14. Nico
NICO
Isaw the moment Cameron decided to let me in. The way his body melted into the floor, his clenched jaw loosening, and I pressed my advantage.
Between his legs in a flash, I pulled down on the waistband of his jeans and black briefs.
Cameron tilted his hips up just enough for me to get him naked from waist to mid-thigh.
That was plenty for me to work with. He hissed at the cold floor against his ass, so I whipped my shirt off to slide underneath him.
“You are something,” Cameron said.
“Something good, I hope.”
That’s when I saw the tattoo on his thigh, one he hadn’t had back in college.
It was a snow globe, with the Frost family farmhouse inside, covered in fresh snow.
But instead of the picturesque front, it was a view of the back porch.
There was an evergreen garland on the porch railing, and a red bow hanging from the exact spot we’d been standing when he’d kissed me.
My breath caught in my throat, and Cameron’s face flushed.
I ran my fingers over the ink. “Hot.”
Cameron hummed as I gripped him, teasing the head of his cock with my thumb.
He was long and thick, with a slight curve upward.
I leaned down to taste him and press my tongue against his frenulum.
When he groaned, I ate up his sounds like a starved man.
We still hadn’t kissed, but I was tempted. I wanted those sounds from the source.
Instead, I focused on giving the best head I could manage. Cameron had blown my mind with the way he deep-throated my cock, and while that wasn’t in my wheelhouse, it didn’t mean I wasn’t going to try to give him everything he gave me and more.
“Wait here,” I said, scrambling to my feet and rushing from the room.
Cameron sprawled on the floor with his hard dick out like pure temptation. “Where am I going to go?”
I practically slid across the kitchen to get back to him and held up the lube packet like a prize. Cameron raised his eyebrows in question, but he still spread his legs as far as they could go with his jeans still around his ankles, tangled with his work boots.
“Always be prepared,” I said triumphantly, and Cam rolled his eyes.
Slicking my fingers, I dove back onto his cock. It had started to soften, but as my tongue lavished him with attention, his erection and those fucking beautiful sounds soon returned. My fingers slid down over his hole.
“This ok?” I stroked his rim with my fingers.
“Yes,” Cameron said between pants. “C’mon, Nico.”
The magic words. I slipped one finger inside.
Continuing to worship his cock with my mouth, I waited until he loosened around me and added a second finger.
That would be enough to get him where I wanted him, at least for tonight.
I probed gently inside him until I found the spot that made him shout.
“Right there, fuck. Don’t fucking stop.”
A demanding and needy Cameron Frost was more beautiful than any work of art I’d ever created.
I curled my fingers and stroked, increasing the pressure until he was thrusting up into my mouth for relief.
I sealed my mouth around his crown and hollowed my cheeks, swirling my tongue as my fingers continued their assault.
When I could tell he was getting close by the tightness of his thighs and the way his moans pitched slightly higher, I lifted my head to look at his face.
His eyes were pinched shut, his mouth was hanging open, and the cords of his neck were straining.
I could see a small purple bruise below his ear where I’d sucked on him earlier, and it filled my chest with a possessiveness I didn’t deserve to feel.
“Let go for me, sugar,” I murmured. “I want to taste you.”
Cameron let out a broken sound as I wrapped my lips around his tip again and pressed my fingers up into his prostate. Then, I was rewarded as he spilled down my throat. I lapped up everything he gave me before collapsing onto his thigh. My fingers slowly slipped from his hole.
“Are you going to bolt again?”
“I don’t think I can move.” His breathing deepened to the point that I thought he’d fallen asleep right on the floor, and his fingers threaded through my hair and scratched my scalp in slow circles; it was the only clue he was still awake. “I should clean up before I go.”
“I can help.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Cameron sat up beneath me, my head still in his lap. “You should work on the mural. I can finish up the closing tasks that Gwen skipped out on.”
I stood reluctantly and reached out my clean hand to pull Cam up with me.
It physically hurt to turn away from him and head to the sink to clean up.
I was aware of every move Cam made behind me as he wiped down the counters and the floor.
He tossed me my shirt, and I slipped it on.
I shivered. I hadn’t realized how cold I was.
Cameron wrapped me in his arms and slid his hands up and down my back, warming me with the friction.
“I don’t know how you work in this cold ass building with no shirt on,” Cameron said.
“Maybe I’m trying to seduce the owner.” I nuzzled against the hickey I’d put on his neck to hide my goofy smile.
Cam chuckled. “He’s a tough nut to crack.”
I met his gaze, holding it. “Worth it.”
Was it crazy to try to come up with a reason to stay?
Cameron grabbed a mop and a bucket to clean the kitchen floor, and I popped the stew I’d brought for him into the microwave.
“I’ll heat this up for you in case you’re hungry.”
I could feel his stare on my back as he walked toward me, but I kept my gaze on the microwave buttons.
“Nico…”
“Are you hungry?” I risked a glance over my shoulder when I felt the heat of his body behind me.
It was hard to believe that his gaze, which had been so icy and distant at the beginning of the week, now licked over my face like flames.
I blinked, wondering if the afterglow was clouding my vision.
But when I opened my eyes, there was no mistaking the warmth in his eyes.
They transformed from smoldering to almost affectionate as I swallowed nervously.
“Yeah,” he said, finally. “I’m hungry.”
I started the microwave and turned toward him. “I can’t pull an all-nighter tonight, or I’ll look like a ghost at the gallery tomorrow, but I figured I’d get an hour or two of painting in.”
All the lines of Cameron’s body vibrated with tension, as if he couldn’t decide if he wanted to step closer or run away. I relaxed against the counter, trying to project a calm I didn’t feel. Every string in my body was drawn tight, too, as I waited to see what he’d do next.
I wanted him to be the one to make the first move; I knew I couldn’t promise him anything. My body wanted him badly, but at the end of the week, our lives would go their separate ways again. I didn’t want to push him into something he’d regret.
Cameron tentatively stood between my spread legs, and I kept still, not wanting to scare him away. His eyes dropped to my lips and lingered as I licked them. As he moved his face closer, I leaned in, like we were two magnets being drawn together by forces beyond our control.
The beeping microwave startled us both.
Cam’s eyes widened, like he realized where he was, and my heart dropped as he moved away. I quickly stepped to the side so he could grab his food.
“I’ll hang out for a bit longer,” he murmured. “You’ll lose track of time otherwise.”
“You don’t have to.”
“It’s no trouble,” he said, but his brow was furrowed as he stared at the stew.
I couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped my lips. “Are you sure?”
He cracked a small smile and finally relaxed as he oriented his broad shoulders in my direction. “I’m sure.”
The storefront was quiet, aside from the sounds of Cameron shuffling around in the back as he finished his closing tasks for the night.
I had a voicemail from Jorge waiting for me, updating me on the status of my car.
He’d found the part he needed, and it would be in on Saturday.
Which meant I’d have to ask Cam to drive on Friday. Hopefully, he didn’t mind.
I connected my phone to my Bluetooth speaker to play the classical music I liked best when I worked. Vivaldi spilled into the empty room and wrapped me in a Pavlovian quilt. My head might not be clear, but I was ready to work.
I’d just finished the shading details on the popsicle forest when my phone rang through the speaker. Thank goodness I hadn’t had a brush on the wall at that moment. Gus’s name flashed on the screen. I quickly disconnected from Bluetooth—his voice didn’t deserve to be in this space.
“What do you want, Gus?”
“You’re acting like I’m not about to hand you the biggest break in your career this weekend.” He scoffed through the phone. “Hello to you, too.”
Dammit, he was right. I tried to soften the irritation in my voice. I could keep things business professional. “Sorry, it’s late, and I’m in the middle of something. How can I help you?”
“Where are you? I haven’t seen you come by the gallery yet, and you haven’t replied to my video about the positioning of your work. I expected you to be more hands-on.”
On their face, Gus’s words were innocent enough, but I could feel the derision in his tone. I was letting him down exactly like he’d expected.
“There was an emergency. I had to rush home.”
“Home?” Gus said. “Where is home? Will you be back for the opening?”
“Vermont. And yes, I’ll be back tomorrow morning.” I couldn’t believe we’d dated for so long, and he didn’t know where I was from. But then I thought it over; I didn’t think I’d ever referred to Sleighbell Springs as home before. Not like this anyway.
Gus grumbled into the phone. “It’s not great timing.”
“They needed me, so I came.” The words felt true as I said them. I would always come when the Frost brothers needed me. “I promise I’ll be at the opening. The way you have things set up in the video looks great.”
“Well, of course it does,” Gus said. “I’m the expert.”
“You totally are.” I rolled my eyes. “Now I’m sure Ted is waiting for you in bed. I’ll talk to you later.”
As soon as he hung up, I let out a frustrated breath. I couldn’t believe I’d let myself be charmed by that greasy asshole for so many years. The spell was truly broken now.
My chest tightened when I thought about being back in Boston.
I was renting a room month-to-month from another artist, and most of my things were in storage after moving out of Gus’s place.
Any connections I made at this gallery opening would be tied to my cheating ex-boyfriend, and I’d have to stay in his orbit forever if I capitalized on them.
Hopefully, I’d make enough from the sale of the paintings to pay for my car repairs.
I’d thought having a solo show would be the moment that catapulted me into the realms of the ‘real artists.’ Instead, the plans I’d made in Boston crumbled around me, and it made me feel more like a fraud than ever.
But as I stared at the playful mural coming together on the wall of this ice cream shop, I felt like a real artist. I’d made something that mattered to somebody.
The fact that it was Cameron Frost was a bonus.
“Are you alright?” Cameron’s voice brought me back to the present with a start. “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but it sounded like a tense conversation.”
I sighed. “I’m fine, it was just Gus.”
Before I knew it, his arms were around my waist, and his cheek rested on my upper back. I melted back into him, letting him support my weight. It was nice to not feel so alone, even for a moment.
When I’d decided to get back on Cameron’s good side, I hadn’t expected to feel so intensely so quickly. But the truth was, I wanted what he had: a community, a safe place, a life with roots.
If I was really honest, I wanted it with him.