Chapter 25
When I told Camille I’d be her bodyguard, I was only partially kidding.
Now that someone followed her, it’s hard for me to leave her side.
I can’t even blame it on alpha protective instincts.
I just can’t stop thinking about what could’ve happened if she hadn’t gotten away from the alpha stalking her.
Nightmare scenarios play on repeat whenever my mind wanders.
Which is why I’ve spent the night at her house four times in the past week.
Ambrose stayed the other three, equally concerned but not as outwardly unchill about the whole thing as I’ve been.
River is struggling too. To make up for not spending the night, he’s walked her home from work every day.
We all want to ask Cami to come stay at our house, but don’t want to push her to accept more from us than she already has.
While I’m worried for her safety, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t happy she’s spending time with us in person again. I’ve missed being around her so damn much. And no, not because of the sex.
Although…I’ve missed that too. Still miss it, since I’ve slept on her couch each time I’ve stayed over.
There’s no way I’m using this situation to take advantage of Camille.
She wasn’t ready to be intimate before the stalker, so I keep my kisses as chaste as I can.
I keep my hands from wandering across her plush body too much when we hug.
It’s hard. Literally. I’ve had to hide my permaboner with a lot of pillows.
When Camille answers the door tonight, her cheeks are flushed and there’s a shine in her eyes like she went for a run or had a good fuck. She tugs me in for a hug, and I see over her shoulder that she’s not alone.
River is sitting on her couch, looking equally flushed.
I give him a look that says, “Did I interrupt something?” and he shakes his head with a small smile, carding a hand through his hair. I don’t know if I believe him, given the boner pillow in his lap and the fizzle of arousal I get when I open myself up to his end of the bond.
“What have you two been up to?” I ask, waggling my eyebrows and grinning at Camille as she pulls back.
Her blush deepens. “River offered to help me work on resisting alpha barks some more.”
“She’s getting pretty good at it,” my packmate says, standing and holding his hands conspicuously in front of his crotch.
My smile broadens. “That’s amazing, Cami! Can I see a demonstration?”
Her expression flickers, and I mentally kick myself for saying the wrong thing. “Uh, sure.”
I squeeze her shoulder and shake my head. “You’re allowed to say no, gorgeous. I can be a dumbass and not think before I speak sometimes.”
“I know it’s hard to resist his charms, but he’s right.” River moves over to her side and smirks at me. “Especially about the being a dumbass part.”
“Hey!” I scowl at him, playing up my indignance when Camille laughs.
“He’s not,” she says, shaking her head at River, then going up on her toes to kiss my cheek. “You’re not.”
Warmth spreads across my body from where her lips touch my stubbled cheek. It makes me want to pull her into my arms and carry her to her nest and spend the rest of the night there, holding her. River could come too. We wouldn’t have to do anything sexual. Or we could. If she wanted.
Shit, I’m getting hard. Down boy.
“I should go,” River says, looking between me and Camille with a glimmer of sadness and longing in his eyes. It makes me want to hug him, too, and I decide to go for it because we’re turning a new leaf with our pack, and he needs reinforcement that we care and want him to stick around.
His eyes widen, and he takes a half step back as I open my arms to him. I roll my eyes at him, trying to downplay the stab of rejection. “Since when do you not want me to hug you, dude?”
River’s face floods with color. “Sorry, I don’t want to feel your massive hardon pressing against me.” Embarrassment surges from his end of the bond.
So much for trying to make him feel supported. I let out a loud laugh, and make a show of adjusting myself. “Whoops, my bad. But thanks for calling it massive. That means a lot coming from a guy whose mate has a horse cock.”
Camille shakes her head at our nonsense, a small line forming between her brows as she surveys us. River scoffs at me and turns to her, stepping closer but waiting for her to decide what kind of goodbye she wants to give.
His eyes widen again when she pulls him down for a kiss. I know I shouldn’t stare at them, but damn, they look good together. Their lips part slowly, and River murmurs a soft “thank you,” which has our omega’s perfume rising.
He barely spares me a glance, giving me a quick “night, Jackson,” as he heads for the door. Camille watches him go, a longing similar to what I saw in River’s gaze earlier written across her features. But when she turns to face me after locking the door behind him, her smile returns.
“I ordered pizza if you’re hungry. You like sausage and peppers, right? I should get changed, and I need to work on a few emails, but they won’t take long, and then you’ll have my undivided attention.”
My chest squeezes like it always does when I’m around Camille.
“You remembered my favorite,” I say, unable to hold back my pleased smile that she paid attention when I rambled about the merits of different pizza toppings the other day.
I pull her to me, leaning down to press my lips to hers.
There’s a hint of River’s dark chocolate scent lingering on her skin, and the combination of it with her coffee makes my mouth water.
“Mmm, maybe I want to have you for dinner,” I murmur when our lips part, forgetting about needing to let her set the pace.
Her eyelashes flutter, eyes growing hooded as her perfume blooms between us. “I…”
I go to apologize, but stop when her mouth presses against mine, more insistent this time. With a groan, I grab her hips and kiss her back, opening when her tongue seeks entrance into my mouth.
Little whimpers escape her between strokes of her tongue against mine, her hands fisting the back of my shirt.
I tug her closer, slotting my leg between her thighs, and earn a full moan, which I drink down greedily.
She rocks against my thigh, kissing me until I’m lightheaded and dizzy from need, and she’s gasping and panting against my mouth.
She’s going to come like this, and it’s so fucking hot that I’m about to blow my load in my jeans. She’s so close…
Camille pulls back, and I almost fall over at the loss of contact.
“Shit, sorry!” I don’t really know why I’m apologizing, but it’s reflexive.
She shakes her head, eyes still sparkling with heat. “Don’t be sorry! I got a little carried away.” She laughs, giving me a sheepish look as she smooths down her mussed hair that I didn’t even realize I’d tangled my fingers in during the kiss.
“Did it seem like I minded?” I rasp, voice still thick from being moments away from coming and her scent in the air.
A shy smile spreads across her lips. “No, but…I…I don’t want you to think I’m taking advantage of you.”
I blink back at her, baffled. “Help me out, Cami. In what universe would us kissing and you coming on my thigh be taking advantage of me when I’m an enthusiastic participant?”
She shakes her head. “I know, but you told me you worry people want you for sex and nothing more, and jumping you five minutes after you get here doesn’t exactly help to not reinforce that.”
A startled laugh falls from my lips. This considerate, wonderful omega. “That’s the sweetest, most ridiculous thing you’ve ever said.”
She glares at me, but I tug her to me, and she releases a soft giggle as I nuzzle my cheek against her throat to scent mark her. “I’ve spent the past week on your couch, hard as a rock while I listen to you get yourself off in your nest. That’s not the behavior of someone using me for my body.”
Her breath hitches, and she looks up at me, wide-eyed. “Oh god, you could hear that?”
“Yeah. It was torture,” I groan, brushing my lips against her throat and savoring the way her breath stutters again. “But you know I like that from you, so take all the time you need. I’ll be here whenever you’re ready to take advantage of me.”
She laughs, sounding breathless as she steps back, biting her lower lip as she gives me a once-over, like she’s trying to decide how best to use me.
I strike a pose, and she laughs harder, smacking my shoulder playfully. Her phone pings with a notification, and she glances at it. “Pizza will be here soon.”
“Good, I’m starving. Why don’t you go get changed, and I’ll handle the delivery person?”
I try to sound casual with the suggestion, but we both know I’m being protective. I doubt anyone would pretend to have a delivery to get to her, but that doesn’t keep me from wanting to be the one to answer just in case.
I’ve gotten the pizza from the delivery guy—who I’m not sure if I was imagining had weird vibes or not—and set out drinks and plates on the coffee table by the time Camille returns.
She’s piled her hair atop her head in a messy bun and is wearing an oversized pair of sweatpants I think belong to Ambrose and a cropped t-shirt that shows off a delicious sliver of her soft stomach.
I let out a whistle of appreciation, which earns me a skeptical huff and a slight blush from the omega. She has her laptop in her hand and looks between me and the pizza with a sigh. “Please go ahead and eat. I need to get this work stuff done.”
I nod and grab a slice, understanding from my experiences with Camille that if I protest and wait to eat, it’ll stress her out. Plus, I need something to do with my mouth other than putting it on hers again.
She opens her laptop and gets to work, cocking a brow at me as I moan at the hot, cheesy, meaty goodness when I take my first bite. I waggle my eyebrows back at her, and she snorts and focuses back on her screen.