Chapter 37
thirty-seven
Zhuri
Wes stares at us in disbelief, pointing at Cameron and me sitting on the sofa. The same spots we were in when Bet came over earlier. “Seriously? You two…”
“Yes,” I breathe, squeezing Cameron’s hand. The nerves radiating off of him are scorching hot.
Isla shakes her head to compose herself. “I’m less surprised about Zhuri and Cam than I am about Sid and Bet.”
“What do you mean you aren’t surprised about us?” Cameron asks.
Icy just stares at him. “You saw the pictures from the photoshoot, right? You practically had hearts in your eyes in every one.”
“Wonderful,” he groans, head thrown back with his hands over his eyes. “Those pictures are going to be used in a national campaign. I fucked us over before we even got together.”
“You’ll probably be fine,” Nico shrugs. “Like I told you before, I thought we were just fucking with you. I didn’t know you actually liked Zhuri until you told us.”
Wes laughs. “You have no idea about anything, Bieri.”
“I hate everyone here.”
“What the hell did I do?” Sid asks.
“You’ve been dating Bet for a fucking year and just told us. You suck, too.”
Isla claps a hand on his shoulder. “Isn’t Ivy supposed to be very smart? I heard Addie and Blake talking about it at team dinner on Friday.”
“Yes,” Wes answers. “Blake told me about how she’s workin’ on her Ph.D. right now.”
“Holy shit,” Cameron says in surprise. “Is she even old enough for her Ph.D.?”
“She’s twenty-five,” he shrugs. “Pretty sure she’ll do her presentation thing in the spring.”
Elisabet fights a smile. “Nico has good taste, apparently.”
“I don’t have a thing for Ivy,” is what he says, but the blush creeping across his cheeks says otherwise.
“Okay, boys,” Isla chimes, coming over to help me stand up. “Bet and I are taking Cam’s girlfriend with us to the balcony for some girl talk.”
“Girl talk?” Cam looks at her in confusion.
I chuckle and shake my head. “They’re going to grill me about how you are in bed.”
He throws his head back and laughs. “And?”
I lean down to give him a quick kiss before whispering against his lips. “A plus, baby.”
Isla and Bet drag me away now, and as soon as the balcony doors close behind us, they pounce.
“You fucked Cameron!” Isla shouts.
“Quiet,” I hiss. “That can’t get out, Icy.”
“We’re like fifty stories up right now. No one heard. Now, stop deflecting. You’re in Cameron’s clothing, and I want some damn details about how that happened.”
I sigh. “I feel like it all started at the team dinner on Friday. He knew about my thing for Conway, so I knew that jersey was intentional, and it was making it harder to stay away. We hung out after everyone else left and went for a late-night swim… in our underwear.”
Elisabet squeals. “How did that happen?”
I scratch the back of my neck. “So, it was my idea. We went up there to look at the view, and the next thing I know, I’m stripping off my clothes and challenging him to a race.”
“Fucking get it, Z!” Isla whoops.
“Nothing else happened, but we did almost kiss before I ran away like he was on fire.”
“But you ended up back here last night,” Bet says.
“Yeah,” I sigh. “We agreed we were going to forget about what almost happened, and we would just hang out. Then his cousin Petar in Croatia called him. Cam left us alone briefly, and I seized my opportunity to ask him something. Cam’s been calling me ljepota for months.
It’s Croatian, but I had no idea what it meant, and he refused to tell me. Well, I asked Petar.”
“And?” Isla leans forward eagerly.
I smile. “It means beauty. All of my restraint snapped with that. We kissed, and I asked him to take me to bed.”
Elisabet nudges my shoulder. “And how was it?”
I groan with my head thrown back. “So fucking good. The mouth and the dick on that man…”
Isla cackles at my candor. “Goddamn, Z.”
“I’m honestly surprised I’m walking normally today. He’s fucking huge.”
“I wonder what his brother’s like then,” Icy blurts, and Bet and I laugh hard.
“You can’t ever filter yourself,” Bet smiles.
“Shut up. I’m just saying. They’re brothers. If the big dick gene comes from their mom’s side, Bodhi might be packing, too.”
I raise my eyebrow at her. “You trying to find out?”
“Fuck no,” she replies emphatically. “I don’t mix work and pleasure. He’s cute, but he’s so young.”
“He’s twenty-two,” Bet laughs.
“Don’t forget that he’s a fetus, though,” I smirk.
“I’m ignoring that and just going to celebrate the fact that my girl is getting some good dick finally.”
“Really good dick,” I sigh wistfully. “I wish we didn’t have to be secret, though.”
Bet smiles at me. “Sid and I are proof that it’s possible to hide your relationship successfully.”
“I still can’t believe you’ve been with Sid this entire time,” I shake my head.
She shrugs. “You’re not the only one getting good dick.”
We all laugh and smile, and I breathe a little easier.
Hiding is going to suck, but it’ll be better when we get to be ourselves around our friends.
“Shut the fuck up!” Nia squeals across from me at Willow.
After we talked to our friends, Cam and I decided we would tell Nia and Bodhi as well. They’d never believe us if we denied being together, so we’re not even going to try.
I thought maybe telling my sister in public meant she would be less crazy about it.
I was wrong.
“Be quiet!” I hiss through gritted teeth. “No one can know that, Nia.”
“Sorry,” she says, trying hard to bite down a smile. “But I’m excited for you.”
“Yeah,” I grin. “I’m excited for me, too.”
Nia flashes me a sweet smile. “You seem so happy right now, Z.”
“I am,” I admit. “Cam is absolutely amazing, Ni.”
“Are you guys still going to be able to play like teammates?”
I nod. “I’m sure we can. When I’m on the ice, all I care about is the game. I can’t see that changing just because I have a boyfriend.”
“Good,” she breathes. “You took my advice, you know.”
“What do you mean?”
Her grin is devilish. “You started living for yourself by jumping into bed with the hot, tattooed Croatian.”
“I hate you,” I groan.
“Just make sure you’re being careful.”
I stare at her. “You have a daughter. Are you really preaching safe sex to me?”
“Uh, yeah,” Nia scoffs. “If you don’t want to end up like me, wrap it up.”
“I have an IUD. I’m fine.”
I leave it at that because I know after last night, there will be no condoms for us. Bare sex feels incredible, and getting to feel him drip out of me after was addicting.
I’ve never felt so close to someone before. Like we were truly connected.
I want that again.
Nia pesters me for more details that I don’t give her through the rest of dinner. I love my sister dearly, but she doesn’t need all the intimate details of my sex life.
The fact that she knows I have a sex life is far more than enough for me.
I pay for our meal—Nia reminded me that I have quite a large contract now—before we leave the cafe, deciding to take a stroll around the lake in City Park.
The sun is starting to set, the crickets are beginning to chirp, and the breeze is starting to blow.
It’s a perfect night.
“Well, look who it is,” I hear a male voice behind us.
Nia and I turn around to see Cameron and Bodhi walking up to us.
“Hi, Bodhi,” I say before gesturing to Nia. “This is my sister, Nia. Nia, this is Cam’s brother, Bodhi.”
“Nice to meet you, Bodhi.”
“You too,” he smiles before turning his attention back to me.
He looks like he’s trying to hold himself back right now.
Cameron sighs. “He knows.”
“Thank God I can say it now. I fucking knew he had a thing for you, Z.”
“So did I!” Nia exclaims. “I’ve been telling her that for weeks now.”
Cameron pinches his brow, probably regretting the decision to tell them. “Yes, apparently we all knew that.”
“When did you realize that, Bodhi?” I ask.
He shrugs. “That time we ran into you here.”
My jaw falls open. “That was a month ago.”
“Yeah,” Cam sighs. “I told you I’d been wanting to kiss you for weeks, Z. I meant it.”
I flash him a sweet smile. “You’re adorable, Cam.”
He grins, dimples popping at the corners of his mouth and pure happiness on his face. “I’ve never been called adorable before. I think I like it.”
Nia sighs and shakes her head. “I forgot how sickening the honeymoon phase could be.”
“You and Ty are still in your honeymoon phase thirteen years later. I don’t want to hear it, Ni.”
Cameron steps a little closer to me before he stops himself from coming further. I know he wants to kiss me, but we can’t risk it with all these people around. “We’ll let you guys get on with your night. But come over later, Z?”
“Yeah,” I smile. “I’ll come over.”
“And what are you going to do when you go over?” Nia teases.
Cameron chuckles before turning his attention to her. “You sure you want to hear about all the depraved things I want to do to your sister?”
“Cameron!” I chastise, and he laughs harder.
“I’ll see you tonight, ljepota.”
We say our goodbyes, and Cameron and Bodhi continue on past us. I watch as they go, and Nia watches me the entire time with a teasing smile.
“What?” I ask.
“That man might already be in love with you, Zhuri.”
“We’ve been together for barely a day. He’s not in love with me.”
“Maybe not yet,” she shrugs, “but he will be. He’s got it so bad for you.”
There’s no way Cameron is in love with me.
Not yet, at least.
But the thought of it?
Yeah, I like that.
Because I know I’m already falling for him.