Chapter 6
Chapter Six
Cameron
I’d said goodbye to my sister and Austin and was already an hour outside of the city when I pulled up at a stoplight and pounded the steering wheel in frustration.
Damn it, I didn’t want to leave her like this.
I’d walked out of Jimmy’s and never looked back. That was just two hours ago, and I couldn’t get out of town fast enough. But it didn’t feel right. It felt like I was leaving something important behind. Leaving too much left unsaid.
So, without overthinking it, I made a U-turn and drove back in the direction of her place, prepared to demand answers. Determined to make the girl who seemed so fearless face her fears about us.
Ten minutes into my drive back, Austin called. “Hey man, what’s up?”
“I just wanted to check in on you. You seemed a little off when you left. And it was kind of sudden. We thought you’d be sticking around a couple more days, at least.”
I’d been tight with my sister’s boyfriend in high school, but we’d drifted apart when Eden married someone else just out of college. I was glad they’d found their way back to each other. Made me feel like I was getting my old friend back too.
“It was kind of sudden.” I drummed the steering wheel, trying to decide how much I should tell him. I knew Austin and Rylee were close too, and I didn’t want to say more about our relationship than she would want him to know.
“A work thing?” Austin pressed.
“No, it was definitely personal.”
“How did it go with Rylee the other night? Did you end up going over there?”
I had a feeling he was playing dumb. Since we followed each other on social media, and he was living with my sister, he’d probably already seen the pictures.
“Yeah, I did.” The cop in me waited to see if he’d volunteer any information.
“And?”
“Quit playing games, Austin. Just tell me if you’ve seen the pics of us making the rounds online.”
Like I’d suspected, people at Jimmy’s had been posting photos and video of Rylee and her ‘new mystery man’ online all night.
He chuckled. “Busted. Y’all looked pretty tight. So, what the hell caused you to leave town in such a hurry? Did you get into an argument with her?”
“You could call it that.”
It still pissed me off to think that she’d decided she wasn’t ‘good for my career’.
That was total bullshit. I’d busted my ass to move up the ranks.
The goal was always to hold the position I had now.
But after meeting Rylee, I had to admit my sister was right: there had to be more to life than work.
“You don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine. I won’t—”
“She’s worried it will hurt my career if people think we’re a couple. I mean, it’s not like we are. We’re just getting to know each other. We haven’t even slept together yet.” Austin was a lifelong friend, which meant I could say things to him I wouldn’t say to my nosy little sister.
“Huh.”
“What?”
“You guys seem really into each other. But I get where she’s coming from.”
“Not you too,” I groaned. “It’s not like Rylee’s a frickin’ convict, okay? She’s a musician.”
“Yeah, an up-and-coming musician whose career is about to blow up.”
“How do you know that?”
“Because I’ve produced, and written songs with enough country artists to know which ones are on the cusp of something big. And I can tell you, without a doubt, your girl’s career is about to take off in ways she can’t even imagine.”
“Damn.”
I wanted that for her. She was crazy-talented, had worked hard and deserved it, but I couldn’t deny it was a little unnerving to imagine myself dating a celebrity. My deputies would love to bust my chops about that.
“I know, brother. It’s a lot to take in. That’s why I wanted to give you fair warning, in case you’re getting in too deep with her. You need to take a step back and decide if this is what you really want.”
“Would you believe I’ve already turned around and I’m headed to her place? I tried leaving town without seeing her again, and I just couldn’t do it.”
It scared me, how much of a hold she had over me already. Even when I thought of my life being turned into a three-ring circus, by tabloid reporters angling for a story, I still couldn’t walk away. And that was crazy, because I was a guy who valued my privacy.
“Sounds like I should have warned you before.”
“Jesus, man.” I pulled into a parking lot and put my Tahoe in park before scrubbing my hands over my face. “Am I crazy or what? Tell me the truth, should I be haulin’ ass out of town right now, forgetting I ever met her?”
“Can you do that?”
“No.”
“Then I guess you have your answer.”
Just like the night before, I was standing at Rylee’s door well after midnight, hoping like hell she wouldn’t slam the door in my face.
As soon as she opened it, she gasped, before throwing herself into my arms. “I’m so glad you came back!”
“We need to talk,” I said, walking her inside and kicking the door shut behind me. “About that shit you were spewing tonight.”
I held her face in my hands, totally overwhelmed by what I was feeling for her.
It shouldn’t be happening this fast.
I couldn’t be falling this hard.
But I was.
“I was crushed when you walked out of Jimmy’s,” she said, curling her hands around my biceps. “And I never get that worked up over guys, especially ones I’ve just met.”
“Yeah, it seems we’ve got a situation here.” I kissed her, unable to hold back any longer, and she answered me with the same intensity. “I can’t stop thinking about you.”
“Same,” she whispered, between kisses. “And I don’t know what the hell to do about it.”
“I was on my way out of town,” I admitted, resting my forehead against hers. “And I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t leave.”
“I’m glad you didn’t.” Her voice was rough and raw, like she was holding back tears.
“But I will have to leave soon.”
I had a life waiting for me. A career I loved. But why did it have to be so far away from the girl I was falling for? Could fate really be that cruel, to give me something I’d never had before, then take it all away?
“I know.” She lowered her head to my chest, clutching the fabric of my shirt in her fists. “And I hate that. But I’d hate it even more if you left being mad at me.”
“I wasn’t mad at you.” I was kissing her neck, sliding the zipper on her hoodie open to reveal a black lacy bra. I knew we should be talking, but she wasn’t making it easy to stay focused, looking as sexy and vulnerable as I’d ever seen her. “I was pissed at the situation.”
“Your career—”
“Listen to me.” My tone told her I wasn’t messing around. “What I do when I’m off the clock is my business. If the people who voted for me don’t like that, screw them. They don’t have to vote for me again.”
“Cam, don’t say that. You worked so hard to get—”
I interrupted her with a kiss. “You’re right. I do work hard. And I’ll continue to work hard for the remainder of my term. And I’ll lead the way I always have: with integrity. Anyone who doubts that, just because I’m dating you, isn’t worth worrying about.”
She covered her face with her hands. “I can’t do this to you. It’s not fair. You haven’t seen what people are already saying online.”
“Look at me.” I waited until I had her full attention before I said, “I. Don’t. Care.”
“But I don’t want you to hate me because I ruined your career.”
“Hey, I’m a big boy.” I kissed her neck, her chest, the swell of her full breasts, causing her to tip her head back and thread her hands through my hair.
“I can handle whatever comes my way.” Looking her in the eye, I said, “What I can’t handle is losing out on a chance with you because I didn’t have the balls to fight for it. ”
“This scares me,” she whispered. “The way I feel for you. The way I felt the first time I saw you, it was like I’d been waiting for you and didn’t even know it.”
“Jesus, Ry.” This girl was tearing me apart with every word. Every touch. Every kiss. “I need you tonight.”
I didn’t know what tomorrow would bring for us, and didn’t care. Tonight, I just needed to make memories with her.
“I need you too.” She was peeling my shirt off, reaching for my belt buckle, kissing me until my chest ached with wanting her.
Clothes were flying all the way down the hall and by the time we reached the bed I barely had time to mutter, “Condom.” My jeans were somewhere down the hall, but walking away from her now would take superhuman effort.
She was flat on her back on the mattress, naked, with kiss-swollen lips, beard burn on her neck, tousled hair, reaching for me, whispering, “It’s okay,” and I believed her.
I kissed every inch of her soft, curvy body, taking my time to explore her. Her breathless moans filled the room as I tasted her, making my name sound like profanity falling from her sweet lips as I took her to the edge of sanity with my relentless teasing.
After tormenting her as long as I could, without losing it myself, I finally shattered her composure, and forced her over the brink. But instead of letting her catch her breath, I continued kissing, tasting, unable to get enough.
She finally dug her nails into my shoulders, pleading for less, more, she didn’t know. But as I made my way up her body, leaving a hot trail with my mouth, she finally found the words that nearly broke me.
“I’m falling for you,” she whispered. “God, Cam, I didn’t mean for this to happen.”
I didn’t tell her I shared the sentiment, but she had to know. The way I looked at her, the way I kissed her, I didn’t think I could hide it if I tried.
I entered her slowly, kissing her, giving her time to adjust because she felt impossibly small, making me wonder how long it had been for her and how many lovers she’d had before me.
She felt so good, and the way she was kissing my shoulder, scraping her nails across my back, digging her heels into my thighs, urging me on, was making it impossible to take my time.
For a guy who dealt with life and death situations every damn day and maintained my composure, I didn’t expect to lose it so quickly with her.
But the way her body claimed mine, the sound of her sexy voice in my ear, her hands caressing my skin, her kiss…
it was unleashing a storm I hadn’t even realized was brewing.
It felt like chaos, raw and unrestrained, once the leash came off, and I could tell she was right there with me. It was instinctive, natural, like we’d done this a hundred times before. Or maybe it just felt that way because her body was made for me.
I could feel and hear the slow build in her gasps and pleas. The way she tensed, held her breath, before finally coming undone. But it wasn’t her physical release that did me in, it was the way she looked into my eyes, mouthing, “Unbelievable,” that broke me.