Page 72 of Conjure

He pauses, before cupping my chin and dragging that calloused thumb over my trembling bottom lip. “I did.” His clenching jaw contrasts starkly with the gentle way he caresses my mouth. “I’m sorry.”

A breath escapes me. He crosses the small place and presses his lips to mine in an open-eyed kiss. There’s no tongue involved, but the way his fingers tremble on my chin hooks my heart, as though he can’t control his emotions.

I’m falling for this man.

“Kiss me back, Camryn.”

I nip his bottom lip between my teeth and his chest vibrates as he responds, crashing his mouth harder against mine. With a final sigh, he presses his forehead to mine and whispers, “I believe you.”

I’m holding my breath, I realize, when he sits back and cranks the engine. Outside, the damp air fills with exhaust fumes, but he’s all I see.

When his eyes skate to me, my heart ceases to beat. I’m so screwed. Even more so when he smiles and reaches for my hand.

TWENTY

DOMINIC

I driveus to a grocery store where I buy everything I can find that I remember seeing Camryn eat throughout the years. Her eyes pop wide open when I return to the truck.

Now we’re parked in a field in the middle of nowhere with a small lake in front of us. The sun beats down on us as Camryn lies with her head on my chest.

Surrounded by empty boxes of snacks on the blanket in the flatbed, we stare up at the puffy clouds while I trail my fingers through her soft strands. It’s probably the most content I remember ever being.

“Do you think this is wrong?” she asks.

My fingers falter. “Do I think what is wrong?”

“Benny is dead, and Brittany is in hospital.” Rolling over, she rests her weight on her elbow as she looks down at me. She trails those beautiful eyes over my face, stroking her fingers down the length of my nose and lips. “It feels wrong somehow. There’s something out there that’s out to hurt us.”

I snatch her wrist with my hand as the sun heats my cheeks, feeling her pulse pick up speed. “Listen to me, it’s okay to be happy.”

“You’re happy?” she asks, a smile playing at the corners of her lips.

“With you, yes.”

Her smile slips and her brow furrows as she searches my eyes.

I cock my head, skimming my fingers over her smooth cheek, shifting a lock of hair out of the way. “I want more moments like these.”

A blush creeps up her neck, reddening her cheeks. She’s so damn cute when she gets shy like this.

She tries to look away and hide those rosy cheeks, but I won’t let her. I capture her chin and lift my head to press my lips to hers, and then I lie back down, smiling wide and squinting against the sun. Her chin feels so small in my hand as I pull her back down until she hovers inches away from my lips. “Forget about everything else for a moment and be here with me.”

“Okay,” she agrees quietly, and I almost growl and take her once more. Instead, I release her. She lies back down beside me, nestled into my side with her chin on my shoulder and the whisper of her breath against my throat.

“Why did you use to hate me so much when we first met?”

A pang of…somethingblossoms behind my ribcage. I can’t put my finger on the emotion. She must sense my hesitation because she says, “I’m sorry. You don’t have to answer.”

A large cloud rolls across the sky, threatening to steal the sunshine. Sighing, I press a kiss to the top of her head. “I didn’t hate you. I was angry with my dad. We had a broken relationship after my mom passed away. Dad, he… Fuck…” I rub my eyes, swallowing down the ache that constricts my throat. “My brother accepted that he had moved on, but I couldn’t. Seeing him dote on you and your mom…His new family.It hurt.”

My chest feels tight, and I avoid looking her in the eye when she pushes up on her elbow again. Those breathtaking eyes slide over my face while I grind my teeth to dust.

“It wasn’t you?—”

“Shhh!” She presses her fingers to my mouth. “It doesn’t matter, Dom.”

I meet her gaze and the knot in my chest eases when she lets her eyes drop to my mouth, framed by the sun peeking through the cloud overhead. “It matters.”