Cam braced a shoulder against the door and watched Arden work the room. She had a swagger to her, a confidence he found intense and intoxicating. She smiled at everyone, greeted people with a smile and hug, people he was sure she didn’t know.

Hell, he didn’t know them and he was on Mercer’s board of directors. He hadn’t anticipated being here tonight, but his mother insisted he come. Hope of maybe seeing Arden made him say yes. He stayed away from everyone and the curious glances they threw his way, keeping a drink in his hand the entire time.

He hugged the corners of the house, pretending not to stare at Arden’s ass as his mother dragged her behind her to meet this person and that. Arden thought she could hide from him, but her attempts at avoidance only made him laugh. It was clear to him she had no idea how to deal with him and the attraction between them. She wanted to deny it, but he felt her gaze on him when she thought he wasn’t looking.

Their night together proved what he already knew; he needed her for more than one romp, one roll between the sheets. The word need rocked him, yet it wasn’t a complete surprise. He’d dreamt about her for six months, brought himself to orgasm countless times to the imaginations of her scent, her touch, and the real thing was even more amazing.

I should know better. He sipped his whiskey as he stared out over his mother’s rose garden. The backlash from his mother and brother if and when they found out about Arden and him would be fierce. The family went down this road before and it wrecked them. The last time had severed his fragile relationship with his twin. This time could cost him his mother.

And that was just his fallout.

Arden’s father practically owned Ridgefield. He could buy the Mercer’s ten times over and from the outside looking in, their relationship was strained at best. He couldn’t imagine what Dennis Windham would say about his daughter being with the local ex-con.

Wouldn’t be anything good, that’s for sure.

“What the hell are you doing here?”

Cam scowled and turned around in the doorway. “Nice to see you, too, bro.”

His brother was the epitome of rich and pampered, dressed to impress in a dark suit jacket over a crisp white shirt, dark slacks and shiny shoes. Italian, no doubt. His dirt blond hair was styled the way Clark preferred, careless, but expensive.

Clark’s identical colored gaze narrowed as he eyed Cam’s jeans and plain black t-shirt with disdain. “Since when do you come to board functions?”

Cam shrugged and turned his attention to the room. Immediately he caught Arden’s gaze and her eyes heated as she licked her lips. “Mom asked me to come,” he told Clark. “So I did.”

His brother snorted. “She’s been asking you to participate in the business for years. You’ve always ignored her.”

“There’s always a first time.” Cam held Arden’s gaze, cock hardening behind his zipper as she eye-fucked him. The corner of his mouth lifted. She was his, his gut never lied.

“Still slumming, I see,” Clark bitched over his shoulder. “Will it kill you to act like a Mercer instead of a bum?”

Cam tore his attention from Arden’s parted lips and faced his brother. “What does being a Mercer entail, Clark?” He raised an eyebrow. “Acting like a simpering bitch? ’Cause I’m thinking you have that act down.”

Clark’s face reddened.

“Does being a Mercer include treating everyone you come in contact with as shit? ’Cause again, you have the monopoly on that.”

Clark’s mouth twisted, eyes going dark with hate. Cam liked shutting that self-righteous bastard down.

“You’re just a jealous prick,” Clark countered. His gaze darted to the crowd on the other side of the room then back to Cam. “You’re alone and miserable and you wish you had what I have.”

Cam laughed, loud enough to draw a few curious glances. “Really? Because it appears to me that whatever you have, I have and more. I just don’t flaunt it in people’s faces the way you do.” Arden’s face, flushed and in the throes of climax flashed in his brain. If only his brother knew. “I’m neither alone nor miserable,” Cam said. “Can you say the same? Rumor has it you’ve lost the best thing you never had.” He glanced over at Arden.

Clark caught the hint, following Cam’s gaze with a scowl. Arden stood next to their mother, a glass of wine in her hand as she smiled at the man speaking to them.

“Fuck you, Cameron.”

“No, brother.” Cam got in Clark’s space, their chests brushing. He used the extra two inches he had on his brother to stare down at him with open scorn. “Fuck you.”

A muscle ticked in Clark’s jaw. His gaze turned wary. He must be remembering the thorough beating Cam put on his ass the last time they went at it. Violence sparked between them and Cam was more than willing to act, to teach his brother a lesson he’d never forget.

But this wasn’t the time or the place. He wouldn’t put his mother through the embarrassment. Still, he held his stance, daring Clark to make a move.

In the end, Clark backed down first, roughly bumping Cam’s shoulder as he stepped away and blended into the crowd. Cam downed his whiskey with one swallow then put the glass down on a nearby table and made his way outside. He needed fresh air and time to clear his mind. He sat on a bench in the shadows of his mother’s garden, hidden between the apple trees and stared up at the stars.

The relationship between him and Clark wasn’t always contentious, wasn’t always mired in violence. At one time he cared for his brother deeply, watching over his Clark, younger by five minutes. At one time he’d hurt anyone who looked at his twin cross-eyed. But back then he was a kid and unable to comprehend the kind of betrayal his own flesh and blood would perpetrate on him.

Clark was the golden child, coddled and spoiled by their mother and now dead father, while Cam was always self-reliant, always getting into scrapes. Mischievous, his mother called him. And he was. By the time he’d turned seventeen he’d already been bailed out of trouble more times than he could count.

Vandalism. Driving violations. Truancy. Hell, name it, he’d done it. The cops and everyone in the courthouse downtown knew him personally. Therefore, no one was surprised when he was caught with the drugs in his car. It was only a matter of time before bad boy Mercer fucked up beyond all repair.

He needed to be taught a lesson, everyone decided. So off to prison he went, still a boy and unable to fully appreciate the situation he’d found himself in.

A situation he wasn’t even aware of until shit was too late.

The people he expected to help him, to stand by him, didn’t. His mother, he forgave. With his father he had no closure. Once his staunchest defender, Ferris Mercer handed him over to the justice system and died before Cam was released. He couldn’t forgive Clark. Cam refused to deal with his brother on anything, in any way. They’d co-existed in Ridgefield in relative peace for the past ten years. No way was Cam leaving town to make his brother comfortable. Of course, once everyone knew about him and Arden, the unspoken cease-fire would be lifted.

Muted voices reached his ears and he froze. Footsteps grew closer.

“There’s nothing to discuss, Clark.”

Arden’s voice. She stood on the other side of the apple tree, the one to his left, and apparently Clark was with her.

Cam inched closer on the bench, shamelessly eavesdropping.

“What the hell was that last night, Arden?” His brother sounded royally pissed. “You’ve moved on already?”

What? Arden told Clark about them?

“What about my words didn’t you understand, Clark?”

Cam grinned. His woman sounded bored.

“You broke up with me, remember? Was I supposed to beg and plead, mourn for you?” A thick East Coast accent crept into Arden’s voice. “You must not know me, to think I’d pine for you,” she scoffed. “I do me, always.”

Feet shuffled, leaves rustled and Cam grabbed the edge of the bench.

“You’re fucking someone else!” Clark lowered his voice, and Cam had to lean in to hear him. “Were you cheating on me?”

“Okay, back the fuck up.” Anger infused Arden’s words now. Cam pictured those brown eyes flashing fire. He liked that. “I stayed faithful to your whorish ass when you were getting it in with the blonde bitch you had temping for you. Bet you didn’t know I’d peeped your game, bet you didn’t figure that was the reason you weren’t getting none from me.”

Cam’s jaw dropped. Clark cheated on Arden and she stayed around?

“Look, I’m sorry about that, but it wasn’t a big deal.” Clark’s frustration showed in his words. Desperation, too.

Why, though?

“Clark, please understand this.” Arden spoke slowly. “I don’t need your apologies. It is what it is. I need you to take the hint and stay away from me. Who I’m sleeping with is no longer your concern, you pissed away that privilege.”

“Don’t say that.” Clark sounded as if he spoke through gritted teeth. “I want you back.”

Arden laughed. “Yeah, good luck with that.” More shuffling then she yelped.

“You’re not fucking leaving until you tell me his name.”

Cam jumped up.

“Clark, I suggest you let me go before I fuck your ass up.” Rage shook Arden’s voice, and Cam was around the tree in a heartbeat.

Clark held Arden by her arm, tugging on her as she tried pulling away.

“Tell me his name!” Clark shook her, and Cam grabbed his brother by his collar, yanking him away.

“Do we have a problem here?” He met Arden’s gaze, tried to gauge her reaction. She was angry, but he caught a flicker of fear in her eyes as well. “Are you okay, Arden?”

“Stay out of this.” Clark pushed Cam in the shoulder. “This is a private discussion between my girlfriend and I.”

Cam positioned himself between them facing Clark. “From what I just heard, your girlfriend has moved on. After you dumped her.”

Clark’s nostrils flared. “Fuck off, Cam.”

“After you, brother. Isn’t that what your ‘girlfriend’ here has been telling you for the past five minutes? You should listen to her.”

Clark swung at him. Cam ducked and pushed him back with both hands on his chest.

“Clark, pay attention,” Arden called out. “It’s over. We should see other people. Your words. Put on your big boy pants and deal already.”

“Arden? Clark?”

Cam groaned silently as his mother came into view. She surveyed the scene with wide eyes.

“What’s going on? Are you guys fighting?”

“Mom, please.” Clark moved toward their mother. “Stay out of this.”

“No, I won’t.” She looked over Cam’s shoulder at Arden. “What’s going on, are they fighting? Tell me.”

“It’s a simple misunderstanding,” Arden said. “Clark doesn’t know how to take a hint. He broke up with me and I moved on.”

Genevieve sighed. “Oh, honey. I’m sorry,” she told Clark. “You messed up.”

“I can fix it!” Clark shouted. “She just refuses to give me a chance.”

“That’s because you’re too late,” Cam spoke up. “Someone else has already taken your place.” Behind him he heard Arden inhale.

“Shut up!” Clark balled his fists.

“Clark, stop it.” Their mother pulled at his sleeves. “I have guests in there and I refuse to allow you two to embarrass me.” She released Clark and walked over to Arden. “Are you okay, honey?”

“Yeah, I just…I want to go home.” Arden’s voice sounded small.

“Cam will take you home, if you want,” Genevieve said. “Clark, I need to speak with you, please.”

“Mom, I—”

“Now, Clark.” Their mother’s command didn’t leave space for arguments and Clark acquiesced with a muttered curse.

Cam waited until they moved away before he looked at Arden again. “Are you okay?” She nodded, but didn’t look at him. “Do you want me to take you home?”

Her mouth opened. Closed. “I came with Indy.”

He walked over to her, standing close enough for them to breathe in each other’s breaths. Her soft, flowery scent went straight to his balls. “Do you want me to take you home?”

She brought her gaze to his, eyes widening, pupils dilating at whatever she saw on his face. “Yes,” she whispered, and he took her elbow.

“I’ll wait in the truck,” he said softly. “Tell your friend goodbye.” He didn’t miss the tremor that ran through her. His cock answered the call with a steady throbbing. The promise of more hovered between them, unspoken as so much of their feelings were, but they both knew the deal. He’d be getting up in there and she’d be begging.

He released her at the doorway with a slide of his finger over her elbow. As she bid farewell to her friend, he made his way to the driveway and got in behind the wheel of his truck. He adjusted his erection with a hiss, gritting his teeth.

Fucking torture, having to indulge in all that tight sweetness then walk away. Sated yet so unsatisfied.

He eyed the front of his mother’s house as Arden and her friend appeared in the doorway, heads together, whispering. Arden shrugged at whatever her friend said to her then the two women hugged and Arden headed for his truck. She moved so sensually, hips swaying as she strode to him on those long, silken legs.

They needed to be wrapped around him, draped over him, always.

She hopped into the truck, and he pulled away as she buckled her seatbelt.

His chest constricted. The depth of his feelings for Arden scared the shit out of him. She was a free spirit and he? He had no idea what he was, but whatever it turned out to be, he wanted Arden with him.

They rode in absolute silence. She stared out the window as he drove, fingers plucking nervously at the hem of her dress. He wanted to ask her why she stayed with his brother after she knew he’d cheated on her. And why was she agreeing to go home with him, to sleep with him, but then avoided him on the streets.

She shifted in her seat and her arousal scented the air. Cam growled low in his throat as his cock started leaking. She crossed her legs. The air in the truck grew thicker and thicker with their arousal. His hard-on bulged, zipper burning into his skin. He shifted at a red light, parted his thighs to release some pressure and a sound drifted from her throat.

“You’ve been hiding from me,” he growled, breaking the silence. He chanced a glance at her, nearly coming on himself when she sank her teeth in that sexy bottom lip.

“Yes,” she admitted softly.

He pulled off the deserted road and onto a narrow path hidden by heavy brush and trees. Arden didn’t speak as he drove a ways in then parked in the heavy darkness, but she grabbed on to the door handle with white knuckles. Cam hopped out the truck and raced around to her side, pulling open the door with impatient, clumsy fingers.

She was there with him, circling his shoulders, legs wrapping around him when he hauled her into his arms. He staggered, face buried between her breasts, and slammed her into the side of the truck. She inhaled, chest heaving. Cam had no soft words, not that she needed that shit.

He held her gaze as he stroked the inside of her thighs with one hand, pulling aside the wet crotch of her panties. Their mouths hovered over each other, not kissing, breathing in the other’s air, as she fumbled with his pants, unzipping him, freeing his throbbing cock.

She flicked her tongue out, over his lips, as he took himself in hand and lined up at her dripping entrance. She bucked and wiggled and he thrust in.

Hard.

Sinking deep with the one sure stroke.

“God!” He groaned into her mouth, swallowing her long, drawn out moan.

Her pussy clamped on to him, welcoming him back in with tight contractions and slick heat. He grunted and plunged in again. Arden hooked her ankles above his ass, nails biting into his skin through his shirt.

“Missed this,” he rasped.

“Mmm.” She rocked onto him, muscles gripping him like a hot fist. “Greedy.”

“Yeah.” Fuck, yeah, he was greedy. He palmed her ass, worked her on him. Their grunts echoing in the silence around them. His knees were turning to rubber, refusing to hold up his weight as an orgasm roiled in his balls. Arden tightened around him.

Squeeze and release. Squeeze and release. Her moisture flowed around him, bathing his cock in all that sugary sweetness and he swelled.

“Gonna come inside you, princess.” He pumped his hips faster and faster.

Her legs tightened, her pussy got slicker. Hugging him closer, she bit his neck. Cam howled as cum shot from him to her. His knees buckled. Arden muffled her cries in his shoulder as she shattered, rapid-fire spasms pulling even more seed from him and crossing his eyes. She licked his skin and he shivered.

He buried his face in her cleavage, inhaling their combined musk as her chest heaved. She kissed his ears, caught his lobe between her teeth as they stood, still connected against his truck. He kneaded her ass cheeks as she wiggled on his softening shaft.

When he caught his breath, Cam shuffled back to the truck, where he deposited her in her seat and bucked her in. His cock still hung out of his jeans and his cum dripped from her core, glistening on the inside of her thigh. She followed his stare and dipped her finger in the sticky mess then brought it to his lips.

He opened his mouth and sucked it down. He liked their combined flavors: her sugary-tart juices and his bitter cum. If he had his way he’d be licking it out of her before the night was through. “Let’s go home, princess.”