Chapter 22
Cam spent the majority of his shower cussing the need to turn the water from hot to cold. No matter how much he fought it, he could not stop the goofy smile that spread across his face as the water splashed over him, nor could he deny how badly he wanted Emma. To know that she cared enough about him to be jealous over a picture of him and another woman, that excited him.
And if she thought he was letting her off easy with that knowledge, she had another thing coming once he got out of the shower. He had no intention of letting her walk away from him at the end of this trip, or at least not without hesitating first.
It was one thing if he’d been involved with another person, but for her to be bothered by the thought of him with someone else and knowing she’d been looking at him online again… That only encouraged him. He wanted Emma, and in more ways than just the physical sense. No, he wanted her to share that mind of hers, laugh and travel together, learn about her aunt and every facet of her childhood. He wanted to be the person who knew her best in this entire world.
Cam rinsed the suds out of his hair and turned off the water. He didn’t just want a girlfriend or fling or one-night stand. He wanted a best friend and he wanted that to be Emma.
He normally wasn’t into jealousy, but he could value a healthy dose. The kind that suggested she might think he’s something worth not wanting to lose, even if they didn’t fully have each other. Yet.
Cam smiled and reached for the towel. He dried off then wrapped it around his waist, ignoring the clothes he’d brought into the bathroom. If she thought her sweats and hoodie weren’t as seductive as her bikinis and dresses, then she was about to be in for a world of surprise.
Because the moment he walked in that door earlier, he knew he had a craving that only she could satisfy. Now it was a matter of whether she wanted to give into that hunger, too.
“I thought you took clothes in there with you.” Not that Emma minded a half-naked Cam in nothing but a towel.
“Maybe I didn’t think I’d need them,” he replied.
Her eyes narrowed on him. “Why are you staring at me like that?”
“Like what?”
“Like I’m the one not wearing any clothes.”
He grinned. “Maybe I’m picturing you without them.”
Emma sat up from where she leaned against the back of the bed. “Whatever happened to the guy that looked ashamed of himself whenever I stated I wouldn’t be having sex with him?”
Cam knew she was referencing that first night they met and he knocked on her door to invite her to dinner. “That wasn’t my intention that night,” he said simply with a shrug, then crossed his arms and leaned against the wall.
“And it is now?” That slow grin of his made her nipples harden. Oh god, she was doomed if a smile could melt her that easily.
“Yeah.”
She waited for more but he only looked at her like she was a delicacy he couldn’t wait to taste. The thought made her toes curl under the blankets. “Why now?”
“Frankly, I’ve wanted you from the moment I met you, though I think I tried denying it at first.” At the look she gave him, he added, “But even then, I had no intention of getting you into bed when I knocked on your door.”
“So why now?” she asked again.
“Because I know you now.”
She quirked a brow to suggest otherwise. Cam didn’t move from his perch.
“I know you always order a water at every meal, even if you’re planning on drinking something else. I know you wear sunscreen and reapply it like your life depends on it. I know you don’t care what strangers think about you but you highly value the opinions of those you care about. I know you sleep talk at night, always drool, and when you’ve rolled onto your back there’s guaranteed to be some snoring involved.”
He chuckled as she tossed a pillow at him. “That’s not true,” she argued.
He nodded dramatically. “Oh, yes it is. And I also know that you never felt like you could fully be yourself around your ex because you sensed his judgment, and you sure as hell don’t worry about that with me.”
She wouldn’t deny the first part, but she’d never confessed the second to him. “How do you get to that conclusion?” she asked.
“Well, you eat like a dainty and classy woman in front of him and everyone else, but you hoard your food like a wild beast in front of me. And you can forget about the utensils half the time.” He was joking but it earned him a laugh and eye roll from Emma. It was true though. He’d noticed right away that she either felt relaxed enough with him or didn’t give two shits about impressing him. Either way, he liked it, especially since it felt like something special just for him.
“I also know you don’t let many people in, you’re the strongest woman I’ve met, and besides the obvious factors of your beauty and brains, I’ve also come to know and appreciate your creativity, go-getter mentality, and adventurous side. You try new things and love a good adrenaline rush, and although you may say this whole fake relationship thing was a last-minute effort to avoid everyone pitying you, I’d say it also comes from a place of love and compassion to prevent people you care about from having to worry about you or feel guilty.”
Emma swallowed at that, not realizing how true it was until he spoke the words.
“I find you magnificent and I’m drawn to your magnetic energy, even when it results in something crazy like lying to my boss all week. You bring me out of my comfort zone and make me feel alive when I’m around you.”
“I feel it, too,” she said. “Alive when I’m with you.”
Cam let out a breath he didn’t know he’d held after speaking.
“But I don’t know if this would be smart,” Emma said.
“I don’t think I care,” Cam replied. “I want you and if you want me, even if only for one night, I’ll take what I can get. But I’d much rather have many more nights and days with you.”
Emma’s breathing was shallow, too many thoughts racing through her head as she still sat on the bed, unsure if she was about to make a big mistake or not. Her world paused as Cam moved from his post against the wall. “Where are you going?” she asked, too aware of how panicked she sounded.
“Just to slide on my ball shorts.” Then with a devilish grin, “I don’t want you too distracted and tempted by the sight to think straight.”
He gave her a wink that made her insides feel like honey before disappearing into the bathroom. Emma rubbed her hands down her face. Why was this so hard for her? She’d never had trouble making a decision before, and she knew damn well what she wanted. Cam. She wanted every last inch of him overtop, under, and behind her. She wanted to run her fingers through that thick brown hair of his and know what it would be like to scrape her nails down his back. She wanted to taste his tongue inside her mouth and feel his hands claiming her body.
Why was she hesitating then? Because it felt different. She knew deep down that there was something distinct between them than she’d ever had before, and it scared her. Because she also wanted to wake up next to him tomorrow and the next day and the day after that. She wanted him by her side, exploring the world, and taking on the unknown.
She’d swam with sharks, crossed paths with bears on trails, and jumped out of airplanes, but the idea of Cam, or rather what it could mean for her heart if it went south, was the scariest obstacle yet.
But the idea of missing out on something because of fear was just as bad. Before her brain had time to catch up with her heart, Emma was jumping out of the bed and racing to the bathroom where she flung open the door to find a startled Cam now dressed from the waist down reaching for his shirt.
As if he could read it on her face, he gave her a knowing grin, one she might have rolled her eyes at for the cockiness except that she was too intent on not missing this moment.
“Kiss me,” she said, one hand still on the doorknob.
Cam forgot the shirt and was in front of her in a flash, his hands going to the sides of her face and tilting up her chin. “Emma Cooper, your life is about to change.” Then his lips met hers, and she knew his words meant something deeper because this was more than a casual decision.
A thundering began in her body as she leaned in, his lips feeling soft yet firm against her own, one of his hands going to the back of her head as if scared for the kiss to end. Emma parted her mouth, giving him access as her hands found his chest.
Cam slid his tongue between those perfect lips, exploring and claiming her mouth like it was his new home. One of his hands dropped to her lower back, and she automatically pressed further into him. He deepened the kiss, unable to get enough, his fingers tightening against her as she dragged his bottom lip between her teeth.
She matched him kiss for kiss, unable to think, not knowing this could feel so good. She felt a whirl of heat and joy and ecstasy over the taste of his mouth, the way his tongue felt against hers, and the way he hardened against her when she teased him with her teeth.
Emma pressed forward more, Cam taking a step back as their bodies moved as one unit until his back was against the counter. He smiled against her mouth, reaching around to scoop her up and turning them so that she was sitting on the bathroom counter.
“Did I mention earlier how much I like your go-getter personality?”
She let out a soft laugh that felt like a mating call to his current state of mind.
Emma tilted her head back so that she could look into those blue eyes.
“Having second thoughts?” he asked.
She smiled and he felt his chest swell. “Not even a little.”
“Good.” He traced the edge of her face with his finger, then he leaned forward, peppering her mouth with small kisses that then led across her cheek, over her jawline, and up to her ear.
She turned her head, letting him have full access as she embraced the tingling sensation his lips left behind. Her hands pulled him closer as his teeth tugged on her ear.
“You know what I want to do?” His voice was rough and low in her ear, stirring the liquid heat between her legs. She arched into him in response, wanting to feel him against every part of her. “What I couldn’t on the beach or in the ocean,” he said.
Before she could question what that meant, his hands were at the base of her hoodie and pulling it up and over her head. Emma slipped out of the bulky clothing and was rewarded with the hungry look in Cam’s eyes as he took her in. She only wore an unlined lace bralette under the garment and he looked like he might shred it off of her. She wasn’t sure if she’d felt this sexy before in her entire life. There was something about the way he was looking at her, and she ate it up as it only turned her on more.
“Are you just going to look or are you going to touch?” she prompted, aware that he could see the heavy rising and falling of her chest.
Cam’s grin turned wicked as he dropped the hoodie to the floor and reached out to both of her breasts, slipping his hands into her bra and sliding the material underneath until she was fully exposed.
He took her in, not caring that his cock had pitched a tent so obvious in the front of his shorts because he hadn’t seen anyone so beautiful or perfect. Cam circled her pink nipples that had formed little peaks, only hardening further under his feathery touch.
He leaned in, taking one in his mouth while he tugged and pinched and teased the other. “Mmm, Emma. Has anyone ever told you your boobs are perfect?”
She pulled on the hair at the back of his head, holding him tight to her as she relished his mouth on her. “They’re all yours.” It came out as a moan as he switched sides, taking the bud of her other breast into his mouth, sucking then scraping with his teeth.
Damn straight they are, Cam thought, tracing with his tongue. He slid his hands behind her and unclasped the delicate bra. If he had his way, that would be the only thing she wore from now on. She looked so damn good in it.
Then as he felt her hands go over his shoulders, he began trailing a line with his mouth between her breasts and up her sternum until he was tasting every inch of her neck. Cam noted the pressure of her nails on his skin while her other hand guided his jaw back up to her mouth.
His lips found hers again, fervently kissing her with a passion he’d never felt before. He followed her as she tried to pull back. Emma laughed against his mouth. “Take me to bed,” she said against his lips. “Not yet,” he breathed. “There’s something I’ve been fantasizing about doing to you in here every time I’ve taken a shower.”
If the throbbing hadn’t already been in full force yet, it would be now. Emma’s lips formed a smile against his kiss. “Then show me.”
Cam’s hand gently found her neck, his thumb grazing underneath her jaw before he began pushing her to lean backward. She followed his lead, her heart hammering in her chest as she leaned back against the bathroom mirror. His mouth started working south, back down her chest, stopping to give attention to her nipples again before working its way down her torso.
Finally, he stood and grabbed the waistband of her sweats. Emma lifted herself with her hands as he shimmied them and her thong down at the same time. He gently slid them down her legs, pausing to admire the lacy material underneath. He gave her a look, “I want to see you in nothing but these one day.” She knew he meant the thong, and she liked the idea of living out that fantasy too.
Cam let the clothing drop with the rest as he ran his hands up her tanned legs. The touch felt electric to Emma’s skin as she watched him step closer and take her in, his eyes turning wolfish at the sight of her. She hadn’t realized she leaned forward until he ordered, “Put your head against the mirror.” It was a simple and gentle demand, yet it set her blood on fire.
She did as he said and watched as he ever so slowly lifted her right leg and bent slightly as he put it over his shoulder, then he repeated it with his left. Emma didn’t know if she’d ever been so exposed to someone in her life, but she didn’t care. All she could think about was him touching her, his face buried between her legs.
In this moment there was nothing she wanted more than to feel his tongue on her clit and he looked like he wanted it just as badly.
Cam had lowered himself so that he’d have the perfect angle and visual of seeing Emma’s arched back jutting her tits forward. Nothing drove him crazy like the thought of seeing her face in pure ecstasy in this position like it appeared in the ocean when he finger fucked her over the edge.
He pressed light kisses against the inside of one thigh then the other. Her fingers were caressing his hair and he could hear her jagged breaths as she awaited his every move. He knew where she wanted him and he had every intention of going there, but first, he wanted to savor the build-up. He ran his tongue up the inside of her thigh and then in a punishingly slow effort he went above and bypassed her clit to the other side. He could hear the frustrated whimper from her as he did the same on the other side.
Emma’s hands tightened on his head, feeling the torture of his teasing as he grew closer and closer without ever going where she wanted him. But he soon met that sexual frustration with the wet warmth of his tongue gliding over her center, his mouth enclosing the bundle of nerves and sending her mouth open and head further back.
Cam sucked and licked, losing himself in her involuntary reactions as she pulled him down into her even further. His hands held her firm against him, but as he slowly lowered his mouth, lapping between her slick folds, aware of how wet and wanting she was for him, he moved a hand around to play with her clit as he savored her vagina.
Emma wasn’t sure when she started to moan, nor did she care as she bucked off the countertop and into his mouth. She wanted to ride his face the way she rode his hand in the ocean and as if thinking the same thing, Cam’s hand and tongue swapped places as she felt his arm go beneath her thigh and his fingers slamming into her as his tongue toyed with her clit again.
The motion grew in rhythm picking up in speed as he sucked and ravished between her legs, his fingers taking what he was claiming and all the while Emma burying the back of her head into the mirror unable to think or focus.
“That’s right, baby, give in to it,” Cam coaxed, looking up at the joyous sight of Emma riding out her high. He knew she was close, could feel the quivering of her thighs spreading through her body as even her stomach tightened in preparation.
Her moans grew in volume and frequency as she ripped at his hair, trying desperately to hang on to every last euphoric moment, then as if knowing her body better than her, Cam’s mouth left her as he plunged his fingers harder into her core in rapid succession and the moment she teetered on the brink of her orgasm she felt his teeth sink into her inner thigh sending the most inebriating mixture of pain and pleasure that had her body convulsing as she came harder than she could ever remember before. The ecstasy poured over her in hot waves until the room grew quiet and Cam’s hand finally slowed and there was only the sound of rampant breathing to fill the space.
Her eyes were still closed, unsure of when that even happened, as she felt him carefully slide her legs off his shoulders and back to the counter. She slowly opened them as she straightened up on the counter, taking in the beautiful half-dressed specimen standing before her, that devilish grin of pure satisfaction shining on his smug face.
Cam swooped in, caressing the back of her neck as he kissed her deeply and thoroughly, her arms coming around his neck. “You are the sexiest woman I have ever known.”
Who knew butterflies could still swarm after one of the best orgasms of her life, but here they were taking flight inside her. She cut right to the chase. “I want you in bed.”
He smiled. “Your wish is my command.”
But a pounding on the door cut through the air. Then Lulu’s shout. “Come on you two! Enough hanky panky. We’re going dancing!”
Emma’s face fell.
“Maybe if we stay quiet she won’t know we’re in here,” Cam whispered.
The loud banging continued. “I already heard you,” Lulu shouted, not at all worried about pissing off neighbors. “Let’s go. I’m not leaving until you open the door.”
Emma’s head fell back against the mirror as she let out a groan. Cam chuckled, not at all sure he could get his boner under control for a night of dancing, but then again he didn’t think he was going to have much choice.
Lulu kept knocking.
“Is she this persistent at work?” she complained.
He laughed. “It’s what makes her so good.”
She laughed and said, “Then I better get dressed,” though she followed it with a groan as he helped her slide off the counter. Her legs felt like jelly in the wake, but she bent down for her clothes anyhow. “Will you go tell her we’re coming?”
He looked at her and then at the giant bulge in his pants. Emma laughed.
“You can just crack the door open.”
Her laughter followed him outside the bathroom as he barely opened the door during another one of Lulu’s incessant knocking sessions.
“I knew you’d give in,” she beamed through the crack.
“We’ll be downstairs shortly,” he said, if not a little gruff at the interruption.
She gave him a smirk and a waggle of the eyebrows. “Don’t you worry. You two kids can pick up where you left off later.” Then Lulu let out a bright bit of laughter as she headed for the elevator. She tossed over her shoulder, “They have a live band playing downstairs and tables filled with food in case you worked up an appetite.”
He shook his head but still smiled at her humor. As he turned around, he caught sight of Emma walking toward the bedroom in nothing but that matching lace thong and bralette, her ass making him groan at the unfairness of the world’s timing.
Emma let out a knowing laugh as she pulled a dress from her suitcase and never broke eye contact as she slipped into it. “Don’t you worry, Cameron. I assure you I plan to continue what we’ve started once we get back.”
And damn if that wasn’t the best promise he’d ever heard.