that, too. You need a man who doesn’t let you ride roughshod all over him.”
“Did I do that before?”
“No, but I think I was the exception. You are very used to getting your way,” he said.
“I am. I have had to be. Since I was twenty I’ve been on my own and that means I have to make good choices.”
“Have you always made them?” he asked.
She shook her head. “No, but I try not to have regrets. I mean I can’t change any decision I made to get where I am today.”
That was one thing she’d learned growing up. Her mother had said that everyone makes mistakes. A wise person learns from them and moves on. A fool lingers over them and spends all their time wishing they’d done something else.
He lifted his glass. “A toast to knowing what you want, and getting it.”
“A toast,” she said.
He looked at her as if she was the very thing he wanted. That made her feel warm all over, and she knew no matter how hard she tried to keep this tame, it wasn’t going to work. She wanted Cam. He was everything she liked in a man. She loved his height; he was taller than she was, with big shoulders and firm muscles. She remembered the way they’d fit together when they’d made love, so perfectly, and she wanted him again.
It had been a long time since she’d slept with a man—since Cam to be exact—and she felt overdue. But a one-night stand wasn’t the answer.
“I have a confession to make,” Cam said.
She didn’t want him to tell her anything else. She just wanted this hour to pass and for her to get into the car and drive away. And this time she hoped that they’d stay apart because the more time she spent with Cam, the more she realized that she missed having a man in her life. Missed having this man in her life.
“And that is?” she asked.
“I’m going to kiss you before you get in the car tonight,” he said.
She shivered, and everything feminine in her came to attention. She wanted to feel his big strong arms around her again. Wanted him to hold her and make her feel like she wasn’t alone in the world.
“I was planning to let you,” she said because she didn’t want him to get the upper hand. And because it was the truth—other than the one big lie, she was going to be honest with Cam.
“I thought you wanted to start slow,” he said.
“I do, but denying there is lust between us is silly. I want you and I suspect you are very aware of it.”
“I am. But I don’t want you to feel pressured,” he said.
And that made her heart melt. That one comment made her realize that Cam was a man that she wanted not only in her bed but also in her life.
The driver of Becca’s car sent Cam a text when he was outside the hotel.
“Your car is here,” Cam told Becca.
“So soon? I really enjoyed talking to you tonight. I’m glad you insisted we get together.”
She sounded so casual, as if they were old friends and not old lovers. He knew that was the only way to be unless they wanted to rehash every moment that they’d been apart.
“Me, too,” he said. He had enjoyed talking with her. She was intelligent and well-spoken and not afraid to laugh at herself. “I’m going to insist we have breakfast together as well, and then we can discuss business. If you can’t help with the Mercado, I think that the Manhattan club will be right up your alley.”
“It might be,” she said, getting to her feet. “If we have breakfast it will have to be at my place. I hate the morning drive to the city.”
He laughed. “Very well. I will come to your place. Give me your address.”
She gave it to him as he led the way through the lobby. But instead of taking her out the front door, he pulled her down a hallway to a small intimate alcove.
“I don’t want to say good night in front of other people.” He put his hands on her waist and drew her into the curve of his body. She fit next to him like a puzzle piece that had found its mate.
“Why not?” she asked, tipping her head back to look up at him.
“I told you I’m going to kiss you, and some things should never be done in public.”
He pulled her closer. “That was one thing we did right the first time, kept this private.”
She stared up at him. Her eyes were wide and pretty, but he thought he also saw some trepidation in them.
“I agree there. I don’t like everyone to know my business,” she said.
He stroked his finger over her cheek and then traced her bottom lip with it. She opened her mouth and the tip of her tongue brushed his finger. Everything tightened in his body, and he leaned down, rubbing his lips back and forth against hers before gently mingling his tongue with hers.
She tasted just as good as he remembered, her mouth hot and moist. The Baileys they’d drunk flavored the kiss, but it was the taste of Becca that was addictive.
She moaned deep in her throat, and he tilted his head to deepen the kiss. He was starving for her and was only just realizing it. Letting her go had been a mistake.
He reached down her back and spanned her small waist with his hands, lifting her off her feet towards him. The small mounds of her breasts rested against his chest.
She pulled her mouth away. “I think this is getting out of control.”
She had a point, but he didn’t want to let her go. Not yet. He lowered his head again, and she lifted hers to meet him. Her tongue slipped into his mouth, rubbing seductively against his, and he hardened.
Letting her go was going to be difficult. But he had made her a promise that they’d go slower this time. And he’d keep it, even if it killed him.
Slowly he let her slide down his body until she was standing on her own again. He pulled back and lifted his head.
“Definitely out of control, but I like it.”
She rubbed her fingers over her mouth. “I do, too. But I don’t want to make a mistake.”
“What kind of mistake?” he asked.
She shook her head. “Nothing. So how about nine-thirty for breakfast tomorrow?”
“Sure. But I’m not letting you change the subject,” he said.
She bit her lower lip. “I just want to make sure we both know what we are doing.”
“I do,” he assured her. He took her hand in his and led her back out into the lobby. It was odd to think of the passionate embrace they’d shared happening so close to the real world and strangers.
