Page 45 of Teach Me
This was no light conversation; it was an excavation of truth and hurt, dug from the raw bedrock of Cameron’s past, and I couldn’t deny a part of me felt honored he trusted me enough to share it.
“You shouldn’t have to be anything other than yourself, Cameron. No mask. No disguise. You’re enough as you are.”
“You don’t have to say that, but thank you.”
“I’m saying it because it’s true.”
Cameron exhaled a shuddery breath, meeting my gaze. “I’ll figure it out. I just get overwhelmed sometimes.”
“How about you stay here tonight?” I hated the idea of him going home to an empty house, all his roommates off on their vacations and him left to wrestle with all of this alone. Perhaps more selfishly, I also relished the idea of sharing a bed with him. Going to sleep and waking up next to him, regardless of whether we had sex or not. We’d never done that before. I wasn’t even sure he’d agree.
Cam seemed surprised, but not unpleasantly so. His eyes were wide as he studied my face, perhaps looking for a hint of insincerity. “Stay here? Like…overnight?”
“Exactly like overnight,” I affirmed with an encouraging nod as I squeezed his hand reassuringly. “No expectations, Cameron. Just company. Just you and me.”
A shy smile curled around the edges of his lips, dimpling his cheeks irresistibly, and the flame of hope in his eyes melted me. “That sounds nice.”
I returned his smile with relief, contentment washing over me. There was something else, too, undeniable and looming—a silent undercurrent of anticipation that was as delicious as it was intimidating. I’d not had anyone stay the night in over a year, hadn’t wanted anyone to, but now I was practically leaping at the prospect of Cameron in my bed, eager for the kind of intimacy I’d never assumed we’d have.
“What should we do next?” he asked.
I considered, gaze moving over him and the still-damp ends of his hair. “How about a bath for you? Warm you up, relax a bit?”
“Fuck,this is perfect. I have no idea when the last time I took a bath was, and I definitely wouldn’t use the bathtub at my place. God knows what’s growing in there.” Cameron rippled his hand through the water and then pushed his fingers through that shock of blond, slicking it back, making it go dark.
“I’m not sure I’ve ever used this tub,” I admitted. Much like my dining room table, it had gone unused since I’d moved in. I leaned against the doorframe, studying Cameron. He’d dumped some shampoo in the tub, so there were a few sad bubbles floating around. But it did look warm and inviting.
“Do you want to come in? It’s nice.”
I nodded, shedding my clothes, aware Cameron was watching me as I did so. I wasn’t particularly self-conscious of my body, but Cameron’s gaze was so rapt that I slowed down, letting him enjoy the show as much as I enjoyed watching him.My cock stiffened under his attention, and I squeezed the shaft in my hand, a shudder running through my shoulders.
“Fuck, that’s hot.You’rehot. I could watch you undress all day, every day.”
I chuckled and edged toward the tub, sparing an uncertain glance at the water. “I really don’t think we’re both going to fit.”
“Oh, you’ll fit. I promise.” Cameron leered, and I laughed again, delighted his mood had improved enough to bring out his usual playfulness. It was one of my favorite things about him. Any lingering hesitation I had about demanding he come over earlier vanished.
Cameron wriggled around to make room for me, bending his knees and pulling my legs over his after I eased into the water. We just fit, though we were tangled together, and there wasn’t much wiggle room. I stretched my arms out along the rim of the tub and let my head rest against the wall behind me.
Deep contentment washed over me, and impulse took hold. “Why don’t you come with me to my sister’s for the weekend, too? A little getaway. It’ll be good for us both.” Cameron’s brows shot up, and maybe mine did, too. The invitation had skirted higher thought processes like logic and practicality, fueled by that damn smile. Never mind that my sister didn’t have an idea I was seeing anyone in the slightest, much less a student. I blustered forward anyway. “I mean, if you’re not on the schedule to work. It just sounds a bit lonely to remain here while all of your friends and roommates are gone.”
“For real? I don’t want to intrude or anything.”
I sent a splash of water his way. “For the hundredth time, you’re not intruding. I want you with me.”
Cameron combed the water with his fingertips again, seeming to consider, and then said, “Alright, fuck it. Why not? A getaway sounds great.”
We fell silent after that, enjoying the cocoon of warm water around us. Cameron leaned his head back against the opposing wall, closing his eyes, occasionally lifting a washcloth from the depths of the tub and squeezing it out over his chest. I let my eyes fall shut, too, listening to the drips and whoosh of water. After a while, the washcloth moved over my calf, and I cracked an eye, watching as Cameron dipped the cloth again and then rubbed it over my other calf.
“Mmm.” My shoulders broke out in goose bumps as he continued, wetting the cloth, dripping it over the top of my knees, then brushing the hollows at the backs of them. Ankles, toes, the soles of my feet, and then up to my thighs. I focused on Cameron’s face, how he concentrated, the way he bit at the corner of his lower lip, how his free hand dived below the water, shoulder moving slowly, rhythmically as he started stroking himself. When the washcloth reached the inside of my thighs and flicked lightly across my balls, I drew in a shaky breath.
Cameron looked up from beneath his lashes at me. “Feels good, huh?”
“God, yes.”
Cameron trailed the washcloth up the length of my shaft, swirling it around the swollen crown, and then pulled it down the other side. I moaned, lifting my hips to chase that soft caress. Christ, the guy was going to get me off with a damn washcloth if he kept it up. That’d be a new one for me. My hips nudged forward, and Cameron wrapped the cloth around my cock loosely, the pressure of his fingers behind it light and teasing as he pumped my shaft. The friction was lacking, but the combination of nubby fabric and the smoothness of Cameron’s fingers was exhilarating. Clenching my teeth, I exhaled another shaky breath as Cameron reached out and tugged gently on my balls, rolling his thumb over the soft skin and the hard knots beneath.
“Goddamn,” I whispered.