“Wanna tell me what happened with Scrap the other day that had you wandering around a strange place in tears?”
Her face fell. “I want to tell you everything, but I don’t think it’s my place to share Scrap’s personal business. I will tell you that he said he’d take the test. Sometime next week.”
Cam blinked and then grinned at her as they waited for their cones. “That sounds great. What made him change his mind?”
She hesitated. “I’m sorry, Cam. I think if I tell you about what’s happening in Scrap’s private life, he would get really upset. I don’t know all the details, but it’s his story to tell the club when he’s ready to share. I don’t like secrets, but I feel like I have to keep this one, at least for now.”
“Does it have an effect on the Knights?”
She sighed as she reached up to take the two ice cream cones from the vendor. “I don’t know. Like I said, it’s his story to tell.”
Cam furrowed his brow, but he understood where she was coming from. He wouldn’t want his personal business run through the gossip mill any more than it already was. “All right, I’ll stop pushing. What else is bothering you?”
She handed him one of the cones and lifted the other to her mouth to take a big bite of the hardened candy shell. “Well, my family. Rodrigo is still bugging me about Dad’s estate. Says I have to sign something, and he wants me to come home to do it. Aunt Rosa called me too. For people who wanted me out of the family, they really can’t seem to leave me alone.”
They started a slow walk away from the vendor and back to the massage booth area. Cam’s eyes followed her tongue as she licked around the base of the cone. A short fantasy movie rolled through his mind, and he indulged himself for a few moments, then had to replay her words before responding. He snagged a handful of napkins to cover his lapse of focus. “Want me to come with you?”
“I’m not planning any road trips. I told you I’m on the outs with them, remember? If he needs my signature, then he can come get it. It’s just another annoyance since he’s been texting and calling me about it. And now my aunt too.”
“If you change your mind, let me know.”
“I appreciate that.” She paused and broke off another piece of butterscotch, slurping at the melted ice cream. “The rest is me. I don’t know what I’m doing or where I’m going. I’m not thrilled with working at Cicely’s place, but I’m getting a lot of really good clients who like my services. That’s a big thing in my world. And then there’s you.”
She stopped walking and turned to face him directly. “I’m not gonna play games or bullshit you. I like you. A lot. I like being at your house. I like talking with you. I like how you support and help me with no questions or hidden motives. Sometimes, when I think about that, I get a little overwhelmed that anyone would do that for me.”
Cam took a big bite of his cone and crunched through the rest of the shell. “Isn’t it obvious yet, babe? I like you, too, and I want to help you.”
Her eyes shifted down to the white rivulets oozing over her fingers. “I’m so messed up right now, Cam. I want to be with you… likebewith you, but I’m not sure what’s gonna happen next week or even tomorrow. I don’t want to start something I can’t finish or lead you on or set myself up for heartache. But I’m in your space already, and I’m scared I’ve already done that to myself by sleeping with you.”
Cam took one of the flimsy napkins and wiped her sticky fingers. “Do you have any absolute deal-breakers?”
“Like what?”
“Like no dogs or cats?”
“I have my dragons, but I’m not opposed to other pets.”
He tossed the used napkins into a trash can. “Any kind of music you hate?”
“Not really.”
“Pet peeves?”
She bit into the side of the cone before answering. “I can’t stand people chewing with their mouths open. Body odor, likeunwashed—ugh, it gives me the willies. Bad manners, and giving service people a hard time just because you can. That pisses me off.”
He chuckled. “Anything else?”
She shared his amusement. “I’m sure I have others, but those are the big ones that come to mind.”
“Well, I don’t chew with my mouth open. I get dirty at work, but I shower every day. I make a point of being polite and respectful to everyone, but I confess that I’ve enjoyed tossing out the few men who turn asshole on the dancers at the bar.”
“Hmmm. And you’re telling me this why?”
He raised a hand to cup her cheek, and she let him touch her. Their eyes met, and the seriousness of the moment made the rest of the world disappear. “You wanna know what I think? We should just let life happen and see where we go. If there’s a problem, we’ll handle it. I don’t want to miss out on something good just because I’m too scared to take a chance.”
“What if it doesn’t work out?”
“What if it does?” He hoped his low voice carried the sincerity she needed to hear. “Take a chance with me, Sabrina.”
