Rebound (Tryst Island Series) (2 page)

“It’s fun. We landed a huge account last week. And we’re talking to Lane’s dad about a redesign of his corporate site.”

“Congrats.”
 

Lovely. Small talk. She could do small talk. Even with Cam. Although the thoughts swirling in her mind challenged her lucidity.
 

“Besides, she needed…something.”

Kristi nodded and stared at her plate. Susanne was far too young to be battling breast cancer. “So… How’s she doing?”

He grimaced. “It’s tough. The chemo treatments especially. But she’s almost done.”

“Is she still living next door to you?”

“In the guest house. I can’t bear to think of her dealing with all that on her own.”

“But the company sounds exciting.”

He nodded. “She loves it. I’m glad we did it.” Kristi had no doubt Cam had launched into this new enterprise for one reason and one reason only: to give his sister something to live for. “And the coffee shop? How are things going for you and Lucy?”

She licked a little mustard from the corner of her mouth. “It’s Montlake. It’s coffee. Business is great.”
 

“Great.”

“Great.”

An uncomfortable silence fell between them. Well, it was uncomfortable for her—probably because of the heat prickling her neck and crawling up her cheeks. So she opened her mouth and said the first thing she could think of. Just to fill the space.
 

“How’s Robyn?”
 

Shit
. She could have kicked herself. Why bring
her
up? Kristi took a bite of her sandwich and nearly choked at his reply.

“We, ah, broke up.” He glanced down and scraped at something on the countertop when he said it, so she couldn’t tell anything from his expression.

“I’m…sorry.” It was a lie of course. She was delighted beyond words. She’d hated thinking of them. Together. In bed.

Besides, no one had liked Robyn. Every time she’d attended one of the group’s get-togethers there’d been some nasty scene. And the things she’d said to Lucy during the divorce had been unforgivable.
 

Even if Lucy hadn’t been Kristi’s very best friend—and business partner, and roommate—she would have hated Robyn for that. What woman wanted to know her husband had come on to his best friend’s hoochie mama?

Kristi had never told Cameron about that. No one had. They hadn’t wanted to hurt him.
 

But maybe they should have. He deserved to know the truth.

She grabbed her plate and a beer and rounded the counter, settling herself at the table. He followed, taking the seat across from her. He picked up a deck of cards someone had left and riffled through them.

“Are you?” he asked.

Kristi blinked. “What?”

“Are you really sorry we broke up?” He flashed her a grin. “Because I’m not.”

The heat in his eye
slammed into her like a tsunami. Something glimmered there, radiated from him in licking waves. It almost felt like…interest. In her.
 

Sexual
interest.

Impossible!

Still, lust, desire, years of wanting him welled up within her. Her mouth went dry as dust. She couldn’t swallow.

And she couldn’t look away.

They sat there, tangled in the moment for an eternity.
 

If she’d been a different woman, she would have strongly suspected he was coming on to her. Granted, it was only with his eyes.
 

But this was Cam.

And she was Good-Old-Reliable-Kristi. They were
friends
. Buddies.

That was it. Nothing more.

With great effort, she forced herself to focus her attention on her sandwich. As though bologna and cheese held the secrets of the universe.

Clearly, she was letting her crazy imagination see things that weren’t there.

He shuffled the cards idly. Kristi peeped at his fingers. Long, lean, nimble fingers. Fingers that probably knew how to touch a woman. Probably knew how to—

She cut that thought off at the root with a brutal slash.

No need to torture herself.

She took a sip of her beer. “So, um, how long were you together again?”

“Two years.”

“Hmm. Long time. Pretty serious.”

He chuckled. “Obviously not.”

Her chin shot up at his tone, the bitter tinge of it, and against her will, she met his gaze again. “What happened?”

“I came back from a tech conference. Early…” He trailed off and did a one-handed flippy thing with the cards.

Yeah. Definitely nimble.

She gulped. “A-and?”

He quirked a brow. “What do you think?”

“She was with someone else?”

“Yup. In
my
fucking bed—sorry.”      

“No need to fucking apologize.”

He tipped his head to the side. “I love that about you Kristi. No drama.”

She blotted the crumbs on her plate. “I have my share.”

“Maybe. But you don’t drag everyone into the pit of despair with you.”

“The pit of despair?” She bit back a smirk. Now who was being a drama queen?

He raked his short, dark curls. “Now that it’s over, now that she’s out of my life, I can see how crazy-making she was. Why are you smiling like that?”

Kristi nibbled her lip. “You could have asked me how crazy-making she was.”
 

He barked a laugh.

“Or you could have asked Jamie. Or Cassie or Emily or Kaitlin. Or Lucy. Especially Lucy.”

“Seriously?” He gaped at her. “
No one
liked her?”

“None of the girls.” She shot him a saccharine smile. “I’m sure the guys appreciated you bringing her around. Especially when she wore that floss thingy. What do you call that again?”

“A bikini.”

“Was it? Was it really? Because I think they cheated her. Or she forgot to put it all on. Or—”

“Now Kris. Your claws are coming out.”

“It could at least have covered her butt crack. Nevertheless,” she smirked, “the guys liked the view.”

“Well they can have her.” Something must have flickered over her face. His eyes narrowed on her. “What?”

“Nothing.”

“Aw Christ. Did she make a play for one of the guys?”
 

She didn’t answer. She couldn’t. Instead, she said, “Would you really wish her on your best friends?”

“Hell no. The last thing I want is to see her again…especially here.”

Kristi twisted her napkin. That would be…awkward. “Well, anyway. I’m sorry about all that, Cam. I know how it feels to walk in on someone you…” She trailed off and frowned at her beer. Somehow the bottle was empty. “I’m getting another. You want one?”

“Sure.”

He watched her head back to the kitchen—she felt the heat of his stare all the way to her core. Like he had some kind of laser vision.
 

Again, probably her imagination.

She did have a very active imagination.

At least when it came to Cam Jackson.

As she handed him his beer, their fingers brushed. She was able to hide her visceral response to his touch, but he probably didn’t miss the flinch.

He cleared his throat. “So… You’ve walked in on someone?”

“What?” She’d lost the thread of the conversation.

“You said you know how it feels.”

“Ah yes.” She plucked at the label on her bottle. Just to have something to distract her. From him. “Same dealio with Rolf.”

“Really?”

“Hmm.” She gazed out the wall of windows at the ocean in the distance, but it was dark, so all she could see was their reflection in it. Her attention naturally gravitated to him. She could tell he was studying her intently. She had no idea why.
 

“Want to talk about it?”

“Not really. We’re done, he and I.” He chuckled and her head snapped around. “What’s so funny?”

He winked at her. “I never liked Rolf either. I thought he was a douche.”

“He is.”

“And why does he think he’s God’s gift to women? Prancing around like he owned the place? Making those idiotic, cocky comments—”

“He thought he was clever.”

“That’s what you get for thinking.”

Kristi couldn’t hold back her snort. She grabbed a napkin as beer shot out her nose. Cam could always make her laugh, even when life wasn’t very funny.
 

He crooked a brow and smiled wickedly. “Need another beer?”

She chuckled. “I better not.”

“Wanna play Hearts?”

Kristi checked the clock. It was just eight. They had at least a couple hours before everyone came back from the bar. And she did love a good game of Hearts. “Sure.”

He nodded and dealt the cards. They were halfway through the first hand when he broke the silence.

“Do you remember the first time we played?”

“You had to teach me.”

“Took me all night.”

“That was hardly my fault.” She rearranged her cards. “You kept pouring me shots.”

“You’re the one who kept drinking them.”

She feigned a pout. “I had to keep up with Jamie.”

“Now,
she
was easy to beat.”

“So was I, once you got me liquored up.”

His chortle rumbled through her. “You figured out my strategy.” He shot her a saucy leer. “You sure you don’t want another beer?”

“No way. I’m winning this game, buster.”

They played for a while longer before he spoke again. This time, his words sent a scalding sizzle through her solar plexus. “You know Kristi, I can’t remember a time when we were both…single.”

Her heart seized. “
What?
” Thank God she hadn’t just taken a sip of beer—she would have spewed it across the table for sure.
 

“Think about it. Since the day we met, one of us was always in a relationship.”

Usually him.

She didn’t respond. She didn’t know what to say.

He winced as he took a trick. “I just think it’s interesting. That’s all.”

“What’s… interesting?” It took everything in her not to mangle her cards.

“You know. That we’re both available. Both here. Alone.”

Under the weight of his steamy gaze, all uncertainty wafted away. That was definitely interest simmering in those steely blue orbs.

Kristi’s pulse went into rapid-fire mode. Her breath hitched. Heat lashed through her.

“I…ah… W-what’s your p-point?” She tried to act all blasé, but the stuttering probably ruined it.

His expression shifted, darkened. The smoldering, seductive mien made her belly flutter. “I was thinking we could play…for something.”

“S-something?”

“A kiss, maybe?”

Brain freeze.
 

Every thought fled. Every cogent inkling spun out of reach. She could only feel. Stare at him in shock.
Ache
for him.
 

His tongue came out, dabbing at his lips. She fixated on it, imagining that tongue, what it could do. The havoc it could cause on various parts of her trembling body—

“A kiss?” A squeak. “We’ve never k-kissed before.”

He leaned closer. His voice dropped an octave. “I’m aware of that.”

“But-but… I thought… We’re just f-friends.”

He studied her over his cards, stroking them slowly. “Are you saying you don’t want to kiss me?”

“I… No! I just… We’ve always… It’s probably…”

Amusement—twined with certainty—lightened his intensity. “What are you trying to say, Kristi?”

She meticulously rearranged her cards. “I just… I didn’t think you found me attractive. That’s all.”

He boggled. “Are you crazy? You’re stunning.”

A little thrill flickered up her spine. “I’m not.” She ignored his frown at that, and plowed on with her reasoning. “Besides, in all these years, none of us… well, none of us have.”

“Lane and Lucy did.”

“And look how well that worked out.”

“I’m suggesting a kiss, Kristi. Just a kiss.” He stroked his lips. “Be honest. Haven’t you ever wondered what it would be like between us?”

A hot tide crawled up her cheeks. He didn’t miss it. He couldn’t. Her cheeks were neon red. Like a well-cooked lobster.

His features tightened. A muscle ticked in his cheek. “You have. Haven’t you? Imagined it?” The hint, the thread of uncertainty in the words struck her to the core.

He
was uncertain?
He
was nervous? Holy Hannah.

“I…” She plucked at the label again. It was becoming quite shredded. “Maybe.” A whisper.

“Well. So have I. Often.”

She gaped at him. “Often?”