Chapter 10
TEN
Meyer
“Hey!” Camden greets as he appears around the side of my house.
I frown. “What are you doing here?”
“Good to see you, too,” he says sarcastically.
“Sorry, I just…wasn’t expecting to see you.”
“Right, well, that’s not surprising since you were supposed to meet me in town for lunch an hour ago.”
“Shit!” I hiss.
“Yeah. I got worried and wanted to make sure you were okay. Obviously, you’re not.”
“I’m fine,” I snap.
His smile drops. “Clearly.”
I look away and continue spreading the mulch around my new flower bed.
“I like what you’ve done with the place,” he comments.
“Shut up.”
“Seriously, dude. What’s wrong?”
“I got into a fight with my neighbor.”
“Property line shit?”
“We were together…kind of. She was the blind date you set me up on.”
“Really?” he asks in surprise.
“You didn’t know who you set me up with? You know it was only supposed to be a blind date for me , right?”
“Smartass.” He laughs. “I didn’t set up the date. I was going to find you someone, but Lymric came home from girls’ night and said she’d found you a date, so I let her set you up.”
“Oh.”
“So, the date went well? Or no?”
“The date went well, and the next one. It was…” I trail off because I’m not even sure how to finish that sentence.
Do I say it was me? An argument? Do I tell him anything at all? Maybe he can help me with her. He and his girl Lymric seem happy together after all.
“It was me. I messed things up.”
“Yeah, I figured as much. What did you do?”
“I was…myself.”
“Oh, yeah, that would’ve done it.”
“Fuck you.”
He laughs. “I’m teasing. What did you do for real? Tell me, and I’ll help you fix it.”
“I didn’t tell her stuff.”
“What kind of stuff?”
“Anything.”
“Okay, interesting choice. Can I ask what exactly that means and why you did it?”
“I’m not used to talking. I’m not good at it.”
“I’m aware.”
“I didn’t answer her questions the way she wanted me to.”
“And she got mad about it?”
“Yeah. Said it felt like she was pulling teeth or nagging me to tell her things.”
“Okay.”
“And she’s probably right.”
“Probably?” He arches an eyebrow.
I sigh. “She’s right. I just…Dammit, I’m not used to any of this.”
“I know it can be a steep learning curve. I almost messed things up with Lymric when we met, but she’s important to me, and I was willing to do whatever it took to make it work with her.”
“So, what do I do now?”
“Depends on how you feel about her. What do you want out of this?”
“I…”
“How do you feel when you’re with her?”
“Good.”
“Uh-huh… I can see what your girl was talking about,” he mumbles.
“Camden,” I growl.
“And how do you feel without her?”
I scrub my hands down my face. “Like shit.”
“Sooooo,” he says, drawing the word out and making me want to punch him in the throat.
“Fuck,” I groan.
“What do you want?” he asks, determined to make me say it.
“I want her. I just want her.”
“Go get her tiger/” He claps me on the back. “We’ll grab lunch on a different day. And you can buy.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
I look at Jade’s house as he heads back to his truck. I know she’s home. She got back from work an hour ago, and I watched her walk inside. I hoped she’d come over to my place, tell me she overreacted and wanted to be with me, but no such luck.
It’s on me to fix this. I’m the one who messed it all up.
I take a deep breath and stalk across our yards, closing the distance quickly. I knock on the door, my heart beating out of control as I wait for her to answer.
Shit, I should’ve waited. I should’ve thought about what I wanted to say and practiced it.
I almost run back to my house, but the door swings open, and Jade’s beautiful, stormy eyes bore into mine.
“I love you,” I blurt out.
We stare at each other in shock.
Fuck.
“That is not what I thought I was going to say.”
She blinks.“ What did you think you were going to say?”
“I have no idea.”
“Okay, well, why don’t I head inside, and you can rework all of this? We’ll try again later,” she says, closing the door in my face.
Shit.
I knock again.
She opens the door, eyebrow raised.
“I love you.”
“Mistake again?”
I shake my head. “It wasn’t a mistake the first time.”
I never thought I would tell anyone I loved them, and I certainly never dreamed it would go like this.
“I’m sorry, Jade. So sorry. I do trust you.”
She shifts on her feet and tucks her dark brown hair behind her ear.
“I’m not used to sharing…anything, but I want to try. With you. Only with you.”
“Are you sure?” she asks softly. “If this is going too much for you, I don’t think we should continue. Maybe we’re just too different.”
“We are, but that’s a good thing. I want you, Jade. Only you. There’s never been…there’s no one else. Never will be.”
“You can’t know that.”
“I can. I never wanted to be with anyone before you. I never wanted to try. Not until you.”
She studies me, and I hold my breath.
“Can you give me another chance? Let me prove it to you.”
A slight smile curves her lips as she crosses her arms over her ample chest. “How?”
“I’ll talk to you.”
“Hmm.”
“I’ll tell you how I feel. I’ve already started.”
“Have you?”
“I’ve told you I love you now twice.”
“Not really. Saying it was a mistake the first time cancels out the second time you said it.”
I shake my head. “It wasn’t a mistake. I never said it was. It counts.”
“Mmm, more like one and a half.”
“Fine. Here’s the second time.” I step closer. “Jade, I love you.”
“And you’re sure?”
“Positive.”
“Good.”
“Yeah?”
She smiles. “Yeah, because I love you, too.”
“Thank fuck.”
I don’t wait. Backing her through the door, I kick it closed behind me. I grab her—one hand sliding around her back, the other tangling in her hair—and slam my mouth down on hers.
This kiss isn’t gentle. It’s not slow. It’s everything I’ve been holding back. Every damn word I didn’t know how to say. All the frustration and longing and love I’ve been choking on since the day she moved in and turned my world upside down.
Jade melts into me instantly, her arms locking around my neck, and I groan against her mouth.
It’s like coming home.
Her lips are soft and warm, moving with mine like they were made for this. For us. Like we were always meant to find our way here, no matter how long it took.
She makes a soft sound—somewhere between a gasp and a sigh—and I swear it lights my blood on fire.
I tilt my head, deepening the kiss, and she clutches me tighter. Her fingers thread into my hair and tug, making me lose what little control I have left.
I kiss her like I’ll never get enough of her because I won’t. I already know it.
When we finally break apart, we’re both breathing hard, our foreheads pressed together, her eyes shining.
“You really do love me,” she whispers, her voice a little breathless.
I rest my hand on her cheek, brushing my thumb across her skin. “I’d tear the world apart for you.”
She grins. “Lucky for the world, I’m not going anywhere.”
“Good,” I murmur before I kiss her again—slow this time, but just as sure.
Because she’s mine.
And I’m hers.
And we’re just getting started.
“Now what?”
I smile. “Now we play a game.”
“What kind of game?”
“Twenty questions. Ask me anything.”
“Hmm,” she hums as her fingers toy with the hem of my shirt. “Favorite color?”
“Blue-gray, the same color as your eyes.”
She tugs the hem of my shirt a little higher.
“One place you want to travel to?”
“Alaska.”
I grab the hem of her shirt, and she raises an eyebrow.
“It’s strip twenty questions now,” I tell her, and she grins and lifts her arms over her head.
“What would you pick for your last meal?”
“Surf and turf.”
I tug my shirt off, and her eyes go hazy as she looks at my chest. My cock reacts as her fingers trail down my chest.
“Next question?”
She exhales shakily. “I’ve got to say, you being so open with me is a turn-on.”
“Yeah?”
“Oh, yeah. How about I save the rest of my questions for a little later?”
“Whatever you want, Jade.”
Jade grins as she pushes onto her toes and presses her lips against mine. I smirk as I kiss her back, lift her into my arms, and carry her toward her bedroom.
I think I’m going to love opening up to my girl, I think as we crash onto her bed.