Even when kissing her earlier today, he hadn’t taken anything slowly. He had seen an opportunity and seized it. He had seen what he wanted and gone after it. With him there would be no compromise. It would be all or nothing, and only on his terms.
She walked around the house, pulling down the blinds. When she walked into the living room she couldn’t help but stare at the roses. No doubt there was a purpose behind Cameron sending them. He probably assumed that this was the first step in breaking down her defenses, and that the next time he saw her she would be easier to bend his way. If that’s what he thought, he definitely had another think coming.
She glanced out the window, realizing how much she’d missed spending any time on the beach today. Suddenly, the stubborn streak within her decided not to let Cameron’s presence keep her from enjoying her time here. Tomorrow she would get up, pack a lunch and spend the day on the beach. She’d meant what she’d said when she’d told Cameron she wanted to be left alone.
Now she would see how good he was at following orders.
Chapter 5
The man wasn’t good at following orders, Vanessa concluded the very next morning when she opened the front door to find Cameron standing there. Evidently he hadn’t taken her seriously.
“What do you want, Cameron? I thought I told you to stay away from me,” she said glaring at him.
“You did and I recall telling you that I wouldn’t.”
He leaned against the bamboo post, seemingly completely at ease. She watched him slip his hands into the pockets of his shorts and wished he hadn’t done that. It drew her attention to what he was wearing—a muscle shirt and a pair of denim shorts that emphasized his masculine physique. She touched her stomach when her inner muscles became achy, and released a moan.
“Are you okay?”
Her glare deepened. “No, I’m not okay. I don’t like being harassed.”
“And you think that’s what I’m doing? Harassing you?”
“Yes.”
“Then I need to use another approach.”
“What you need to do is turn around, go back to your place and leave me alone.”
He shook his head. “I can’t do that. We need to talk.”
Vanessa rolled her eyes. “We have nothing to talk about since I have nothing to say to you.”
“But I have something to say to you. I’d like to offer you a business proposition.”
Her eyes widened slightly before returning to angry slits. “A business proposition?”
“Yes. One where you’ll be in full control and calling all the shots.”
Before Vanessa’s mind could take in what he had said and dissect what he meant, he added, “I think I need to clear something up right now, Vanessa, something you might have assumed. I’m not interested in a committed relationship…with anyone.”
Now, that really threw her. Not that she was surprised he wasn’t interested in a committed relationship, since most single men weren’t. But it did leave her curious as to why he had been hot on her tail for the last three years. Or was it just as she’d thought? To him it had been a challenge, nothing more than a game he’d had every intention of winning.
Evidently he read the question in her eyes because he responded by saying, “The reason I’ve been pursuing you with such single-minded determination is that I think you’re a very desirable woman and I want you. It’s as simple as that.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. Nothing with Cameron was ever simple. “So you bought a house just to be near me for a couple of weeks because you want me?”
“Yeah, and in a bad way. Three years’ worth of wanting to be exact. I’ve dreamed of having you in my bed every night, and I figured it was time to turn my dreams into reality.”
Although she wished it was otherwise, his words were having a naughty effect on her. Sensations, warm and tingly, began flowing all through her veins, and the salty air from the nearby ocean was getting replaced with his scent, a pungent fragrance that was all man.
“It won’t happen,” she said with conviction.
“What won’t happen?”
“Me, you, together that way.”