Chapter 10
Camilla
“Is everything okay?” My mother asks, a hint of panic sounding in her voice. “We haven’t heard from you in days.” I’m glad she can’t see my eye roll.
“C’mon, Mami. I’ve been busy. You know I have a lot to do.” I put the phone on speaker so I can free up my hands while I search in my pantry. “Besides, I sent you a text last night.”
“A text doesn’t let me hear the tone of your voice. You sound tired. How’s it going?”
“I’m tired because it’s early. Everything is coming along. Not as fast as I’d like, but things like this take time.” I sigh, taking stock of my ingredients. Shit, I’m low on just about everything.
“You don’t sound okay.”
“I’m in the middle of taking inventory, and I’m going to have to run to the grocery store.”
“Oh. Have you met anyone yet?”
I seriously hope she’s not directing this conversation where I think she is. “Yes. I met a couple who own a cafe a few blocks away. I’m selling them some cakes and churros until I open.”
“And you expect to earn a living this way? Selling a cake here and there?”
Here we go again. “I’m selling a lot more than a cake here and there. And yes, this is exactly how I plan on making a living.”
“Not by giving away your pastries to people that are already stealing your customers.”
I sigh. Why do my parents always think I’m so naive when it comes to my interactions with the world? “Mom, they’re giving me space in one of their display cases, and all of my products are labeled under Cami’s Confections. Cayden and Raven are really nice. I promise.”
“Mark my words, they want something from you. No one is nice to a perfect stranger for no reason.”
I respond with an audible sigh.
“Besides this couple, have you met anyone else?”
“Mom! I thought we were past this!”
“I’m talking about potential friends, Camilla. You’re my baby, and I worry that there’s no one there to help you if something happens.”
“Cayden and Raven are my friends. If it makes you feel better, I’ll introduce you to them when you come to visit.”
“That’s a great idea!” Really? Does this mean she’s going to dial back her special brand of crazy?
I don’t think I heard my mother this excited since I told her Miguel and I were dating.
“How about if I come and spend a few days helping you settle in so that you can concentrate on more important things?”
The last thing I need is my mother here, holding my hand and sticking her nose where it doesn’t belong. I don’t need her interfering and convincing me to see things that aren’t there. Especially between me and Stone.
Why is he the first person to come to mind? I need to shut this down. Now.
“I appreciate it, Mom, but no. I’m good.”
I HEAD DOWNSTAIRS TO see how much progress Stone made priming the walls last night.
My mother’s words move through my brain like a worm.
I hate to admit it, but in my experience, she’s right.
People don’t generally go out of their way unless they think they’re going to get some benefit from it. So what is Stone’s motive?
I asked myself this question on repeat before drifting off to sleep last night. It was stupid, as well as inconsiderate, to leave him downstairs working while I slept, even if I barricaded the door leading to the kitchen, just in case. But he insisted, and I was struggling to keep upright.
“That’s the fifth time you’ve yawned in the last five minutes,” Stone says, smoothing the last piece of painter’s tape over the floor molding and then standing to his full height.
“I’m fine,” I wave his concern away.
His gray eyes lock on mine as he stalks toward me with long, confident strides. My belly tightens with nervous excitement as my eyes linger on his strong, statuesque body.
Stone smirks like he bested me somehow. The dumbass caught me staring and thinks he has an edge up on me.
I force my eyes away from him and look out the storefront window. The sun set hours ago, and the moon reflects off the windows across the way. The streets are empty, except for the occasional car driving by. This isn’t helping.
I twist my hands in front of me in nervous knots. Knowing that most people in town are tucked safely in their beds for the night while Stone is very much awake, occupying my space, leaves me feeling vulnerable.
There’s something about being alone with him in this large empty room, with no safeguards like parents or friends, that feels dangerously intimate. More intimate than the sexual encounters I shared with Miguel, and I don’t understand why. Maybe it lies in his heated stare.
“There’s nothing left for you to do tonight,” his deep voice rumbles through me as he invades my personal space. “Why don’t you get some sleep and let me finish up?”
“I can’t,” I test my fortitude by meeting his eyes at this close proximity.
My heart races as I stare, awed by the hints of color swirling in his gray eyes.
They’re even more vibrant at night, making them both breathtaking and dizzying.
I feel like I’m looking into a kaleidoscope while falling off a tall building.
“There’s so much to do here, and it’s not fair. ..”
“Camilla, you’ve done all you can tonight. You boxed up the old fixtures and helped me spread the tarps.”
“Yeah, but it’s already eleven o’clock.” I yawn again. “And you haven’t even started priming.” I take a peek at the time. “It’s too late. Come back tomorrow.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I have plenty of energy.” He assures me.
“You need your sleep. This is the third night in a row that you’ve come. You have work in the morning.”
He chuckles. The deep sound is sexy. “I’m happy to be here, and I don’t need much sleep. I also have a late start to my days. Unlike you.”
“That’s not true. You were here early the other morning.”
“That was an exception. I’m a big boy, Camilla.
” He stands inches away and looks down at me.
I’m taken by the sheer size of him. He’s so large and powerful.
I’m not sure how tall he is, but Miguel was six feet, and Stone is definitely taller and wider.
Miguel was like a large baby. Stone is defined and chiseled.
He’s all man. “I’ll be fine.” He smiles.
“I promise.” He reaches out and tucks a piece of hair behind my ear. “Go to sleep.”
Finally, I give in and nod. I refuse to tell him that I want to stay because I like watching him and am almost enjoying his company.
I unlock the door and find the priming in the kitchen is finished. Before I went to bed, he promised to have it knocked out by the morning. Moving into the large outer room, I find it too has been primed. Stone was good to his word.
In the middle of the room, a napkin sits on a log, held in place by a trimming paintbrush. On it is a handwritten note.
Hope this gets me out of the dog house. If you picked your color, I’ll buy the paint and get started after work.
P.S. If you go with pink, I’ll think of the contrast of that sexy pink thong against your mocha skin. If you need help choosing a color, I’ll be happy to give it. Especially if it’s for a sexy little thong.
At your service,
Stone Flint
At my service! I crumple the note and stuff it into my pocket.
I’m glad I found it before Stone arrived.
My cheeks are burning red hot, and I don’t need him to see me blush.
I’m not sure how I feel about his offer to consult with me on my fashion choices.
Then again, he does know how to make a T-shirt and ripped jeans work.
A lump forms in the back of my throat as I think about him imagining me in the thong.
So freaking embarrassing. At least he was cool about it when he peeled it off my shirt.
He didn’t make me feel stupid. He played it off, or at least tried to.
Is that his motivation in helping me “free of charge”?
Is he looking for me to pay him in physical currency? That can only end badly.
Why on earth did I answer the door in my pajamas? That may have given Stone the wrong idea about me. It definitely gave him thoughts he shouldn’t be having.
Or does he think I’m easy prey for a good-looking man because of my size? Whatever he’s thinking, I’m not buying his good guy act anymore. No one spends their night painting for someone they can barely tolerate without the promise of money or sex.
Jerk.
I see through him now. Enough about Mr. Stone Flint. He doesn’t deserve to live rent-free in my head. I pack up the chocolate lasagna and mini carrot cakes I made last night and head over to The Mummy’s Tomb.