Chapter 24
By the time Emma and Cam excused themselves for the night, it had grown late and the crowd had dwindled to half the size. However, the enthusiasm of those still there made up for the parting guests. Emma gave Lauren’s hand a squeeze good night, enveloped Henry into a hug, waved across the patio at Lulu, and nodded toward Asher before finally turning to Cam.
He slid his arm around her shoulder as they walked inside and headed for their room. She leaned into his embrace, smiling as they walked. “I had the best night.”
He looked down at her. “Me too. One for the books.”
“I didn’t know they were going to have anything like that this week, did you?”
He laughed. “I didn’t even know I would be here this week.”
She playfully whacked his stomach with the back of her hand as they waited their turn at the elevator.
“How late do you think they’ll stay out?” he asked.
“Lulu isn’t going to call it a night ‘til her legs give out. Henry looked on the cusp of ending his, and I’d say Asher and Lauren probably have a bit still left in them.” The doors opened for them to enter and another couple stepped inside with them. Emma waited until they exited on a different floor before saying, “Lauren and I are going to do looks tomorrow morning, so hopefully she gets some rest.”
His head tilted. “Looks?”
“For her content. Different outfits and pictures of her in different locations around the city.”
He nodded. “Gotcha.”
“It’s amazing how well she puts together travel itineraries as well as tips and ideas. It’s extremely resourceful for anyone wanting to go somewhere new but not knowing where to start planning.”
“I could see that.” The doors opened on their floor and Cam slid his hand to her lower back to let her step out first, then he grabbed her hand, not wanting to lose her touch. He had the best night dancing with Emma, better than anything he could think of, and he wasn’t ready for it to end.
If their room had a balcony, he’d gladly sit on it and talk all night together until the sunrise. “Do you like doing that type of photography?” Lauren’s job was interesting, but he’d rather learn more about Emma’s role and her thoughts on it. He admired the way she supported her friends, but he was more intrigued about what went on with her.
“Yeah, partly because the people I work with are pretty amazing and what some do can be incredible, and partly because it exposes me to places or ideas I wouldn’t have found on my own. There’s something to be said about showing up for a clothing line shoot and getting to see behind the scenes of the final product being released to the world after the owner has poured their heart and soul into the designs, the creative process, overseeing quality and production, and then making sure I achieve the vision they have for their set.”
Cam’s brows rose. He honestly had no idea that much went into clothing.
“And those on a mission to bring interest to adventuring outdoors tend to care a lot about sharing the importance of cleaning our waters, leaving no trace, and building community. There’s nothing that makes you feel like you’re exactly where you need to be like sitting around a fire with the stars overhead and good people all around you.”
Cam smiled as he caught sight of her face, knowing full well she was getting lost in memories, likely reliving them as she shared. It amped up that magnetic energy about her and he loved every minute of it.
“You love what you do, don’t you?”
She nodded, letting his hand go so he could pull out a key card. “I really do. It feels like such a privilege.”
He unlocked the door and held it open for her to enter first. “I’m glad you have that.”
“Me too. What about you? You seem to like what you do a lot too.”
He rubbed the back of his neck, a boyish smile forming as he looked down and admitted, “I do. It’s nothing fancy and doesn’t provide me a lot of excitement or travel, unless it’s for meetings, but I like the people that I work with, the structure, and the security it provides for my lifestyle.”
“I think that’s wonderful.” And she really did. There was something to be said for appreciating what you have and being content with what it provides.
“If I ever craved change, then I could always try transferring offices to a different city or state, or work to earn a promotion that would require me to relocate.”
“Would you ever want to do that?” she asked. “To move?”
He looked her in the eyes as he said, “I have no problem with moving or making changes if it means getting what I want. My family and friends will always be there for me whether I’m a fifteen-minute drive away or a fifteen-hour flight.”
She let out the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. She suddenly didn’t think he was talking about promotions, and she knew she was asking from a curiosity that had nothing to do with work.
“Would you?” he asked “Take your photography skills and live somewhere else?”
It was something she’d thought about a lot, and not just because of Lauren”s comment this week about her and Cam or what a pretend long-distance relationship might bring up. “I like change and trying new things. I like where I live and what the location offers, but I’ve also considered moving to experience what life is like elsewhere. As long as it didn’t compromise the success and hard work I’ve put into growing my business, I would go where I wanted.”
If Cam hadn’t already known before, he’d know now that he admired this woman. Maybe it made him crazy, but there was something about her making a decision based on how it would affect her career, considering she’d worked so hard to carve a path out for herself, that he respected. It shouldn’t be surprising that he’d be drawn to a confident and successful woman because he was surrounded by women like that between his mom and sister and his friends back home.
“Have I ever told you how amazing I think you are?”
She couldn’t help but smile as she broke eye contact and walked over to where her suitcase still lay open on the desk. She started pilfering through it, not looking for anything, but to keep her hands busy. “Maybe a little, but you can start retelling me now.”
“Mmm,” he said from where he stood by the bed. “I think you’re intelligent, the best damn dancer I’ve ever known,” he smiled when he saw her lips lift at that. “I am clearly in awe over the way you take charge of your life. I like how sweet you are but the way you get fired up real fast when someone rubs you wrong.”
He let his words sink in before continuing. “Mostly, I think I like the way that you look at me.”
She turned toward him at that. “How do I look at you?”
“Like you might not want to lose me.”
Emma swallowed. “Are you mine to lose?”
“Only if you’ll let me be.”
She looked him over, really took him in. The strong jaw covered in stubble, those arms that she loved having wrapped around her, the softness of his brown hair, and her favorite, those blue eyes that always sought her out and looked deeper into her soul than anyone dared go.
Cam slowly walked toward her, crossing the room one step at a time. Emma had to tilt her head back as he came closer, her eyes never leaving his.
“Do you know how you look at me?” she asked in a whisper as he stopped mere inches in front of her.
“How?”
“Like you might open my heart to something I’ve never felt before. Like I might just be a goner if I give in.”
He couldn’t help but smile at her admission, the hope that swirled in him taking over. “If you give in, I promise to never cage you. The world is yours, Emma. I just want to be by your side if you’ll let me.”
She blinked back the unexpected tears collecting at the edges of her eyes. It wasn’t his words but the truth and promise she could feel in them. The commitment to be there and not leave, to let her be who she was, and the understanding he had of her.
Cam stretched his hand up to wipe away a tear that escaped her hold. “Why are you crying, baby?”
She shook her head. “I don’t know. I just know I want that.” He looked at her with such intensity. “I want you,” Emma said, then she tilted her head up and he was there meeting her halfway as their mouths met, their lips sought each other out like they were discovering their purpose in life.
Cam was pressing into her, but she was pressing right back, one hand gripping the shirt at his chest while the other went to the back of his neck. He deepened the kiss, his tongue darting into her mouth, entwining with her own as their mouths spoke a language that only their hearts understood.
She moaned into his mouth as his hands pulled her in closer, her grip on his shirt only tightening. Everything she was feeling, the emotions of her heart, it was all spilling into that kiss and the one after and the one after that. She tugged on his lip as she found the bottom of his shirt, pulling it up until he took over and tossed it to the floor.
She took a step back to admire him which only caused a wolfish grin on his face as his eyes turned dark. “I’ve been dying to see you in that lacy number again.”
“Well, then it’s your lucky day.” She began to pull the straps down on her sundress, but Cam was upon her instantly.
“No, let me.” He dipped the straps down her shoulders, then slowly tugged the material at her sides until the flowy clothing began to slide down her bodice. Whenever her bra was exposed, he bent down, peppering soft and wet kisses across her chest, from the top of one breast to the other. Then he slid the dress the rest of the way to the floor and Emma stepped out of it, leaving her sandals in the pool of material as well.
His eyes danced. “The things I want to do to you,” he growled and she felt the vibration in her very center, where she swore one look from Cam and he could make her wet with desire.
Then he was in front of her, his lips caressing hers again, and Emma could feel herself melting for this man. As his hands ran over her body, she found the waistband of his shorts and undid the button, lowering the zipper, and pushing them down.
Her breath hitched with a sharp inhale as he helped her, grabbing both his shorts and boxers in one go and lowering them with the quickness that only came when in the heat of the moment and everything felt too constricting. His desire now much more obvious as his cock was hard and pressing against her.
He tilted her head back, bringing her attention back to him as he kissed her, but her hand went to his manhood, stroking the solid length and causing him to groan. She smiled against his lips. “I’ve been thinking about this particular body part since you had me bent over that couch.”
The image only made his dick pulse in her hands, which in turn only heightened Emma’s smile as she turned her smooth caress into a tighter gripped speed. He liked being in her hand, but he wanted to be inside her more. “If I start thinking about that, I’m going to have to relive it,” he said. “The right way this time.”
She let him go, lightly pushing his chest to get him to move to the bed as she shook her head. Cam raised his brow, but the grin on his face was all the indication she needed that he liked this side of her.
“No,” she said regarding the couch. “Not yet. First, I want to live out some fantasies of my own.”
He knew she was referencing his comment in the bathroom earlier. He cocked his head sideways as he now stood at the end of the bed. “And what might those be?”
Her eyes flicked down to his penis and she smiled. As much as he wanted that mouth of hers on him, he knew he wouldn’t last. “I want you first,” he said.
He’d been thinking about her too much this week to withstand the ecstasy those lips wrapped around his dick would provide. No, he wanted the first time she got him off to be from being inside her.
She tilted her head to the side. “Not a patient man, Cameron?”
He clenched his jaw. “Not when you’re looking at me like that and saying my name.”
She trailed a finger down his chest until she wrapped her hand around him again. “Oh, I plan to say your name. Scream it until the sun rises.”
If he thought she was sexy before, this side of her was going to drive him mad. “I’ll see to it that you do.” His voice was low and rumbled. “But first, I want to be inside you. Then you can do whatever you want to me and I promise you,” he reached out, his thumb gently rubbing the side of her cheek before his hand dropped to her neck and he rubbed that same thumb down the base of her throat. “I will make every last one of your fantasies come true.”
She had no doubt he could feel the escalating pulse that promise caused her. Her lips spread in a Cheshire smile as she pushed against his chest again. “Lay back,” she said, unsure of when she became so demanding, but loving every bit of it. She liked this side of her that Cam brought out.
She might make him get out of his comfort zone when he was with her, but he made her feel powerful and in control.
He locked eyes with her and did as she instructed, scooting back on the bed until his whole body was on it. “I have condoms in my wallet in my shorts’ pocket.”
Emma grabbed his wallet and tore off a square packet before tossing the wallet to the side. Then she followed him onto the bed, crawling on top. “I get you like this, then you can have me bent over the couch,” she purred, lowering her mouth to his chest, applying light kisses on the sculpted skin until she worked her way down the grooves of his abs. She could feel him tightening underneath her, his body radiating barely controlled tension.
She smiled with the knowledge of her effect on him as she slid her tongue out and left a wet trail. As she neared lower, she felt Cam’s hands go to the side of her face, his gentle tug a reminder of their agreement.
She laughed and the sound was the most seductive thing he’d ever heard. Cam pulled her back up to him, needing to touch her, to kiss her. Her mouth found his in a demanding passion as they were a desperate mix of tongue and teeth and lips. Her fingers went over every inch of him like she was claiming what was already hers.
Then she was gone too soon as Cam felt her rise, and then watched as she opened the condom, took hold of him, gently slid it over his cock, and positioned herself above. She locked eyes and raised a brow as if to ask if he was ready, which he answered with a devilish grin that suggested she better prepare herself.
Emma slowly lowered herself as he filled every bit of her, then paused for a moment so that her body could adjust to his presence before taking any more of him. Cam’s head had tilted back and she could tell how good it already felt for him by the expression on his face, the heat in those depthless blue eyes.
Then she started moving, and the moment she did his hands found her hips, his grip strong and wanting, beckoning for all that she would give him.
She rocked her hips slowly at first, though the aching lust of her body urged her on faster. She gave into it, the fullness of him hitting her right, the friction against her clit causing her breath to become more and more shallow as her hips quickened, his hands moving in that same fast-paced motion.
Cam couldn’t stop taking her in, the sight of her on top of him, her nipples hardened peaks, the way she gave into her wanting, the arch of her back. He met her rocking with his thrusts, holding her against him, unable to get enough. Emma was like a hunger he couldn’t fully satisfy, always needed more, needed her. Every last bit.
He wanted to pull her down to him, press his lips against her sweet skin, but as he plunged up into her, she tilted her head back, the movement hitting right and the parting of her mouth drove him wild. Every movement a deeper connection, every thrust another sort of dance.
The sounds of her unashamed moans made his dick harder and he drove it further inside her, the feeling of her muscles clamping down on him driving him wild. “Fuck, Emma,” he groaned, their pace turning something frantic, something unto its own.
It felt unbearably euphoric as she rode him, not caring about a thing in this world except the way she was feeling at this moment. Her entire body felt like it was on fire and when she felt Cam’s hand go to her nipple, toying and playing and squeezing, she moaned and her inner muscles tightened earning her another groan from this beautiful specimen beneath her.
She felt him quicken the pace, could sense his need for her and she gave in, matching his every plea as she engaged him, taking him plunge after plunge, feeling him hit her walls, leaning into it. Dammit, had it always been this good or just with Cam? She didn’t know. Didn’t care.
She felt herself reaching that cliff’s edge, was ready to throw herself over it, to ride this out until that satisfying end. As if sensing it, Cam reached for her and she let him, bending forward as he found her mouth in what felt like a desperate plea to know she was still there with him. She felt it too, whatever this was, she felt it.
She was kissing him back and Cam couldn’t think about anything but how good she felt around him, needing to touch every bit of her until they felt like one and the same. As her lips made their way to his neck, he knew she was about to send him over his edge and he didn’t want to beat her there. He wanted her to come on top of him.
She yielded as he guided her upward, repositioning just enough that he could take her breast in his mouth as she continued to rock her hips, taking his cock beat after beat. Her lips fell open as she felt his mouth clamp down over her nipple, his other hand coming up to caress the other one.
“Cameron,” she breathed, her entire body responding to the workings of his mouth as she rode him.
He kept going, the tensity becoming rougher, their bodies a chaotic storm back and forth. He heard her whimpering, felt the tell-tale sign of her tightening, followed by the tremors, and could feel his own as he drove into her as much as he could from underneath. He wanted every last second of this ingrained in his mind, in his body, as he saw her head lower, her mouth pressed against his head as she moaned into him, her hips taking and riding as the tempo of her whimpers became sharper.
“Cameron,” she said into his hair, unable to think, all other words lost to her. “Cam…” Her voice was throaty and frantic, filled with lust and pleasure, begging for her release.
She felt the peak coming, the orgasm fast approaching, the strength of his hand now gripping her backside, grabbing her firm and holding on. Then it was suddenly all-consuming, the waves of her climax washing over her as she felt the jerky movements of his own, his legs going taught beneath her as she gave in and let the ecstasy rush through her.
His breath was ragged and he held her tight as she collapsed on top of him, their bodies covered in sweat. She slowly lowered downward so that her face could lie on his chest, feeling as he slid out of her, not caring about the mess that she was. He wrapped his arms tight around her as he gently kissed her hair, giving her a tight squeeze of a hug, not sure if it was for him or her, but he could feel her smile against his damp skin as she tucked her hands underneath his sides and returned the gesture.
“That was incredible,” he said. “You’re incredible.”
“I like to think so,” Emma responded.
Then they both broke out laughing.