Practically purring, she rubbed her cheek against his chest. He rubbed his cheek on her hair and stared uneasily at the cat who’d somehow, at some point, managed to leap up on the counter and perch herself directly behind Cami.

“Mew.”

Which reminded him what he’d been trying to say before they’d knocked it out against the tile like a pair of bunnies. “Cami-”

“Don’t tell me. It wasn’t good for you?” She smiled, teasing, looking very satisfied, very feminine, very happy.

“It was off the scale. But-”

Her smile slowly faded. “Uh-oh. Nothing good ever follows a but. Not in that tone.”

“This isn’t a bad but.”

“Are you sure? Because I have it on good authority, a but usually precedes a dumping of some kind.”

“No.” He drew in a sharp breath and narrowed his eyes. “Dammit, I’m trying to get to a point.”

She smiled tremulously. “Sure you wouldn’t rather kiss me again?” Her arms snaked around his neck. She slid her breasts against his chest.

His body shuddered in pleasure, and though it had been less than two minutes, he actually responded again. “I’d love to kiss you, but-”

“There’s that but.”

“But,” he said, putting his forehead to hers.

“Good as the sex is, it’s not everything.” Shakily, he pushed away from the counter and her incredible body. His knees trembled, dammit, proving that while sex wasn’t everything, it came really, really close. “Cami, I l-”

“Wait!” she gasped quickly, panicking again.


SHE WASN’T READY for this. But-and there was that word again-if she came right out and told him how terrified it all made her feel, how she needed some time, what would happen?

A man like Tanner James didn’t just sit around and wait for a woman to make up her mind.

Bending, he grabbed the towel she’d discarded and wrapped it around her. Gently, he pushed her into a chair. Then he opened his mouth, but before he could speak she covered it with her hand.

Patiently, he tugged her hand free. “Cami, I love you.”

“I…have to sit.”

“You are sitting. Cami, you should know, this is the for-keeps kind of love.”

From behind the closed kitchen door came a distinct whoop.

Dimi’s whoop.

“See?” she heard Dimi say. “Did you hear that? I told you I wasn’t making it all up.”

“It’s a miracle.”

Cami thunked her head on Tanner’s chest and groaned. “That’s my mother,” she moaned.

She felt the shock reverberate through his system and knew why. Two minutes ago they’d been having some pretty wild, fairly noisy sex against the cabinet. No one could have missed it.

“Your mother? Right out there?” He looked pale. “That door isn’t locked!”

Given his state of undress, she could understand his panic. “Grab your pants,” she whispered, securing her towel.

Tanner shoved a leg in before he realized his jeans were inside out. Staggering against the counter, he tried again.

“It’s too late,” Cami said miserably. “She knows everything, she’s psychic when it comes to Dimi and me, and your shirt is on backward.”

Tanner stared at her in horror. “Your mother knows what we just did on this counter?”

“Oh, stop worrying about us and finish talking,” the woman in question shouted into the kitchen. “Cami, tell him you love him back. Then get decent. I want to meet this new son-in-law of mine.”

Tanner’s eyes widened. He looked more than pale. He looked positively faint.

And Cami wanted to crawl into a hole and die. “Aren’t you tired of ruining my life yet, Mom? Go work on Dimi for a change.”

“She’s next.”

“Go away.”

“Are you kidding? And miss this?”

Tanner scrambled to fix his shirt but the tag stuck up in the back. His hair stuck up, too, but that was from Cami’s fingers. He looked rumpled, frustrated, a little unnerved, not to mention sexy as hell. And just looking at him made Cami’s heart tip on its side.

What did she do with such a huge, gorgeous, incredibly sensuous man who looked at her as if she was his entire world? “Tanner-”

“Just say yes,” her mother said through the door. “And hurry up, would you? I drank too much tea and I have to hit the toilet, but I don’t want to miss anything.”

“I’m sorry,” Cami whispered.

Tanner sent her a weak smile. “You did warn me about her being controlling.”

“Hey!” Her mother’s voice sounded in protest. “I’m on your side, Tanner- What’s his last name?” she whispered to Dimi.

Wrapped in her towel, Cami sank to the floor and groaned in misery.

In front of her appeared two bare feet. Two bare, masculine feet. Then Tanner crouched down before her and pulled her hands from her face. “I’m guessing we’ll have to finish this later.”

“Did I mention I’m sorry?” she asked miserably.

“You mentioned.” Reaching out, he stroked her cheek. “But you have to admit, you’re more relieved than anything else.”

“Relieved at my mother embarrassing me?”

“Relieved at her timing.”

“Her timing is pretty off, thanks.”

“Cami, be honest. You aren’t ready to talk to me about this.”

She looked deep into his warm, accepting eyes and had to do as he asked. Had to be honest. She cared about him, deeply, but the rest…simply terrifying. “Okay, I’m not quite ready,” she whispered.

He nodded, and before he stood, he leaned in and kissed her.

For just a moment, she clung to his big, tough, beautiful body because she needed him. And it had nothing to do with the incredible sex. She just wanted to hold him and have him hold her.

But he pulled away. “Remember,” he said softly. “No matter what your mother says, you know what you want. Don’t be afraid to go for it.

Or not, as the case may be.”

God, he wasn’t saying goodbye, was he? Just because she needed some more time to face…

“Tanner?”

“Don’t ever back off from what you want.

Promise me.”

“I promise,” she whispered. “But-”

He put a finger to her lips. “No buts, remember?”

And then he was gone, bravely opening the kitchen door to face her mother.

He introduced himself to the dying-of-curiosity woman and smiled at Dimi before vanishing out the front door.

12

TANNER SPENT the weekend at home. He had things to do. His choices consisted of handling the paperwork coming out of his ears, going grocery shopping or watching the ball game. He chose none of the above.

Instead, he sat slouched on the couch watching the shadows dance over the ceiling. For the first time in his life he’d let someone in, except she didn’t want in.

Did she think she was the only scared one?

Figuring he deserved at least a moment of self-pity, he closed his eyes and tortured himself with memories.

Cami opening the door to him that first day, wearing sleepy eyes, pouty lips and a blanket.

Cami diving after her cat to save a damn spider from becoming Annabel’s next snack.

Cami indignant and furious after her dates from hell.

Cami, her gaze rich and warm and right on his as he made love to her.

“Women trouble.”

Tanner nearly leaped off the couch. His father stood at his feet holding a tray. “What are you doing here?”

“You’re so far gone you didn’t even hear the door. I’m bearing food, so don’t get all pissy on me.” He sank to the couch and offered the tray, which was filled with hot tamales and icy beer. “So…let’s hear it.”

“Angels are getting their butts kicked.”

“Not baseball, boy. I meant your women trouble. Or should I say woman?”

“I’m not having trouble.”

“Which explains, of course, why you look like hell.”

“I don’t-” Tanner sighed and cleared his face of its scowl, then ate a tamale and chased it down with some beer. “I love her,” he said finally.

His father’s eyes misted. “I know.”

“She isn’t ready.”

“Well, then. You have something in common, because up until very recently, you weren’t ready, either.”

“Yeah.”

His father smiled at Tanner’s glum expression. “Don’t worry. She won’t be able to resist the James charm for long. No woman can,” he boasted with a wink. “Not even your mom.”

“Mom loved you from the start.”

His father laughed. “Try again.”

“She didn’t?”

“Well, maybe she did. I am, after all, utterly irresistible. But she had to come to the idea slowly. Had to decide to take on a fixer-upper like me rather than a brand-new model, so to speak.”

“She fixed you up?” Tanner asked, confused.

“She thought she did.” He grinned. “And the arrangement worked perfectly.”

Tanner shook his head. “I want Cami to love me. Just the way I am.”

“She already does.”

“How do you know?”

“Because you’re my son. Who wouldn’t love you?”


TANNER WANTED to believe his dad, but when he went to work Monday morning, he didn’t have much confidence in the matter.

The radio-his radio-was on low, playing his rock station.

Odd. Cami hated his station.

She was on the floor in the living room. She had the phone to her ear and was telling someone, “No, that won’t work for me, not today. I have the most important meeting of my life, so it’s got to be Tuesday or you’re going to have to find another designer.”

What little was left of Tanner’s confidence faded. She’d found her mind, all right. She’d learned how to speak it. And she was on a roll.

After hanging up the phone, she picked it right back up again before Tanner could warn her of his presence.

“Mom?” she said into the receiver with unusual force. “Yes, it’s early. I got your message. I’m sorry you’re mad at me because I didn’t give you the spectacle you wanted the other day, but my life is my own. And from now on, the only thing I want to be set up with is food. Preferably junk food. No more men, do you understand?” She cocked her head, listening. “That’s right, no more blind dates ever… No, Mom, I’m not changing sides, and I’m not suddenly gay, a miracle really, given how I was raised. Now be a good mother and go bother my sister. I’ve got to go. Today is the first day of the rest of my life.”

She clicked off and then back on again, dialing quickly. “Dimi, I just told Mom and now I’m telling you, too, no more blind dates. No. No. No. Got it? Oh, and by the way, I sicced her on you, so there. Now I’ve got to run, I’ve got something very special planned in about ten minutes, if all goes well. Yes! I know it’s early! I’ve discovered mornings. Sue me.” With a smile, she disconnected and tossed the phone aside. “There,” she said to herself. “That felt good.”

Tanner had to agree. She felt good, she looked good, and dammit, she seemed so strong and happy and fulfilled in her new ability to say no.

No more doormat on this woman.

But with this new No kick Cami was on, it didn’t take a genius to know what else she was going to say no to.

Him.

Deciding he definitely wasn’t in the mood to hear it, he backed toward the door, but as luck would have it, he stepped on Annabel’s tail.

She screeched.

He yelled.

And Cami nearly fell over. Hand to her chest, she whirled and stared at him.

“Hi,” he said inanely.

“You’re early.”

“Not really.”

“Ten minutes,” she said, sounding shaken. “How long have you been standing there?”

Long enough to know he was in for a serious heartbreak. “Well I heard the new No kick.”

“Oh.” She let out a nervous smile, though he had no idea what she had to be nervous about. He was the one getting dumped. “I thought maybe you’d like it.”

“I like you,” he said simply.


HER SMILE wobbled a bit. “Good. Like. You like me. Well-” Shaken, she grabbed her leather portfolio, slipped into her sandals and headed for the door. She had no idea where she was going. She couldn’t think, because the most amazing man she’d ever let into her life had apparently decided he only liked her.

“Where are you going?” he asked.

“To meet a client.” And to put the pieces of her heart back together. But she made the mistake of looking at him, looking into the face she’d come to rely on as she’d never allowed herself to do before.

Know your mind. Go after what you want.

“Oh, hell.” She dropped her portfolio. Kicked off her sandals.

And went after what she wanted. After what she’d spent all weekend planning. “Did you mean what you said?” she asked, holding her breath for his answer.

He appeared to carefully weigh the question. “I said a lot of things.”

“You said sex wasn’t everything.”

“Yes.”

“You said you wanted more.”

“Yes.”

“You said…you loved me.”