LITMIR.BIZ

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engage in the lively banter. Before he could stop himself, he brushed a fingertip down the pinked slope of her cheek. ‘You’re completely safe with me, Violet. You do know that, don’t you? Kissing is all we’ll do if the need should arise.’ I hope fate isn’t listening, otherwise you are toast.

      Her small white teeth sank into the pillow of her lower lip and she lowered her gaze to a point at the base of his neck. ‘Of course.’ Her voice was not much more than a scratchy whisper.

      He stepped back from her. ‘I’d better let you get back to work.’

      She turned without another word and climbed the steps, not even glancing back before disappearing into the building when she got to the top.

      Cam let out a long breath and walked on. It was all well and good to kiss her but that was as far as it could go. He wasn’t what Violet was looking for. He wasn’t the settling down type. Maybe one day he would think about setting up a home with someone, but right now he had too much going on in his career. That was his focus, his priority. Not relationships.

      Marriage might work for some people, but it didn’t work for others—his parents and their collection of exes being a case in point. Too many people got hurt when relationships broke down. It was like a boulder dropped into a pond; the ripples of hurt went on for years. He was still sidestepping the pain his parents’ divorce had caused. It wasn’t that he’d wanted them to stay together. Far from it. They hadn’t been happy from the get-go because his mother had been in love and his father hadn’t and then his father had dumped his mother for someone younger and more attractive and had been outrageously difficult about the divorce. His mother had responded by being equally difficult and, inevitably, Cam had got caught up in the middle until eventually he’d been dumped at boarding school and left to fend for himself. In the years since, his parents had changed partners so often Cam had trouble keeping track of names and addresses and birthdays. He’d had to set up a database on his phone to keep on top of them all.

      But he needed to get Sophia Nicolaides off his case and taking Violet was the way to do it. Sophia was too crafty to spot a fake. He couldn’t bring someone he’d only just met to the dinner. It had to be someone he already felt comfortable with and her with him. Violet was shy around him, but then, she was shy around most people. It was part of her charm, the fact that she didn’t flaunt her assets or draw attention to herself. He’d been upfront about the fact it wasn’t a date and he was sure she too wouldn’t want to compromise the friendship that had built up over the years.

      At least they’d got the first kiss out of the way.

      And what a kiss. Who knew that sweet little mouth could wreak such havoc on his self-control? He would have to watch himself. Violet wasn’t street smart like the women he normally dated. She wasn’t the sleep-around type. He wondered if she was still a virgin. Not likely since she was close to thirty, but who knew for sure? It wasn’t exactly a question he’d feel comfortable asking her. It was none of his business.

      Cam ran his tongue over his lips and tasted her. Even if he never kissed her again, it was going to take a long time to forget that kiss.

      If he ever did.

      * * *

      Violet tried on seven different outfits until she finally settled on a navy-blue velvet dress that fell just above the knee. It reminded her of the colour of Cam’s unusual eyes. Maybe that was why you bought it? No. Of course not. She’d bought it because she liked it. It suited her. She loved the feel of the fabric against her skin. She slipped her feet into heels and turned to view her reflection in the cheval mirror.

      Her flatmate, Amy, popped her head around the door. ‘Gosh, you look scrumptious. I love that colour on you. Are you going out?’

      Violet smoothed the front of her dress over her stomach and thighs, turning this way and that to check if she had visible panty line. No. All good. ‘You don’t think it’s too...plain?’

      ‘It’s simple but elegant,’ Amy said, perching on the end of Violet’s bed. ‘So who’s the guy? Have I met him? No, of course I haven’t because you’ve never brought anyone here, that I know of.’

      Violet slipped on some pearl drop earrings her parents had given her for her twenty-first birthday. ‘He’s a friend of my brother’s. I’ve known him for ages.’ And he kisses like a sex god and my body is still humming with desire hours later.

      Amy’s eyes danced. ‘Ooh! A friends-to-lovers thing. How exciting.’

      Violet sent her a quelling look. ‘Don’t get your hopes up. I’m not his type.’ Cam couldn’t have been more succinct. ‘Kissing is all we’ll do.’ She hadn’t turned him on... Well, she had, but clearly not enough that he wanted to take things further.

      The doorbell sounded and Amy jumped off the bed. ‘I’ll get it. I want to check out your date to see if he passes muster. Flat twenty-three B has certain standards, you know.’

      Violet came out a few seconds later to see Amy giving an impression of a star-struck teen in front of a Hollywood idol. Violet had to admit Cam looked heart-stoppingly fabulous in a suit. He wasn’t the designer-wear type, but the sharp tailoring of his charcoal-grey suit fitted his tall frame to perfection and the white dress shirt and blue and grey striped tie highlighted the tanned and healthy tone of his skin and the intense blue of his eyes.

      Cam’s gaze met Violet’s and a tiny invisible fist punched her in the stomach.

      ‘You look stunning.’ The deep huskiness of his voice was like a caressing stroke down the entire length of her spine. The way his eyes dipped to her lipgloss-coated mouth made her relive every pulse-racing second of that kiss. Was he remembering it too? How it had felt to have their tongues intimately entwined? How it had felt to taste each other, to feel each other’s response? How it had felt to end it without the satiation both their bodies craved?

      Violet brushed an imaginary strand of hair off her face. ‘This is one of my flatmates, Amy Kennedy. Amy, this is Cameron McKinnon, a friend from way back.’

      When Cam took Amy’s hand, Violet thought her flatmate was going to fall into a swoon. ‘Pleased to meet you,’ he said.

      Amy’s cheeks were bright pink and her mouth seemed to be having trouble closing. ‘Same.’

      Violet picked up her coat and Cam stood behind her and helped her into it. His body was so close she could feel its warmth and smell that intriguing blend of his aftershave. He briefly rested his hands on the tops of her shoulders before stepping away. While he was facing the other way, Amy gave her the thumbs-up sign, eyes bright with excitement. Violet picked up her purse and followed Cam to the door.

      ‘Have a good time!’ Amy’s voice had a sing-song quality to it that made Violet feel like a teen going out on her first date.

      Cam led her to his car, parked a few metres down the rain-slicked street. ‘How many flatmates do you have?’

      ‘Two. Amy and Stefanie.’

      Violet slipped into the plush leather seat of his showroom-perfect convertible. There was no way she could ever imagine a couple of kids’ seats in the back. His car was like his lifestyle—free and fast. Not that he was a hardened playboy or anything. But he was hardly a monk. He was a healthy man of thirty-four, in the prime of his life. Why wouldn’t he make the most of his freedom? How many women had experienced that divine mouth? That gorgeous body and all the sensual delights it promised?

      Probably more than she wanted to think about.

      ‘I’m sorry about Amy back there,’ Violet said after they were on the move. ‘She can be a bit over the top.’

      Cam glanced her way. ‘Did I pass the test?’

      Violet could feel an annoying blush creeping over her cheeks. ‘The girls have a checklist for potential dates. No smokers, no heavy drinkers, no drugs, no tattoos. Must be gainfully employed, must respect women, must wear a condom... I mean during...you know...not at the time of meeting... That would be ridiculous.’

      Cam’s

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