Chapter Twenty-Eight. Arson
Chapter Twenty-Eight
ARSON
The walk back with Cory was pleasant, natural, comfortable.
Because they were friends. They were always meant to be that—just friends. Nothing more. And it was a relief to know the label would stay after their heart-to-heart about the wedding.
When they got back to Beau’s, Tabitha was finished with her call, and over coffee, Cam was finally introduced to Cory’s fiancée.
Her first takeaway was of course Tabitha’s model-like good looks, but Cam was also charmed by her easygoing attitude.
She was the type of person who made conversation effortless, and when it came to listening, she asked engaging questions and genuinely seemed to care about Cam’s answers.
And most importantly, Tabitha didn’t treat Cam like an ex-girlfriend. First and foremost, she was Cory’s friend, and that mattered to her more than she’d thought it would.
But while coffee with Cory and Tabitha went better than expected, not everything went smoothly. There was a cloud over their catch-up, and it had nothing to do with the afternoon shadows.
It was Danny.
Because while he sat with them on the deck, he was unnaturally quiet, speaking only when spoken to.
The Danny she knew dominated conversations with playful stories and excited laughter.
The Danny she knew shifted closer to the person talking, offering his complete attention and interest. The Danny she knew finished his drinks in three sips and yet, the coffee Cory had bought sat on the arm of the navy blue Adirondack chair, ice melting until the caramel color became a watered-down mess.
This Danny was checked out.
“—Isaiah won best man, actually,” Cory explained. “Arm wrestled Brandon for it. Jesse didn’t give a shit.”
Cam laughed, thinking back to her experiences with Cory’s brothers.
Isaiah was the baby of the family, Brandon was the oldest, and Jesse was closest in age to Cory, only a year and a half older.
“I’m glad it’s Isaiah. He always had the best stories.
Although, I’m sure if Jesse cared enough, he’d have the most embarrassing ones.
” Cam turned to Tabitha. “Do you have any siblings?”
“I have a brother, but he’s a lot older,” Tabitha replied. She squeezed Cory’s knee, all lovesick smiles. “So, it’s been quite the experience being around such a large, close-knit family like Cory’s.”
“They love Tabby,” Cory added, the pride seeping through his words. “They were always going to love her, but she really won them over with a cake she made the first time I brought her home.”
Tabitha laughed. “Okay, well, to be fair, I bought it, but they thought I made it, and I didn’t have the heart to tell them otherwise.”
Cory kissed her temple. “Bought it, made it, same difference.”
As Cam watched the couple, her stomach fluttered. They were so happy, so in love, so … perfect. Unable to help herself, she glanced at Danny, but he was still staring at his drink, head in the clouds.
Frowning, she turned back to Cory and Tabitha and said, “His brothers have very strong opinions about food, so I’m glad you won them over. One time I made the mistake of bringing pizza for a football watch party, and it took an entire year for them to stop mentioning it.”
“Because you brought four cheese pizzas!” Cory cried, laughing. “Only vegetarians and the Home Alone kid prefer cheese pizza. And personally, I don’t fuck with it.”
Cam threw her head back, groaning. “I must’ve explained this, like, eighty times. They ran out of pepperoni and sausage, and the only options were vegetables. People get very particular about vegetables. Olives and pineapple on pizza can end relationships.”
“Well, pineapple isn’t a vegetable,” Cory defended. “You could’ve picked … mushrooms? Onions?”
Cam scoffed, arms crossed. “You hate mushrooms, so that’s a no. And what would your brothers have thought if I showed up with four onion pizzas? Who does that?”
“Maybe you had it easy,” Tabitha replied, teasing. “Because now Brandon’s girlfriend is a vegan, so he’s a vegan, and Cory’s father has cut out sugar while trying to lose weight. It makes bringing anything to visit his family very difficult. I wish I could bring cheese pizzas.”
Cam grinned. “Cory, that reminds me. Has your dad—”
But her question was interrupted when Danny stood. “Sorry, guys. Duty calls. Cory, Tabby, give me a shout before you head out, okay?”
Cam watched his departure, frowning.
What the hell was his problem?
Within the half hour, Cam needed to return to work, which was perfect because Cory and Tabitha had late lunch plans with Tabitha’s parents.
They took off, and for the rest of the day, Cam was …
happy. Her conversation with Cory was a massive relief, and while she’d since accepted that things between the five of them would never be how they once were, at least she felt comfortable calling Cory a friend.
But while her worries about Cory were now wrapped in a neat little bow, her concerns about their group remained.
Namely her relationship with Danny. They were a matchbox, harmless if left untouched, but brimming with opportunities to ignite.
Only a single spark away from flames, and despite her best efforts, she was the pyromaniac.
Why did she insist on playing with matches? Things were finally in a good place with Cory, with their group, and yet she was determined to ruin them again.
Cory’s implied blessing to pursue Danny further muddled her thoughts.
She didn’t want encouragement, not when she knew what happened when things didn’t work out.
And Danny’s odd behavior only made her internal panic worse.
He was unusually quiet, standoffish even.
When her shift ended, their walk home was made in complete silence, a first for their friendship.
Upon reaching his apartment, he disappeared for a walk with Reggie, and she went to shower for a moment alone to clear her head.
Nearly thirty minutes later, she emerged to find Danny on the sofa, staring at the bathroom door.
As if he’d been waiting for her.
She shifted nervously. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to take so long. Did you need to use the bathroom?”
He didn’t respond. But she knew he’d heard her, since a muscle in his jaw jumped, and his sock-clad feet dug into the rug like he was trying to break through the floor. After a few excruciating seconds of silence, he said, “I know it’s early, but I’m going to bed. Good night, Cam.”
“Danny.” To her relief, he stopped en route to the bedroom. Approaching him, she asked, “What’s going on?”
“Nothing. I’m tired—”
“Danny!”
He straightened, dropping his head back to stare at the ceiling. “I don’t wanna do this. It’s been a long couple of weeks, and clearly, you’ve got your own shit going on so—”
“What are you talking about?”
His lips curled, and after another painful stretch of silence, he said, “You told me you didn’t have feelings for Cory.” His gaze dipped to hers. “But, Cam, come on. You could’ve been honest with me. I … thought that’s what we did now. Honesty.”
“What? Why would you think I told you anything but the truth?”
“Maybe because you two disappeared on a long walk and when you came back, you were glowing.” He shook his head, plunging a hand into his dark hair and messing up the strands. “You were smiling, and laughing, and … I figured it was Cory. That it’s always been Cory.”
She couldn’t believe him. Couldn’t believe he’d come to that conclusion after their summer together. After how often she said Cory was in her past.
After how often she saw Danny in her future.
“It was a good walk. I caught up with a friend. And … talking to him, hearing about his choices over the last year and a half … it gave me clarity on my own issues,” she explained, desperately trying to keep her voice even. “But Cory is nothing more than a friend.”
He swallowed, his Adam’s apple trembling. “Yeah,” he replied, the word more of a croak, “but I know how thin your lines between friendship and more can be.”
Sharp brown eyes bore into hers as he walked her into the wall, their mouths a hairsbreadth apart. “You told me,” he whispered, his breath tickling her lips, “that friends hook up. Remember?”
He gently gripped her chin, tilting her face upwards, their eye contact never breaking. But he didn’t move, didn’t touch her any further, the unspoken offer for her to leave hanging in the air.
She didn’t want to go. And so, she remained, the only word on her tongue, “Danny.”
His kiss swallowed her voice. She gasped into his mouth, running her hands up his back and frantically pulling at his T-shirt. He bit her bottom lip as he held her close, one hand sliding into her damp hair and gently tugging. The sensation sent her eyes rolling backwards.
“We’re just friends messing around,” he rasped, his mouth insistent against hers. “It doesn’t mean anything. That’s what you told me.”
He was throwing her explanation for their night together back in her face. His words dripped with jealousy, and even though he demonstrated his hurt with every ravenous kiss, she couldn’t process anything outside of his hands on her body and his tongue in her mouth.
Once Cam finally got his T-shirt off, he held her against the wall, warm, bare skin brushing against her heated body, still flushed from the shower. He wasted no time, ridding her of her tank top so she remained only in sleep shorts.
His mouth trailed down her neck. “Milly,” he whispered roughly, his teeth scraping her skin, “you taste so fucking sweet.”
She yanked his hair, encouraging him on with a moan. He dropped his focus to her chest, and as he sucked at her breasts, he managed to get her shorts down one leg, until they hung haphazardly from her ankle. Through his jeans, he pressed into her naked stomach, hard and wanting.
Dropping both hands to his body, she skimmed her fingers against his length, gently digging her nails into his thighs.
He moaned into her skin, nipping at her chest as she worked him through the denim.
The longer she played with him, the more his delicious whines grew.
It took some intricate moving, but she managed to get his jeans undone, and he stumbled as she lowered the denim until his cock sprang free.
She grabbed him, and he buried his face in her chest, groaning.
“Cam. Fuck.” He stepped away from the wall, one arm around her body while the other tried to keep his pants from falling.
With her in his hold, he stumbled towards the bedroom, and even in the erotic haze of the moment, Cam found herself giggling when he shut the door on Reggie, who whimpered from his exile.
In one fluid movement, he dropped her to the bed and kicked off his jeans.
She leaned up on her elbows, admiring every inch of his naked body.
He was beautiful. Peachy skin glowed in the muted lights, darkened in select places from sun exposure.
He had the beginnings of a farmer’s tan, and his nose was slightly reddened, now the same color as his flushed cheeks.
And like an addict, her focus returned to the ink decorating his body. She wanted to lick both tattoos, from his thigh to his wrist, until all she tasted was him.
Delirious with want, she stroked him as he kissed her. His hands were all over her, one slipping into her hair while the other dropped between her thighs. At his teasing touch, she spread her legs, moaning into his mouth as his fingers pressed into her.
But his attention shifted quickly, his mouth leaving hers to trail down her naked skin. The change in position forced her to let go of his cock, and while she initially whined at the loss, her disappointment somersaulted into a cry of surprise.
Because he settled between her legs as he had that night so many weeks ago, pressing the softest of kisses into the inner curve of her knee. His tongue explored, tracing up her thighs and tattooing her skin.
By the time she let out a whimpered gasp, his mouth was on her, hot and hungry.
His tongue and fingers worked in tandem, and while the sensation was breathtaking, the vision of him between her thighs, eyes black and mischievous, was just as toe-curling.
Every whispered word of praise vibrated against her skin like that blasted toy, and between his wicked words and his wicked attention, she was finished.
She trembled, cries caught in her throat, fists caught in his hair. He didn’t stop until she relaxed, her loose hands gently tugging at the strands. Then he straightened, pulling her legs around his hips and rubbing the head of his cock against her sensitive skin.
“Danny,” she begged. “Please.”
“Anything for you, Milly,” he whispered, pressing into her with a soft kiss.
With him fully inside her, he rocked with slow, delicious movements, somewhere between the frantic fucking and unhurried lovemaking filling so many of her dreams costarring him.
Every second overwhelmed her senses because it was Danny with her. He kept her spellbound. How he rubbed her, how he bit at her mouth, how he gripped her knee and brought her leg to his hip as he thrust into her …
She was floating, her eyes rolling back in pleasure. But it wasn’t only his body that captivated her. It was his throaty whines. She’d never been with such a vocal man, one whose noises of pleasure were as encouraging, as erotic as any dirty talk.
“Cam,” he gasped, mouthing at her neck, “you feel so good. Fucking unreal.”
But he was the one who felt good. Who felt unreal.
“Danny!” She pulled at his hair, two handfuls of soft, dark strands slipping between her fingers. “Please.”
For the second time that night, it wasn’t going to take much.
He fucked her until she couldn’t make sense of anything but his warm skin and gentle voice. When she came, she melted into the bed, his name trapped in her mouth as he kissed her. He followed moments later, dropping beside her and pulling her into his arms.
“Danny…” She curled into his neck, fully spent. “I don’t have feelings for Cory.”
“Good” was all he replied, tugging her closer.