“It’s not stupid that you thought that,” Dawson said, expression gentle. His hand trailed down Cam’s chest and took his hand, squeezing it. “You always believe in the best of any situation and I find that kind of fucking miraculous.”
It was insane that Dawson saw him as miraculous, when, instead, it was actually Dawson. When he’d listened to that whole word-vomit situation and there’d not been a single moment where it seemed or looked like Dawson was judging him for any of it.
“It was kind of stupid, though,” Cam argued.
Dawson just shrugged. “Or optimistic, maybe. But you’re okay now? I’ll make sure—I know I didn’t before, and I wish I’d known this because Iwouldhave—”
“I know,” Cam interrupted before Dawson could torch any of Cam’s hopes and dreams with the declaration that he was going totake care of him now.Like a helpless puppy who had to be carted around.
Dawson shot him a chiding look. “Let me say this, okay? I know I said something like it before, but I shouldn’t have just left you alone like I did. That was shitty of me, but especially shitty when you were going through this. It’s not a bad idea to be cautious. You shouldstillbe cautious.”
“You didn’t know.”
“No, but I could tell something was up. Just . . .” Dawson took a deep breath. “It was easier to think about my own baggage than to worry about someone else’s. But that’s changed. I promise.”
“I’m not a kid. I don’t need to be like . . .monitored.”
Dawson’s gaze trailed up and down him. Cam’s skin tightened, like it was a size too tight for his body. It should’ve been impossible to feel aroused, not when he’d been so panicked and then now that he was worried Dawson would shove him irrevocably back into theteammates onlybox, but it was hard not to intercept that look and not be moved by it.
“Trust me, I know you’re not a kid. You’re a rookie, sure, but you’re a friend and a teammate, and . . .” Dawson’s quiet voice trailed off.
“And?” Cam prompted, because he thought Dawson’s reluctance meant what he was hoping it meant.
Dawson shook his head, like he was trying to clear it. Ran a hand through his unruly dark hair. “It’sstilla bad idea.”
“But it’s an idea, anyway,” Cam said, grinning. Pleased that ithadbeen what he’d been imagining.
Dawson rolled his eyes. “Doesn’t mean you shouldbe getting any ideas.”
“Sure,” Cam said. But the truth was, he’d long moved past thegetting-ideas stage. Hehadideas. Bad and good, comingled together in a tangled web he wasn’t sure he wanted to separate.
“Why do I think you don’t really mean that?” Dawson asked, but he was smiling.
It was so easy to lean in, let his eyelashes flutter, to flirt a little. “Do youwantme to mean that?”
He fully expected Dawson to put more space between them, to gently but inexorably push him away, the way he had been. But Dawson didn’t. Dawson shifted a half inch closer, until they were nearly pressed together, thigh to thigh, chest to chest.
“I should,” Dawson murmured. “Icould.”
But his meaning was clear enough; he didn’t want to. He wanted to get even closer. Take that bad idea and turn it inside out, until all it felt was good.
Desire spiked inside Cam as he finally took in their surroundings. Before, he’d only registered that they were alone. Now he realized that Dawson had pulled him in the library-themed room with its long blue velvet curtains framing the cushioned seats along the one far wall, the gold twisted ropes pulling back the fabric dripping with fringe.
He nearly suggested they go sit down. Maybe get a little more comfortable.
But before he could, Dawson pulled back.
“We should find the other guys. You want a drink?” he asked.
A drink wasn’t even in the top three of things that Cam wanted, but he had a feeling everything else was still off-limits.
This wasn’t the moment Dawson’s resolve was going to crumble; that was still coming. It wasn’t going to be easy to wait out all of Dawson’s concerns—his insistence that this was a bad idea—but the reward was more than worth it.
It would be good between them. That much Cam knew for sure. It was only a matter of time before they got there.
“Sure,” Cam said easily and followed Dawson out of the library and back into the main bar.
More players were gathered around its shiny mahogany oval now. Wes was there, that blond hockey-player guy with him. Nate and Duke and Jack, standing next to them.
