Risky Pleasures (Forged of Steele #4)

She nodded. “Is everything all right? I understand you left town because you were having problems at one of your companies.”

“Yes, there was the matter of a small explosion I had to deal with.”

Vanessa gasped. “An explosion?”

“Yes.”

“Was anyone hurt? Was there much damage?”

“Luckily no one was hurt and the damage was minimal. I gather whoever set it didn’t intend to hurt anyone, they merely wanted to make a point.”

Vanessa raised a brow. “A point?”

“Yes, to me.”

Vanessa was about to ask what he meant by that when Kylie walked up. “I guess you thought I had deserted you, Vanessa, but I wanted to check on everything in the kitchen. Jocelyn’s sister Leah is a sweetheart for volunteering to come to Charlotte and prepare such a feast for everyone. She’s a fantastic cook.” She then reached out to relieve Vanessa of Alden.

“Yes, I heard that she was,” Vanessa said, gently placing the baby into his mother’s arms.

“Dinner will be ready in a few minutes so the two of you can continue to enjoy yourselves until then,” Kylie said, smiling at the both of them before walking off to join her husband who was talking to one of their neighbors.

Vanessa knew there was no reason she should feel nervous about being with Cameron. She certainly knew him well enough. Just thinking of all the things they had done together was downright scandalous. And she knew that although they were here together, neither one of them had actually broken their agreement. She couldn’t blame him for his relationship with her family and it would be unfair to do so. Today they were victims of circumstances, and it would not be right to expect him to stay away from various functions and events just because she might be there.

“How have you been, Vanessa?”

She looked into his face but tried not to gaze directly into his eyes. “I’ve been fine. What about you?”

“I’ve been doing okay. Did your sister return to Jamaica in time to finish overseeing the construction of her pool?”

“Yes. I talked with her a few days ago and the pool’s almost completed. They’re putting water in it next week.”

She suddenly felt tense and swallowed deeply, then she flicked her tongue out to wet her lips. When she saw Cameron’s gaze latch on to the movement of her tongue, her stomach clenched and intense heat settled right smack between her thighs.

She inhaled deeply. The more they stood here talking to each other, the more they were playing a game of self-torture, wanting something neither could have again. It was time to move on. “Well, I think I’ll go talk to Sienna for a while. It was good seeing you again.”

And without giving him a chance to say anything, she quickly walked off.

Later that night, after her shower, Vanessa slipped between the cool, crisp sheets. She stared up at the ceiling, her mind consumed with thoughts of the time she had spent this evening at Chance and Kylie’s home.

There was no way she could deny there was still a very strong attraction between her and Cameron. In fact, it was possibly even stronger than before. How else did she expect her body to react when it came within ten feet of the man who had indulged it, made love to it?

It seemed that no matter where she had gone in Chance and Kylie’s home, all she had to do was turn around and Cameron was there, staring at her with those deep, dark eyes of his, though always keeping his distance. That hadn’t stopped her body from desiring him, though, from wanting him and from needing to indulge in the forbidden just one more time with him.

She flipped on her stomach and buried her face in the pillow. How could she even consider such a thing? She had risked an affair with him before and she was paying dearly, mainly because he had brought her body back to life. He had made her aware of places on her body that could stir feelings within her from a mere touch.

His touch.

She shook her head, determined to get under control these hot emotions she was experiencing so that when she saw him again she could handle herself in a totally professional manner. Any other reaction toward Cameron was unacceptable.

She jumped when the phone on the nightstand rang. It was her landline. Most people called her on her cell phone; few had her home number. Glancing at the caller ID, she smiled. It was Taylor. Neither Cheyenne nor Taylor had made it to the dinner party tonight. It was unusual for either to miss a family function of any kind. Chance indicated both had called with their regrets. Cheyenne had come down with a stomach virus and Taylor was knee-deep in trying to work out a large business deal for a very influential client.