Always Yours (8 page)

"Then why are you staring at me like I just killed your cat?" Cam asked cautiously.

Shay started to chuckle. "Oh, I'm sorry. This is how I always look at assholes." With a tilt of her head she smiled sweetly at Cam, and then turned to give me a hug. "I'm out of here. Text me when you get home, sweetie, and make sure you keep that mace handy." With a quick wink, Shay began to walk away, calling out mockingly over her shoulder, "Later, Cam!"

Cam didn't say another word as Shay got in her car. He only stared in bewilderment. Truthfully, I was a little surprised by Shay's remarks. She never acted this way—I liked it. As Shay started her car, I heard Cam mumbling under his breath, "Who lit her tampon on fire?"

I rolled my eyes. How was it that this man could make me weak in the knees one minute and then want to punch him the next? I was starting to get dizzy from the merry-go-round of emotions and I had only spent a few hours with him.

Wound up and somewhat irritated I tried to hold back the frustration in my voice. "You came here for a reason, Cam, what do you want?"

He shrugged his shoulders awkwardly. "I don't really know. I was out driving around and next thing I knew I was sitting in the parking lot."

"At three in the morning?" I asked skeptically.

"Yep," he said as he took a step towards me. "It's just something I do when I need to clear my head."

"Did it help?"

What am I doing? I need to be ending this conversation not contributing to it.

"Not really," he chuckled as he leaned his shoulder against my car. "I think it actually made things worse." He sounded defeated and I could tell whatever was weighing on his mind, it was hard for him. The pain in his expression made my heart hurt and at that moment, I would have done anything to make that look go away.

"Well, that sucks. Is there anything I can do to help make it better?" A cocky smirk appeared on his face and his eyebrows lifted
.

"Well, since you're offering."

"Oh my God, I didn't mean it like that!" I shrieked as I buried my face in my hands. "I just meant—"

"It's okay, firecracker," he interjected with laughter. "I'm just giving you shit. I know what you meant." I peeked out from behind my hands, my face flushed with color from my embarrassment. His gaze fell to the ground, his body language a telltale sign that he was hesitating. "But since you did offer, there is something you could do."

"Okay..." I cautioned as I uncovered my face.

"You could forgive me for walking away from you last week," he said as he took another step in my direction.

The tip of my thumb was now being pinched between my teeth as I watched him. He was slowly inching his way to me, almost as if he was scared that he would startle me if he moved too fast. I wondered if he really felt bad or if Blake had told him how upset I was when he left. Either way, he was acknowledging he did something wrong but there was no way I was going to let him know it bothered me.

"There's nothing to forgive you for," I lied, looking anywhere but at him. "We danced and when it was over you left. No biggie."

He closed the gap between us and was now so close he was pushing the limits of my personal space. Looking at me, he reached for my hand and pulled it away from my mouth. I inhaled a sharp breath. "You're not a good liar, Cara."

The warmth from his touch shot straight through to my core, awakening every nerve ending in my body, making goose bumps prick my skin. I prayed that he didn't notice the reaction my body had to his simple touch but by the way he just grinned, I'm guessing he did.

I turned my head to avoid him when he grabbed my chin and lifted it up. Firmly, he held it in place giving me no choice but to lock eyes with him. The pad of his thumb seductively brushed across my bottom lip and before I knew what was happening his lips were on mine.

Releasing my chin, he slipped his hand behind my neck while his other hand wrapped around my waist, pulling me closer. I felt his tongue against my lips, asking permission to enter and I gave it to him. Swathing my arms around his neck, he entered with a desperate yearning and I accepted every reckless caress he gave.

As quickly as it started it ended. Cam pulled back, short of breath, and rested his forehead on mine. "So...you forgive me then?"

"Yeah, I guess so," I said, shrugging my shoulder.

"You guess so?" he said, pulling back a bit. "Stop denying it, firecracker, you know you can't resist this." He motioned to his body as he grinned playfully. "I can tell by the way you react to my touch." He slid his finger down my collarbone, leaving yet another trail of goose bumps in its wake.

I hated the fact that he was right. Since the moment I saw him last week, he's all I've been able to think about. Still, I wasn't sure I was ready for any sort of relationship. My past was still lingering in the back of my mind and I wasn't ready to face it.

Trying to fight my body's reaction I tensed up and opened my mouth to speak. "Shhh..." he said as he reached up with his other hand and cradled my face. Tracing the deep v-neck of my shirt with his finger, he leaned down and whispered, "Relax. Don't deny it, just feel it." Closing my eyes, I did as he said. I started to get lost in his touch.

Beep...Beep...Beep...

Ugh, are you kidding me? Who the hell could that be?

Beep...Beep...Beep...

"You should probably get that," Cam said as he stepped away from me a bit.

With a deep breath I reached into my pocket. Pulling out my cell phone, I huffed with aggravation when I saw I had two new text messages from Shay.

Just making sure U R still alive.

Call me soon or I'm coming back.

Quickly, I typed back a reply.

I'm fine :) Leaving now.

"I should probably get going, Shay is pretty protective and if I'm not home soon she may come hunt you down," I warned him.

"I think I can take her," he said as he started to close the distance between us and I panicked. The quick interruption was enough for my brain to take control again and I needed some space so I could process all of this. I didn't trust myself and I knew if he touched me again I would never make it home.

I didn't even have to tell him no—as soon as my hand touched his chest he knew. He exhaled, closing his eyes almost as if he were in pain. "Do you work tomorrow?"

"No, it's my day off," I replied

"Meet me here at five?" His question sounding more like a demand than an actual question.

"Why?" I asked.

He grabbed my phone out of my hand. "You'll see."

He started to type something into it. "And what if I say no?"

A few seconds later his phone chirped. "I have your number now, so if you say no, I'll just keep calling you until you agree." He handed my phone back. "Plus, I know where you work. Just think how annoying I could be showing up here every night."

Oh, God, no
!

Not only would that be distracting it would make me fat from all of the cinnamon bears I'd have to eat. "Fine. Five, tomorrow," I conceded.

He opened my car door and I slid into the driver's seat. Leaning down he traced my neck line once more. "Remember, just feel it." He kissed the top of my head and I closed my eyes doing exactly as he said—I could feel him...everywhere...and it scared the hell out of me.

I tried to forget about her. I tried to push her out of my mind but it was no use. I never imagined it would be so hard to forget someone I barely knew...but it was. When I got behind the wheel last night, I figured I would end up in some deserted field, out east, like I always did. Not once did I ever see myself sitting in this parking lot, hoping that she would come walking out of Maggie's Place just so I could see her again. And when she did, I almost screwed everything up by not getting out of the damn truck.

I had no clue what I was going to say. Last time I saw her things didn't end so well. In the past week I had gone through a million different ways I could apologize to her for being such an ass and last night was not one of them, but it couldn't have gone more perfect.

Cara had my mind racing all over the damn place and I had only seen her twice. Last night I wanted to rip her clothes off right here in this parking lot and I would've if her damn friend hadn't interrupted us. The rest of the night, I thought about her, and only her. It was the first time in over two fucking years I had kissed a girl without thinking about Amber. Maybe Cara was going to be my cure—the one girl that would help me move on and get over my past.

God only knew how many times I've tried this same thing with different women and failed. There was something rare about Cara though; she was feisty, and it turned me on in ways no woman ever had before. When I kissed her last night nothing else mattered. Not my past, not Amber, nothing. The only thing that I could see was Cara— she was right in front of me and crystal clear.

I hadn't really thought things through when I asked her to meet me here today. I just knew that I needed to see her again and this seemed like a good place. Honestly, until I pulled up five minutes ago I had no clue what we were going to do when she got here. But when I started thinking back on our conversation last night everything clicked. I just hoped she liked it.

When I saw her white Ford Fusion pull into the parking space next to me, I jumped out of my truck and held the door open for her as she got out. This was the first time I was seeing her out of her work uniform, and she looked gorgeous. Her dark hair fell just short of her shoulders, and the bright orange tank top she had on clung to her curvy frame perfectly.

"Thanks," she said as she shut the door and locked her car.

"No problem, firecracker, and let me take this opportunity to thank you as well."

"Why are you thanking me? I didn't even do anything." She looked at me with confusion.

"Actually, I just made a hundred bucks, thanks to you." I placed my hand on the small of her back and started to lead her to the passenger side of my truck. The look of confusion on her face turned to apprehension and I decided to clarify. "Blake bet me a hundred dollars that you wouldn't show up. So, thank you for proving him wrong."

"Well, I'm glad I could help. Especially since it made Blake suffer a little," she said as I opened the door for her.

I chuckled. "You really don't like him, do you?" I asked as she climbed up into my truck.

"It's not him personally; it's the way he comes across. That cocky attitude and the way he treats women. I'm sure he's a good guy, I've just dealt with his type before and always seem to get burned." Her gaze fell to her hands and I could tell she didn't like talking about whatever it was that happened to her. Not knowing what to say, I shut the door, walked around to the driver's side and got in.

"Are you ready to go?" I asked her as I started up the engine.

I could tell the change of topic relieved her a little when she looked up and nodded at me. I could still see a hint of pain in her eyes and I detested it. The thought of anyone hurting her, physically or emotionally, irritated me.

Reaching my hand out, I placed it on her leg just above her knee. "I don't know who he was, or what happened," I admitted to her while giving her leg a reassuring squeeze. "But he was a complete jackass for letting you go."

My words, like magic, instantly melted the anguish from her features and the corners of her mouth turned upward. She placed her small, soft hand on top of mine and held on. "So, where are we going?" she asked me, her voice cheerful.

"Wherever you take us, firecracker," I said as I put my truck in reverse. I knew she was going to be confused by my answer and when she looked at me puzzled, I just smiled as I backed out of the parking spot.

"Ookaayyy," she pondered, her voice heavy with unease. I couldn't help but laugh. She was just too fun to mess with.

"We won't know where we're going until we get there," I told her, adding to her already confused state. I drove out of the parking lot and pulled up to the stop light. "Right or left?" I asked her. She looked at me like I was crazy, and maybe I was.

"Ummm...right, I guess," she replied, her brow furrowed. I turned right and started heading down the road.

"Seriously, Cam, I am so confused right now. What the hell are we doing?" she screeched. She was starting to sound nervous.

"We're driving," I said matter-of-factly.

She gave me a dirty look. "No shit, Sherlock, but where are we going?"

"I told you I don't know, we're just drivin'," I chuckled.

"Just driving?" She didn't sound amused.

"Yes, haven't you ever just driven around and ended up somewhere new?" I asked her.

"Not really, not unless I was lost or something," she admitted.

"Oh, that's good. Because we'll probably get lost." I laughed.

"What?" she exclaimed. She probably really thought I was crazy now.

"Don't worry, firecracker. I almost always find my way home." I winked at her as I continued to drive down the busy street we were still on.

With her thumb pressed up against her mouth, all of her anxiety and concern vanished and she smiled shyly at me. That look shot straight to my dick and all I could think about was how amazing those soft lips felt last night.