Page 38 of Hot Commodity (Banks/Kincaid Family 1)

"Then answer me," Vivian growled, lowering her tone, but not her fake anger. In truth, she probably was steamed. Olivia knew how she hated snippety responses. And Cameron was throwing them out like candy at a parade.

"I was sleeping," Cameron muttered the obvious and sent Vivian his own irritated scowl. "Until you woke me." Then he folded his arms over his chest as if he expected an apology.

Vivian's face turned a deep purplish red. "How dare you defile my daughter?"

Cameron laughed and glanced toward Olivia. "She's pretty good at that performance, isn't she? She really does look like the pissed-off mother."

"Why, you rutting little bastard," Vivian thundered, stalking forward.

"Cameron!" Olivia cried out in fear.

She could already picture it: Vivian was going to claw the skin off his face, and then Nolan would stomp the remains into the ground, and it would be all her fault for dragging him into this mess. She cringed, already steeped in guilt.

But Cameron's eyes narrowed as he glanced her way. He didn't seem to like the anxiety in her voice, because he straightened and uncrossed his arms as he turned back to Vivian. "Stop," he commanded.

Instantly, Vivian came to a halt as if Cameron's words had thrown up an invisible force field she couldn't cross. But she snorted a rush of hot air through her nose as she glowered at him. "You will marry her for this."

Cameron grinned. "Sorry. Afraid I can't do that."

Olivia focused on the bulging vein in Vivian's head. She'd seen it only three weeks ago and knew exactly how much anger her mother wielded behind it.

"What do you mean you can't?" Vivian demanded, balling her fists as if she would strike any moment. "You damn well will marry her, and you'll do it today."

But Cameron simply said, "Sorry, sweetheart. Still can't. Polygamy's illegal in this state." Then he frowned and glanced at Olivia. "Isn't it?"

Vivian's face drained of color. "What?"

Cameron shrugged. "It's legally impossible to marry someone when you're already hitched," he clarified, drawling out his words.

Olivia gasped. Holy God, he was already married. But she'd just spent the entire night with him. And in Vegas, she'd—

Wait a second. Did this mean their marriage was void? For some reason, that thought made her want to cry.

She turned Cameron's way, but he never once glanced in her direction. He was too busy having a stare-off with Vivian.

"How could you do this to my little girl?" Vivian demanded and, for once, she looked upset, as if she actually cared that someone had turned he

r baby into a cheating—

Cameron finally seemed to lose his cool. Still swaddled like a drunken Greek god, he stepped forward and inhaled a large breath through his nose. By the look on his face, Olivia thought he might shoot fire from his nostrils when he exhaled. "How could you pimp your daughter out to a complete stranger?"

Olivia's eyes popped open wide. Oh, Lord, no. He wasn't going spill everything she'd confessed to him, was he?

"What kind of mother whores out her 'little girl' to the richest, fastest rising man she can find?"

Vivian glanced at Olivia with a stunned expression. Her face colored, and Olivia knew the little slap her mother had given her after Vegas would be nothing compared to what she had in store for her now.

Olivia backed up a step, bringing a shaking fist to her mouth.

Vivian turned back to Cameron, looking cautious. "Excuse me?"

Cameron snickered. "Oh, yeah, she told me." He grinned cruelly. "In Vegas."

That stopped Vivian in her tracks. She spun back toward Olivia, looking confused. "Vegas? You met him in Las Vegas?"

Light-headed, Olivia's face grew pale as she watched the room swim between them. She was going to pass out, she could feel it.

Slowly, Vivian returned her attention to Cameron and studied him skeptically.

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