Taming The CEO: An enemies-to-lovers romance (The Whitley Brothers)

Chapter Twenty

Maddox

The next morning, I woke up at seven o”clock. Cami was sleeping next to me, all curled up. Her knees almost reached her chin. I was tempted to place a kiss on her neck but then thought better of it. I didn”t want to wake her up.

I silently walked out of the bedroom and headed downstairs to my home gym. Nick always made fun of me and Gabe for having one in the house. ”Why the hell do you work out at home if your brother owns a chain of gyms?”

I did go to his regularly. Not only because I liked the place, but also because it gave me a chance to catch up with him.

But I liked having a fully equipped gym at home too. Sometimes I was short on time, and I didn”t want to waste any of it on the road. And sometimes I came home fuming, and a sprint on the treadmill followed by a rigorous weight regimen was just what I needed to let off steam.

I started on the treadmill. It was positioned so I could look through the floor-to-ceiling windows into the backyard, but I rarely actually admired the view.

I put on some music and started sprinting. Usually, I thought about pressing work matters, but right now my mind was still on Cami. Last night had been absolutely spectacular.

After a forty-minute run, I went to the weight section. As I approached the end of my program, lifting myself up on the bar I”d installed in the doorframe, I heard a loud clang; even with my earphones on, it caught my attention.

I took them off, realizing the noise was coming from the kitchen. Frowning, I hurried upstairs to find Cami was standing at the island.

”Good morning,” I greeted her.

She looked up. ”Hello, handsome.” Her gaze slowly moved down from my face to my bare chest. I never bothered with a T-shirt for my workouts.

”When did you wake up?” I asked.

”Oh, a while ago.”

”Why didn”t you say anything?”

”And interrupt that routine? Is that what”s needed to keep that sexy body in shape? Far be it from me to stop you. Besides, I figured I could use the time to get breakfast ready.”

I neared the island, and my eyes bulged. She”d made avocado toast, was now frying eggs, and had cut up tomatoes in slices seasoned with something that smelled good. She”d also arranged a few other spreads.

”I can”t believe this,” I said, ”You found all this in my fridge?”

”No, these were from the pantry,” she said, pointing at the spreads. Then she looked up abruptly. ”I wasn”t snooping or anything. I mean, the pantry”s off the kitchen,” she said quickly.

I shook my head. ”I really don”t mind. If anything, thanks. Can I help?”

She pointed at me. ”Maybe take a shower before breakfast.”

”Why, you don”t like me sweaty?” I wiggled my eyebrows.

She gave me a sassy smile before putting one finger on my clavicle. She moved it slowly down.

”On the contrary,” she whispered. ”I love it, but your furniture might not.”

I started laughing, kissing one corner of her mouth.

”I”ll go right up,” I assured her. Then I grinned because she lowered her finger even more until it reached the edge of my boxers. ”Cami,” I warned.

”Go take that shower. All this sweat reminds me of last night, and it”s too early in the day to have sexy thoughts.”

I looked at her, clearing my throat, and said in as serious a tone as I could muster, ”It”s never too early for sexy thoughts.”

She narrowed her eyes. ”Mm-hmm. I see what you’re doing.”

I grinned but then stepped back. I was sweating far too much. There was gym sweat and sex sweat. The latter was tolerable, the former not, so I went back into the gym. It had a bathroom of its own that I typically jumped into right after finishing my workout. I’d kept a change of clothes there too.

After washing up, I returned to the kitchen. She was now putting fried eggs on a plate.

”I”ll take this to the table,” I said.

”Thank you.” She”d already brought the rest.

”You should have waited for me. I would have carried everything over.”

”It”s fine. It’s such a pleasure to be in this kitchen. I forgot what it’s like to have space.”

She walked in front of me, which was when I realized she was wearing last night”s dress. It looked even more fucking amazing on her in broad daylight. I was transfixed, watching her round, perky ass. The contour of her ass cheeks was even more visible than last night, and there was no panty line.

”Cami?” I asked as we reached the table.

”Yes?”

”Are you wearing any panties?”

She looked over her shoulder. ”That”s such an odd question.”

”Are you?” I insisted.

”No.”

Fuck me, she”s commando.I stepped right up behind her, hitching her dress up to her waist and cupping both buttocks.

She moaned and pressed back into my palms.

”I had to touch them. I had to.” I kissed the back of her neck like I”d meant to all morning. ”I love your hair. Your neck is on display all the time.”

”Mm-hmm,” she murmured.

I let her dress fall, taking a step back.

”Change your mind about fondling me?” she teased.

I shook my head. ”Nah. But I was starting to get dangerous ideas.”

”Right. Like what you were doing wasn”t dangerous already.”

”No, that was foreplay,” I said.

She blushed as we sat down at the table. This was the first time I was eating breakfast the morning after with someone at my house. I wouldn”t call myself a man whore, but I just never did breakfast the next morning. Usually my dates and I had a mutual agreement. Most times, we didn”t even spend the night together.

But having Cami here felt right. I”d loved seeing her in my bed, but it was even better seeing her in my kitchen and now at the table.

She closed her eyes as she bit into the avocado toast. She’d sprinkled cheese on it, too, which added extra flavor and texture.

”I don”t want to sing my own praises, but this is delicious.”

”I”ll sing your praises,” I said after chewing my bite. ”You”re very good at this.”

She opened her eyes, smiling. ”Thank you. I”m more of a baker than a cook, but I do okay with breakfast.”

It seemed we were both starving, so we ate quicker than I thought possible. An idea was percolating in my mind, and after we cleaned the table, I asked, ”Do you have anything on your schedule today?”

”Usually the weekends are very busy at the park. But with this weather...” She shrugged.

I went up behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist and bringing my mouth to her ear. ”Then spend the weekend with me. Stay here at the house.”

Turning around, she bit her lower lip. Why was she hesitating?

”Are you sure?”

”Fuck yes.”

“I can stay for the day, but I have dinner with Dad in the evening.”

“Then I’ll take the day.”

”You don”t have any plans with your family? Or, you know... at all?”

I groaned. ”Fuck, I do. Let me just cancel them.”

”No, don”t do that on my behalf.”

I leveled her with a stare. ”It”s tennis with my brothers. They”ll survive without me one weekend.”

We sometimes played Sundays, other times Saturdays. This week”s match was set for today.

I sent a message in the group I had with Gabe, Nick, and Leo. We had another one with the entire family, but I didn”t want to broadcast what I was doing to everyone.

Maddox: I”ll miss the match today.

Nick replied immediately.

Nick: What the hell, dude? You”d better have a good reason. I was looking forward to beating your ass.

Maddox: I have a very good reason.

Nick: Unless you tell me exactly what it is, I”ll think you”re just brushing us off.

”Oh crap,” I said.

”What”s that?”

”My brother”s trying to guilt me into not canceling.”

”It is very last minute,” Cami countered.

I looked up, trying to gauge if she was hanging on to this so she would have an easy way out. ”Cami, if you don”t want to stay—”

”I do, I do,” she said emphatically. ”I just don”t want to interfere with your plans.”

”As I said, they”ll survive.” I winked at her and then decided to tell Nick exactly what was going on. It was the only way I”d get him off my back.

Maddox: I”m spending time with Cami.

Nick: What? Are you for real? Does Gran know?

Maddox: No, and I”d appreciate it if you would keep your mouth shut.

Nick: I’ll try.

I put the phone away. ”That was enough distraction,” I said, focusing on Cami.

She smiled more openly. ”What do you have in mind?”

”First things first.” I kissed a straight line from her earlobe down her neck, feeling her shudder. ”I can now share with you all those dangerous ideas I was having before breakfast.”

She laughed softy, putting both arms around my neck. ”I”m listening. I have an inkling that I might know what they are.”

A guttural groan resounded in my chest. ”Yeah, I think so too. And later, if you want, we can go out and about in town.”

She shimmied her hips. I straightened, looking at her. ”Really?” she asked. ”You want to go out with me?”

I frowned. ”Yeah, Cami. I”m not keeping you a secret. Besides, you said you wanted to explore Boston, but you”ve never had any locals to do it with. I volunteer to be that local.”

”I love this.”

”Actually, now that I think of it, Gabe”s fiancée is a tour guide. She could probably help us set up something more professional. Let me just text her.”

”Okay,” Cami said. ”You”re fast.” She sounded stunned.

”When I want something, I go for it.”

I wanted Cami, and I wanted this day to be great for her.

”You”re close to your brothers” significant others?”

”Yes. They”re all fantastic women,” I said as I brought up Diane”s number. ”My brothers are very lucky.”

I kissed Cami”s shoulder before texting Diane.

Maddox: Hey, do you have any groups today where you can add two more people?

I was surprised when she started typing right away.

Diane: Sure, of course. I”m doing a 19th-century-themed one starting at 11. Is it for you?

I hesitated. I had to be very careful about this.

Maddox: For me and a friend.

Diane: You”re both welcome.

She added a smiley face too.

I looked up at Cami. ”Diane says we”re in.”

”When does the tour start?” she asked.

”At eleven o”clock.”

”That”s good,” she said, running a hand through her hair, ”because I”m going to need to buy something else to wear.”

The second she said it, I realized she was right. ”We”ll go to a department store. What exactly do you want to buy?”

”Jeans or some sort of pants, a sweater, some boots or sneakers.”

”Then let”s get going. We don’t have too much time.”

Cami was smiling from ear to ear.

”What?” I asked.

”I like the turn this day”s taking.”

”So do I.”