The next morning, Arden waited until she knew her father had left for the office before she went downstairs for breakfast. She found her step-mother at the breakfast table sneaking brandy into her tea as she pretended to read the paper. Shaking her head, Arden slid into a chair and went straight for the coffee. She’d spent half the night tossing and turning, see ice-blue eyes whenever she closed hers.

Cam Mercer was fucking hard to shake.

“So, Arden.”

She glanced up, wincing at the bright, fake smile Sandra directed her way.

“Found someplace to live yet?”

Arden concentrated on creaming her coffee. “’Fraid not. Nothing to report. I’m not going anywhere anytime soon.” Much as the woman would love for Arden to disappear.

Red blotches appeared on Sandra’s face and neck. Her green eyes snapped at Arden as she smiled. “That’s too bad.”

“I know, right?” She grinned and bit into a piece of toast. Not surprisingly, she had zero appetite. She picked up her coffee cup and stood. “I’m going out.”

“To spend some more of your father’s money?”

Arden braked on her way out the room and turned around slowly. “I can spend however much of my father’s money as I want. He’s my father, not yours. I’m his flesh and blood. Who are you, other than the secretary he used to bang in the ladies’ bathroom?”

Sandra pressed her lips together, throwing her a murderous glare.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought. Nobody.” Arden turned away. “Bitch.” Her cell phone rang as she entered her bedroom and she groaned when she saw the caller’s identity.

Genevieve, Clark’s mother. Cam’s mother, too. But see, she wasn’t supposed to be thinking about him.

“Hi, Gen.”

“Hi, honey,” Genevieve greeted her in her soft-spoken voice. “Did you forget you’re coming over this morning to finalize the details for the dinner party?”

She had forgotten, yes. Even though she and Clark were no longer together, she still remained in contact with his mother. Genevieve wouldn’t have it any other way. She’d made it clear she disagreed with Clark’s actions. Arden enjoyed her time with Genevieve, partly because the woman was the nicest person ever, and because Genevieve Mercer’s famous dinner parties was the perfect springboard for Arden to launch her party planning business.

“I-I didn’t forget. I’m actually just getting dressed.” She walked into her closet and stood, hands on her hips, staring at her rows of heels.

“Good. See you later.”

Genevieve hung up and Arden smiled. The six months she’d been with Clark, she’d grown quite close with his mother, his one living parent. His only other family member, since Cam Mercer didn’t really count. The brothers were almost never in the same room together.

She’d promised Genevieve help with the dinner party for the Mercer’s law firm and Arden would deliver, despite her messed up mood.

* * *

She spent most of her morning over at Genevieve’s house, biting her tongue to keep from asking about Cam. Dude was of no consequence to her, but she kept seeing his eyes in her mind. She blinked it away.

Any other man but him.

After business was done, everything confirmed for the dinner party the next day, Genevieve made them a quick brunch. Arden’s stomach grumbled at the smell of bacon and eggs sizzling and she mumbled a thank you before diving into all the greasy food. Normally, she’d stay away from it, but she figured what the hell. She owed herself an indulgence and since sex seemed quite a ways off, this was the next best thing.

She’d just put her licked-clean plate in the kitchen when a vehicle pulled into the driveway. She lifted the curtain at the window over the sink and gazed outside. “Ah, fuck me.”

Cam’s blue, dented pick-up sat behind her Mercedes. She watched as he exited the truck, a black t-shirt stretched taut over his wide shoulders and forearms, long legs covered in worn denims and black work boots.

He looked good. And she shouldn’t be noticing his ass, but damn. He glanced at her car, took two steps, then stopped.

She frowned. He looked at the house, jaw working, then back to her car. His lips moved and he trailed his hand covered in black fingerless gloves across the passenger side door almost reverently. She felt that touch, a tangible caress on her skin. Her body flamed and she spun around from the window.

He’s a rude, crass man. But her body was warming to him and for him.

He’s Clark’s brother. Off limits. What did it say about her that she had to keep reminding herself of that fact?

“Arden, that should be Cameron,” Genevieve’s voice drifted to her from upstairs. “Tell him I’ll be down shortly.”

“Okay,” she called back as the front door opened. Suddenly she wanted to run and hide, duck below the table even. Anything to get away from those ice blue eyes.

Instead she couldn’t move to save her life and she remained rooted to the spot at the sink, heart jumping up into her throat when he made his appearance. She had to breathe through her mouth, fighting not to squirm as he undressed her with a glance, mouth twisted into a knowing smirk.

His gaze stopped at her knees, exposed by the tight denim shorts she wore, and then climbed to her face slowly. Arden gulped. She didn’t know where to look, what to do with her hands. Hell, she’d forgotten her name. The dislike from last night shone in his eyes, but so was the hunger. Potent and dark, she felt it wash over her skin and tried not to let her tremors show.

Not good. Not good.

She licked her lips and immediately regretted it when his gaze dropped to her mouth. “Good morning, Mr. Mercer.” There, no wobble. “Your mother will be down shortly.”

He held her gaze as he walked toward her. Slow and steady. Unlike her heartbeat that ratcheted higher and higher with each step he took.

She backed up, hips pressed into the counter obstructing her escape. With nowhere else to go, she stood her ground on weak knees as he stopped in front of her. He placed both hands on the counter on either side of her, caging her in as his scent—crisp clean soap, and warm skin—teased her nose. She pursed her lips, locking in the whimper in her throat as her pussy flooded, soaking her panties.

He stared at her mouth and she remembered the brief brush of his lips over hers the night before. The barest of touches and yet she still felt it.

“You should call me Cam,” he murmured against her ear. “Mr. Mercer would be a bit much to scream out when I’m buried deep inside you, don’t you think?”

A sound left her, a pleading whimper as her knees buckled. She threw out a hand and grabbed his arm for balance, staring at the contrast between her dark skin and his vibrant tattoos. He had plans to fuck her and judging by the way her clit pulsed at his words, her body had no objections. But she did.

She swallowed and met his eyes, mentally stiffening her spine. Time to nip this shit in the bud. “Despite what you may think, I’m not a toy to be used up and thrown away. Keep your fantasies to yourself, Mr. Mercer.”

Footsteps sounded on the stairs and she shifted away, but he caught her by the nape. She moaned at the sensation of his fingertips on her skin.

“Make no mistake, princess, I’ll be fucking you.” He dragged his tongue over her cheek.

Arden shuddered and almost collapsed.

“And you’ll be begging me for more.” He thrust her away from him, and she spun away with a low cry as Genevieve entered the room.

“Cam, there you are.” Genevieve sounded genuinely happy to see her son.

Arden stared unseeing into the sink as she scrubbed away his saliva from her cheek. He was wrong. She’d never beg because he’d never have her. Never. Gathering her wits and her courage, she turned around. Cam stood next to his mother, an arm around Genevieve as his mother patted his cheek. The two of them looked more alike than Clark and Genevieve did. Cam and his mother had the same dark hair and blue eyes, but while his gaze was pure ice, his mother’s were always warm and welcoming.

“It’s not fair that I have to beg you to visit me,” Genevieve complained.

Cam grimaced. “You know why I don’t come around, Mom, so can we drop it?”

A guilty expression flitted across Genevieve’s unlined face as she forced a smile. “You and your brother need to make up already.” Cam opened his mouth, and his mother threw up her hands. “That’s all I’m saying on the matter. For now.”

Arden cleared her throat and they looked at her. “Gen, I’m gonna head out. I have a date. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Now she had to go have lunch with her father. Oh, the fun.

“Thank you, honey.” Genevieve pulled her into a tight hug. “Don’t be stranger, okay? Come by anytime.”

Since meeting Genevieve, Arden imagined if her own mother had lived, this was what she’d be like. Strong and fair, soft and inviting. Always ready with a hug and a smile. She pressed a kiss to Genevieve’s cheek all while avoiding Cam’s stare. “I will, thanks.”

Stumbling over her newly discovered two left feet, she made a hasty exit. It was only after she slid behind the wheel of her car that she acknowledged the trembling in her limbs.

* * *

Cam had long silenced the annoying voice calling him all kinds of a bastard. He knew the spiel by heart, but he wasn’t a masochist. The woman he wanted was single and he didn’t give a fuck who she’d been with before.

Arden had always been his.

He drove through town searching for her car, cursing the drugging need he had for her that discarded common sense. She was his brother’s ex, barely. Feisty and haughty and spoiled. All the things he usually hated in a woman, but found he wanted to see in her.

She was better than the image she projected, he knew that much.

She was out on a date and fuck, but he needed to hit something. Or someone. He’d waited patiently for months for her to wise up, see that Clark was using her, because as much as the Mercers had money and prestige, Clark hungered for more.

All the time.

Dating the daughter of the Mayor of Ridgefield certainly gave Clark a measure of security, but what was his brother thinking, calling things off?

Cam knew Arden cared for his brother. He didn’t doubt Clark cared for her, but those two had never been in love. No way could Clark have walked away from the dark-skinned beauty if he’d been in love with her. Cam knew enough about Arden to know he wouldn’t have gotten as close as he had if she was in love with his brother.

All’s fair in love and war.

Due to his brother’s stupidity, Arden was free and Cam would be staking his claim. This time he wasn’t allowing his brother’s feelings to factor into his decisions. He’d done that for a very long time and now he was going to be selfish.

He wanted Arden Windham. He wanted her slick and tight around him, eyes on him as he fucked her hard, and he wanted to watch that mask she wore melt away. He wanted to watch her fall apart then put her back together.

That his brother once had her only sweetened that hunger.

He spotted her car in front of Marty’s Eatery downtown Ridgefield. Cam tightened his hold on the steering wheel, but didn’t stop. Instead he dialed the number he’d saved in his phone. Her number.

Parking the truck in front of his shop, he leaned back in his seat, eyes closed and listened as the phone rang.

“This is Arden.” Her voice was soft, tone considerably subdued.

“You’re on a date?” The tension in his body reverberated through his gruff words, but he didn’t try to hide it.

“Who is this?”

“Like you don’t know. I’m not happy, princess.” Cam smiled at the hitch in her breath. He could definitely picture the panicked look in her eyes. He frightened her and he doubted she really knew why.

“Wasn’t I clear earlier?” he asked. “It’s you and me, princess. Get rid of whoever you’re with before I do it for you.” He listened as she mumbled an excuse to her companion and a moment of silence fell as he assumed she sought out some privacy. A door banged in the background.

“Where the hell do you get off?” She raged at him, but he made out the tremors in her voice. “You don’t own me, Mr. Mercer. You’ll never have me.”

“We both know that’s not true. I can see the hunger in your eyes and the fear. You want me, princess, you just don’t know what to do about it.”

She choked. “You’re a delusional bastard who wants what his brother had. It won’t happen.”

Such vehemence. Cam squirmed and palmed his hard cock through his jeans. Fuck. “I bet you’re wet right now, princess. If you slid a finger under those tight ass shorts, would they be slick with your cream? Are you creaming for me, princess?” He squeezed his bulge and widened his legs, hips lifting as he thrust into his palm.

Arden fell silent, her heavy pants told him enough.

“I’d lick it all up,” he whispered. “Spread you wide and bathe in all that wetness.”

She made a sound, he thought he heard his name, but then she took an audible breath.

“I’m not doing this with you, Mr. Mercer.”

Cam grinned. “Ah, but you will. You know where I am and how to reach me.”

“Goodbye, Mr. Mercer.” She ended the call, and Cam bolted out of the truck and up to his apartment above the shop. He needed to jerk off in the worst way.

* * *

Later that night, after two rounds of masturbating to Arden’s face in his head, Cam dragged himself over to Kelly’s, the local watering hole. He’d drink a beer or three, play some pool, and maybe, just maybe, cool his overheated ass down. He needed a distraction from his hunger for a certain brown-skinned rich kid.

He sat at the bar paying half attention to the football game on the screen overhead, sipping on a beer. He’d noticed many of the wary glances the other patrons in the place threw his way. He actually liked being known as the angry, crazy Mercer kid. The label kept people from getting too close to him. His prison stint didn’t hurt either. The rumors as to why he’d been thrown behind bars for three years amused the hell out of him. They had him involved in drugs, guns, anything and everything. Very few knew the real reason and they sure as hell weren’t talking.

The bad boy image worked quite well for him. He had no intention of giving it up. He’d never wanted for females, but it had been a while since he’d come inside anything other than his own palm. He had plans for that to change.

A commotion at the door caught his attention and he twisted around on his stool. He froze, beer bottle to his lips.

She’d changed out of the shorts from earlier in the day. Her hair was pulled back from her face and held in place with a glittery band. She still wore the tight, yellow t-shirt from earlier, but it had been paired with a pink skirt that flounced when she moved. Those long, smooth legs were exposed again, shining when she moved on black, strappy heels.

Arden hadn’t noticed him yet and he watched as she smiled at the men gathered around her and the female friend she came with, both women hugging the men in greeting. He took a swallow of his beer, jealousy stabbing his insides. She was so free with those men, smiling warmly at them and he had to run her down to make her admit to what she felt.

Her friend noticed him first. Her smile froze and she grabbed Arden’s elbow, whispering in her ear while holding his gaze. He tipped his bottle in a small salute. She’d told her friend about it him.

Arden didn’t look at him, but her back stiffened. She shook her head at whatever her friend asked, then extricated herself from the small crowd and walked straight to the back of the bar and out the rear exit. Her friend stared after her then turned to him.

Cam downed the last of his beer, hopped off the stool and walked out the front door, circling the building as his stomach clenched. She stood in the shadows, shoulder against the wall, face tipped upward.

He crowded her, brushing his knuckles down her cheek. She trembled at the touch, eyes closed.

“I want you to stop,” she said.

“Stop what?”

Her lashes moved, but she didn’t open her eyes. “This campaign you’re waging to get me into your bed. Stop it.”

Cam grunted. Planting his palms on the wall on either side of her head, he leaned down and inhaled the flowery fragrance of her hair. “If I thought you meant that, I would. But you don’t, princess.”

She made a frustrated sound. “I can’t do this with you. I refuse to. I’m your brother’s ex and I—”

“His ex,” Cam repeated. “Fair game, and I’ve put myself in the running.”

Her eyes flew open. Dark and wide, they seared him. “I can’t do this, it’s not right.”

He didn’t say a word, simply stared down at her.

“Mr. Mercer, please. Stop.”

“Why are you in this bar tonight, princess?”

She blinked. “Indy—my friend, Indy thought I needed to get out. She suggested we come here.”

“My truck is parked right in the front,” he said softly. “You had to see it. You could’ve turned away, went someplace else.”

Her throat worked. Her tongue peeked out, swiping across her bottom lip before retreating. “Why would I do that? I’m not letting you scare me away.” She lifted her chin. “It’s a small town. We’ll cross paths from time to time.”

Cam reached out a hand, brushing his thumb over her wet lip.

She groaned.

“Do you want to know what I did today? I brought myself off while I pictured those lips wrapped around my cock.”

Her mouth opened on a gasp and he slid his thumb inside the wet cavern. Her tongue slid over his finger, making them both groan.

“I’m not stopping until I have you under me.” He bent, flicking his tongue over the shell of her ear. She shook like a leaf. “It doesn’t have to be a bed, but it’s gonna be dirty and it’s gonna be hard.”

She grabbed his shirt, fisting the material as she panted.

“Am I getting you wet, princess? You like the dirty talk, don’t you?” He nipped her earlobe and thrust a thigh between her legs.

“Oh, God!” She jerked and pulled him closer.

Fuck, yes. Cam inhaled her arousal as he pressed his thigh to her hot crotch. “You’re so hot. Burning up.” He pulled his head back and looked down at her. Her teeth bit into her bottom lip as she held herself stiff. He took one of her hands and brought it to cover his throbbing cock. “Feel me, feel what you do to me.”

Her fingers flexed over him then she squeezed.

Cam gritted his teeth and muffled a groan. “See how hard you get me? I gotta fuck you, gotta sink into all that tight wetness. Gotta slurp you, get you dripping all over my chin.”

Her grip on his erection tightened. Her body arched and she rubbed on him.

“Yes.” He cupped her nape and wrapped an arm around her waist, lifting her onto him. “Get it,” he urged brokenly. Tension crackled down his spine, need churning in his balls. “Take what you need.” He tugged her hair back and took her mouth, plunging his tongue deep inside. She opened for him, accepted his kiss, and he fucked her mouth like he wanted to fuck her pussy, hard and carnal.

She rode his thigh, whimpering in her throat as her pussy soaked his jeans. She matched his kiss easily, tongue twisting, teeth biting at him while she squeezed his cock. Cam slid his palms under her skirt to cup her ass, urging her to ride him faster with a slide of a finger down her crack. He hooked his finger around the string of her thong and pulled it tight.

“Ungh.” She groaned into his mouth, hips working faster and faster.

Cam broke the kiss, lips skating over her cheek as he nipped her chin. “I want you under me, princess. I want to lick up all that cream when you come.”

She cried out, her hold on his cock turning painful. “Fuck you.” She cursed him in that throaty purr while she rode his thigh, and it might just be the sexiest shit he’d ever experienced.

Cam grinned and fingered her crack. “Damn, baby. Yes, you will fuck me. After I take you. ’Cause we both know I’ll be doing that.”

“God, I can’t—” She twisted her head from side to side. “Please, make me come.”

“Say my name.” He touched her saturated cunt with reverent fingers, dipping under the material of her thong, brushing the swollen folds of her sex. “Say my name.”

“Cam.” She released his cock and gripped his shoulder. “Cam, please.”

He plunged two fingers into her, watching her face as she cried out. Her muscles clamped down on him, holding him tight in all that slickness as she came. He thrust into her hard and fast.

“Love the way you beg, baby.” He twisted his fingers, thumbed her clit and she shuddered. Moisture gushed. “Love the way you beg.” Removing his fingers from her, he popped them into his mouth and groaned at the taste.

She tasted exactly the way he thought she would. Creamy and intoxicating. She blinked up at him and Cam fisted his hand in her hair.

“You taste like I thought you would.” He dipped his hands between her legs, thrust into her again then brought the two fingers to her mouth. “Taste what I taste.” He smeared her cream over her lips. “Open.” She did, and he put his digits inside her mouth.

Her lashes fluttered, her body shook, and she sucked hard.

“Look at you,” he murmured. “Sexy, princess. And dirty. Just the way I want you.” He moved his fingers in and out of her mouth as her eyes remained glued on him. “I can give you what you want. I’ve got what you need, but you have the next move. It’s all on you.”

He moved away from her, dropping his hands. She slid down his body and held on to the wall to steady herself. He eyed her as she fought to hide just how much of her defenses he’d already breached.

No luck there, he saw right through her.

“I can’t. Cam, I can’t.” Her gaze pleaded with him.

Cam shook his head and stepped away. “My number should be in your phone. Call me when you’re ready for what I have to give.” He walked away.