Sawyer, Rita - Uncommonly Brazen [Brazen Sisters 4] (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 7

  “All right. See you in the morning.” He smiled, closed the door for her, and with a wave, he walked away.

  Joey knew she should have felt relieved that he hadn’t brought up the subject of their kiss. Maybe he had already changed his mind about taking things in that direction. She started the car, watching as he climbed into his truck. There were too many things she needed to be doing to sit there and wonder what he was thinking.

  Joey tore her gaze off him and focused on getting herself through the center of town to her office. Not surprisingly, she spotted Georgie’s little red sports car sitting out front. She’d gone for the substance her all-wheel drive sedan offered while Georgie had gone for the stylish quality that fit her so well.

  Though they were identical in many ways, Georgie always managed to come off fresh and fun while Joey fit into the role of the serious, down-to-earth twin. If it wasn’t for Georgie forcing her to buy half the clothes in her closet, Joey figured she’d probably come off as a woman on her way to spinsterhood. Lucky for her, Georgie refused to let her end up that way. From the double dates she forced her to go on all the way to the shopping weekends down in Boston, Georgie was doing her best to help her find a man. Not that she needed her help. Joey had always figured she’d find a guy when the time was right. Lately, she was starting to wonder if that was just a lame excuse she used to keep her from having to let someone into her life.

  She would be the first one to admit she liked things neat and tidy. Her life was based around being organized. Every relationship was full of ups, downs, and lots of compromising. To let a man, any man, into her life would bring an edge of chaos she just wasn’t ready or willing to deal with right now. Her sisters provided enough action to keep her hopping. Maybe once the remodel was completed, and when she had Cameron’s disaster straightened out, she could slow down a little and find a guy she was willing to take a risk on.

  She took a deep breath as she slid from the car and headed inside. Georgie was probably dying to tell her all about her meeting with Cameron. Though she wanted to hear what went down, she was afraid at the same time. She could do without knowing what he had to say about her. Her problem was she figured if she told Georgie she didn’t want to know, she would read just enough into it and make a big deal out of it. All she could do was pray for one of Georgie’s clients to make some huge scene they needed her to spin into a positive light before Georgie could tell her anything. That might be the only way she’d get her to leave without discuss Cameron.

  “How was breakfast?” Georgie practically cooed the second she stepped into the office.

  “Fine. How was yours?” Joey picked up the empty yogurt container and dropped it into the trash.

  Georgie shrugged her shoulders. “Boring. I would rather have spent the time getting to know Cameron a little better.”

  She knew her sister was just trying to get some kind of reaction out of her. If she showed even the slightest bit of jealousy, Georgie would latch onto it, yet if she pretended like she didn’t care, Georgie would be able to tell and assume it was because she was trying to hide her feelings. Basically, either way she responded she was screwed.

  “You should have stayed and joined us.” She opened the bottom drawer, dropped her purse in, and closed it with just the right amount of pressure.

  Georgie smiled as she toed of her shoes off and pulled her feet up under her. Obviously, she planned on sticking around for a while. Luckily, Joey had a full day booked, so she’d have to make it quick or wait until tonight when she got home to try and press her for some kind of feedback.

  “Mrs. O’Malley and her grandson will be here in about ten minutes, so unless you want to hear her complain about him still being single you should probably get out of here.” Georgie had briefly dated Mrs. O’Malley’s grandson in junior high school, and the old woman still disliked her for breaking his heart.

  It didn’t matter that the dork had been caught kissing another girl, or that he had actually been the one to dump her. Mrs. O’Malley was determined to believe Georgie had been the wrongdoer. Her grandson’s single status was of his doing. At almost thirty years old, he still enjoyed playing the field. Since he did a lot of traveling for the education consulting company he worked for, there were still plenty of fields left to play.

  “Mrs. O’Malley called to cancel. Seems her boy is taking her out to breakfast to meet his new high-society girlfriend.” Georgie made herself comfy and waited for her to say something.

  “Great. Maybe this one will stick, or break his heart worse than you did, so I won’t have to hear about it every two weeks.” Joey took her seat behind her desk and looked at her sister. “Not that I need to ask, but what’s on your mind?”

  “Cameron claims you’re just his accountant, and he’s just your client.”

  Joey nodded. “I already told you that.”

  “I know, but he said it with more feeling.” Georgie’s smile was accompanied with a teasing wink.

  “Did it make you believe him?” Joey wondered if all that charm of his finally worked in her favor.

  “No. But it was nice that he tried to hide the way he feels to protect you.”

  Joey thought back to the kiss he planted on her before he left. He hadn’t attempted to hide they way he felt then. And the sincere look on his face when found her rushing out of her office hadn’t been masked, either.

  “Why are you blushing?” Georgie’s singsong tone irked her.

  “I’m not.” Joey lied, feeling the heat on her cheeks and burning the tops of her ears.

  “Oh, yes, you are. Did something happen at breakfast you want to tell me about?”

  Joey leveled her gaze on her sister. “Nothing happened at breakfast.”

  Georgie must have been able to sense she was telling the truth, because she instantly switched tactics. “Well that’s too bad. You realize if he sticks around, he won’t be single much longer. One of the girls around town is bound to try and scoop him up.”

  “Okay.” Then maybe she’d be able to get back to her own plans.

  “I’m just saying he’s not just good looking, he has a sense of humor too.”

  She didn’t need Georgie to extol his virtues. She’d seen them first hand.

  “So what was your objective in meeting him this morning?” Her sister just sat there and smiled at her. “Were you trying to see if he could tell us apart, or were you just being nosy?”

  “I was curious about the first guy in a long time that has been able to get under your skin.” Georgie waited a few minutes, and when Joey didn’t respond, she said, “Aren’t you going to deny it?”

  “Nope, because he’s a total pain in the butt. He’d find a way to get on a saint’s nerves.”

  Her sister slapped her hands on the arms of the chair. “I didn’t mean it like that and you know it.”

  “What would you like me to say?” Joey leaned back and waved her hand in the air. “He’s hot! He’s funny! He doesn’t like to take no for an answer, and he loves to be in charge.”

  “At least you’re not blind.”

  Okay, so she would have had to have been at least partially impaired not to have noticed. “No, I’m not, but does that sound like the kind of guy I’d be interested in?” Joey hoped to hell it was enough to prove her point.

  “Normally, I’d say no, but people say sometimes opposites attract. That could be the case here.” Her sister was either being deliberately obtuse or scarily serious.

  Joey groaned loudly. Either way, Joey really wasn’t in the mood to debate this situation with her anymore. Sadly, she knew Georgie wasn’t going to just let it drop without some major persuasion. Even if she did get Georgie to back off, she knew it wouldn’t last long.

  “Trust me, it’s not.” Joey’s tone clearly insinuated her sister was imagining things.

  “I just don’t want to stand by and watch you let someone slip past that might be good for you.”

  “Would you rather see me throw myself at some guy and take
a chance on getting a broken heart?” Okay, that may have been a little harsher than she meant to be.

  “Not necessarily throw yourself.” Georgie looked away and shrugged her shoulders. “But, yeah, I’d like to see you take a little risk.”

  “I don’t have time for games right now. With the remodel and my regular clients and doing this favor for Alec, I’m not up for adding anything else to my plate. It’s full.” She waved her hand at the folders stacked on her desk.

  “Not even something as mouthwatering as Cameron?” Georgie pushed.

  “Nope. Maybe once we’re done with the remodel and things slow down, I’ll pay a little more attention to my love life.” Not that she was promising anything.

  “What love life?” Georgie’s tone had gone from serious to teasing in the blink of an eye. The way she popped up onto her knees and looked around the room was pretty comical, too.

  “Very funny.” Joey swallowed back the laugh that tried to escape. “Don’t you have work to do?”

  “Actually, yes, I do.” She got to her feet and slipped her shoes on. “I’m headed up to the lodge to run some really cool promotion ideas past Jessie and Sam.”

  “How much are they going to cost?” Joey wanted to know how big a chunk of their marketing budget she was thinking about spending.

  “I’m not exactly sure on the figures. I’ll have them by the time we all sit down at the end of the week.” She grabbed her tote bag from the floor and strode toward the door.

  “Hey.” Georgie stopped and looked back over her shoulder. “Why are you going to see them if you don’t have all the info?”

  “Well, a lot of what I have in mind revolves around Sam’s cooking and just how willing she is to let someone else into her kitchen.”

  “Good luck with that.” Joey knew she had her work cut out for her.

  Sam’s kitchen was her domain. Sure, she let them trespass from time to time, but usually only under close supervision. On her days off, the guests were fed cold but delicious meals. Sometimes they had casseroles or premade meals that whoever was working just needed to bake and serve. Georgie’s ideas better be something outstandingly special, or Sam would most likely shoot them down.

  “I know how to make most people see the best in a situation. Present company excluded,” Georgie taunted as she opened the door.

  “Are you saying I’m being difficult?” Joey knew she was, but only out of necessity.

  “More like inflexible!” she shouted, leaving her words hanging in the air as the door closed behind her.

  Inflexible! Please. If Georgie could only see some of the dreams she had about Cameron. She—no, they—had both been pretty damn flexible. The images flooded her brain, and she knew he’d be on her mind the rest of the day. It seemed the more she tried not to think about him, the more she ended up doing just that. Especially at night when she had no control of where her mind roamed.

  It was all Cameron’s fault her mind kept taking trips to naughty town. She’d tried to keep things strictly professional, but he refused to leave things there. All his attentions had subconsciously made her want something more. His good looks were only part of the problem. She didn’t know how, but he always found a way to brush against her. There was no doubt in her mind that he was doing it on purpose, either. And it was driving her crazy, which is probably what he wanted. Joey thought she was doing a damn good job hiding it, but there were times when she may have slipped. Like when he would move in behind her and lean in to read over her shoulder. The spicy smell of his cologne and the heat that surged between them was impossible to ignore.

  Thinking about it brought the dream she had last night to mind. The dream had been both the best and worst. She’d woken up feverish, alone, and so turned on she wanted to scream. It had all seemed so real. She’d been standing at the table in his pantry sorting forms when Cameron came into the tiny room. As usual, he took up a lot of room, leaving her feeling crowded. He didn’t say anything. He just walked over and took the papers from her hand and dropped them into the box.

  Joey smiled, remembering how, in one swing of his arm, he’d swept everything on the table to the floor. Then, he yanked her into his arms, and she melted against his hard chest. He lowered his head, covering her mouth with his. The kiss was rough and primal, and she loved everything about it. His hands slid to her back, where he undid the zipper on her skirt and let it fall to the floor. Joey let him slide her panties down, too. He spun her so she stood between him and the table. She faced away from him with her back to his front.

  Cameron pressed one hand on her back, leaning her over the table, while the other undid his skintight jeans. Joey put her hands on the table, bracing herself for what she knew would be coming. He slid his hand down her back, coming to a stop right above her ass. She held her breath and waited. Cameron leaned in, and she felt his cock press against her. His hands grabbed her hips, and he lifted her onto her toes. He bent his knees and slid his dick through her wet curls. Her whole body shuddered as he slid inside her.

  She felt her muscles stretch as he plunged as deep as he could. His retreat made her whimper, but his forward lunge almost lifted her off her feet. Their grunts and moans filled the air as he quickened his strokes. Just as she felt herself on the precipice of a mind-blowing orgasm, a door slammed, jolting her awake. She’d spent the rest of the night tossing and turning.

  Though she tried to tell herself that the real thing never matched up with fantasies, it didn’t help. Instead, it just made her more curious about finding out if he would, but she refused to go there. No matter how much her sister or Cameron tried to make her want to do otherwise.

  Her phone rang and she scooped it up. “Hello.”

  “Hi, Josephine.” Alec’s familiar timber came through loud and clear.

  She instantly wished she hadn’t answered. “Morning, Alec. What can I do for you?”

  “Actually, I was just calling to apologize and thank you for forgiving Cameron.”

  “What makes you think I have?” She wasn’t at all surprised that word had gotten to him so fast.

  “I stopped by Cameron’s place and had a chat with him.” Obviously, Cameron was a popular man this morning. “He didn’t have to, but he mentioned the two of you had breakfast.”

  Joey dropped her head to her desk, knowing this was just the beginning.

  Chapter Seven

  Joey had cleared her desk of any unessential items and spent the morning sorting through the thick folders full of documents Cameron had collected on his trip and brought back for her. Her plan of attack had been to sort them and enter the information later after she had time to give everything a good once-over and ask him any questions. If he had been there, it might have been different, but Cameron hadn’t been joking about not staying long.

  He’d popped in, dropped the folders on her desk, and gave some quick explanations. Then, he popped back out to take Mrs. Whiskers and her babies to their appointment. He had seemed so nervous, she almost volunteered to go with him, but she had known she was too busy since she rearranged her afternoon to meet with him again. Still, she had to admit he looked kind of cute all frazzled.

  She turned into the lodge’s parking lot and drove straight around to the back parking by the kitchen entrance. As soon as she finished this meeting with her sisters, she planned on heading over to his place and getting to work. Her brothers-in-law wouldn’t be present for the meeting, which could be both a good and bad thing. Since this was just the six of them going over which charity events and committees they wanted to be a part of next year, her brothers-in-law were exempt. Joey’s father had made sure from a young age she and her sisters all knew that giving back was the right thing to do. He’d gone so far as to set up a special account the family used to make donations and support various causes. Granddad had left ten thousand dollars that was designated to the account, too.

  Joey figured once Trent and Victor were done remodeling the lodge and cabins, they would probably find their spot
somewhere. Most likely where they could have some fun with the Mitchell cousins, who were just as active in the community as they all were. Then there was Hal. They’d have to wait and see where things between him and Frankie went before they knew how he’d fit in. She really didn’t want to think about the Hal and Frankie situation.

  Joey was happy Frankie found someone to love who loved her back, but she didn’t like that there was a good chance she’d be leaving now that she was engaged. After all, no one expected Hal to quit running a million dollar business to live in the wilds of northern Maine. Of course, Frankie wouldn’t be leaving forever either. Hell, not for long, but anything more than three weeks was going to seem like forever. But living in the city would get on Frankie’s nerves after a while, and she’d need a break. Eventually, Joey knew they’d all get used to her coming and going. Until then, she wasn’t going to think about it too much. She had enough work to keep her mind occupied. In fact, she was so busy she’d forgotten Cameron’s files and had to go back and get them, which explained why she was the last to arrive. Her sisters had parked all in the same area.

  Joey spotted Jessie’s classic Mustang. Sam’s truck wasn’t there, so she must have come in Trent’s SUV, which was parked beside Jessie’s car. Georgie’s little red Dodge Intrepid was next in line. Then, Bobbie’s beat up compact that they were all trying to talk her into getting rid of. She pulled in beside Frankie’s car, which was a lot like hers but in a flashier blue color where as hers was beige. They were all so different, and it showed in the way they dressed and the cars they drove.

  She figured it was also pretty evident in the men they dated, and refused to date, too. After grabbing her bag from the floor behind the passenger seat, she headed for the building. The second she opened the door, she heard laughter floating down the short hall. From the sounds of things, she’d obviously missed something good.

  She turned the corner that led into the center of the kitchen and froze. The straps of her bag slipped from her fingers and the bag fell to the floor. The laughter faded to a dull buzz that settled around her. What the hell was going on? What was he doing there? She felt someone nudge her and turned to find Georgie standing there holding her bag.