I pause, realizing she sounds emotional. “Are you okay, Mom?”
“I am. I’m fine. I miss you.”
Her words make me smile sadly because I miss her, too, but this is my home now. “I miss you, too.”
Her breath catches and she clears her throat. “Darling, do you think we could come visit? I have your bunny.”
“Mr. Flopsy?”
“Yes.”
I pause. “Mom, will you keep him there? In my childhood room.”
It’s not that I’ve outgrown him. I never will. It’s more that I want him to be at home, where he belongs, and where I can always go visit. “But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to see you. Why don’t you come next weekend? And bring Dad.”
“Oh, darling, that will be wonderful. Thank you.”
“Mom, you’ll always be welcome here.” It’s true; she will. My father? He has work to do to re-earn my trust, and he’ll likely never get a warm reception from Roman. But Mom comes with a package deal that includes Dad, so I’ll ask my men to be civil so I can spend some time with her.
We chat for a few minutes, and then I hang up. As I exit the bedroom and head back to the party, I hear voices. They seem to be coming from the altar room. No one should be in there.
Frowning, I walk toward it and peek in through the ajar door. Camile is inside, and she’s with Jack.
She’s looking at the altar and all the herbs, and I’m about to go in and tell them to get out of there when she speaks.
“This is a bit freaky, isn’t it?”
“No more freaky than most religious services that take place every Sunday.” Jack shrugs.
She turns to him and steps closer. “That’s a good point. I’d never thought of that.”
Jack watches her as she approaches as if she’s an unexploded bomb. “It’s just rituals, and we all have them. Things that soothe us, you know.”
She walks by him, flicking her hair as she does, and stands by the wall, before looking at him. “And what’s your ritual. What soothes you, Jack?”
This is not a Camile that I know. She’s being so seductive, but it’s almost as if she’s not sure what she’s doing and is coming off too over the top.
“Oh, lots of things. Cleaning my guns, for one.”
Camile sucks in a breath.
“Drinking.”
She nods and licks her lips.
“Fighting,”
“Uh huh.” She pushes her chest out a little and cocks her head to one side. “Anything else? Maybe beginning with F?”
Jack walks right up to her and brackets her against the wall, his massive arms either side of her, trapping her. “Baby girl, what are you playing at?”
“What do you mean?” Camile’s voice catches in her throat.
“I mean, don’t play games you don’t fucking understand.” Jack leans in and presses his nose against Camile’s throat, running it up the column of her neck.
I freeze. Holy fuck, that’s hot. I squeeze my thighs together, realizing I’m such a pervert watching them like this but unable to look away.
“I’m not one of your college boys, Camile. I’m older, harder, and way more jaded. I’m too old for the likes of you.”
