Hot Commodity (21 page)

Face heating with color, Boston glowered, already braced for the teasingly snide comment he knew Cam was sure to make.

But Cameron merely said, "I see you’ve met Olivia."

"Sort of," Boston answered on a mumble, refusing to look her way again. From the corner of his eye, however, he saw Cameron’s bedmate finally shove the covers off her face. She sat up, clutching the sheet protectively to her chest. He barely refrained from licking his lips and copping one more peek.

"Livy," Cameron said, still wearing that cocky grin Boston just

wanted to pummel. "This is Boston Kincaid, the very Boston you’ve been hearing about. He’s my cousin, best friend, and overall partner in crime. He handles all the legal matters at work."

~ * ~

Still half out of it from being rudely awakened for the second time that morning, Olivia glanced at the black-haired fellow. He was taller than Cameron and tanner, with wide shoulders and a lean body. Boston Kincaid was just the kind of guy she would’ve gone for back in Pasadena. He had a sleek, sophisticated look about him with styled hair and not a wrinkle in sight.

Next to Cameron, however, he appeared a little too polished, a little too clean, and extremely boring. Cam’s hair was still sticking up at all angles, his tie hanging loosely around his neck and his bare feet gave him that sexily rumpled, undone look. The toothbrush hanging from his mouth didn’t seem to add to a refined facade either. Yet, it appealed to her. Olivia just wanted to lift up her sheet and invite him back under the covers.

Which made no sense. That’s not what she wanted. Not at all. Somehow, she had to learn to evade this man so she wouldn’t sleep with him again.

Glancing at her husband’s GQ cousin, Olivia murmured a polite "Hello."

All subtlety in the family must’ve fallen to the Kincaid side because his cheekbones were stained with embarrassment, and he declined to look at her. He merely lifted a hand in greeting. "Hey," he returned. Then he cleared his throat uncomfortably and lifted his eyes to Cameron. "I’ll be, uh, downstairs."

Cameron grinned at his friend, his eyes glittering with unspoken laughter. Olivia was tempted to throw a pillow at him for not helping in any way to ease the situation. As Boston fled, she pushed her hair out of her face and scowled at her husband. "It’s not funny."

Cameron laughed aloud and swaggered toward her with his toothbrush still in his mouth. "I think it’s great," he said as he crawled onto the bed and up toward where she rested her bare back against the headboard. "Now that Boston knows just exactly what I’ve got, he’s going to be all pea green with jealousy and want to be me."

Olivia gave him a mild look. "You don’t ‘got’ me."

Cameron looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "You’re naked in my bed. Probably still wet from me being inside you too."

She frowned. "Don’t be crude."

He grinned, unapologetically. "My apologies, ma’am."

"Besides…" she muttered, irritated that his base behavior didn’t repulse her as it should. She still wanted him. None of his chauvinistic words could even dim that reality. "We’re getting a divorce—annulment—whatever. This is just temporary."

He shrugged. "Well, what Boston doesn’t know is going to make me look like the man."

He took his toothbrush from his mouth and leaned over to kiss her. Olivia wrinkled her nose and turned her face away. "Cameron, ugh. That’s gross. There’s toothpaste in your—"

Her words were cut off by his mouth pressing against hers. Minty breath teased her and she found herself turning toward him and meeting his tongue when he opened up. Surprised to find that second-hand toothpaste wasn’t as disgusting as she’d originally thought, Olivia whimpered and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Damn, Livy," he rasped against her lips. "I’ve got to go to work." But he continued to kiss her, nibbling at her lips and then her throat until she arched back, and he took the peak of her nipple into his mouth. Her fingers plowed through his still-damp hair and she pulled him closer.

All too soon, he groaned and tore himself away. "I have to go," he repeated and kissed her mouth again.

Olivia reached out and wiped some dried toothpaste off the corner of his lip with her fingertips. "Have a good day, darling. I’ll have a hot supper waiting for you when you get home."

He paused, blinking. "Really?"

Olivia rolled her eyes and snorted. "God, no. I’ve never cooked a meal in my life."

Cameron’s shoulders slumped. "And here I thought I might have to keep you around after all."

He tweaked her nose and strolled from the room, grabbing up a pair of shoes on the way. Olivia watched him go and felt a spurt of panic. She’d been joking about the whole cooked-meal thing, trying to lighten the mood and remind herself of their marital status and how it was only temporary. But at his crack about keeping her around, her mood deflated. She didn’t want to stay. So why did the thought of leaving depress her?

~ * ~

Cameron grinned as he strolled down the stairs. Boston, with his hands in his pockets, glared back. The scowl only deepened Cameron’s smile. "Ready?"

Without answering, Boston turned on his heel and headed for the door. Chuckling, Cam followed. That was one thing he liked about his cousin. They were like two sides of a mirror. And when Cameron was in one mood, Boston was usually in the other. When Cameron couldn’t seem to settle down or stop cracking jokes, Boston was usually as stiff and tedious as ever.

They complemented each other perfectly and made an unbeatable team.

He paused when he stepped outside and noticed his cousin wasn’t strolling toward his usual drab-looking brown car, but a silver one instead.

"Got rid of the Saab, huh?"

"Mmm-hmm," Boston answered mildly. As they approached it, it automatically unlocked, yet Boston hadn’t even pushed a button. Then it started on its own.

Mildly impressed, Cameron lifted his eyebrows. "So, what is this thing?"

"An Infiniti."

Cameron snorted. "Sounds boring."

Boston refused to rise to the bait. Too used to Cameron trying to get his back up, he merely gave the casual response, "It’s in the top of its class."

"Yeah, well, so, is my Miata," Cameron countered. "But you didn’t buy one of those, now did you?"

Still unperturbed by his criticism, Boston answered, "I prefer luxury sedans."

Cameron shivered and made a repulsed face. "Ugh. Just hearing the word sedan makes me want to curl up and take a nap for, like, a week. Bo-ring."

Boston put the engine into gear. As if on cue, Cam leaned forward and changed the radio station. Loud, booming hip-hop immediately filled the speakers. Boston didn’t even twitch.

At least this ride had a nice sound system. "Couldn’t find anything in red, huh?" Cameron asked, tapping his fingers on his knees to the sound of the thumping rhythm. "Though, granted, it’s better than the Saab."

"I liked the Saab’s color," Boston muttered.

Cameron snorted. "It was butt ugly brown."

Frown growing, Boston said, "It was called Serengeti Sand."

"More like someone puked-up-a-bunch-of sand," Cameron returned.

Boston glanced over at him with a dry look but didn’t respond.

"So, what’s all this do?" Cameron asked, learning forward to play with the screen on the dash.

"Don’t touch it," Boston snapped.

Cameron rolled his eyes. "Are you sure you’re not thirteen years older than me instead of thirteen months? Gah, Bos. Live a little. What’s the use of having toys if you’re not going to play with them?"

"It’s my
hands-free
Bluetooth phone system," Boston said, scowling when Cameron touched the screen and left a smudged fingerprint. "So, get your grubby paws off. It’s voice activated. No touching needed."

"Cool," Cameron said, lighting up at the prospect. "How’s it work?"

"Music, alternative," Boston said calmly and the radio changed back to the last channel he had playing."

Cameron laughed in delight. "Awesome."

"Call Cam’s cell," Boston said next.

A moment later, ringing came from Cameron pocket. He pulled out his cell to shut it up. "Oh, this is sweet," he announced. "I’m going to have to

get me one of these."

Boston rolled his eyes.

"Hey, let me try one," Cameron said, leaning toward the center console screen. Very slowly and enunciating his words precisely, he added, "Call Florist."

When nothing happened, he frowned across the seat.

Boston smiled slightly, "I told it not to listen to you."

"Bag lick," Cameron muttered and slumped back into his seat to stare grumpily out the window.

When Cam was quiet for a full five seconds, Boston finally asked, "Isn’t Olivia the name of the woman you married in Vegas?"

Cameron glanced over at Boston and grinned. He’d been waiting for Boston to bring her up. Actually, he was surprised his good buddy had held out this long. "Liked what you saw, did you?" he taunted. "Yeah, I know how to pick ’em, huh? Even when I’m falling-down drunk and surrounded by gambling."

Boston scowled slightly, "You mean, she
is
the woman you married in Vegas?"

"Surprise," Cam said cheerfully. "I said I was bringing something home, didn’t I? Well, she’s it. I got a smokin’ hot wife, don’t I?"

After working with Cameron for nearly five years, Boston had learned not to be surprised by anything. So Cam didn’t expect a big reaction. But his news did makes his cousin’s eyebrows lift slightly.

"So, she’s lives in California, you meet and marry her in Las Vegas, but you bring her home from Chicago?"

Cameron scrunched up his face thoughtfully before answering, "Yup, that sounds about right."

Boston waited a moment and glanced at Cam, no doubt waiting for more of an explanation. When Cam didn’t provide one, Boston let it go. "I thought I was supposed to draft out annulment papers for you once we finished the Shaney deal."

Holding in a sigh, Cam mumbled, "Yeah, the annulment thing’s still a go. We’ve just had a little change of plans until the papers are finalized."

"So, her being naked in your bed is just…?"

"Sex," Cameron said. Then he glanced at his friend and wiggled his eyebrows. "Really good, amazing, wild sex."

Boston shot him the finger. "If it’s that great then why get an annulment?"

Cameron frowned. "Because I don’t want to be married. I thought I told you.
 
Never again."

"Yeah, but—"

"No buts. No wife. No marriage
,
okay? As soon as this Shaney deal is over, I want you focusing on getting her gone. Got it?"

Boston was quiet a moment, thoughtfully digesting Cameron’s

outburst. Cam glanced over, already braced for more questions about what had gotten him into such a crappy moody. Boston liked to carp on him about his mood swings about as much as he liked to make fun of his bud for his dull fashion preferences.

"And then what happens to her?" Boston asked instead.

Cameron paused. Suddenly, he remembered what she’d looked like in the hotel room after her mother walked out of her life. He’d never seen anyone look so scared and alone before. He’d been doing good just to pull her into a hug and offer her one of his guest bedrooms for a while, when what he’d really been aching to do was make her all sorts of promises he’d never be able to keep.