Chapter 7
Cameron
“Where to?” the driver asks when I slide in beside Sarah and close the door.
“Northwestern hospital.”
Sarah’s head snaps my way. “Ah, Cam, my feet aren’t that bad.”
The cab pulls out into traffic as I turn toward her. “Good to know, but what I have planned for us requires a car, and since going to get mine would take up our time together, I’m going to grab Cade’s.”
“Oh.” Her brows lift in surprise. “He works at the hospital? So he really became a doctor?”
I grin and nod. “He really did.”
“I bet that made your parents happy.”
“It did, but only because being a doctor is much more acceptable than enlisting without asking permission.”
“Well, you kind of knew that would happen,” she replies, the corner of her mouth curling up.
“I kinda did.” I smile back at her, her mood as infectious as it always was.
“So how is Cade?”
“He’s good,” I say, relaxing back into the seat. “He’s married and has a baby on the way.”
“Wow, that’s all very grown up.”
I chuckle because that’s exactly what I’ve been thinking. There comes a time when every man has to settle down.
“And you? Are you a grown-up now?”
“Do I look grown-up?”
“You’re definitely not the boy I knew back then.”
“Oh yes I am, I’m just bigger, older, and a hell of a lot wiser.”
She beams at me. “Mmm hmm.”
“Well hopefully by the end of today, I will have proven it to you.”
“You mean, you want to spend the rest of the day together?” she asks, her eyes going big.
“Got somewhere to be?”
“Well, no . . . but—”
I reach over and tangle her fingers with mine. “Sez, I said we were gonna talk, and I meant it. But before that, I want us to spend time together. I want the chance to reconnect.”
She looks down at our joined hands and tries to move away. When she doesn’t succeed, she meets my gaze. “Isn’t that what we’re doing?”
“Yes, and we’ll be doing more of it.”
“Right,” she huffs.
I give her a gentle squeeze, bringing her attention back to me. “Look, if you really don’t want it, I’m not gonna force it. Everything was always so easy between us and just from the time we’ve been together today, I’m sensing that nothing’s changed. But if you aren’t feeling it, I’ll drive you home and we can go our separate ways again.”
“No I do,” she replies quickly. “I just . . . this is really weird for me. I haven’t seen you in so long but I have thought about you. A lot actually.”
“I thought about you too,” I say quietly.
“Then why didn’t you—”
“Why didn’t I turn up on your doorstep and make the grand gesture?”
“Or return my letters?” Her tone is sharp. I’ve hit a nerve.
“If I’d opened those letters, I would’ve been on the first plane back home.”
She blinks rapidly. “You didn’t read them?”
“Not until I moved into my house a year ago and unpacked all of my things.”
Her eyes go big. “But you kept them? You didn’t read them, but you stowed them away in some long-forgotten box?”
“Of course I kept them. There’s no way in hell I’d ever throw those out.”
“But why, then? Why keep them? Why think about me? You turn up today and now that everything is screwed up, you want to whisk me away for some impromptu trip down Memory Lane.” She shakes her head and takes a deep breath, turning to look out the window. “Did you ever think that maybe I don’t want this? I mean, you haven’t made an effort to find me so far—why are you suddenly hell-bent on being with me now?”
I lift our hands between us, forcing her to turn back to me. I clutch our fists to my chest and dip my forehead to rest against hers. “Because everything happens for a reason, and I’m someone who’s learned to embrace the moment.”
Then comes the question I’ve known was coming and am surprised she hasn’t asked yet. “Why did you never come find me?”
“Because I wanted to be a grown-up when I turned up at your door and made you mine again, and by the end of today, I’m hoping to have proven to you that I am.”
***
Thirty minutes in an enclosed space with Sarah tested my limits, but I survived without doing anything stupid or jumping her. Luckily, we’d found a park just a few spots down from her building so now Sarah just needs to get changed and we’ll be off to our next destination.
“At least the elevator is working now,” she says, sliding her key into the lock and opening her apartment door
I close the door behind me, then turn and lock eyes with a big ginger cat, the likes of which I’ve never seen lounging on a giant gray sectional. He almost looks as if he’s part tiger, part Chupacabra. That’s to say he’s got a face only a mother would love, and since Sarah was always one to go for the underdog—or cat—I’m pretty sure she fell head over heels at first sight.
“Hello Mister Mistoffelees, did you miss me?” she asks the feline in a hilarious baby voice. Bending down in front of the sofa, she dips her head and rubs her nose all over the cat’s face, the animal purring like a freight train as she does it.
As if she remembers I’m in the room, she twists her neck to meet my eyes, a sheepish smile playing on her lips.
“Sez?”
“Yeah?”
“Your cat is—”
“Don’t finish that sentence, Carsen. You’ll hurt her feelings.”
My eyes grow wide. “It’s a girl?”
She gives the cat one last pat before standing up straight and glaring at me. “Of course she’s a girl.”
“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and all that. Especially when you call her Mister,” I mutter, raking my hand over my mouth to hide my grin. She narrows her eyes at me and shakes her head.
“I heard that. It must be a guy thing; Wyatt doesn’t like her either, and he lives with her.”
“Wyatt lives here?”
“Yeah, he’s my roommate.”
And the plot thickens.
“Anyway, help yourself to anything from the kitchen. I’m just gonna go get changed.”
“I think I’ll just stand here. I’d hate to get within attacking distance of that thing . . . I mean, cat.”
“You’re pushing it now. Go over and pat her; I bet you’ll charm her like you do the rest of the female race.”
I tilt my head and smirk. “Does that mean I’ve charmed you?”
She giggles, and the sound reminds me of how we used to be, when we’d spend hours just lying close, talking, laughing, kissing, and . . . you get the drift.
“Go on,” I say, shooing her off. “I’ll be fine here while you get changed into something more comfortable.”
Her responding snort makes me smile. “I bet you say that to all the girls.”
“I definitely didn’t mean that the way it sounded,” I reply.
Her eyes dance with amusement as she looks me up and down, slowly perusing my body like I’m a piece of eye candy put on this earth for her consumption. “Well . . .” She draws out the word. “I suppose that’s good. I’d hate to have to lock you outside while I get dressed.”
Her devilish grin will be the death of me. She walks past me and down a short hallway, opening a door on her left. Turning back toward me, she stops with her hand on the doorknob. “I’ll just be a second, then you can tell me where we’re going.”
“Sounds good to me,” I reply, not missing the fact she’s swinging that eighth wonder of the world with more emphasis than she was earlier.
Or maybe I’m paying closer attention now.
This playful, relaxed, and openly happy Sarah in front of me is the woman I fell in love with all those years ago.
I even fought with Cade over her. He spotted her before I did and was all ready to go over to her and introduce himself. Thankfully, I was ten steps ahead of him by the time he realized what I was doing and the rest—as they say—is history.
Having walked over to the windows in the lounge, I’m checking out the view when her voice grabs my attention.
“Uh . . . Cam?”
“Yeah?” I step over to the edge of the hall. I’m met with a bashful Sarah, biting her lip as she meets my eyes.
“Would you mind coming down here? This damn zipper is stuck, and as much as I’ve already tried, there’s no way to get out of this dress without undoing it even just a little bit.”
Sarah, in her room, stripping off that damn dress that looks fantastic on her except for everything that tailored outfit signified? Not a fucking problem.
I don’t know what I did in a past life to meet Sarah, but if I have to torture myself by helping her undress, I’m pretty sure I’m gonna do it regardless.
My heart hammers the closer I get to her room. My cock, on the other hand, is wide awake and ready to play. “Slow and steady, Carsen. Remember the long game,” is on repeat in my head as I push the door open, finding her standing by a big bed, her room immaculate in both cleanliness and presentation.
Her arm is bent behind her back, her fingers awkwardly fumbling for the zipper as the top of her dress parts to reveal silky smooth skin that I desperately want to run my palms over.
She glances over her shoulder, looking a little sheepish. “I tried being a contortionist to fix it but I’m not as flexible as I used to be. If you can just get it loose, I can do the rest.”
“Where’s the fun in that, Sez?” I say with a wicked grin as I close the distance between us and place one hand on her upper arm, not missing the quiet hitch of her breath as it escapes her mouth.
I grip the tab of her wedged zipper and give it a short, hard tug.
“Dammit. I jammed it up good, didn’t I?”
“Nothing that can’t be fixed,” I say with a voice much deeper and rougher than it should be. Being this close to her is so much harder—and certain parts of me are fucking titanium right now—than it was on the train.
“I’m gonna need two hands for this. It’s caught on the fabric of the dress on the inside,” I explain as I slide my fingers down against her skin. I bite back a groan when I graze her bra strap before finding the wedged zip. With a wiggle and a tug and a whole lot of frustrated mutterings, I free the dress from the teeth of the zipper, and ease it down, exposing the delectable skin of her back.
“Cam . . .” she breathes, and I feel it right down in my dick. I drop my head to the skin behind her ear, taking her in.
“All done,” I say quietly, her body trembling as a whimper escapes her lips.
“I should really get changed now . . .”
Fuck, I really wish she wouldn’t.
“How about you let me take this dress off and really show you how much I’ve missed you?” I place a gentle, lingering kiss on her bare shoulder and bring my body flush against hers, my chest to her torso.
Her head drops back as I touch my tongue to her skin, running swirling circles along her collarbone to the apex of her neck.
“Are you thinking about what I said I’d do to you?” I whisper, sucking her earlobe between my lips.
“Maybe . . .” she says, her voice warm and low. I run my hand up her side and sweep the strap of her dress off her shoulder, my mouth following its path.
“I meant every word, Sez.”
She shivers, but I know it’s not from the cold.
Turning around, she lifts her chin and meets my hungry eyes. We stand there, our bodies pressed together, for what seems like an eternity.
Our breaths intermingle as we take each other in, my arms wrapped around her back, my hands sliding against her bare skin in maddening tortuous circles, my desire to do more unravelling me.
I’m ninety-nine percent sure that she’s not marrying for love, and everything is telling me she’s not, but part of me—a very small part at the back corner of my mind—is still wondering whether it’s right to sleep with an engaged woman.
Looking into her eyes, the hunger in them matching my own, I decide then and there to ignore the remaining one percent of doubt. I’m following my gut because it hasn’t let me down yet, and I’m not about to start second-guessing it now.
“Fuck it,” I mutter as I run a hand up her back and into her hair, gripping the strands tight just as I crush my mouth to hers, my tongue delving inside and tasting her again.
The sound and feel of her whimper reverberates through me, and I lose all sense of self-control, my plan to take this slow and steady thrown out the window. My fingers flex against her scalp when hers tangle in my hair like she used to do all those years ago. It’s like time stands still as we kiss, and feel, and reacquaint ourselves, erasing the sixteen years we’ve been apart.
I walk her backwards to the bed, stripping her dress off as I go, leaving her in her matching white lace bra and thong.
She’s equally desperate, gripping the edge of my T-shirt and pulling it up. I break the kiss for barely a second to throw it on the floor before claiming her mouth again.
Her hands drop to my belt, roughly pulling it off, then ripping my zipper down. I kick my shoes off just as her legs meet the mattress and she drops down onto it, pushing herself farther up the bed.
I lean over her, running my lips over her cheeks, her jaw, and down to her neck before I straighten and bend down, removing my socks and kicking off my jeans. Now naked as the day I was born, I square my shoulders and take her in. The desperation I feel for her shines back at me as her lust-filled eyes drop to my cock before returning to meet my gaze, a knowing smile playing on her lips.
“Like what you see?” I put a knee on the bed between her legs as she props herself up on her elbows and offers her mouth to me, something I willingly accept—and take—with renewed hunger.
In no time at all, I’ve stripped off her bra and underwear before my mouth roams down her chest to her breasts. I then set out to explore every inch of her body that I can touch and taste. I kiss her stomach, I brush my lips against her hip, I caress my tongue over her clit before dipping lower and devouring her whole.
“My turn,” she rasps. I know she’s had enough when she flips me onto my back with a quick flick of her hips. Then she attacks, crashing her lips to mine with renewed hunger. It’s as if a match has been struck, the spark between us setting us both alight. Her hands are all over me. Her naked body rubbing against mine is fucking fantastic in many ways, making me long to sink deep inside her.
The moment her lips wrap around my cock, I swear I see stars. The heat of her mouth, her tongue, her fingers wrapped around the base—all of it succeeds in driving me wild.
When I feel the tell-tale tingle deep inside, I know I need to take over.
Gently easing her off me, I hook my hands under her arms and pull her up until her eyes are level with mine. “If I’m gonna finish, it’ll be inside you. Deep inside you.” My fingers on her ass bite into her skin as I grind my hips against hers, making my intentions more than clear.
“Condoms, top drawer,” she murmurs as she nips and licks my neck.
She moves to my side, and I reach over to her nightstand, trying not to think about why she even has any if she hasn’t had sex in six months. I blindly search for a foil packet, all while trying not to finish this reunion before it’s even started as Sarah runs her hands down my back and ass before snaking her hand around to grab hold of my cock.
“I can’t stop touching you.”
“The feeling’s mutual, believe me,” I reply, moving onto my back, condom in hand. “While you’re there . . .” I wiggle my eyebrows and she bursts out laughing, grabbing it off me, and eliciting a low groan as she rolls it down my length.
As soon as it’s done, I grab hold of her hips and turn her over so her back is on the bed and my hips are between her legs. Bracing my arms on either side of her, I dip my head and brush my lips against hers, our eyes locked together.
“I’ve thought about this for sixteen years. I’ve ached to be inside you.” I tease her with a roll of my pelvis against hers, gliding my cock over her clit, making her moan.
“Do it,” she says, her tone almost defiant—definitely strong—and full of need.
Positioning myself, I drive my tongue into her mouth just as I slide my cock home.
And that’s exactly what she is to me.
The one thing I’ve been missing.
Home.