Chapter Thirty-Five
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“IS THE SUIT TOO MUCH?” Camriel asked Amaros for the fifth time.
The warrior had searched their collection of clothing for something suitable to wear while the girls were shooting arrows.
The pale blue shirt reminded him of the shirts the cover model he idolized wore on some of the romance books he’d been reading.
His outfit was too tight, but he shouldn’t split the seams open if he was careful.
“It’s fine,” Amaros said patiently. He knew his second was nervous. The purple suit was hideous, but Camriel seemed to like it. “Just be yourself and I’m sure you’ll win Victoria over,” he suggested.
Cam’s head whipped towards the back exit.
“She’s coming,” he said in excitement and rushed to the back of the base.
His breath caught when he saw Victoria. She’d changed out of the baggy gray sweatsuit into tight black jeans and a red blouse.
Her winter jacket was open, since they’d been standing out in the sun for the past couple of hours.
He hoped she wouldn’t be too cold in the jeans, then remembered he would be taking a blanket with him.
“You look very handsome, Camriel,” Victoria said when she recovered from the shock of seeing him in the awesome suit.
“You look beautiful,” he replied.
“I’m underdressed,” she said with a rueful look at her outfit, then she turned to the girls. “I don’t suppose you have a prom dress stashed away somewhere?”
Grace got choked up and put her hand over her mouth to contain her emotions.
Zoe pressed her lips together and her eyes began to glisten.
He figured she was so moved by how romantic he was being that she was having trouble controlling her tears as well.
“Nope,” she said to Vic. “Sorry,” she added, sounding as choked up as the teen.
“I guess this will have to do,” Victoria said with a sigh. “I’m ready for our date if you are,” she told Camriel.
“I’ve got everything in my truck,” he said, offering her his arm like a true gentleman.
They entered the base and he glanced over his shoulder to see Grace was doubled over.
She seemed to be crying and Zoe’s shoulders were shaking as well.
He’d had no idea the females were so invested in his fight to win Victoria over.
“Zoe and Grace are special,” he murmured.
“None of us knights have ever had females to care about us before.”
Vic glanced back and nodded. “I can tell they’re really fudging broken up,” she said. Zoe’s shoulders began shaking even harder as she helped Grace stagger towards the lake.
Cam thought he saw his mate grinning, but her smile was gone when she glanced at him. “Do you like picnics?” he asked, suddenly feeling nervous about his plan.
“Sure. Who doesn’t like picnics?” she replied. “Unless a storm hits, of course,” she added. “That would fudging suck.”
“We can take shelter in my baby if it rains,” he said as he led her towards the main entrance. She paused to leave her weapons in the great room.
“Your baby?” she queried with a raised eyebrow.
Cam swept his hand at the gleaming midnight blue pickup truck when they stepped outside. “Isn’t she beautiful?” he said, hoping she liked the vehicle. He’d parked it near the entrance.
“I love the color,” Victoria said, circling around it. “It’s pretty awesome,” she admitted, making his heart soar. She opened the passenger door and climbed in before he could offer her any assistance.
He slid behind the wheel and buckled the seatbelt. “We won’t be going very far,” he said as he drove towards the road.
“That’s a sheer drop,” Vic said nervously as he skirted around the recently moved boulder. She leaned over to peer past him, face only inches away from his.
Camriel was hit with the crazy urge to kiss her and manfully suppressed it. She drew back and the moment was lost. Kissing his mate for the first time while driving right next to a cliff wasn’t the smartest idea.
“You’re not taking me to the resort where those fudging psychos kept a bunch of women captive, are you?” the cambion asked suspiciously as he drove higher up the mountain.
The resort in question appeared to their right a moment later. “Nope,” he replied, driving past it as she turned her head to stare at the building. “I saw a meadow a couple more miles ahead,” he said, neglecting to mention he’d noticed it while driving a car full of three dead women into the woods.
He pulled onto the narrow dirt track and drove a short distance before stopping. “Look,” he said and gestured out through his window. “What do you think of the view?”
Again, Victoria leaned over to peer past him. “Wow,” she said in awe, taking in what she could see of the view from the top of the nearby hill. “It’s amazing,” she breathed.
“I hope you’re hungry,” the knight said, opening his door to retrieve the items he’d stashed on the back seat.
Vic climbed out and rounded the truck to wait for him.
He grabbed a picnic basket, blanket and bottle of wine and escorted his date to the meadow.
“Do you drink?” he asked, wishing he’d checked with her before they’d left.
“Only on a day that ends in y,” she joked. He chuckled, glad she had a sense of humor. “I only drink sociably,” she added.
“Did you have a lot of friends?” Cam queried as he spread the blanket out on the winter brown grass.
“I had a lot of acquaintances and a few good friends,” she replied, helping him smooth the blanket out properly. They sat down and he took a couple of glasses out of the basket. She held the glasses while Cam opened the bottle and poured.
“What do you want to toast to?” Camriel asked, holding his glass ready to tap it against hers.
Victoria thought about it before replying. “To a long and happy future in a world full of chaos and mayhem,” she said. “If that’s at all possible,” she murmured doubtfully.
“It will be once we’ve become bonded,” he said confidently, then tapped his glass against hers before she could protest.
They took a sip of wine, then began unpacking the basket. He’d selected food that he hoped would please his mate. She seemed to enjoy the chips and dip that wouldn’t expire for several months. They chatted about the apocalypse and the base he hoped she would move into soon.
The temperature dropped once the sun began to set. Camriel moved closer and put his arm over her shoulders. Victoria pulled the blanket over her legs and leaned against him. His heart was beating so hard he could almost hear it laboring in his chest.
“This has been a perfect day,” she murmured as she gazed at the sunset.
Cam couldn’t tear his eyes away from her gorgeous face.
His gaze dropped to her luscious mouth, longing to kiss her.
She turned her head and their eyes met. Moving closer, he was elated when she didn’t pull away.
The knight brushed his lips against his mate’s, then mentally crowed in victory when she pressed her mouth against his.
It was the most perfect kiss the warrior had ever had.
He deepened it and Victoria groaned low in her throat with the same need that he felt.
Shifting her closer, she didn’t protest when Camriel positioned her onto his lap.
Their kiss became heated and her hands roamed over his shoulders as her legs wrapped around him.
So erect that he was in pain, Cam dared to unzip his mate’s jacket. Her dark eyes were full of desire as he opened her jacket to gain access to her body. “You’re so beautiful,” he murmured and kissed her again.
Victoria pressed her body against him, grinding against his erection. He cupped her breasts and she moaned deeply. “God, that feels so fudging good,” she breathed as he gently squeezed and rubbed her sensitive flesh.
His plan was going perfectly and Cam knew exactly what to do next.
He leaned back, grasped hold of her red t-shirt and tore it open.
She gaped at him in shock as he stared deeply into her eyes.
“I’m going to ravage you now and make you mine,” he vowed.
Camriel wasn’t prepared for the slap that made his ears ring.
She’d hit him so hard that he was momentarily stunned.
“What did I do wrong?” he asked, shaking his head to clear the stars that seemed to be circling around his head.
Victoria didn’t deign to answer him. She stood up, angrily zipped her jacket up and held her hand out. “Give me the keys to your truck,” she demanded.
Miserable at screwing up again, Cam fished the keys out of his pocket and handed them over. His cambion stalked off without another word, leaving him sitting in the encroaching darkness to contemplate his complete lack of game.