Page 34

THIRTY-THREE

After my talk with Cam, I felt better, lighter.

When Cam first asked about my past, I wasn’t sure how he’d react.

With so much judgment lurking in my history, I never expected him to take it as well as he did.

Cam surpassed my expectations, and his words healed a part of me.

His unwavering support washed over me, reminding me my past wasn’t a weakness.

For the first time, I didn’t have the weight of it pushing me down.

He was right—while I’d wished to change my circumstances so many times, if I had, where would I be now?

My childhood might have been more idyllic, but I wouldn’t be sitting at this table, laughing with two of my favorite people in the world.

The only time I paused was when he pulled out my business plan.

The thing was practically a relic, part of my senior thesis, discussing why I wanted to pursue education.

With the help of a few business majors, I was proud of the final product, especially when my professor said it would easily secure funding for the future.

Once it was finished, I’d planned on showing it to Victoria, but it was right around the time she left for her brother’s wedding—where she was re-introduced to Adam, and her life changed.

So, in the box it sat, covered in dust like the dream itself.

It was hard not to be a little resentful.

It was always meant to be our dream. But the more time went on, it seemed like it would never come, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t convince myself to pursue it alone.

So there it sat, at the base of my closet—until the roof caved in.

It was tempting to throw it away, but that seemed like too far of a leap, so I stuck it into a box, closing the lid on it and any other dreams I had of becoming an entrepreneur.

When Emilia yawned, Cam hauled her into his lap and kissed the top of her head.

She had gotten so big, so fast, but he lifted her like it was nothing, holding her tight to his chest. It was the sweetest sight in the world, and I grabbed my phone, snapping a photo of them to hold on to it for a little longer.

Cam must have sensed me staring, because he lifted his head and winked at me.

My entire gut twisted, and heat filled my cheeks.

This man was crawling underneath my skin, and there was no way to pry him out—not that I wanted to.

It was almost as if we’d been fighting this connection all along, relying on our animosity to bury any lingering feelings.

“C’mon, sleepy bug.” Cam stood, Emilia still nestled in his arms. She snuggled against his chest and rested her head on his shoulder. “Let’s get you ready for bed.”

She nodded, then turned toward me. “Are you going to be here tomorrow?”

“Yup.” I reached to rub her back. “Laila and I are here until your mom gets back, and then we’ll see what’s going on with the carriage house.”

“Yay.” Emilia yawned. “I like when you’re here with us.”

“Me too.” Cam’s eyes twinkled as he glanced down at me.

Emilia waved goodnight, and it warmed my heart.

It hadn’t taken long, but we had a little routine I loved.

While I used to pretend I wanted my space, it was nice being here with Cam and Emilia.

Normally, on nights when Cam was home, I made myself scarce, retreating to the carriage house alone.

While Laila was there, it wasn’t the same as having the two Sedas around.

They made me smile, made me laugh even on my worst days.

After a lifetime of not having a family, things had shifted, and I was becoming more entrenched in their world.

Emilia let out a loud laugh upstairs, and the sound broke me out of my thoughts. My work was piling up—I had an entire stack of math tests to grade—but I remained in my chair, too overwhelmed to even move. The past twenty-four hours had been a lot—the days before too, if I was being honest.

Things were shifting between Cam and me.

While we’d said a lot of things out in the carriage house earlier, I chalked them up to our heightened emotions during sex.

That, I could handle. Words whispered against flushed skin, promises made while desire pulsed through your veins—those were easy to write off.

But what did it mean that I still wanted those things, hours later, when we were fully clothed?

I might have craved his touch more than my next breath, but I wanted more than that.

I wanted everything. The quiet nights together, talking about our days around the kitchen table.

Cheering him on at his home games and talking through his away ones too.

I wanted to carve open my chest and tuck him inside all my most painful, brittle memories, knowing Cam would always keep me safe.

Those familiar alarm bells started ringing in my mind, the kind that loved to remind me that the good can’t last forever, especially with Cam.

Sure, we’d agreed this meant something, but what was it?

Were we just filling the time until Victoria got back, and then we’d retreat to our separate corners?

That idea soured my stomach; I couldn’t to imagine life like it used to be. I knew too much about Cam now, had seen his softer side. If he wanted to walk away, I had no choice but to let him, though I wasn’t sure I’d survive it.

“Get it together,” I hissed to myself. There were plenty of other times I’d had to start over, times when my life upended itself and left me spiraling. I’d survived all of those—I could survive losing Cam too.

At least, that’s what I tried to tell myself when he walked back into the kitchen and scooped me into his arms. As we ascended the stairs, I waited for him to turn left to my borrowed bed. Instead, he turned in the opposite direction and took me into his room.

“Cam,” I said. “What are you doing?”

“Did you think I’d let you sleep away from me?” He pressed a kiss to my neck. “Not happening, menace. We’re not sleeping in the same house but in different beds.”

“But what about Emilia?”

Cam frowned for a moment, like he hadn’t quite figured that out. He shrugged. “Emilia’s a pretty good sleeper most of the time. Unless there’s a storm, she probably won’t come in here.”

“And if she does?” I insisted. “How are you going to explain it to her?”

“Tell her you’re a big scaredy cat and had a nightmare.” He laughed against my skin before pressing another featherlight kiss to my pulse point. “That you needed me to keep all the big, evil monsters away from you.”

“Cam,” I snapped.

He shook his head. When we crossed the threshold into his room, he placed me down on my feet.

As soon as the door closed behind us, he approached me, unfurled desire radiating off his skin.

“I don’t know what I’ll say, Hadley. Probably the truth.

That I like you, and I want you close to me.

I’ve already been inside you, and yet I haven’t had you in my bed. ”

“I’d leave off the last part.”

“No shit, menace.” Cam shifted a little closer, his hand drifting over my hip. “If you’re not comfortable, I get it. I’d never force you to do anything if you’re not ready.”

I chewed on my lower lip as I looked over at his bed.

The idea was tempting, too damn tempting.

I’d never shared a bed with anyone, choosing to end my dates once we finished fooling around.

Sleeping with someone seemed too intimate, but not with Cam.

Instead, the idea of spending the entire night wrapped in his powerful arms soothed me.

But as I glanced back out into the hallway, it reminded me we were both guests in this house. I was pretty sure Victoria didn’t intend on us christening her guest room when she asked us to stay.

“Don’t you think it’s a little disrespectful?” I said. “This is Victoria’s house.”

“And you don’t want to cross that line in her home.” I waited for him to argue, but he just nodded. “I get that, and I can respect it, Hadley. It’s already a complicated situation, so we need to establish boundaries.”

“Yes,” I answered, relieved he understood me.

We’d already crossed a million lines, but I was determined to keep this one.

I couldn’t deny the connection between Cam and me anymore—I gave up fighting it—but with this bond so new and complicated.

We needed to draw a line in the sand, especially when Victoria didn’t know about us.

We still had almost two more weeks until she came home, and I wasn’t ready to think about what would happen when the time came.

“Done,” Cam said. “Nothing’s gonna happen here. But if it’s any consolation, I just wanted to spend the night next to you. No ulterior motives. I’m fucking beat after earlier.”

I moved closer to him, running my hands along his abs. “Can’t keep up with me?”

“You know I can.” He smirked. “But you fucking wrecked me, baby, body and soul.”

I stared up at Cam, trying to read through his words. But I didn’t have to think about it. I trusted Cam. He’d proven time and time again that he’d respect my boundaries—he knew when to push me out of my comfort zone and when to leave things alone.

“Okay,” I said. “I’ll sleep in here.”

With the way Cam smiled at me, you would have thought he just took home the championship trophy. He leaned forward and kissed me. “And I’ll keep my hands to myself. But I want to run something by you.”

“Okay…”

“Go on a date with me.”

“What?” I spluttered.

“A date.” He arched one of his brows. “It’s this thing people do when they like each other. Go out to eat, maybe watch a movie, and if you’re lucky—fuck each other all night long.”

“What did we just say about that? ”

“You said I couldn’t fuck you here,” Cam said.

“But after this next travel stretch, we have two days off. I was thinking we’d find a place in the city, go out for some drinks, then spend the night.

So if you’re willing to wait until after the series ends…

” His voice trailed off, letting me fill in the blanks.

God, that sounded amazing. An entire night to explore this thing between Cam and me?

With no one else around to judge or disapprove? That sounded like perfection.

I smirked at Cam, not willing to concede that easily. “I’ll consider it…” Stepping into his space, I leaned forward and brushed my chest against him. “If your team wins this next series.”

His jaw tensed. “We’re going up against LA.”

“So?” I ran my fingers over his skin.

“They have the best record in the league right now.”

“Sounds like an excuse to me, Seda. I thought you were this major league hotshot. Are you going to let one team stop you from spending an entire night, alone, with me?” I cocked a brow.

“You don’t play fair, menace.”

I kissed his cheek and then scurried out of his reach. “Never claimed to, sarge.”