Chapter Sixteen #3
Every. Single. Thing she said pulled him closer.
He shook his head. Right then wasn’t the time, but there would be a time.
Of that he was certain. And maybe it didn’t have to happen all at once.
She wasn’t playing games. Neither was he.
Her words replayed in his head. I like it when you tell me what to do.
The possibilities ran through him with volcanic understanding.
She wanted—needed—a distraction, and he could do that in a way that would leave both of them loopy as fuck without taking advantage of her.
Camden moved closer. “Close your eyes, Amelia.”
They went wider instead.
He eased onto the bed and lay close enough to smell her soft floral scent. “Eyes closed, sweetheart.”
Her eyelashes fluttered shut. Her pulse jumped in her neck as her unsteady breathing whispered between her pink lips.
Camden touched her cheek. Her lips parted, breath catching.
His fingers traced to her jawline and mapped it slowly from one side to the other.
The pads of his fingertips drifted down her neck.
The quick beat of her pulse played around his skimming touch.
“What do you say…” He caressed her collarbone with the back of his hand.
His knuckles teased from one side to the other, nearly dipping between the swell of her breasts. “We take it slow?”
She bit her bottom lip, eyes still closed, and nodded.
He would remain in control. He would keep her safe. He would probably be gone before everything got too complicated. “If you say ‘stop,’ all returns to normal.”
She nodded again.
Camden retraced the path to her cheek and threaded his hand into the softest hair he’d ever touched.
Her breath hitched. He labored to keep his in check and dipped his mouth to hers.
The kiss hit him like a spark dropped into a powder keg.
Lust ignited. The immediate sizzle burned hot and fast. Need coursed through his body and cracked through his control like an earthquake.
Her mouth opened to his and stoked a hunger in him that a simple kiss shouldn’t have been able to command. Their breaths raced. Her fingers bit into his skin. His hands ached to explore, and his mind tried to renegotiate his promise of taking it slow.
He kissed her until he couldn’t be trusted to throw the towel and comforter away, then he ducked his mouth to her neck and breathed her in. His tongue slid to the sensitive spot behind her earlobe and made her squirm. “I am going to kiss every inch of you.”
Breathless, she nodded. “Promise?”
“But not tonight.”
She froze except for her fingers, which dug into his flesh. His resolve was hanging on by a thread. Camden needed to go downstairs. But his head and his cock were telling him to shut his fucking mouth and crawl into her bed.
“Slow,” he reminded both of them.
“Oh God, you’re a horrible person, Camden Brooks.”
His lips curled, and his chest rumbled. What the fuck was he doing? He could fix this in zero-point-two seconds. Her body would feel so good. Instead, he dragged his mouth to the other side of her neck. “I’m doing this for your own good.”
“And you’re a liar to boot.”
He laughed and lay on the pillow next to her. Her kiss, her swollen lips, and her messy hair went straight to his cock. “I totally am.” But he scrubbed a hand over his face and tried to get a hold of himself. “Fucking isn’t going to make anything easier.”
That might have been the most responsible thing he’d ever said in his entire goddamn life.
He scrutinized her disappointment and the sexy blush of her cheeks and determined the damage. The woman was just as turned on as he was, but maybe she understood what he was trying to do: keeping her safe from him. She was vulnerable. He was temporary. It was that simple.
Amelia let out a long breath. “What now?”
Good question. They still had to eat.
“I’m taking you to dinner.” Or he could order delivery for dinner in bed. Would an hour’s break meet the condition for taking it slow? Probably not.
He toyed with strands of her hair. Camden forced himself out of bed and readjusted the towel precariously hanging on his torso. He had no way to hide the erection that hung around as though hope was in the air. “What are you hungry for?”
“What’s your bedroom look like at home?”
His eyebrows arched, and with a chuckle, he turned for the dresser. She never did what he thought she would. Camden pulled out fresh clothes and shrugged. “I don’t actually know. I’m sure it looks nice.”
She laughed. “How don’t you know?”
“It’s an apartment furnished by Titan. I’m sure I had the opportunity to pick options or decor, but I don’t think I did.
” He’d never thought about it before. Stuff was on the walls.
Furniture matched. He had pictures of his family, but Camden couldn’t recall buying anything for the apartment. “Why?”
“You know so much about me.”
“Good thing I’m taking you out to dinner. You get to ask all the questions you want on a date.”
She gave him a sideways look. “Date” had caught them both off guard. He liked surprising her. Surprising himself was a bonus.