Finally Found (22 page)

“Oh, she’s long gone. Don’t you worry. And hey…I’ll even install bunk beds to make you feel more at home.” He offered her a genuine smile.

“Wow, your spare room? Really? You spoil me.” She leaned in seductively for a moment, her lips so close they were almost touching his. “What if I wanted to stay somewhere else?” She winked.

His heart started pounding rapidly in his chest. He needed to hear her say it. “Where would you like to stay? Because you can stay…anywhere you want.” He gave her a reassuring smile.

“Great…because I could really use your kitchen.” She smiled patiently at him.

He let out a sigh. “What?”

“You saw my place. How the hell am I supposed to build a catering business with no kitchen. Could I impose? I’ll make it worth it…” She batted her eyelashes at him playfully.

In that moment he would have given her anything she wanted. ANYTHING. All she wanted was his kitchen. He sighed. This woman was absolutely exasperating. He had never sighed so much in his life. Still, though hope was quickly fading…she had offered to sweeten the deal. Dare he hope? He leaned in and pasted a smile on his face. “How do you propose to do that?” He asked.

“Well, I have a tendency to overcook. So, I’ll need you to be my official taster. And I’ll give you loads of food…” She was looking at him so seriously that he knew he had to say something.

“Well, if you have a gig tomorrow night, and you need my kitchen I think you probably need me to come home with you. He stood, looking down at her.

“Fine,” she said with a shrug. Just be ready to leave at 8am. I need to get to the market early.” With that proclamation, she stood and headed back into his old room.

A thought occurred to him. He stood and followed her into the room, catching the door before she could shut it behind her. She looked at him ready to protest or object or even question his presence, but he said simply, “This is my insurance so I know you won’t leave me. You can take top.”

He could just feel that she wanted to say something, wanted to protest, but he was standing firm. She couldn’t run everything. Yet from the way she had handled everything to date, he knew she could. Worse, he knew that whether she realized it or not, she was running him, too.

“I won’t leave you,” she muttered under her breath.

“I heard that,” he said calmly. “And while I would
love
to believe you, I can’t. After all, you were the one who admitted there is no trust here.” He marched over to the bathroom door to finish getting ready for bed. Before closing it behind him, he shot her one last annoyed look. Though he couldn’t say with absolute certainty, he was confident that he had just heard her say…touché.

Cammie woke him bright and early by puttering around the room, gathering her belongings, and heading into the shower. Adam needed a shower, too. If he had his way, if things were different between them, he’d be in there with her. He could almost picture it, how he’d stand behind her and kiss down the back of her long slender neck. He’d turn her to face him, nip at those perfect lobes of hers, and bury his face in that sexy hollow.
By then his hands would have slid up to cup her perfect full breasts. His thumbs would be flicking her nipples and he knew just how she’d respond. By the time he entered her, she’d be all wet and hot and ready for him. Great. Now his morning wood was really wood. Soon enough, she’d see it. Think. Concentrate. Who is the ugliest girl he’d ever slept with? He smiled. There were never any ugly girls. He left before the liquor goggles could wear off. He had never suffered from the coyote ugly affliction of some of his peers. He chuckled at his own cleverness and relaxed. That helped. Then Cammie pranced out of the bathroom wearing nothing but a towel…in her hair.

“God dammit, woman,” he growled as he pushed past her for the shower, partially bent over.

Was he always this miserable in the mornings? She tried to recall. It didn’t seem that way. She dressed in comfy driving clothes…her black yoga pants and a long sleeved v-neck tight fitting shirt. It was going to be a long drive unless she could repair whatever damage she had managed to do already this morning.

Soon her packed bags were near the door, the bedroom was so neat it was as if they had never been there and she had laid out clothes for Adam. She was just being nice. Okay, and this time she was snooping. The corner of the list was peeking out of the drawer again, so she opened it…because the man would need socks…and clean underwear. She could hear that the shower was still running, so she felt comfortable skimming the list once more.

Damn, the man was thorough. He now had a title on the page: Chicks I’ve Done, Groped and Kissed. It was almost laughable. Once more, she realized that
her sister wasn’t on the list. Sure there was the possibility that he simply couldn’t remember her name, but he had several girls there only labeled with a description like…shamrock bikini panties from the St. Patty’s day Pub Crawl and the ho ho whore from the office holiday party. Then she saw it. At the very bottom of the page, he had a new heading: Ladies I’ve Made Love With. There was only one name. Her heart was pounding against her rib cage so hard that she was convinced it was nearly visible. He had written ever so neatly…
Cammie
.

Below that, one last heading: Ladies I Could Love the Rest of My Life. She clapped a hand over her mouth. There was only her name once more. At first, all of the giddiness of her teenage years came rushing back to her. She had nursed a crush on him for so long. Yet he had disappointed her.

Her mind was reeling. Then it came to her. This was a test, a joke. He simply wanted to see if she was a snooper. Aha! Caught her. If she said something, he would know. If she said nothing…then maybe all would be revealed in time. She was dying to know if Cin’s absence from the list was an oversight, or just another part of that same test. She’d just wait and see what the drive home held in store for her.

There was a definite tension between them as they began the drive back to the city. Though Adam believed there was something to be said for having someone in his life that he could be comfortable with in silence, this wasn’t currently the case. Cammie was tense and he had to know if he was the cause of it. “What troubles you, doll?” He asked playfully.

“Oh, the usual…world peace, the national debt, and how to make this dinner the perfect proposal so I get loads of referral business.” She shrugged. “You are pretty quiet yourself. What’s up?”

At least she seemed more amiable now that she was getting to share. He could relax some. “I was just worried that I had somehow pissed you off. I have a way of doing that. I should have known better, though. You are all business. No room for anything else.” He shook his head and glanced out the window at the passing scenery. It was such a pretty drive in the early mornings where the rest of the world slept.

“I have to be,” she said, as if that was explanation enough. He stared at her long enough to show that he needed more and she finally broke down. “I have a ten year plan. I can’t afford to mess it up.”

“And just how far into this ten year plan are you?” He asked mirthfully.

She narrowed her eyes. “Are you laughing at me?”

He chuckled. “Maybe just a little.”

“Adam,” she began, looking at him sideways while driving, “do you even have a plan?”

He made a face. “No, actually. I like the unplanned life. I like the spontaneity. I like the freedom.” He nodded.

“And you are pretty proud of yourself. You can look back and think that this is good, this meaningless existence?” She was surprised.

“I wouldn’t call it meaningless…” he began seriously.

Suddenly she was rattling off the Robert Louis Stevenson definition of success, “A man is a success who lives well, laughs often, and loves much, who has gained the respect of intelligent men and the love of children, who leaves the world better than he found it, whether by a perfect poppy, an improved poem, or a rescued soul.” She studied him for a minute. “So how successful are you?”

He balanced his face in his hand, “Well, when you put it that way…” He frowned. “So, the fact that I’m so rich is meaningless? Well, that sucks. I was kinda counting on that to pull me through.” He slumped in his seat.

“You’re serious.” She smirked.

“Yeah. I’m a trust fund baby and I know it.” He sang that to Gangnam Style.

“I know that has always worked for you in the past. That’s not who I am. Adam, you are funny, you are sweet, but you are a lump.” She sighed. “And I’m…not.”

“If you are going to think of me as a lump, couldn’t you consider me a lump of clay? I like to think that the right woman could mold me into something special.” He gave her a hopeful look. He really did mean it.

“Seriously, I believe in hard work. You believe in hardly working. I am debt free.” His eyebrows shot up at that. “Yes. I know you saw my teeny tiny living space and assumed that I was poor and had nothing, but I am about to graduate with my MBA. I have been saving every dime since…” She was silent a moment. He could tell there was something she longed to admit, but wasn’t quite able to.

“What? Tell me.” He urged. He was looking at her, wishing she would let him in.

“Ever since you slept with my sister, I focused on being my own person, never needing anyone, especially a man. I made sure I had a big fat bank account. I made sure I worked for everything because I could never expect a hand out. Would you believe I’m about to graduate completely debt-free?” She looked at him proudly. “From Colombia. Seriously. And I have enough money in the bank to start my business.”

“Wow. Really, wow.” He looked at her admiringly.