The Stubborn Suitor: Book 1 (The Stubborn Suitor #1) by Alexa Wilder Read Free Book Online Page B

to sleep, but the events of the previous evening came crashing through her memory suddenly, and all thoughts of relaxation disappeared. After a few more frustrating moments, she slowly sat up and opened her eyes once again. Her head was still throbbing, but she knew it wouldn’t get any better without a lot of water and a few aspirin. Coffee and food probably wouldn’t hurt either.
    At the thought of food, Cami’s stomach growled. As sick as she felt, she was also starving.
    “I don’t think I ate anything yesterday,” Cami said aloud as she thought over the events of the previous day.
    She’d been too stressed out in the morning by the prospect of having to leave Madison with Ken to have any sort of appetite. Then Maggie had shown up, and they’d started drinking in the town car. There had been food served later in the evening, but Cami had been too full of champagne to pay it much mind. She was sure paying for that now.
    Cami slowly crawled out of bed and limped towards the bathroom to take a hot shower. She decided to forego washing her hair, as the curls from yesterday had settled into a soft, windswept look that was actually quite becoming. After drying off, she slipped into a pink sundress that complemented her complexion and headed back into the bedroom.
    Maggie was still in bed, head now covered by blankets.
    “Are you getting up?” Cami asked, somewhat hesitant to head downstairs without her best friend there.
    “No!” Maggie replied, her voice muffled by the blankets. “I’m staying in bed at least until noon! Go on without me. I’m sure there’s a huge breakfast spread already prepared.”
    Cami stood in the room, deliberating for a moment. She really didn’t want to go down there alone, especially not with the chance that she’d run into Drew. But her throbbing head and growling stomach made the final decision for her. She left the room and made her way hesitantly downstairs to the large dining area.
    Maggie hadn’t been lying. There was an enormous breakfast spread laid out in the dining hall, where heated dishes kept eggs, pancakes, and waffles warm. There was also a wide array of what appeared to be fresh-baked pastries as well as fresh fruit.
    Cami let out a pleased sound when she saw the coffee carafe. After helping herself to a large mug and a bottle of water, she grabbed a plate of eggs and croissants and headed towards the empty deck. She sucked down the water immediately and was sipping her coffee when she was startled by an empty champagne bottle, covered in sand, now placed beside her plate.
    Drew was standing next to her, a self-satisfied smile on his face. The dimpled grin made her shudder a little, and she looked away from his gorgeous face. Instead, Cami stared at the bottle for a moment, finding it hard to believe that Drew had gotten up and gone in search of the bottle as promised this morning, even after she’d stopped things while they were practically in the middle of almost going all the way.
    But there was the bottle, sitting right next to her coffee mug—and there was Drew, looking completely proud of himself.
    “Thank you,” Cami said after a moment, offering him a warm smile. She didn’t really know what else to say.
    “You’re welcome,” he said in reply, sitting next to her. “How are you feeling today?”
    “Like someone drilled a hole in my head,” Cami answered, massaging her temple.
    “Yeah—that’s how I felt too when I woke up this morning. You need more water,” he told her, looking at the empty bottle. He stood once again. “I’m going to get some food. I’ll grab you another.”
    While Drew was gone, Cami stared out into the ocean contemplatively. She really had been wrong about Drew. He was sweet and understanding. He kept his word—even when he’d been denied an orgasm.
    Drew quickly returned, not only sliding a water bottle towards her when he arrived, but also a few aspirin.
    “Thank you!” Cami replied genuinely, grateful for so much