Risky Pleasures - Brenda Jackson [26]
The corners of his lips tipped into a smile. “No. That’s the reason I was coming to Charlotte, to spend a few days getting settled.”
“And you changed your plans to follow me here?”
“Yes.”
Vanessa shook her head, still not sure what to make of that. “You’ll have a lot to do when you get back.”
“I’ll manage.”
Probably with hired help, she thought. Before she could think of another topic to keep the conversation going, the waiter returned with their check. She watched as Cameron signed off on the bill while thinking just how little she knew about him other than what she’d read in the newspaper or, more recently, in that magazine.
He was a high-school dropout who had gotten himself together to end up graduating cum laude from Harvard Business School. A self-made millionaire, he was one of the most successful men in the country.
She hadn’t noticed that the waiter had gone, and she was still sitting there staring at Cameron. When she did realize it, she saw that he was staring back at her. For a moment she couldn’t breathe and it felt as if her heart was pounding in her chest.
“Are you ready to leave now, Vanessa?”
Her gaze dropped to his mouth, and she saw it move, but for the life of her she had no idea what he’d said. Her mind, her thoughts, her entire body were centered on him and on how, just by looking at her, he could make a compelling need thicken inside of her.
“Vanessa?”
“Yes?”
A smile touched those full, irresistible lips. “I asked if you were ready to leave for the concert.”
Sighing deeply, she nodded. She would go to the concert, but all she’d do was think about what would happen between them later.
Some women, Cameron thought, were meant to be made love to, day and night, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Vanessa Steele was that kind of woman.
He was standing in line at the bar to get a refill on their drinks and couldn’t help but stare at her. She was standing, leaning against a palm tree, listening to the music, her body swaying to the reggae beat.
He had been on edge all night, ever since picking her up. She had come to the door wearing a peasant blouse that hung off her shoulders and a matching skirt whose hem came to her ankles. And she had the cutest-looking sandals on her feet. He had been tempted to kiss her then and there and suggest they forgo dinner and the concert and go somewhere and make love.
But he hadn’t made such a suggestion. Instead he had taken her hand and led her to his car, all the while knowing this would be one hot night for him in more ways than one.
The need for her was sharp and compelling. He wanted to touch her all over, kiss her all over, make love to her inside and out. Each thought intensified his need, his desire. Raw, primitive passion clawed at him. He could no longer hold it beneath the surface. It was there, forcing its way free, gripping him, slicing through him.
As if she felt the heat of his eyes on her, she glanced in his direction and their gazes connected and then locked—something they’d done a lot tonight. At that moment a deep, intense sensation sent flames flaring through him and he knew he had to leave with her. Now.
“What would you like to have, sir?”
He blinked when he realized the bartender had asked him a question. He broke eye contact with Vanessa to glance at the man long enough to say, “Nothing.”
The only thing he wanted to have was Vanessa. He turned to stride back to her, hoping that she would take his suggestion that they leave now.
Vanessa watched as Cameron began walking toward her, his eyes locked with hers. Even across the distance she felt his heat and read the intense look in his gaze. His shoulders looked massive and he appeared larger than life with every step he took. There was a profound sexiness about him. The way his pants fit his body had her mesmerized because she could tell when she glanced below his waist that he was aroused. From what? Just looking at her? Hidden fantasies in his mind?
She was glad that everyone else