A chill spilled down Camden’s spine. He stood frozen for a second, not sure why Elijah’s statement made him feel so numb inside. They weren’t longtime lovers; they were a one-night stand. They’d had a good time while they were together and owed each other nothing once it was over. That’s the way all one-night stands happened.
But Camden would be lying if it hadn’t nicked a small part of his soul that hoped and believed Elijah had mourned the loss of Camden. Because deep down, in the quiet of the night, when Camden was alone with himself, he mourned Elijah. Or more specifically, he mourned the promise of Elijah.
He didn’t know him well enough to actually know Elijah. But that night, the potential of what Camden’s life would be like if he could choose his own path, choose this man, it broke a small part of him that he kept hidden away from the rest of the world.
ELIJAHlost himself in Camden’s therapeutic touch. He was slightly surprised when Camden offered to help. As self-centered as Elijah believed him to be, it seemed out of character that Camden would know anything about using his hands to help someone else. The way Elijah pegged him, writing a check was more Camden’s speed than actually getting involved.
Camden was quiet as he worked through the knots in Elijah’s leg, kneading each muscle into submission until the cramping sensation dissipated. By the time he finished, Elijah’s leg was loose, and his body was warm with relaxation.
Elijah opened his eyes and turned to Camden to extend his thanks when he saw the sullen set of Camden’s jaw and the distant look in his eyes. Concern made Elijah sit up and place a hand on Camden’s forearm to stop him from walking away.
“What’s wrong?”
He shook his head, trying to move away again when Elijah pulled him back. Elijah stood, and the length of their bodies touched, drawing a groan from Elijah.
Elijah had kept his response to Camden under control by picturing the perky little blonde woman who tortured him during his recovery. Despite her petite stature, she’d proven to be more than a match for Elijah’s surly mood and his bullish demeanor. Every time Camden touched him, Elijah would hear Tina screaming at him, “Either you focus on your PT, or things get ugly.”
But now, Tina’s voice was nowhere to be found as the electric heat of excitement sizzled through him, making his senses come alive with need.
“This is a dangerous idea,” Camden warned him while licking the tip of his tongue out slightly to wet his lips. Elijah’s senses slowed down the motion, allowing him to take in every inch of skin on Camden’s mouth that tiny slip of tongue swept across.
Elijah sucked in a breath through widened nostrils, hoping to find a way to keep himself in check. Camden was right. This was a bad idea, and if Elijah didn’t walk away now, he knew he’d lose the battle waging between his mind and his body over keeping his dick in his pants.
He closed his eyes, savoring the feel of Camden’s proximity while simultaneously reprimanding himself for not stepping away. Removing himself from the situation would be the smart thing. Walking away the way Camden had would keep them both safe. Unfortunately, his brain clocked out at that exact moment, leaving Elijah with nothing but a long-denied need that demanded satisfaction.
You can do this, Stephenson. It was one night. That’s all.
Elijah repeated that mantra in his head for a few more seconds, just long enough to convince himself he had this infatuation with Camden under control. But when Elijah’s gaze locked with Camden’s and he saw the wounded flicker of pain in the depths of the man’s blue eyes, smart left the building, and his need to protect Camden took over.
He couldn’t say exactly how it happened, but he buried his fingers into Camden’s dark strands, pulling him into Elijah’s arms.
Elijah placed gentle lips against Camden’s temple, smiling as a quick shiver passed through him. Camden set his hand on Elijah’s forearm, carefully leaning into the barely there kiss.
“Elijah,” Camden whispered again. “This is such a bad idea.”
He pressed his forehead to Camden’s as he positioned both thumbs on either side of the man’s jaw and moaned, “I know.”
Chapter Eight
ELIJAHpressed gentle lips over Camden’s mouth for a brief second. He pulled away and released the shaky breath he’d been holding. Electricity still lit up Elijah’s senses like a torch when he touched Camden. It was disarming. What kind of man could cause so much need in Elijah with a caress of his lips?
The kind I need to stay away from.
Elijah’s instincts were seldom wrong. His inner voice always kept him out of harm’s way. Well, as long as he listened to it, it kept him out of trouble. Listening to that still, small voice that helped him discern whenever danger was near had spared his life a time or two. And yet now, even though it tugged at his mind, begging for his undivided attention, all Elijah could do was see the sexy lawyer in front of him. All he remembered was the sweet taste of Camden across his lips.
Elijah moaned aloud. The sound smothered the warning voice in his head. He tightened his fingers in Camden’s hair, latching his mouth onto Camden’s in a fierce press of lips against lips. If this would stop, and Elijah knew it should, Camden would have to be the one sensible enough to bring this to an end. But if the desperate way he kissed him back was any sign, Camden didn’t seem to care about sensibility either.
If either of them had been thinking straight, instead of just responding to the need their frenzied touches created, they’d have made the few steps it would’ve taken to reach the guest bedroom on the other end of the basement. There was a couch and a bed there, a cushioned place for them to devour each other against. But the fire threatening to consume Elijah rendered the thought of moving painful. The massage table pressing into the back of his thighs would have to be good enough. It was that or the floor, and his recently aching leg put the kibosh on that idea the second it tried to form in Elijah’s mind.
During the brief instant Elijah had taken to map out where this could take place, Camden’s hands snaked down his chest and continued traveling until they reached Elijah’s waistband.
“Eager much?” Elijah didn’t need for Camden to answer his question. The way his shaky fingers were pushing at Elijah’s sweatpants solidified the notion that Camden desired him. Elijah smiled more to himself than Camden at the memory of how frank of a lover Camden was. If memory served, Camden had been enthusiastic to get Elijah naked their first time too.
Camden pushed Elijah’s sweatpants down until the waistband met the middle of his thighs. He closed his fingers around Elijah’s thickening cock and gave him an eager stroke.
“Shut up before good sense ruins this,” Camden huffed. Elijah nodded his head and reached out to hook a finger behind the elastic of Camden’s sweatpants and pushed them down enough to free Camden’s cock.
Elijah closed his hand around Camden’s cock, much the same as Camden had done to him. No finesse, no fanfare, just delicious pressure and warmth. As Camden released a needy moan, Elijah grabbed Camden’s waist and pulled until their bodies were touching again.
