Chapter 12 - Camden
Camden had been hoping for an opportunity to spoil Flora and have fun together ever since she had reluctantly come back into his life, and he was thrilled she had agreed to go out with him.
He suspected that Flora, living under the rule of her adoptive parents and forced to be the punching bag of the Silverrose pack for so many years, had never gotten to experience what freedom and joy felt like.
He remembered, with a pang of regret, the look she always had on her face when they had met up under the bridge as teenagers.
That was the only time he had ever seen her worries and fears melt away.
Even now, she was always taking care of other people and putting herself last. He had done what he could to take on as many of the day-to-day tasks as possible so that she would start to realize she was worthy of rest, but Camden knew there was still something holding her back.
Her need to maintain control at all times was a defense mechanism that Camden intended to show her was no longer needed. He was her defender now.
“You look beautiful,” he said as he held her car door open for her to exit the vehicle.
“Thanks,” she mumbled uncomfortably.
Her brown hair was usually straight and thrown back in a ponytail, but tonight she had done something different.
It was curly now, the soft waves cascading over her shoulders and brushing the light blue fabric of her dress.
The contrast between her dark tendrils and the light blue was oddly captivating.
Camden tried to catch her eye, but Flora was glancing around the parking lot nervously.
He knew she was afraid of being in public after what she had endured at the hands of the pack for so many years.
Camden held the restaurant door open for her to pass through and watched her falter on the threshold.
The opportunity for her to be treated like the queen she was had been stolen from her by discrimination and hate.
He had done some of that damage, and he owed her the effort and time it would take to repair it.
With a smile, he held his arm out for her to grasp and walked her through the door instead.
“Sorry. No one has ever held the door open for me before,” she muttered.
“You have nothing to apologize for,” Camden assured her. “All I want is for you to have a good time tonight. I have no expectations of you whatsoever.”
At that, Flora looked genuinely grateful, and Camden saw her shoulders visibly relax. He had never wanted her to put on an act for him. He wanted her exactly as she was: beautiful, kind, strong, and flawed.
“Table for two?” the hostess asked.
Camden nodded, and she led them to an intimate booth settled near the back of the restaurant.
“Can I start you with something to drink?”
“Flora?” Camden said, indicating that she should choose.
“May I have a glass of your house red, please?” she said.
“Make that two,” Camden agreed. “And the bruschetta for an appetizer.”
Flora smiled, and Camden breathed a sigh of relief. Her smile relaxed him like nothing else in the world had the ability to do. Seeing her at peace let him know he was doing something right, and that was all he wanted at the moment: to do right by her.
“Hughes! We thought that was you!”
To Flora’s horror, Camden’s old friends—Aidan, Scott, and Thatcher—sauntered over to the table.
“Boys! It’s been a long time,” Camden said. “What are you guys up to?”
“Just grabbing something to eat,” Scott said, clapping his friend on the back. “And what about you? I see you’re out on a date with—oh!” He made a sound that was half exclamation and half laugh.
“Camden, what are you doing with a human?” Aidan asked in mock horror.
“Don’t you know they carry diseases?” Thatcher added, barely able to contain his own laughter.
“Oh, that’s not fair, Thatch,” Scott said, shaking his head. “They can only pass them on if we let them come too close to us. You really should be more careful, Hughes. This one will get you into trouble.”
The back-and-forth teasing was familiar between the four of them. It was how they had always treated Flora over the years, making jokes at her expense and only rarely speaking directly to her. It was as though she was there for their own amusement, not really a living, breathing person at all.
For the first time in his life, Camden felt the effects of it in real time.
For years, he had tolerated and even encouraged the abuse that Flora had suffered.
He had been stupid and weak then, not wanting to rock the boat or go against the grain of what was considered normal.
But he had grown up since then. Clearly, his old friends had not.
“I’m more worried about your bitterness than anything else right now,” Camden retorted. “Why are you so threatened by my date, Scott? Are you jealous? I didn’t realize you felt that way about me. You should have said something.”
The men laughed at his joke, clearly charmed by him even while being disarmed by his statement.
“But seriously, Hughes. Why are you here with her?” Aidan asked. “There are plenty of she-wolves that would spend time with you if you asked. You don’t have to resort to slumming it with this one.” He nodded his head at Flora.
“I don’t consider a date with a beautiful woman to be ‘slumming it’ at all,” Camden argued. “And I highly suggest you not offend my mate any more than you’ve already done.”
The shock of his revelation about Flora being his mate was evident on their faces, and Scott took a step backwards.
“We’re only teasing, bro,” Thatcher said. “Flora doesn’t care, do you, doll?”
But Flora had gone completely silent, staring at her hands in her lap and ignoring the interaction. Her shoulders were slumped forward, as if to protect herself from the onslaught of abuse.
“Whether she cares or not isn’t your concern,” Camden said evenly. “I said to stop, and that’s what you’ll do.”
“Sure thing,” Scott said uncomfortably. “We’re gonna let you guys finish your dinner.”
They disappeared without another word, leaving Flora and Camden silent in their wake. A moment later, the waitress appeared with their food.
“Enjoy!” she said with a bubbling energy that didn’t match their mood.
“Are you okay?” Camden asked when she left. “I’m sorry about that. If I had known that was going to happen, I would have taken you somewhere else.”
“I’m not sure there’s anywhere in Silverrose that doesn’t come with that risk,” Flora said, sipping her wine.
The rest of the dinner was amicable, although the wake of Camden’s friends’ appearance cast an uncomfortable feeling in their interactions. By the time they were finished, Camden hadn’t been able to erase Flora’s unease.
“Alright,” Camden said as they got back into the car. “I was going to take you home after dinner, but I don’t think I did a very good job with this date.”
“It was fun,” Flora said immediately.
“You don’t have to do that,” Camden said. “I know that my old friends’ attitudes hurt you, and that made it hard for both of us to enjoy our meal together. We need a redo, and I’m not willing to wait for another day to make that happen. You deserve a good date, okay?”
Flora smiled, and Camden took them to a club down the street.
It was a known hangout for both the humans and wolves who lived in Silverrose, popular among the younger elements of the pack who were less discriminatory than the older wolves.
The squad had found it during their first week back, but Camden hadn’t been there yet.
It seemed like the perfect place for him and Flora to go together.
When they pulled up, the music could be heard outside. The bass thumped rhythmically, and neon lights spilled out onto the street as they walked up toward the door. The bouncer gave Camden a nod and stood aside so they could enter.
It wasn’t too crowded, but the environment was lively. Patrons at the bar were laughing and drinking, couples were wrapped around each other in dark corners, and groups of friends danced and jumped in time to the music on the dance floor.
“You want a drink?” he asked, leaning close to Flora’s ear so she could hear him.
Her eyes were wide and excited, reflecting the strobing lights back at him as she nodded and followed him to the bar. He ordered two shots of tequila, a throwback to the stolen bottles he had brought to their spot under the bridge, and tapped his glass against hers.
“To us,” he said.
As soon as the words came out, he felt silly and presumptuous. There was no “us” beyond what he wished for in his mind, but Flora surprised him yet again.
“To us,” she repeated.
She drank her shot, maintaining eye contact with him the entire time. He flinched as the sting of the liquor bit his tongue, but Flora remained steady. She smiled at him slowly as she lowered her glass to the bar top.
“Need a chaser?” she asked.
“You know I do,” Camden replied with a laugh, flagging down the bartender. Flora had always been able to drink tequila without anything to cut the taste, but Camden couldn’t. She was made of stronger stuff than she appeared.
The music slowed down, and Camden held his hand out to Flora.
“Dance with me?” he asked.
She took his hand and followed him to the dance floor.
The lights pulsated in time to the slow beat of the music as Camden wrapped his arms around Flora, holding tightly to her waist as they swayed in a slow circle.
The scent of spice and cinnamon wafted off her skin as he held her.
Their movements were innocent and polite, matching the sweetness of the love song that filled the room.
“This is nice,” Flora said, so quietly that Camden barely heard her over the noise and bustle of the room. Her body relaxed in his arms, obeying the commands his hands gave her as they danced.
Too soon, the song ended, shifting into a song with a heavy bass.
The sensual music wasn’t what Camden had in mind when he had asked Flora to dance, and he was about to guide her back to their spot by the bar when she surprised him yet again.
Her hands moved from his shoulders to his hips, twisting them with hers as she stepped in time to the beat.
“Flora…”
“Dance with me,” she said, looking up at him through her eyelashes.
She turned her body around, holding his hands in hers as she swayed with her back pressed against his chest. Camden inhaled sharply, feeling his body reacting to her. He spun her out in an arc and pulled her back to his chest, facing her toward him once more.
Flora’s hands were on his chest now, trailing delicately down toward his waist. Camden had wanted to loosen her up by taking her on a date, but this was going further than he ever imagined it would.
He grabbed her hips and pulled her closer, until they were grinding against each other on the dance floor.
The fire in her eyes was unmistakable: Flora was just as turned on as Camden was.
He couldn’t take it any longer. Without another thought, he grasped her at the nape of the neck and pulled her lips up to meet his. She kissed him back with just as much fervor as he felt. Her lips parted, and she tilted her head, pressing her entire body against his passionately.
“Come with me,” he growled. He grabbed her wrist and dragged her off the dance floor and toward an empty corner of the room.
The corner was sheltered from the rest of the room by a brick pillar that supported the ceiling and a stack of chairs.
Camden tucked Flora behind the chairs, out of sight of the rest of the patrons, and turned his back on the room.
Her hands immediately wrapped around his neck, pulling his head down so she could kiss him.
Time seemed to stand still as the pulsing lights and music overrode his senses.
The only other thing he was aware of was Flora.
Her soft skin, her cinnamon lips, and the way the curves of her body pressed against him.
She groaned against his lips as he nibbled hers gently, and Camden felt her knees give out slightly.
He reached down and cupped her ass, pressing her against his pelvis, and began to kiss her neck.
“I want more,” she whispered in his ear.
Camden was more than happy to oblige.