Elijah nodded. “I have to check in on my mom. Her discharge papers should be ready by now. Once I have her settled at home, and I change my clothes—” Elijah leaned down to kiss Camden before facing the judge. “—I’ll be right back.”
In his peripheral vision, Elijah could see Camden’s mother nervously playing with the cuffs of her jacket as she stood off to the side. The judge, however, didn’t blink. He stood silent, watching as Elijah made his way to the door.
Once through the doorway, Elijah kept walking until he was standing in front of the elevator. He gave a hard two-fingered punch to the Down button twice. He recalled his boss’s words with extreme clarity and repeated them when the elevator dinged and the doors slid open.
“Right hand to God, I cannot stand rich people.”
“CAMDEN,what the hell do you think you’re doing?”
“I’m fine, Father. Thanks for asking.”
“Don’t be a smartass, Camden. You kissed that man in the open where anyone could see. Are you determined to ruin your chances for running for public office?”
Camden rested his head against his pillows and rubbed his temple. He’d been in his father’s presence all of five minutes, and already the pain slicing through his head was doing its best to return.
“I fail to see how kissing someone I care deeply about will negatively impact my ability to run for office. He’s a decorated police officer, for God’s sake, Father. You can’t get better PR than that.”
“Camden, we’ve been over this. Marrying the right man will secure your political future. We agreed the senator’s son was the best candidate for the job.”
“You agreed, Father.”
“Camden, don’t speak to your father that way. He’s only trying to do what’s best for you.”
Camden closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He was used to his mother agreeing with whatever mandate his father issued. It was probably the reason they’d been married for over forty years. She backed Judge Warren no matter how insane his schemes for power were. What Camden wouldn’t give for her to have ever supported him with the same ferocity.
The memory of Elijah standing here only moments before ready to stand at his side, to put himself in between the threat he perceived from Camden’s father, made joy bloom inside him. His unanswered longing for his mother to take his side once was gone. He had Elijah’s love now. That was enough.
“What is best for you is to marry someone with the same standing in the world. As lovely as I’m certain this young man is, he can’t turn an election in your favor, Camden. I won’t allow it.”
This was the part in the story where Camden always acquiesced, giving his father whatever he was demanding at the moment just so he wouldn’t have to face his father’s wrath and disappointment.
But those days were over. He’d faced the worst yesterday and he’d survived. His father’s disappointment didn’t even come close to the things he was afraid of anymore. Now that he had Elijah, the only thing he feared was losing him.
“You won’t allow it?” Camden snapped.
His father stood taller, folding his arms over his chest to assert his authority in the room.
After sitting on the bench for most of Camden’s life, Michael Warren accepted that his word was the literal law. Being challenged wasn’t something his father was used to. And if the involuntary tick visible at the base of his father’s jaw was a sign, Camden suspected he wasn’t too thrilled with being defied now.
“I love him, Father. I will not give him up again for you or your political aspirations for my career. Leave us alone. My relationship with Elijah is not up for discussion.”
His mother moved closer to him, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. “Camden, you’re obviously not feeling like yourself. Maybe you should rest before making any rash decisions.”
“Stop babying the boy, Gertrude. If he thinks he’s man enough to make his own decisions, let him.”
His father placed both his hands on the footboard of the bed, his knuckles blanching white as he tightened his hold. “You want to make your own choices, fine. You’d just better be ready to live with the consequences.”
His father released the footboard and walked toward the door, glancing over his shoulder at Camden’s mother. “Come, Gertrude; it’s obvious we’re not needed here.”
His mother followed behind his father as she always did, leaving him alone in the room. He should have been relieved to be rid of his father’s judgmental gaze and his overbearing need to plan every detail of Camden’s life. But sitting there alone in his room, the only thing he could feel was dread.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
“CAM,baby, you’re supposed to be resting.”
Camden didn’t bother to respond to that comment. Since they’d exchanged test results last night, Camden’s enthusiasm to experience Elijah in all ways with no barriers between them had given him many naughty motivations.
His lips met the hand he currently had wrapped at the base of Elijah’s cock, and Camden released a moan filled with equal parts pleasure and amusement. The truth was with his mouth currently filled with Elijah’s cock, he couldn’t do more than make unintelligible sounds if he wanted to. From Camden’s perspective, the wasted energy he’d use trying to explain why Elijah’s concerns were baseless would be better spent trying to give him the best blow job of his life.
