For a few seconds, everything was just sensation. Just our bodies and the aftermath and blessed silence in my head.
He pulled out carefully and rolled to the side, immediately reaching for me. I let him pull me close, tucking my face against his chest so I didn’t have to look at him.
His hand smoothed down my back in long, steady strokes. Not demanding anything. Not asking questions. Just there.
We lay there in silence. His heartbeat was steady under my ear, a rhythm I could focus on instead of the noise in my head.
I knew I should talk to him. That I should explain about the text, about the constant voice telling me I wasn’t good enough. About how seeing everyone celebrate me tonight had made it so much worse because what if they were all wrong?
But I couldn’t. The words wouldn’t come.
So instead I pressed closer, let his warmth surround me, and pretended everything was fine.
EMILY
Iwoke to the feeling of a hand on my shoulder, shaking gently.
“Em, sweetheart. Come on. I need you to wake up.”
That voice sounded entirely too awake. I cracked an eyelid.
Cam’s bedroom was steeped in the gloomy gray shadows of pre-dawn, which was too-fucking-early o’clock for me.
“Go away,” I mumbled into the pillow. “It’s the middle of the night. This is illegal.”
“It’s nearly five in the morning.” Cam gave my shoulder a firmer nudge. “You need to get up and pack a bag.”
That got my attention. My eyes snapped open, blinking rapidly as I tried to clear the fog in my brain. I pushed myself up onto my elbows, hair falling into my face in a chaotic curtain.
“Pack a bag?” I repeated, squinting at him. “Why? Is the house burning down? Are we fugitives from the law all of a sudden?”
He chuckled as he stepped back, flipping the hallway light on. I hissed at the sudden brightness, shielding my eyes like a vampire ducking the dawn. He looked annoyingly good, already dressed in jeans and a Henley that hugged his broad chest,looking ready to tackle a double shift moving furniture while I could barely remember my own name.
“No fires. No felonies.” He leaned against the door frame. “It’s a surprise, and if you’re not ready in,” he glanced down at his watch, “thirty minutes, you’re gonna miss it.”
“Thirty minutes!” I squawked. “A surprise trip? Now?” I bolted upright, tangled in the sheets. “Cam, I haven’t even had coffee. How am I supposed to pack? How many nights? Do I need a swimsuit? A parka? A ballgown?”
“I’ve got the coffee brewing. One night. Comfortable. Casual. Maybe something nice for dinner.” He pushed off the doorframe. “And you now have exactly twenty-nine minutes to get it done before we hit the road.”
I scrambled out of bed, hunting around on the floor for my clothes, my heart fluttering as I raced downstairs, slipped my feet into my shoes and bolted out the door.
I made it back with two minutes to spare, throwing my overnight bag at Cam and clambering into his truck, still a little dazed.
“Noware you going to tell me where we’re going?” I asked when he slipped into the driver’s seat.
“Nope.”
“You know the suspense is killing me, right?”
“Yep.” He passed me a travel mug. The scent of dark roast hit my nose, and I actually whimpered. His gaze dropped to my mouth, heat flaring in his eyes.
“You do that again and we won’t get to where we’re going.”
“And where is that, again?”
He didn’t reply, simply shifted the truck into gear and backed out of his drive.
I spent the better part of the drive vibrating in the passenger seat. My mouth moved faster than my brain as I lobbed guesses at him like tennis balls.
