She watched as his gaze dropped to her mouth and he said. “But if, when our affair is over you find you still want me, just let me know and I will make myself available. Anytime, anyplace and any position.”
A wave of heated desire, larger than one of the waves forming out in the ocean, shot through her. Any position? Just what kind of fantasies had he conjured up for the next twelve days?
Vanessa had to struggle against the excitement that tried grabbing her in its clutches. He had painted one hell of a picture; the imagery was too sensual even for a graphic artist to try his hand at it. Someday, when this affair was over, she would wonder just how she got through it with all her senses intact.
Had she perhaps bitten off more than she could chew? But then she remembered that she would be the one in control. He couldn’t do any more than she let him. She had the last word.
Struggling to regain power of her senses, she said, “Thanks for the offer but I don’t intend to use it.”
“That will be your choice, Vanessa, but it’s out there if you change your mind.”
“I won’t.”
He gave her a look that said, “we’ll see.” “And another thing, Vanessa, just so you don’t accuse me of having an ulterior motive later, I might as well tell you that I’ve decided to make Charlotte my primary home.”
His words shocked the hell out of her and she was grateful she was sitting down. It had been bad enough to endure his occasional trips to the city, but the thought of him setting up permanent residence in her hometown was too much.
“Why?” she snapped. “Why are you moving to Charlotte?”
“I happen to like the town. I own several homes, most of them in the areas where I have extensive business interests—Atlanta, Austin and Los Angeles—and of course, now this place here. But the home I recently purchased in Charlotte is where I intend to stay most of the time.”
“Exactly where in Charlotte? What side of town?” she asked, clearly annoyed.
“The same subdivision where Morgan lives. I like the area and the homes there.”
She nodded. So did she. It was a very beautiful area and the homes, all in the million-dollar range, were simply breathtaking. At least he would be living on the opposite side of town, quite a distance from her, so the chances of their paths crossing too many times were low enough not to worry about now.
“Well, I’m trusting you to stay on your side of town and I’ll stay on mine,” she said.
He smiled. “Don’t worry. Charlotte is big enough for both of us,” he said, standing.
She gazed up at him, hoping that it was.
“Now that we’ve come to an understanding about a number of things, do you want to go for a walk before we have lunch? Of course, the decision is yours,” he said smoothly.
Walk? Vanessa thought, smiling humorlessly. He wants to go for a walk? She would have thought that a man like Cameron would immediately initiate his role as her sex mate by suggesting that they go to one of the houses and get it on. Was he trying to throw her off by using a different strategy?
She regarded him for a moment and was about to pull herself to her feet when he reached out his hand to her. His fingertips grazed her knuckles before his hand tightened around hers, effortlessly tugging her up. Trying to downplay the stirrings she felt between her thighs, she said in a tight voice, “A walk sounds like a good idea. It’s a nice day out.”
“Yes, it is.”
He surprised her even more when he kept her hand tucked in his as they began strolling along the shoreline. She glanced up at him, and he looked at her and slanted a crooked smile before asking, “Is anything wrong?”
Nothing other than that I can actually feel my heart leaping in my chest, she thought. But instead she said, “No, nothing’s wrong. But I would like to know something.”
“What?”
“Who told you that I was coming here? Although I have an idea.”
“Do you?”
“Yes.”
“Umm, how would you like to go to dinner?”
She shook her head, knowing what he was trying to do. “You’re trying to avoid my question.”
“Am I?
“Yes.”
He glanced sideways at her and gave her an easy grin. She had seen more smiles from him in the past few hours than she’d thought possible. “You’re right. I am avoiding your question. But I won’t reveal my sources.”