Chapter 10
10
Josefine
My body is throbbing with lust. Cam’s words send shivers through my veins. I’m squirming beneath him, chasing my euphoria.
“You like my hard cock filling up your tight pussy, don’t you?”
I moan against his jaw, his five o’clock shadow chafing my lips.
“Tell me,” he orders.
“I fucking love your cock in my pussy.” I grip his hair at the roots.
He slams into me harder and grinds his pelvis against my clit in a move that’s so perfect it’s hard to believe we didn’t know each other before today. That familiar feeling swirls low in my belly, heat pooling in my core. Flurries form in the corners of my eyes, signaling another impending release.
With a hand between us, I slip a finger behind his balls, right to that spot. It’s a risk, but this guy is giving off vibes that say he’d be down for a little ass play.
“Fuck, Joey.” He stills, clenching his cheeks and trapping my finger in place. In the dark, his expression is hard to read. Oh shit, maybe I read him wrong. Has anyone ever done this to him before? I hope to god I just unlocked a new kink for him. Otherwise, I may have just blown up what’s proving to be the hottest night I’ve had in a long time. The sexual chemistry I have with this man is unreal.
“Do you want me to stop?” I rasp into his neck.
“God, no.” With a long breath out, he relaxes into me, then increases the speed of his thrusts. “But if you keep fucking doing that, I’m gonna come.”
I love making a guy climax. Having that kind of power turns me on. With the way my wrist is trapped between us, I’ll be sore tomorrow, but I don’t care. I add a little pressure, then release before doing it again.
I almost never come twice in one night, but the guttural sounds coming out of his mouth have me chasing my next orgasm.
“Cam, I’m gonna?—”
“Me too.”
Fuck yes. He’s there with me.
I press my finger to his entrance one last time, and he calls out my name. Between thrusts, I slip my hand from between our bodies, grab his ass, and pull him so there’s no space between us. I greedily grind my clit against his body, desperate and feral, finding my own release in the friction.
Cam jerks above me, riding out his own climax. When he slows, he collapses on top of me, burying his face in my neck. His breaths are quick and his skin is damp. Still panting, he uses one large hand to brush my hair from my sweat-slicked face, then he plants a kiss at my jaw.
The move is gentle, almost grateful, making me bristle. What just happened was supposed to be raw and rugged, not sweet and charming .
“What is it?” he asks, pulling back and scanning my face in the dark.
“Nothing.” I push the saccharine thoughts away. “That was so damn hot,” I sigh.
“So fucking hot,” he mumbles, pressing his face into the pillow beside my head, his dick still pulsing inside me.
I push at his arms, attempting to move his body off mine.
“What are you doing?” he groans, not budging.
“As much as I enjoyed that, the last thing I need to bring home with me is a UTI. Now up,” I command, pushing against him again. Damn, his pecs are perfect under my hands. I should have insisted he lose the shirt.
Acquiescing, he pulls out and rolls off me. He swats my ass as I stand. When I turn to close the door to the bathroom door, he’s on his feet, discarding the condom in the trash next to the bed. From there, he falls face-first onto the mattress with a groan.
I quickly rinse off, yelling a few expletives along the way when I remember there’s a switch for hot water.
When I’m finished, I stumble through the dark room and climb back into bed. Cam replaces me in the bathroom, and when he returns, I pretend to be asleep. I don’t want to know whether he’s the snuggle-after-sex type. This is a one-time, hot as hell fling. He hovers over me, the heat of his body warming me even though we’re not touching. But a moment later, and without a word, he settles on his back. When his breaths even out, I finally allow sleep to find me.
The summer sun heats my back through the open window as the room around me comes into focus. It takes me a minute to absorb my surroundings, but when I do…
Holy.
Fuck.
My face is pressed firmly against a rock-hard arm. Not just any arm, though. An arm covered with tattoos. From the top of his shoulder to the bottom of his elbow. I definitely did not see that last night.
Cam, his hair all askew, lowers his tortoise-shell glasses down the bridge of his nose and peers at me from where he’s propped up against the headboard. “Think I’m a serial killer now?” He winks so gleefully it’s like his wink even fucking winks at me.
He’s fixated on my mouth, his hazel eyes warming to a heated gold.
My lips tingle at the attention and the memory of his kisses last night.
His focus drifts from my mouth and down my neck slowly. I follow the trail to my chest and— whoops ! My tit is here for an encore.
Sitting quickly, I scramble to adjust myself. With a smirk, he snags a bottle of water and holds it out to me.
“Thanks.” I twist off the cap and down half of it in one gulp. All the while, he’s watching me. I can feel his perusal like a caress. With a deep inhale, I cap the bottle again and set it on the end table, then scurry out of bed. It isn’t until I’m standing that I notice how bare my ass is. Looks like I never put my underwear back on. Crouching beside the bed, I grab my bathing suit bottoms and tug them on.
“What are you reading?” I ask, standing once all my parts are finally covered.
He blinks and drops his chin, holding his book up off his lap. “This?”
Now that his attention is directed elsewhere, I turn around and put on my bathing suit top, then quickly pull on my shorts and T-shirt .
“It’s a travel photography guide.”
“Are you a travel photographer?” I guess we never got around to talking about our professions last night. “I noticed your camera case.” Sitting on the edge of the bed, I nod to where he left it on the desk.
“Umm.” He lowers his gaze again and fiddles with his book. “Not really. I would love to be, but it’s not my job. My sister Claire bought the camera for me.”
“Why not? What do you do?”
He ignores the first question entirely. “I’m in the hospitality business.” His tone is nothing but defeat and his lips are downturned as he says it.
“Wow, you sound super passionate,” I deadpan.
He leans back against his pillow, hands behind his head, his biceps bulging.
I knew he was packing. Covertly, I wipe at my mouth to make sure I’m not drooling.
His lips turn up on one side and he cocks a brow. Dammit, I’ve been caught .
“Long story short,” he begins, tilting his neck one way, then the other, “my family has owned a chain of hotels for a couple of generations. I’m expected to take over the business.”
“But you don’t want to.” It’s not a question. Everything about his demeanor tells me that.
“Right. While I love New York, I don’t want to be stuck there full time. I’d prefer to travel, capturing and sharing images along the way.” He sighs.
“Why don’t you, then?”
With a long breath in and back out again, he studies me. “It’s not that simple.”
“Oh, don’t go all Allie Hamilton on me,” I tease.
That earns me a grin. “Did you just reference The Notebook ? ”
With a nod, I hop up and stand at the side of the bed.
“Fine, Noah Calhoun , ” he volleys. “If we’re living in a fiction novel, then ask me what I want.”
I gather my hair into a ponytail at the top of my head and go for a southern accent. “What do you want?”
He sits up high on the bed and twists so he’s angled my way. “I want my dad to stop riding my ass about taking over the business. I want to pursue photography full time.”
Rounding the end of the bed, I say, “Then do it.”
“It’s not that?—”
I press two fingers to his lips, silencing him. “Before my dad…” I clear my throat and try again. “My dad once told me not to live my life for others. To do what makes me happy. He said life is more fulfilling that way.”
Cam rears back and opens his mouth, ready to protest, I’m sure, but I shoot him a glare.
“He never said it was easier.”
“Are you sure you’re only twenty-two?” he asks, nipping at my fingers.
I pull away and give him a flirty smile. “What can I say? I’m mature for my age.” Not by choice, but out of necessity. It’s the kind of thing that happens to kids of addicts. After the age of ten, I was mostly on my own. I had no choice but to grow up.
He tilts his head and presses his lips together, contemplating me. But I ignore the scrutiny. Instead, I retreat to the bathroom, where I gather my remaining belongings.
“What about you?” he calls.
“What about me?” I ask, holding my toothbrush in front of my mouth.
“What do you do in LA?” He laughs, though it’s the nervous kind. “Oh my god, please don’t tell me you’re a famous model or an actress and I’m an idiot who doesn’t know who you are.”
I finish brushing my teeth, grab my bag, exit the bathroom, and think about fucking with him, then decide against it. “I’m a writer. Well, a wannabe writer.” I frown. “And definitely not famous.” Although I have been photographed by paparazzi while out with Tyler.
“What do you mean, wannabe ?”
“I am writing. A book, actually. But that doesn’t pay the bills. Not yet, at least. So I moonlight as a freelance editor. And I’ll probably have to pick up another job when I get home.” Even if I work two paying jobs, I’m not sure I can afford my own place.
“What is your book?—”
“Hey.” I cut him off. I’m not in the mood to get into the nitty gritty. “What time is it? We should get back to the dock, yeah?”
With a frown, he throws his legs over the side of the bed. “Yeah, sure.” He strides to the bathroom, buck naked, and closes the door.
Cam’s mood changes somewhere between the hotel and the dock. I barely know him, so it shouldn’t bother me so much that he’s gone quiet and contemplative, but it does. He owes me nothing. And wasn’t I the one avoiding intimacy by faking sleep last night?
“Are you okay?” I ask, rolling and stretching my wrist. Oh yeah, it’s definitely sore this morning. But hella worth it. “Are you worried about seeing your ex? At least there’s only one more day left.”
Thank fuck I only have to share one more sleep with Tyler. Hey, maybe Hayden and I can switch. Yeah right.
Cam shifts in the taxi until he’s facing me, his lips downturned. “We shouldn’t have done that.” He drops his attention to his lap, fiddling with the hem of his board shorts .
Okay, I did not see that coming.
“We just broke up with our partners.” Now he keeps his gaze averted and his voice low. “It was reckless. I kind of feel like I took advantage of you. We were both in shitty places last night. I’m sorry.”
“Excuse me?” I ask, my voice a little too loud for such a confined space. Is this like buyer’s remorse or something?
Sighing, he finally makes eye contact again, but the pitying look does nothing but fire me up.
“Joey,” he tries again. “What we did last night was, um, completely gratifying, but we just—I just,” he corrects himself, “shouldn’t have jumped in so suddenly. We were angry and not in our right minds. Plus, we don’t even know each other.”
I grind my teeth and look out the window. I can’t deal with another man directing my life right now. I have enough shit to deal with when I return to California. Cam and I slept together, sure, but it was a hot and impulsive hookup. That’s it. Why is he making it so complicated?
We’ll never cross paths again, so I should blow it off and move on, but his words irk me, nonetheless.
I turn to him. “You know what?” My nostrils flare. “Fuck you.”
He jerks at my harsh words and his mouth drops open.
I said what I said. I’ve been a coward for too long, and I refuse to be that girl any longer. “Don’t pretend like you’re some goddamn gentleman now.” My blood is boiling. “Not when you were pulling my hair and spanking my ass not twelve hours ago.”
“Jesus—” he starts, eyeing our driver. His ears go pink and his eyes are wide.
I don’t care. Lifting my chin, I stare him down, and when the cab pulls up to the curb in the next instant, I swing open my door. “Thank fuck I’ll never see you again, Cameron . Good luck with your boring career and future pearl-wearing, vanilla wife . ”