Page 45 of Call It Home

“We make a good team.”

I squeezed her hand. When we embarked on this project, I never thought I’d agree with that statement. But something had shifted since then. “Yeah.”

Cameron’s eyes held mine, and, for a moment, I was lost in the sapphire blue of her gaze. She leaned in closer. A little sawdust flecked her temples, and her cheeks were flushed pink. She was so naturally beautiful that she looked like she could have been a wood sprite from the trees behind us.

Except she was no mythical creature. She was a beautiful woman who’d somehow gotten under my skin, especially the skin that was almost painfully contained behind the zipper of my jeans. I could smell the comforting blend of vanilla and a light floral scent despite having spent hours around paint fumes and wood shavings. My eyes zeroed in on her perfectly plump pink lips.

“Cam,” I whispered, not sure if I was pleading for her to stop or continue. I was going to be wrecked either way.

Something flashed in her eyes just before her eyelids flickered shut. “Mac,” she whispered back, my name falling from her lips like the song of a siren, and I knew I was done, unable to resist despite knowing everything about this was a bad idea.

Her breath hitched as I closed the space between us and gave us both what we wanted. I cupped her face in my hands and kissed her, slowly at first, teasing her lips with my teeth and tongue. But the playful spirit ebbed into something more primal as her tongue came out to play, as well.

As her arms wove around my neck and her fingers slid into my hair, my arms banded around her waist, pulling her closer without a care for what might come after this. She’s so soft, so warm. So fucking irresistible. I angled my head to take her mouth more fully, eliciting a soft whimper as her hips moved against mine.

God. She was like a fucking dream. Sweet. Responsive.Mine.

I jerked at the realization of the thought that had just hit me. Dream was right. I had other dreams. Other responsibilities. She definitely was not mine, nor could I see a world in which she was a part of it.

I pulled away and turned my head, gathering what was left of my senses and my breath before turning back to look at her. She was breathing just as hard, and despite looking like the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen, she looked confused. Hurt. Maybe even relieved.

“You called me Cam,” she whispered back. “You never do that.”

“I don’t?” I was as puzzled by her statement as I was at how she didn’t leap from my arms, which were mysteriously still wrapped around her.

“No. You always call me Cameron. That is, when you call me by my name at all.”

Huh. I guessed she was right. “I was trying to keep some boundaries. Bosses and employees can’t be friends. Or anything else, for that matter,” I grunted as I reluctantly dropped my arms and took several steps back.

“And what about what just happened? Seems bosses and employees can be attracted to each other. Tell me what you felt just now wasn’t exciting. That it didn’t feel right.”

I shook my head.

“Liar.”

I was. “You know I’m right.”

“Do I, though? Maybe I think something has been building between us for months now.”

Damn it. Why was she pushing this? “It doesn’t change anything.”

I couldn’t let myself be swept away by it. I knew the consequences of giving in to my feelings, and they weren’t pretty. But Cam caught the hesitation in my eyes and stepped closer.

“Come on, Mac. Don’t you want to see where this could go?” Her voice was soft, coaxing. More of her siren’s song.

I took a deep breath and met her gaze. “I can’t. I have too much on the line.” My job, my own plans…my brother.

Cam’s expression grew frustrated. She leaned in close. “Fine. Play it safe.”

Safe was my plan. The plan I’d had all along. I needed to stay focused on my priorities and not let my emotions cloud my judgment. Because while I still believed we could win this contest, I also knew that sometimes winning in life meant knowing when to walk away.

Chapter18

Mac

I never knewthat days so busy could pass so slowly. The last round of the contest had ended with another loss, despite the last-minute addition of the waterfall feature now hanging on the wall. Water quietly slid down two giant flat stones onto smooth pebbles below. It was the first thing anyone would see as they stepped inside the front entrance and looked ahead.

Vivien had declared it was too loud and determined it would make a mess for housekeeping, but I’d already deemed her an idiot. Every member of the crew had commented on how much they liked the addition, which could be turned off with a simple flick of a switch if no one was using the house or they just didn’t want it on. Even Chelle, who was supposed to be neutral, said it was her favorite thing any competitor had ever added.

---