16. Cameron

sixteen

Cameron

I can tell Talia is still worried about being seen as we walk hand in hand down the riverwalk. Her worry is justified. It was still a kick in the balls to hear. I have to keep reminding myself that it’s not about me.

We have a lot at stake if we’re seen together, especially her. I might think her brother is a complete dick, but she loves him. She doesn’t want to hurt him or their relationship.

My only concern is Talia. The last thing I want is for her to get hurt.

Fuck Nico. After the way he grabbed her, he’s lucky I didn’t beat the shit out of him for laying a finger on my girl.

Aside from the douche-hole being an issue, we’ve only started seeing each other as more than friends—not that we ever were in my book—for a handful of days. The last thing we need is to further muddy the waters in an already complicated situation so soon.

I guide her down the path, away from bars, towards the small marina where my surprise is waiting for her. Looking over, I find Talia nibbling on that damn lip of hers again, and all I want to do is kiss her, hold her close, and tell her there’s nothing to be afraid of.

“Well, what do you think?” I ask, pointing to the sleek-black luxury pontoon boat in front of us, mostly hidden from lingering eyes. I wasn’t kidding when I said I had us covered .

Talia’s eyes widen in shock, and her lips turn down. “Is this your boat?”

“Kind of.” I wait and watch as a variety of thoughts drifts across her face.

“Kind of? So, then you rented it for the night?”

I stifle my chuckle as she glares at me, her disgust clear. Why is the idea of me owning or even renting a boat for a night so bad? I can afford it.

“No,” I half lie.

The boat has two owners—me and my buddy, Thompson. We bought it a couple of years ago to cruise around together during our off time. Now that he’s injured, it’s mine for the time being. I’ll see what he wants to do with the boat when he’s back in working order.

Talia’s shoulders tense, and I can sense her trepidation. She’s going to have to get over me having money real quick. I have more than I can spend in a lifetime, and if I want to splurge, I will. Like my family, she’s going to have to learn to accept my gifts without complaint. Once I let someone into my circle, I like to take care of them. And, well…

She’s in.

“Hey.” Grabbing Talia’s hips, I tug her to my body.

She grips my biceps and tilts her chin up to look at me.

“I need you to tell me what’s going on in that head of yours.”

“It’s just… I don’t want you to spend money on me. I sure as heck don’t need expensive dates, and I don’t want you to think I expect presents and stuff.” She bites her lip and digs more than just her nails into me.

This woman. If she didn’t already have me wrapped around her finger, she certainly does now.

“Never.” With my thumb and forefinger, I pull her lip from her teeth. “I’ve known you’re not like that since the first night we met. That’s not who you are.” She is without a doubt not like the other women I have dated. I wouldn’t have it any other way .

Tired of the direction this conversation is going, I cup Talia’s butt, lift her up off the ground, and cover her mouth with mine. I kiss her with everything I’ve got. The only thing I want rattling around in her head is how much I want her.

How much I need her.

Talia wraps her legs around my waist, and her hands find purchase in the hair peeking out from under my hat at the nape of my neck. When she tugs and twirls the strands, I almost come in my pants. The move is a direct line to my eager cock.

Every. Fucking. Time.

The taste of her sweet tongue as it meets mine sends a shockwave of heat radiating through my veins. She tastes incredible. I’m dying to put my tongue in her pussy and find out if it tastes as sweet as her mouth.

My cock jerks in my jeans. Fuck, I’d kiss her all night, but I need to get her on the boat first. Biting her bottom lip, I pull away with a pop, leaving her dazed.

A job well done.

I place her on her feet, holding her elbows as she sways. “Think you can walk for a minute?”

With a grin and puffy, wet lips from my kisses, she rolls her eyes at me. I smack her ass a little harder than necessary, testing her threshold. Talia’s smile falters, and her brows jump to her hair as she stares at me in shock. I arch a brow back at her.

Yeah, baby, I slapped your ass. What are you going to do about it?

I wait, staring back. Her silence speaks volumes. The spark of defiance in her eyes does nothing to hide how turned on she is—the heavy eyelids, the heaving chest, the clench of her thighs. I see it all, and it screams “more”.

If she lets me, I’ll give her everything.

Taking two steps around her, I unlock the latch and open the boarding gate door for her. She doesn’t move.

My stubborn girl .

I place my palm on her lower back, caressing the exposed sliver of skin below her cropped shirt. Her body reacts to my touch on instinct and relaxes.

I give her back a little shove towards the entrance. “Watch your step.”

She shakes her head in disbelief but follows my directions anyway and steps onto the pontoon. “I can’t believe you spanked me.”

“I’m going to do a lot more than spank you if you don’t get your sweet ass onto the boat,” I growl as she passes. Leaning down, I whisper in her ear, “Don’t act like you didn’t like it, baby. I’m not a betting man, but if I were, I’d put my money down on you being as wet as I am hard.”

I step behind her and wrap my arms around her waist, placing my hand on her stomach. With her back flush to my chest, I let her feel for herself just how hard she makes me.

With a moan, she drops her head onto my chest and melts into me. I spin her around and give her a quick peck on the lips. You couldn’t pay me to stop kissing her. But I have to. I want her to see the surprise I have set up for us. For her.

It’s all for her.

Breaking our kiss, I grab her hands and drag her to the back of the boat. I step out to the side, giving her a clear view.

White twinkling lights wrap around the canopy as they illuminate the sun bed covered in big black and white pillows. A few small accent pillows—in the blue she mentioned liking back at the house—adorn the bed as well. A small serving tray with two place settings sits in the center of the bed, and to the side is a red and white ice chest with our dessert inside.

I watch as Talia takes in the scene. Her silence makes me nervous. The setup is nothing crazy. I knew she wouldn’t like that, so I put my effort into making sure she would like what I have in store for our first date.

“What do you think?” My voice shakes, giving away my anxiety.

“You did all this for me? ”

“Of course.” I’d do anything for you, I think, shocking the hell out of myself. But it’s true—I would. I don’t know what it is about Talia, but I want to give her the world. I want to keep her. “This is our first official date. I wish I could do more—”

Talia leaps into my arms. “I love it.”

My hat falls to the floor as she peppers my face with kisses.

Letting out a relieved breath, I carry her over to the sun bed and lay her down. She kicks off her shoes before sitting up and arranging herself in a crossed-leg position in the middle of the bed.

I grab the ice chest and place it next to the tray before following her lead and taking off my shoes as well. My large, muscular frame prevents me from sitting cross-legged, so I sit back against the pillows and pull out the container of chocolate ice cream—her favorite flavor—that I have sitting in dry ice and hand it to her.

“Cam,” Talia says my name, and there is no mistaking the delight in her tone. Her silver eyes catch mine, and a flood of warmth hits me in the chest as she stares at me. “This is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me. Thank you.” She crawls over to me and places a kiss on my cheek before sitting back with her tub of ice cream in hand.

Emotion clogs my throat, forcing me to clear it. “You’re welcome.”

Talia smiles as she peels the lid off the pint and grabs a spoon. The acrylic containers in the center of the tray catch her eye. They sparkle in the soft white light as she opens each one, investigating the contents, all of which are her favorite.

“You remembered,” she says in awe.

“Of course I remember.” I remember every word she utters. There isn’t a single thing I’d miss about her. Everything she says and does has been etched on my brain like an invisible tattoo forever imprinted on me. “You said ice cream sundae with everything on top is the best dessert. So…” I shrug .

She scoops ice cream into two bowls and starts adding toppings. I don’t tell her to stop, even when she adds gummy bears. I hate those fucking things.

“All that’s missing is—”

“Don’t say it.” I pull out a bottle of chocolate sauce and a can of whipped cream. “I didn’t miss a thing, itty bitty.”

Talia grins, and it’s one I haven’t seen before. It’s wide and carefree. She looks happy as fuck, all because of me. I take her smile and add it to my collection.

I want all of her smiles, all for myself.

“You’re the best.”

Her words stroke my ego, and I peacock at her praise. “I know.” I shoot her a wink, and she giggles. If I thought her smiles were potent, they’re nothing compared to her laughs.

She adds the finishing touches to the sundaes and slides one over to me before sitting next to me against the pillows.

Not wanting to take a chance, I hand her my bowl. “Will you hold this for a second?”

She takes it from my hands while I move the tray to the bench off the side of the sunbed.

“There. Now we’re all set.” I climb back into my spot and cross my legs.

Her fingers graze mine as I take the bowl from her. Electricity shoots through me, heading straight for my dick.

Fuck. I hold back a growl and place the bowl on my lap, covering my thickening shaft. I couldn’t be happier for a bowl filled with freezing-ass ice cream.

“What did you do today?” I ask, reaching for a distraction. I’m pretty sure she was gone before I woke up this morning.

“Today was the sunrise hot-air balloon ride.”

“That sounds pretty amazing.” I got to give it to Romero. He spared no expense when making her reservations.

She shrugs, swirling her ice cream around.

I push a little more, trying to get something out of her. “Did you have fun? ”

“It was alright. Kind of sucked going by myself.” She places a spoonful of her dessert into her mouth and hums, licking the back of the spoon.

There is no hope for my dick. That fucker is rock solid as I watch her lips move. My blood is pumping in my ears. Visions of Talia licking ice cream off my cock hit me full force as she swipes her thumb across her bottom lip, cleaning off the whipped cream left behind.

“Cameron Miller,” Talia scolds me out of my stupor.

“What?” I bring my gaze to hers. My mouth waters as she licks her bottom lip.

“Did you hear a word I said?”

I shift in my seat, trying to get control over the beast below the belt. “I wish I could be a gentleman right now and lie, but we both know the answer to that question.”

Talia throws her head back and laughs. “You promised honesty, didn’t you?”

“One hundred percent.”

If I learned anything from my brother’s mistakes, it’s that secrets and lies only hurt the ones you love. I will never lie or hold back how I feel.

“I like it, and—” She pauses, biting her lip. I can almost hear the words on the tip of her tongue.

“And?” I encourage her. Come on, baby. Say it.

“Nope. I changed my mind.” She mimes zipping her lips and throwing away the key.

“Not sure I like that answer,” I grunt.

Talia watches me as I place my full bowl of ice cream on the drink holder. The grip on her bowls tightens as I reach for it.

I tsk, shaking my head at her. “Give me the bowl, Talia.”

Chest heaving, she relinquishes her hold on the half-empty dish in her clutches to me. I carefully place it next to mine before giving her my full attention .

Pushing a strand of her hair behind her ear, I lean closer, bringing our mouths close to touching. “Tell me what you were going to say.”

Her throat bobs as she swallows and shakes her head.

“Do you need convincing?”

Our bodies shift closer.

“Maybe,” she whispers, her breath sweet and chocolaty. Tempting.

“You asked for it.” I reach out and grab her thighs, digging my fingers into her soft flesh, tickling. Talia squeals, trying to escape my grasp. “Tell me, and I’ll stop.”

“Never.” She laughs, covering my hands with hers as she wiggles and pushes me away.

“Yes. Tell me.” Grabbing both her wrists with one hand, I lift them over her head and quickly roll over, covering her body with mine.

Her legs spread, and my hips nestle between them without a second thought. Leaning on the elbow holding her hands, I rest my weight on it so as not to crush her.

Abort. Stay on mission.

“Please.” My voice is thick and gritty as I struggle to stay still and not rub my cock over her heated center, clothes be damned. I grip her hip, no doubt leaving my fingerprints behind in their wake.

“Fine.” She licks her lips. “I was going to say that I like you.”

Yes! My heart grows three sizes like the fucking Grinch’s on Christmas, and it comes close to exploding with joy.

Note to self: stop watching that shit with Rhys. It’s getting stuck in your head.

But that’s the only way I can describe how I feel as I stare into Talia’s eyes.

Her cheeks turn pink, and her pulse visibly races at the side of her neck as she waits for me to respond.

“I like you too, itty bitty.” More than like .

Being with Talia is exhilarating. I don’t feel the need to rush when I’m with her; it’s like we have all the time in the world to be together. I don’t see an end in sight for us.

I’m usually the one cutting ties with a woman right after a date, not even bothering to take them home anymore. I did the whole one-night-stand thing with those women. It was fun, but it just isn’t as fulfilling now as it was when I was in my twenties. Those women only want to date me because I’m Cameron Miller, the Evaders’ number-one pitcher.

Not Talia. She likes me despite my job.

Looking back, I can confidently say those women don’t hold a candle to the sexy woman lying under me. She is smart and sassy. There isn’t a thing about Talia I don’t like. If I could spend all my time with her, I would. I might even miss practice if I could stay in bed with her all day.

Eli was right. I’m fucked.

“We are so stupid,” Talia whispers, thinking exactly what I am.

I release her hands and rest on my elbow next to her head, running my fingers over her forehead, pushing the stuck stray hairs away. The hand on her hip travels up, searching to touch her exposed stomach peeking out above her waistband of her jeans.

“We are,” I agree, sending us both into a fit of laughter.

My laughter dies as her tits brush against my chest. I don’t know how, but my cock gets harder as Talia wraps her jean-covered legs around my waist and lifts her hips.

“Cam?” She runs her hands through my thick hair and laces her fingers through the strands at the back of my neck in the way I like.

I nuzzle her neck, inhaling her sweet peachy skin. Fuck, she smells so good. Edible. “Yeah, baby?”

“I’m ready for you to show me what third base feels like now. I want you to show me the stars.”

My throat seizes, and my mouth dries up faster than California during a drought. I want Talia so badly it hurts. Seriously, I’ve been walking around with blue balls since I met her. I can’t jerk off enough to images of her and that sexy-as-fuck teal bikini.

“Are you sure? We don’t have to rush—”

She digs her heels into my ass, pulling my hips flush with hers, and grinds her pussy on my weeping cock. “Cam, shut up and steal third base already.”

You don’t have to tell me twice. If my girl wants to see the stars, that’s what I’m going to give her.

I devour her mouth with a wet and hungry kiss. She meets me stroke for stroke as her hands tug on my hair. My lips travel to her jaw, her neck, and over the tops of her breasts, leaving a trail of sloppy wet kisses. My hands roam her body as her hips meet mine, grinding.

I need her clothes gone. I want to feel every inch of her skin before I make her come on my tongue for the first time.

Flipping her shirt up, I come face to face with the sexiest set of tits I’ve ever seen. She’s wearing a sheer nude lace bra. It’s not overtly sexy, like she’s trying too hard, but it is sexy enough to make me want to rip the offending material off her body and suck her nipples until she explodes.

Her nipples are pointed hard, and begging for my attention.

Talia pushes me back, and I roll to her side, giving her space. Entranced by her every move, I lean on my elbow and watch as she sits up and takes off her shirt. Then as she reaches behind her back, and unclasps her bra, letting the straps fall over her shoulders before removing it and dropping it next to her shirt. She cups her tits, lifting them inches from my mouth before groping them and pinching her dark nipples.

“You’re so fucking sexy, itty bitty.”

She hums as I swat her hands away, replacing them with mine before taking a nipple into my mouth. I nip the tip of her hardened peak, eliciting a hiss of approval.

“More,” she moans, grabbing the back of my head to pull me closer .

I do as she asks, soothing the tender flesh with my tongue before giving the other my full attention and repeating the process.

The sound of nearing partygoers has me pushing Talia onto her back and cover her tits with my hands.

“Why are you stopping? Please don’t. I need you, Cam.” She wraps her legs around my waist and her arms around my neck like a sexy koala. Pulling my hair, she tugs my face to hers, then she shoves her tongue into my mouth and kisses me.

I fall into her spell, kissing her back. I’m ravenous for her.

The voices get closer, and I rip my mouth away. “Baby, I need you to stop. There are people close by.”

“No, don’t. I’m so turned on right now; I don’t care who sees.”

“Fuck that.” She does care, and so do I. I will not take a chance and let someone see her sexy body. No one gets to see her like this. Just me. Only me. “I have an idea.”

I jump up, pull out my favorite Evaders hoodie—the first one I received after being drafted to the team—from the bench seat storage box and hand it to her. I brought it to give it to her so I don’t have to see her in Nico’s clothes anymore.

“Put this on.”

“What the hell is this?”

“My hoodie.” I throw it in her lap as I stand at the foot of the sunbed.

“I get that. Why do I have to put it on?”

“To cover up. I don’t want anyone but me to see you naked.”

“You’re ridiculous.” She lies on the bed, her raven hair coming undone from her braid. She looks messy and fucking hot, topless and waiting for me.

My dick punches at my zipper. “Put the damn hoodie on, Talia,” I command.

She huffs but sits up and slides the gray fabric over her head. She arches a sassy brow at me.

“Good girl,” I croon.

Her lips part and thighs tense at the praise she so badly craves.

“Now, stand up and take off your jeans.”

I take a step back as Talia sits up, scoots to the end of the sunbed, and stands. She runs her hands over my chest before doing as she’s told and unbuttoning her jeans. She slides them down her legs and kicks them to the side.

“Give me your panties.”

She crosses her arms over her chest. “Ask nicely.”

My cock twitches in delight. I knew my sweet little nurse had it in her to push back. “Please.”

Her hands disappear under my sweatshirt, lifting and giving me a better view of her upper thighs.

A grunt rumbles in my chest at the sight. I grip my cock over my jeans, giving it a squeeze. I need the big guy to calm the fuck down. Tonight is all about pleasuring Talia, making her come and scream my name.

Her nude thong hits the floor, and I bend over to help her out of it. I grasp the lace material between my fingers, feeling how wet it is. For me.

She gasps as I shove the thong in my pocket for later.

“That’s mine.”

“Not anymore,” I tell her with a grin.

“What are you going to do with it?” she pants as she threads her fingers through the strings of the hood. I love watching her squirm as a million ideas swirl around in her head. “I want to know.”

“You really want to know?” I’m not ashamed of what I’m going to do with it, but I also don’t want to scare her off with my depravity.

She nods. “Please.”

“I’m going to hold it to my nose and jerk off to the scent of your pussy until I come all over my stomach. Every morning until I see you again.”

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