3. Cameron
three
Cameron
Of course he’s not here.
Irritation sizzles in my stomach as I glance around the bougie-ass Italian restaurant Romero suggested we meet at.
Before I step foot into our shared living space, my agent set up a dinner for the two of us to settle this beef once and for all.
Coach Anson was serious when he said he wanted us bunking together. I am not looking forward to spending the next couple of weeks with a guy who created a narrative in which I’m the villain. He needs to cut the shit and move on.
I’m too old for his games.
We are too old to let the past get in the way of our careers. The Evaders come first, and winning the World Series this season is all I want. So … I’m here, ready to put it all behind me.
With a growl, I march to the bar, grabbing the lone empty seat. When the bartender arrives, I order a seltzer, even though I wish it was a glass of whiskey. Alcohol is out of the question. I’m in season now, and there is no way I want to drop my guard when Romero shows up.
The bartender drops my soda with a nod and walks away.
Shoulders slumped, I sip my drink, waiting for my rude-as-fuck teammate to arrive. It’s been one hell of a week, and I’m tired. All I really want is a burger and a good night’s sleep .
I heard from my agent that Romero moved into the house with some woman while I’ve been in Oregon celebrating my brother Mason’s nuptials.
Mason went and married his long-distance girlfriend only weeks after reconciling. How quickly they moved was a little shocking at first, but if you knew how much my brother loves his new wife, Emery, you wouldn’t be surprised. After realizing he was a complete and total dumbass for breaking up with her, Mason sold his house and moved north, coincidentally to the same town my older brother, Jace, and his wife, Rylann, live with their two kids.
Being the best brother, I razzed his ass for being a simp. It’s who I am. The grump didn’t even bother fighting with me over it. Mason’s the happiest I have ever seen him, and that is all I want for him.
The wedding was small. I had a great time getting to see my family before the season starts and I travel for the next eight months. I love hanging out with my family, especially my nephew, Rhys. My chest aches as I think about how much he’s grown in the last two years. He’s eight going on eighteen, and I like to think his newfound love of baseball is my doing.
Pulling out my phone, I bring up the text from my big brother, Jace, and scroll through the photos he sent me of Rhys wearing the Jersey I gave him for his birthday. My nephew is looking over his shoulders at the camera with the biggest grin on his face, as he lifts his arms in a muscle-man gesture. Miller is proudly spelled across his back.
“Cute kid,” a sweet, melodic voice to the left of me says.
My eyes find the owner, and I’m struck dumb as silver-gray eyes bore into mine.
Her lips part on a gasp and form a perfect little O. My mind immediately jumps to visions of those pretty pink lips wrapped around…
Fuck me. How did I miss this drop-dead gorgeous pixie sitting at the bar next to me ?
My pulse races, and my cock twitches behind my zipper as my eyes sweep over her body, devouring every inch of her. She looks petite sitting in the high-back bar chair, but there is no mistaking her tight waist, curvy hips, and thick thighs. She has her raven black and softer than silk looking hair twisted into an intricate braid over her shoulder.
A simple blue sundress molds her body like skin and accentuates her perky tits. Strappy sandals lace across her feet and ankles, and damn, what I wouldn’t give to see her legs wrapped around my waist as I drove deep inside her lush body.
Clearing my throat, I pull a sentence together. “Thanks. He’s my nephew.”
“I can see the resemblance. He’s adorable.” She stares at the photo of Rhys in awe.
“Does that mean you think I’m adorable?” Why on earth would you say that, you idiot?
She lifts her small fist to her mouth, trying to hide the smile pulling at her lips. I don’t miss the way her eyes sparkle and her cheeks flush at my blatant flirting.
Okay, maybe that wasn’t as bad a line as I thought.
“That was a horrible line.”
“We’ll see.”
“Does your nephew play baseball too?” she redirects the conversation.
“Yeah. He started last year. He’s pretty good too.”
“Think he’ll go pro like his uncle?” Her question catches me off guard.
“You know who I am?”
She nods, and I force my body to lock down the cringe that wants to escape. Pushing back my shoulders, I give her a playful smirk—the fake-as-fuck smile I use on all the cleat chasers.
I’m not surprised she knows who I am. There are very few women, like my new sister-in-law, Emery, who don’t know I’m a professional baseball player. I wish not everyone did. What gets portrayed in the media isn’t real, and I don’t want this beautiful woman judging me based on what she’s seen in magazines.
“Yes, I know who you are.” She smirks and drags her tongue across her plump bottom lip.
Fuck, her lips are so shiny; all I want to do is kiss them.
Fuck it. A little harmless flirting won’t kill anyone. I could use a little distraction before dinner.
“Since you know who I am, why don’t you tell me who you are, or are we doing the whole ‘strangers meeting for a one-night thing’?”
“You’re horrible.” She rolls her eyes with a chuckle.
My cock twitches, coming to life for this sassy woman.
“I got you to laugh, so I can’t be too bad.” I give her a wink, and her cheeks flush a pretty pink. “Cameron, but my friends call me Cam.” I hold out my hand for her to shake.
She looks around the room as if afraid of being found. “I’m Talia.”
Interesting. Call me curious, but I need to know what that’s about. Is she waiting for someone? A boyfriend?
I watch in slow motion as Talia places her tiny hand in mine. Her skin is soft and warm, and I’m not ready for the electricity that snaps between our palms, sending us both jumping back at the same time.
What the hell was that?
Never have I ever experienced a sensation like that before. Strange . My skin is hot and tight as I try to shake off the unexpected jolt.
“Nice to meet you, Talia.”
“Nice to meet you, Cameron.”
“Call me Cam.”
“Oh. So, we’re friends, then?”
“We can be anything you want,” I tease. I’m only half kidding. She’s gorgeous. Too gorgeous. I’d break my new “no women during the season” rule for her. After all, some rules are meant to be broken.
“Stop.” She rolls her eyes again, but she can’t hide the pink in her cheeks.
I’m loving the way I’m getting to her. She’s unlike the women that usually hit on me when I’m out.
Okay, fine. She’s not hitting on me at all, but I think that’s what makes her so intriguing.
“So, if you’re not my friend, does that mean you’re my new stalker?”
“You caught me. I’m here to follow you around and steal your underwear from your drawer when you aren’t around. But I promise not to stalk you outside the locker room. Can’t have the other guys getting jealous.”
I bark a laugh at her playfulness. Hmm. Seems I like how she can keep up with me.
“I’ll make sure all my personal garments are clean for you. But, please, feel free to stand outside the locker room waiting for me. The other guys can fuck off. You’re my hot stalker.”
“Horrible.” She’s grinning now, and I can’t help my chest from puffing out like I’m the king of the world for receiving her light. “It’s not going to happen.”
She’s cute.
The fuck? Cute? What am I, in high school? She’s a woman. “Cute” is a piss-poor way to describe the angel sitting beside me.
“Didn’t think it would. A girl like you?” I deliberately run my eyes over her body again. I don’t miss the way her knees press together, bunching her dress in all the best ways. “You look too smart to be interested in an athlete like me anyway.”
“Still not working.” Talia rolls her eyes at me.
She needs to stop doing that, or my dick’s going to keep getting the wrong idea.
“Maybe I’ll just have to keep trying.” I shrug .
“Maybe.” She laughs and, fuck me, I want to hear her laugh again. The sound is sweet and melodious, and completely addicting. It sends my heart hammering in my chest.
“Are you from here?” I need to know more about her. A glance at her bare ring finger has me perking up a bit.
She shakes her head, taking a sip of her water. “Just visiting.”
“Interesting time of year to take a vacation. I mean, with the whole of Arizona being overrun by a bunch of baseball players, why come here?”
She grins like she knows something I don’t. “I came with—”
A commotion near the hostess stand pulls Talia’s attention away from our conversation.
Her smile slips as she mumbles, “Shit.” She shifts in her seat, looking uncomfortable.
“Problem?” I ask, curious about her squirrely behavior.
“Yeah, my sort of ex, or whatever you want to call the tool, just showed up.” She takes a nervous drink of her water, her hand shaking.
My hackles rise at the change in her demeanor. I look back, noticing a tall lanky guy with sandy-brown hair gesticulating with the hostess. The slimeball lays it on thick, giving the woman in front of him what he probably thinks is a smoldering smile but is rather a lecherous grin.
I hate slimy guys like that.
“Bad break up?”
“We only went on a few dates, but…” She bites her lip, and I can’t help staring at her mouth again.
“But what?” I ignore the urge to pull that juicy lip between my teeth.
“Ugh. I’ve never spoken to anyone about this,” she admits, tugging at her braid.
“You can tell me. I’m a vault.” I cross an X over my heart like a kid on the playground making promises. If that guy laid one finger on her, I might knock his teeth out .
She ducks her head and drops her voice. I tilt my head down to hear what she says next.
“Fine. I don’t know why I’m telling you, but I need to get it off my chest. That guy works with my brother. He asked me out, and he seemed … nice. We went out on a couple of dates. The last time, we went to a club for some event he was invited to for work. That night, he not-so-subtly hinted at us having sex. I flat-out told him it wasn’t going to happen. He said ‘cool’ and offered to grab us another round of drinks.”
“Why do I get the sense that I’m not going to like what happened next?”
Talia laughs, and the sound hits me like a line drive to the gut, stealing all my breath. Why does that keep happening?
“Because he’s a dirtbag.” She’s so casual, shrugging the incident off like this has happened before. How many pieces of shit like this guy has she dated? “Anyway, when Kyle—that’s his name, by the way—hadn’t returned to the table, I figured he got stopped by someone he worked with. It was getting pretty late, so I went looking for him. Turns out, he ditched me to find someone who would have sex with him. I caught him going at it with another woman in the back of the club.”
Okay, I’m definitely going to punch this fucker in the face. “What a fucking cheating douche.”
“Kyle is a douchebag, but he didn’t technically cheat.” Guys like that always get away with shit on technicalities.
Glaring at her, I respond to her asinine excuse. “Babe, he took you on a date. To me, that’s a verbal contract that you leave with the person who took you out on said date, unless there are extenuating circumstances.” I arch a brow at her.
She bites her bottom lip again, holding back a smile.
That’s my queue to continue, “Said verbal contract implies that he will also keep his dick in his pants and not put it in another woman’s pussy. ”
I regret using the word instantly. Now, all I can imagine is how tight and wet Talia’s pussy would feel wrapped around my cock. The big guy below tries to break through his jean jail.
Not now, you stupid dick.
“Sorry. That was crass. My mother would kill me for speaking like that in front of a lady.”
Talia throws her head back with a laugh, her body shaking as she breaks into a giggle fit. She wipes her watery eyes as she lays her warm palm on the back of my hand. “Oh. My. God. Thank you. I can’t remember the last time I laughed that hard.”
“It’s not funny, itty bitty.”
Where the hell did that come from? What kind of voodoo does this woman yield?
Ignoring the nickname, hoping she doesn’t think too much of it, I keep talking. Maybe she won’t notice. “That guy can fuck right off for doing that to you.”
She shrugs it off, taking a sip of what I assume is lemon water. “Still not cheating.”
To you.
“He’s a fucking idiot,” I grunt. It pisses me off that she’s not angry at being treated with such disrespect.
“Oh, and you’ve never left with a different woman you arrived with? You’re a baseball player. I know how you guys are,” she bites back.
Her sharp comment stings, but I get it. I know a couple of those guys myself. They will fuck anyone and everyone, so long as they get their dick wet. I used to fuck around, but I would never treat a woman so cavalier as to go off and fuck someone else while on a date with them.
“Sorry to disappoint, but no. If I pick a woman up for a date, I take her home. Whether we fuck is irrelevant. But if I meet her at a restaurant and she turns out to be horrible, I will leave money for her to take a cab home. That’s just good manners. ”
Talia’s chest heaves, and I can’t help staring at the tops of her breasts as she tries to gather her thoughts. “Well, that was … honest.”
I rip my gaze away from her perfect tits to her steely gaze. “I’m always honest. Especially with the women I take out.”
“Oh, you’re one of those guys.” She grabs her braid, fidgeting with the strands.
“What does that mean?”
She holds her hands up by her head. “You keep it casual .” She uses air quotes like I don’t catch the judgement in her voice. “Just so you know, when guys say things like that, it makes them sound like a manwhore,” she says, making me laugh again.
She’s funny. I should take offense. She’s basically calling me a walking herpes. But damn, that was a good burn. Besides, she’s only half right.
“Shoot. He’s coming this way,” she groans.
“Let me help you get rid of this dude.”
“Why?” Her head tilts to the side, exposing her neck.
So sweet and innocent .
A never-before sense of protectiveness washes over me, and I can’t stop myself from saying the next thing. “Because what he did was wrong, and he needs to know he missed out on getting to be with the most beautiful woman on the planet.”
Her eyes widen in shock, but she recovers quickly. “How do you plan on getting rid of him?”
Pulling her chair closer to mine, I turn her legs to the side, trapping them between mine.
This is a bad idea.
“Do you trust me?”
I watch her slender throat flex as she visibly swallows her nerves. She nods, but I need to hear the words. I run my hands up her arms before sliding my fingers up her neck and digging them into her hair. My thumbs run over her jaw as I tilt her chin up. She leans into my touch, sending my heart into cardiac arrest .
“Say it. I need to hear you say it.”
She hesitates for a fraction of a second. She grabs my wrists, unaware of my racing heart and the rush of blood in my veins. “I-I trust you.”
“I’m going to kiss you, then he’ll know you’ve moved on and will have no reason to bother you anymore.”
“Are we really doing this?” she whispers. Her lemon-scented breath fans across my face, sending the hairs on the back of my neck on end.
I run my nose along her jaw as excitement pools in my gut. I’m dying to know what she tastes like.
I lick my lips and nod. “Yes.”
We slowly lean towards each other, breathing in each other’s breath, before I press my lips to hers.
Sparks crackle between us, sending my stomach into a freefall of excitement. Kissing Talia is like getting on a roller coaster I never want to get off of.
Her lush lips open, and I take advantage, sweeping my tongue into her mouth. She tastes sweet and tart like the lemonade she’s drinking, and something distinctly her. I can’t get enough of it. I tilt her head, taking the lead, and she lets me.
She’s like butter in my hands as I deepen the kiss. It’s slow and deep. Innocent and lust-filled. This kiss is everything.
She meets me stroke for stroke in what is now the best kiss of my life.
Talia glides her small hands down my arms and over my shoulders, grasping onto them for dear life as we lose ourselves in each other. I think I could kiss this gorgeous woman all day, every day, and never tire of it.
“What the fuck?”
Talia and I break apart at the angry shout directed our way.
Like a bucket of ice water, Romero towers over us, fire burning in his eyes as he stares me down. He turns his anger on Talia, and I instinctively shield her with my arm .
“Can I help you with something, Romero?”
He growls like a feral animal. “You can help me by getting your fucking hands off my baby sister, Miller.”
“Excuse me?” I turn to Talia, hoping she says this isn’t true.
Instead, I find her with her hands over her face as she shakes her head.
Well, fuck.