Sweet Surrender, Baby Surprise (13 page)

“Wow,” he said on an exhalation.

She smiled, delighted by his reaction. “Thank you.”

“No, thank you,” he murmured, and touched his glass to hers. “Let's pass on the party and stay here.”

“Aren't you the host of this thing?”

He grimaced. “Okay, we'll stay half an hour.”

“Just long enough to dance one slow dance,” she said, and sipped her champagne.

“We can do that right here,” he said, taking her in his arms and swaying in place. After a moment, he chuckled. “You'd never know it from this, but I was actually forced to attend cotillion at an early age.”

She gasped. “So was I.”

“And we both survived,” he said, grinning at her.

She laid her head on his shoulder. After a moment she whispered, “Mmm, you're a very good dancer.”

“It's easy, with you in my arms,” he said, as he planted slow kisses along her neck. “I didn't think you could possibly be more beautiful, but tonight you are.”

Julia looked up at him, at his eyes smoldering with need, and felt her heart tremble. If she told him she'd fallen in love with him, what would he do? Would he be shocked? Angry that she'd broken the rules? Could he admit the same back to her? Staring at him now, Julia wondered if it was only wishful thinking, or could she really see her feelings reflected in his eyes?

“We'd better go now or we'll never leave the room,” Cameron said gruffly. “And don't get too friendly with anyone at the party. We'll be in and out of there in thirty minutes.”

 

As they moved through the party, greeting friends and business competitors, Cameron kept Julia's hand gripped in his. She was so stunning, every man in the room had their eyes on her. No way would he let her loose in this crowd of sharks.

“There's the man of the hour,” someone said.

Cameron turned and grinned at his old friend Byron Mirabelle, owner of the prestigious Pinnacle Hotels chain. The two men exchanged hearty handshakes and Cameron introduced him to Julia. “Byron specializes in small, luxury hotels in the mountain states of Colorado, Wyoming and Montana.”

“Got one going up near Park City, Utah, next year,” the older man said proudly.

“That's fantastic,” Cameron said. To Julia, he added, “Byron was one of my first mentors in the business.”

“It's so nice to meet you,” Julia said.

“And you're just the lady I've been wanting to meet,” Byron said, and pointed his finger at Julia in accusation.

“Me?”

“Yes, you,” Byron said jovially. “You're the reason my wife won't stay anywhere else but the Duke resorts when we're in California.”

“But I'm…” Julia shot Cameron a look of puzzlement, then stared at Byron. “Why?”

Byron slipped his arm through hers. “Because of those chocolate croissants you make for the Dukes. We can't get them anywhere else.”

“Oh, that's so sweet.” Julia laughed as she patted his arm.

Byron leaned closer. “Personally, I'm partial to your apple fritters. My goodness, I could eat them all day long.” He frowned and slapped his gut a few times. “I think it shows.”

“I like those best, too,” she confided.

As Cameron watched his stunning wife interact with his friend, he felt a wave of tenderness so overwhelming he almost stumbled backward. Suddenly, his chest felt so full of emotion, he could hardly breathe.

What the hell was that?

Was he having a heart attack? He didn't think so. He wasn't in pain. Quite the opposite, in fact. He felt warm, fulfilled, happy. Bizarre.

Hell, he didn't know what was going on, but he knew he needed to move.

He left Julia and Byron chatting while he walked to the bar and ordered a shot of good Scotch. As he sipped the drink, he decided the best thing to do right now was
to get Julia and slip out of here, take her back to the room and make love. And tomorrow, he couldn't wait to drive home and see Jake. He didn't know when it had happened, but he'd become a family man, and Julia and Jake had become the most important part of his life.

Cameron felt someone touch his shoulder and he turned.

“Hello, Cameron.”

His back went rigid. “Martina.”

“Don't you look handsome,” she said, her voice as sultry as he remembered. She wore a black-lace dress that barely covered her impressive cleavage, which she used to great advantage by leaning close to him as she batted her eyes. “I was hoping I'd see you here tonight.”

Cameron gazed at her with detachment. He had loved Martina once, or so he'd thought. Now, he looked at her and felt…nothing.

“So, where's Andrew?” he asked. And more important, where the hell was Julia? He peered over the heads of the crowd, trying to see where his wife and Byron had disappeared to.

Martina's lips curled in a pout. “Andrew's not coming. It's just as well. I've missed you, Cameron. How have you been?”

“Couldn't be better,” he said tersely.

“Oh, I'm glad.” She walked her fingers up the lapel of his tuxedo. “To be honest, I was hoping I'd find you here alone. Maybe you and I could go somewhere and…and talk, or perhaps…”

“Or perhaps what?” he said, and carefully removed her hand from his jacket. “Perhaps cheat on your husband? Make him jealous? I don't think so.”

“Oh, Cameron, don't be bitter,” she said, and gripped his arm. “I—I can't pretend anymore. Andrew and I are divorcing.”

“Sorry to hear it.” He didn't look at her, but instead continued to scan the room, searching for Julia.

“I think you should know,” Martina said in a low voice. “The reason we broke up is I…I've never gotten over you, Cameron. I want you back.”

He choked on a laugh. “That's rich.”

“There you are,” Julia said brightly, touching his shoulder. “Byron's such a doll. Oh, hello.”

With some relief, Cameron turned and wrapped his arm around his lovely wife. “Martina, this is my wife, Julia.”

“Your…what?” Martina opened her mouth, then shut it. A wise choice.

“Hello, Martina,” Julia said graciously, though Cameron could feel the tension in her body. She had to have seen the other woman hanging on to him.

“How do you do?” Martina said coolly, but Cameron saw two red spots appear on her cheeks. He'd seen her get angry before and knew the signs.

He leaned closer to Julia and whispered, “I think our half hour is up.”

“All right,” she said, then smiled at Martina. “Nice to meet you.”

“Yeah, same here.” Martina did an about-face and faded into the crowd.

Julia gazed up at him. “A friend?”

“Hardly,” he said. “Let's get out of here.”

 

They took the long way back to their suite, walking along the beach. It was a typical, late-spring evening in California and a mild breeze tickled Julia's skin. The tide was out and the waves lapped softly on the shore. She carried her heels in her hand and waited for the right moment to ask Cameron about Martina, the woman he'd been talking to. Julia had heard the last of their conversation. She knew the woman wanted him back.

Her words had sent dreadful chills of fear down Julia's spine. But then Cameron had laughed at Martina, and Julia could only hope that tonight would be the last they would ever see of the woman and her imposing cleavage.

“Let's go this way,” Cameron said, taking her hand and guiding her to the stairs that led up to the hotel. When they reached the top, he veered off the path toward a large grove of trees. As they got closer, she heard water rushing.

“Is that the waterfall?”

“Yes,” he said, pointing. “It's over by those trees.”

She squeezed his hand. “Let's find it.”

Clouds moved in the night sky, revealing a full moon as they wandered through the forested area. After a few minutes, they came to a rock-covered hill. Carved into the base was a small, stone-lined pool. Water cascaded over the smooth boulders and splashed into the pool, which was lit from under the surface, giving the water a mystical blue glow.

“It's beautiful, like a tropical lagoon,” she said, and gazed up at him. “Can we go in?”

Touching her cheek, he smiled at her. “I was hoping you'd want to.”

She angled her head to catch a glimpse of something across the pool. “It looks like there's light coming from behind the waterfall.”

“That's the grotto.” He grinned and pulled her close. “It's every man's fantasy. Want to see it?”

Shooting him a dubious look, she said, “Do I want to see every man's fantasy? I'm not sure.”

With a laugh, he ran his hands up and down her arms. “It's really just a spa, but it's awesome. Secluded, warm and well-lit.”

“How do we get there?”

His lips curved up. “We swim.”

She laughed nervously. Glancing around the smooth rock terrace, she saw a wide chaise longue with towels and bathrobes laid out. “Are those for us?”

“Yes.”

“Will anyone see us?”

“No,” he said confidently. “I've made sure of it.”

That brought a smile to her face and her shyness disappeared. “Then let's go swimming.”

He kissed her bare shoulder as he reached for the zipper of her gown and slowly lowered it. “I want to make love with you.”

She shivered from his touch. “I want that, too.”

“Are you cold?”

“Not at all.”

“Good.” He let go of the burgundy silk and it slid down her body. She stepped out of the dress and Cameron picked it up and draped it over a chair. He turned and stared at her in her high heels, a red thong and matching red strapless bra.

“You take my breath away.”

She closed her eyes on a sigh. “Touch me, please.”

He complied, but took his time, first running his hands down her spine, up her arms, then down again, shaping her hips and thighs lightly with his fingers. He stood behind her, kissing her neck and back as he moved his hands over the soft skin of her stomach. He stopped to toy with her tiny, jewel-encrusted belly ring, then his hands glided up to skim the sides of her sensitive breasts.

She groaned. “Cameron, I need…”

“I know, baby. I need that, too.” His hands molded her breasts and he used his thumbs to massage her responsive nipples to a hard peak. When she moaned, he unlatched her bra and let it fall. She writhed in his arms as he pressed his hard length against her lower back. Then, turning her, he knelt and slowly slipped off her thong before parting her thighs.

“Oh,” she gasped, as he kissed her inner thigh. He brushed his lips against her most sensitive skin, then used his tongue to touch her deeply. She was trembling with desire, didn't think she could take any more, when he stood abruptly and lifted her in his arms.

“We'll swim later,” he growled, and gently laid her down on the soft chaise. Watching Cameron rip off his jacket and shirt, Julia experienced a moment of potent clarity as she realized her feminine power. It was exhilarating to watch him peel off his trousers to reveal his enormous erection.

She held up her arms to welcome him. He knelt on the chaise and paused to slip on a condom. Then he pinned her arms over her head and aligned himself with her body. Under the night sky, she lifted her hips to allow him to glide into her depths and once again claim her for his own.

 

Later, in the quiet stillness inside the grotto, Cameron lay replete once again in Julia's arms. After making love outside on the chaise, they'd spent time playing under the stars in the warm pool. Then, with much laughing and splashing, they'd dipped under the rushing waterfall to enter the hidden grotto. After floating in the sparkling waters of the heated cave, they made love again on the very private bank of the inner lagoon.

Cameron grinned as he lifted his head and kissed her. “You realize you just fulfilled my greatest fantasy, right?”

She laughed. “I love you, Cameron.” As soon as the words were out, she gasped and covered her mouth.

Cameron froze. What did she expect him to say? He wasn't about to tell her he loved her. He wouldn't do that to her, knowing it would ruin everything. And just in case he'd thought he might have a chance to live and love like a normal man, Martina's appearance earlier that night had reminded him that things would never change. He would always be a terrible risk.

“Well, I guess I said the wrong thing.” Julia stirred away from the warmth of their combined body heat. She grabbed one of the towels stacked nearby and wrapped it around her. Then she stood and looked down at him.

“Wait,” he said. “Don't go.”

“Why would I stay, Cameron? Look, I didn't mean to say it, but now that I have, I'm not sorry. I'm in love with you. But you've completely closed down. How do you think that makes me feel?” She tightened the towel around her. “I'm going back to the room.”

He grabbed her hand. “Julia, I care about you.”

“I know you do. But I'm not sure that's enough. Not anymore.”

“Julia, I can't…” Hell, what was he supposed to say? He'd told her before, he would never love her. Now she was trying to change the rules, but he couldn't let her. She didn't know the consequences. And what she didn't know could hurt her. He pushed himself up and stood at the side of the pool. “Look, I told you from the beginning that I won't…”

“I know, I know. You don't do love.”

Her tone was flippant enough that he grabbed her arm. “That's right, and you should be glad of it. You—”

“Let me guess,” she said softly, sadly. “I broke the rules, right?”

He ground his teeth together. “Yeah, you did. We had a deal, remember?”

“I don't remember any deal, Cameron.” She removed the towel and tossed it on the rocks, then took the steps one at a time, her glorious, long legs sinking deeper into the water.