting there waiting for her to show up so he could launch step one of however many steps it was going to take to achieve his goals. Part one of that goal was to do primarily what she dared him to do—get her in his bed. Part two was to keep her coming back as long as he could. Preferably until one or both of them admitted the truth. He had a pretty good feeling this first step was going to be the easiest since it required so little of him. All Cameron had to do was basically be himself. Not to say that wasn’t a risk because who knew what people’s reactions to him were going to be. If he was being honest, it was her sisters he was worried about. Mildred walked over and filled his coffee mug for the third time. “I should switch you to decaf.” She laughed as she leaned down, and then, in a soft tone only he could hear, said, “Your nervousness wouldn’t have anything to do with a particular Brazen woman who just pulled into the parking lot, would it?” Cam just smiled at her and winked. He leaned back in his chair and waited for Joey to come in. She walked through the door and headed straight for him. The cool, collected determination was there in her eyes. The greenish-blue shirt and black slacks looked good on her but not right. Something was off. Not by a little, either. Whatever the difference was, it was something major. He suddenly realized he didn’t feel the constant urge to mess up her tidy appearance. All the facts brought him to the only logical conclusion. She stopped in front of the table, and he lurched to his feet. “You must be Georgie.” “I am. Joey will be here shortly. She’s having some trouble finding her keys.” He pulled out the chair, and she sat down. “I have plenty of time to wait for her.” He took his seat across from her and waited for her to respond.

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“My sister Sam is bringing her the spare set from the lodge.” He assumed the keys she dropped next to his mug were the ones in question. “I’m not sure why we’re meeting like this.” He knew whatever she had in mind probably wasn’t going to be pleasant. “But it’s nice to meet you.” “We’ll see about that. I want to know what you think you’re doing with my sister.” Her demand would have seemed reasonable and easily answered a few days ago, but now there was no way he could tell her what he was up to. “She’s helping get my accounts in order, if that’s what you mean.” He knew it wasn’t. “That’s what she says, too.” Georgie gave him a smile that made him think she knew they were both lying. “At least we agree on something.” He shrugged, pretending Joey’s lack of interest wasn’t a strike to his ego. Her sudden boisterous laughter had people turning and staring. “You have something else in common.” “What’s that?” Cameron would take anything he could get at this point. She turned and wiggled her fingers at a few people before answering him. “Neither of you can lie worth a damn.” Great. Obviously, she wasn’t about to let him off the hook. He wondered if she’d called Joey on it, too. Would she be here confronting him if she had? Twins were supposed to have some kind of special bond, so maybe there’d been no need to. “She was really pissed about Alec calling Jake.” Her voice curbed his distraction and brought his mind back to the matter at hand. “I didn’t mean to make her mad.” Shit, the last thing he wanted to do was upset her any more than she already was. “Yeah, it was just a lucky side effect.” He grimaced, and she chuckled. “I also know that she called you and, somehow, you and Alec managed to get Jake to back off.”

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“Alec made a call, but from the sound of Joey’s voice this morning, she still wasn’t happy.” “Maybe not with you, but we were all happy this morning. It seems our sister Frankie may be getting married.” If she was telling the truth about things working out, then Alec had been right. He shouldn’t be surprised. The son of a bitch usually was. “So everything worked out okay with the guy she was seeing?” “Yeah. Now the question is will everything work out okay with you?” She was smiling, but there was something about the way she looked at him unnerved him. “I’m not sure I know what you mean.” The second the words were out of his mouth he realized it might have been foolish to admit it. “If you don’t now, you will soon. Anyway, I think my job here is done.” “What was your job?” Somewhere deep down he knew he needed to know. “I got a few calls this morning from some friends of ours hinting that Joey might have a new guy. Of course, there was a couple that straight out asked who the hell you were. So, my job as a loving sister was to find out who you were.” Georgie and Joey may be identical, but Georgie’s smile didn’t pack the punch. “What did you learn about me in the past ten minutes?” This he had to hear. “Nothing new.” He opened his mouth to ask what she meant by that, but she spoke before he could get anything out. “I should probably tell you I have access to all her files. I knew every detail Joey has on you before I walked out the door this morning.” “So, you knew, yet you came anyway.” That surprised him, but maybe she needed the face to face contact to make a better judgment. “For purely selfish motives,” she said flashing him a quick smile. “Care to tell me what they are?” “I wanted to meet the man who managed to get Joey so riled up.” She shrugged her shoulders as if it was no big deal, which he didn’t

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believe for a second. “Besides, I figured since you asked Joey to meet you in a very public place you were ready for some exposure.” She looked around the room and smiled. Oh, fuck! How the hell had he missed it? This could turn out to be bad or really, really good. She had no clue what he was planning, but hopefully her actions would only strengthen his position. “I take it our meeting is going to have people talking?” If so, it most likely meant Alec would be back on his case. “Probably.” She did that little shrug thing with her shoulders again. “But it’ll just have people wondering if you really are just a client like Joey claims.” “It doesn’t matter what people think. I’m going to do whatever I have to do to stay her client.” Telling her he was hoping it would turn into more didn’t seem like a prudent thing to do. “Good. Let me know if I can help in any way.” She got to her feet, and he followed. “It was nice to meet you after all.” He offered her his hand, but she ignored it and stepped into his personal space and kissed his cheek. “That was to really make them wonder.” She laughed as she walked away. Cameron stood there until she was gone. Not just out the door, but gone out of his sight completely. He’d just sat back down and started replaying their conversation when Joey walked in. Her black slacks and pristine white shirt were very similar to her sister’s. She wore her hair the same way, in a ponytail high on her head. They truly were identical, but something about them was so different. Cam got to his feet as she reached the table. “Hi.” “Good morning, Mr. Elwood.” She didn’t smile as she sat in the chair he held out for her. As he took his seat, he reached out and covered her hand. “Joey, can we call a truce, please.”

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She didn’t pull away, but she didn’t say anything, either. He held on until her gaze met his. Her green eyes glistened, and he wondered if she was going to burst into tears. Cameron felt a surge of unexpected emotions. Fear, lust, and anger were present, but above all of them was the urge to protect her. From what, though? The only thing he knew that could cause her trouble was him. The inclination to turn away roiled within him. He couldn’t help but notice how quiet the place had gotten since she walked in. “Joey, I don’t want to cause trouble for you.” He kept his voice low hoping no one else would hear. “It’s a bit late for that.” Her laugh sounded empty to him. “I know, but I’d like to make it up to you.” He’d come up with a few ideas in the wee hours of the morning that might get him back on her good side. “Believe me, you’ll be compensating me very well when this is over.” She had no idea how right she was. Cameron had managed to talk his publisher into paying her a bonus. After all, they recommend the assistant he hired, so they should foot the bill. They must have agreed because he hadn’t had to push them that hard. “I have no doubt about that.” He feigned an exaggerated grimace, and this time the laughter he coaxed out of her seemed lighter. Mildred must have decided they had enough time alone because she chose that moment then to appear at the table. “Morning, Josephine. You hungry, or did Sam make you eat before you left the house?” “Actually, she was still sleeping, and Trent refused to let me wake her up on her morning off.” Joey quickly slid her hand out from under his and grabbed the menu. “You poor baby.” Mildred teased and pulled her order pad from her apron pocket.

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“Nah, it’s all good.” Joey reached into her pocket pulled out a key ring and jiggled it in the air. “I got the keys to his brand new SUV in the deal.” “Oh, your sister was here. She dropped these off.” Cameron slid her keys across the table. “So, what’ll it be?” Mildred came to his rescue, distracting Joey before she could ask him any questions. **** Joey couldn’t get rid of the feeling that this was all some kind of elaborate setup, yet she was enjoying herself. She’d felt awkward walking in the door. She didn’t know how to deal with him, but he’d done what she asked him to, so she couldn’t refuse to meet with him until she figured it out. Even though she had threatened to quit, she really hadn’t expected him or Alec to be able to get Jake off his case. She had planned on calling him last night and letting him off the hook after she helped her sisters handle Frankie’s double-dealing boyfriend, but then things had taken another drastic change in direction. It turned out Hal had been deceitful, but not in the way any of them thought. His lies had been more like secrets, and not the type that could have hurt anyone. Frankie had forgiven him and the whole bunch of them had spent the night getting to know the real Hal and his family. Cameron had fleetingly crossed her mind a few times, but each time, instead of being angry, she wished he was there. She wasn’t about to tell him that, though. Instead, she latched on to the first thing she could. “I’m sure delivering my keys was just an excuse for Georgie to meet you.” “She told me everything worked out with your sister last night.” He lifted his cup and took a sip of his coffee. Joey told him all about it, pausing briefly when Mildred brought them their breakfasts. The second she walked away, Joey lurched

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back into her story. Cam made appropriate noises and asked plenty of questions. She felt so comfortable sitting there talking, almost like she would with one of her friends. She even found herself inquiring about his trip. He told her his meetings had been so boring he’d almost fallen asleep, but he did bring back some more of the documents she’d requested. Then he went on to tell her that he’d stopped by to visit his thirteen- and fourteen-year-old nieces, rescuing them from a punishment worse than death. Having once been a teenage girl, she took a wild guess that the punishment had been cleaning their rooms. He seemed genuinely shocked that she guessed it so easily. She told him that she could remember the thousands of times her father had sworn he was going to put everything she and Georgie owned in trash bags and take it to the dump if they didn’t clean it up. Again, he switched the conversation back to her, asking questions that just a week ago she would have avoided answering. This time, though, the answers flowed willingly from her lips. Soon, their plates were empty and they were arguing over who was going to pay the bill. Unlike some guys she had dated, he refused to let her pay. Even though she told him she could write it off as a business expense, he countered he could, too. As they stood at the counter waiting for Mildred or one of the teenyboppers staring at Cameron to ring them out, she realized how much fun she’d had. Of course, it was then she noticed the covert looks the other diners were giving them. Had they all thought this was some kind of date? It wasn’t. It was strictly business. Okay, so they’d talked about personal stuff, but theirs was a business relationship, and she needed to keep it that way. Somewhere along the line, she came to the realization that it didn’t mean they couldn’t at least be friendly, but she’d made a huge mistake by meeting him in public. Word was going to get to her sisters within the hour. They still might buy that he’s just a client, but

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that wasn’t going to stop them from finding out every little detail about him that they could dig up. Sooner or later, he was going to have to meet her sisters in person. She had doubts that they were going to love putting him on the spot. She figured Georgie had decided as her twin, she had the right to go first, and without telling her. Cam didn’t seem too freaked out, so her inquiries couldn’t have been too harsh. But that wasn’t going to last. Maybe after Sam and Jessie got their hands on him, he’d rethink his intentions about getting involved any deeper with her. Not that it mattered, because she wasn’t going to let it happen. “You can get the next one,” Cam offered, breaking into her thoughts as Mildred took his money. “Who says they’ll be a next time,” she taunted as she headed for the door. Cameron hot on her heels reached around her and yanked the door open. “I can hope, can’t I?” Joey’s shoulder brushed his chest as she walked past. The slight friction the touch caused was enough to make her step away. Cameron’s smothered chuckle hinted that he knew why. Neither of them spoke as he walked her to her brother-in-law’s SUV. Joey knew his next comment was either going to piss her off or make her laugh. She didn’t think he did it to her on purpose. It seemed to be part of his nature. Being the only person other than Alec he was spending time with just made her a lucky recipient of his witty and witless comments. They stopped next to the shiny blue car, and she pressed the button on the key ring. The car’s headlights blinked, and it set off a few bleep noises. Cameron didn’t stop her when she opened the door. He just said, “Hey, instead of you coming out to the cabin tomorrow, can I meet you at your office with the documents I brought back?” His request took her by surprise. “Umm… I guess that’ll be fine.” “Great.” He opened the door for her, and she moved to get in. “I won’t be able to stay long.”

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“Why?” The question was out of her mouth before she even thought about it. He smiled, and she thought she even saw a blush coat his cheeks. “I made an appointment for Mrs. Whiskers and her babies with the vet.” “Have you decided what you’re going to do with them once you’re ready to leave?” She hoped he had something in mind. He nodded. “My nieces are each coming to pick out a kitten when they’re old enough. Mrs. Whiskers and the rest are welcome to stay as long as they want since I don’t plan on leaving for quite a while.” “What about your work?” She hoped he didn’t hear the distinct note of panic in her voice. “I’ve been thinking about going in a different direction. It’s one of the things I want to go over with you.” The shrug of his shoulders should have meant it was no big deal, but the tone of his voice proved otherwise. “Why me?” Deep down, she didn’t want to be responsible for his future, or maybe she was just afraid. “Because you’re my financial guru, and I want to make sure this is a sound business decision.” His reason was sound, and she was glad he wasn’t just jumping into whatever he was considering doing. “Fine. Why don’t you drop off the folders in the morning, and I’ll squeeze in an hour later in the afternoon to discuss it.” She slipped into the car, almost sighing at how comfortable the cushy leather seat felt. “All right. See you in the morning.” He smiled, closed the door for her, and with a wave, he walked away. Joey knew she should have felt relieved that he hadn’t brought up the subject of their kiss. Maybe he had already changed his mind about taking things in that direction. She started the car, watching as he climbed into his truck. There were too many things she needed to be doing to sit there and wonder what he was thinking.

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Joey tore her gaze off him and focused on getting herself through the center of town to her office. Not surprisingly, she spotted Georgie’s little red sports car sitting out front. She’d gone for the substance her all-wheel drive sedan offered while Georgie had gone for the stylish quality that fit her so well. Though they were identical in many ways, Georgie always managed to come off fresh and fun while Joey fit into the role of the serious, down-to-earth twin. If it wasn’t for Georgie forcing her to buy half the clothes in her closet, Joey figured she’d probably come off as a woman on her way to spinsterhood. Lucky for her, Georgie refused to let her end up that way. From the double dates she forced her to go on all the way to the shopping weekends down in Boston, Georgie was doing her best to help her find a man. Not that she needed her help. Joey had always figured she’d find a guy when the time was right. Lately, she was starting to wonder if that was just a lame excuse she used to keep her from having to let someone into her life. She would be the first one to admit she liked things neat and tidy. Her life was based around being organized. Every relationship was full of ups, downs, and lots of compromising. To let a man, any man, into her life would bring an edge of chaos she just wasn’t ready or willing to deal with right now. Her sisters provided enough action to keep her hopping. Maybe once the remodel was completed, and when she had Cameron’s disaster straightened out, she could slow down a little and find a guy she was willing to take a risk on. She took a deep breath as she slid from the car and headed inside. Georgie was probably dying to tell her all about her meeting with Cameron. Though she wanted to hear what went down, she was afraid at the same time. She could do without knowing what he had to say about her. Her problem was she figured if she told Georgie she didn’t want to know, she would read just enough into it and make a big deal out of it. All she could do was pray for one of Georgie’s clients to make some huge scene they needed her to spin into a positive light

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before Georgie could tell her anything. That might be the only way she’d get her to leave without discuss Cameron. “How was breakfast?” Georgie practically cooed the second she stepped into the office. “Fine. How was yours?” Joey picked up the empty yogurt container and dropped it into the trash. Georgie shrugged her shoulders. “Boring. I would rather have spent the time getting to know Cameron a little better.” She knew her sister was just trying to get some kind of reaction out of her. If she showed even the slightest bit of jealousy, Georgie would latch onto it, yet if she pretended like she didn’t care, Georgie would be able to tell and assume it was because she was trying to hide her feelings. Basically, either way she responded she was screwed. “You should have stayed and joined us.” She opened the bottom drawer, dropped her purse in, and closed it with just the right amount of pressure. Georgie smiled as she toed of her shoes off and pulled her feet up under her. Obviously, she planned on sticking around for a while. Luckily, Joey had a full day booked, so she’d have to make it quick or wait until tonight when she got home to try and press her for some kind of feedback. “Mrs. O’Malley and her grandson will be here in about ten minutes, so unless you want to hear her complain about him still being single you should probably get out of here.” Georgie had briefly dated Mrs. O’Malley’s grandson in junior high school, and the old woman still disliked her for breaking his heart. It didn’t matter that the dork had been caught kissing another girl, or that he had actually been the one to dump her. Mrs. O’Malley was determined to believe Georgie had been the wrongdoer. Her grandson’s single status was of his doing. At almost thirty years old, he still enjoyed playing the field. Since he did a lot of traveling for the education consulting company he worked for, there were still plenty of fields left to play.

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“Mrs. O’Malley called to cancel. Seems her boy is taking her out to breakfast to meet his new high-society girlfriend.” Georgie made herself comfy and waited for her to say something. “Great. Maybe this one will stick, or break his heart worse than you did, so I won’t have to hear about it every two weeks.” Joey took her seat behind her desk and looked at her sister. “Not that I need to ask, but what’s on your mind?” “Cameron claims you’re just his accountant, and he’s just your client.” Joey nodded. “I already told you that.” “I know, but he said it with more feeling.” Georgie’s smile was accompanied with a teasing wink. “Did it make you believe him?” Joey wondered if all that charm of his finally worked in her favor. “No. But it was nice that he tried to hide the way he feels to protect you.” Joey thought back to the kiss he planted on her before he left. He hadn’t attempted to hide they way he felt then. And the sincere look on his face when found her rushing out of her office hadn’t been masked, either. “Why are you blushing?” Georgie’s singsong tone irked her. “I’m not.” Joey lied, feeling the heat on her cheeks and burning the tops of her ears. “Oh, yes, you are. Did something happen at breakfast you want to tell me about?” Joey leveled her gaze on her sister. “Nothing happened at breakfast.” Georgie must have been able to sense she was telling the truth, because she instantly switched tactics. “Well that’s too bad. You realize if he sticks around, he won’t be single much longer. One of the girls around town is bound to try and scoop him up.” “Okay.” Then maybe she’d be able to get back to her own plans.

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“I’m just saying he’s not just good looking, he has a sense of humor too.” She didn’t need Georgie to extol his virtues. She’d seen them first hand. “So what was your objective in meeting him this morning?” Her sister just sat there and smiled at her. “Were you trying to see if he could tell us apart, or were you just being nosy?” “I was curious about the first guy in a long time that has been able to get under your skin.” Georgie waited a few minutes, and when Joey didn’t respond, she said, “Aren’t you going to deny it?” “Nope, because he’s a total pain in the butt. He’d find a way to get on a saint’s nerves.” Her sister slapped her hands on the arms of the chair. “I didn’t mean it like that and you know it.” “What would you like me to say?” Joey leaned back and waved her hand in the air. “He’s hot! He’s funny! He doesn’t like to take no for an answer, and he loves to be in charge.” “At least you’re not blind.” Okay, so she would have had to have been at least partially impaired not to have noticed. “No, I’m not, but does that sound like the kind of guy I’d be interested in?” Joey hoped to hell it was enough to prove her point. “Normally, I’d say no, but people say sometimes opposites attract. That could be the case here.” Her sister was either being deliberately obtuse or scarily serious. Joey groaned loudly. Either way, Joey really wasn’t in the mood to debate this situation with her anymore. Sadly, she knew Georgie wasn’t going to just let it drop without some major persuasion. Even if she did get Georgie to back off, she knew it wouldn’t last long. “Trust me, it’s not.” Joey’s tone clearly insinuated her sister was imagining things. “I just don’t want to stand by and watch you let someone slip past that might be good for you.”

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“Would you rather see me throw myself at some guy and take a chance on getting a broken heart?” Okay, that may have been a little harsher than she meant to be. “Not necessarily throw yourself.” Georgie looked away and shrugged her shoulders. “But, yeah, I’d like to see you take a little risk.” “I don’t have time for games right now. With the remodel and my regular clients and doing this favor for Alec, I’m not up for adding anything else to my plate. It’s full.” She waved her hand at the folders stacked on her desk. “Not even something as mouthwatering as Cameron?” Georgie pushed. “Nope. Maybe once we’re done with the remodel and things slow down, I’ll pay a little more attention to my love life.” Not that she was promising anything. “What love life?” Georgie’s tone had gone from serious to teasing in the blink of an eye. The way she popped up onto her knees and looked around the room was pretty comical, too. “Very funny.” Joey swallowed back the laugh that tried to escape. “Don’t you have work to do?” “Actually, yes, I do.” She got to her feet and slipped her shoes on. “I’m headed up to the lodge to run some really cool promotion ideas past Jessie and Sam.” “How much are they going to cost?” Joey wanted to know how big a chunk of their marketing budget she was thinking about spending. “I’m not exactly sure on the figures. I’ll have them by the time we all sit down at the end of the week.” She grabbed her tote bag from the floor and strode toward the door. “Hey.” Georgie stopped and looked back over her shoulder. “Why are you going to see them if you don’t have all the info?”

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“Well, a lot of what I have in mind revolves around Sam’s cooking and just how willing she is to let someone else into her kitchen.” “Good luck with that.” Joey knew she had her work cut out for her. Sam’s kitchen was her domain. Sure, she let them trespass from time to time, but usually only under close supervision. On her days off, the guests were fed cold but delicious meals. Sometimes they had casseroles or premade meals that whoever was working just needed to bake and serve. Georgie’s ideas better be something outstandingly special, or Sam would most likely shoot them down. “I know how to make most people see the best in a situation. Present company excluded,” Georgie taunted as she opened the door. “Are you saying I’m being difficult?” Joey knew she was, but only out of necessity. “More like inflexible!” she shouted, leaving her words hanging in the air as the door closed behind her. Inflexible! Please. If Georgie could only see some of the dreams she had about Cameron. She—no, they—had both been pretty damn flexible. The images flooded her brain, and she knew he’d be on her mind the rest of the day. It seemed the more she tried not to think about him, the more she ended up doing just that. Especially at night when she had no control of where her mind roamed. It was all Cameron’s fault her mind kept taking trips to naughty town. She’d tried to keep things strictly professional, but he refused to leave things there. All his attentions had subconsciously made her want something more. His good looks were only part of the problem. She didn’t know how, but he always found a way to brush against her. There was no doubt in her mind that he was doing it on purpose, either. And it was driving her crazy, which is probably what he wanted. Joey thought she was doing a damn good job hiding it, but there were times when she may have slipped. Like when he would move in behind her and lean in to read over her shoulder. The spicy

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smell of his cologne and the heat that surged between them was impossible to ignore. Thinking about it brought the dream she had last night to mind. The dream had been both the best and worst. She’d woken up feverish, alone, and so turned on she wanted to scream. It had all seemed so real. She’d been standing at the table in his pantry sorting forms when Cameron came into the tiny room. As usual, he took up a lot of room, leaving her feeling crowded. He didn’t say anything. He just walked over and took the papers from her hand and dropped them into the box. Joey smiled, remembering how, in one swing of his arm, he’d swept everything on the table to the floor. Then, he yanked her into his arms, and she melted against his hard chest. He lowered his head, covering her mouth with his. The kiss was rough and primal, and she loved everything about it. His hands slid to her back, where he undid the zipper on her skirt and let it fall to the floor. Joey let him slide her panties down, too. He spun her so she stood between him and the table. She faced away from him with her back to his front. Cameron pressed one hand on her back, leaning her over the table, while the other undid his skintight jeans. Joey put her hands on the table, bracing herself for what she knew would be coming. He slid his hand down her back, coming to a stop right above her ass. She held her breath and waited. Cameron leaned in, and she felt his cock press against her. His hands grabbed her hips, and he lifted her onto her toes. He bent his knees and slid his dick through her wet curls. Her whole body shuddered as he slid inside her. She felt her muscles stretch as he plunged as deep as he could. His retreat made her whimper, but his forward lunge almost lifted her off her feet. Their grunts and moans filled the air as he quickened his strokes. Just as she felt herself on the precipice of a mind-blowing orgasm, a door slammed, jolting her awake. She’d spent the rest of the night tossing and turning.

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Though she tried to tell herself that the real thing never matched up with fantasies, it didn’t help. Instead, it just made her more curious about finding out if he would, but she refused to go there. No matter how much her sister or Cameron tried to make her want to do otherwise. Her phone rang and she scooped it up. “Hello.” “Hi, Josephine.” Alec’s familiar timber came through loud and clear. She instantly wished she hadn’t answered. “Morning, Alec. What can I do for you?” “Actually, I was just calling to apologize and thank you for forgiving Cameron.” “What makes you think I have?” She wasn’t at all surprised that word had gotten to him so fast. “I stopped by Cameron’s place and had a chat with him.” Obviously, Cameron was a popular man this morning. “He didn’t have to, but he mentioned the two of you had breakfast.” Joey dropped her head to her desk, knowing this was just the beginning.

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Chapter Seven Joey had cleared her desk of any unessential items and spent the morning sorting through the thick folders full of documents Cameron had collected on his trip and brought back for her. Her plan of attack had been to sort them and enter the information later after she had time to give everything a good once-over and ask him any questions. If he had been there, it might have been different, but Cameron hadn’t been joking about not staying long. He’d popped in, dropped the folders on her desk, and gave some quick explanations. Then, he popped back out to take Mrs. Whiskers and her babies to their appointment. He had seemed so nervous, she almost volunteered to go with him, but she had known she was too busy since she rearranged her afternoon to meet with him again. Still, she had to admit he looked kind of cute all frazzled. She turned into the lodge’s parking lot and drove straight around to the back parking by the kitchen entrance. As soon as she finished this meeting with her sisters, she planned on heading over to his place and getting to work. Her brothers-in-law wouldn’t be present for the meeting, which could be both a good and bad thing. Since this was just the six of them going over which charity events and committees they wanted to be a part of next year, her brothers-in-law were exempt. Joey’s father had made sure from a young age she and her sisters all knew that giving back was the right thing to do. He’d gone so far as to set up a special account the family used to make donations and support various causes. Granddad had left ten thousand dollars that was designated to the account, too.

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Joey figured once Trent and Victor were done remodeling the lodge and cabins, they would probably find their spot somewhere. Most likely where they could have some fun with the Mitchell cousins, who were just as active in the community as they all were. Then there was Hal. They’d have to wait and see where things between him and Frankie went before they knew how he’d fit in. She really didn’t want to think about the Hal and Frankie situation. Joey was happy Frankie found someone to love who loved her back, but she didn’t like that there was a good chance she’d be leaving now that she was engaged. After all, no one expected Hal to quit running a million dollar business to live in the wilds of northern Maine. Of course, Frankie wouldn’t be leaving forever either. Hell, not for long, but anything more than three weeks was going to seem like forever. But living in the city would get on Frankie’s nerves after a while, and she’d need a break. Eventually, Joey knew they’d all get used to her coming and going. Until then, she wasn’t going to think about it too much. She had enough work to keep her mind occupied. In fact, she was so busy she’d forgotten Cameron’s files and had to go back and get them, which explained why she was the last to arrive. Her sisters had parked all in the same area. Joey spotted Jessie’s classic Mustang. Sam’s truck wasn’t there, so she must have come in Trent’s SUV, which was parked beside Jessie’s car. Georgie’s little red Dodge Intrepid was next in line. Then, Bobbie’s beat up compact that they were all trying to talk her into getting rid of. She pulled in beside Frankie’s car, which was a lot like hers but in a flashier blue color where as hers was beige. They were all so different, and it showed in the way they dressed and the cars they drove. She figured it was also pretty evident in the men they dated, and refused to date, too. After grabbing her bag from the floor behind the passenger seat, she headed for the building. The second she opened the door, she heard laughter floating down the short hall. From the sounds of things, she’d obviously missed something good.

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She turned the corner that led into the center of the kitchen and froze. The straps of her bag slipped from her fingers and the bag fell to the floor. The laughter faded to a dull buzz that settled around her. What the hell was going on? What was he doing there? She felt someone nudge her and turned to find Georgie standing there holding her bag. “Breathe and smile or neither of you will make it out of this room in one piece.” Georgie was right, but forcing her lips to tip up into a smile took a lot of effort. “Good girl. Nobody noticed your pause, so let’s go play nice.” “Hey, Cameron.” Everyone turned to her, and she hoped her voice had sounded normal because she still heard a buzzing in her ears. “What are you doing here?” He had the good sense to look a little shell-shocked. “Josephine. Hi, um…Alec set me up for a meeting with the best architect firm in town, and they happened to be your brothers-in-law.” “After our meeting, I insisted he come up here so he could sample Sam’s cooking.” Trent wrapped his arm around Sam’s shoulders and tucked her against his side. Cameron flashed her a smile, but surprisingly there was none of the sexiness she usually saw. “They refused to take no for an answer.” After the way she freaked out on him when Alec called, Joey believed him. He probably tried a handful of excuses before he gave in. The harder he tried to politely say no, the more Victor and Trent’s interest in his not wanting to go would have been peaked. He was right to have given in, and she was just going to have to deal with it. “Haven’t you ever heard the way to man is through his stomach? You might want to stop tempting fate.” Joey was just kidding, but this was one guy she wished he hadn’t brought home. “She’s just teasing.” Bobbie informed everyone, but their laughs weren’t as boisterous as they had been when she walked in. “So, Cameron.” Joey knew from Jessie’s tone he was about to be put on the hot spot. “How do you know Joey?”

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“He’s the client Alec asked me to take on,” she blurted before he had a chance to answer. Jessie and Sam glanced at each other and shared a smile. Joey’s error was plain to see even for her. Cameron, unaware to the normal current that ran through her sisters, probably didn’t. Joey should have waited calmly and let him explain their connection himself. She’d jumped the gun. It was as good as waving a red flag in front of them signaling the start of a race. In this case, it would be to find out as much about Cameron as they could. “Why don’t you guys go commandeer a few tables, and we’ll bring out some food in a few minutes.” Jessie nudged her husband, who took the hint and led Cameron out into the dining room, and Trent followed, leaving the six of them in the kitchen. “I’m so glad we decided not to leave until the end of the week.” Frankie sounded a little too cheerful. “I was wondering what was bothering you. Now I know.” “Where’s Hal?” She hoped her question would divert Frankie attention for a few minutes. “He’s on a business call. I’ll fill him in on the details when he’s done.” Frankie smiled. “Now tell me more about the situation between you and the hottie.” This time, Joey was smart enough to keep her mouth shut, but Georgie wasn’t. “I thought I was the only one who noticed something was up.” “Nope.” Bobbie had been loading plates with coleslaw and potato salad, but she paused mid-scoop. “Two misplaced files were a small indication something was up, but after she almost missed a meeting, I knew, whatever it was, she was getting in deep.” “How involved are you two?” The trace of humor she heard in her other sister’s voices was missing from Jessie’s. “We’re not involved,” she said. Georgie added a loud, resounding, “Yet.”

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“Cameron is a client.” That one statement should have ended the conversation, but it didn’t even make them take a minute to think it over. “Do you kiss all your clients?” Bobbie’s question took her by surprise, but not as much as it did her sisters, who all gasped. “Let’s set the record straight. He,” she pointed at the door leading to the dining room, then at herself, “kissed me.” Bobbie shrugged her shoulders and smiled. “Okay. Do you let all your clients kiss you?” “No. How do you even know about that?” Bobbie always seemed to know everything, but Joey couldn’t figure this one out. “I’m just that good.” Bobbie rubbed her nails on her shirt then blew on them. Cocky little shit. Joey hoped someday one of them would have a little dirt to tease her with. For now, she was going to have to deal with the aftermath of the bomb Bobbie just dropped. “Care to explain?” Jessie asked. Joey knew she didn’t have a choice, because if she said no, they were just going to ask Cameron. Hell, they were probably going to ask him anyway, but she should tell them first. “We had a slight argument and things got out of hand. I quit, and he said something about since I was already mad, he may as well kiss me.” Georgie and Bobbie sighed. Jessie, Sam, and Frankie laughed. Their responses made no sense. It wasn’t at all romantic or funny. She shouldn’t be surprised because all of her sisters had strange senses of humor. “I told him it wouldn’t happen again.” At the time, she’d meant it, but now she wasn’t so sure. “But you’re still working with him.” Frankie walked over and grabbed a pitcher of lemonade out of the fridge. “It’s not like he has anyone else up here to help him out.” Even though it was true, it came out sounding like a lame excuse.

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“When’s he going home?” Sam stopped making the BBQ chicken sandwiches and turned to face her. “He must be planning on sticking around for a while if he’s looking to make changes to the cabin he bought.” “I’m not sure what his plans are for the long term.” Joey wasn’t sure she wanted to know, either. “But you’ve talked about it?” Georgie asked. “Yeah.” Joey nodded, and a slight smile curved Sam’s lips as she turned back to her task. “But not like you think. He talks to fill the silence. He’s forever asking the stupidest questions just to hear his own voice or something.” “Joey, did you ever think he might be trying to get to know you better?” The way Jessie was shaking her head told her she didn’t think she had. “Of course, I did, but I don’t want him getting to know me better.” She wanted to throw her hands in the air or stomp her feet, but it wasn’t the way an adult acted. “That’s why I told him not to come here.” Everyone stopped what they were doing and spun in her direction. Shit! She couldn’t believe that came out of her mouth. Being surprised to see him was acceptable. Claiming he was nothing more than a client was true to a point. To let them know she’d gone as far as telling him not to come to the lodge was a huge mistake. She’d only been trying to spare him an inquisition, hadn’t she? Okay, so maybe she’d been protecting herself from the questions she didn’t want to answer. “You actually told him not to come to the lodge.” Jessie’s eyes were wide and so was Sam’s mouth. “No. Well, kind of. See he’s keeping a low profile, so I told him if he came up here, he’d meet you guys, and you wouldn’t let him get away without making sure half the women in town heard about him.” Joey wasn’t jealous even if she sounded it.

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“So, you were happy keeping him all to yourself.” Bobbie’s comment got a few giggles. “Wouldn’t you be?” Joey figured Georgie’s question was probably lost on her sisters. “No, I’d want to show him off a bit.” Bobbie’s reply caught her off guard. “I’d be willing to lay odds that Jake wouldn’t like that.” Bobbie blushed at Frankie’s comment, but they all knew it was true. Joey knew what she was about to do was wrong in a lot of ways, but she knew Bobbie would forgive her in the end. “I saw Jake in town right before I left. He mentioned stopping by tonight to discuss something with Victor.” “Jess, you know I’m going to that party tonight.” Bobbie had made sure all of them knew she was going to the English department’s fundraising event tonight. Jessie flashed Joey a look that promised retribution. “Honey, he’s only going to be at the house for a little while. I’m sure he won’t even notice you leave.” Joey saw the flash of hurt in Bobbie’s eyes before it was replaced by determination. “He’d have to be blind to miss me. Still, I was more worried about his reaction when Mike arrives to pick me up.” “You have a date?” Sam asked as she loaded the last plate onto one of the trays. “Sort of.” Bobbie shrugged her shoulders, trying to backtrack out of the hot seat. Bobbie looked over at Joey as she realized what she’d done. Joey would apologize later, but for now she was glad her sisters had taken the bait. Hopefully, if they were distracted by Bobbie’s issues, they’d let the ones between her and Cameron drop. ****

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Cameron tried to act like everything was okay, but he didn’t think the guys were buying it. Trent and Victor kept the conversation flowing. Victor kept asking him about what features he had in mind for the cabin, but Cameron had to keep asking him to repeat the questions, so he finally gave up. After a few seconds of silence, Trent asked him what he did for a living. Even though Cameron knew he was trying to make small talk, the look on Trent and Victor’s faces told him the way he answered was going to mean a lot. “I’m a photographer.” He watched as Victor’s eyebrows drew together, forming a V between them. Cameron figured he wasn’t supposed to see the nudge Trent gave him with his elbow before he said, “So, how do you know Alec?” He wasn’t sure how much Alec had told them, so he decided to keep it simple. “We’ve been friends for years. My uncle and his parents were really good friends.” The women had been in the kitchen for a long time. Joey was going to kill him. Even though he’d done his best to get out of invading her personal space, he was here. From the way her sisters had been sizing him up, he knew his presence would definitely cause some waves. And if she didn’t get out here soon, he might end up accidently saying something really stupid that would give her brothers-in-law a reason to beat him to a bloody pulp. “What kind of photos?” Victor asked leaning back in his chair and crossing his arm over his chest. His movements reinforced Cam’s initial musings that these two were pretty built for being architects. Maybe he should have let Alec sit in on this meeting like he wanted to. Instead, he had refused just to prove he could handle some things up here without his help. He’d pulled enough strings to get Joey to work with him. If Victor and Trent decided to take the job, it was going to be because he hired them, not because Alec or one of the other Mitchells asked them to do it.

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“Mostly nature shots.” He wasn’t hiding, but he didn’t think this was the right time for bragging about his job either. “You mean like animals and stuff?” The left side of Trent’s mouth kicked up in a weird way, speaking much louder than his voice did. “Yeah.” He nodded glancing back to the door leading into the kitchen. The loud laugh Victor let loose had both him and Trent jumping. Trent looked at his brother, who said nothing. Cameron didn’t need him to. Somehow, he must have said just enough for Victor to put enough things together and figure out who he was. The question now was would he tell everyone else or wait and let them find out on their own. Hell, it might not even matter. For all he knew, Joey was in the other room telling her sisters all about him. “What’s so funny?” Trent asked, but Victor just shook his head. Before Trent could ask him if he knew, the door swung open and the six Brazen sisters came out one by one. Cameron watched them enter in awe. The women ranged in height, but were all within a few inches of each other. It was the same with their hair, which ranged from deep brown to honey gold and onto a lighter blond. They all wore it long, but some had it wavy and some straighter. Even though only Joey and Georgie were identical, they all had a look about them that would tell a perfect stranger they were related. Each of them was a beauty in her own way, but as a group it was a bit overwhelming. He figured their father must have had his hands full keeping the boys off his porch. His brain kicked in, and he lurched to his feet, remembering his manners. Each woman was carrying a tray covered with plates of food, except for Joey, who came out last carrying two pitchers of lemonade. They joined him, Victor, and Trent at the long table. He waited until the last one of them was sitting before he did. Without a word, plates were passed out and drinks were poured. Cameron just sat and watched as the sisters took care of business. Trent poured lemonade into glasses that were passed down until

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everyone had one of those, too. Once everyone had a plate and drink, they all turned their attention to him, except for Joey, who seemed really focused on her potato salad. Her youngest sister, who looked almost exactly like her oldest sister, launched the first question. “So, Cameron, how long have you been one of Joey’s clients?” He should have felt some kind of relief that her sisters believed that’s all he was. “Just a few weeks.” “And are things working out?” Her older sister, Sam, the blondest of them, smiled, and he couldn’t help but return it. “It’s going great. My records were a total disaster. Somehow, Joey has started to get them straightened out.” “She’s the best.” Georgie nudged Joey with her elbow and a pretty pink blush crossed her cheeks. “We all know that.” Jessie’s tone didn’t have the same friendliness that everyone else’s. “So, other than being a friend of Alec’s, what brought you here?” “I was looking for a quiet place to get away. Alec recommended I come up and check things out. I felt so at home, I decided to stay,” he explained, wondering how many people squirmed under her family’s intense gazes. “For how long?” Sam asked. “Must be a while if he’s having Victor work on designs for something,” Frankie suggested. “My job requires some traveling from time to time, but I’ve decided the cabin is a perfect place for me to come back to when I’m done.” He tried not to react to the way Joey looked at him from beneath her lashes. “So, you’ll be sticking around then.” Trent refilled his wife’s glass and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “Yeah. I’ll need to add a few bedrooms along with the studio.” He aimed his comment at Victor, who nodded.

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“Are you expecting someone to be joining you?” Jessie seemed really interested in his answer. “My nieces whenever they can.” He chuckled and added, “They’re already driving their mothers crazy with their begging to come for a visit.” Cameron wasn’t sure if bringing up his family had been good or bad. Either way, it had given Joey’s sister and brothers-in-law something to talk about. They asked all kinds of questions, which he willing answered, hoping Joey liked what she heard even though she didn’t ask anything herself. Soon, their plates were mostly empty, and he figured it was a good time to make his escape. There was only one problem. He didn’t have a car. Victor and Trent had brought him in their car. Being at their mercy for a ride he had no choice but to wait until they were ready to drive him home. Asking now would seem ungrateful after such a good meal. Still, the longer he stayed, the more pissed Joey would be. She wasn’t acting mad yet. As a matter of fact, he’d seen a glimmer in her eyes when his sisters asked a few of the more personal questions they’d thrown at him. And when Bobbie had asked if he was single, he’d caught the quick, twisted grin on her lips. Still, he figured once she got him alone, he was going to get an earful. “Well, as much as I’d love to sit around and spend the rest of the afternoon watching you guys put Cameron through the ringer, we have work to do.” She got to her feet, and he quickly followed. “I need to talk to Cam for just a minute.” Victor got to his feet, stalling their escape. “All right, I’ll get my car and meet you out front.” Joey headed for the kitchen. After a round of goodbyes and hand shaking, Victor led him out into the lobby. Once they were out of hearing range, Victor put his hand on Cameron’s shoulder and came to a stop. “Does Joey know who you really are?” If there was any doubt earlier that Victor didn’t, it was gone now.

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“Of course, she does. I haven’t kept any secrets from her. It would be impossible for her to decipher my financial document disaster without giving her full access.” Anything she didn’t learn from the files she was going through he was more than willing to tell her. “So she knows about the work you’ve done scouting dangerous areas for some high profile movie producers.” Cameron didn’t answer right away, and Victor shook his head. “I didn’t think so.” “I haven’t done that for years. How did you figure that out?” He was either damn well informed, or he made a hell of a guess. Victor chuckled again and said, “I must be the only guy I know who watches the credits after movies.” “I’m sure you’re not, but─” It suddenly hit him that what he was about to say sounded pretty damn egotistical, and he didn’t want to come off that way. “I don’t mean to sound pompous, but normally people recognize my name or photos from some of the magazines my shots have been in. Or my name from the awards I’ve won.” “If I remember right, some of those were taken in pretty dangerous places and situations, too.” Victor’s point was coming across with glaring accuracy. “You can stop worrying that I might ask Joey to do something dangerous.” Hell, if his plans worked out, his life may actually become boring. “That’s good to hear, but actually I was kind of hoping you would at least bring a little adventure her way.” Victor chuckled. “Huh?” Cameron figured he must have missed something. “I think Joey sees herself as the practical, responsible, logical Brazen sister.” Victor smiled and gave his shoulders a little shrug. “I’d like to see what happens when she lets loose a little.” “Shit, me too. She’s always so neat and tidy I just can’t help trying to fluster her.” “She’s not going to be an easy nut to crack.” Victor was right, but Cam was going to have fun trying.

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Sooner or later, it was going to happen, and he was going to enjoy every minute of it. “I know, but she’s worth it.” “You hurt her, even a little, and her sisters will tear you apart.” There was more than a warning in his voice. Maybe Cameron heard a little encouragement, too. “Got it,” he said. Victor started walking down the hall, and Cameron hustled to keep up with him.

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Chapter Eight Joey drove them straight through town to his cabin. Neither of them spoke until she parked the car in front of his porch. Even then, they just sat there for a few minutes. She wondered what wayward thoughts were rolling around his brain. “Before you even say a word, just remember I warned you.” That should take the wind out of his sails. “It wasn’t as bad as you implied it would be.” His laughter had her twisting in the seat to face him. “Your family is actually really nice.” “In a few days, I’ll be sure to remind you that you said that.” That would give her sisters had time to process what they learned about him and decide what direction they want to go in when it came to him. He managed to get out of the car, walk around, and open her door before she even had the keys out of the ignition. She got out and stepped toward the back door to retrieve her laptop, but he was there first. He slid the bag onto his shoulder, reached in, and hefted the box. Joey stood there and watched as he turned and walked toward the house leaving her to close the door and follow. He really couldn’t have thought her family was nice. She closed the door a little harder than she meant to. Her sisters had been their nosy selves, asking him anything and everything that popped into their minds. He’d answered, but it wasn’t like they gave him much of a choice with the way they put him on the spot. She was smart enough to know that much of what they asked was to see if they could get a

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rise out of her. Even though she’d tried to play it cool, she knew there were a few seconds where she may have slipped. Hopefully, the slips hadn’t been too noticeable. Joey felt the heels on her shoes dig into the soft dirt of the walkway that led to his porch. If it was up to her, she’d make sure that laying some paving stones was on Victor’s list of things to consider in his designs. Maybe if she could find a way—without sounding too bossy, of course—she would bring up the subject with Cameron and let him take it from there. There were a few other things he should consider, too, like expanding the kitchen and putting in a real office along with the studio. She knew he was going to need if he really planned on sticking around. She caught up to Cameron in time to open the door for him. “I’m glad we had a chance to grab lunch because we’ve got a long afternoon ahead of us.” “I’m willing to give you my undivided attention.” From the husky timber in his voice, she knew he meant more than work. Joey did her best to ignore the way his voice made her tingle and got right down to business. She led the way to the makeshift office, not even sparing a look over at Mrs. Whiskers, who let out meows for Cameron’s attention. He murmured a quick hello as he walked through the room, and she instantly quieted. “Mrs. Whiskers still isn’t happy with me for leaving and then taking her to the vet,” he explained as he headed for the kitchen. “She’s getting pretty attached.” Joey knew just how hard it was not to succumb to Cameron’s charms. “I like having her around to talk to.” He put the box on the table a slid her laptop bag off his shoulder. “Hasn’t Alec been stopping by to keep you company?” “Yeah. He has, but he’s not the type for curling up on the couch with me to watch a movie.” He turned and looked at her, and her whole body got hot.

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Instantly, Joey began to wonder if the couch was wide enough for her to join him. “Your relationship with Mrs. Whiskers has moved to that point?” “I think she feels sorry for me. So, if I find someone else to cuddle with, I don’t think she’ll mind.” Oh, he was so wrong about that. “No female of any species likes being replaced. It won’t happen as easily as you think.” She fought back the cringe that crawled up her spine. If he read too much into her words, he might think she was talking about herself. She wasn’t. Once her job was done, they were going to go their separate ways. Maybe if he stayed in the area, they’d be the type of acquaintances who nodded and waved when they saw each other but probably nothing more. Sooner or later, he’d find a woman to spend his free time with. Joey wasn’t going to acknowledge that the more she considered that possibility, the less she liked it. “Well, I guess I’ll have to find someone to spend time with that Mrs. Whiskers likes.” He had to know that left her out because, though the stubborn little beast was at least tolerating her presence, they were far from being on friendly terms. “More like someone who’s willing to put up with Mrs. Whiskers.” She laughed not because she thought finding a woman like that was going to be hard to do—she knew it was—but because they were talking as if it was all that mattered. Joey didn’t think Cameron was the settling down type of guy, so everything they were saying was hypothetical. She wasn’t going to debate something that would never come to be. In a few weeks or months, there was a good chance Cam would be trying to find a good home for Mrs. Whiskers. She made the decision right then to try to get along better with the cat just in case she got stuck with it. Unless Cameron made some other friends or was able to con Alec into taking it, that was probably what would end happening. “You two seem to be getting along better.” His smile echoed her thoughts.

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“Mmm…” She shrugged, ignoring the jibe and focused on booting up her laptop. Joey couldn’t get past the feeling that he was baiting her. In many ways, she found dealing with him was a lot like dealing with her sisters. Being on guard all the time was exhausting, but she figured it was better than having people think they knew her every thought. The only person she really felt she could let herself relax with was Georgie, which shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust her other sisters. She could tell them anything and knew it wouldn’t go any further than between the five of them and maybe her brothers-in-law. They’d never hold anything against her or throw it in her face later, but she couldn’t remember a time from her entire childhood where she’d let anyone all the way in except for Georgie, who refused to be kept out. She probably would be a very private person if her parents hadn’t given her such nosy sisters. “Do you think I passed inspection with your sisters?” “In what sense?” She knew what he meant, but it was kind of fun to let him squirm. Cameron walked up behind her so close she could feel his breath on her neck. If he was even slightly tuned in to her body’s reaction, she would’ve been in big trouble. Since he didn’t try to make a move, he must not have noticed the hitch in her breathing. She’d like to think she was strong enough to reject his overtures if he did try something, but she wasn’t so sure. Joey quickly slid out from between him and the table and moved to the box of files. He followed, stopping next to her, letting their shoulders brush each other. Joey kept her gaze locked on the files. The more time they spent together, the harder his impact felt. Maybe she should just give into the building attraction and hope once they burned the flame out it would stay that way. It was a silly notion because there would be no way she could work with him after sleeping with him.

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“You’ve been doing a lot of silent thinking since we left the lodge.” The soft yet deep tone of his voice made her stomach drop. “We’ve got a lot of work to do.” She wasn’t lying, but that wasn’t the only thing on her mind. “That’s a good excuse,” he held up his hand when she opened her mouth to argue, “mostly because it’s true. Still, I can tell it more than that. Now, back to my question. How would your sisters react if I took you out to dinner?” “I guess they’d be fine with it. I have lunch and dinner with clients on occasion.” She knew he meant as a date, but playing dumb might buy her some time to decide how she was going to deal with him. **** Cameron could tell she was being deliberately obtuse. It was her way of deflecting when he got too close, and he’d had about enough of it. He inched closer to her, pretending to be looking into the box. A simple shift of his body had his shoulder behind hers and their hips touching. Joey made that sexy little noise he wasn’t even sure she knew she made whenever he got really close like this. He wasn’t going to let it go to waste anymore. “I wasn’t talking about as a client. I was thinking more along the lines of a date.” There. He couldn’t be any plainer than that. “You’d have to ask them.” The shrug of her shoulders only brought them closer together. “If I can take you out on a date?” He could be just as dense as she pretended to be, when he wanted. “No, I can answer that.” But she didn’t. Hell, she didn’t even look at him. “You’d have to ask them how they’d feel about it.” He placed his hand on the small of her back and felt her shiver. The room was hot and stuffy already and being this close to her just made him hotter. Cameron slid his hand up her back slowly, giving

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her ample time to pull away. If she so much as inched away, he would let his hand drop, but she didn’t, so he kept going until his fingers were under her long hair. He wanted to wrap the soft, silky strands around his hand and pull her head back so she had to look up at him. Since he knew that would be pushing her too hard too fast, he fought the sensation and kept his hand on her back between her shoulder blades. Cam could feel the short breaths she was taking under his palm. On one hand, he could completely understand why she was fighting the attraction between them, but on the other he wanted to be the one to make her throw caution to the wind. “How about we say screw work and you take me for a ride?” He smiled, hoping she’d take his offer the right way. Hell, for him either way would be the right way. She tilted her head to look at him and in her eyes, just for a few seconds, he saw the want. “That would be totally irresponsible.” “I know, but you can charge me for the time, so it’ll be a business expense.” He was just kidding, but he must have hit a nerve. She spun on him and slapped her hand on his chest. “Jerk.” Surprised, Cameron barely stopped himself from taking a step back. He looked into her face, and his breath caught. Her cheeks had a blush pink tinge, and her eyes sparkled. She was furious, but if anything, it just made her more irresistible. “Joey, it was a joke.” He covered her hand with his keeping her from getting away. She let out a huff and tried to pull her hand away. “Sure, it was.” “Okay, part of it was a joke. The billing me part.” Still holding her hand against him, he took a step forward, and she took one back, keeping a good foot between them. “But I was serious about taking the rest of the day off and going for a ride.” For every step he took, she took another. Soon, she had her back to the wall with nowhere left to go. “Wh–why do you want me to go for a ride with you?”

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Her slight stutter gave him a sense of control. After everything he’d tried, he’d finally gotten a positive response. After all the smooth talking, friendly teasing, and even kissing her, nothing had flustered her until now. Finally, he’d gotten a reaction worth a damn. Maybe not the one he wanted, but if he pushed a little harder it might come his way. “I need someone who knows the area, and knows me, to show me what I want to see.” He stroked the back of her hand with his thumb as he spoke. Her eyes widened and lost some of the fire, but something else replaced it. “You think I know you.” “A little, but I want you to get to know me better.” It would have been so easy to close the tiny space between them and cover her mouth with his. “Cam, I really don’t think that would be a good idea.” She looked down at the floor. Cameron used his index finger to tip her chin up, forcing her to look at him. Her teeth were biting into her bottom lip. He used his thumb to tug it free. Unable to stop himself, he ran it across her lip. Joey gasped and her fingers curled into the soft fabric of his shirt. “Good idea or not, I don’t think we have much of a choice because, sooner or later, it’s going to happen.” “And if I don’t want it to?” The waver in her voice should have answered her own question, but he’d answer her in his own way. “If you don’t, then you shouldn’t make those sexy little noises whenever I get close.” Even without the noises, there were so many other signs she unwittingly gave him. The light pink color slashed across her cheeks turned a deeper red, but she didn’t bother to deny it. “You should have kept your distance.” “I told you before that I can’t. Do you have any idea how hard it is to ignore the way you make me feel?” He slid his hand along her jaw to her neck. “Now you’ve pushed us both past the point of no return.”

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“Not yet.” She shook her head, tossing her hair from side to side. “We can stop this now.” Cameron needed to prove just how wrong she was. Acting on pure primal instinct, he covered her mouth with his. The kiss was far from gentle. She opened her lips under his assault and kissed him back. Their tongues dueled in a passionate dance. He pressed his body against hers, loving the way the softness felt against his body. His legs slid between her thighs, and she widened her stance as far as her skirt let her. It wasn’t enough. Cameron couldn’t take it anymore. He had to have her. He reached down, grabbed her skirt, and yanked it up to her hips. Joey pulled her mouth from his, and he thought she was going to protest, but instead she let go of his shirt and helped him tug her panties down. If that wasn’t brazen enough, she quickly undid his belt and helped him free his aching cock. That was all the encouragement he needed. Cam bent his knees and grabbed Joey’s thighs and lifted her. She wrapped her legs around his hips and her arms around his shoulders, holding tight. He tried to keep some space between her and the wall as he slid inside. Her hot, wet heat gloved his dick and he knew going slow would be impossible. He withdrew slightly then surged back in. Joey rocked her hips, meeting his thrust. They were both breathing hard and making lots of noise, probably scaring the cat. Joey screamed his name as she came apart in his arms. He held her shaking body, and he kept driving in and out. Every muscle in his body tensed in anticipation of his release. Cameron didn’t want it to end, but he couldn’t hold back either. He came with a force that was so strong he almost dropped her. “Holy fuck.” He eased her feet to the floor but didn’t let her go completely. She wiggled and mumbled something he couldn’t make out. “We’re not done.” He scooped her into his arms and carried her upstairs to his room.

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Chapter Nine Joey sat across from Georgie and listened as she rambled on about a new plan she came up with for one of the local business owners for a fun summer contest. Her mind wasn’t there, though. It was replaying every minute of what happened yesterday afternoon at Cameron’s place. Was it a mistake? Probably, but only time would tell, and Joey wasn’t ready to wait and find out. She needed to come up with a plan on how to deal with the situation. She’d been right about one thing. Now that they crossed the line, there’d be no going back. He wasn’t going to pretend it never happened. She just hoped that, unlike other people she knew, they could keep this from leaking out before she decided how to handle it. Most people didn’t broadcast that they were having an affair. It was the slight little changes that others noticed that gave them away. She’d seen it happen before. Innocent touches that brought on come-hither smiles and lingering looks that, more often than not, got caught by others. Those were things she could nip in the bud on her side, but she couldn’t control him. She’d asked him to keep this between them for now. Though he had agreed, she didn’t think his silence was going to last very long. She had learned over the past few weeks that he wasn’t the type of guy to hold his tongue. He said and did what he thought he had to, so hiding whatever their strange relationship was wouldn’t feel right. If things turned serious, which she really doubted they would, he would find their agreement an unreasonable restraint and break it. Maybe it would be easier to just break things off now and find someone to take him off her hands. That sounds like a good idea.

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She’d need a plan, though, because there was no way she was going be able to work with him after this. That meant she’d have to find someone to handle his account, too. “Well, what do you think?” Her sister’s cheery voice snapped her out of the confusing fog she was wading through. “I’m sorry. I kind of zoned out.” Jeez, the distraction was just the first sign of her getting in too deep. “Is it Cam?” Georgie asked. Joey nodded, but stuffed a French fry in her mouth so she wouldn’t have to answer. “Do you know what I’d do if I were you?” Georgie’s smile told her it was probably something wicked and naughty. She couldn’t stop herself from asking, “What?” “Just enjoy him.” Joey felt her chin drop, and Georgie laughed. “Get serious.” “I am. Look at it this way. He’s probably going to get bored and go back wherever he came from as soon as you’re done straightening his shit out. So, for the rest of the time he’s here, why not enjoy his company and body if you get the chance.” Joey couldn’t believe her sister was actually suggesting she have a fling. “Georgie, I can’t go into this knowing there no future in it.” “You went to college, right?” Georgie’s off topic question took her by surprise. “What does that have to do with this?” She couldn’t see a link between her going to school and dating Cameron. “Humor me. You went to college.” Joey nodded and Georgie continued, “While you were there you played softball, you participated in the student government.” “You made me do those things.” It was a weak defense, but it was true. Georgie shook her head and rolled her eyes, obviously as just disgusted with her response as she was. “The point is that you did it

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and had a good time. Never in the four years did you ever consider going into politics or professional sports, right?” “Yeah, but those weren’t meant to affect my life. They were fun ways to pass the time.” Now Joey was getting the point. “Maybe Cameron is, too. Someone once said ‘you need to kiss a lot of frogs to find your prince.’” “What if he turns out to be a prince?” she countered, knowing from spending so much time with him that it was a big risk. Just talking about this with Georgie was dangerous, which is why she’d been trying to avoid it. Georgie always found a way to make even the most outrageous idea seem reasonable. Damn it! More than reasonable, she made them sound downright sensible. Joey liked to think she had a logical nature, and in most cases she did. So why was it so hard to think of Cameron in a practical way? Deep down, she knew the answer, but she just wasn’t ready to admit it yet. “You know it probably wouldn’t go anywhere anyways.” Georgie shrugged her shoulders and took a sip of her soda. Hearing the certainty in her sister’s voice almost had her blurting out what they’d done. “What makes you say that?” “Because I know you.” Georgie’s laughter wasn’t meant to tease it was too playful for that. “You’ll put so many rules and conditions on everything he’d change his mind. Sometimes you can be almost as controlling as Jessie.” Could it really be that easy to make a guy back off? She’d never tried putting rules on a relationship before, but if it might work, she was willing to give it a shot. In her case, it may be a little hard since they already screwed each other until neither of them could stand, literally. Then they’d dropped to the floor and did it some more. And now that Georgie had shown her there was another way to deal with the situation, maybe they would do it again. “So where’s that handsome man of yours?” Mildred placed fresh sodas on the table and picked up their empty glasses.

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“Who?” they asked in unison. “Don’t you two try to play dumb with me. You were both in here with him just the other day, but word around town has it Joey’s the one that hooked him.” The wink Mildred gave her made her wonder just who’d been talking and how much. **** Cameron was getting used to the strange and even hostile looks the people around town were giving him. In fact, he hoped it meant his plan was working. Either way, he wasn’t going to spend a lot of time wondering what was going on. He just smiled at them and went about his business. Though he did wonder if Joey was getting the same looks wherever she was hiding. She’d blown off their meeting this morning, claiming an emergency with another client. He suspected it was more than that but let her get away with it. He strolled through the market, tossing things into his cart. Tonight when she stopped by he was going to be ready. The plan was to have a nice, light dinner, something sweet and chocolaty for dessert, and maybe a few candles waiting for her. All right, the candles may be pushing it a bit, but he was going to do his best to get her to stick around as long as possible. They could eat while they worked and then—maybe if things went right—have dessert out on the little deck. If she balked, he had a story all set that would hopefully sway her. After all, her brother-in-law had instructed him to use the place as much as possible because it would help them determine what needed the most updating. The cabin itself was sturdy, but if Cam wanted to live there long term, they may need to knock it down and start from scratch. He really hoped not. The place had a good vibe, and he could use a little of that in his life. He paid for his stuff and left the store. Jessie and Bobbie were standing on the sidewalk talking to a police officer. His uniform was a

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bit casual, jeans, a tan button down shirt, and a baseball hat. The guy stared down at Bobbie, who was beaming a smile in his direction. Jessie spotted him first and raised her hand. “Cameron.” Arms loaded, he couldn’t wave back, so he nodded. They quickly closed the short distance between them, the cop following. “How nice to see you again so soon.” He couldn’t help but notice the way the guy stepped closer to Bobbie. “You, too. How’s everyone else?” He made sure not to come off too personal. “Fine. This is Jake Gurion, the local sheriff.” “We haven’t met officially, but I’ve heard a lot about you in passing.” The Mitchell cousins had filled him in on Jake, warning him it was much better to have as friend than an enemy. “Same here.” Yeah, he figured after he got the call from Joey, Alec had made a few calls of his own. Bobbie pushed up on her toes and peeked into his bag. “I hope you’re not thinking about getting Joey to cook for you.” “No, I plan to cook for her.” Both women gasped, and Jake chuckled but quickly covered it with a cough. “Does she know?” The way Jessie asked made him want to reconsider just for a second before he found his balls and manned up. “No, but she had to rearrange our appointment due to another client, so I figured we could eat and work at the same time.” “So it’s a business dinner.” Jake nodded his head as he said it, and Cameron grabbed onto the hint. “Yeah. A hundred percent deductible, too, so she should like that.” They all laughed along with him, and he hoped he was off the hook. “Sure. If all else fails, that point may save you.” Jessie voice had a teasing tone. “From what?” He asked wondering what the hell he’d missed. “Well, Sam’s waiting, so we should really get going.” Jessie grabbed onto Bobbie’s arm.

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“Oh, right. Talk to you later.” They scampered into the store, leaving him standing there on the sidewalk with Jake. “You gonna to give me a clue as to what that was about?” he asked Jake. “I’d be risking my neck among other things, but even if I could, I can’t because I’m not sure. Sorry.” With the smile the sheriff wore, Cam didn’t think he was really that sorry. “No problem. Wouldn’t want to cause a rift.” Seriously, he wouldn’t because it was bound to come back to him. “Great. Now that’s settled, and we’re alone. I’d like to ask you a few questions.” Jake’s tone didn’t sound like he was giving him much of an option, and with him being the sheriff Cameron really didn’t a choice but to answer. “All right. Can we walk and talk?” He shuffled the bags in his arms. “Sure.” Jake slapped him on the shoulder, grabbed one of the bags, and they headed off in the direction Cam’s truck. “I think it’s only right that I tell you I’ve run a complete background check on you.” “From what Joey and Alec have told me about you, I kind of expected that it was bound to happen sooner or later.” Jake’s position granted him the power to basically dig through his life, looking for any skeletons Cameron may have buried. “Want to tell me what I found?” At least Jake gave him the chance to come clean. “Other than some trespassing charges that were eventually dismissed, I’m guessing not much.” Cameron wasn’t cocky about it, but he knew better than anyone just how clean his record was. Jake leaned against the truck crossing his arms across his chest. “You know, a guy your age should have a little something more on his record. Like, at least speeding ticket or two. Otherwise, someone might see right through the neat little background someone obviously spent a lot of time putting together.”

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Cameron froze his upper half still in the truck. Jake had to be taking a wild stab in the dark. His background was so thickly developed no one was supposed to be able to find the threads that would lead back to certain places best left undetected. Jake didn’t come off as a man who played games, so he must have found something. Shit! Cameron was going to have to make a few calls before Joey got there. “You’re the first one who ever questioned it.” Cameron hoped he sounded calmer than he felt. “That may be, but I knew what was missing, so I knew what to look for.” Jake’s confidence had Cam wondering exactly what his background entailed. “Have you mentioned this to anyone?” he asked, hoping he hadn’t. “No, but Victor came to me a few days ago.” Jake pulled a sheet of paper out of his pocket and held it out to him. “He doesn’t know, but he was curious about your Hollywood influences.” “I’m a just photographer, plain and simple. I told him those days were far behind me. Anything else I may have dabbled in is in my past, too, and believe me, I only dabbled.” Still if Jake sensed something was off someone else might too. “Whatever agency you reported to thought you were in deep enough to clear your record.” Damn the guy sounded confident in his accusation. “True.” Cam’s admission had Jake smiling. “But only so I can’t be linked to them. Or at least that’s what they told me.” “Truthfully, even if your record was spotless, and you were just a photographer, the situation between you and Joey would still be far from simple.” He knew Jake was right about that. “Joey and her sisters seem like a tight little unit.” He fished to see if that was what Jake had been hinting at. “They are. I’m sure Alec told you enough about them to keep you from getting in trouble. But it didn’t work, did it?”

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“Fuck no! He left out just enough to let me dig myself into a hole.” Jake laughed hard and loud enough to turn a few heads in their direction. “Nope, trust me you would have been neck deep with or without him.” “How the hell have the guys around here not managed to fall head first?” The question had been driving him nuts. “Most of them have, but they’re smart enough not to let the girls see it.” Jake obviously knew a lot about the subject. “They don’t seem like the type that would trifle with a man’s emotions just for fun.” With Jake being a friend of the family, Cameron didn’t need to defend them, but it just came out. “One thing about the Brazen sisters you should know is they don’t play games. They’re straightforward and tell it like it is. So, instead of getting shot down, the guys wait for them to make the first move.” The way Jake explained things, it all made a weird kind of sense. “You don’t have to tell me, but is there a trail of broken hearts around here?” The chances had to be pretty high with six beautiful women roaming about. Jake shrugged and said, “Less than you’d think, but there’s a few guys you’ll want to steer clear of until you and Joey decide just how far this thing between you is going.” “Let me guess, the guy in the post office is one of them?” Jake laughed and then gave him a list of names as long as his forearm. Not all the guys were men she dated, but they were all interested in her. Jake laughed the whole time he told him the story behind the guy in the post office. Turns out Joey dated him in junior high school. Phil was still carrying a torch, hoping some day she’d see him and realize he was Mr. Right. Cameron had a queer feeling that if things didn’t work out between them, he’d spend years pining away, too, because even though she had an identical twin, Josephine Brazen was a one of a kind woman.

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Jake told him his secret was safe with him but also warned him that if things started to get serious, he better tell Joey about his past employment, however brief, or he would. Cam agreed, and satisfied with his response, Jake shook his hand and told him to stop by the tavern with Alec for a game of pool. Cameron hopped into the truck and started it up. The short ride wasn’t long enough for him to think his problems through. Cam’s life was about to take a new direction, and people were going to be asking a lot of questions. He wasn’t sure how the fact that he’d done some spying for his country would sit with the Brazen sisters. He hadn’t even told his family about it. They would have been sick with worry every time he left. None of them had reason to worry anymore. He’d been telling the truth when he told Jake it was all behind him. The proposal he’d received from the local University to head up their photography program was proof of that. It was a great offer that would give him the opportunity to work with not only college kids, but with the local high and middle school students. He’d still have plenty of time for his own projects to. The offer was so good that at first he thought Alec was playing a joke on him. It took a meeting with the President, Vice President, and the heads of the art department to realize they were perfectly serious. He wanted to talk it over with Joey before he made final decision. Cameron needed to know how the position was going to affect his tax status for the next few years. She would be able to tell him everything he needed to know. Money wasn’t the issue. He was fine with the amount they offered. Cameron would deal with any artistic license issues. Once he made up his mind, he’d talk it over with his mom and sisters. He knew they were going to be thrilled. At least twice a month, he got a lecture on how he wasn’t getting any younger and should really start thinking about settling down. They probably thought he hadn’t been listening, but he had. If fact he’d put a lot of

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time into his decision to basically give up his vagabond lifestyle and find a job close to home. Of course, not too close. Cameron knew that he’d never be able to handle it if his mom and sisters could pop in whenever they felt like it. The seven hour drive between where they live in New Hampshire and his cabin up here in Northern Maine would be just enough to keep that from happening more than once a month. Maybe twice a month during summer vacation. He could handle that much of them, more of his nieces. The girls would be able to come whenever they wanted, and he’d let them stay as long as they wanted. He loved spoiling them. As he hefted the bags into his arms and carried them into the house, he wondered if he missing the chance at having rug rats of his own to spoil. At twenty-seven, he was far from too old, but by the time he found someone he wanted to have kids with, he might be. Cam had two reasons to make sure that didn’t happen. First, his mother would never forgive him. Being the only son, it was his job to carry on the family name, which meant he needed to have a son or two. It was a tall order, and he figured he better get right on it. The second was more selfish. He wanted to be a dad. He thought he’d be a good one. It didn’t matter if he had girls or boys. He just wanted a bunch kids filling his life with laughter and fun. Cameron wasn’t kidding himself. He knew kids were hard work and with the laughter came tears, but in his mind it was all worth it. By the time he had everything put away, Cameron was in the state of mind to find out how Joey felt about kids. She was a little bit younger than him at twenty-three, and if she didn’t want kids, he was pretty sure it wouldn’t stop him from pursuing her. Things between them were just getting started, and they had plenty of time to see where things would go. He was just damn curious, and even though he knew it was a dangerous track to follow, he couldn’t seem to stop himself. Before Cameron knew it he had the pasta going. The shrimp, garlic, and tomatoes were sautéing for the simple yet unforgettable

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sauce his sister, a professional chef, had taught him how to make. The garden salad was already on the table. When he’d set the table using the chipped mismatch plates and silverware, he realized some things around there he could change sooner rather than later. He made a mental note to buy a decent set of dishes and maybe even a few other items to give the place a homier, but classy, feel Joey may appreciate. Not that he was trying to impress her or anything. He heard a car pull up, but instead of going to see if it was her he stayed at the stove. The perfunctory knock sounded on the door before it opened. “Cam?” Joey’s voice reached him even though she hadn’t yelled. “I’m in the kitchen.” he shouted. After a few seconds he heard her heels clicking across the floor. “Wow, that smells great.” “Glad you think so. Have a seat.” She stared at the table for a few seconds. “Let me just go take care of this first.” She patted her laptop hanging at her side and headed for the pantry-office. Cameron took the fact that she hadn’t made a fuss as a good sign. If he could get a little food and maybe wine in her, it may help her to relax. Then he could tell her about the job offer and slowly lead up to asking her some of the more personal questions pinging around his mind. She came back into the room as he was serving them each a healthy portion of pasta. They’d only had two meals together so far, and she’d cleaned her plate, so he knew she could handle it. “Damn. I hope that looks as good as it taste.” He pulled out a chair, and she slid right into it. She had a fork full of pasta up to her mouth before he even sat down. He liked that about her. She wasn’t one of those women who picked at their food like a bird. God, that type of woman drove him crazy. Joey’s eyes fluttered shut and moan escaped. She didn’t bother to hide the fact she liked it just to make him wait.

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His dick jerked at the blissful sound she emitted. When she licked the remaining sauce from her lips, his whole body went stiff. He’d like to think she knew what she was doing, but it was innocent. She probably had no idea how she was affecting him. Cameron was glad the table hid the way he responded. He took a deep, calming breath, which didn’t help at all, before he spoke. “I’m glad you like it.” He chuckled and spun his fork in his spaghetti. “It’s great. Where’d you get it?” Before he could tell her he made it himself, she said, “Sam’s going to flip now that someone’s going to give her some competition. How far did you have to drive?” “Actually, I made it myself.” She held her fork inches from her mouth and stared at him. He watched as her wide eyes narrowed. “You’re serious?” “As a heart attack. We have something in common, you know?” “What’s that?” She asked taking another huge bite of her pasta. “We both have sisters that are chefs.” He bet there was a lot more, too. “I’m sure Sam’s made sure each of you can cook.” “More or less.” She laughed and shrugged her shoulders. “Sam likes to be control in the kitchen since Jessie is everywhere else.” Oh, that one statement told him more about her than anything she’d said since the day he met her. It wasn’t just what she said, but the way she said it. Control was a big thing in her family. If she thought it was just Jessie and Sam who liked to be in charge, she needed to get to know herself a little better. Being in command of her office and all her clients gave her the same sense of power her sisters probably felt when running the family and kitchen. “Is there any more? I’d like to bring some home for Sam.” “Sure. I’ll make her up a little care package,” he offered, glad she liked it enough to want to share. “You sure you don’t mind, because Sam’ll be pestering you for the recipe.”

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“I think I already proved I can handle your sisters.” She gave him look he couldn’t read. “They took it easy on you.” Her voice was flat and serious, not a hint of teasing to be heard. “Are you sure?” She nodded and said, “If you don’t believe me, ask Victor or Trent about the first time they were invited to a family meal.” “But Trent is Victor’s brother, and Victor is married to Jessie. Why would your sisters give Trent a hard time?” It didn’t make sense to him. “We’d just found out Victor was married to Jessie, and we needed to see just how serious Trent was about Sam.” Joey explained. Hopefully, he’d get the whole story some other time. “I can understand. My sisters and nieces will probably fillet and grill any woman I bring home.” She’d warned him, so he figured it was only fair to return the gesture. “Will? So I take it you don’t bring many women home to meet the family?” Now, there was the teasingly sarcastic tone he was becoming so used to. “One in high school and one in college.” It wasn’t that he hadn’t had women since that, but he hadn’t met one had worth introducing to his mother. Not until Joey, that is. “So you’re the only boy, huh?” She lifted her glass and took a sniff of the wine before taking a sip. “I’m the baby, too.” He’d used that fact a few times to dig himself out and get them into trouble. “Lord above, your sisters must have hated you.” She laughed as she shook her head. “There were times when I feared for my life. They enjoyed the torture they put me through, but mostly they tolerated me.” “Tortured?” She sounded a little too happy for his taste. “They had this thing about trying new makeup colors and styles out on me before wearing them themselves.”

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She laughed so hard her whole body shook with the force of it. For years, the threat of his sisters telling anyone about them doing that to him had kept him at their beck and call. Once he learned that being a male—the kind who wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty—gave him more power, the tables had turned. His sisters instantly became nicer to him, yet they were far from the docile, sweet girls everyone else thought them to be. Still, they’d grown closer over the years. And even though he was the youngest by two and a half years, he’d quickly taken on the role of protector once they started bringing guys home. “How old are your sisters?” “Lara is thirty, and Kirsten is thirty-one. They’re so close in age and looks, people often thought they were twins growing up. I’m sure there were times they loved it, but more often than not, I remember them hating it.” Joey nodded and a slight smile curved her lips. “I can sympathize. There were times when we were little that Georgie and I pretended the other wasn’t there. It never lasted more than a few hours, though, because we couldn’t live without each other.” “Do you think you could now?” Her head snapped up, her gaze locking with his. “What I meant was what if one of you was offered an amazing job overseas or something?” “Just because we wouldn’t be living together doesn’t mean we’d be living without each other. I do see your point, though. I guess we’d discuss it and maybe the other would look for a job there, as well.” “All right, here’s another scenario. What if one of you fell in love? Say you decided to get married and have a dozen babies?” “Any man who marries one of us better plan on the other being around a lot, otherwise, he can forget it. As for the babies, which wouldn’t quite be a dozen, it would be like they had an extra mom around all the time.” “So, how many babies do you plan on having?” Oh yeah, that was slick, he thought, until she laughed at him.

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“I don’t know. How many do you plan on having, Cameron?” The exaggerated batting of her eyes and the way she turned the tables so quickly told him she was fully aware he was digging for more information. Cameron decided since she opened the door he was more than willing to march right in. “I’d like a couple. Maybe even four.” “Good, sound number.” He wasn’t sure it was the answer he wanted. Maybe somewhere in the recesses of his mind he’d been trying to scare her. A lot of women would have considered four kids a lot. Considering she came from a big family, he should have probably gone with a much bigger number for it to even make her nervous. “I’ve been thinking about it more and more lately.” He noticed the way her knuckles whitened as she tightened her grip on the fork as she spun it around. Joey could try to hide the way she felt from him, but if he was vigilant he could catch the small signs that gave her away. He knew he probably gave off his own signals she was catching. Good or bad, he knew plenty of couples who had a silent way of communicating. A look, or maybe the way they moved, could tell the other person a lot, so he figured they were ahead of the curve in that respect. “Why?” she asked, breaking into his private thoughts. “I’m not getting any younger, and I’m ready to settle down.” “Really? No more roaming the country, taking pictures of whatever strikes you?” “No more living out of a backpack,” he said, but she didn’t look convinced. “I told you I had something I wanted to talk to you about. I’ve been offered a teaching position at a university.” “Which university? Here?” “Yes, here.” He told himself it was only right that she be shocked. “And you’re considering it?” She asked staring him. “No,” He shook his head. “I’m done considering it.” He just hadn’t told anyone yet.

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“And?” He was glad she didn’t hide her interest in his decision. “Well, it depends on you.” “Me?” He almost laughed at the panic he heard in her tone. He could have drawn it out and let her think he meant personally, but he didn’t want to send her running. “Yes. See, I need you to break it down and tell me how this is going to affect me tax-wise.” “Do you have some kind of written offer?” He nodded, and she continued, “I’ll need to look everything thing over. We should get started.” She got to her feet and carried her empty plate to the sink. The instant change that came over her was scary. Cameron hadn’t meant to bring it up yet, and now he was kicking himself. The smiles and laughter vanished, and in their place was a look of deep thought. Any chance he had at seduction was gone. He’d ruined the moment, and there was no getting it back. As she walked into the office, obviously expecting him to follow, he thought about the chocolate and strawberry trifle he made for dessert. It really sucked that it was going to go to waste. It could hold a day, but after that, it lost its punch. He wasn’t about to let that happen. Joey may not get the full impact of him delivering it to the table and serving them, but she was going to at least taste it. “I’ll be right there,” he called out. Cameron made quick work storing what was left of their dinner. Then he grabbed the two glass bowls he’d bought in town and spooned a huge helping of the trifle into each one. He squirted them with whipped cream and topped them with a slice of fresh strawberry. If he was lucky, this may swing her attention back to him, but he doubted it. So much for suggesting they eat these in bed.

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Chapter Ten Joey had a plan, and this wasn’t part of it. With some prodding, she had finally decided to give herself permission to enjoy Cameron’s attention. When she walked in and found him serving them dinner, she almost jumped him right then, but her manners and something a little deeper had stopped her. Now this bomb he dropped made her think it was a good thing she hadn’t. Yet. The old adage never mix business with pleasure was already broken, so she was going to go with her own rule: make sure business was done before indulging in pleasure. If Cameron ever got his sexy ass in there, they could whip through what she had already done. Then they could talk about his teaching offer from the college, which she’d needed to spend some time really going over. Hopefully, after that she’d have worked up enough nerve to tell him she wanted him. If he still wanted her then, they had a couple of things to discuss before she ravaged him. Of course, the ravaging would only come into play if he understood and agreed to her stipulations. He may even have a few of his own if he really planned on taking this job offer. After all, it wouldn’t be good for parents or students to think their professor was promiscuous. Then again, he was a guy, so most people probably wouldn’t think twice. Still, she wanted it known while they were together, they were only seeing each other. And since most of the people in town were already talking like they were a couple, she may as well let them believe it for now. It wasn’t like anyone was going to believe her when she told them they weren’t. She knew the harder she denied it, the more people

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would think it was true. Even her sisters would start thinking something was going on, if they didn’t already. So the best thing to do was get the rules, which she’d spent the better part of her day making up, straight right from the start. In fact she’d been so distracted she almost missed two very important calls. Another reason why they, okay, she, needed very clear boundaries. If neither of them crossed the lines, then neither of them would be any worse off when this dangerous game they were playing was finished. She wasn’t out to make him suffer because it would only put her through the same torture. Since she wasn’t a masochist, she wasn’t going to hold back any more, or longer, than utterly necessary. Joey turned her laptop on and turned to pull the files she’d been working on out of her bag. She heard Cameron clear his throat behind her. “Are you ready to get down to business?” “Not yet.” She hadn’t been expecting that to be his answer, and it pissed her off. She spun around in her chair ready to blast him, only to find him stand there holding a bowl in each hand. “I don’t know about you, but I want to enjoy my dessert before we get too buried in work to enjoy it.” Joey looked at the chocolate and strawberry concoction, and her mouth actually watered. “If you’re not sure, I could go eat in the kitchen and let you get started without me.” Cameron extended his arm, holding the bowl in front of her for a few seconds before pulling it away. He turned to go, and with the speed of a hungry cheetah, she lurched to her feet and grabbed his arm. “Teasing a woman with chocolate can cause bodily injury.” “I wasn’t teasing. I was offering.” She took the dish from him and walked back to her chair. “You were the one who wanted to get right to work.”

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She shrugged her shoulders as she slipped back into her chair. “I guess work can wait a few more minutes.” “Or work can wait until tomorrow, and we could take the night off.” Cameron followed his quick suggestion with a wink. Joey didn’t respond right away. She took a few bites of the chocolaty goodness and let him sit there and wonder if she’d take him up on his offer. He probably figured she wouldn’t, but she’d been fighting this long enough. The time had come for her to charge and move things in the direction she wanted them to go. “You know, sometimes I think you really don’t want to get this completed.” She knew he did, but there were times it seemed as if he was dragging his heels. “I do. I just want to spend some time with you, too.” At least he didn’t deny it. He probably would have choked or fallen off his chair if she admitted she wanted to spend time with him, too. Switching tactics so quickly would make her think someone was playing with her, and that wasn’t what she wanted. So slowly dropping hints and laying down the rules seemed the right way to go. It was a good thing that her sisters never believed that Cameron was just a client. This also posed a few problems for him. Her sisters were bound to launch a full-scale investigation into his life. They wouldn’t stop until they were sure they knew every little detail about him, especially after the huge misunderstanding that just happened between Frankie and Hal. Her only hope was Georgie. She may agree to be the buffer she needed between Cameron and her other sisters. Of course, that wouldn’t help when it came to her brothers-in-law or Jake. It might be a really good idea to let Cameron know exactly what he was getting into if he did let things between them progress. “We spend plenty of time together. If we spend any more time together, my family is going to get the impression we’ve moved on

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from a professional relationship to something more personal.” Just because they had didn’t mean everyone had to know it. Cameron put his dish on the table with a hard clunk. “Are you saying what we did, right here on this very floor, wasn’t personal?” “No. It was intensely personal.” She smiled and licked then sucked the chocolate sauce off her spoon watching his eyes widen as she did it. “I’m just saying they’re not going to let it go unnoticed.” “I thought I passed their inspection the other day?” “Oh, for a client you managed incredibly well,” She gave a little shrug of her shoulders, “but as a─” “Lover,” he said, filling the void before she could. “Okay.” she looked at him from under her lashes and smiled. “As my lover, they’re going to want more than surface material. They are going to want to know every intimate detail of your life.” “So if I have any secrets, it’d be smart to lay them on the table now. Is that what you’re saying?” “Cameron, if you’re hiding anything it’s your business. I’m just telling you how things work in my family.” “I had a very impromptu meeting with Jake Gurion today, so I think I have a really good idea how your family works.” “Jake’s like family, but it’s not official.” They all knew it would be someday unless something drastic happened. “I take it your little sister would like to change that?” He must have seen them together to get that impression. “It’s just a matter of time. We all see it, but Jake’s still fighting it. The age thing is worrying him.” “He doesn’t look that much older.” Cam figured him to be around his age, which was pretty young to be running a police department. “Is it really that big of a difference?” “Only in his eyes. So this meeting…What did Jake want?” “He had a few questions about my background.” “I’m sure he passed on a few warnings as well.” She laughed when he nodded.

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“He did, but I’m wondering now if they weren’t just meant as friendly advice.” “It’s possible.” She pointed her spoon at him and waving it as she spoke. “But I’m sure there would be consequences if you ignored him.” “Then I guess you and I need to have a talk.” “I was thinking the same thing.” “Really?” The tilt of his head and the way his eyes narrowed ever so slightly made her want to laugh. “Yes.” She nodded as she put her now empty bowl on the table next to his. “Since we’ve already proved we’re not going to keep things professional, I think there are a few things we need to agree on.” “I think you may want to hear what I have to say before we discuss this.” Whatever he had to say wasn’t going to make her change her mind. Joey knew it was important to let him know that before he tried to feed her any bull. “Actually, I think you should hear what I have to say because it might make what you’re about to say irrelevant.” He shook his head but said, “Okay, you go first.” Joey took a deep breath, hoping this didn’t come out sounding too cold or harsh. “If we decide to go forward, then I need to make sure we follow a few rules.” “Rules?” His eyebrows rose a little with his question. “Yeah, rules. I have a business to run, and we’re making some huge changes up at the lodge. I just can’t let my personal life get in the way.” She hoped that was a nice lead into what she had to say. “I see. Go on.” He didn’t sound happy, but at least he was still listening. “During working hours, say seven in the morning until six in the evening I need to stay focused. So do you. So everything stays strictly business. I propose we keep our distance if possible. No phone calls

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or any other sappy nonsense.” That didn’t sound too controlling to her. He glanced down, and she waited for him to say she was being unreasonable. “Is there more?” “Yes. I suppose I should be the one to tell my sisters about us.” Since she had no idea if they were going tease her—it was a damn good probability—she’d rather not have him see that. “All right. Anything else?” His voice sounded deeper, but still not angry. “Well, now that you mentioned it. My brothers-in-law and Jake are no doubt going to get an earful from my sisters, so you and I should agree on just what we’re going to tell people.” “I’m guessing you’ve already thought that out?” He didn’t actually smile, but the corners of his mouth tipped up a little. “Well, I figured we tell the truth. You were a client, and we’ve decided,” she paused and smiled at him, “at your insistence, to start dating.” He didn’t smile back. He actually frowned. “So, if I say no to any of this, are you going to say we’re back to business only?” She’d expected this to be a rough spot. “Yes. I’m sure if you think about it for few minutes you’ll understand.” Cameron didn’t respond. He got to his feet and walked over and held his hand out to her. Joey put hers in his, expecting him to shake it and seal the deal. Instead, he pulled her to her feet. Standing this close, her breasts teasingly brushed his chest, and she didn’t know what to say. Unfortunately for her, Cameron did. **** Cameron’s patience had been wearing thin, and this whole speech of hers made it snap. She could try and validate their attraction, but he wasn’t going to let her get away with it. Not now after she’d basically told him just being around him was enough to drive her to distraction.

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Damn, she’d done a really good job of hiding it. He figured once her family found out they weren’t going to let her pretend things weren’t evolving, either. She would either have to admit she wanted him, or he was going to back off completely. He wasn’t going to be a plaything she could try and control. “What I understand is that I bother you enough to have you worried that our attraction is going to distract you enough to interfere with your ability to concentrate.” He knew his smile was a bit cocky, but he wasn’t going to act like he wasn’t proud that he was getting to her. “You would get that out of everything I just said.” She wished she hadn’t spilled that fact. “Honey, I got it all,” He chuckled and brought them closer together, “but yeah that little tidbit really stood out. So what do you suggest about the way we act in public?” “Well, since most of the town is under the impression we’re already a couple, which I blame you and Georgie for, I suppose we act just like any other couple.” She’d always believed the simplest plan was usually the best plan. “We get to hold hands, and I can wrap my arm around your shoulders, tucking you up against my side for all the guys in town to see?” Her breath hitched as he pressed his hips against hers. “I didn’t realize you were the possessive type.” She felt the hard ridge his cock made behind his fly and forced herself not to move. “Joey, all men get possessive over the right woman.” He sure was, and if he guessed right, she liked it. “And I bring it out in you. Lucky me.” Her sarcastic comment slipped out before she could stop it, and he didn’t bother to hide his smile. “You know, every once in a while you turn into a sassy vixen. I think I like it.” Not often, but every once in a while when she wasn’t fighting to hide from him, she’d let her guard down and let him see it. “I do not. Stop teasing me. Do we have a deal?”

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Cameron knew this was going to hurt. A lot. But it needed to be done. He lowered his head and brushed his lips lightly over hers. Joey leaned in, closing the space between them. This time, when his mouth touched hers it was all he could do not to lose control. He wanted to peel her clothes off and take her right there. On the table, she’d be a delicious feast just for him. Against the wall, hard and fast. He’d love to drive her that wild. On the floor, with her writhing beneath him, he’d make sure they both got what they needed. Up until today, he would have taken her any way he could, but with just a few words she’d changed everything. He ran his tongue along her top lip where the taste of the strawberries still lingered. Unable to help himself, he did it again, teasing them both. He caught her lower lip between his teeth and tugged gently. She sighed and leaned into him more until their bodies were perfectly aligned. Cam settled his hands low on her back just above her ass and held on tight to keep himself from going any further. He barely managed to keep himself from deepening the kiss and pulled away from her. “No.” The simple, one syllable word felt like it was torn from his throat. “W–what?” She blinked her eyes a few times, still lost in the passionate fog that had settled around them. He made sure she was steady on her feet before he let go stepping away. “No, we don’t have a deal.” Need and desire raced through him, but he knew he was doing the right thing. Hard as it was, he ignored the stunned expression on her face. Cameron grabbed their empty bowls and fled from the too small room into the kitchen. He put the dishes in the sink and grabbed onto the counter with both hands. Head bowed he closed his eyes and took a couple of deep breaths. It took him a minute to get himself under control and to the point where he could think clear. At least, as clearly as he could when he was near Joey.

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He could hear her moving around in the other room, but he wasn’t ready to go face her yet. Instead, he decided to pay the other female in his life some special attention. He yanked the cabinet open and pulled out a can of tuna. After getting every last bit, including the juice, he carried the little pink dish he bought for Mrs. Whiskers over to the matching placemat. He made the silly kissy noise the vet had taught him, and Mrs. Whiskers charged into the room. He scratched between her ears and watched her eat. “Is it because I finally said yes that you’ve decided you’re not interested.” The anger and pain in her voice he expected, but the tinge of contempt was a surprise. He slowly rose to his feet turning to face her. “Being interested isn’t the issue, but just for the record I still am.” “Then explain to me why we don’t have a deal.” She jammed her hands on her hips—a move his sisters used when they were pissed at him. He countered by crossing his arms across his chest. “I refuse to put restrictions on our relationship. If you want someone you can control like that, you’re looking at the wrong guy.” “I’m not trying to control anything. I just want to—” She stopped talking, and he wondered if she couldn’t find a good way to explain herself. “Call the shots.” He offered for her. “I don’t think anyone should have that much power in a relationship.” She gasped. “You think I’m on power trip.” “Power, control, leverage. Call it whatever you want, but you want to be the one with it.” He knew he sounded smug, and that was fine with him. “I do not. I could care less about being in charge. I just want to keep our business and personal lives separate.” She had to know that would be impossible. “I could promise that, but I won’t.” He leaned back against the counter and crossed his arms over his chest. “Either you agree to let

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me all the way in, or I’m staying out. All the way out. No touching, no kissing, none of that other stuff you like, either.” “You,” she pointed at him then stabbed the same finger at her chest, “are giving me an ultimatum?” “Call it whatever you want.” “I call it blackmail.” She huffed, heading for the office. He wanted to follow her and iron things out. If he did, he knew the chance of him giving in was too great, so he stayed right where he was. She grumbled loudly enough for him to hear, but not actually make out anything. The cat rubbed against his legs, purring her thank you loud and clear. What he wouldn’t give to hear Joey purr right then. He could only stall for so long before he need to deal with the position he’d just put himself in. Using the only excuse he had to stay in the kitchen, Cameron picked up the cat’s empty dish and rinsed it out. All the noise in the other room came to a sudden stop. He turned, ready to ask Joey if everything was okay. The towel he’d been using to dry his hands fell to the floor in a heap. He couldn’t speak, and only one part of his body was doing any thinking. Joey stood there staring at him. Was she just waiting for him to say something? If she thought he was capable of seeing her standing there like that and still be able to speak, she was giving him way too much credit. Coming to the sudden realization that he was standing there gaping, he snapped his mouth shut so hard his teeth gnashed together. The loud click that filled the air reverberated through his body.

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Chapter Eleven Joey knew this risky move could easily backfire, but he deserved it. As she stood there in the small doorway, it gave her a sense of satisfaction that he seemed unable to do anything but stare. According to her sister Georgie, the silk and lace was designed to elicit just that type of response from a guy. She’d let her think that was the reason she bought it, but really it was because it felt amazing against her skin. Of course, they’d fought over the color. Georgie had wanted her to go with black or red, but she’d gone with white silk and soft pink scalloped edged lace. The set was sexy, yet classy. The silk cupped the lower portion of her breasts coming over just enough to cover her nipples. Then there was about an inch of the lace over the top curve of her breast. As for the panties, they were high cut on the thighs with the pink lace stretched from hip to hip across her pubic bone. Cameron’s eyes traveled over every inch of her bare skin. She fought a smile as she lifted her arms and braced her hands out to her sides on the door jamb. The move enhanced the fullness of her breasts and had them straining against the stretched material. Joey saw him swallow before he tried to smother a groan. He’d been so proud of his ability to distract her, but the affect she had on him was much more noticeable. The bulge behind his zipper was hard to miss. She bit her lower lip and rocked her hips forward just a touch. The logical and age-old question popped into her head. Was he wearing boxers or briefs? Shit, he could be going commando. “This isn’t going to change my mind.” He didn’t sound very convincing, but it didn’t matter since that wasn’t her goal.

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She tipped her head to the side and narrowed her eyes. “You know, that’s twice tonight you’ve suggested I’m trying to manipulate you. I’m starting to get annoyed.” “You have to admit,” He waved his hand up and down her body in a jerky move, “in that, it’s a damn good possibility.” Joey took a deep breath and took a second to reexamine things from his point of view. She’d only been trying to think responsibly for both of them, but Cameron hadn’t seen things that way though. To have him suggest she was trying to control him pissed her off. In a way, his accusation wasn’t too far from the truth, yet at the same time it was. Still, it had been a big mistake. And now he thought she was using her body to coerce him. She wanted to make sure he understood exactly what she was doing. Joey walked over and laid her hand on his chest, feeling his heart race under her palm. “The only thing I want to manipulate is your body.” “Have you taken the rules off the table?” His question sounded more like a plea. “I suppose we can play things by ear for now.” She ran her hands down to his waist and started tugging up his shirt. “For now,” he agreed, yanking the shirt over his head tossing it aside as he lowered his mouth to hers. His kiss was urgent, yet tender. Instead of the devouring she’d been expecting, she got teasing gentleness that made her want more. Joey felt his muscles quiver under her fingers and felt emboldened. She moved her hands down his chest to his waist and fumbled with his belt. His hands covered hers, and she figured he was going to help her. Instead, Cameron made a tsking noise and removed her hands. Before she could ask why, he had her in his arms and was striding through the kitchen. He carried her up to his bedroom. Once he put her down, he grabbed her hands and put them back on his belt. Joey laughed as she undid the button and zipper. Her

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fingers brushed against his cock, and he hissed. She tugged the jeans over his hips and let them fall to the floor. Hooking her fingers in the elastic of his boxers, she slid her body down with them. She reached up and took his shaft in her hand. Cam looked down at her as she stroked him with a firm pumping action. A drop of clear liquid crested the slit at head of his cock. She leaned forward and licked the spot before closing her lips around the now glistening top. She kept moving her hand as she sucked with what she hoped was the right amount of pressure. She’d never done this before, or even wanted to, but now she really wanted to do it right. Cameron moaned, and his hand landed on her head, fisting in her hair. She took it as a good sign and increased the speed of her strokes. “Fuck, Joey, you need to stop.” He pulled away and helped her up. As he did, he managed to strip her bare. He eased them onto the bed, hovering over her. She opened her legs, and he settled himself between them. Using a trick she’d learned fighting with her sisters over the years, she twisted and rolled them so she was on top, straddling him. She grabbed his hands and held them to the bed. Joey raised up onto her knees, hovering over his cock. Slowly, she slid down onto it. She let go of his hands and used hers to brace herself on his chest. His hands went to her hips, but he didn’t try to control her movements as she rocked herself against him. She could feel the tension in her building and suddenly Cam pushed his pelvis up, which sent him deeper. Joey cried out for him to do it again, so he did. This time, though, he reached up and grabbed onto her shoulders pulling her down at the same time. Her body trembled, and she fell against his chest. Cam held her there and kept pumping into her, setting off little aftershocks. He rolled them over, never leaving her body. He built up the intense pressure in her again and, just when she thought she couldn’t

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take it anymore, he pushed her over the edge. They came together, both of them shouting the other’s name. Joey closed her eyes, needing a few minutes to gather what was left of her mind. **** Joey eased out of Cameron’s bed, lifting the cordless phone from its base on the nightstand. She crept into the bathroom, not wanting to wake him or have her sister hear his snore. Not wanting to wake the whole house, she dialed Georgie’s cell number. It only rang once before she heard Georgie grumble. “Hello.” “Hey, it’s me.” “Like anyone else would dare call me at three a.m. I take it you’re not coming home tonight?” Georgie was right about that. Joey glanced into the bedroom where Cameron laid stretched across the bed and closed the door. “Actually, I was hoping you could swing by Cameron’s place before work and drop me off some clean clothes.” “Sure. So does this mean you and Cameron came to an understanding?” She should have known Georgie wouldn’t want to wait for morning for answers. “Sort of. We’ll go to the diner. I’ll buy you breakfast and tell you all about it.” “In detail, I hope.” Georgie hung up on her without even a goodbye. Joey laughed and ended the call on her end. She opened the door and screamed. Cameron laughed and wrapped his arms around her, lifting her off her feet. She threw her arms around his neck and held on. He carried her to the bed and fell backwards onto it, bringing her with him. Joey’s surprised gasp turned into laughter as he rolled them over so he was on top. “I was worried for a second that you skipped out on me. Then I heard you whispering.”

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“Well, I didn’t see a reason to wake you yet, and if I stayed out here I would have had to shout to be heard over your snoring.” She teased, loving the way he laughed right along with her. “I only snore when I’m really, really tired. So I guess that could be blamed on you since I spent every ounce of energy I had satisfying you.” He lowered his head and kissed her neck. “Then I guess you’re excused, but maybe I’ll have to test your theory and sleep with you when you’re not wiped out.” “Anytime. Now, for the big question.” He pulled back and looked in her eyes. “Do I get to go to breakfast with you in the morning?” “Sure.” She lifted her head off the pillow and gave him a kiss, which quickly got out of hand.

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Chapter Twelve The loud knocking had them both groaning. Cameron covered his head with pillow and started snoring again. Joey squinted at the clock. Six o’clock in the morning. Where had the night gone? Georgie was either really hungry, or she couldn’t wait to hear about her wild night with Cameron. Joey slipped her panties on and stole one of Cameron’s T-shirts from the pile of folded clothes stacked in the chair by the door. She tugged it over her head as she bounced down the staircase. Thankfully, his shirt reached her upper thighs. She briefly wondered if she looked as compromised as she felt. It really didn’t matter because it was either answer the door wearing this or wrapped in a bed sheet. Georgie would read whatever she wanted into it, anyway. A huge yawn overtook her as she yanked the door open. “Surprise!” two teenage girls, a woman Joey guessed to be in her thirties, and an older, gray-haired woman shouted. Was it ever. Joey barely held back the scream lodged in her throat. The two women’s eyes went wide as they took her in. Heat bloomed throughout her and settled on her cheeks, making them burn red hot. Joey wanted to slam the door, but her manners kept her from doing it. Whoever these people were, they were just as surprised to see her as she was to see them. “Sorry,” one of the girls finally said, breaking the awkward silence. “We’re looking for Cameron Elwood.” “Umm…Why don’t you come in, and I’ll go get him.” She stepped back, and the little group shuffled inside.

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Joey closed the door and ran up the stairs, holding the shirt down over her ass the entire time. She dashed through the bedroom and straight into the bathroom. “Get up!” Joey slammed the door like she’d wanted to downstairs, but it didn’t make her feel any better. She heard Cameron grumble then knock on the door before trying to turn the doorknob. “Joey, open the damn door.” “No way.” She wasn’t coming out until she figured out a way to get out of the house without being seen again. It wasn’t going to be easy since her clothes and laptop where still down in the makeshift office. Fuck it! She’d have him bring them to her later. Or she’d come back once his visitors were gone. “Did your sister say something to upset you?” She could hear the tenderness in his voice, but there was something else too. “She’s not here yet. And you might want to get dressed before you go down to welcome your guests.” She should have let him traipse down there in his boxers, but the kids didn’t deserve the shock. “Guests? What the hell are you talking about? Is Alec here?” Cameron tugged harder on the doorknob, rattling the door in its frame. “No.” She wished it had only been so simple. Alec had seen her in a bikini, so having him find her dressed like this wouldn’t have been the worst thing that could have happened. Suddenly, tears were brimming in her eyes. Distraction, humiliation, panic, and fierce desire all had something in common. They were all things she hadn’t wanted to face and yet here she was. The sad thing, the thing she couldn’t take back, was she’d gone and fallen for Cameron. She wasn’t going to let him find out. He’d be insufferable. “Come out and tell me who’s down there.” His demand fell flat it came out so soft. It made her laugh, though, since she had no idea who they were. “Just go find out for yourself.”

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“Fine.” She heard drawers opening and closing. “I’ll be right back.” Joey waited until she heard him take the first few steps before she opened the door. Quickly but quietly, she crept to the railing. She made in time to hear the girls squeal, which was followed by lots of giggling. One of the women asked, “Who was that young lady that answered the door?” She figured it was the older of the two women. She held her breath and waited for Cameron to answer. “That was my girlfriend, Josephine Brazen.” Joey’s heart felt like someone was squeezing it. The title sounded like it came from his lips without even a second thought. And strangely enough, she liked it. Still, it didn’t mean things between them would last. “Your accountant?” The other woman didn’t sound pleased. “I thought you said she didn’t like you?” “My boyish charm finally won her over.” He laughed and so did the girls, but Joey didn’t hear the women join in. They probably had the same reservations she did. It wasn’t wise to mix business and pleasure, but Cameron refused to see what everyone else did. Joey wasn’t going to stand there and dwell on it right now. There were way more important things to do. She returned to the bedroom and searched through his drawers until she found a pair of sweatpants with a drawstring waist. They were huge on her but they were going to have to do. She rolled up the ankles so she could walk with tripping on them. Now all she could do was wait. Hopefully, Cameron would offer to take them out to breakfast, but she’d settle for them moving into the kitchen so she could sneak out the front door. She paced back and forth in front of the bed. Joey refused to look at the tangled sheets. In fact, she did her best not to look at the bed at all. Georgie should be up by now. If Joey was lucky, she could catch her before she left. This had to be done carefully, Joey thought, lifting

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the receiver from the base. She dialed the number like she’d done a thousand times before. This time she was going to do something she’d never done. She listened to the phone ring three or four times before going to voice mail. Damn. Georgie could still be sleeping, but Joey really didn’t think so. The shower was a better possibility, but knowing her sister like she did she figured she was already on her way. Georgie had a pesky rule about not using her cell phone when driving. Either way she was screwed, so she’d just have to wait and try again in a few minutes. Unless of course she spotted an opening and got the hell out of there. **** Cameron saw the disapproval on his mother and sister’s faces. It wasn’t the first time, but this time it bothered him more than any other. He didn’t like to think they would pass judgment on Joey without getting to know her. Their initial meeting hadn’t gone the way he planned, not that he planned it yet, but it was their fault since they hadn’t given him any notice about their visit. If they had, he wouldn’t have let Joey answer the door dressed like she’d just rolled out of his bed, which she had. Joey must be upstairs plotting ways to kill him. Or worse, coming up with a way to use this disaster as an excuse to end things between them Smoothing things over wasn’t going to be easy with his nieces hanging on every word. He had no idea where to even start. If he could, he’d go upstairs, apologize, and try to fix things with Joey first. Cameron knew his mother wasn’t the type to be put off, so that wasn’t going to happen. The one thing he had on his side was two chatty teenagers who were asking all sorts of questions and cooing over Mrs. Whiskers. It gave him time to come up with some kind of plan. The sudden knock on the door had them all going silent. Cameron heard a noise at the top of the stairs and turned to see Joey peeking

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over the railing. She still had his T-shirt on, but she’d added a pair of his sweatpants. Damn, she looked so cute. He reached for the door, knowing who should be on the other side, but since this seemed to be the morning for unexpected guests he wasn’t too surprised to find Alec standing there. “What are you doing here?” Cameron didn’t remember him saying he would be stopping by, and Alec wasn’t usually known for spontaneous visits unless something was up. “I’m guessing you haven’t had your coffee yet this morning.” Alec laughed and walked right past him into the living room. “It’s barely six-thirty. No, I haven’t.” Cameron grumbled closing the doors. “Mrs. Elwood, Lara, girls. So nice to see you all.” Alec smiled, and all four women blushed. Damn, that Mitchell charm had a way with all the ladies. It didn’t matter how old they were. Though Cameron welcomed the extra testosterone in the room, he couldn’t help wishing none of them were there. He took a few steps from the door when there was another knock. He took a deep breath and reached for the knob hoping this was the person they were expecting. “Morning, Cameron.” Cam had a feeling Georgie’s smile wouldn’t have been so friendly if she knew what had happened so far this morning. “Hey, come on in.” She swept past him and he noticed the huge picnic style basket she was carrying. “Hi, Alec.” She gave him a quick wave before turning back to Cameron. “Are you going to introduce me?” The confused looks on his family’s face made him smile. “Mom, Lara, girls, this is Georgina Brazen. Joey’s twin sister.” “Nice to meet you all.” Georgie lifted the basket a little higher and said, “I’ve brought plenty of muffins and strudel for everyone. Why don’t you take this and head into the kitchen. Joey and I will be right in.”

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Cameron had no choice but to take the basket she thrust at him. He didn’t have time to question how she was going to get Joey to come down because Alec took the basket from him and ushered them all into the kitchen. He glanced back in time to see Georgie dash up the steps to where her sister was hiding in his bedroom. Cameron should be the one going up to soothe Joey’s feelings. He was about to excuse himself and go upstairs when he heard the unmistakable rattle of the pipes tell him the shower was on. “So, Alec, what do you know about this girl my son is seeing?” His mother probably thought she’d get a straighter answer out of Alec. “Everything. Our families practically grew up together.” Alec didn’t volunteer any info but told her just enough to set a glimmer in her eyes. That could be good or bad, depending on what she decided to do next. “Mom, do me a favor, and take it easy on Joey. She’s a little upset.” “I’ll be on my best behavior.” The glimmer turned into a fullblown twinkle. “Why is she upset?” His thirteen-year-old niece Gail wanted to know. “Well, she was expecting her sister to be at the door, not a group of strange people.” He explained unable to throw in a teasing barb. “Hey,” his other niece, fourteen-year-old Lilly, protested, “we’re strangers, but that doesn’t make us strange. Only my mom is.” Her mom shook her head and reached for a muffin, unwilling to get caught up in the squabble. “You know, Kirsten is going to be pissed.” “Why?” everyone asked. “Because whoever made these muffins is a better baker than she is.” His mother and the girls gasped in shock, but Cameron and Alec just laughed.

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“That would be Samantha, one of Joey’s older sisters. She’s the chef up at the lodge their family owns.” Cameron grabbed a muffin for himself before the girls ate them all. Cameron knew for every detail they learned there was going to be more questions. So he wasn’t surprised when they all started asking them at the same time. He took a seat and answered them the best he could. Alec did his best to distract them by asking his mother and sister questions, but they kept coming back to Joey and her sisters. **** Georgie half expected to find Joey tying the sheets together and climbing out the window. Instead, she found her standing in the doorway looking like she was spoiling for a fight. Her hands were on her hips, her right foot tapping, her eyes narrowed and her lips all puckered. The look reminded Georgie of when they were little and Joey would get mad at her. “Get me out of here.” Georgie knew Joey’s growl was worse than her bite, but she also knew better than to laugh. “It’s too late for that.” Georgie walked over and put her tote bag on the bed. “No, it isn’t. Go make some excuse, and I’ll meet you at home.” Georgie had to sprint to block Joey as she headed for the door. “You’ll get in the shower, and then we’ll go downstairs together and face everyone.” Some of the fight left Joey, and she seemed to deflate. “I can’t face those people. Damn it, I answered the door in my underwear.” “I know. Jake happened to notice the strange car driving around and was about to pull them over and ask if they were lost. He saw the whole thing go down.” Joey walked over and dropped onto the bed, letting out a loud groan as Georgie continued. “He called me, and luckily I was already on my way. I called Alec to stall until I got here.”

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Joey didn’t say anything. She just sat there looking pitiful. Georgie took her by the arms and yanked her to her feet. She gave her a good, healthy shove toward the bathroom, and Joey must have realized she wasn’t getting away. Georgie waited for the water to start before she took the clothes she’d brought for her out of the bag and gave them a shake. She couldn’t believe this was happening. The one time her sister did something totally out of character, she gets caught by the guy’s mother, sister, and nieces. She had no idea how she and Joey were going to handle this crazy situation. But she was going to make sure the sexy, rumpled creature that answered the door wasn’t the only side to Joey these people saw. If she had her way, by the time they left here, Cameron’s mother would think Joey was the catch of the century. “Joey, enough stalling. Get out here.” Georgie turned around and a little screech popped out. “Damn it, you shouldn’t sneak up on people like that.” “I can’t do this.” Joey sniffed. It was hard, but Georgie pretended to ignore the tears rolling down her cheeks. “You can, and we will.” Georgie handed her the bra, panties, and a stick of deodorant. “Good thing I brought the heavy duty protection stuff.” Joey laughed, which Georgie took as a sign things were looking up. It didn’t take her long to do what she had to and come back. The turban style towel on her head that matched the light pink cotton bra and panties wouldn’t have been called fashion forward, but Georgie thought her sister pulled it off damn well. “Okay, let’s go down and show them all what they missed.” Her comment laid flat for a few seconds before Joey struck a pose. Joey stood up straighter, cocked her head to one side, and tipped her hip out. “Cameron’s family should only be so lucky.” Her attempt at a fake Italian accent made them both laugh. “I was thinking more like Cameron and Alec, but you’re right.”

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Georgie stood idly by, giving her sister the silent support she deserved and needed as she got dressed. Preparing oneself to meet new people was hard enough, but this had to be pure torture. Georgie decided it was only right that Cameron be put in the same type of situation. Preferably the sooner, the better. And what would be better than hearing all sorts of embarrassing stories about him as a child. She didn’t think it would be too hard to pull it off, either. Actually, they could probably get it accomplished once they joined everyone downstairs, but Georgie didn’t think they had a big enough audience just yet. “So Cameron must have been quite a handful last night?” Joey didn’t answer her question, but the way her cheeks turned beet red did. “It’s okay. We can talk about it later.” “Thanks.” Just hearing the sarcastic tone creep back into her sister’s voice felt good. There was a fifty-fifty chance Joey would go along with her plan, but it was worth a shot. “You’re welcome. I think I have another idea you’re going to thank me for.” Joey stopped fussing with her skirt. “I’m listening.” “Okay. It’s a two-parter. One, we need to find out how long his family is staying. If this is just, like, a day trip we need to strike right away, but if they’re going to be here for awhile, we can make his anguish even better.” Georgie could see that Joey wasn’t following her yet, but she’d get her there. Finally, a frustrated Joey blurted, “What the hell are you talking about?” “Mothers love to tell stories about their children, and the more embarrassing the better.” Instantly, Georgie saw the light dawn in her sister’s eyes. “Georgie, where did you get such an evil mind?” Joey smiled as she tugged on her blouse.

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“From Daddy.” They both nodded in agreement. “Now, if they’re going to be here for a few days we need to invite them to the lodge for dinner. If you don’t, it would be downright rude.” “And while they’re there, we can get his mom to divulge some family tales and put him on the spot.” “Exactly.” They high fived each other and danced around a bit. And just like that, the Brazen sisters had overcome another obstacle and turned it around. Georgie figured Cameron should learn right from the start that what affected one Brazen sister affected them all. And his family should also see that they weren’t shrinking violets. They were a strong family unit that all stuck together, even when times were tough. “Let’s go.” Joey grabbed her hand and dragged her toward the door.

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Chapter Thirteen It was the first time in two weeks that Joey’s heart wasn’t racing as she pulled into Cameron’s driveway. Things were finally settling back into a normal routine the way she liked it. His family’s visit had only lasted three days, from Friday through Sunday. The weekend had been busy and nerve-wracking, but it turned out to be kind of fun. His mother had even promised to take her to Cameron’s sister’s restaurant when he took her to visit. She’d said it like it was something that was definitely going be happening in her near future, not a mere possibility. Still, their stay had given Joey a glimpse at another side of Cameron. The doting son and uncle made her wonder, more than she liked, what kind of father Cameron would be. He’d been a good sport when she let her sisters ask his mother what he was like as a kid. The woman had endless and embarrassing stories to tell. He just sat there and smiled the whole time. Joey knew she wouldn’t have taken it so well. The visit, brief as it was, had people all over town talking. Everyone in town thought his family’s visit meant she was getting serious with Cameron. The talk around town was that another Brazen sister would soon be off the market. Why else would his mother come to town, right? Joey was so freaked out by all the insinuations that she had buried herself in work. Her sisters weren’t happy about that and had thrown a little intervention. She laughed, remembering the way they all stormed into her office and refused to leave until she told them what she was thinking. They’d asked for it, and she’d given it to them. By

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the time she unloaded everything that was on her mind, they were all stood there gaping. Okay, so it was a pretty uncommon occurrence for her to lose it like that, but since Cameron entered her life she’d been doing a lot of things she normally didn’t do. Joey realized those things were probably things she’d wanted to do, but her good sense held her back. Okay, maybe it was her lack of courage. Either way, whatever had been holding her back seemed to have slipped. She got out of the car and opened the back door. Leaving the two boxes of sorted documents she’d spent the night going through and entering into her spreadsheets, she grabbed her laptop and headed for the house. She was at the top step of the porch when she noticed Cameron’s truck wasn’t parked beside the house. It wasn’t as if he’d never not been home when she got there, which was why he’d given her a key, she thought flipping through her keys. Not because they were getting serious, even though that was what her sisters had claimed. He’d specifically given her the key so she could work there without him if need be. Joey walked in and Mrs. Whiskers hopped off the sofa, ran over and started winding around her feet. That was another thing that had changed. All of a sudden, Mrs. Whiskers had decided she wanted to be friends. After a quick pat Joey headed for the office. She set up and got down to work, expecting him show up any minute, but he didn’t. When Joey caught herself checking her watch every ten minutes, she decided to give him a call. Her hour was up, and it was time to head to her real office, and he still hadn’t come home. Unable to sit around a wait for him she scribbled a note telling him to call when he got in. When he called, she could tell him the big news. They were almost done. She’d work her miracle and wandered through his maze of financial disaster. There a few gaping holes he was going to have to fill in, but soon he’d just be maintaining his records. Cameron wouldn’t need her for that. If he followed the easy organizational plan

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she would set up for him, all he’d need to do is see someone once a year at tax time. Hours later, she still hadn’t heard from him. Not the she was sitting around waiting. Joey had her other clients—some who were easier than others—but they all got her undivided attention. In the brief breaks in between her appointments, her mind drifted to him way too much. As she walked from her office to the dinner to meet Georgie for lunch, she tried calling him again. He still wasn’t answering, but this time she left a message asking him to call her. “Well, you don’t look very happy.” Georgie’s accusation made her angry even though it was true. Joey forced an exaggerated fake smile onto her lips as she slid into the booth opposite her. “Better?” “No.” Georgie laughed, shaking her head. “What did Cameron say to piss you off?” “Nothing.” Joey picked up the menu just to do something with her hands. “Really?” Joey nodded, and Georgie looked at her quizzically. “Then what or who has got you down today?” “Cameron.” His name came out on a sigh, but not in a good way. “You just said it wasn’t him.” “Nope. I said he didn’t say anything. How could he possibly say something to irritate me if I haven’t seen or heard from him all day?” “Joey, it’s only a little after noon. Maybe you should cut the guy a little slack.” Georgie laughed. “I know what time it is.” Oh, that sounded wicked bitchy. “I’m sorry. I guess I’m a little frustrated.” “Yah think?” Georgie took the sarcastic bite out of her comment with a smile. “Want to tell me what’s wrong?” “I don’t know what it is.” Joey shrugged her shoulders trying to pinpoint the moment when her day started to take a downward slide. “When you left this morning, you were smiling,” Georgie pointed out.

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“I know. Then I went to work at Cam’s place, and something changed. That’s why wanted to blame the funk I’m in on Cameron, but I think it might be more than that.” “I thought you were making some headway with his account.” Again, Georgie was stating the obvious, which shouldn’t have been so irritating. “We are. Actually, I’m almost done.” “Oh, honey.” Georgie lowered her own menu. “You’re not thinking that means you and Cameron are going to be done, too.” Joey didn’t think that’s what was bothering her. In fact, she hadn’t thought about that at all. She just assumed the not knowing where he was, and not being able to reach him might have set off the control issue Cameron claimed she had. Still, now that her sister had planted the seed in her mind it started growing. Her inner doubt turned out to be fabulous fertilizer. Would Cameron want to end things once they finished getting his records in order? “Joey, that’s not going to happen so don’t even worry about it.” Joey wished she felt as confident as her sister sounded. “We’ll find out soon enough, won’t we?” She stuffed the menu back into its holder as Mildred approached their table. “Afternoon, ladies. What are you in the mood for today?” Mildred’s cheery smile normally made Joey smile back, but today she just didn’t have it in her. “Hey, Mildred, what’s the scoop?” Georgie waggled her eyebrows playfully knowing Mildred, not one to spread gossip, wouldn’t mind bringing them up to date. Mildred glanced toward the kitchen then motioned for Georgie to slide over and joined them. Joey sat back, content to listen to Georgie and Mildred chat. They traded rumors and stories, all of them knowing there was a good chance none of it was true. Still, it killed the time and since nothing they said would leave the table, they weren’t hurting anyone. Joey had heard worse walking through the supermarket.

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“So, are you missing that handsome boyfriend of yours?” Mildred chuckled waving her hand in front of her face. “Or has the term changed in the past few weeks?” “Why would she be missing him?” Georgie asked before Joey could. “This is the first time in a few weeks that they’ve been separated.” Mildred looked from Georgie to her and back a few times. “How did you know that?” Joey finally asked. “Well, how else would I know, Cameron and Alec stopped here for coffee before they headed out this morning.” Mildred made a lot of sense, and the best coffee in town. Joey had all sorts of questions running through her mind. Had they said where they were headed? What time did they leave? Did they mention when they were coming back? Of course, asking those questions would have meant admitting she didn’t know he’d left. That would have posed a few problems and fueled a lot more gossip about her and Cameron. Then again, it could have ended some of it, too, because not most boyfriends left town with telling their girlfriend. So maybe people would naturally assume they weren’t as serious as everyone had thought they were. Since she didn’t even know where things stood with them right now, or in the near future, Joey thought it would be best to keep her mouth shut. “We’ll spend some quality time together when he gets back.” Joey saw Georgie’s slight nod and smile of approval. “I bet you will.” Mildred laughed getting to her feet and pulled her order pad from her apron. “Now let me guess. Georgie wants a bacon cheeseburger and a double order of onion rings. Joey, you’ll have a chicken Caesar salad and share Georgie’s rings.” “One of these days we’re going to surprise you and pick something different.” Georgie had a point. Maybe they were in a rut. “But not today.” Mildred’s laughter filled the diner as she walked into the kitchen. “Feel better now?” Georgie asked once they were alone.

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Joey shook her head. “No. He could have left me some kind of message.” “True, but maybe he hadn’t planned on being gone so long.” Georgie’s tendency to always look at the whole situation wasn’t really appreciated at this moment. “Stop making excuses for him.” She should be helping her think of a way to get back at him instead. “I’m sorry, but I don’t want you writing him off after one slip up.” Georgie’s soft tone, the one she used when she was afraid of making someone mad made Joey inwardly cringe. “Do you really think I’m looking for an excuse to end things?” Joey hoped she took her sister’s comment the wrong way. “I didn’t say that, but you have been known to hold a grudge and exact revenge for silly things. I just didn’t want you to start plotting until you give him a chance to explain, that’s all.” “I think you have me confused with Bobbie.” Joey would be giving her a call later to get her take on the situation. “She learned everything she knows from you.” Joey knew her sister meant it as an admonishment, but she took the comment as a compliment. “Bobbie had just brought it to a new level.” Joey decided it was time to switch the subject so she could try to enjoy her lunch. “Did she tell you about what she did to Jake last week?” “What did she do now?” Georgie asked, but from her tone Joey wasn’t sure she really wanted to know. She decided to tell her anyway. “Jake saw her talking to his deputy and told them to get off the sidewalk or he’d arrest them for loitering. Bobbie didn’t like that he made the comment in front of a bunch of people. So she got one of those plastic zipper bags and filled it with ice. She waited until no one was looking and stuffed it under his seat cover. A few hours later, after the sun had been beating down on the car, Jake climbed in and sat down.” “Oh, my God.” Georgie covered her mouth with her hand.

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“Yup, the bag burst and his ass got soaked.” They both laughed loud enough to turn a few heads. “Needless to say, he thinks he knows who the culprit is, but he can’t prove it.” “Once he can, she’s going to be in trouble.” Georgie knew just as well as the rest of the town that Jake would never really punish Bobbie. “That girl is crazy.” “He doesn’t mean to, but he drives her there.” Everyone knew they were going to end up together. The more Jake fought it, the harder Bobbie pushed him. “Sooner or later one of them is going to go too far.” “Are you going to try and stop them?” Georgie asked. “Hell no!” Joey knew getting involved would only make things worse. “Do I look crazy to you?” “Well, now that you ask.” Georgie tilted her head from side to side examining her. “Shut up.” Joey leaned back so the waitress could place her salad in front of her. **** Cameron knew he screwed up, but it was too late to do anything about it now. Not leaving Joey a message had been a stupid move. In his defense, he hadn’t thought he was going to be gone this long. He’d been with Alec and his cousins playing cards last night when he got a call from his publisher asking him for a favor. An associate of his publisher needed his professional opinion. He’d agreed and Alec even volunteered to come along, and neither of them had thought to charge their cell phones. Not that it mattered since the reception in the middle of nowhere was spotty at best. At first, he hadn’t been concerned because he assumed the meeting would be quick. Now, though, he was starting to wonder if they were ever going to be finished.

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It turn out the associate had the idea of making a film nearby and wanted his input on the landscape. The group of people she’d brought with her had dozens of questions. Most of which he answered with ease, but there were a few that they were going to have to research. What he hadn’t planned on was being offered a job as location scout. Knowing all the travel involved, he hadn’t had a second thought about turning them down flat. Still, it was nice to know he had options out there. But he really wanted to go home. Where he would no doubt be spending some time apologizing for not keeping in touch, if Joey turned out to be anything like his sisters. Even when he’d been halfway around the globe, his family required him to give them a call every other day. Funny enough, it was something he still did now though he was just a few states away. His best bet would be to show Joey he was sorry before she even had a chance to get a good mad going. Finally, after Pamela, his publisher’s associate, was done asking him dozens of questions and flirting with Alec, they were able to get going. They were about two hours out of town when he came around a bend in the road and spotted a huge moose about eight feet up ahead of them. Cameron slammed both feet on the brake pedal. There was a sudden loud noise and the truck swerved right and left sending up a cloud of dust. The moose seemed unsure of which way to run and pranced back and forth before finally running off into the woods. Cameron did his best to keep the truck on the road, but even his best wasn’t good enough. The truck came to a sudden stop in a ditch, narrowly avoiding a huge tree. “Fuck, Cam, were you trying to kill us or what?” Alec undid his seatbelt and opened his door as far as he could, which was only about a foot or so thanks to the tree beside it.

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“Like you could’ve done better.” Cameron leaned putting his weight against his door as he shoved it open, but it didn’t go much farther than Alec’s. “I would’ve kept us on the road.” Alec’s tone held a teasing note, and as Cameron unrolled his window he shot him the bird. Cameron hadn’t done this in ages, and the way the car was tilted it made climbing out trickier. He hefted himself through the opening and sat on the door surveying the terrain. There weren’t many choices, but before he could pick one, Alec made his. The sliders opened on the back window and the idiot shimmied through and landed in the bed of the truck with a loud thud. Cameron could only hope he hit his head and knocked a little sense into himself. The crazy man smile Alec had on his face when he turned to look at him dashed those hopes. “At least now you have a legitimate reason to trade in this bucket of bolts.” That would make Alec happy since he’d hated the truck on sight. He had a point though. If Cameron wanted Joey’s family to really accept their relationship, they needed to get to know the real him. Cameron was actually shocked that his mother or sister hadn’t let it slip when they were here. They usually loved bragging about how well known he was. Besides, now that he decided to stick around for good and teach at the university, the need for secrecy wasn’t there anymore. Hell, it never had been except for in his own mind. Alec had been right about that, too. Cameron finished climbing through the window and stood on the frame. He carefully stepped onto the back fender and into the bed. He joined Alec, who had lowered himself and was now sitting on the tailgate. “I guess you’re right, but getting a new truck isn’t what I’m thinking about right now.” There’d be plenty of time to worry about that tomorrow.

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“Hey, you’re not the only one who’s in trouble here. My cousins are going to go ape shit.” True, but for much different reasons. “I’m sure the fact that you not only got a smoking hot movie producer’s phone number but scored a date with her next week will impress them enough to let you off the hook.” If not, Cam would step up and take the blame for him being out of contact so long. The Mitchell cousins had rules about being in contact. If for some reason they were going to be out of touch, they at least had to let someone else know where they were going to be. They had too many business ventures going for one of them to be unreachable for an undetermined amount of time. Not to mention, they lived in an area where wild animals could be frequently spotted, which is why it wasn’t unusual to find them standing in the middle of the road, like the moose they’d just encountered. Granted, that had been a really big moose. The normal thing to do was just stop and wait for it to move along giving it plenty of space so you didn’t spook it. It’s what he would’ve done if something hadn’t broken when he jammed on the brakes. “Sitting here isn’t going to get us anywhere.” Cameron figured they had about a three hour walk just to get to a road where they’d have a chance of running into someone. That was a big problem with driving the back roads, which were quicker than taking the main roads, not as many people traveled them. The main roads tended to twist and turn and go on forever, but they got you there. Most of the back roads were bumpy dirt roads, and if you weren’t watching carefully you could end up at a sudden dead end. His first few weeks there he’d tried to use a map book, but whoever drew the maps obviously hadn’t driven the roads to make sure they were really there. “This sucks.” Alec almost sounded like a whiny kid. “Be a good boy. Just keep walking and maybe you can have an ice cream when you get home,” Cameron teased as they headed down the road.

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“Screw that. I’m gonna want a nice cold beer and a bucket of ice for my aching feet.” Cam nodded in agreement. They were going to be sore after this even though they were both wearing hiking boots.

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Chapter Fourteen Joey hadn’t slept well, which was no surprise. Cameron hadn’t called at all last night. It hadn’t been easy not to drive over to his place last night. She told herself he was fine or someone would have called her. After all, he was with Alec and his cousins who all knew, along with the rest of town, they were dating. So someone would have called. Then there was Jake. Any accidents would be reported to him, and he would have definitely called her. She poured coffee into her travel mug, careful not to waste a drop knowing she was going to every bit of caffeine to make through the day. It would serve him right if she just skipped their meeting this morning and went back to bed, but that had its own consequences. First and most important, it would give her sisters reason to believe they were all right last night when they said she was mad. Of course she was, and they would’ve been too in her shoes, but she wasn’t about to prove them right. Second, she wanted to hear what so important that he couldn’t have taken two minutes to call her. “Whoa.” A deep voice rumble from behind her. Joey didn’t bother to hide her smile. This morning she’d decided to forgo her normal business attire today for a more casual look. She chose a very short khaki skirt and a teal spaghetti strap camisole with a matching shear blouse. And for the first time in as long as she could remember she was wearing sandals instead of her more traditional and staid low-heeled pumps. After all, she needed to show her toes off since Georgie had insisted on giving her a pedicure last night. She’d claimed it would help her to relax, but Joey figured it was to keep her from walking the floor between their rooms.

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Subconsciously, she must have had this outfit in mind last night, because she’d chosen a polish with the same bluish tone for her toenails. Or maybe that was why this outfit had snagged her attention. Either way, she was enjoying the rebellious feeling she had at breaking her own dress code. “Morning, Trent.” As she turned to face him, her hair swung like a curtain in the wind. “Morning.” The wide-eyed, deer caught in the headlights look was too much not to laugh at. “Stop giggling at my husband’s expense.” Sam patted Trent’s back and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek as she walked past him. “I couldn’t help it.” Joey didn’t feel bad at all, instead, his reaction gave her a boost of confidence. “You look nice. Taking the day off?” Joey shook her head, and Sam stared at her for a few seconds before pouring a cup of coffee for her and her husband. “Are you meeting with Cameron?” Joey looked over at Trent and nodded. “Can I come?” “Why?” Joey and Sam both asked. “Because I want to see the look on his face.” He smiled and winked at Sam, who groaned. “Sometimes my husband thinks he’s funny.” Sam blew him a kiss to take the sting out of her words. “You two play nice.” Joey headed for the door at a quick pace, hoping to avoid running into any of her other sisters. She made it to her car and almost out of the driveway. Frankie moved Hal’s truck over to give her enough room to pass but stopped and unrolled her window. Joey pulled up beside her and rolled her window down. “You’re getting home awfully late,” Joey teased, hoping to keep this meeting brief. “Did you hear from Cam last night?” Frankie asked with a little protective sisterly anger.

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“No, and that’s fine.” Joey’s tone came out harsher than she meant, so she explained in a little softer tone. “We don’t inform each other of our daily plans. Hell, we haven’t reached the point in our relationship where we check in every day.” “Honey, I didn’t mean to make you mad.” Frankie really did sound sorry she brought it up. “I was just curious.” Joey knew all her sisters were wondering where he’d been just as much as she was. “I’ll fill you all in later.” “All right, but if you need someone to talk to, I’ll be home all day.” Joey nodded, and Frankie wiggled her fingers in a wave as she drove off. Joey pulled out of the driveway and head toward town. One of her favorite songs came on the radio, and she started to sing along. It wasn’t long before she was turning onto the lane that led to Cameron’s house. The first thing she noticed when she pulled into the driveway was that Cameron’s truck still wasn’t there. The temptation to just turn around and go about the rest of her day felt strong, but she made a commitment, and as always, she dealt with her responsibilities. She got out of the car and reached inside to grab her bag. Without him here, she wouldn’t need to spend the whole hour answering his questions or listening to his stories. She’d probably get twice the work done since he wouldn’t be trying to distract her. Joey expected Mrs. Whiskers to come running when she opened the door, but she didn’t. Concerned she rushed over to the corner of the living room where the cat’s box and her babies were. The kittens were inside walking around instead of just wiggling. They’d come a long way since Cameron had found them. Mrs. Whiskers never left them for long, so she had to be somewhere close by. Joey would make sure she put plenty of food fresh food and water down for her before she left. She walked into the kitchen and froze. Cameron was sitting at the table with Mrs. Whiskers lying in his lap. His eyes were closed and his mouth was slightly open.

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Joey couldn’t tell if the light rumbling noise she heard came from him or the cat. Probably both. She lowered her bags to the floor and moved into the room as quietly as she could. The table was set for two and between the plates there sat a huge platter of fruit. Some of it was diced, some sliced, and there were grapes and strawberries all over the place. She pulled out the empty chair and found a bouquet of roses. The blooms were a variety of colors with long stems, and they were tied together with a thick red ribbon. A quick glance told her Cameron was still dozing. She knew he was probably just doing all this because he thought he was in trouble, which he was. But damn it, how the hell was she supposed to be mad now? He had some kind of plan in motion here, and if she let him spring it on her then he wasn’t going to learn anything. Joey and Georgie had only been thirteen years old when their mom died, but Joey remembered her telling them once when she was mad at their dad to never let a man off easy, especially if he admits he was wrong. Of course, a few hours later she’d walked in on her parents dancing around the kitchen. The wink and smile her mother had cast her way was a bittersweet memory, but it was one of the strongest she had of her. So Joey was going to follow her mother’s advice in her own way. Joey slid the chair back under the table and as quietly as she could she backed out of the room. She stopped just long enough to snatch up the straps of her bags and practically ran for the door on her toes so her heels wouldn’t click on the floor. Once outside she walked down the steps over to her car. She opened the door and slammed it shut so hard the car actually shook. And just in case that hadn’t woken him up, she stomped up the stairs. She opened the door and swung it shut behind her. Not quite a slam, but louder than she needed to. As she turned toward the kitchen, Mrs. Whiskers came running out followed by Cameron, who still looked a little sleepy. “Oh, you’re home,” she said, and Cameron blinked his eyes a few times. She thought maybe he saw through her already.

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“Yeah, I was waiting for you.” He came over took her bags and put them on the couch. “Umm…shouldn’t you be putting those in the office?” “Not just yet. I thought we’d have breakfast, and I could explain about yesterday.” He reached out and took her hand and led her into the kitchen. “Yesterday?” Playing dumb was harder than she thought it would be. “We’ll talk about it, but first I wanted to do this.” He stopped in front of the table. “Wow. I’m glad I skipped breakfast. This looks great.” She hoped she sounded impressed by the elaborate spread. Cameron didn’t say anything, but his smile did. He slid out the chair and motioned for her to come around to where he was standing. She knew what was there and decided to throw him the first curveball she had to mess up whatever his plan was. “I’d rather sit on this side.” Before he could try to change her mind, she pulled out the chair and sat down. She had to bite her tongue to keep from laughing at the way his bottom lip jutted out in a pout. He stood there and stared at her for a few seconds, so she reached forward and picked up a strawberry. She put the tip of it in her mouth closing her lips over it. As she bit into the red berry, she sucked the juice. She looked up at Cameron, pleased to see him staring at her. “Are you going to eat?” He slid the other chair out and lifted the roses. “I, well, I thought you’d like these.” “Oh, they’re beautiful. Why don’t you put them on the counter for now?” She could see the slight tremble in his hand as he turned toward the counter. Joey knew she should feel bad for doing this, and she did, but she consoled herself by telling her he deserved it.

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He laid the flowers on the counter and turned back to her. Instead of coming back to the table he leaned back across the counter and crossed his arms over his chest. The move pulled the T-shirt tight across the top of his shoulders and around his biceps. Joey almost choked on the chunk of watermelon she’d just bitten into. It wasn’t just the sexy image he made standing there that seized her ability to function. The look on his face would have caused it to happen on its own. The way his eyebrows pulled down and the muscles she saw tighten in his jaw gave his intense stare a rough edge. He was angry, and that she was able to draw the emotion out of him gave her a little thrill. For a second she hoped he might have realized what she was doing. There was only one way to find out for sure. “Are you going to join me?” Joey asked reaching for chunk of pineapple. Cameron pushed off the counter and with his long legs he was at the table in two strides. He grabbed the chair, spun it around, and straddled it. Joey forced herself not to squirm under his gaze. She slipped the last of the pineapple she’d been nibbling on into her mouth and licked the juice from her fingers. He just watched her, not saying anything. She reached for the platter between them and picked up a raspberry and held it out to him. His eyes never left hers as he shook his head. She popped it into her mouth, which gave her an excuse not to say anything. Cameron lifted the pitcher of orange juice and poured some into each of the goblet-style glasses. “Thanks.” She lifted the glass and took a sip watching over the brim. “So are we celebrating something?” “No.” She waited giving him a chance to say more, but he didn’t. “Okay.” She gave a shrug of her shoulders. “Well, I got a lot of work done yesterday, but there are still a few big holes in your records.” “Maybe I could have filled those in if I’d been here.”

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“I doubt it. If the documents were there, I would have found them,” Joey said with a shrug as she reached for another piece of fruit. “Still, if I’d been here yesterday we could have discussed what’s missing.” Joey could tell he was trying to get her to ask where he’d been. “It’s okay. I made you a list so you can get on top of finding them.” “I’ll get on it as soon as I get back.” His comment had the facade she created slipping a little. “Get back? Are you going somewhere?” “Actually, I’m hoping we are.” “We, as in you and me?” She put the piece of watermelon her fingers were digging into on her plate. Cameron nodded. “I planned on talking to you about this yesterday.” “But you weren’t here, so why don’t you tell me now.” She picked up her napkin and wiped the juice and bits of fruit from her fingers. “I need to go down to Boston for a few days. I have a meeting with my publisher, and there are a couple of publicity events I need to attend.” “And you want me to go with you?” “Yeah, I want you to come with me.” “Why?” She managed to squeak the word out past her shock. “Why?” She nodded, and he grunted then said, “Because if I come without you, my mother will disown me.” “Cameron, I can’t just up and leave for a few days. I have other clients, and my sisters and I are about to start a huge project up at the lodge.” “Can’t you reschedule your appointments? Would your sisters really give you a hard time? I mean, when was the last time you took a few days off?” “I take every Saturday and Sunday off.”

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“No, you don’t. You may not see clients, but you spend time going over accounts and other paperwork.” Joey hated that he was right. She hadn’t taken any kind of a vacation in years. Her sisters wouldn’t mind her going since her absence wouldn’t delay their plans. As for her clients, that would be a little trickier. If they left on a Thursday and were back by Monday she could probably work something out. Still she couldn’t just up and leave town without giving her sisters and clients plenty of warning. Cameron may as well learn now that once you settled down, you didn’t go running off at the drop of a hat anymore. “Cameron, it’s just not responsible to disappear without any warning.” The second she said it she wished she could get the words back. **** “So, you are mad I was gone and didn’t call.” Thank God, he thought she hadn’t even noticed. “Huh?” she said and though it was a valiant attempt to pretend she had no idea what he was talking about, he didn’t believe it. He gave her a look that he hoped said he didn’t buy her act. “Me. Not here and not calling.” “Oh, that. I figured if you wanted me to know where you were you would have told me.” She did her best to keep her tone free of any emotions. “I would have. In fact, I tried to, but my phone died and so did Alec’s.” Now it was her turn to give him the look of disbelief. “Wasn’t that convenient?” “Actually, no it wasn’t. Not only couldn’t I call you, but Alec couldn’t call his cousins, either.” “I’m sure they weren’t happy about that.”

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“They were damn pissed, but so were we. I hadn’t planned on the meeting running so long. And we definitely didn’t plan on the moose making me drive into a ditch. Or the fact that my truck wasn’t just stuck, it ended up with a broken axle. If our phones had been working, we could have called someone for help. Instead, we walked for three hours until some old lady that smelled like onions picked us up. We were willing to deal with it when we thought she was our saving grace, but then we realized we could probably walk faster than she drove.” Joey laughed. Cameron was glad one of them found it funny. Fuck, he still had a cramp in his foot from walking so far. Still, at least she was smiling. “You want to know the worst part?” he asked, and she nodded. “It was thinking you didn’t care whether or not if I wasn’t here.” She looked away, and he knew he’d hit a nerve. “Of course, I cared.” She stared at her glass as she ran her finger around the rim. “But not enough to let it show.” He inwardly cringed at the sissy sounding whine he heard in his voice. Her head snapped up, and her gaze locked on his. “How would you have reacted?” “I don’t know. I probably would have demanded to know where the fuck you’d been.” “Really?” She took the little smile she flashed him as a good sign. “Yeah, I figure we’re deep enough in this relationship that the common courtesy of checking in every now and then is not only nice, but kind of expected.” “Yet you didn’t even think to leave me a friggin’ note.” There was an edge to her voice that he’d never heard before, not even when he’d made her mad enough that she threatened to quit. “I’m sorry. I promise it won’t happen again.” “I’m going to hold you to that.” “Good. Now about this trip─”

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“I can’t go.” She cut him off before he could even get into the details, “Truthfully, I just don’t think it would be a good idea.” “If it was one of your sisters asking, would you go?” He had no idea where the question came from. “That’s different.” “No, it’s not. Damn it, you’re my girlfriend, and I want to spend time with you, but if that isn’t a good enough reason to go we can leave a day early and go find copies of all the missing documents you need.” “Cameron─” “Screw it! I’m not going to beg you to come away with me.” He didn’t want to hear her turn him down again. He shoved off the table and got to his feet. “Where’s the list of stuff you need?” Cameron made to the doorway of the office when he felt her grab onto his arm. He came to stop, and she bumped into him. She looked up at him and the smile on her face had him confused. “If you’ll let me finish, I was about to tell you I would consider it.” She let go of his arm but didn’t move away. “Well, can you consider it quickly?”He knew he was pushing his luck, but he didn’t have a choice. “I suppose. Why?”Her smile faltered, not enough to disappear altogether, but enough that he noticed. “Because I want to leave Thursday afternoon.” “Cameron!” Her voice squeaked as she said him name. “That’s only two days away.” “I know.” “That’s not much time. I’d have to talk to my sisters. I may not even be able to reach my clients to cancel and reschedule their appointments.” Cameron listened to her rattle on about short notice. Normally, he wouldn’t have sprung it on her, but since it had been sprung on him he didn’t have any other choice. He knew from growing up with sisters that—even though she hadn’t mentioned it—somewhere in her

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mind she was thinking about what to pack. It took his sisters weeks to decide which outfits to bring on trips. There was nothing he could do but sit there and let her talk her way through everything until she came to a decision. There was one other detail that may sway her decision, but maybe not in his favor. Still, it would be better to get it out in the open. Alec’s mocking laughter echoed in his head. Cameron hoped like hell she’d find it funny, too, because he didn’t. “Joey.” She just kept talking so he reached across the grabbed her hand and gave it a shake. “What?” She turned to face him. “I have another little issue that may factor in on your decision.” “I’m almost afraid to ask.” Her teasing smile allayed his fears a smidge. “Well, the garage in town only has four rental cars. Total. And only one,” he held up his index finger, “of them is available for the next two weeks. I don’t plan on needing it for that long. The minute I get back, I’m going to get a new truck.” “Cameron, stop babbling and tell me what the problem is.” “The jerk at the garage gave me a beat-up shoe box. So we’ll be in for a pretty uncomfortable ride. I hope you’ll still consider coming with me.” Joey wasn’t a materialistic person, so he hoped like hell that she didn’t let this sway her. “Oh, no, we won’t.” She got to her feet and started clearing the table. Fuck! Alec had been right. There was no way she’d want to drive eight and half hours down to Boston in an ancient shoebox. Hell, Cameron didn’t want to either. He sat there watching her put the fruit in plastic storage bowls and slam covers on them before sticking them in the fridge. If there was anything he could say to change her mind, it had to be really good. Cameron walked over and laid his hands on her shoulders. “Joey, I know it won’t be the most fun road trip, but would it change

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anything if I let you choose where we stop to eat. Heck, I’ll even let you control the radio.” “No, it wouldn’t, because we’re taking my car and that’s all there is to it. Now, you should go take a nap while I go talk to my sisters.” She shoved him toward the living room and he started to go then stopped. He turned around and said, “I’d sleep better with you beside me.” “That’ll have to wait.” Joey picked up her bags and tugged the strap over her shoulder. “I won’t push my luck.” Cameron knew he was already on the winning end of this deal. He draped his arm around her shoulders and together they walked to the door. “Will I see you later?” “Sure. Why don’t you come over around six-thirty for dinner?” Joey said with a smile. He hesitated for a minute or two. Normally, he would have jumped on her offer, but truthfully he was a little scared to face her sisters after his disappearing act. “It’ll reassure my sisters about me going away with you if they get to grill you a little.” There was a teasing note in her tone, but probably some truth, too. “I’ll be there.” He wasn’t going to give into his fear. “Good.” Joey pushed up onto her toes and slid her arms around his neck. The second her lips touched his he forgot about everything but her. She took control of the kiss, slipping her tongue in his mouth. Soon, she had him pinned against the wall beside the door, and they were both panting hard. She rubbed her body against his and parts of him were willing to ignore how sore and tired as he was if it got her in his bed. Joey whimpered as she eased away from him. “I really need to go.” She reached for the doorknob, but he got to it first.

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He opened the door, and as she walked through he gave her ass a swat. She jumped, and they both laughed. He stood there watching as she climbed in her car. Cameron was still standing there long after she was out of sight. It was in that moment he realized what he felt for her was love. The settle down and have kids kind of love. Once in a lifetime kind of love. And he hoped she felt the same way about him because he was about to make a total fool out of himself if she didn’t.

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Chapter Fifteen Joey had been having a great time until about five minutes ago. They’d driven down late Wednesday night instead of Thursday. Cameron had figured the extra time could be used visiting his bank, lawyer, agent and anyone else Joey wanted to get copies of the documents she needed. He’d been right, and they managed to find everything she had on her list. Cameron had taken her out to dinner to celebrate. The celebration continued until the wee hours of the morning. Joey felt bad that he’d spent most of Friday morning and afternoon tied up in meetings while she slept in then did some shopping. She splurged a little and bought a light purple dress with matching shoes. The thin straps weren’t really needed since the bodice of the dress was so tight there wasn’t much of chance of it moving. The rest was loose over her hips and swayed around her knees as she walked. Cameron’s whistle when she walked into the room told her he like the way it looked just as much as she did. Now they were at an upscale gallery attending a combination art show and book launch for one of Cameron’s friends, who happened to be published at the same house as Cameron. As they made their way around the lower floor, Cameron was stopped frequently by people who either knew him or wanted to. He kept her hand wrapped in his the whole time, but Joey couldn’t help but notice when it was a woman talking to him he pulled her closer to his side. So, for the last five minutes, she had begun to wonder if this was the reason he asked her to come along. After all, he could have gotten the documents on his own. Joey rejected the drink a waiter offered

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her. Another woman approached them, and Cameron let go of her hand and slipped his arm around Joey’s waist. “Cameron, I heard you were back in the city.” The woman leaned in and pressed a kiss to his cheek, and Joey felt his fingers press deeper right above her hip. “We just stopped in for a quick visit.” He didn’t return the kiss. “Marianne Mancuso, it’s my pleasure to introduce you to Josephine Brazen.” “Are you one of Victor’s sisters-in-law?” Marianne asked, and Joey nodded. “It’s nice to meet you.” “You, too.” Joey lied, not giving a fig about meeting the woman. Joey stood there smiling as Cameron and Marianne made small talk. The whole time it was running through her mind that Cameron was using her as some kind of buffer between him and the women mingling around the room. The second Marianne left, Joey excused herself to use the ladies’ room. Cameron’s smile left his face for the first time that night, but he pressed a kiss to her cheek and nodded. Joey could feel his gaze on her as she walked away, but when she glanced back she was surprised to find a few other men staring at her, too. She decided they were only looking to see who Cameron was staring at. Joey walked into the bathroom and leaned against the door. The bathroom was actually two rooms—a sitting room and then another room that had toilets and sinks. Joey was glad the sitting room was empty since it gave her a chance to gather her wits. She could hear voices in the other room, so she knew the private moment wasn’t going to last long. She walked over and sat on the bench in front of a long row of mirrors. **** Cameron knew the second he saw Joey in that goddamn dress he was in big trouble. She may not realize it, but she looked like a

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million bucks, and he wasn’t the only one who’d noticed. Every woman he knew had come over to check her out, and the guys were practically drooling. Cameron was having a hard time keeping himself in check. Joey didn’t seem to be having any issues. She was smiling and making small talk as if she did this kind of thing all the time. The few of his friends that had worked up the nerve to come over and introduce themselves had shaken her hand a little too long or gotten closer than he liked. Saying anything would only make him sound jealous, which he was. Nobody else needed to know that, especially Joey. Cam didn’t think coming off like a jealous fool would help him win her over. Joey excused herself to visit the ladies room. Though he was more than willing to escort her there, she slipped her hand from his and walked away. Cam watched her go, along with half of the other men in the room. The second she was through the door and out of sight, his friends, the vultures, swooped in ready to get as much information about her as possible before she returned. Cam knew not telling them anything would only make them more curious, so he told the basics. She was one of six sisters who lived in northern Maine. When they asked how he was lucky enough to meet her, Cam left out the part about her being his CPA and told them his friend Alec Mitchell had introduced them. A couple of his pals asked if her other sisters were single, which made Cam laugh. The only two single sisters were Georgie and Bobbie. He didn’t think Jake would take kindly to anyone making a play for Bobbie, and though these guys were his friends, he didn’t think any of them were good enough for Georgie. One by one his friends drifted off, leaving him alone to wonder what the hell was taking her so long. He was about to go find out when he heard a familiar voice call his name. Abigail Kynsale was headed straight for him. It had been a while since Cameron had seen the influential critic. As she sashayed across the room, Cameron

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looked for some sign that she’d aged in the past five years. She didn’t look a bit over fifty, which was twenty-three years less than her real age, not that he’d ever tell anyone. “If it’s possible, you look even more ravishing than the last time I saw you.” He leaned down and let her press a noisy kiss to his cheek. “Flatterer.” She patted his chest in a grandmotherly way. “I see and hear the wilds of Maine have been good to you.” “Word spreads fast.” “Doesn’t matter. I knew you’d never settle down in the city.” She’d brought the subject up more than a few times. “Now, tell me the inside information about this artist. Don’t look so concerned. I know you’re good friends.” “We are. Peter isn’t just a talented photographer. He dabbles in sculpting.” He answered Abigail’s questions, deftly avoiding anything personal. She either didn’t notice how many times he glanced in the direction of the bathroom, or she was just polite enough not to mention it. However, when he looked over and spotted Joey talking with Nathan Ellington, a prominent restaurateur, he froze, and Abigail had no choice but to say something. “Cameron, are you okay?” “Yes,” he said finding his tongue. “She’s lovely, as I heard. It’s no wonder you can’t take your eyes off her.” Abigail’s playful teasing slid right off him. “Neither can Nathan.” He hated that his jealousy was clearly evident in his voice. “Oh,” Abigail patted his arm, “that glorified hot dog pusher has nothing on you.” They both laughed. Nathan would die if he knew she called him that. Cameron’s sister would have laughed her ass off. She’d gone to culinary school with Nathan, and they had been bitter rivals. They still were, even though they only saw each once or twice a year.

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She gave him a gentle shove as she said, “Well, what are you waiting for? Go rescue your fair maiden from the evil clutches of the nefarious Nathan.” Cameron didn’t need to be told twice. He was across the room in a flash, sliding his arm around Joey’s waist as he came to a stop. Nathan’s smile fell for a second at the possessive move, though Joey probably didn’t notice because she was looking up at him. Unable to resist the chance to lay firmer claim on her, Cameron leaned down and pressed a quick kiss to her smiling lips. “Hey, Nate, long time, no see.” He offered his hand, not surprised when Nathan reached out and shook it. “Almost two years. How’s Kirsten?” Nathan made a mistake by bringing her up. “Fine. Her restaurant scored a great review in the Post.” He’d have to tell his sister about the way Nate paled at the news. Joey noticed, too, and must have sensed Cameron was goading him. “Cam, Nathan invited us to his restaurant later tonight to sample his dessert bar.” “We’ll have to take a rain check. I already accepted another invitation just minutes ago.” Cameron hoped his smile told him wasn’t the slightest bit sorry he had to turn the offer down. The polite thing to do would have been to make some small talk, but Cam wasn’t feeling very civil at the moment. After a few awkwardly silent minutes, Nathan told Joey she’d be welcome any time and excused himself to go speak someone who was waving at him. “That was kind of rude, don’t you think?” Joey asked as he walked away. “I don’t really care.” Cam saw the surprise flash in her eyes, and for a second or two he regretted his harshness. Joey looked around nervously. Thanks to his angry tone, a few people standing close by were watching them. As Joey stepped out of his embrace, she slipped her hand into his and squeezed. With a tug

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he reluctantly let her pull him over to a little nook close by. The people around them may have been fooled since the move, accompanied by a sweetly deceptive smile, looked like she wanted to show him something. Once she had him where she wanted him, she let his hand go. “What the hell is wrong with you?” She managed to say without the smile ever leaving her lips. “I never liked Nathan.” He knew that wasn’t what she was really asking. She laughed and slapped his arm. Again, to anyone else it would have looked like a playful act, but it actually stung. He forced a smile and winked just to piss her off. Her growl made him laugh, which just turned more heads their way. “Fine. I didn’t like the way he was looking at you. Hell, I haven’t liked the way any of them have been watching your every move.” Her smile fell along with her jaw. She turned away from him, facing the wall for a second. When she faced him once again with her smile firmly in place, he took pleasure in noting that she couldn’t wipe all the signs of surprise from her features. Her eyes were still a bit wide, and the red slashes of color on her cheeks had left a noticeable pink tinge. If his declaration had shocked her, the conversation they were about to have wouldn’t make things any better. “Joey, trust me, he’s lucky all I did was insult him.” “If I’m embarrassing you, then we should go,” she said softly, but before she could move he stepped in front of her blocking any chance of her escaping. “Why do you always take what I’m saying wrong?” The angry glare told him he’d only made it worse, and he quickly rushed to take the blame. “What I meant to say is why do I always say the wrong thing when it comes to telling you how I feel?” “I don’t know.” She sighed.

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“I do. I’m an ass.” She smiled, and he felt like a weight had been lifted off his chest. “I wasn’t embarrassed at all. I was jealous. Every man in this room has been devouring you with his eyes, and I want to go around and poke them all to teach them a lesson about looking at my girl that way.” Joey laughed. She covered her mouth trying to smother it, but the sounds filled the air. He glanced around, noticing they had drawn even more attention. She wiped at the tears escaping from her eyes. He felt a light tap on his shoulder and turned to find Abigail standing there looking at him with narrowed eyes. “Good lord, Cameron. What have you done?” She elbowed him out of the way and moved to Joey’s side. “Abigail, everything is fine.” Both women gaped at him, but Cam wasn’t about to explain how badly he’d fucked things up. “I’m sure it is. We’ll just drop into the ladies room to compose ourselves.” She whisked Joey away, leaving him there looking like a fool. Luckily, Joey returned within a few minutes looking as if nothing was wrong. Cam could only wonder what she told Abby. “Maybe we should go,” Cam said when she reached his side. “No. I think we should continue our conversation.” She would want to finish it here. “Joey, I’m not used to being the jealous guy, so can you cut me a little slack?” He probably deserved being put on the spot, but he hoped she’d take pity on him. He couldn’t tell from the smile she flashed him whether or not she planned on letting him off the hook. She laid her hand on his chest and leaned in close. He knew she could feel the way his heart raced under her palm. At that second he wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms and kiss her. Never one for holding back, he did just that. She gasped in surprise and wobbled on her high heels. He took advantage of her and dipped her backwards as his lips covered hers.

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Her hands clutched his shoulders, but the way she kissed him back told him it wasn’t from fear he’d drop her. Their tongues stroked each other, ratcheting up the heat between them. He eased his mouth from hers, lifting his head until their faces were mere inches apart. “Marry me?” the words flew past his lips before he could stop them. She blinked up at him, and her fingers gripped his shoulders tighter. What the fuck? Again, his mouth had gone faster than his brain. Sure, he planned to ask her eventually, but not like that. He envisioned roses, candlelight, wine, and some soft music. Cameron figured since she hadn’t responded that he blew it. He closed his eyes and started to straighten them both, but stopped when he thought he heard a softly whispered “yes.” Cameron looked down at her and she smiled up at him. “Yes.” Her soft whisper came a little louder this time.

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Chapter Sixteen Three hours later, Joey was still walking on cloud nine. She still couldn’t believe Cameron asked her to marry him. It was even more unbelievable she’d said yes. Finding out he’d accepted an invitation for a midnight cruise just topped the evening off for her. Cameron seemed to be as stunned and happy as she felt. After the scene they’d made, word of their engagement had spread quickly. They accepted congratulations and well wishes from those who had been at the book launch. Everything had been fine until ten minutes ago when someone she hadn’t been introduced to asked Cameron if they were going to have a long engagement. Joey wasn’t sure why, but the question seemed to burst Cameron’s bubble. Joey wondered what was running through his head. She took his hand and led him to the railing. Joey stared out at the waves and waited for him to say something. The moonlight shimmering as it rocked on water would have been romantic if she wasn’t worried that he was having second thoughts. His arm slipped around her waist and pulled her close. Instead of relaxing against him, she held herself a little stiff. Cameron noticed and turned his face to hers. Joey could see he wanted to say something, but she couldn’t wait. “Cam, have you changed your mind?” She blurted before she lost the nerve. “Hell no!” His quick response reassured her. “Then what is it? I can tell something is bothering you.” She needed to know what was bothering him.

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He looked out at the water then back at her. “I just realized that it might be a while before we can actually get married.” He was right, but she didn’t think it would have to be too long. Maybe a year or so. As soon as they got home, she’d tell her sisters they were engaged. That was going to be a shocker, but once they got used to the idea they could start discussing a date. “Is that a problem?” “Yes! No. Well, for me it is. I’d marry you right now if I could, but you probably want a wedding with all of your family and friends there?” He didn’t sound happy about the prospect. “Truthfully, I’d rather it be a small affair.” She hoped that made him feel better. “What about you? Your family seems close.” “My sisters and mother would probably want a big shindig, but I could go for the small ceremony.” Relief started to flood through her when he smiled. “A small, intimate wedding won’t take long to plan.” Not with her sisters in control. “Once we get everyone to agree.” Okay, he was right. It might take some time to get their families on the same page. “It’ll be easier than you think.” She’d do her best to make sure of it. “We’ll see,” He shrugged his broad shoulders. “But that doesn’t fix the immediate problem.” “Which is?” If he’d tell her what the problem was, she could try to find a solution. “I want you in my bed every night. The easiest way to ensure that would be for you to move in with me. The problem is somewhere along the line I guess my mother managed to drill some of her morals into me because I want us married before that happens. Your sisters would probably want it that way, too.” Since he was already putting so much thought into it, she may as well let him finish. “I’m sure they would. So what are you suggesting?” “Marry me?”

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“I already said I would.” She laughed, but he didn’t. “Marry me right now?” His serious tone told her he wasn’t kidding. “How? Don’t we need a marriage license?” “If I can work out all the details, would you marry me right now?” He pushed. Joey’s heart was beating so hard she thought it might explode. “Yes.” He pulled her close and pressed a quick kiss to her lips. “Stay here.” Joey watched him run off, wondering what the hell he thought he could possibly do at eleven o’clock at night. Even if they wanted to get married right away, there was nothing they could do today. With it being the weekend, they probably couldn’t start to make plans until Monday when they got home. After a few minutes, Abigail, who Joey had learned was the one who invited her and Cameron on the moonlight cruise, appeared at her elbow. “Dear, you need to come with me, or people will think you two are having a lovers’ spat.” The older woman hooked her arm through hers and led Joey away from the railing. **** Cameron wasn’t looking forward to telling her how he managed to pull it all together, but hopefully she wouldn’t ask right away. A few strategic calls and all the paperwork was faxed to the ship. All they needed to do was sign them and have the captain perform the ceremony, which he was more than willing to do. Thankfully, it hadn’t taken very long to get everything underway. Cam had called in a couple of favors, but he had one more and it was the biggest and most important. He hoped this would show Joey just how much he loved her. Cam dialed and waited for someone to answer.

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“Hello.” He recognized Bobbie’s voice right away. “Hi, is Georgie there?” He figured she was since it was so late. “Cam, is that you?” Bobbie asked, her voice raising a little. “Yeah, it’s me,” he confessed. “Is everything all right? Where’s Joey?” He felt guilty at the note of concern he heard. “Bobbie, everything is fine. Actually, better than fine. I just need to talk to Georgie for a second.” He heard some rustling and what he thought might be running. “Cameron, what’s wrong?” Georgie asked. “Nothing’s wrong. Everything is very right.” He tried to reassure her. “I just need a favor.” “What?” He could still hear the concern in her voice, but there was curiosity too. “I know it’s late, but can you round everyone up right away, like in the next twenty minutes, and get them in front of the computer?” He hoped so, because it was a significant part of his plan. “Yeah, why?” Now she just sounded curious. “I can’t say just yet.” He wanted to surprise them all. “I’ll call you back and tell you when to log in.” “Okay. I’ll get everyone here.” If she managed to do it, he would really owe her one, and he always paid his debts. “Good. I’ll talk to you in little bit.” Cameron hung up and quickly dialed his sister Kirsten’s number and asked her to do the same with his family. With nothing left to do but wait, Cameron headed back on the deck where he’d left Joey. Not spotting her, he searched the rest of the deck. He found her sitting at a table with Abigail and her husband Harrison. It couldn’t have been more perfect. He could ask them to be their witnesses. She looked over and smiled at him as he strode forward. He came to a stop beside the table and leaned down and kissed Abigail’s cheek before joining them. Once seated beside her he

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wrapped his arm around her shoulders and kissed her. He laughed. She let out a little sigh as he pulled away. “Abigail, Your Honor,” Cam said nodding in their direction. “Cam, it’s Harrison.” The judge reprimanded him. “Sorry, sir. I just can’t seem to get the image of you sitting on the bench out of my mind.” They all laughed. “Well, you bring Josephine to our barbeque and watch him chasing our grandbabies around, and it’ll wipe it right out of your head.” Abigail patted her husband’s hand lovingly. “We’d love to. Better yet, when Joey and her sisters are done remodeling their lodge, you two should come up for a visit.” Cameron would enjoy having a nice visit with them. “I was just telling them the same thing,” Joey said reaching up and covered his hand resting on her shoulder with her fingers. “We’d love to.” Harrison winked at his wife, who blushed. “Good. Now I have a favor to ask of both of you.” “Really?” They said in unison looking intrigued. Cam gave Joey’s shoulder a little squeeze, and when she looked over at him, he smiled at her. “Joey and I are going to be getting married in about a half an hour, and I was hoping you would stand up for us.” Abigail clapped her hands, and Harrison said, “We’d be honored.” “You found a way?” Joey’s voice was filled with awe. “The captain agreed to marry us. And just in case you think it may not be legal, Harrison can look over the paperwork.” “Wow. You don’t waste any time.” Abigail was right. When he wanted something he went after it. “The boy is smart enough to know a good thing when he sees it.” Harrison’s praise had Joey blushing. Abigail quickly took control of the conversation. Cam did his best to keep up, but it wasn’t easy. He checked his watch and realized only five minutes had passed. By now, his friend Luke was on his way with the equipment they needed for the webcast. He planned on

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taking a smaller boat out to the one they were on and coming aboard, with the captain’s permission, of course. After Luke got all the equipment set up, he’d call their families and get them online. Cam would have liked to see to all the details himself, but at the same time he didn’t want to leave Joey again. If she felt half as antsy as he did, she sure in hell wasn’t showing it. He wondered if she would be reacting differently if she knew what he had planned. Harrison lured him into the conversation, and soon his anxiety start to ease. He seemed to forget that in less than an hour he’d be a married man. It wasn’t until he heard a loud horn sound off in the distance that he checked his watch again. He smiled, knowing that was probably Luke. **** Joey’s hid her nervousness behind her smile. She’d learned to do it a long time ago, and it came in handy. It helped that Abigail turned out to be such a chatterbox. Of course, the way Cameron fidgeted didn’t help. Every time he touched her, she had to force herself not to jump. Her mind raced almost faster than her heart. She didn’t feel any fear. This is what she wanted. The only apprehension she felt came from knowing she’d have a hell of a lot of explaining to do when she got home. She wasn’t going to dwell on that right now. It would sort itself out in time. Cameron’s phone buzzed, and everyone at the table looked at him. “I guess it’s time,” he said getting to his feet. Joey took the hand he held out to her and let him help her up. Harrison rose and helped Abigail to her feet. Cam led them toward the bow of the boat where the stairs led to the upper deck. He asked the Kynsales to go up first so he could have a moment with Joey. They did as he asked, leaving them alone.

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“I’m going to ask again since this is pretty overwhelming. If you’ve changed your mind, I’ll understand. Joey, will you marry me?” It touched her that he was willing to give her the chance to change her mind after he’d made all the arrangements. She laid her hand on his chest and said, “Cameron, I’m positive that I want to marry you.” “Then let’s go.” He took her hand and led her up the stairs. Joey reached the top step and froze. There were two large screens on either side of the captain, who wore a uniform that reminded her of a pilot minus the jacket. She barely noticed the guy standing beside him holding a video camera. She stared at the screen on the right, stunned to see her five sisters, her brothers-in-laws, her soon-to-be brother-in-law, and Jake. She glanced at the other screen, equally shocked to see Cameron’s family staring back at them. “Thanks, everyone, for coming,” Cameron said, and suddenly everyone started talking at once, and Joey couldn’t decipher what they were saying. Cam held up his hand and said, “I know you guys are all wondering what’s going on, but give us just a few minutes and you’ll see why I wanted you all here.” With a nod from Cameron, the captain stepped forward and said, “Hello, everyone. Cameron and Joey have come before you all tonight to proclaim their love for one another and pledge to spend the rest of their days loving and supporting each other.” After that announcement, which silenced both their families, the captain asked them the traditional questions. They both said their “I do’s,” and the captain pronounced them man and wife. When he instructed Cameron to kiss the bride, cheers rose up from all around them. It wasn’t until that minute she realized the rest of the people on the cruise had gathered below to watch the ceremony, too. The next few minutes went by in a blur. Joey promised to give her sisters all the details when she got home. Cameron’s sisters promised to have a proper “welcome to the

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family” lunch ready for Joey tomorrow when they got to his mother’s house. Harrison and Abigail both signed the documents as their witnesses and headed back down to the main deck to join the rest of the people celebrating. The captain and the other man, who Cam introduced as his friend Luke, went below, leaving them all alone on the upper deck. Music drifted up from below, and Cameron eased her into his arms. He moved her around the floor, humming along with the tune. Joey rested her head on his shoulder, letting herself just enjoy the moment. “I can’t believe you did all this.” Joey looked up at him, unable to hold back the tears brimming in her eyes. “I knew it wouldn’t be right without your sisters, especially Georgie, here.” He shrugged his shoulders like it hadn’t been a big deal. “When we get back to your place, I’ll show you just how much it meant to me.” She kissed him, letting her body rub against his. Cameron groaned as his body reacted just like she knew it would. His cock sprung to life and formed a thick ridge behind his fly. His hands slid down her back and cupped her ass. Joey rocked against him, earning another louder groan. She knew if things didn’t end, now the people downstairs might be getting a different kind of show. It took her a minute or two to untangle herself from his arms. “We better go down downstairs before everyone tries to come up here.” “Yes, dear.” She laughed at the mock defeat she heard in his tone. “You’re already starting to sound like a loving husband,” Joey teased as they descended the stairs, both of them laughing loudly.

THE END WWW.RITASAWYER.COM

ABOUT THE AUTHOR I live in northern Maine near the Canadian border, but have strong family ties down in Massachusetts. My husband and I have been married for what seems like forever sometimes and have three great kids. One girl, two boys, and a house full of pets. When I’m not totally caught up in getting my characters and scenes fleshed out I can usually be found with my nose stuck in a book, or snuggled up on the couch with my hubby or one of the kids watching a movie. I enjoy spending time with my big noisy family and fishing when I get the chance. When it comes to writing I’ve always made up stories to entertain my kids. As they grew up I began writing romances to entertain myself. I’ve been seriously focusing on writing for the past three and a half years. Luckily I have a wonderful supportive family, and friends that are willing to sit there and listen to me ramble on about what my characters have done, or are about to do. I am a proud member of Romance Divas and enjoys visiting the Romantic Times forum.

Also by Rita Sawyer Brazen Sisters 1: A Brazen Love Worth Fighting For Brazen Sisters 2: To Unleash a Brazen Desire Brazen Sisters 3: Stroking a Brazen Lust What Are Friends For: Doing It Her Way

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