Ruining Mr. Perfect (The McCauley Brothers) (15 page)

“I was tired of you constantly harping that I didn’t do enough at home,” she said with more than a hint of steel. “I loved that job. But for you, I retired early.”

“Figures you’d love work more than me,” he muttered.

“You are so deluded.” She poked him again, and he was so glad to have her hand on any part of him that he said nothing. “You always were a selfish man. This is just ridiculous. I let you and your little tramp enjoy yourselves without interference. But the moment I find a nice man who likes me for me, you have to interrupt my life all over again.” He liked the fire in her dark green eyes, but not the tears that followed.

“Beth, honey…”

“Don’t ‘Beth, honey’ me. I begged you for years to talk or go to counseling. You refused. Well, I’m done talking
to
you
. Go away. Far, far away.” She brushed the tears from her eyes and stormed down the sidewalk, leaving him behind.

But as she left, for the first time in a long time, James didn’t want her to go.

***

Vanessa had no idea if she’d done the right thing or not by witnessing Beth’s innocent date with Liam. But after three days of Cameron’s silence, she’d had enough. After calling his cell phone and again getting no answer, she called James.

“Yeah?”

“It’s Vanessa. Are you not talking to me too?”

She heard him sigh. “No. But I’m like you. In the doghouse with no way out. You want the boy, I take it?”

“Yes. Cameron,” she said to clarify in case he had some confusion on which of his progeny she was after.

“Hard head, like his stubborn mother,” James growled. “The know-it-all is working out in the gym downstairs, but he’ll be back in a bit. I’m going out tonight, so feel free to come on over. I’ll leave my key for you with the desk downstairs.”

“Thanks.” She hadn’t expected him to be so generous. “Wait. Working out downstairs?”

“Why do you think he bought this place? When he’s not working, he’s always in there exercising. It’s a sickness, but at least it beats those art clubs he used to hang out at.”

“Thanks. I’ll be over in half an hour.”

“Sure.” He paused. “Thanks for what you said at the coffee shop.”

“No problem.”

They disconnected the call, and Vanessa hurried to join the big fat liar—her
boyfriend
—before he could avoid her again. So he worked out at Jameson’s Gym because his own was too busy?
Right.
She allowed herself the grin she hadn’t been feeling since their fight. Cameron, that faker. Any man who bought membership to another gym just to be near her wouldn’t break up over a stupid thing like a simple omission. She hadn’t lied to him about her conversation with his mother. Not exactly.

Hope returned, crushing in its intensity. He might be mad at her, but he couldn’t be too mad. Could he?

Resolved to end this passive-aggressive foolishness, she drove to his condo, parked, and retrieved the key to his unit without a problem. At his door, she used the key, not deigning to knock in case he decided not to answer. She entered but found no one home.

Wondering how best to deal with him, she went over some options and decided to start with basics. They had chemistry, and sex worked wonders to cure most men’s foul moods. With that in mind, she went to his bedroom and stripped down, then dressed herself in his robe.

Twenty minutes later, the front door opened and closed. She waited in the bedroom on the off chance his father had returned. No need for forced awkwardness.

She recognized the tread as Cameron’s and couldn’t contain the race in her pulse. He’d simply have to get over his stubborn idiocy in thinking her wrong. Plain and simple.

She heard him puttering around the condo and waited with patience, which was soon rewarded. He entered his room in the midst of taking off his shirt. He’d tossed it to the floor when he saw her lying across his bed, and he froze.

“Hello.”

He frowned. “Hi.”

She toyed with the belt on his oversized robe. “Have a good workout?”

“Yeah.” He sounded hoarse, and she realized the robe had parted to reveal a breast.

“I thought I’d come over and help you in the shower.”

“Shower?”

“You were heading to clean up, I assume?” A glance down his front showed her how happy he was to see her, but she kept her joy contained behind a polite smile.

He stared at her, looking her over from her head to her toes. “Shower. Yes.” He untied his sneakers and removed his shoes and socks, then stripped out of his shorts and underwear as well. Standing in nothing more than gleaming muscles with an enormous erection, he made her mouth water.

She rose and preceded him into the bathroom, not bothering to disrobe yet. She started the shower, then stepped back after the temperature reached an adequate heat and waited for him to enter. He did, then she dropped the robe and followed him.

Before she could blink, he had her back pressed to the tile, his mouth over hers, and a delicious melting of her senses overtook her. His tongue and lips trailed over her mouth to her neck, then her breasts. He took her nipples and bit and sucked, reducing her to a writhing mass of need. Not to be deterred, her wonderful Cameron continued down to that aching spot between her legs.

No words passed between them as he stimulated her into a rushing orgasm with just his mouth while his hands trailed up and down her thighs.

As she crested into ecstasy, he rose and turned her to face the wall, then thrust into her with force. He pounded into her with a fierceness that had her crying his name before he groaned and came, clutching her hips like a lifeline. Moments after his release, he continued to kiss her shoulders and neck, still not speaking.

They parted and cleaned each other. She watched him with an intense affection bordering on…something more.

After washing themselves thoroughly, Cameron leaned against the shower wall and cupped her breast. His eyes were heavy-lidded, dark with exhaustion and a lazy respite from his orgasm. “So you’re sorry?”

“Not exactly.”

The smile ghosting his lips disappeared. “Oh?”

“I came here to stop this stupid fight. I…care about you.”

He seemed to relax, if a fraction. “Care, hmm?”

She frowned. “Yes. It took a lot of nerve to come up here when you’ve gone out of your way to ignore me.”

He raised a brow in that way she often did to annoy Maddie. Now she could see why it worked so well. “Oh? Because I distinctly remember telling you that I would be waiting for your call when you realized why you were wrong.”

Like waving a red flag at a bull, the word
wrong
had her back up. “I wasn’t wrong for being honest with Beth.”

“I never said you were.” He continued to hold her, caressing her even while he damned her with his eyes.

Confused, she pulled back, letting the water rush over her once more. “Then what is your problem? Spit it out, Cameron.”

He shook his head. “That you can’t understand why I’m upset is just as much the problem as what pissed me off.”

She scowled. “You know, if you’d stop all this sensitive, emotional bullshit and just tell me the problem, I’m sure I could fix it.” It didn’t escape her that once again, she acted the role of the one in the wrong, while her lover insisted his partner play guessing games. She swallowed her disappointment. She’d thought Cameron better than that.

“Vanessa, while I appreciate your honesty, I’m also annoyed enough to tell you that I expected better of you.”

“My thoughts exactly.”

“You’re so concerned with being right you don’t care about
us
.”

“Wait. What’s that?” Surrounded by hot water, she nevertheless felt cold. How had he come to that conclusion?

“Instead of coming to me and trying to share a discussion about my parents—two people with whom I’m directly involved—you took it upon yourself to solve their problems. In doing so, you might have made them worse. Honestly, I’m hurt you didn’t come to me or be honest when I asked about my mother in the first place.”

He had a point about his mother, but not about the rest.

“So that’s your stance on things?” She felt naked all of a sudden, when before she’d been wrapped around him like a vine and hadn’t cared.

“It is. Don’t get me wrong. I liked the sex. Very much.” He smiled, but she saw anger, not affection, in his eyes.

“So we’ll just keep fucking then. How does that suit you?” The hypocrite. He said he appreciated her honesty, then held it against her when it suited him.

“Fine. You want this to be just about sex? I’ll try it your way.”

Angry and strangely turned on, determined to show Cameron the error of his ways, she took the initiative and shoved him back against the wall. Then she rubbed her slick body over his, aware when his cock jumped against her belly.

“Terrific. So we’re in agreement. This is just about sex. Like it always was,” she tried to tell herself, wishing she wasn’t so dismayed at how the evening had turned out.

“You can make yourself feel better by thinking that if you want, but we both know the truth,” Cam murmured.

She didn’t want to hear any more, so she muted him with another kiss before slowly going to her knees. He could say what he wanted, but his body didn’t lie. Too bad the rest of him didn’t follow suit.

Cam wanted to break something. Namely Vanessa’s stubborn hold on being right. If the blasted woman would simply acknowledge that she’d been in the wrong, they might get past their carnal détente. Instead, they continued to have rip-roaring sex in near silence.

That she continued to come to him gave him hope. She could have said to hell with him and his family. But she hadn’t. Instead, they had angry, mind-melting sex that usually ended in at least two orgasms for him and two or three for her. After two long weeks of the stubborn woman’s silence on the matter, though, he’d come to the end of his rope.

“Hey, boss, phone call,” Hope called from the outer office. With no clients around, she often yelled out for him instead of using the intercom.

He smiled despite his bad mood and accepted the call she transferred. “Cameron McCauley.”

“Hey, Cameron. It’s me.” Vanessa.

As usual, just hearing her voice got him half hard. He blew out a breath and tried to will away his erection, lest his cousin come in and put testament to the notion he really was a perv. “Vanessa. Nice to hear from you.”

“Yeah, well. This stupid argument we’re having is asinine.”

“I agree.”

Silence met his answer.

“Well, I just figured…” She paused. “Fine. We’re through. Bye.”

He stared in shock at the phone. “
What
the
hell?
”

“Cam?” His cousin appeared at the doorway. Seeing his expression, she walked in. “You okay?”

“No. Look, can you cancel my appointment for tomorrow morning?”

“I can try to reschedule for the afternoon. I remember Mrs. Foxxe asking for a later time if the morning wouldn’t work.”

“Perfect. Thanks. I’m taking off. You okay to lock up?”

Her eyes widened. “Sure. No problem.”

He nodded and left, done with letting Vanessa take control of their relationship. The infuriating woman didn’t know when to back down. If she couldn’t figure out how to deal with him on an equal level, then maybe they
would
have to call it quits. But not over the phone, and not without talking things out, face-to-face. He wasn’t his father, for fuck’s sake.

A call to Vanessa’s workplace told him she’d already left for the day. Four-thirty. Early for Vanessa to be gone from work. A good sign. She wasn’t taking this supposed breakup lightly. He would have been more upset about things if he’d considered their relationship over. But that ridiculous breakup over the phone? No way in hell.

He called Abby after a glance at his phone.

“Hello?” Abby answered.

“Hey, Abby. Are you at home? It’s Cam.”

“Hi, Cam. Yeah, I’m home. Why?”

“Is Vanessa there?”

“She should be at work.”

“She’s not. I’m betting she’s going to hit the gym before coming home. Would you mind if I came over and waited for her?”

“No problem.” Abby paused. “Did something happen between you guys? She’s been weird for days. I mean, more weird than normal.”

“Nothing I can’t handle. Thanks, Abby.” He disconnected, not wanting to share his girlfriend’s problems with her roommate.

He arrived at her house and parked down the street, not wanting her to see his car and avoid him. Like he’d avoided her before. Okay, in retrospect, he’d behaved childishly. But damn it, the woman aggravated and turned him on in the same breath. How the hell could he hold on to his mad when she had him coming while he tried to teach her a lesson? Instead,
he’d
been the one schooled.

Two rational adults would have talked things through by now. That Vanessa hadn’t was telling. What did that mean, exactly? He tried to puzzle her out while he waited upstairs in her bedroom. Abby had agreed to keep his presence a secret. Now he just had to wait for her to come home.

While he waited for her, he totally took advantage of her privacy. He didn’t stoop to looking through her drawers or at her computer, but he studied her artwork, the things on her bookshelves, and the few pictures she had of her family. Of the six photos on her shelves, four were of her, Maddie, and Abby. Another looked to be of Vanessa as a teenager with Maddie and what appeared to be their relatives. The last featured her as a solemn young girl, wearing a banner declaring her math champion, sandwiched between two attractive and unsmiling adults. Her parents.

She had her mother’s eyes and her father’s mouth. They really were a good-looking family. Too bad they’d treated their daughter with unfeeling regard.

He didn’t see any stuffed animals, knickknacks, or objects indicating her personality. But in the corner, tucked away behind a ledger on probability and statistics, he saw a dried red rose. He recognized the small lace band around the stem as belonging to the bunch he’d bought for her on Valentine’s Day and smiled.

“Sentimental after all,” he whispered and gently stroked a petal. The brittle bud retained its beauty, as well as a lingering fragrance.

Yet this flower, this presence of feeling, told him more about Vanessa than words could. She felt. Deeply. But she didn’t know how to show it, or handle it. He’d have to be patient, to show her just what he could offer. More than money or security, Vanessa needed love.

The downstairs door opened and shut, and he heard Vanessa call out to Abby that she’d returned home. Then her heavy footsteps pounded up the stairs. He waited, prepared to wear her down until he had the answers he wanted. He wasn’t leaving without them. Or her.

***

Vanessa wanted to cry. Well, to shower, cry, then sleep. And maybe eat, though her appetite had deserted her after breaking up with Cameron. She’d been a mess at work, so much that even
Josh
had noticed and mentioned she might want to knock off early. She hadn’t liked the empathy in his gaze, no more than she liked being an emotional basket case over something as stupid as a breakup. She’d known this was coming from the beginning. Yet she still had to fight back tears. Calling Cameron while at work, apparently, had been a stupid idea.

Who
knew
I’d cry over him?
she asked herself.
He’s just another man. Like all the rest.
She kept saying it in hopes she’d believe it.

She pushed through the door and threw her gym bag on the bed at the same time she saw him. Dressed in his business clothes, looking utterly masculine, graceful, and perfect. He stood by her bed and crossed his arms over his chest.

“Hello, Vanessa.”

She swallowed the tears that wanted to return and called on the cold numbness that should have kept her company throughout their parting. “Cameron. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

He frowned. “You look terrible.”

“Thanks.” So nice for him to point that out. He, on the other hand, looked like he’d just stepped off the cover of
GQ
. “Why are you here?”

“We’re through?” He snorted. “Try again.”

“I’m sorry. Did I not speak slowly enough for you?”

Instead of growing angry, he had the nerve to grin. “You’re cute when you’re snotty.”

She swore. “Damn it. I’m breaking up with you.”

“Nope.”

She blinked. “What do you mean
nope
? Did you not understand me?”

“Why are we breaking up?” He let his hands fall from his chest and stuffed them into his pockets. So casual, as if the notion of no longer seeing her meant nothing to him, while it broke her apart.

“Why are you being such a dick?”

“Why are you being such a bitch? Answer the question.”

His insult took her aback. She gasped. “Did you just call me a bitch?” Cameron never swore at her, unless they were making love, which was sexy dirty talk, not verbal abuse.

“Did I stutter?” He sighed. “Look, Vanessa. I can play twenty questions all night long. Tell me why we broke up. Then, if your answer makes sense, I’ll leave you alone. No harm, no foul.”

“You arrogant asshole.” She glared at him. “No harm?” He’d made her fucking
cry
, and Vanessa loathed tears with every fiber of her being.

“Still waiting.” He blew out a breath.

“Fine. We broke up because… Because…”

“Because you won’t admit to being wrong,” he said quietly, no longer amused.

“No.”

“Yes. Being right is everything to you. I was upset with you, not because you spoke to my mother. Okay, maybe a little. I got over that quickly. The fact that you didn’t seem to trust me hurt. Why didn’t you just tell me you’d talked to my mom? Why keep it a secret?”

“You make no sense.”

“I make a lot of sense, and that has you scared. You’re afraid to be wrong, afraid to share all of yourself.” He shook his head. “I feel sorry for you.”

“Fuck you.” She scowled. “I don’t need your pity or your platitudes. I just…” To her horror, her eyes filled. Uncontrollable tears coursed down her cheeks. “You’re such an a-asshole.”

“Oh, baby.” He scooped her into his arms for a big hug before she could shove him away. His arms felt
so
good around her. She needed his warmth, his care. Vanessa Campbell, a woman who’d grown to know she could count on no one but herself, wanted Cameron to hold her up. He scared and unnerved her, and her heart bled like a sieve without him.

“I don’t need you.” She sounded pitiful, even to herself.

“Shh. It’s okay.” He hugged her tighter, rocking her against him.

And she let him, loving his comfort. “I don’t,” she whispered, wondering what the hell was wrong with her.

After a few moments, Cameron pulled back and wiped the tears from her cheeks. “Vanessa, answer me one question. Okay?”

“Fine.” She felt like a fool.
Tears? Really, girl?
She could almost see her parents frowning at her, shaking their heads at her needless—useless—display of emotion.

“Would you rather be right, or would you rather have me in your life?”

An odd question. But put that way… “Couldn’t I have both?”

He smiled and kissed her softly on the lips. “Pick one.”

She knew he’d made a huge concession coming here. That he could have taken her immature parting and never looked back.

“You. I’d rather have you,” she whispered, half ashamed to admit the truth.

“Oh, Vanessa. You’re so stubborn. It’s no wonder…” She didn’t catch the trail end of what he said, because his lips found hers again.

Instead of a carnal kiss, the tender caress soothed her. She’d been on pins and needles for days, unsure about herself, angry that she couldn’t cut the ties she needed to. Then to just succumb because he was hugging her right now… She’d put off their inevitable separation yet again, confirming to herself she was as weak as she’d suspected.

“I won’t get better, you know. I’ll always be like this.” He had no idea what she was really like.

“I know.” He sounded more than satisfied. “Vanessa, you get me. And I get you. We’re alike yet different just enough to complement each other. That’s a rare thing, don’t you think?”

“I guess.” She cupped his cheek, taken with the stubble she could feel but couldn’t yet see. “I don’t want you to go.”

“Was that so hard to admit?”

She blew out a breath. “God, yes.”

He laughed.

“Cameron, I’m not used to you. I like being alone. But I also enjoy spending time with you—us, together.”

“So do I, honey. But can you understand why I was upset?”

She thought about it and nodded. “I guess. You wanted me to share my thoughts and feelings, not just ignore everything in my mission to fix what your parents broke. Which I might have done anyway, thank you very much.”

He frowned. “What’s that?”

“I felt bad, I admit. So I kind of spied on your mom’s coffee date. Your dad sat with me while we watched.”

“He did?”

“Yeah. I also kind of let him have it with both barrels. Told him what an ass he was for not appreciating your mom, and that maybe if he’d told her about his issues and problems a long time ago, none of this mess would have had to happen.”

Cameron just stared at her.

“What?”

“Seems like maybe you should take your own advice, hmm?”

She flushed. “Maybe.”

“Vanessa, I like our discussions and the fact that we argue about things. But sometimes we’ll really fight, like we have been. Breaking up at every turn isn’t the answer.”

“Okay already. You’re right.”

He stepped back and put a hand over his heart. Then he flopped back on the bed. “My…heart…can’t take…the shock.”

“Idiot.” She joined him on her bed, rested her head on his chest, and closed her eyes.

He stroked her hair. “
Your
idiot. So you’d better keep a close eye on me.”

God, he was warm. And so strong. His heart beat steadily under her ear, and before she knew it, the rhythm lulled her into sleep.

She woke to a dark room, fully dressed and under her covers. She still wore her sweaty workout clothes, now dried and nasty. Cam wore his suit trousers and undershirt and cuddled up with her under her comforter.

For the first time in two weeks they had talked and hadn’t made love.
Had
sex
, she automatically corrected, feeling wary. Yet she’d had the best night’s sleep she could remember, feeling utterly secure as he held her.

Man, I’m falling for you, Cameron McCauley. And just this once, I don’t want to be right about being so wrong for you.

She turned over and leaned up to look down at him. Sliding his hair out of his eyes, she stared into his relaxed features, her heart warm, her thoughts fuzzy as she let herself just feel. The light from her alarm clock bathed his face in a soft blue, and the shadows over his cheeks encouraged her to stroke and memorize him by touch.

He blinked his eyes open, his focus sharpening as he stared up at her and smiled. “Hey, blondie. You’re looking good, even with that hair from hell.”

“Back at ya, morning breath.” They sneered at each other, and she laughed, feeling amazingly refreshed and…happy.

After a pause, Cameron said, “No more phone breakups.”

“No. Next time I’ll do it to your ugly face.”

“Thank you so much, Miss Charming.” He sighed. “Good thing I canceled my eight o’clock.”