“I was a typical kid. Saying I love you wasn’t really in my vocabulary much anyway, and then they passed away. Steph was my guardian, and probably the most patient person on the world, after that. I had a rough year. I was angry.”
“Of course you were.”
“But I just don’t want any more time to slip by without telling you how I feel. I’ve wanted to say it for weeks now, and it’s stupid that I was waiting until the right moment. I should just tell you.”
“Thank you.”
Oh good Lord, girl, he says he loves you and you say thank you?
“Are you cold?” he asks.
“Yeah, we should probably get out of these wet clothes.”
“Did we ruin your couch?”
“I doubt it.” I stand and help him to his feet this time. “Let’s have a shower.”
We shed out of our clothes, and I start the water in the shower. I expect him to attack me, to boost me up against the wall and fuck me brainless, but he doesn’t.
Instead, he urges me to get my hair wet, then pours some shampoo in his hands and lathers it into my hair, scrubbing my scalp.
“Oh, dear God, that feels good.”
He’s slow and thorough, and when he’s lathered it up really well, he helps me rinse it and does the same with conditioner.
While that sits in my hair, he pumps my body wash in his hands and slowly lathers it all over my body, paying particular attention to my breasts.
“Are they dirty?” I ask innocently.
“Very.” He swirls the soap around each one, making my nipples pucker, then travels down to my navel. He makes a heart in the soap, my navel in the middle of it, then travels lower. “Brace your leg on the bench.”
“Yes, sir.” I comply and then have to bite my lip when his hand dives between my legs, gently washing and massaging me in the most intimate way possible. “Camden.”
“Yes, love.”
I gasp, unable to speak anymore, and lean in to bite his shoulder.
“Have I told you that it makes me crazy when you bite me?”
I shake my head no and cry out when he presses on my clit.
“Everything you do turns me on,” he growls against my ear. His hands leave my core and he washes my inner thighs, my legs, and squats next to me to wash my feet. “Stand under the spray.”
I love it when he gets bossy. He rinses the suds off my body, and then I tip my head back into the water so the conditioner can rinse out of my hair.
When I’m thoroughly clean, he moves to turn the water off, but I stop him.
“Oh no. It’s your turn.”
He cocks a brow, but he obeys when I tell him to trade places. The water splashes onto him, getting him wet. I can’t reach his hair well to wash it, so after he gets it wet, he bends over. I lather his hair, loving the way the thick strands feel between my fingers.
“You have great hair.”
He just grunts and I reach for the removable water wand to rinse his hair. I reach for the conditioner, but he shakes his head no.
So I pump the body wash into my hands and lather them up, then get to work on his ridiculously sexy body. His dick is standing at attention, but I don’t touch it yet. I concentrate on his shoulders, his stomach, and his legs; and once he’s rinsed off, I start over again with the body wash. But this time I kneel before him, and smile up at him as I wrap my sudsy hands around his cock and massage it.
“Fuck.” He closes his eyes and leans his hands against the shower wall as I pleasure him, loving how hard he is—how the vein on the underside of his cock is full and stands out. I rinse him off and lean in to suck it, but he grabs me by the shoulders and lifts me to my feet. “Not now.”
“You made me come,” I argue, but he just shakes his head.
“I want to be inside of you,” he says. “But not yet.”
“Do we always have to take it slow?”
He grins. “No. We’re not going to take this slow. But we’re not going to do it here.”
He cuts the water off and wraps me in a towel, then wipes me mostly dry, takes my hand, and leads me to my bed.
The next thing I know, I’m on my back, my legs have been pushed up and he’s eating me out like a man starved.
My hands immediately clench in his hair, keeping him pressed to me. I arch my back as I come spectacularly, every hair on my body standing on end.
“Camden.”
“Hmm.” He’s not stopping, despite my already coming. His tongue is inside me, and he presses his thumb to my clit again, making me come again.
I might die.
I’m dead.
My arms and legs feel numb. I feel exhausted, but he climbs over me, cups my cheek in his hand and kisses me deeply. I can taste myself, and that seems to reawaken me.
“I want you,” I murmur against his lips. “Right now.”
He slides inside me, but then pulls right back out and mutters, “Shit. Condom.” He’s gone for a split second, and then he’s inside me, braced over me, and buried so deep inside of me I don’t know where I end and he begins.
I can’t stop watching his face. He looks stern and turned on, and happy all at once. I didn’t even know that was possible.
“Mine,” he says and presses his forehead to mine, moving his nose back and forth. “You are mine, Mia. Do you understand me?”
“Yes.” I smile and wrap my legs around his waist, urging him deeper. “I’m yours, Camden.”
He sighs and closes his eyes just as I feel every muscle in his body tense. He stops moving, pulls out and flips me over. He grips onto my hips and plunges inside me again, fucking me hard now, the only sound in the room is the slapping of skin, and the moans of pleasure. I look up into the mirror by my bed, and Camden grins at me.
“Do you see how fucking sexy you are?”
“We’re sexy,” I reply and reach down to cup his balls. “We are sexy.”
His eyes close, and he comes apart, pushing and grinding against me, riding the wave of his own orgasm.
His teeth are clenched, he’s drenched in sweat. My ass is in the air, pressed against him, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything sexier in my life.
He finally pulls out and I collapse onto the bed in exhaustion. I hear the toilet flush, and he joins me, pulls the covers up over us.
“We need to change these sheets,” I murmur.
“Seems we’re making all kinds of messes today,” he says with a laugh. “I’ll clean it all up.”
“I can help.” I yawn and trace his collarbones. “I love you too, you know. I loved you back then, and I love you all over again.”
He turns me onto my back and hovers over me, watching me closely.
“I didn’t say it because I was afraid that you didn’t feel the same way. I was afraid that you’d say it back out of pity, or even worse, you wouldn’t say anything at all and I’d be mortified. Sometimes I can read your mood, but I’m not a mind reader. I didn’t know, Camden.”
“I know.”
“I tried to forget you. I tried to move on with my life and forget that I ever loved you so much that it hurt to breathe.” I swallow hard and lick my lips. “And I did. For a while. But the minute I saw you again, I knew that I’d never really gotten over you.”
“I’m here now,” he says. “We’ve screwed things up in the past, but I’m here now, Mia, and I don’t plan on going anywhere. Jesus, I moved to Portland for you.”
“You’re still living in a rental,” I reply. “That has to be expensive.”
“Only about three hundred a day.”
“What?” I sit up and stare down at him in horror. “Why didn’t you say so?”
“Why would I say so?”
“That’s a shit ton of money. It’s ridiculous to spend that much.”
“Sweetheart, I’m loaded.” He has a cocky grin on his face now. “I can afford the rental.”
“You should just move in here.”
“I’m not going to move in here just because you
think I’m paying too much for the rental. It’s not a big deal. I’ll work out more permanent living conditions sooner or later. I’m not worried about it.”
“I don’t like it.” I frown and lie back down, but I don’t snuggle up to him. “It seems silly for you to be renting a place when I have this place. We’ve lived together before. We’re not bad at it.”
“You want to be roommates?” He’s frowning, and I can’t help but try to keep my face serious, just to play with him.
“I do have the spare bedroom. You’re welcome to it. Besides, I have a better kitchen.”
“You want me to be your fucking roommate.” It’s not a question.
“I won’t charge you anything for rent, since I have to make the mortgage anyway, but if you could help out with utilities, that would be fantastic.”
He laughs now and shakes his head. “You better be fucking with me, baby.”
“Or?”
He pulls me to him and kisses me hard, then pulls away when we’re both breathing hard. “What do you want, Mia?”
“I want you here.”
“Okay then. See? That wasn’t so hard.”
I bark out a laugh. “Everything’s been hard with you, Camden.”
Chapter Sixteen
~Camden~
“You have a beautiful home,” Mia says to my sister three weeks later as we sit outside in the backyard. We came up to Seattle to see Steph and Chip, and to just get out of Portland for twenty-four hours.
“Thank you,” Steph says with a smile. “Camden says yours is beautiful too.”
“It’s finally getting there,” Mia replies. “I’ve had some renovations done since I bought the place. It’s pretty much where I want it now.”
“I moved in there this week,” I add and grin when Steph’s gaze swings quickly to mine, her eyes wide.
“Really?”
“Really.”
“It didn’t make sense for him to keep renting the house he was in,” Mia says, but then grins at me. “And, I like it better having him with me. He’s not a bad roommate.”
“He’s bad at laundry,” Steph warns Mia, who just laughs.
“I’m good at laundry, so we’re okay. He has other talents.”
“I can do this thing with my tongue—”
“Ew!” Steph covers her ears with her hands and squeezes her eyes shut. “Stop talking. That’s enough.”
“Don’t you know that your sister still thinks you’re a virgin?” Chip asks as he joins us on the patio, carrying a platter of steaks. “These beauties are ready to go on the grill.”
“I’ll help.” I stand, but he shoos me back.
“I’ve got this. I’m right here.” He opens the grill and smiles at Steph. “Your sister got me this very manly grill for my birthday.”
“It’s top of the line,” Steph says proudly. “He’s wanted a new one for a while.”
“There’s a bit of pressure, cooking for two celebrity chefs,” he says, and wipes pretend sweat from his brow. “At least I know if things start to get tricky, you guys can save me.”
“You’re great at the grill,” I reply, shaking my head. I’ve always liked Chip. He’s completely in love with my sister, and treats her very well.
“How’s the restaurant?” Steph asks Mia, who lights up at the mention of her favorite place.
“It’s doing very well,” she says. “We’re kicking around the idea of opening up places in Seattle and San Francisco.”
“Really?” I frown. “You haven’t mentioned it.”
“It’s still the early stages,” she says with a shrug. “And frankly, I have enough on my plate with the restaurant we already have and the new show. So there’s no rush, but it’s good to know that it could happen.”
“It’s so exciting,” Steph replies. “I loved it when we were there. It’s such a beautiful space, and the food was amazing.”
“Thank you,” Mia says with a wide smile. “That means a lot. I’ve recently hired a new executive chef to help me, along with a couple of new sous chefs. Camden reminded me that being a control freak is going to put me in an early grave, so I’m learning to delegate.”
Steph glances over at me. “Did you admit that you also tend to be a control freak?”
“There’s no need to tell her lies,” I reply, making both Chip and Steph laugh.
“He works more hours than anyone I’ve ever met,” Chip says. His back is to us as he grills the steaks.
“I’ve backed off some,” I remind them. “And the show is going very well. We’re almost finished filming the first season.”
“Oh, that’s so great,” Steph replies. “It’s wonderful that it worked into you doing a whole show together. I’m sure you work well together.”
“He’s fun to work with,” Mia admits, smiling at me. “He’s helpful, and flirty, and makes me feel at ease in front of the camera, which isn’t my normal. I get nervous.”
“I watched the special they ran on Seduction. I never would have thought that you were nervous. You looked beautiful.”
“Well, thanks,” Mia replies. “But it’s so not what I’m used to. I’d rather just be back in the kitchen, doing my thing.”
“You’re good at both,” I reply, and watch as she squirms a bit in her seat. “And I’m not just saying that because I love you.”
“I love you too,” she says happily.
“Wait.” Steph looks back and forth between us. “Did you hear that, Chuck?”
“I did,” Chip replies. He’s also spun around and is staring at me in shock.
“I thought his name was Chip,” Mia whispers to me.
“His name is Charles, and I switch it up sometimes,” Steph replies, then shakes her head. “But back it up. You just said that you love her.”
“I do.”
“Wow.” She blinks at me for a moment, then smiles at Mia. “He never says that. Like, ever.”
“Whatever,” I reply, rolling my eyes, but she just shakes her head.
“We’ve talked about his. Really. He doesn’t say I love you easily.”
“I know,” Mia says and reaches over to take my hand.
“That’s really sweet,” Steph says and looks up at Chip, who leans down and kisses her cheek.
“Don’t get all emotional,” Chip says and turns back to the steaks. “This is a good thing.”
“It’s a really good thing,” she says and clears her throat. “Camden, can you please help me in the kitchen? I want to bring out the rest of dinner.”
“Or, you want to talk about Mia behind her back,” I reply, but stand to follow her inside. She slaps my arm, harder than usual.
“Stop it,” she says. “I am not going to talk about Mia behind her back.”
“It’s okay,” Mia says, laughing. “I’d do the same thing with my brother.”
I wink at her as I walk past, and as soon as we’re in her kitchen with the door closed, Steph wraps her arms around me and hugs me tightly. “I’m so happy that you’re in love and that you’re actually telling her that you love her.”
“Thanks.” I pat her back. “This is an extreme reaction to this, you know.”
“No, it’s not. I’m your big sister, and I raised your cranky teenage ass, so I get to have this moment with you. You’ve waited a long time to have this in your life, and I’m just so fucking happy for you.”
“Thank you.” I stand patiently and let her hug it out, and when she steps back, I brush a tear off her face. “Are you okay?”
“Oh yeah,” she says and wipes her eyes. “I wasn’t expecting to hear you say it, almost casually like that.”
“I’ve had a week to get used to it,” I reply.
“You’ve been saying it to each other for a whole week?”
I nod.
“And you didn’t tell me?”
“What did you want me to do? Call you as soon as I said it to her to fill you in?”
“A text would have been sufficient,” she says with a sniff. “I need t
o know these things.”
“And now you know. What do we need to take outside?”
She loads me up with a platter of baked potatoes and a big bowl of salad, and once she has all of the condiments, we make our way back outside to set the table.
“Two steaks are done,” Chip says. “Who ordered medium rare?”
Mia and I both raise our hands.
“I can’t eat blood,” Steph says, wrinkling her nose. “Chip and I are medium-well people.”
“Everyone is different,” Mia says and takes a seat next to me. “Did she gush over you?”
“Yeah. It was embarrassing.”
“There, there,” Mia says, patting my back. “She loves you.”
I nod and get to work dressing my baked potato. “I know.”
Dinner is delicious, and we end up spending most of the evening out on the patio, enjoying the cool evening and conversation. It’s late by the time we head back to the hotel.
“We could have driven back to Portland tonight,” Mia says once we’re in the hotel room. “It’s not a bad drive.”
“There’s no need to rush,” I reply, and sit next to her on the sofa in the sitting area of our suite. “What did you think?”
“I think your sister and Chip are super-nice people. Dinner was good. I’m glad we came.” She smiles at me. “What did you think?”
“That I shared you for long enough with others tonight,” I reply, and hug her close to me. “I’m glad you enjoyed it. They’re important to me.”
“I get it,” she says with a sigh. “I have a tight family, too. I’m so sleepy.”
“Go ahead and sleep, sweetheart.” I kiss her head and feel her getting heavier against me as she gets more tired. “I’ll carry you to bed.”
“I don’t want to break you.” I frown. I know that she doesn’t mean to talk badly about herself, but I don’t like it when she implies that she’s too big. She’s not. She’s beautiful.
I’ll spend tomorrow morning showing her just how amazing I think she is.
“Are you ready to head home?” I ask her the following morning after checking out of the hotel.
“No.” She smiles over at me and shrugs. “I thought I was last night, but I’m not. I’d like to spend some time with just you. Let’s do something spontaneous.”