“Since no one chose to stick around past a night or two, you think—”
“All I’m good for is a dirty roll between the sheets?” he finishes, a sad smile on his face. “I mean, there may have been a few people who could’ve wanted more than I was offering. Like, statistically, or whatever. But the damage was already done, and all the evidence spoke for itself…until you came along.”
My heart crawls into my throat, making it nearly impossible to speak without croaking like I’ve swallowed a goddamn frog.
“Until me how?”
He sucks his lower lip, worrying it before he shrugs. “I guess because you’ve stuck around. And, yeah, I get that we have the deal and stuff—”
“It’s not because of the deal,” I whisper immediately, knowing damn well it’s the truth.
I’m still here because I want to be.
“I know, Lo,” he murmurs, nodding. “Which is why, the longer we’ve gone on with our arrangement and the more I get to know you, the more I really do look at you as my friend. The more I care about you. The more I…like you, you know?”
The confirmation of those simple words once again has my heart lodging itself in my windpipe, so I simply nod.
He smiles tentatively, more shy than I’ve ever seen him, before he continues.
“So, all that to say, I guess the reason I haven’t pushed for thatkindof sex is because I don’t want to go there and risk this ending up the same way it always has in the past. You mean more.”
Goddamnit.
I stare at him, nearly at a loss for words after hearing everything he’s shared. The sheer amount of pain and vulnerability in what he’s given me—cutting away the mask and exposing some of his deepest insecurities—it leaves me fuckingbreathless. So I do the only thing I can think of: I straddle him where he sits and wrap my arms tightly around him.
His face buries into my neck as his arms wind around my waist, hugging me back silently. We stay like that, locked in each other’s embrace, for I don’t know how long before I finally pull back just enough to meet his gaze.
More emotions than I can name shine in his eyes as he looks up at me, and I snake my fingers into his sandy locks, only to whisper the most honest thing I’ve ever spoken.
“You’re not a night or two. Not to me.”
Something in his expression falters for the briefest second before he closes the distance between us, sealing his lips to mine in a toe-curling kiss. One speaking louder than words ever could.
It’s gratitude and fear and hope all rolled into one, and it steals the breath straight from my lungs.
My fingers tighten in his hair, holding him there while our mouths mold together. His tongue slides along the seam of my lips, and I open for him eagerly, already wanting more. Wanting every goddamn thing he’s willing to give.
Cam’s hands slide down, gripping my ass cheeks and kneading them in his massive palms while we continue fucking each other’s mouths with our tongues. His cock has stirred to life beneath me, thickening into a deliciously hard ridge I can’t stop myself from grinding my ass against. The move has a soft moan coming from between our fused mouths before Cam pulls back, panting heavily after breaking the kiss.
His eyes are wild with desire, burning with heat, when he murmurs, “What do you want?”
“To start? Anything we talked about last week.”
“Are you prepped already?”
My lips roll inward, embarrassment reddening my cheeks as I nod. “Yeah, I, uh… I have a few times this week, actually. Just in case.”
Just like that, the heat in his attention is gone, replaced by guilt before he glances away briefly with a shake of his head.
“Fuck, I’m sorry, Lo. If I’d—”
My hand covers his mouth, cutting off the apology before it can fully leave him, and his brows crash together in obvious confusion. But I just arch one back at him.
“If you’re going to use your mouth right now, I’d rather it be for somethingotherthan apologizing.”
The lust comes barrelling back into his stare, and I can hear the amusement in his muffled voice when he utters “Yes, sir” from behind my palm.
Then, without warning, he flips us so I land flat on my back, my body bouncing on the mattress with the impact. I laugh, the move reminding me of that morning in New York, after the first time we hooked up. But all laughter dies on my lips when I see how quickly his demeanor has shifted from playful to predatory, only for him to hook his fingers in my sweats and drag them down with my boxers in a single, smooth motion.
