15. Talia
fifteen
Talia
I slide on my white cropped tee and check myself out in the mirror one last time. Per usual, I tied my long black hair into my favorite mermaid braid, my makeup is light—a leftover from dinner with Nico—and I opted for a pair of wide-leg black jeans and sneakers. Simple and comfortable for slipping out of the house undetected.
I plop back onto the bed and glance at the clock for the hundredth time in five minutes. The time ticks by slowly as I wait for my midnight kidnapper to come and abduct me.
The house creaks, and my ears prick. I’m a little on edge as every snick of a door and flip of a switch has my heart jumping.
For the last three nights, Cam has come to my window to swoop me off my feet and sneak me away, but tonight my nerves are toast.
My dinner with Nico has left me paranoid. He took me to a fancy French restaurant to celebrate passing my boards and my last night in Arizona. It was great, but a few times, I caught him staring at me. Scrutinizing me like he suspects something is going on with me. I can’t put my finger on why, but something about tonight doesn’t sit well with me. My stomach churns, knots twisting my insides out.
Cam and I have been careful not to arouse suspicion, but Nico’s not an idiot. He’s asked me to go out with him every night and I’ve declined each time, telling him I was too tired or not interested. It’s not like staying home is a recent development for me. I’ve never been a partier. Going out to clubs has never held my interest. I’m more of a “stay at home and watch crap reality TV in my sweatpants” kind of girl.
Liar.
Fine. I enjoy leaving the house with Cam. He’s unique. He makes me want to take chances and live a little. I know it’s a disaster waiting to happen, but I can’t find it in my heart to stop seeing him.
My family means the world to me, but I can’t be this version of myself with them, only with Cameron. He makes me happy. When I’m with him, I’m free from the burden of having to be perfect. Free from the expectations of others. I get to be me.
Cam makes my worries disappear. Everything he touches turns to happiness. Me included.
With him, I live in the moment and nothing else matters. I know it sounds cheesy, but it’s true. Plus, he makes me laugh. I’ve never laughed with anybody the way I do with him. Our banter is off the charts, flirty, and fun. The heat between us is a wildfire waiting to strike and burn down everything that surrounds us. There is a ninety-percent chance someone is going to get burned.
I just hope it isn’t me because real life is about to hit us like a ton of bricks.
Cameron is a successful baseball player who travels six to eight months out of the year. He’s gorgeous and talented. Women throw themselves at him. He could have anyone he wants.
Me? I’m just a nurse who works sixty hours a week, lives with her mom, aunt, and cousins, and loves to hang out at home in her pajamas.
What can I possibly offer a man like him?
Chewing the inside of my cheek to the point of pain, I table my negative thoughts. Tonight is my last night here, and I don’t want to spend it worrying about the future. I just want to be with Cam, here and now. I want to relish his attention and his touch. I want to have fun and laugh. I want to be held by someone who cares about me, who looks at me with unbridled heat and desire.
Three taps to my windowpane have the butterflies in my stomach flapping their wings. I rush to the window and slide it open as Cam reaches through and pulls me to his body.
Our mouths collide in a searing kiss as my hands grip his shirt. Cam’s wicked tongue slides against mine in a delicious dance.
Damn, he’s such a good kisser. My knees wobble as I cling to him for balance. His kisses are a drug I want to consume, euphoric and addicting.
He breaks away first, resting his forehead against mine as I catch my breath.
Wow. That was some kiss.
Cam tilts my chin up with his index finger and grins. “It was.”
“I said that out loud, didn’t I?”
“Yeah, you did.” Cam chuckles, placing a soft kiss on my nose. “Do you still want to escape with me tonight?” he asks, giving me the power to say no and proving yet again that he’s a good man. He respects me.
My heart skips a beat as I answer without hesitation, “Yes.”
Cam grips my ribcage and lifts me through the window with ease. I wrap my legs around his waist—same as I do every night—as he slides the window closed and carries me across the deck and around the side of the house, as far away from my brother’s room as possible.
My hands roam over his broad chest to his back. I dig my fingers into his rippling trapezius muscles as he walks us to his waiting car. His strength still shocks me. I’ve never felt as delicate as I do when Cam carries me around. I can only hope he applies those same principles in the bedroom—bending me to his will and covering every inch of my petite body with his huge one.
“What are you thinking about, itty bitty?” Cam beeps the locks on his car .
My eyes snap to his unique hazels as I try masking my thoughts and the heat building between my legs from him.
He grins, wide and proud. “I see.”
“You do?” He can’t possibly know what I’m thinking.
Cam places me on the passenger seat and leans down, bringing us to eye level. “I do. You were feeling me up the entire walk to the car.” Cam leans in closer, his lips brushing mine. “With your legs around my waist, I could feel your pussy’s rising heat on my stomach.”
Fighting a moan, I clench my thighs. Cam and his dirty mouth slay me every time. My heart beats wildly and my lungs work overtime, trying to suck in oxygen.
Cam licks my lips, parting them easily as he plunges his tongue into my mouth in a ravenous kiss. He ends it way too quickly, leaving me needy and my body coiled tight. He shuts the door, and I watch as he adjusts himself with a wince and walks around the front of the car.
He slides in and looks at me. “Don’t look too proud of yourself, baby. I’m always hard when I’m around you.”
My jaw drops at his admission. Damn him and all his sexy goodness. Just when I thought we were on level playing ground, Cam blows me out of the water. He can’t possibly be hard for me all the time. Can he?
“Don’t look so surprised, Talia. You’re fucking hot, my sexy little pixie.” Cam shoots me a wink, starts the car, and drives off, leaving me reeling.
He thinks I’m hot?
Cam turns right, instead of left onto the road he’s taken the last few nights. He places his huge warm palm on my thigh, sending a wave of heat straight to my center. I fight back body shivers that are determined to give away the coursing need flooding my system at a simple touch.
“Where are we going?”
Cam keeps his eyes on the road. “It’s a surprise. ”
“I hate surprises,” I mumble, crossing my arms over my chest like a petulant child.
Cam’s grip tightens, kneading my thigh, his fingers inching closer to my aching core. “Duly noted. But for tonight, do you think you can trust me on this one? I promise you’ll like it.”
“Fine.” I cover the back of his hand with mine and thread my fingers through his. “I trust you.”
“Thank you.” Cam brings my hand to his mouth and places a tender kiss on its back. “Is there a reason you hate surprises?”
I love it when he asks me questions about myself, like he wants to know everything about me and what makes me tick. The guys I dated before never attempted to get to know me, let alone have my body react this way.
Those pesky butterflies flutter in my stomach again, confirming how special Cam is and how he makes me feel.
“Yes.”
“Care to share?”
“I doubt you’ll drop it, so I might as well just tell you.”
“You’re catching on quick.”
Cam glances at me, and because I know he likes it, I roll my eyes at him. He lets out a gruff laugh that hits me below the belt in a delicious wave of liquid heat.
“Are you done?”
Cam sobers up and nods.
“When I was thirteen, I lied to my mom and told her I was friends with the popular girls in my class. I just wanted her to leave me alone about not having friends. Friends are a lot of work. My mom worked insane hours. When she wasn’t working, she was hauling Nico to baseball games and practices. There was no time for me.”
“Fuck, I hate hearing you say that.”
I shrug. I’ve accepted that I did this to myself. I didn’t ask for things. I let myself get pushed aside. But I wouldn’t change anything about my childhood, especially if it prevented Nico from becoming a professional baseball player .
“Anyway, my mom was so happy to hear I had friends. She went behind my back and reached out to the girls’ moms to invite them to a pizza party at the restaurant. I was mortified to walk in and find them all there with smug looks on their faces. Luckily, my brother and his best friend, Damien, were there. They were the perfect distraction. All the girls fawned over them, and it actually gave me a little street cred at school. It could have been a lot worse if those two hadn’t been there. The worst part was explaining my faux friendships to my mom.”
“And now you hate surprises?”
“It’s more like, I hear the word ‘surprise’ and all my teenage anxiety comes rushing back.”
“Understandable. Being a teen is hard.”
I can’t help but scoff. There is no way this man next to me worried about anything during his high school years. “Oh please. You were a baseball player. A good one. By default, you were probably the popular guy. Tell me I’m wrong.”
“You’re not wrong. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t have my own anxieties and insecurities to worry about. We all have them.” Cam’s statement is a punch to the chest.
He’s right. I shouldn’t assume. Everyone experiences the highs and lows of life. Why should he be any different?
Shame burns my cheeks as I ask, “What were some of yours?”
“I mostly worried whether I was good enough to get recruited by college. I always dreamed of being a baseball player. Sure, I had fun in high school, but what no one knows is how hard I worked in secret. My dad would wake up with me at five every morning to work out, do drills, and throw pitches. You name it. He was there for me. He even built a batting cage in our backyard for me.”
“Wow, that’s pretty amazing.”
“It was. But it was also a lot of pressure. The last thing I wanted to do was disappoint him, you know?”
I nod in agreement, squeezing his hand tight. No words need to be said. We both understand that kind of pressure .
Cam drives another couple of minutes as I half listen to the music playing on the radio. He pulls into a semi-crowded parking lot and parks as close as he can to the small marina we’ve only seen from afar. My eyes scan the area, catching sight of a few people milling around.
I twist in my seat to find Cam watching me. “Are we at the river walk?”
“Yes.”
“Are you sure it’s safe? I mean—”
Cam cuts me off, his voice rising. “I know what you mean. I will not hide you away, Talia. You deserve better than that.”
“But…” My heart is racing, and my palms are sweaty for all the wrong reasons as a million different scenarios bounce around in my head.
I love that he doesn’t want to hide me—us—away from the world. But he’s Cameron Miller. People follow him around, snapping pictures.
We’ve been doing whatever we’re doing for less than two weeks, and the last thing we need is for anyone to find out. Least of all, my brother. We need more time, just the two of us.
We can’t do this, go out there. It’s too risky.
“Hey, hey. Relax, itty bitty. Breathe. There is nothing to worry about. There are hardly any people out, and the ones who are walking around are most likely drunk as hell. I’ve got you. Okay?” Cam grabs my face and forces me to stare into his eyes. The gold flecks burn brightly as he counts our breaths. He runs his thumbs over my cheeks until my breathing slows. His touch is soothing and gentle. “Do you trust me?”
“Yes,” I croak without hesitation. I do trust him. Everything I’ve learned about this man leads me to believe he wouldn’t do anything to hurt me. He would protect me, even at his own expense.
“That’s my brave girl.” Cam leans forward and presses a soft kiss to my lips .
My earlier worries fade into the background like they do every time he kisses me.
If only his kisses could take away my doubts completely. Because being here, by his side and in his arms, is the only place I want to be.