Chapter 28 #2
She smiles. “That sounds kind of wonderful.”
“Yeah,” I say, then pause, but the next part slips out anyway. “Some days, I catch myself picturing what a future with her might look like. Beyond summer.”
Mom tilts her head, studying me. “Does she know about your business? The company, the wealth you’ve generated? Your father’s—”
“No.” I shake my head. “We’ve both been good about keeping real-life details off the table. That was part of the deal. But if this continues past summer…” I shrug. “I’m not worried. She seems like she comes from a good family. Went to Oxford. And if she’s not as well off as I am, that’s okay, too.”
An unmistakably pleased smile tugs at Mom’s mouth. “You really like her, don’t you?”
“I do.” I try for casual, and fail miserably. “A whole lot more than I should.”
“Aww, honey.” Her gaze shifts, knowing. “You’re falling, aren’t you?”
“Already have.” I shrug. “Couldn’t quite help it. She’s amazing.” I hesitate, then let the thought tumble out. “But sometimes, I wonder if it’s too soon. After Jenna. After my divorce. What if I’m rushing into something I’m not ready for?”
Mom shuts the fridge and leans against the counter, arms crossing slowly as she levels that “mom” look at me.
“Knox. Just because your last relationship ended badly doesn’t mean you don’t deserve a good one now or later.
Love doesn’t run on someone else’s timeline.
And healing doesn’t mean waiting forever to feel again. ”
She studies me with that look she’s had since I was a kid, equal parts gentle and unyielding. “And does Cami know how you feel?”
I shake my head. “Not yet.”
“Oh, son. Please don’t let summer end without telling her. Life’s too short to keep that kind of thing to yourself. And if I had to guess”—she nods toward the doorway where Cami’s burst of amusement drifts back to us—“I’d say she’s fallen too.”
Her words hit me like a barreling load of truth I’m not ready to face head-on. I run a hand through my hair, exhaling slowly. “We agreed to keep things simple. No strings. No falling.”
She smiles, eyes warm. “You can make all the rules you want, Knox, but love doesn’t care about agreements.”
A self-mocking chuckle slips from me. “I just don’t want to ruin what we have now. Telling her could change everything.”
“Maybe it will.” Her hand finds my arm, her expression comforting. “But maybe it changes it into something even better. Something beyond summer. You won’t know if you keep how you feel locked up.”
I glance toward the doorway again, catching the sound of Cami’s happiness spilling down the hall.
“Yeah,” I say, the thought of an “us” beyond summer tugging a smile I can’t hide. “You could be right.”
Steam curls around the bathroom door when I step out, towel slung low on my hips.
Cami’s already in bed, hair loose, lamplight painting her skin in soft gold. She came up earlier because she felt a little tired.
She glances up when I cross the room, eyes immediately catching mine.
“Shower okay?” she asks, teasing.
“Lonely.” I grab the pajama pants I probably won’t bother putting on. “You spoiled me.”
Her smile spreads. “I missed showering with you tonight too.”
“It’s our ritual.” I drop the towel, slide under the cool sheets beside her. “Feeling better?”
She leans into me, head on my shoulder, fingertips drifting across my chest, tracing lazy circles that hit like a jolt.
“Yep,” she says quietly, then adds, “I think I stood up too fast, felt dizzy. I drank water with one of those electrolyte packets, lay down for a bit, and felt better. The cool shower helped too.”
I wrap my arm around her, easing her closer like I can shield her from the next spell.
“Next time,” I say, “just tell me. Had I known you were dizzy, I would’ve come up with you.”
Her fingers pause. “I didn’t want to worry you.”
“Too late,” I say, brushing a kiss into her hair. “I’m always worried.”
Cami inhales slowly as if to absorb my words.
“Your mom’s so sweet,” she says, changing the subject. “And your grandma? Total firecracker.”
I run my fingers through her wavy hair. “They love you.”
“I love them too,” she says, a crack of emotion breaking through.
I turn toward her, catching the tremor in her breath. “Hey,” I whisper, brushing my thumb along her jaw. “What’s wrong, baby?”
Her gaze flicks up, eyes glistening, a crease forming between her brows. “It’s nothing,” she says too quickly. “Just that tonight felt like something I’ll remember for a long time.”
I smooth my thumb along her cheek, coaxing her eyes back to mine. “That’s not nothing.”
She exhales, shaky. “Your mom, your grandma…they’re wonderful. Watching them with you, seeing how close you all are, reminded me of what that kind of love looks like. What it feels like.” She swallows. “And for a second, I forgot this is temporary.”
My chest tightens. “Cami—”
“I know,” she says, forcing a small chuckle that wobbles at the edges. “I’m not trying to ruin tonight. I’m just being silly and sentimental.”
“Hey.” I cup her face fully now, my thumb catching the corner of her mouth. “You’re not silly and sentimental. And honestly, I was thinking the same thing.”
Her breath hitches. “You were?”
“Yeah,” I admit. “I keep forgetting this is temporary, too.”
“Knox…” Her hand curls around my wrist, holding it against her face. “What are we gonna do?”
Her resolve cracks on the last word, a tear sliding down her cheek.
Gently, I brush it away with my thumb, catching another before it falls.
“Baby,” I say, throat tight. “Please don’t cry.”
A small, broken laugh escapes her, scraping straight through me.
“I can’t help it. I keep trying to remind myself this is a no-strings fling, but then you do or say something, and it feels like…
” She trails off, eyes flicking to mine, pleading, scared, words she can’t finish burning through the silence.
“I know, baby,” I manage, the ache of wanting to say more punching a hole in my gut.
Tracing my thumb beneath her eye again, I move in closer.
Her breath shudders against my mouth, the small space between us dissolving like it never existed.
Our kiss deepens. Every brush of her lips, every slide of her tongue, has my cock growing harder.
Cami shifts beneath me, a giggle slipping free as I lift her shirt over her head.
“You’re naked under this, Bubble Girl.”
Her grin is pure sin. “When am I not?”
The bedsprings groan, and I pause with a murmur against her mouth. “Careful. Grandma’s got supernatural hearing.”
Cami’s laugh trembles through both of us. “Then you’d better pipe down.”
I tip her a crooked smile. “You’re the one who never keeps quiet.”
“Guess we’re both in trouble then,” she whispers, tugging me closer until words stop mattering.
Her mouth finds mine again, softer this time, like she’s savoring every slow press, every breath we share. I slide my hands along the curve of her waist, up to her perfect tits, and she arches into the touch like she’s been starving for it all day.
My mouth trails down her neck, lingering at the hollow of her throat, where her pulse beats wild beneath my lips.
“Oh, Knox…” she breathes, legs shifting to wrap around my hips.
I settle against her, cock nudging her wet pussy, and her body answers me in that instinctive way it always does. Hot and needy.
“This isn’t a fling. Don’t think it ever was,” I murmur against her collarbone, letting my teeth graze the skin there.
She exhales, her quiet chuckle laced with need. “We are so screwed.”
“Not yet,” I whisper playfully, dragging my tongue lower, pausing to suck each nipple. “But we’re getting there.”
Her fingers slide into my hair, guiding me as I travel lower till I reach her beautiful pussy. When I take her clit into my mouth, her back arches, a moan slipping past her lips before she can catch it.
Licking and sucking, I pull back as she begins to rock and buck faster against my mouth. “Tell me what you want, baby.”
“You,” she says without hesitation, wrecked and sure, “inside me. Right now.”
I move over her, lining my cock to her entrance, sliding the tip through her wet heat, watching her shiver beneath me.
“Look at me,” I say, thick with desire.
She does. And when I push inside again, slow and deep, her breath catches, eyes still locked on mine, like letting go of my gaze would unravel her completely.
We move together, slow at first, like we’re trying to hold onto something we both know is slipping through our fingers. Her hips meet mine, her nails dig into my back, and every hushed moan she makes is like a vow I’ll never be able to break.
“My God, Cami,” I whisper-growl in her ear. “You always feel so fucking good. I’ll never get enough of you.”
Her walls tighten around me, pulse erratic, breath coming faster.
“Knox—” she gasps, body starting to tremble.
“Attagirl,” I rasp. “Let go.”
She comes with a broken moan muffled against my shoulder, and I follow, her name on my tongue like a prayer.
Not ready to let go, I stay inside her, forehead pressed to hers, trying to catch my breath.
But all I can focus on is beautiful Cami. The natural rhythm of her chest rising and falling against mine and the damp strands of hair clinging to her cheek. My fingertips glide through her hair as I brush it from her face, then kiss her forehead.
Cami’s eyelids flutter closed as I trail kisses down her cheek, her jaw, her mouth, tender, like I’m kissing her heart straight through her skin.
She exhales, shaky but peaceful, her palm sliding over my chest, settling above my heart.
“Knox…” she whispers, eyes opening to meet mine. The look she gives me is unguarded, wide open.
Fuck. This isn’t casual anymore.
It’s already taken root.
Already growing wild.
I kiss her again, done pretending this doesn’t mean more, then pull away, a breath apart.
“Cami…”
My voice is low.
Rough.
Barely holding itself together.
“I’m in love with you.”