He pulled her back down. “Nope. I have everything I need already.”
Her gaze softened and he felt her body relax into his like it had in the kitchen. She smoothed her hand across the nape of his neck while he played with her silky hair. “You’re always so busy taking care of everyone else, Gorgeous. Nothing needs doing right now. Relax and just let me hold you for a while.” He rubbed up and down her back and she relaxed farther into him.
“You,” she whispered.
“Me? Me what?” He kissed the top of her head.
“Just you.” She kissed his jawline where it met his throat and he groaned, wanting nothing more than to carry her into her bedroom and show her how he could take care of her for a while. Lay her down across the bed and smooth her skirt up to her waist, kiss her over her panties until she begged him to tear them off. And then the real care would start, until both of them were left breathless and spent, lying in each other’s arms.
If she kept kissing him like that, her full lips gliding along his throat, the tip of her tongue tracing little circles and making him rock-hard, he’d have no choice. Especially when she shifted her weight and discovered his erection with a little gasp. Before he lost his mind completely, he needed to talk to her.
She stopped kissing him and looked into his eyes. His heart pounded—did she feel his body go tense and think it was because he didn’t want her? “Hey there, Gorgeous. Everything okay?” he asked.
Elena bit her lower lip. “Don’t take this the wrong way. I am so, so turned on right now that I can barely think.”
“That makes two of us.”
She grinned and licked her lips, driving him a little further down the road to crazy. “I know you wanted to talk tonight, and that’s probably still a good idea. I think. Maybe.” She giggled. “Brain shutting down.”
Camden leaned forward and pressed his forehead against hers. “We’re on the same page, babe. I’m trying my best to stay a gentleman while I have the loveliest,” he kissed her nose, “sexiest,” he kissed each cheek, “most desirable woman in the world,” he didn’t dare kiss her mouth so he pressed his lips to her chin, “who is way better at keeping her mind clear than I am.”
“Barely,” she answered, her eyes smokey with desire. He didn’t miss her hand sneaking up to touch the wedding ring on her necklace and he watched her eyes clear. He had a choice—he could feel sorry for himself and get angry at a ghost, or he could man up, meet her reluctance head-on, and do something about it.
“Do you want to talk about your husband first? About Antonio?” He nodded at her fingers still toying with the ring.
She dropped her hand. “You must think I’m a tease.” She looked down at her empty hands. “The truth is, I haven’t been with anyone since him.” Her cheeks caught fire. “I feel a little pathetic right now.”
Camden tipped her chin back up. “Missing Antonio isn’t a weakness. Your loyalty tells me exactly what kind of woman you are. You love hard and strong and faithfully. Antonio was damn lucky to have you. So is Tina.”
“If you say so.”
“Elena. You’ve got to stop putting yourself down. I don’t think you’re pathetic or a tease. I’d love to throttle the person who so much as hinted that you’re anything less than amazing.” He took a chance and touched the wedding ring. “I have a feeling this guy never did that.” He held his breath. Was he pushing too hard? Or was he actually being a coward and stalling, not wanting to talk about himself or ask her about Cici?
He breathed in when she smiled, gently took his hand, and kissed it. “No. Antonio always made me feel like I was the center of the universe. Even though I came from nothing.”
Camden tilted his head. “What do you mean, nothing?”
Elena sat up and Camden instantly missed the heat from her body. He reflexively tightened his arms to keep her from pulling away, but she was only sitting up, not leaving.
“I grew up in New Mexico,” she said. “I never knew my father, just that he was originally from Costa Rica. My mother was a little wild and didn’t want to be tied down, I guess, so she took off with me. Why she didn’t leave me behind, I’ll never know. The first place I remember living was a studio apartment until we got kicked out. Then we stayed in a rented room until we got kicked out of there, too. After that, we lived in my mom’s car. One day when I was ten, I walked back from school to the strip mall lot where we’d parked the night before to find the car and my mother gone without a trace.”
Camden stroked her face. “I’m sorry that happened to you.” Inside, he howled at the thought of a little girl, of his Elena, walking into an empty parking lot all alone and finding herself abandoned by the one person who was supposed to care for her the most in life. No wonder she put herself down all the time. He couldn’t believe how calmly she talked about what had to be one of the worst days of her life. Camden fought to match her tone, to keep the rage out of his face and his voice even. “I can’t imagine what I would do. Did you find her?”
She shook her head. “Yes and no. That was the last time I saw her. Years later, I tracked her down online. From what I could tell, she’d run off with some guy and they ended up in jail in Florida. Armed robbery. I found her after we had Tina. I guess I was flooded with new-mom hormones and wanted to reconnect. Needless to say, I didn’t get in touch.”
Jesus Christ. Camden’s jaw tightened. “So, what happened after she left?” He couldn’t imagine how afraid she must have been.
I got put into the system and sent to a group home in Albuquerque.”
Camden couldn’t help himself. He pulled Elena in tight against his chest, wishing he could reach back through time and tell that lost little girl how much she had to look forward to, all the love that was in store for her.
To his surprise, Elena’s voice perked up. “Hey, it was way better than sleeping in a car. And I ate regularly. That’s where I learned to love the kitchen. I loved the warmth and the good smells and the comfort of four solid walls around me. If someone was mean to me, I baked brownies for everyone but that kid. When the bully smelled them and demanded one, the other kids defended me. Eventually, the kid would apologize, I’d hand over a brownie, and then I’d have one more ally. I baked birthday cakes and recreated meals I’d only smelled coming from restaurants. I made the other kids and even the staff my Guinea pigs.”
Camden laughed. “Lucky Guinea pigs.”
Elena grinned. “It’s still how I make friends. Food is love.”
Ah. “That’s why you brought several dishes to Bette’s.”
