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CHAPTER NINE

Alister

I shouldn’t be smiling.

I should not be smiling as I hide behind the old brick building, sticky, melted, and now slightly dried ice cream all over my damn clothes, but I can’t help it.

Cameron Cox, the girl I never saw coming, still cares.

She doesn’t want to, that much is clear, but she does.

I saw it in her eyes when I touched her, the chemistry we’ve had since the day we met—the desire not only for more but for a clean slate.

She wishes I didn’t fuck up and create this rift between us, but the reality neither of us can escape is that I did.

I made her feel dirty, used. I made her feel like a worthless toy.

She has every right to hate me—but I’m damn glad she doesn’t. My chance with her might be slim, my time to convince her I want her for real narrowing thinner and thinner with each passing day…but it’s not gone yet.

The opportunity is still there, and as much as it might piss her off along the way, I’m going to take it.

I’ll not waste a single moment, the risk of what could happen if I do is far too dangerous.

I’m already at a disadvantage, as her entire friend group— family as she calls them—is here and far more dedicated to the girl than I’d like.

They hover, demand, and “rescue” her at every turn. It’s frustrating, but she seems to appreciate their meddling. Moreover, she seems to think it’s normal .

Then again, maybe it is.

I sure as hell wouldn’t know, but what I do know is that Cameron Cox is more than worth the time it will take to prove how much I want her, and it has nothing to do with sex. I want the girl with the bright smile and sharp comments, with the flirty mind and flirtier demeanor.

I want her, and I’m going to get her.

I move around the building, my eyes instantly finding her bright blond ponytail.

She’s laughing now, throwing her head back, and she hops to her feet, taking her best friend with her. They sing something I can’t quite hear, heads moving back and forth as they give their group a little show.

She bends then, lifting the little boy in her arms and spinning him around, an infectious sense of happiness on her face.

I can’t help but chuckle at the sight.

“So.” A voice snaps me out of it, and I spin around, finding a dark-haired man with a tight-lipped smile and assessing eyes. “That’s what happened to my ice cream.”

Well, shit.