Read Overnight Cinderella Online

Authors: Katherine Garbera

Overnight Cinderella (5 page)

He pulled her so close her breasts crushed against his chest and she felt her nipples tighten in response to his hardness. The lace-and-satin demi bra she'd bought last weekend merely intensified her arousal. She wanted to rip the buttons from her shirt and from his, to rub her breasts against the hard muscles of his chest and for the first time be skin to skin with a man.
This man.

Only this man could kiss her so thoroughly that she forgot everything. One hand cupped the back of her neck and the other slid down to her bottom, his grip possessive and assured. This was no meek suitor trying to win a fair lady but a warrior claiming his mate.

For a moment Cami felt real fear she wouldn't
measure up, but in her heart, she wanted only him. She tilted her head and pulled him closer. She held his dear face in her hands and let him plunder her mouth. Invited him so deep inside her she knew she wouldn't stop him no matter the outcome. No matter that heartache more than likely awaited her and this man would carry scars from her as she would from him.

She groaned. Heat pooled in her center and she shifted, trying to feel more of him along her body. For the first time in her life she hungered. How was she going to assuage this hunger? How was she—

He shifted and pressed her against the wall. His mouth left hers and he nibbled on her chin and her throat. She felt on fire for him. She needed him, wanted him, and the words pounded over and over in her head.

“Duke, please,” she said, unsure of what she was asking for but knowing he could provide it.

He lifted his mouth and gazed down at her. For once his eyes weren't frozen. A storm simmered in their depths. His breathing was harsh and out of control. His body was rock-hard where it was pressed against the apex of her thighs.

“I can't,” he said.

He started to pull away.

“Don't you dare walk away from me again!” Cami didn't know where her demand had come from, but if anyone was leaving this time, it wouldn't be him.

He hugged her close, pressing her face into his shoulder. She breathed his scent deeply, smelled
more than manufactured pheromones to the man himself.

“Oh, Cami, what am I going to do with you?”

She had no response to his question, but she had a feeling her heart did.

 

The Hartsfield International Airport was crowded with business travelers at the ungodly hour of 6:00 a.m. when Duke arrived. Even though Hilton Head wasn't more than a few hours' drive, he and Cami were to fly from Atlanta to Savannah then drive to Hilton Head for a site tour before flying back that evening. He wished she'd backed out at the last minute.

He knew she'd been charging ahead with her usual gusto and overseeing every detail of her event. She was not only a competent event manager, she was savvy about people and had a way of getting the most from her team.

He'd expected a certain awkwardness between them after he'd kissed her the second time, but Cami pretended nothing had changed. In her eyes, though, was the hope of something more. Cami could never be tricky, her heart wasn't into the small deceits and her face had revealed the secrets she'd rather have kept.

When he heard the call to board their flight, Duke looked around for his “team” member in vain. Not surprising, since she'd yet to be on time for anything.

For some reason her absence didn't annoy him. He didn't think she was discourteous or intentional
in her tardiness. Cami was simply too involved in observing life to concentrate on the clock.

He started to board the plane and felt her come up behind him. The subtle scent of woman surrounded him and his body went on alert status. Being surrounded by the fresh smell of spring while he was frozen in winter was unnerving.

He had to get past this physical reaction to her but knew he wouldn't if he continued kissing her. Breathing deeply, he reminded himself of all the reasons why he'd decided to stay away from the softer sex—especially Cami Jones. She was softer than the majority of her sex even though she tried to project strength.

“Sorry, I'm running late. My car wouldn't start, and I had to take the MARTA. Then, can you believe I got stopped by security?” she asked, touching his arm in greeting.

Yes, he could believe it. Security would definitely stop Cami Jones, he thought. She moved like a bundle of energy and she'd probably scared the rent-a-cops with her likeness to a hurricane. She'd been safe on Atlanta's rapid rail system, but he wished he'd known she needed a ride this morning.

“It's an outrage,” he said.

She gave him a cheeky grin. “I know you want to go back and kick some butt for me, but I'm late as usual and there isn't time.”

“Dammit all.”

Her laughter was bread for his hungry soul. He rejoiced in the fact he'd amused her. She tottered, trying to balance her laptop carrying case and her
briefcase. Duke snagged the heavier piece then motioned for her to preceed him in line.

She smiled her thanks. She walked quickly, her swaying hips making her bright pink skirt brush the back of her knees with every step. He wondered if her cream-colored hose were fastened with a garter belt. Those legs haunted his dreams nightly. Last night he'd woken at 4:00 a.m. in an acute state of arousal, picturing her in nothing but black lace-top stockings. But it was always the expression on her face that thoroughly woke him. In his dreams she trusted him and that left him in a cold sweat.

They found their seats on the crowded flight. While Duke stowed their baggage in the overhead bins, Cami smiled and talked to everyone seated around her. She told the story of her delay at the security booth to the man in the aisle seat across from her. Generally, she charmed the stranger.

When Duke finished stowing their luggage, she slid past him to sit by the window. Her body pressed so close to his he had to grit his teeth to remain unaffected. She was soft and fragile. So damned feminine that all of his instincts urged him to enfold her in his dark wings.

He wanted to leave her here on the plane before his instincts got the better of his control. To get away from her before he drove her away as he had Rebecca. Rebecca who'd been better suited for him because she'd grown up tough.
Not like Cami.

He'd always taken his control for granted. Always counted on it to get him through the tough times as it had after losing his parents so young and
coping with life growing up on his own. And then Rebecca's senseless death. He'd stayed on the Atlanta Police Force though he'd known the long hours he'd put in at work had been to blame for Rebecca's death. She'd been killed by a drug-crazed crook while she was working undercover. The clincher was that it was an overtime shift because she hated to sit at home alone. One single act had completely torn his world apart, and control was the only thing he'd had left.

After Rebecca died he'd worked even longer hours, eventually losing his edge because he didn't care about living. He'd endangered not only himself but the life of his partner, as well. Six months after Rebecca's death he'd left law enforcement to enter the private sector. After a brief stint in the Secret Service, he ended up an advance man with Max Williams in Tokyo. The journey to Japan wasn't one he even remembered. He'd been drunk in a bar one night and had accepted a job from a colleague. He'd awoken the next morning with a hangover and a ticket to Tokyo in his pocket.

Saving Max's life that night in Tokyo had been as easy for Duke as breathing. The young thugs were no match for a man with nothing left to lose. But Max had felt more than gratitude and had made a lucrative job offer. Duke had never imagined he'd get to where he was today, but found his present job suited him in a way law enforcement never had. In the corporate world he wasn't expected to form ties or bonds.

Why then did he feel like bonding in the most
elemental way with Cami? He'd been alone a long time and preferred it that way, but last night loneliness had crept into his apartment. He glanced down at the pixie-like woman with her wild clothing and questioned how she could make him react when other more sophisticated women could not.

He didn't know the answer to that question. He only knew with gut-deep certainty that she made him react and want to keep on reacting until he was buried hilt-deep in her body. Teaching her to react to him.

“You don't mind if I take the window, do you?” she asked as an afterthought.

Duke didn't care where she sat because it would be torture either way. She'd sit next to him with her sweet smile and small talk and make him believe he could be the man he knew she needed. She enchanted him with her frenetic gestures and romance novels.

“It's too late now,” he muttered more to himself than to her.

He was at the flash-point and he had to find the part of himself that had survived his upbringing. The gentle man he'd hidden from the world for so long. As he slid into the seat next to Cami, he realized he had the power to destroy her and her fantasies of how life should be. He didn't know if he had the ability to stop himself. Or if he even knew how to try.

Five

C
ami wanted to be all business on this trip. Savannah was one of
her
cities. Flying into Savannah and driving up the coast to Hilton Head seemed romantic to her, even if they would be in meetings the entire time. And Duke was just the man she wanted to have with her on this trip.

She wasn't a woman most men kissed the way he had in the elevator. In fact, she'd never made love with a man. Her fantasies centered on Duke being the first man to make love to her.

She warned herself not to take his attentions seriously. And reminded herself that they had a job to do. It wasn't wise to get involved with him right now. But as he maneuvered the car through traffic
with confidence and skill, she couldn't help but admire his profile, his legs and his hands.

She wanted to see his confidence directed at her. She wanted to see the skill in his hands as he caressed her body—a body she'd hated for so long but wanted to like while he was kissing or touching her. She wanted to feel his strong warrior body over hers in the dark light of evening.

“Almost there,” he said.

Cami felt as though she were almost there, body shivering with anticipation and heart racing to beat the band. If he only knew!

The Seashore Mansion staff greeted them with the kind of service that every pricey resort wanted to deliver but few achieved. The front desk staff confirmed the meetings Cami had scheduled while Duke checked with the bell services manager to confirm that they could accommodate a security guard at their post the night of the Gala. And Cami took the time apart to compose herself. Business, she reminded herself.

“I'll catch up with you later,” she said to Duke.

She had a meeting with the convention services manager in thirty minutes—the same time Duke was to meet with the head of security, a small scheduling conflict she'd asked her secretary to make. She wanted to keep busy while Duke was in his meeting. Didn't want him to suspect that she had come along today to be in his presence. Plus, she'd never be able to develop her presentation skills if she didn't use them.

“What's the hurry?” he asked, catching her arm.

The warmth of his touch burned through the thin fabric of her silk blouse. Her breath caught. If she leaned the tiniest bit toward him, his fingers would brush her breasts. Her nipples tightened in anticipation.

“I…” What had he asked? All she could think was that no man had ever touched her breasts. She'd always wondered if it would feel as exquisite as the books made it seem.

He gave her an inquiring glance, motioning across the lobby to the self-serve café. “I thought since we're early we could have a cup of coffee.”

Cami shrugged out of his grasp to focus her thoughts. “I'm scheduled to meet with the convention services manager.”

“Want me to join you? I can put off the security visit until later.”

“No, thanks,” she said.

“Okay, but I don't want to chance
Thumper
returning.”

Though the comment was light, part of her doubted herself. She remembered the meeting where her nerves had taken over and she'd tapped her foot so loudly that Duke had had to calm her down.

“I want to do this on my own,” she said with quiet confidence.

He guided her across the crowded lobby, seated her and took a chair across from her.

“I know you do.”

“How do you keep from getting nervous?”

He joined their hands together. “I remind myself of the important things in life.”

“What things?”

“Not the outcome of a business meeting,” he said quietly.

“Not family and friends, huh?”

“No. But life or death doesn't hang in the balance,” he reminded her.

Cami waited to see if he'd continue. She knew Max had personally assigned Duke to the event. Did their CEO doubt she could bring an event such as this off? Duke made her want to be more than the sane average mousy woman she was, she realized.

It was bad enough that she was attracted to the man, but what if he thought she were incompetent? She thought about him night and day. She imagined his crystal-gray gaze on her legs when she went to the lingerie shop to purchase new hose.

She'd always liked the idea of wearing something naughty—something forbidden. Since meeting Duke, the tempting underwear had taken on a deeper meaning. She wanted to feel sexy in his presence and the lingerie did wonders for her morale. Gabriella had even gone so far as to send her a few catalogs when Cami had called to ask her advice after she'd kissed Duke in the elevator.

“I hope I left Thumper in Atlanta.”

“I hope so, too,” he said, sincerity in his tone.

The event must come together perfectly. She'd been involved for the last three years, and it was her chance to take the helm—her chance to shine.
The opportunity to own this event was her chance to finally step out of the shadows.

“What time is your meeting?” he asked.

“In ten minutes.”

Cami stood and Duke put his hand under her elbow to lead her across the lobby. “Don't worry, Duke. No one knows event planning the way I do.” Her voice sounded husky to her own ears.

He leaned closer to her and his breath brushed her cheek when he spoke. “Sweetheart, you're a research librarian.”

His eyes sparkled with an emotion she couldn't define and she struggled to match him here. To concentrate on the conversation when all she wanted to do was to luxuriate in him. “I've done lots of research.”

“Not enough,” he said, lowering his head. He kissed her, the touch of his mouth softer than the first pearly rays of dawn on the sky.

“Let's be partners on this. Combine our strengths,” he said, stepping back.

She lurched away from him and the sensuality still glowing in his eyes. “Agreed, we're partners.”

His words sounded right to her. Cami realized she'd love for them to be real “partners” in life not just in the business world. Each complex layer Duke revealed to her lured her to venture deeper. As she followed him back across the lobby to their meeting, she knew she was in danger of losing her heart, but it didn't seem to matter.

 

The plane was dark and quiet on the evening flight back to Atlanta. The resort had met and ex
ceeded Duke's expectations. He acknowledged to himself Cami was first-rate when it came to planning and putting together this kind of event. He wondered why she'd chosen a career that had kept her behind the scenes. Remembering her presentations, he could well imagine.

Cami seemed subdued as she worked quietly on some notes on her computer. She typed furiously with the energy she always exhibited, but clearly she was winding down. He felt as if he were coming close to something with this woman he'd never achieved in past relationships and it scared him on an elemental level. Even Rebecca hadn't affected him this way.

Admitting to fear didn't bother him—never had. Because he believed chiefly in honesty and had seen enough of life to know that everyone had at least one inner hidden fear. In his case it sometimes seemed as if his entire life revolved around his fears—loving and losing. As if he'd let the things he feared the most shape him into the man he'd become.

“Davis Creig seems like an efficient man. I'm glad he was assigned to our event,” Cami said, her voice sleepy. She made a few final notes on her laptop and exited the program she'd been working in.

“Yeah, he'll do,” Duke said, leaning back against the seat, trying to find a comfortable position.

He didn't like the way Creig, the convention ser
vices manager, had looked at Cami. As if he sensed that beneath those baggy colorful dresses lay a woman of exquisite dimensions. He didn't want any other man to see the hidden Cami he'd come to know. She was his personal buried treasure. The possessiveness of his thought shook him. Where had it come from?

“How did your meeting with security go? The food and beverage manager was disappointed we'd decided to use an outside caterer. I felt bad delivering that piece of news.”

He'd bet she did. Cami was softhearted and sweet and delivering bad news would be tough for her. “The security V.P. is competent. He has no problem with my team coming down a few days early and setting up shop. Next time, I'll be the heavy.”

“You'd do that for me?” She shut down the computer and stowed it under her seat.

“Yeah,” he said. He'd do more than that for her, which worried him. He should be putting up barriers, reinforcing the ones that had kept him safe and in control for years. Instead he felt this small woman slipping past them.

“You're not suited to be a bad guy,” she said.

Her perception never failed to surprise him. Though it shouldn't. No one was more aware of the events and people around them than Cami. She observed life instead of living it. He was worlds too hard for her.

“You're right. I was a cop for six years.”

“Really?”

The plane lurched, saving him from answering. Cami sat up straighter, her eyes wide with fear. “What was that?”

A seasoned traveler, it took more than a dip in the plane to worry Duke. “Just a little turbulence.”

“I don't like it.”

He lifted the armrest between them and put his arm around her, pulling her into the curve of his body. He couldn't help but notice that she fit perfectly there—as if she were made for him and him alone.

The plane dipped again, this time more violently, and the overhead lights flickered on.

“Ladies and gentlemen, this is the captain speaking. We're hitting some turbulence, but everything's fine.”

Cami's hand gripped his thigh, her nails biting into his flesh. His thoughts were on anything but the small worry of the plane's competency. Cami grabbed his hand and held on so tightly. Her agitation visible in her shortened breaths and racing pulse.

“Sweetheart?”

“Yes, Duke.”

“I won't let anything happen to you,” he said. He didn't know where that promise had come from, only knew that he'd had to say it. True, everyone he'd ever wanted to protect had left him, but this sweet woman touched a part of Duke that he didn't know existed.

“Please make sure your seat belts are fastened
and trays are in an upright position,” a flight attendant advised.

Without thought, he reached over and tightened Cami's belt. His mind whirled with possible scenarios. The plane going down. Cami was much too small to take care of herself. He'd cover her with his body and protect her if they crashed.

They hit another pocket, and the plane pitched more roughly than before. Cami's grip tightened painfully on his leg.

He pried her hand free of his leg and held it in his own. Such a small fragile hand. She'd stand no chance against the threats of life. Living the life he had, he wondered at the miracle that she'd survived as long as she had.

The plane pitched again, throwing them both forward. Duke held Cami tighter, preventing her from hitting the seat in front of them. Cami looked up at him.

“What is it?”

“I don't want to die,” she said, her voice softer than morning.

“We're not going to.”

“You don't know that,” she said.

He didn't know how to calm her down. Rubbing his hand against her small shoulder, he encouraged her to lean against him. She whispered something but he didn't catch it.

“What did you say, sweetheart?”

“I don't want to die a virgin,” she said, her big brown eyes meeting his gaze with a levelness that belied her earlier panic.

“You won't,” he said. Hearing confirmation of her innocence should have strengthened his resolve to stay away from her but it made him want to claim her. To be the man who awakened this sleeping beauty from her sleep.

The plane leveled out but he couldn't let go of her. The captain reassured them it was “smooth sailing” until they landed in Atlanta.

“Figures I'd make my big confession and we'd live,” she said, laughing.

Duke recognized the laughter as a defense mechanism. Dropping a quick kiss on her lips, he tasted her laughter and fear. He wanted to deepen the embrace but didn't. He knew in his heart that one kiss would never be enough with Cami.

Cami sighed and leaned closer to him. Resting her shoulder against the back of the seat, she faced him. Her eyes were luminous in the dim overhead light and her skin tumescent. He wanted to caress her skin, to revel in the fact they'd come out of a tricky situation unscathed.

To feel the softness that had been lacking for so much of his life. He wanted to revel in the differences between man and woman. He wanted to pull her close, then closer, and kiss her pink lips and taste once again her clever tongue.

“Okay?” A strand of her hair escaped the barrette at the back of her neck and curled against her cheek. He wanted to smooth it back. To use that gesture as an excuse to touch her. But she threatened his control.

She sighed and touched his arm where it lay be
tween them. Her fingers played with the fabric of his white dress shirt. He realized her guards were down because of fatigue and maybe her whispered confession. There was an air of intimacy between them and Duke didn't want to lose it.

“Yes. I hate flying,” she said.

“Why?”

“I don't know. I feel vulnerable in the sky.”

He wanted to give her his vow. As a knight from days of old. To tell her that whenever he was with her he'd protect her. But in his heart he knew that he might not be able to keep her safe.

“Were you really a cop?”

“Yes,” he said.

“Why did you quit?”

Ah, the questions of innocence, he thought. Because it was quiet on the aircraft, the lighting created an intimate setting. He found himself leaning a bit closer to her.

“My wife was killed.”

“You were married?”

“Yes.”

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