“Give me your number.”
“No. I said you had to track me down, not that I’d let you find me.”
His nostrils flared and his eyes brightened as a smile slid across his lips. “I don’t think you know what you’re doing. Not really.” He leaned forward. “Wherever I find you, I’m going to fuck you, so you better be ready.”
I swallowed hard. “I….” Part of me wanted to plead with him to let me take it back, but the larger part of myself, the one that apparently had somehow made peace with last night’s terror in the face of some really hot sex, wanted it again.
He touched a finger to my chin. “Tell me, what’s your safeword?”
“W-what?”
He laughed and brushed his lips to mine, giving me a squeeze. I moaned. “Fine, you want me to stop when you stutter ‘what’ and look cute. I can handle that. Rest today. You’re prey tomorrow.” He gave me one more light brush on the lips with his, closed the robe over my front, made sure the flaps were secure, and then stepped back.
“You sure you don’t want to go inside and dress?”
I shook my head, and he gestured at the open gate. I ran. Actually, I hobbled because my stung foot ached like a son of a bitch and was already swelling on the bottom. I made myself wait until I was halfway down the block before I scraped my phone out of the bag and hit Jaxson’s number.
“Hello? Mark, is that—”
“Can you come get me?”
He sighed. “Are you okay?”
I laughed and couldn’t catch my breath. Before I was finished, I was hiccupping and swiping a few tears from my cheeks. “I think? But I need a ride.” I looked at the signs on the quaint tree-lined street and told him where I was as best I could.
“We’ll be there,” he fired back quickly, the same as if we were in the office. The utter familiarity of his tone and attitude soothed my frayed edges.
“Do not bring Vane,” I said sternly. “I do not want to see him until absolutely necessary.”
“Uh… okay. I’ll be there in fifteen minutes. Maybe twenty. Just stay put.” He hung up.
Anger—at Vane and Ms. Winters, and even partly at Camden for making me feel… sexual—swirled in me. It was weird to be so aware of myself as a person with needs. Maybe it was because I was standing around with only a robe saving me from flashing people. There was a woman on the other side of the street, walking with her head down, doing her best not to make eye contact. Hell, this was weird because drafts of air kept going underneath the robe to tickle my balls and cock. I was never, ever outside naked.
Except when I was last night.
I groaned and dropped my chin to my chest. And what the fuck had Camden meant that I would be prey? What the hell was he into? Excitement beat in my chest. I didn’t know what he liked for sure, but he wanted to chase me down. Fucked up or not, I wanted what he’d give me when he caught me.
5
Camden
Liv gave methe look,the one she usually used when she demanded to know what was happening. After yesterday, I didn’t blame her, but I’d ignored her questions, too busy playing with the girls as we continued to build the tree house I’d been making them in the backyard. This morning was another story, though. The kids were getting ready for summer camp, and there was no way in hell she was letting this go.
“Well?” She tapped her foot, leaning against her kitchen counter with her hip. She reminded me a lot of her mom, with her tightened lips and scowl, blonde hair pulled up in a messy bun. Her mom wasn’t a bad person, but she’d never liked me. She’d always told Liv to run in the opposite direction, and even though I could admit I was gay now, I was glad she hadn’t. We had two beautiful girls I loved more than words could express, and I didn’t want to give them up for the world. Besides, Liv was my best friend. My confidant.
“Well, what?” I gave her the most innocent smile I had in my arsenal, but she snorted and slapped me on the shoulder.
“Come on, Cam. Tell me what’s really happening between you and Mark. Why are you keeping this a secret?” She pouted, and it wasn’t hard to see where Addy and Ellie got it. Liv had trained them well, and they could take over the world with expressions like that.
“There’s nothing to tell you,” I lied, laughing when she poked me hard on the side of my belly. I jumped away from her as she went to do it again and held up my hands in defeat. “Fine. I bought him.”
“Boughthim?” Her eyes went as wide as quarters. “Youdidn’t.”
I chuckled. “Not in the way you think. Madam Winters, you remember her?”
“The nice lady that plays rummy with your mom?”
“Yeah, she… uh, owns a hotel, and they were doing an auction for a date. That’s all it was. A date.” I hated lying to Liv, but she couldn’t know the truth about the Courtesan, either. I knew enough about the madam to know how dangerous she could be, and I didn’t want to risk my family’s safety.
