SALT (Summer Nights)

19. Everett

Chapter 19

Everett

I felt like last night would never end. I knew I had made a mistake the second I let Cameron leave my office. I officially crossed a line, a big fucking line. I touched her. I put my mouth on hers, her soft curves molded into mine, and for those few fleeting seconds, my world ceased to exist, and all that was left was her. I felt like I had met my soul on her lips, and it rendered me speechless. I could have stayed with her like that forever, or at least it felt that way until my son called. I touched her, I kissed her, I met the other half of my damn soul, and then I let her go. But to my credit, and for as pompous as it may sound, I thought when I texted her she'd come home. The girl I kissed in my office waited for that kiss for years. It's what she wanted. She begged for it. I didn't understand why she didn't come home.

Of course I tracked her phone. I could see she was at Stormy's house all night, so when Lauren showed up on my doorstep around nine thirty p.m., I was conflicted as much as I was curious. Did Cameron know Lauren left to come over to my house? After thirty minutes and one drink, I was done guessing, so I texted Cameron to let her know. I thought out of all the texts, that one would have gotten a reply if not given her an immediate reason to come home. She doesn't have to say it. I know she doesn't like Lauren coming around, but I can't push her away. The more drinks we had, the more I learned. The last text I sent to Cameron was eleven thirty p.m., and it was at that time I checked her location again, but when I did, I got a surprise. She was home, or at least her phone was, which told me that Lauren had her phone. I wanted to demand a lot of things when I discovered that little nugget of information, but I didn't. Somehow, I managed to bite my tongue, and I'm glad I did.

The two-hour drive to the game gave me a lot of time to reflect on the conversations I had with not only with Lauren but my brother Garrett. As soon as I threw the car in park, I sent him a text.

Everett: I know what your theory is.

And as I walked into the stadium, I sent another.

Everett: Drinks tomorrow. My place.

Now that I'm home, visitors are the last thing I need tomorrow. Today was a nightmare from start to finish. I didn't want to leave Cameron the way I did this morning. I wanted to follow after her and demand that she hear me out, but I had to get on the road so that I was on time for the game. These games are a big deal for Connor and the organization he's built, and Lauren informed me last night that she knew of one scout that would for sure be at today's game. That's one potential placement for one of my guys.

When I turned the corner, I saw Lauren hand Cameron her phone, and as I backed out of the driveway rather than sit outside her door, I hoped when she calmed down and found the time to read my messages, she'd see that I tried. That I did, in fact, tell her about Lauren and hadn't set out to hurt her, and then the game happened. If there had ever been a day to start putting weight in synchronicity, today would have been it. As though the morning wasn't enough of a sign to stay away from Cameron Salt, the game this afternoon should have been. She's been the source of my torment since I got home, but watching Parker run to her, spin her around, and grab her ass before putting his mouth on hers only confirmed I am a glutton for punishment. I'd like to say I could walk away, that I could let her go, but that would be a lie. If it weren't, I wouldn't have stormed across the field this afternoon. Did I want to tear into Parker for his stunt on the mound? Yes, but my desire to kill him for touching what feels like mine was greater. It was she who pulled me across that field, not self-serving vengeance for him trying to pull rank over me. Which he'll more than pay for. Time and time again, it's her. It will always be her. It's been her for longer than I'll ever admit. I've noticed her because my soul always saw its other half. It just looked different before, but I'm good at pushing aside what I want. Shoving down my own desires is what I excel at. It's why I popped a sleeping pill before getting into this scalding hot shower in hopes of actually staying in my room.

We didn't talk on the drive home this afternoon, even though I had a million words. I couldn't. I was torn between yelling at her and pulling over on the side of the road and giving her every fantasy I've had since I watched her play with her pretty pussy. Neither option would have been appropriate, and I'm tired of saying and doing things with her that I fucking regret. If I touch her again, it won't be from a place of anger. She didn't attempt to speak either; I think she was emotionally drained like me. Not speaking to the only person you want to talk to is hard. Not kissing away the insanity is harder. But that's not us. We're not in a relationship. I can't kiss away madness or spend hours in the sheets correcting her bratty behavior because she's not mine. Not in the way I want her to be.

I shut off the shower and quickly dry my hair before heading to bed. The pill I took must be kicking in because my brain is muddled. Nothing makes sense right now; there is no reason to be awake. Nothing good can come from staying awake. That's the last thought I have before sedative-induced sleep takes me.

M y eyes jolt open, but my body doesn't move as my ears are acutely attuned to the deafening silence cloaking my room. I'm sure I heard something. What else could have woken me from deep sleep? I know it's not my thoughts; for once they are quiet. It's then I remember why I quit taking sleeping pills years ago. They make me groggy.

As my eyes lazily open and close, my mind drifts in and out of a dream state, and I convince myself that am indeed hearing noises. Nothing is real right now. The alarm is on, and Cameron is down the hall, safely sleeping in her bed. Miraculously, reassurances of her safety start to lull me back into a slumber until the bed dips beside me. I force my heavy lids open once more. Exhaustion from my lack of sleep over the past weeks has finally caught up with me, and now I'm hallucinating, or at least I thought I was. Until heat from a warm body envelops my back and the sweet scent of roses hits my nose.

"Cam—" I attempt to say her full name, but the weight of my tongue prevents me from doing so.

It doesn't matter anyway because my question is answered when lips press against my shoulder. "Are you expecting someone else?"

My heart starts galloping. This can't be happening. Of all the nights she could have decided to come to my bed, she has chosen this one. Finding my strength, I roll over. "Cameron, you can't be in my bed," I say sternly before my eyes land on her very exposed breasts, and I slam them shut. If I thought my heart was galloping before, it's full-on fucking sprinting now.

"Closing your eyes isn't going to make me disappear. I'm done slamming doors. I'm done not saying everything I want to say because I'm too scared to cross a line. I'm done walking away, believing it could be the last time, the one that pushes us to the point of no return, because the truth is, what scares me the most is never feeling again the way I feel when I'm with you."

Her words feel like they are literally ripped from my heart. Doesn't that mean something? Doesn't that mean this can't be wrong? How often do you find someone who can read the invisible ink on your soul? I've lived twice as long as her, and I can say she's the first. If she is my sin and my sin is my death, I will gladly die for her. My arm darts out, and I pull her naked body flush against mine, catching her off guard and making her gasp. God, she feels good. My head drops to the crook of her neck, and I inhale deeply, scared to open my eyes, fearful of changing my mind.

"Cameron… I don't want to let you go. You have to know that by now, but this… things will never be the same."

"Swear it."

"What?" I pull back and search her eyes for meaning.

"Swear things will never be the same because I don't want to go back. I only want to go forward. The only future I want includes you." Her hand comes up and caresses the side of my face. "I want you like this."

My mouth crashes to hers as my entire body hums with electricity. I've never felt more complete than I do right now, pressed against her skin to skin. My tongue dives deep the way I wanted to in my office as I drape my leg over her body, pulling her impossibly closer. Her hand slips around my neck and her fingers rake through my hair at the base, making every strand on my body stand at attention. Fuck, I'm only kissing her, and it's already everything.

I release her mouth, desperate to explore every inch of her. My lips trail across her jaw as my hand slides down her back, where I grab her bare ass hard. I'm extremely turned on and borderline pissed off that I'm only just now allowing myself this. Somehow time was stolen from me because it doesn't seem fair that I had to wait this long to find her. To have her.

"Ev," she pants as she grinds herself against my hard length.

I instantly roll her onto her back and settle between her legs, pinning my cock firmly against her slick core. "Is this what you want, sunshine?" I hover above her, our eyes locked as I run my tip through her folds.

"You have no idea how bad."

I drop down to my forearms. "You're wrong. I've wanted it just as badly, for probably just as long." I press myself against her hard. When her pretty mouth pops open, I steal a kiss, dipping my tongue in softly before pulling back and biting her lip. "Too bad you'll have to wait a little longer."

"What?" ardently rolls off her lips.

"I've wanted to taste you," I say as I pepper open-mouthed kisses down her chest before cupping one of her perfect tits and sucking her nipple into my mouth.

"Mmm," she moans loudly as her hips buck against my torso. I bite and tease her nipple, admiring how hard it gets for me before releasing it and thoroughly ravishing the other. With both nipples pert, I drag my tongue down the center of her soft stomach, peering up at her beautiful face framed by her perky tits, the ones I just had in my mouth. When I reach her pubic bone, her eyes find mine, and for the first time in my life, I don't look away. I've always looked away during sex. Sex has only ever been a carnal urge, a craving that needed to be satisfied, but not now. Now it's different. I'm vulnerable; I'm trusting her with something—something deep that comes from a place I'm not familiar with—but I know I never want to leave. As I dip my head, I place a closed-mouth kiss on her lips, my eyes never straying from hers before I run my tongue straight up her center. Her legs quiver as a whimper escapes her throat. "This can't be real. It feels too good, and you've barely touched me."

I loop my arms around her thighs. "Sunshine, in the morning, there will be no mistaking where I've been." Then I pull her flush against my face, my tongue spearing her tight pussy as my eyes roll back. Fuck. Her hand fists into my hair as I dip in as far as I can, desperate to taste her and make her feel good. The way her tight walls flutter around my tongue tells me she's not going to last. She's too worked up; like me, she's wanted this for far longer than this moment. I flatten my tongue and lick her straight up her center until I reach her tight little bundle of nerves and suck hard.

"Oh god… fuck." Her fingers tighten in my hair as she grinds her pussy against my face, chasing her orgasm.

"That's it, come on my face, sunshine," I say before spearing her with my tongue once more.

"Ev," she pants right before her orgasm hits, and her legs tremble. Her juices coat my tongue, and I greedily lap them up, so fucking turned on that they exist because of me. Once I've cleaned up my mess, I crawl up her body and take her pretty mouth long and slow. She came fast, but I don't want to rush through this with her. You only have your first time once. She pulls away from my mouth, her hand finding my jaw. "I want you inside of me. Please tell me that's on the table."

The second I made the conscious decision to pull her naked body flush against mine, it was on the damn table, but I need to be sure this isn't just years of pent-up of sexual tension. "Are you sure you won't regret this in the morning?"

"Regret is for things we don't do, not the things we've done." Her hand runs through my hair as her eyes study my face. "You have been all I've ever wanted for far too long."

"This is where I should say we should probably talk about last night, this afternoon, all of it, before we?—"

Her finger presses into my lips. "Not now. Sometimes words are gentle, and other times they're ugly; they have the power to change before our very eyes. They are deceivers, but this…" Her other hand drifts up my side, her delicate touch igniting a fire that heats my flesh and melts my bones. "This can't be faked."

"You're trying to kill me, aren't you?" I say as I gently kiss her lips, and my tip nudges her entrance, reminding me I'm bare. "Shit," I push up onto my hands and reach for my nightstand.

"What's wrong?"

"I need to get a condom."

Her legs wrap around my waist. "Please don't."

The last thing I need right now is an accident. "Cameron?—"

"I haven't been with anyone in over a year, Everett. I have an IUD, and I'm clean. I want to feel you…unless that's not what?—"

"Don't even think about finishing that sentence," I say as I settle back between her legs, my arms caging her in so she has nowhere else to look but at me. "You know I want the same thing. You've known it for years."

She thrusts her hips against me. "I don't believe you. A man that wants it just as bad as I do would already be inside of me."

I growl and rock against her clit hard before greedily taking her mouth one more time and saying, "Or maybe I'm not in a rush to make this a memory." I align my tip with her entrance, and her soft walls immediately pull me in. "My god, sunshine, you feel so good, and I'm not even all the way in." I push in a little further, and my cock twitches as a bead of pre-cum leaks from the tip. I'm not going to last. When she bites her lip, I pause. "What's wrong?"

She shakes her head. "Please don't stop."

I lay my forehead against hers. "Does it hurt?" She said she hasn't been with a man in over a year, which made me way fucking happier than it has any right too.

"Please," she pleads as her hand finds the back of my neck and she pulls my mouth onto hers. My mind momentarily struggles before I let it go and fall into her. I'm hurting her by going slow, by prolonging this moment that she's wanted for so long. I want to treasure it, and she wants to experience it. Both are beautiful. As our kiss grows hungrier with need and desire, I fully seat my cock, and we both groan loudly. I give her a second to acclimate to my size. I know she wants this, but I don't want to hurt her.

"I'm going to fuck you now, but if it hurts, you tell me to stop." She nods. "I'm going to need your words on this one, Cameron. You are too important to me."

"I'll tell you to stop."

I push up onto my elbows and widen my legs, digging my knees in as I pull back and push in slowly, once, then twice, admiring the way she molds around me. Fucking perfect, but it's when my eyes scan down her body to watch myself disappear inside of her that I go feral. My length glistening with her juices has me pushing in hard, desperate for more, her little mewls every time I bottom out only provoking me. With every thrust, she gets wetter, and the sound of our arousal, coupled with the smell of sex, permeates my room, only elevating my desire.

"Fuck, you're wet. I think this is my new favorite sound. Tell me you'll let me hear it more than once." My words have her clenching around my cock hard.

"Every day," she answers unequivocally.

I pound into her at a piston pace, unable to control myself. She's better than anything I ever could have imagined. There is no measure. Nothing could ever compare. This , right here, right now, erases anything that came before her. She is all I see. Her porcelain skin is already turning rosy, her soft lips swollen and reddened from the passion of our kiss. "You're really good at being bad, sunshine. I'm always going to want more of this, more of you." Her nails digging into my biceps as I thrust into her feel like a challenge. I want her to leave her mark. I want her to break my skin. I need the pinch of pain and the promise of a scar tomorrow to serve as a reminder that this wasn't a dream. Somehow, I fell asleep and woke up in a reality where she was mine. I thrust in hard, admiring the bounce of her breasts before pausing to hook my arm under her knee, bringing her leg up, and changing the angle to reach new depths. She whimpers as I push back in. "Is it too much? Am I hurting you?"

Her hands trail up my arms and wrap around my neck before beckoning my mouth with their pull. "You're so deep, Ev. No one has ever had me like this."

My cock twitches, her words making me feel things a man of my vintage surely should have felt by now. We may not be each other's first, and I probably won't be her last…

Fuck, why does that thought make my chest tight? I shove it down as her soft lips expertly mold with mine, and I slowly pump into her, desperate to hang onto what we have here and now because it's everything. Her words tonight have caught me off guard, every one speaking directly to my soul, especially those last ones. Her soft body beneath me, those ice blue eyes hooded with desire locked on mine, and the way I feel her pussy clenching around my length sends me barreling into my own release. I drop my forehead to hers, knowing I'm a few pumps away from making this a memory.

"If you still want me in the morning, you can have me."

"Always?" It's a question, not a confirmation, and I know exactly what she's asking me. She's asking for more than one night. She's asking for an us, but it's the longing in her eyes and the depth of her ask that sends me spiraling.

"You need to get there. Fuck, get there," I say as I slam into her, hitting my new favorite spot two more times before I feel her walls spasm around me, and I lose it. My head drops to the crook of her neck as I fade in and out and let go. She's it. This is it for me. It's her, or it's no one. I kiss her neck and pray. If it can't be this life, let it be the next.

T he rhythmic rise and fall of a warm chest and a heartbeat beneath my hand stir me awake. As my eyes adjust to my dimly lit room and the sun peeks through the slats of the curtains, I'm reminded that last night wasn't a dream. For a few hours, I was hers, and she was mine, and everything that never made sense suddenly did. My world felt whole in ways it never had as I worshipped her body for hours, memorizing every peak and valley and everything in between. Even now, her warm body molded against mine as I hold her while she sleeps, is an earthly paradise I never want to leave.

I gently let my thumb brush over the soft skin of her breast as I kiss her shoulder. There's no sneaking out of this bed. I'm not sure I would even if I could. Waking up wrapped around her is the only way I ever want to wake up. My leg is draped over hers, her body pinned flush against mine as my arm wraps up her middle. Even in my unconscious state, my heart knows what it doesn't want to lose. I let my eyes drift over her porcelain skin. My stomach knots with a mix of emotions when I see the pink marks from where I sucked and nipped her breasts countless times and the reddened patches where my beard blemished her milky white skin.

"Ev," she says groggily, as her fingertips slowly drag up my arm, leaving a trail of goosebumps in their wake. "Can we…"

"Everett." The sound of my name being called and the front door closing has us both momentarily freezing, unsure if what we heard was real. "Everett," Moira's voice grows louder as her heels click up the steps, and I dart out of bed like the damn house is on fire as Cameron pulls the covers over her head.

I've just pulled on my briefs when the knob to my door turns, and I rush to meet it as it opens. "Moira, what are you doing?" I demand, blocking her entry.

"I came to talk?—"

"You don't live here anymore. You can't just walk into my house," I interrupt the second it becomes clear this isn't an absolute emergency. Her eyebrows rise as the vexation in my voice catches her off guard, and she attempts to look past me, to which I lean into view, cutting off hers. I step toward her, pulling the door to my bedroom closed as I do. "I'm going to need that key back." I hold out my hand.

"Do you have someone in there?"

"The answer to that question has nothing to do with me asking for my key back. Our son is an adult who no longer lives in this house, and you are married to another man. You have no reason to have a key to my home."

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize you had someone in your bed. I didn't see a car outside."

Shit. I don't need her drawing conclusions about who is in my bed. "Did you ever drive anywhere when we were together?" I try to thwart off any further inquiries.

"You must like her if you're still in bed at noon on a Sunday."

It's noon? Fuck. I don't think I've slept in until noon since high school. Good thing our tournament started early this week. All games wrapped up yesterday, otherwise today would have been a game day I would have slept straight through. I keep my face impassive. "I'm not discussing my sex life with you." I hold out my hand. "Key," I demand once more.

She shakes her head and reaches into her pocket, handing me her ring of keys. "You put it on there. You can take it off." I quirk a brow, unsure where this sudden sentiment is coming from. This keyring is the same one I gave her the day I drove her here and handed over the keys to her dream house. Nothing I ever did was enough for her. I know now it couldn't be. I wasn't her person, but it doesn't make the sting of all those years hurt any less.

I take the key off the ring and hand it back. "You said you wanted to talk. What was so important you had to barge in unannounced?"

"Lauren Rhodes is back in town."

Seriously, this now! Of all the fucking times. To Parker's credit, Moira has been notably absent. It's why I haven't had a chance to address Lauren's claims with her. I should be the bigger person and state firmly what I know, but she just walked in my house and pulled me away from the only place I want to be. Not to mention, she fucking lied to my face for over a decade.

"Yeah," I say slowly. "This isn't news. Lauren and your niece, Stormy, both work at the stadium."

I know damn well Stormy isn't related to Moira. Lauren said as much, and I confirmed it, but it's a solid segue into the other conversation I want to have.

"Niece?" Her eyes widen. "Wait… back up." She brings her fingers to her temples. "Did I hear you right?"

"Yes, your niece, Stormy. She's been working at the stadium for weeks now."

Technically, I'm not one hundred percent piggybacking off Lauren's tale. It was Moira's name that rolled off Stormy's lips when she strolled into my office, catching me off guard. I had just finished practice when she knocked on my door and said Moira had sent her up and that I would find a job for her at the stadium for the summer. I wasn't in charge of hiring any of the staff. That was done before I stepped into Connor's role. It wasn't until Lauren asked me who hired Stormy that I realized her deception. The discovery was another detail that corroborated her story that she didn't know what Stormy was up to in her scheming. It also told me that Evan gave Stormy information about our family because Lauren wouldn't have known to tell Stormy to use those words when she saw me. Moira and I have worked together on side projects our charity work has brought to our door for years. We've discretely helped domestic violence victims find sanctuary and jobs while trying to start over. My initial thought was Stormy was another one of those individuals. I assumed I had an email in my inbox waiting to be read from Moira detailing who she was.

"Everett, this is all news to me."

"I can see that. How about we take this to my office?"

Her eyes trail down my body. "Did you forget you're still in your underwear?"

"Nope. I'm very aware. I'll swing by the laundry room on the way down."

After throwing on a pair of athletic shorts and a T-shirt, I enter my office to find Moira perusing my shelves. For the most part, the house is the same. I was never home enough after our divorce to care to change things aside from the two rooms I spend all of my time in: the master and my office.

"I didn't know you were a collector of first editions."

I close the door behind me. "I'm not. That's Damon's collection."

"Oh." She's quiet as she stares at the books. "How's Cameron? I know this time of year is never easy for her."

Damon's crash happened weeks after Cameron's seventeenth birthday. She's never truly celebrated a birthday since. The entire month, she's typically somber. The closer we get to the anniversary, the quieter she grows, choosing to reflect in silence and be alone. However, every year, her grief changes. I wouldn't say that time has healed her pain; healing only comes when we are ready for it, but time has taught her how to cope.

"Working at the stadium has helped busy her mind, but I guess we'll see how the next few days go."

She crosses the room and sits in one of the leather armchairs. "Well, maybe you can talk her into visiting Mackenzie that week. They've grown close over the past year and getting away from this place would be good for her."

I clench my jaw, not because her idea is bad but because the last thing I want to do is send her away to grieve in someone else's arms, but I'd gladly do it if I knew it would bring her peace.

"Then we wouldn't have anyone to run the shop."

I don't make the comment to be inconsiderate of Cameron, but rather, I want to get back to the reason we are here. Lauren Rhodes and Stormy.

"Are you saying you don't trust my niece to run the store alone?" She rolls her eyes. "Come on, Everett. We were married for over twenty years. Do you really think I would keep a secret niece from you? I can't believe you fell for that."

I was just about to sit down, but now I need a drink. "You managed to hide a nephew from me for almost half that time."

I can't help the way my anger rises with her silence. Silence is acceptance. Evan Graves is, in fact, her nephew. She knew, and she didn't tell me.

"Everett," she says my name with a sigh. "I've never told anyone. Kipp doesn't even know. It was a secret I planned to take to my grave." With my cognac poured, I turn to her, my expression bemused. I may not have been the love of her life, the man she wanted to marry, but out of all the things I could be, the keeper of her secrets was undoubtedly one of them. Secrets are what brought us together to begin with, but I suppose I should have known better. Secretive people have secrets, little ones that grow into big lies. "Who wants to find out their father was a monster? I thought by not telling him, I was saving him a world of hurt. If Evan found out his father was a rapist, the dark cloud that already lingers over him would only get darker. In my opinion, that truth would not set him free. If anything, it would hold him captive."

Evan's truth is one thing. I can sympathize with her reasoning, but she's leaving out something else. She had a damned sister too. "And what about Sage, Evan's mother? What was the reason you didn't tell me the truth about her?"

Her eyes drop to her hands. "By the time I figured out who either of them was to me, we were going through our divorce, and I was tired," her voice breaks as she stands and heads toward the window. I'm sure finding out there was actual fire behind the smoke rumors of her father's infidelity created wasn't an easy pill to swallow. All those years ago, people believed Lauren Rhodes was her sister, born out of an affair. It turns out she wasn't, but someone else was. "I already could never repay you for all the debts I owed. You'd given up so much by the time I discovered the truth, I kept it to myself. I was done being your burden, a mess you had to clean up, a person you had to protect."

I understand that, and if she had told me, I would have taken those words to my grave. I'm sure there's more there, but I don't care to dig into it. What's done is done. We can't rewrite our history. "It's in the past," I say as I grab the baseball sitting on my desk.

She pushes a strand of hair behind her ear. "I can't believe you hired Lauren."

I quickly abandon the ball to reclaim my drink. "I didn't. Your son did. You've been out of town a lot lately." She averts her gaze. It's such an obvious tell, one I'm currently grateful for because while she's in the mood for giving up her indiscretions, I ask, "What business do you have with Chad Hailsop?"

Her hand covers her heart. "How do you know about that?"

"Parker, he thinks you are cheating on his father," I say indifferently as I take a drink. "Does Kipp know?"

She nods. "Yes, Kipp knows."

"Well, maybe you should consider talking to Parker and Elijah sooner rather than later."

"We planned on telling them at the end of the month." Her eyes find mine. "You know I hate asking you this. I've always hated asking you this… Promise you won't say anything."

My eyes intently hold hers, ensuring she feels the depth of their irony. "Have I ever said anything?" It's curt and lands its mark. "Moira, I think it's time to go. I do have a guest I need to see out, and I'd rather not have my ex-wife in the house when I do it."

Her hand tightens around her purse. "Right, I forgot about that." Reaching into her pocket, she pulls out her keys. "I'll see myself out."

For the first time in over twenty years, I watch Moira walk away and feel nothing. I don't feel the need to dig, pry, or save her. We can tell ourselves we've moved on all we want, but until we can look at them and feel nothing, it's only a wish.