His Submissive Jewel [The Martinis and Chocolate Book Club 3] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic) Read Free Page A

had time to get to know this woman, and he was going to enjoy every single second of it. She didn’t know it yet, but he was a man in pursuit of a beautiful woman. Something he hadn’t been in a very long time.
     
    * * * *
     
    Noelle wriggled her toes in front of the roaring fire. She was toasty warm, full from dinner, and a little sleepy from the beer. They were relaxing in front of the fireplace. She had told Cam about her childhood, her book club friends, and her jewelry design business. Cam had told her he loved the outdoors, had thought about being a doctor instead of a rancher, and relaxed by watching sports and reading. He wasn’t just gorgeous, he was smart and nice, too. An irresistible combination.
    He was also, obviously, older than Brody. When his hair had dried, she had seen the strands of silver running through it, and his eyes had some crinkles around them when he smiled. She wondered how much older than Brody’s twenty-five he was. He appeared to be about thirty-five or maybe forty. She knew some men went gray early. She was almost thirty herself and hadn’t yet seen a gray hair, but it didn’t mean they weren’t around the corner.
    She smiled in contentment as Cam shook his head at her statement. They were discussing politics, and so far they hadn’t agreed on a thing. It was okay, though. They’d both agreed on their love for their careers and a preference for dogs over cats.
    “People need to stand on their own two feet. Be independent. A society of dependence can never be truly free.”
    He took a sip from his beer and crossed his long legs in front of him. His shirt was unbuttoned halfway, and she could see the sprinkling of dark hair that covered his muscular chest. She wondered if it continued down those flat abs and to his cock. The bulge in his pants was impressive, and she found herself glancing at it way too often.
    “I agree, Cam. But sometimes people need a hand up.”
    “A hand up, not a handout.”
    “How do you define a handout? If a mother and her children are homeless is it a handout or a hand up to give them food and shelter?”
    “Why can’t she get a job?”
    “Because people who don’t have addresses can’t get jobs. Also, how is she going to find a job? She has no way to get cleaned up for an interview or get a phone call or e-mail from a prospective employer.”
    “She shouldn’t have had kids she couldn’t support.”
    “Okay, let’s say she made bad choices. She didn’t take proper precautions and had kids she couldn’t support well. Then she lost her job and then her home. Maybe she got sick or one of her kids did. Should the kids suffer for her choices? Starve? Never be warm? You don’t really believe that, do you?”
    Cam’s mouth twisted. “Of course not. Fuck, I’m not some heartless asshole. Listen, I’m not against homeless shelters or free clinics. I’m against a society that wants everything to be easy. Life isn’t easy, for fuck’s sake. It’s hard damn work.”
    Noelle smiled at Cam’s vehemence. “On this we can agree. I think people do want things to be easy. So many aren’t willing to put in the hard work.”
    “Are you?”
    She laughed at the question. If only he knew just how hard she’d had to work. “Yes. Believe me, I couldn’t have built my business without a lot of hard work. I suspect you work pretty hard, too.”
    Cam nodded grimly. “Long, hard days. The SEALs have a saying, ‘The only easy day was yesterday.’ That’s how it is on a ranch. Dirty, physical, sweaty work during the day and a pile of paperwork in the evenings.”
    “But you love it?”
    Cam nodded. “I do. I thought about being a doctor for a while, but ranching is in my blood. It’s my heritage. I look over the land and think about how generations of my family built this with grit and determination. It isn’t easy. It’s worth it.”
    She liked the way he respected the past. As an artist, she respected those who came before her. She liked his