Chapter 19
Stone
Ireach for Cami’s hand as we walk back to her apartment. “I know your parents left, but is this still okay?”
She glances at our joined hands, then back at me. “It’s perfect.”
I don’t know if it’s because I’m naturally nocturnal, or if my vision is just better at night, but out here in the moonlight, Cami looks like she’s glowing. It’s as if there is a halo of light surrounding her.
“Did you have a good time?”
“I had a great time! I still can’t believe I met Celeste Bonacoeur. She’s so beautiful.”
“Not as beautiful as you.” Her cheeks fill with pink color.
She looks down at the ground. “How about you? Did you have a good time?”
“Yeah.” The timbre of my voice is low and gravely. “I had the best time.”
I don’t bother to mention that I suffered the most delicious form of torture for most of the night.
Being so close to Camilla in public, holding her, touching her, feeling her move against me while I breathed in her scent, was absolutely perfect.
Pretending that she’s my girl, not only for her parents’ benefit, but for mine, while knowing she’s not, that’s where the torture comes in.
“You’re very quiet.” Her tone is almost playful.
“Just thinking.” I smile, so that she knows there’s nothing bad in my thoughts.
I understand now what everyone is talking about.
Why my friends are preoccupied with their girls and want me to find someone, too.
Why Erik pushed so hard for me not to miss out on this.
But I was too dumb to see it, and every day that passes brings me one day closer to my decade of guardianship.
A decade that Camila will live her life in animation, moving on and forgetting about me.
And I’ll have to suffer a front row seat to watch it all play out.
“No.” She says out of nowhere.
“No, what?” Please don’t let me have voiced any of my thoughts. Especially not the ones of her naked body writhing beneath me.
“No. It wouldn’t be terrible if you want tonight to be a real date. In fact, I can’t think of a better first date.”
A sun begins to rise in my chest. “First date? As in, you want more dates? I mean with me?”
“Yes, with you.” She giggles, and the sound is intoxicating. “If that’s your way of asking if I want to be your girlfriend, Mr. Flint, the answer is yes.”
I stop walking and face her. “You’re serious?”
She nods with a beautiful smile. Looking in her eyes, I’m lost. From the moment I saw her, Camilla became my world.
But now, I have every reason for her to be.
My crooked index finger strokes her cheek as I dip my head down to capture her lips with mine.
My fingers tangle in her hair as her mouth opens for me.
Careful not to hurt her, I stroke my tongue against hers gently, but my restraint withers away like a ribbon of smoke as she holds me tighter and deepens the kiss.
Using every bit of self-control I have, I break away from the kiss. “Easy, Cami. You don’t want to get me too riled up out here.”
Her face drops, and her eyes change. Before the kiss, they twinkled; now they look like they’re glistening with tears.
“Forget it.” She takes a few steps away, but I’m quick to catch up.
Reaching for her arm, I turn her back to face me. “What’s wrong?”
“If you’re embarrassed to kiss me in public—”
“Who said I’m embarrassed?”
“You just did.”
“Embarrassed? I never said that. I don’t think there was a prouder guy in there tonight. I was with the most beautiful, sexiest, albeit at times prickly woman in there.”
“So now I’m prickly?”
“At this moment, yes. But when you relax and aren’t trying to pick a fight or find a reason not to like me,” I pull her in my arms. “You’re the most astounding woman I’ve ever seen, and all I want to do is make you happy.” I give her a chaste kiss on the lips.
“Then why did you pull away from the kiss?”
“Because,” I kiss her neck and behind her ear until I hear her moan.
“I don’t want to lose control.” My hands drop to her ass, pressing her against me.
“Do you feel that?” Slowly, I thrust my hips into her.
“This is what you’ve been doing to me all night.
I’m not embarrassed. I just don’t want to go too fast.”
She nods. “Okay.”
I cup her cheek. “Are we really okay?”
She smiles, and my world brightens again. I sweep her up in my arms.
“Stone! What are you doing?” She complains.
“I’m carrying you through the streets, to show off to everyone that you’re my girl.”
I SET CAMILLA ON HER feet when we reach her apartment. We look at each other for a few long moments, like love-struck teenagers. Staring and smiling.
“Is it okay to invite you in for a little bit, or is that moving too fast?”
“You can invite me in. Doesn’t mean I have to accept.”
She growls, and it’s sexy. “Do you want to come in or not?”
My lips curl up at the edges. “I’d love to come in.”
I gauge the area as Cami unlocks the door. Aside from a cat walking down the street, all is quiet. I’m not sure if I’m paranoid or if that creep was a real threat. Doesn’t matter. As long as I’m with her, she’s safe. Camilla leads the way into her apartment.
“Would you like something to drink?”
“Water would be fine.”
I watch Camilla move about the kitchen as she prepares a glass of iced water. She glides through the kitchen in a way I’m not used to. I’ve seen my mom in her kitchen, but she’s sort of clumsy and bumps into things. Not Cami. It’s almost like the kitchen bends for her.
Taking me by the hand, she leads me to the living room and, folding her legs under her, sits next to me on the couch.
We talk about tonight, about some of the people I introduced her to.
I tell Camilla about some of the antics Drake, Cayden, and I got up to when we were younger.
The ones that don’t give anything away about what we really are.
We share our family dynamics. She’s an only child with overbearing parents.
I tell her all about my bratty little sister, Amber.
Hours pass as I sit and listen to this beautiful human woman’s every word.
I never believed one could hold my attention.
A woman or a human. But I sit here captivated.
I reach out and curl a lock of her long, dark hair around my finger.
She tilts her head in response, and the smile on her lips invites me to kiss them.
Leaning forward, I cup my hand around the back of Cami’s head.
She leans in, meeting me halfway. My tongue sweeps against hers gently.
Always keeping in the back of my mind that I have to take care not to lose control.
I don’t want to hurt her. I can recover from an injury much more easily than she can.
But it seems like my girlfriend has other plans and wants to test my restraint.