Best Laid Plans

Cameron stood up and started over to the bar. He caught her gaze and held it. She squinted a little. Then her eyes widened, as if this were the last thing she expected to happen. Hmm. One of those curvy bombshells who somehow hadn’t realized just how sexy she was? Even better.

As he came closer, the corners of her mouth turned up into a little smile. He slid into the stool next to hers. His legs were too long to fit under the bar, so he faced her instead.

She turned and brushed her silky hair over her shoulder. Her smile grew wider. “Hi, there.”

She was American? She had one of those soft, raspy voices that was going to get him hard right here in the bar if he wasn’t careful. This was getting better by the minute.

“What’s your name?” he asked.

She shook her head and smiled. No names? He could do that.

“Okay,” he said. “Should I start with, ‘Do you come here often?’”

She gave a throaty laugh. “Is that all you got?”

Shit, this was going to be fun. He leaned closer and whispered, “Depends on what you want.”

A flush crept up her slender neck and onto her cheeks. She swallowed. “Just so you know, I’m not into getting picked up at a bar.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Maybe you’re looking at it wrong.”

“Is that right?” She gave a little snort of amusement.

He nodded. “It’s all about having fun. About trying new things you might not try anywhere else. And living for the moment.”

“How very philosophical,” she said, crossing her arms. “Does that usually work for you?”

Cameron hung his head and laughed. “I’ve got a good record.”

She rolled her eyes. “No wonder you’re so cocky. That kind of guy.”

“If you know my kind, then you know I love a challenge. And you’ve just raised the stakes, sweetheart,” he said softly.

The woman took the last sip of her wine and licked her lips. She met his gaze again, and for a moment, an electric spark sizzled through him, held him there. Did she feel it, too? Her long, dark lashes fluttered.

Then the amusement was back in her smile. And maybe a hint of challenge.

“You’re going to have to work a lot harder than this,” she said.

Cameron rested his foot on her bar stool to get closer. “I’ll work as long and hard as you want me to.”

She gasped softly, and her mouth dropped for a brief moment. What was she imagining right now? Then she laughed. “Enough with the lines,” she said, shaking her head.

“But they’re working so well,” he deadpanned. He shifted back. “You’re not just a little curious?”

She hesitated, so he continued. “You know what I’m most curious about?”

She narrowed her eyes and slowly shook her head.

“I’m wondering what makes you hot,” he said, lowering his voice.

As he spoke, her gaze darted down between his legs, where he was fighting a full-on erection. Maybe this wasn’t such a long shot after all.

“Are you wondering how big I am?” he whispered. “What it might feel like?”

She met his gaze, and the fire sparked between them. Hell, she liked this game just as much as he did.

“Does it have any correlation with your ego?” she asked sweetly.

He quirked a brow. “You’re welcome to find out for yourself.” He fought another smile as her gaze landed between his legs again. Definitely interested.

“Size is overrated,” she said, wrinkling her nose. “I’d rather have a man who knows how to use it.”

She smelled like something delicious. Her lips were red and wet and only inches away. “What if you can have both?”

CHAPTER TWO (#uef6a6479-cd26-5b66-a5e9-57e28cbe0cb6)

JACKSON MCALLISTER SWALLOWED the flutter in her throat as she stared at this man’s soft, full lips. Thick black hair, deep blue eyes and a little stubble along his hard jaw. At least she thought she saw all that. So what if she couldn’t actually see him clearly? Her imagination took off where her vision ended. And putting those two together, this guy was unreal. Big and built enough for even her to make out the outlines of his muscles against his black T-shirt. He was so out of her league. But just a moment ago, she could have sworn something had passed between them.

If she wanted to prove Cheater Rob wrong, now was her chance. She did know how to have fun in bed. And even without her contacts in, this guy looked like he was all about the best kinds of fun. He had such big...arms. Sure, he had an ego the size of this hotel, but did it matter? If she wanted to get back in the saddle, so to speak, maybe she needed someone who wasn’t so concerned about his own performance.

Best of all, no one would ever know. Jackson had never set foot on this continent before today, and she had sidestepped names. What better introduction to Australia? This trip didn’t allow for all the sightseeing in her little red book, so why not try her own private cultural primer? Okay, so he sounded American—she detected a slight accent on a few words—but she could make an exception in this case.

Her mother’s mantra rang in her ears: Good things come to those who wait. Well, she had put off this kind of careless fun for long enough. And he was looking pretty good. Her mother probably hadn’t meant for Jackson to apply her favorite saying in this way, which would make it all the more fun.

She reached for her little red book, tucked inside the pocket of her purse, but stopped. No, she wasn’t going to add “hot sex in Sydney” to the Australia page, just so she could cross at least one item off the list. Not here, right in front of this particular tourist attraction.

Jackson bit her lip and met his gaze. He looked familiar, though she had given up any hope of recognizing anyone when she left her contacts back in her hotel room. At least her eyes weren’t stinging anymore. Her glasses had gotten her down to the bar, but she’d slipped them back in their case when she sat down. And she wasn’t about to pull them out to get a better look at this guy.

He gazed at her like he had all the time in the world. But she knew he was ready to get things started. And she was thinking this just might happen. A kiss couldn’t hurt.

“What do you think?” he asked. “Want to see if this is as good as I think it will be?”

She glanced at his left hand. “No ring?”

He laughed. “Do I strike you as the relationship type?”

That deep, sexy voice was killing her. She rested one hand on his hard, muscular thigh. “Okay. Let’s see what you’ve got.”

She leaned forward and took his bottom lip between hers. She sucked gently and went back for more, pressing her mouth against his and licking his bottom lip this time. A rumble rose from his chest, and he took control. He slipped his tongue inside her mouth for a few lazy strokes, and he slid his large hand behind her head, pulling her closer. He teased and coaxed until she wove her hand into his thick dark hair, responding, asking for more. Easing off his chair to standing, he ran his hands over her hips as he took the kiss deeper. Harder. His erection pressed firmly against her, and she moaned a little louder than she should have.

He pulled back, and she let go of the handful of hair she was grasping. Whoa.

“Fuck,” he muttered under his breath and sank back into his stool.

She looked up, and his eyes were closed. He shook his head a little and opened them again.

“I guess we’ve answered the first question,” he said with a wry smile. “It’ll definitely be good.”