When everything had soured, and instead of boosting him up, the team had turned their backs on him.
As beautiful as Cam’s sunshine was, there was something Dawson recognized in it—maybe even howhe’dbeen once—and when those beliefs had been stripped away, it had hurt like hell.
Maybe he could help the rookie avoid that painful realization.
“You believe that everything is just going to work out?Easy? Just like that?”
Cam’s eyebrows screwed together. “I never said it would beeasy.”
“But you do. You believe it.” Dawson hadn’t realized he’d gotten so close. Not until Cam stumbled backwards half a step, one of those big cement pillars at his back.
“I . . .well, yeah. I do. Ido.” Cam said the last with defiance.
“That’s—”
But Cam didn’t even let him get the rest of the thought out before he was continuing, pressing a palm right against where his heart was hammering away in his chest. “So thingsdon’twork out sometimes. You got divorced. Your money got stolen. Your team dropped you. Those were all shit deals, okay? Nobody’s gonna argue with that. But here’s the thing, I can’t go around believing the sky is always gonna fall. I don’t thinkyoueven want to go around believing that either.”
Dawson opened his mouth to argue, and then snapped it shut again, because damnit, the rookie was right. He didn’t want to. Part of why he’d been so angry—why he wasstillso fucking angry—was that he didn’t knowhowto go back to that guy. The one who’d been sure that with time and effort and maybe even a sprinkling of luck, he’d get exactly where he’d always dreamed andstaythere.
He was just different now. The whole experience had soured him, and maybe even ruined him, and Dawson fucking hated it.
“See? I told you,” Cam said smugly. His fingers curled into Dawson’s coat. Around the placket. He tugged him closer.
Dawson knew he should be putting some space between them. If either of them moved another inch or two, he was going to be doing something he couldn’t take back. A certified Bad Idea.
“Sometimes,” Cam continued, “we just have to stay the course. Have hope that things will turn around. Even if it seems like they won’t. Maybe the end result sucks, but the journey doesn’t have to.”
“Thanks, Mr. Self Help.” Dawson had meant to say it in a snarky, kind of snide sort of way. But it came out all soft and tender instead. Like he wasn’t being sarcastic at all, but meantevery single word.
Cam smiled. “You think I got a future?”
If Cam did, it would mean sharing him, and without doing any Bad Ideas at all, Dawson already kind of hated that thought.ShouldCam’s optimism be shared? Probably. But Dawson was greedy, and he wanted to hoard all of it for himself.
“Maybe,” Dawson hedged. “But if you go share it with the world, who’s gonna sit here and keep me from drowning in my own pessimism?”
“Good point.” The corner of Cam’s mouth quirked up. “We can’t have that.”
“I’m already pathetic enough.” Dawson wasn’t entirely stupid. He wasn’t a rookie, still. Not on the field, and not off it either, though it had been alongtime since he’d done this: flirted and then held his hands up to the fire, like he wanted to get burned.
Like he couldn’twaitto get burned.
His brain was screamingBad Idea, Bad Idea, Bad Idea,but his body was doing the exact opposite, because somehow he was now pressed against Cam, still backed up against the pillar.
It was hot. So hot. Even hotter when Cam tilted his head down. Looked Dawson straight in the eye and said, “You gonna let me save you?”
It was stupid and more than a little crazy to assume that he could.
But Dawson nodded anyway, hypnotized by the way Cam was gazing at him. Like he really could perform miracles. Like hewould.
Then Cam leaned in and closed the last inch between them, lips soft against Dawson’s. The feel of their mouths moving together, even in a sweet, nearly innocent kiss, felt like getting yanked up, right out of the water he’d been flailing in.
It was a good kiss. Despite being young, Cam wasn’t overly eager. He held back, tongue flicking out and then retreating, like he was worried Dawson might pull away.
Dawson thought he probablyshould, but he wasn’t going to.
It felt so good. Too fucking good.
Cam’s arms curled around Dawson’s waist and he tugged him in a little closer, andoh, Dawson could do better than that.
