The Stubborn Suitor: Book 1 (The Stubborn Suitor #1) (4 page)

“So, ladies,” he began, “how are things at the hospital?”

“Things at the hospital are good,” Cami replied, seeing that her friend was getting just a little too intoxicated to answer the question. Maggie was grinning wide into Declan’s eyes.

“That’s good,” Declan responded, still smiling seductively at Maggie.

Cami couldn’t remember why Maggie had never developed a serious crush on the guy. He was warm and fun and very attractive. “How are things with…umm…what do you do again?” She was embarrassed she couldn’t recall what Declan did for living.

“Most of the time, he lives off his trust fund,” Preston offered with a smirk.

“That’s not true,” Declan responded. “I’m also an attorney at Creighton and Callahan. Perhaps you’ve heard of the firm? We represent Sacred Heart Hospital.”

“Yeah, I think I have,” Cami replied. She noticed that Maggie was eyeing Declan up and down, probably imagining him shirtless, given that the guys pecs were straining against his thin summer shirt.

Really,
she thought,
why
hasn’t
Maggie ever thought of Declan in any serious way?

Before she could think too much about it, however, a waitress came by with a tray full of champagne. Everyone grabbed a glass, and, as the woman turned to go, Cami watched Declan’s eyes follow her rear end while she made her way back towards the house.

That’s
why she’s never developed a crush on Declan
, she reminded herself. Maggie knows him well, she’s just too drunk right now to think straight. The guy flirted with practically anything with breasts. Every time Cami had been out with a group he was a part of, she’d watched him flirt with all the attractive girls. He was nothing but a playboy. As unobtrusively as possible, she moved away from Declan to stand closer to Maggie, hoping to maybe rescue her soon.

“Speaking of the hospital,” Preston said, turning to talk to the two girls. “I have a question.”

“What?” Maggie asked, eyeing him with suspicion.

“You know my car accident a few months ago?”

Cami didn’t know that Preston had been in an accident, but Maggie nodded.

“How are you?” she asked, finally looking away from Declan.

“Oh, I’m fine now,” he brushed the question off. “I was sent to Sacred Heart but neither of you fine ladies were there to take care of me. Instead, the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen stitched me up. Not that you two aren’t beautiful, but this woman was a goddess. She had the most beautiful skin and dark hair. Big, full lips. Man, she was gorgeous.”

Cami immediately recognized that he was describing Ashley. But Ashley had recently come out of a disastrous marriage to a husband who constantly cheated on her. If Preston was anything like Declan—and Cami was pretty sure that he was—then Ashley would be much better off if Preston never knew her name.

Maggie seemed to be on the same page, as she looked at Cami with a knowing smirk and winked.

“I don’t know who you’re talking about,” Maggie said to Preston, completely straight-faced.

“Liar,” Preston accused. He then turned towards Cami, a sad, pleading look on his handsome face. “Come on, Cami. You have to help me out. Just give me a name.”

“Don’t you work for the hospital?” Cami asked, remembering that Grant had mentioned it the first time she and Preston had been introduced.

“I’m on the board. That’s not at all the same. I don’t have access to the employee files.”

“I’m not suggesting that you look up her file,” Cami responded, shocked at his assumption. “I just meant… can’t you go in to the ER and ask for her again?”

“Not without a name. Just give me a name,” he begged. “Just a name. That’s all I ask.”

“Nope,” both girls said in unison, then giggled at their identical responses.

Cami almost felt a little sorry. Preston didn’t seem like a bad guy. But all of the men at this party looked like they were too wealthy for their own good and were most likely playboys. Ashley deserved something serious if she were ever to get in another relationship. If Preston wasn’t serious enough to try finding her himself, he didn’t deserve a chance with her.

Finally, Preston gave up and the conversation switched to something about ski resorts—a topic Cami had absolutely no opinion on. She was staring off into the sea when Declan stepped up behind her.

“How about the two of us go for a walk?” he asked.

“How about not?” Cami responded, surprised. Mere moments ago the man had his arm wrapped around Maggie’s waist.

“I only wanted to ask you why your BFF won’t talk to me or ever take my calls, but I guess I’ll leave you to your negative thoughts.” Declan looked like a kicked puppy for a moment, and Cami immediately felt bad. He was probably a little drunk and just felt lonely. And Maggie did just brush him off unceremoniously just a few seconds ago. But then Cami remembered his roving eyes.

“Why don’t you go ask that waitress to take a walk with you?”

At least Declan had the sense to look sheepish. He nodded and eventually left her alone. Cami felt a little sorry for him, but she didn’t need a man like that. She turned back towards the ocean, watching the sunset over the waves.

“I’m perfectly happy alone,” she said under her breath. “Perfectly happy!”

I
t was late
, and most of the party had long since cleared out by the time Cami decided to call it a night. Maggie had disappeared a while ago, stating that she needed to catch up on her beauty sleep. Cami knew that her friend had simply drunk too much and needed to crash.

Cami had wondered out onto the dock alone, watching the seagulls dive into the ocean. She was more than a little tipsy herself as she made her way back towards the house.

“Hey,” came a voice from behind her, making her jump and spin around. Drew was leaning against the deck railing, smiling at her. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“It’s fine,” Cami replied, a little more sternly than she intended.

“You disappeared earlier,” he pointed out.

“You seemed occupied. I didn’t want to intrude.”

“I’m not occupied now,” he said with a smirk.

Cami was reminded of all the other cocky, playboy men at this party.

“I am,” she replied. “I’m going to bed.”

“Come on,” he said, pushing himself off the rail and slinking towards her. “It’s still early.” He held up the bottle of champagne, as if to signify that the party wasn’t over.

“Are you drinking alone out here on the deck?”

“I am celebrating…alone…out here on the deck. When you say it like that, it sounds pathetic. But it wouldn’t be pathetic if you were celebrating with me.”

Drew smiled, and Cami was yet again reminded of how absolutely handsome he was. She wanted to turn and walk away. But she was already more than a little tipsy, and Drew had the charm and the good looks to spare. Cami was having a hard time coming up with a reason to say no.

Drew must have seen her hesitation, because he smirked and moved even closer to her, sneaking a hand around her shoulder to rest against her back. Once again, her flesh tingled at the warmth of his touch. She couldn’t help but wonder what it would feel like to have those large, strong hands on other parts of her body.

“Come on,” he said with a smirk. “Let’s take a walk.”

Drew led Cami down the steps onto the beach, where they both kicked off their shoes and left them beneath the deck. They passed the bottle of champagne back and forth as they strolled along the sand, the tide gently lapping at their bare feet.

Cami couldn’t help but think that this was the kind of thing that happened to
other
people—late night walks on the beach with the sexiest man alive, sharing a bottle of champagne. This was the life an heiress was meant to lead, not a single working mother.

“Who am I right now?” she asked herself under her breath.

“What?” Drew asked, leaning in.

“What are we celebrating?” Cami asked, not wanting him to know what she’d actually muttered.

“Um…” Drew looked out into the ocean for a moment, pensive. “Opportunities,” he replied finally, lifting the bottle of champagne to his lips and taking a deep drink before handing it over to her.

She watched his tongue dart out and swipe at the wetness on his lips, causing a different type of wetness to pool between Cami’s legs. In an attempt to ignore her body’s reaction, she chugged the remaining champagne, then frowned down at the empty bottle.

“You drank it all,” Drew cried in mock anger. “How dare you!”

“Sorry-not-sorry,” Cami replied with a smile, feeling like a teenager for the first time in years.

She couldn’t help but laugh when Drew nudged her gently with his shoulder, pushing her further into the ocean. The waves began breaking around her knees, and she shrieked at the cold water, running back towards the shore.

Cami hadn’t felt this young or alive in years. She adored Madison and loved being a mother. But, she realized, sometimes she missed feeling playful and carefree. She laughed and splashed in the water with Drew like a child, pushing him into the waves until his pants were wet up to the knees.

“Now, you’ve done it!” he growled, turning towards her with mock anger in his eyes.

Cami laughed and lunged away from him, frolicking further down the beach.

“Uh-oh,” she said a few minutes later, stopping to stare at her empty hands.

“What?” Drew asked, coming up to stand beside her.

“The champagne bottle. I don’t know what I did with it. I littered!”

“Don’t worry about it,” Drew replied. He was close to her now, his warm hand on her back once again. “I’m sure some of the staff are charged with picking up any trash left on the beach.”

Cami winced at how snobbish Drew sounded. She hated the idea of relying on
staff
to clean up after her. She was once again reminded of how this was definitely not her life.

“I can’t just leave it out here for someone else to pick up!” she implored.

“Well, you aren’t going to find it tonight,” Drew replied, gently rubbing circles on her back. “I’ll tell you what…we’ll let it go tonight, and tomorrow morning I’ll come out here and find it myself.”

Cami relaxed once again, leaning into Drew’s caress. She couldn’t help but wonder how she’d gotten him so wrong earlier in the evening. Right now, he didn’t seem so snobbish at all. He seemed sweet and genuine and truly interested in her.

She allowed him to lead her towards the beach, where they both sat down in the sand and stared out at the ocean. Or rather, it was Cami who was staring out at the ocean. After a moment, she realized that Drew was staring at her. She turned her eyes towards him, and her breath caught at the his hungry look.

One moment they were stared at each other, the next, they were kissing. Cami didn’t know how it started, but what she did know was that Drew’s lips were suddenly on her own, hard and hungry, his tongue seeking entrance into her mouth.

For a split second, Cami froze. She had not been with a man since her divorce and hadn’t planned on being with one now. But Drew had been so sweet, and he was so sexy, and his lips felt delicious against her own. So Cami finally allowed herself to relax, leaning into the kiss and opening her mouth to let him in.

Drew moaned as he explored her lips with his tongue, and the next thing she knew, Cami was being pressed back against the sand. Drew never moved his lips from her own as he stretched out half on top of her.

Eventually, he
did
have to pull back for air, but he continued to kiss and lick his way down her neck, his hands exploring her body through the thin fabric of her dress. When his firm fingers squeezed and caressed her breasts, Cami couldn’t help but arch into him.

At her reaction, Drew pulled away from her and sat up. Cami tried to sit up as well, but a hand on her shoulder kept her pinned down as Drew moved to straddle her.

His eyes met hers for a second questioningly as his fingers gently traced the low-cut neckline of her dress. Cami wasn’t exactly sure what he was asking of her, but she nodded anyway, her body too on fire to say no.

Drew’s fingers grasped the top of her strapless dress, pulling it, along with her bra, down and over her chest. Her large breasts bounced free and Drew released another moan of pleasure, grinding his hips down against Cami’s. She could feel the press of his substantial erection rubbing against her thigh.

When he moved down to lick at one hard nipple, then the other, it was Cami’s turn to cry out. Her nipples had always been extremely sensitive and it had been years since anyone had shown them any attention.

Drew attached his lips to her swollen tip, sucking and nibbling it gently. He brought a hand up to the other breast, pulling and tweaking the nipple until Cami was overwhelmed with pleasure.

When they’d first started dating, Ken had seemed to love her body. But as he grew to resent her weight in the later years of their marriage, he’d spent less and less time with foreplay. And he never worshiped her breasts the way that Drew was doing it right now. Drew was licking and sucking and biting one nipple, than the other. Whichever breast wasn’t in his mouth was being manipulated by his large, warm hands.

The tingling his touches had caused earlier was nothing compared to the fire in her skin at this moment. She thrashed beneath him, bucking her hips in an attempt to gain even the slightest amount of friction between her legs.

Drew shifted to the side, pulling Cami close as he wound his hand into her hair. He continued to kiss and lick her neck and chest, sucking and biting bruises onto the swell of her breasts before soothing the sensitive flesh with his tongue. His other hand gave her nipple one last pull before slowly sliding down her body. He caressed her thighs for a moment before pushing up under her dress. He stroked her through her wet panties, causing Cami to twist and moan even more, opening her legs in encouragement.

After a few moments of teasing, Drew slipped a hand inside her underwear, exploring her wet, slippery folds. He slid two fingers deep inside her aching body, and Cami pressed down on them. Soon, she was riding on his thick fingers. He brought his thumb up to circle her clit in the same rhythm, and Cami was overwhelmed with pleasure. She could feel Drew grinding his hard cock against her thigh as he fingered her.

“You are so sexy,” he whispered huskily and continued to press his fingers deep into her. “Watching you writhe beneath me is almost enough to make me come in my pants.”

That’s all it took to send Cami over the edge. She shook as pleasure overwhelmed her body for what felt like hours.

When she finally came back to herself, Cami was suddenly extremely self-conscious. She was half-naked on a beach where anyone could see her, allowing a man she hardly knew—a man who had acted like a complete ass earlier in the evening, nonetheless—to put his hands all over her body.

Cami quickly sat up and pushed Drew off her. He looked at her questioningly, and she suddenly felt a little guilty. He had given her an amazing orgasm, after all, and she was about to leave him high and dry. But that wasn’t enough of a reason to have sex with this near-stranger.

“I’m sorry,” she said as she pulled her bra and dress back up over her chest. “This was a bad idea. We’re in public, and I’m really drunk. I’ve never done anything like this. I would never do anything like this sober.”

Drew nodded, looking guilty himself.

“I understand,” he said. “I’m sorry, too.”

Cami was more than a little surprised by his response, expecting him to be angry that she’d denied him. Instead, he stood and offered her his hand. She allowed him to pull her up, and together, they walked back to the house in silence. It was more than a little awkward, but less so than she was expecting it to be.

They grabbed their shoes from beneath the deck and headed inside.

Drew, who was staying on the third floor, offered her a meek “goodnight” on the landing before continuing up towards his room.

Cami crawled into bed, a weird mix of satisfaction and embarrassment coursing through her veins as she slowly drifted off to sleep.