Chapter 1 - Flora #2
He sighed again and ran a hand through his shaggy hair. It was getting long. He had confessed to her that he was growing it out before he joined the military. As soon as he left next month, they would cut it short, but right now it was long enough that it nearly covered his eyes.
Flora reached up to brush a piece of hair away from them so she could look into his deep blue eyes.
In the darkness, they looked nearly black, but when the light of the lantern hit just right, she could see the depths of sapphire in them.
They were beautiful, just like the rest of him.
Camden was like a Greek god, which always made Flora feel like a mountain troll.
They were mismatched in every way, but when he looked at her, she could almost forget how unworthy she was of his attention.
But tonight was different. Camden was usually cool and collected, but tonight there was a sadness in his eyes that worried her.
“Are you okay?” she asked.
“Totally,” he said, flashing her another million-dollar smile. But it didn’t quite reach his eyes. He seemed uneasy and kept shifting from one foot to the other. Something was on his mind that he clearly didn’t want to talk about.
“You haven’t convinced me,” Flora said. “Come on, you can tell me anything. You know that.”
“I know I can, but there’s nothing to talk about,” he said, the sadness creeping back into his eyes.
Flora grabbed his hand and led him to the fallen log they used as a bench.
As she sat down, Camden pulled a thick quilt out from a hidden box and spread it across the ground.
He sat down facing her, and without thinking, she leaned forward and began playing with his hair. He closed his eyes and sighed again.
“You know what we should do?” he asked. “Instead of talking about what’s wrong in our lives, we should focus on just…feeling better.”
“What did you have in mind?” Flora asked.
Camden reached up and cupped her cheek in his hand, pulling her face down toward his own.
Her heart stuttered as their lips touched.
Their kiss deepened, and she slid off the log and into Camden’s lap.
He welcomed her there enthusiastically, and before she knew it, their clothes lay in a heap on the blanket.
Their bodies were a tangle of limbs as their hands searched each other, feeling the heat of their passion mixed with the cold night air around them.
“Are you sure?” Flora asked.
She had never done anything like this before; had never been with anyone, let alone the boy she was starting to fall for. She felt unworthy of his attentions, too ordinary for her first time to be with someone like Camden.
“Yes,” he growled against her neck. “I need this.”
***
When they were finished, Flora felt like she was soaring.
It hadn’t been nearly as uncomfortable or painful as she had been led to believe, and she was glad her first time had been with Camden.
She felt as though everything had changed.
That she might finally get to live her life by his side instead of being relegated to the shadows.
“Cam,” she said, daring to use his name. “I need to tell you something.”
“Hmm?” he asked absentmindedly. His arm was around her as they lay on the blanket, his eyes closed as his fingers trailed along her shoulder.
“I’m falling for you,” she said quickly before her voice had the chance to fail her. “I want more of this…whatever this is…. I want to be with you, all the time.”
Camden’s fingers paused against her skin. Flora’s chest tightened. She hadn’t intended to ruin the moment, but to prolong it. His silence worried her, so she leaned up to get a view of his face. When she did, she saw that his jaw was tight. He eyed her warily.
“I know that navigating pack dynamics would be tricky,” she clarified. “Being a human…I know that is a problem. But I think, together, we can make it work. I’m willing to give it a try.”
“I’m not.”
His declaration took the wind out of her.
“What?” she asked feebly.
He rolled away from her and began to put his clothes back on. His movements were angry, fierce, and frightening. She clutched her own clothes to her chest, suddenly ashamed of her nakedness.
“What did you think this was?” Camden spat. “Did you think you and I were going to live happily ever after? That I ever thought of you as someone I could be seen with in public? No. I will never be with a human. Especially not a desperate one like you.”
This second, more definitive punch to the gut rendered Flora completely silent. Tears welled in her eyes as he gathered the last of his things and walked away, not looking back.
She knew he wouldn’t be coming back to their meeting place, but every Tuesday, she showed up, anyway.
It was foolish to hope he would have changed his mind, but Flora couldn’t abandon her feelings.
They filled her thoughts every day, and her dreams each night.
The memory of his rejection was burned into her like a brand.
All she wanted was the chance to talk to him and make him see that her humanity was a problem they could overcome. If only he would give her the chance.
But three weeks later, he left for military training. He would be gone for two years at least. Flora knew she wouldn’t ever get the chance to talk to him about how they had left things. She was dead to him now.
And then the real catastrophe hit. Flora was pregnant.