Then you probably shouldn’t look at me like you want to eat me alive.
I did. Now I no longer do.
Liar.
Fuck. Fine. I would very much like to lick your abs right now. And…other parts of you.
Cam grins victoriously and takes his hat off, running a hand through his sweaty hair and then putting the hat back on his head. His eyes stay on me the entire time, and I am no longer of this earth because I just burst into flames.
“Is Cam in trouble?”
I shake off my lust haze at Tyler’s question. When I glance over at him, he’s smirking like Cam just got called to the principal’s office, entirely oblivious to the sparks flying around this damn weight room. I toss Cam a smirk, talking to Tyler but looking at him. “He missed his last mental health check in,” I lie. “So, I need to see him in my office. I’m devising an…appropriate punishment.”
The curse Cam mutters and the way he shifts his weight, flexes his jaw, delights me, as does Tyler’s low whistle and his, “Careful, man. She can be vicious.”
Biting back a laugh, I point at Cam. “My office. Now.” Then I turn and head back in that direction, knowing he’s going to follow.
He does.
He catches up to me in three strides, heat and lust practically singeing my back as we walk in silence to my office. I enter first, and once he’s inside, he closes the door and grabs my arm, spinning me and pressing my back against the wood in one motion, one hand on my hip and the other gripping my jaw as he crashes his mouth to mine. The kiss is hot and demanding, all pants and moans and pure unadulterated need. His scent surrounds me, clean sweat and a hint of spicy cologne andman, and I want to sink into him for hours.
But unfortunately, I don’t have that kind of time.
Putting a hand on his chest, I reluctantly break the kiss, pushing him back a step.
“Fuck, Wildcat,” Cam says with a laugh, shaking his head like he’s trying to clear it and covering my hand with his. “That’s the first time I’ve ever gotten hard in the weight room in front of the guys.”
I laugh, reaching my free hand up to rub over the scruff on his jaw. “Happy to be of service, but I really do need to talk to you. Riley called me.”
All traces of needy Cam disappear in an instant, replaced by worried parent Cam. “She’s fine,” I say quickly. “But she got her period and needs help. She asked me to come and get her.”
“She called you,” he says slowly, looking at me with a hint of sorrow in his gaze. A shadow of raw grief for what he and his kids lost. For the mom who isn’t here to walk Riley through this milestone.
Reaching out with my free hand, I lace my fingers through his and squeeze. “I don’t know why she called me instead of your mom or Liv or someone, but if it’s okay with you, I’d like to help her.”
Cam exhales roughly, pulling me into a tight hug, one of his hands wrapped around my waist and the other tangled in my hair, palming the back of my head in a gentle hold. “She called you because she needs you. She trusts you. That’s…” He pauses, kissing the top of my head. “It’s everything. Of course you can help her. I want you to help her.”
Easing back, I put a hand on his cheek, running a thumb over his jaw. “Thank you. I assume you need to call the school or something so I can pick her up, right?”
He nods. “I’ll take care of it.”
“Okay. I should go. I don’t want her to have to wait too long.”
Turning his head, he kisses my palm, covering my hand with his and closing his eyes. “Thank you. Just…thank you.”
With both of my hands cupping his cheeks, I press up on my toes to kiss him, sending up a quick prayer of thanks for my windowless office. “I would do anything for your kids,” I say quietly. “And for you.”
Cam takes a shaky breath and lets it out slowly, opening his eyes and running the back of his hand down my cheek. “We are the luckiest.” The emotion behind the words hits me right in the chest, and when he says, “Take care of her,” like he’s trusting mewith one of his most precious things, all I can do is nod, afraid if I open my mouth, all my deepest thoughts and feelings will come pouring out, but now isn’t the right time for that.
“I promise.”
With one last kiss and a quick squeeze of his hand, I leave Cam standing in my office to go take care of his girl.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
MADDY
“Oh my god,” Riley says breathlessly, falling backwards onto my bed with a giggle, hairbrush in hand, as the final notes of “Dancing Queen” blast through my room. “That was so much fun.”
