Country Club Affair
Camden moved through the room like she had a hundred times before. It seemed like nothing had changed. The old-world glamour of the stately looking décor, the women outfitted in lovely dresses, the smell of cigar smoke wafting in from the veranda: it was all like she left it. She loved this place and the memories it held. She used to come to this country club almost every weekend with her parents, but it seemed like the grandeur of this place shone even brighter now in her absence.
It felt like ages since she had been here, though it had only been two years. So much had changed in that time, though. When she was last here it was with the naivety of youth on her side, the carefree attitude that only exists when you have no real burdens. When she was here last she didn’t realize she wouldn’t be back, didn’t realize she would be leaving behind so many regrets.
The dining room was filling up, patrons filing in after having finished their round of golf. Camden made her way across the room to her parents table. The jovial smile slid from her father’s face as she approached the table and sat. He turned his attention from her, back to Mr. Weston. She could feel the cold radiating off of him from where she sat; he was still upset with her. Still disowned her. She wouldn’t have come tonight if she realized he still felt that way. Her mother had convinced her on the phone that he missed her, that he wanted her to come to the club tonight.
Camden sighed. She should have guessed her father wouldn’t have bent so easily. When she left, he told her he would never forgive her. He was a man of his word, too. From beside her, Camden’s mom leaned over and patted her hand.
“Don’t look so fretful, dear. Aren’t you having a good time?” Her mother looked at her with kind eyes and Camden couldn’t help but smile at her. She loved her mother and had missed her. She couldn’t count the number of times she wished she could call her mother and ask her advice or opinion. Tonight was a gift. The first crack in the stone wall they had thrown in her face.
Her family had been surprised when she told them she was pregnant, but they were supportive. When she wouldn’t tell them who the father was, though, they had shut her out. They couldn’t understand why she didn’t want his money, his ring, his future. At the very least his child support. She could have raised her baby with the same luxuries she had grown accustomed to, if only she would be reasonable. And if she wasn’t going to use the father’s money to raise her child, she wasn’t going to be able to use theirs, either. But she had made her choice and she wasn’t going to back down.
“I’m having a lovely time, mother. It feels good to be here again.”
Her mother smiled and nodded her head. It was her mother who had called, who had convinced her father to reserve an extra spot at their table, who wanted to see her grandchild. Isla was already a year and a half old and had no one in the world but Camden. No matter how cold her father was being, she didn’t want to rob her mother of that opportunity. She didn’t want to rob Isla of that opportunity.
“Good, I was hoping you would feel that way. You always loved this place. When you were little, you would beg to come with us, and cry if ever you weren’t able. It seemed fitting to meet here, and I wanted us to meet on neutral territory. So we all felt comfortable.”
“It doesn’t seem like dad is feeling very comfortable.”
“Oh, you know him. It takes a lot to make him change his mind. Just wait until after dinner; he’ll be in a better mood then.” She gave Camden’s hand another pat before turning back to the Westons.
The Westons had been their regular dinner companions for as long as they had been coming to the country club. Camden’s father was an accountant, and by anyone else’s standards he wouldn’t have met the criteria to join the club. The Westons, however, had been clients of his and good friends. They had sponsored his application and they had kept up their friendship all these years.
Her father was always so proud of his status here. The club was a means of making better connections, better wages, a better life for his family. Camden supposed that’s why he was so mad when things ended up the way they had. He worked hard all his life to give Camden the opportunities she had available to her, only for her to ruin them. Then not salvage her reputation by trying to marry the man.
As supper service began and she was once again faced with her father’s icy stare, Camden wasn’t so sure her mother had been right. It would take a lot more than a porterhouse steak and a good cigar to change her father’s mind.
*****
Dinner had gone without incident. Of course, Camden’s father didn’t even so much as glance in her direction, but that was to be expected. After the meal was finished, the men had excused themselves to the veranda for a cigar and a drink. Once the men were gone, the ladies crowded their chairs together and started in on their usual gossip. Camden stayed and listened for a while, but then she too excused herself. The hallways and corners of this place held too many memories, and she didn’t know when she would be invited back.
As though drawn, Camden made her way through the room, past the tall, oak doors, and into the empty hallway beyond. The intricate tapestries and paintings that hung in the hall reminded her of hours spent roaming these halls, exploring. Growing up in a middle-class home for most of her life, this place represented a whole other world, one in which she was eager to be engrossed.
Ahead, Camden could see the light filtering in from her favorite spot, a little nook tucked around the far side of the grand staircase. It was a private alcove, a small niche left over from a renovation that took out the old, servants’ staircase to enlarge the kitchen facilities.
The awkward space was just big enough for a small bookcase filled with old volumes, a worn, leather club chair, and a small window overlooking the gardens. When she was young, Camden would sit back there and pretend she lived in this grand place, the alcove transforming into her very own room in the house. As she got older, she found the privacy of the spot good for many other things.
Rounding the far end of the broad stairs, Camden smiled at the sight of it. It looked exactly the same as the last time she seen it. She placed her hands on the window ledge and peered out. She closed her eyes and inhaled the rich scent of leather and wood polish, the faint smell of roses filtering in beyond the glass.
She tilted her head at the vaguely familiar scent of pine and spice that began to settle around her, just seconds before she felt strong arms envelop her from behind. A warm body pressed against her back, hands on either side of hers. Camden’s heartbeat quickened, her body knowing exactly who pressed against her.
“I wasn’t expecting to see you here tonight, Cam,” Vaughn whispered against her neck. “It’s been a while.”
Camden shivered under the whisper of his breath against her skin, the press of his lips to her neck.
“It has. I didn’t think you would be here tonight.”
“Yet you came to our spot,” he said between peppered kisses on her neck.
“So did you.”
A low chuckle reverberated against Camden’s skin, sending tremors through her. Vaughn always had that effect on her. Camden could feel the scrape of his teeth on her shoulder and his hands curving around her hips. His palms explored her backside, trailing lower until they met the hem of her dress. Dragging her dress up over her hips, his fingers edged down between her thighs.
Camden shivered at his lightest touch, worming against him. A finger slipped between the silk of her panties and her skin. Camden took in a sharp breath as Vaughn’s exploring finger slipped onto her clit. She bucked into him at the pulse of pleasure that surged through her. Camden arched forward, her nipples pressing against the cold glass, easing the ache.
He nestled his hard ridge into her and he urged her legs to spread wider. “Can you feel how happy I am to see you? I came around the corner and saw you standing here and my cock damn near jumped out of my pants.”
Camden pushed back into him, wet heat pooling between her legs. The hand he had on her hip caressed over her ribs and up to palm her breast. Through her dress, Vaughn teased the hardened bud. The nip of his fingers was mimicked by a nip of his teeth against her ear lobe.
He moved his hand from her breast, and from behind her Camden could hear the scrape of Vaughn’s zipper. Anticipation welled within her. With his finger still at her tight bundle of nerves, Vaughn moved the scrap of silk to the side. The tip of his cock rubbed against her wet heat. Camden leaned into the window ledge, pushing her backside into the sweet rhythm of his strokes. Vaughn growled his approval, plunging into her. Camden stifled a moan as he filled her, tightening around the familiar rub.
As Vaughn began to drive into her, Camden could feel herself being consumed by the pressure of his hand at her clit, the feeling of his cock filling her repeatedly. The rasp of their breathing seemed loud in the hushed nook, and Camden held back another moan, instead settling for pushing back against his driving force. She smiled at the strangled sound that came from Vaughn. She loved driving him crazy, pushing him to lose control when they could get caught if they did.
Camden’s hips met him, thrust for thrust, her walls tightening down around him. Vaughn abandoned his ministrations at her clit and wrapped his arms around her waist, molding himself to her body, burying himself in her. Camden turned her head to the side, seeking his lips. Her imploring mouth was met with his, their tongues melding fiercely.
Camden began to shudder with pleasure, her moans swallowed by Vaughn. He buried himself deep into her spasming sex until he too was racked with shudders. Vaughn collapsed against her, hands coming to rest beside hers on the window ledge.
“Why did you stay away for so long?” he whispered into her hair, his breathing coming in jags.
Camden stilled. She hadn’t expected to see Vaughn tonight. She had only prepared herself to set things right with her parents; she wasn’t ready to face things with Vaughn just yet. Suddenly having sex with him just like old times didn’t seem like such a good idea.
“What did you hear? I’m sure there was some sort of gossip going around here.”
Vaughn straightened, zipping his pants and straightening her dress before coming to stand beside her.
“Some bullshit about you going to stay with an aunt. Or you decided to go away to do some more schooling. Or both. I didn’t buy either of those stories.”
Camden kept her face forward, not ready to look at him yet. She couldn’t trust herself when she looked at him. She never could say no to him; she gave him everything. In this very spot, he gave her her first kiss, she lost her virginity to him, they revealed things about themselves that no one else knew. Camden worried that Vaughn would pressure her into telling him where she went. But instead, he just looked at her, waiting.
“What about you?” Camden said into the silence.
“Me?” Vaughn said, turning to look out the window, too. He blew out a breath. “Business as usual. My Dad retired last year, so the business is officially mine.”
“You’ve been running the company for years; it must be nice to finally have that work acknowledged. That would make you the youngest CEO, right?”
“Right you are,” he said with a curt nod.
“You don’t sound as happy as I thought you would.”
“I’ve been working so hard to get there, all the while thinking that was what I wanted. I guess I just figured that any emptiness I felt would be fulfilled once I took over.”
“But it’s not?”
“You know what they say: it’s lonely at the top, money can’t buy you happiness, and all that,” he said with a self-deprecating smile.
“Vaughn Kincaid, have you become a hippie while I’ve been gone?” Camden said with mock surprise.
“I may be a lot of things, but I don’t think we have to worry about that. You were more the peace, love, and rock and roll type out of the two of us.”
Camden smiled. There was never really a ‘two of us’ between them. When they had first met ten years ago, Camden was fourteen and Vaughn was twenty, home from Yale for the summer. There was always a barrier between them. Age at first, then propriety, then status. Camden long ago gave up the idea of ever being more than Vaughn’s casual fling, his amusing doe eyed idealist. The Kincaids didn’t end up with girls like her.
Their dynamic served them both well for all those years. Vaughn had the benefit of a naive girl who worshiped him and his rank, with whom he could be free to be himself without worrying how it would affect his status, his station. Camden could taste the fantasy that she craved, pretending she fit into his life.
That all changed when she found out she was pregnant. There was no more room for pretending. Her life suddenly got very real and she had to face the fact that there was nothing holding her and Vaughn together other than a desire to fulfill each other’s fantasy. The power he held over her was thrilling when it was just about sex, but the idea of always being second class when it came to being his partner, to their child, was repugnant to her.
The sounds of the dining hall filtered into their private alcove, bringing Camden out of her thoughts and back to the reason of her visit. She couldn’t deal with her past with Vaughn right now. Not when her mind was supposed to be focused on resolving things with her parents. She turned her attention away from Vaughn.
“I should get back. I need to talk to my parents before I leave.”
“Are you sticking around afterwards?” he asked, eyes on her again.
“No. I have things to do at home.” And a babysitter I can only afford to pay for a couple of hours, Camden thought. She turned and made her way out of the sheltered nook. Vaughn followed behind her.
“Will you be here again next weekend?”
“I don’t imagine so.”
“You’re being awfully evasive,” Vaughn said as they passed the staircase.
“Am I?” Camden said, knowing full well it would drive Vaughn crazy not knowing what he wanted to. Vaughn wasn’t accustomed to being kept in the dark, or being told no. Camden didn’t care, though, because even if she had planned on telling him about Isla, now was not the time.
Vaughn grabbed onto her hand and stopped her mid-stride just before the doors to the dining area. She looked up at him, haughty.
“Something’s going on with you and I intend to find out what. We had a good thing going between us, then you up and vanish. When I asked your folks where you went, I just got the same, bullshit story everyone else did. When I pushed your mom, she started acting all cagey, but she still wouldn’t tell me where you were. Your phone was no longer in service, you quit your job. You just left. I think I deserve to know the truth.”
“Why do you think I owe you any explanation? We never owed each other anything before. That was the beauty of our friendship, and I would like to keep it that way.” Camden turned away from Vaughn and pushed through the doors.
From what Camden could tell, he didn’t follow her and she was relieved. She wasn’t sure how much more pressure she could take from him. Deep down she knew he had a right to know about their daughter, but Camden was still clinging tight to the belief that not knowing was better.
Back at the table, Camden took her place beside her mother. No one looked in her direction, no one missed her absence. Camden looked around the room for her father. She was anxious to leave, the club no longer feeling as welcoming as it had earlier. Camden spotted her father, standing amongst a group of men talking boisterously.
When he saw her from across the room he excused himself and headed over to join them. Camden was relieved that he wasn’t going to draw this out any longer. Camden didn’t see Vaughn re-enter the room, but regardless, she was eager to get this over with and get home.
*****
Camden woke to the sounds of Isla jabbering in the next room. She yawned and stretched in bed before crossing the hallway to pick up Isla out of her crib. Some days she really missed sleeping in.
Last night had been very long, and only somewhat productive. Camden and her parents managed to make it through a polite conversation, which was a feat in itself, but the result was somewhat stilted. Begrudgingly, her father consented to her mother inviting Camden and Isla to holiday dinners. And Camden could talk to and see her mother whenever they pleased.
As for her father, he would prefer they met while he was at work. Camden was disappointed that her father still treated her like she was an errant teenager, like he couldn’t acknowledge that she had been responsible for herself and Isla for two years without his stern guidance. Camden sighed as they made their way to the kitchen. It was a victory in any case. It just didn’t really feel like it.
Camden didn’t work Sundays, so she and Isla had the day to themselves. As per their usual Sunday ritual, Camden made pancakes and then they headed to the library before coming home and playing until naptime. Camden tucked Isla into her crib and quietly closed the door.
She headed to the living room and sat, being given the first chance to think through the events of yesterday. She looked at her phone; it was late afternoon. She had half expected her mom to have called by now, excited to meet Isla. Apparently not. Camden rested her head on the back of the couch and let her eyes close. She bit back the disappointment, the loneliness.
The knock on her front door caused her to blink open her eyes. She crossed the small room to the door and pulled it back, inhaling a sharp breath at the sight of Vaughn Kincaid standing at her door. He was dressed casually, a look she rarely saw him sporting at the club, in dark jeans, a black Henley, Oxfords.
Camden fought to stand her ground when all she wanted to do was shut the door and run. After the disappointment with her parents, she couldn’t bear to be kicked down by someone else she cared about. But he was here, that was more than she could say about her parents.
“How did you find me?” she whispered, stepping out of the house and pulling the door closed behind her.
“I followed you after you left the club last night,” he said, casually, like a man accustomed to people never questioning his motives.
“You followed me?”
“It sounds creepier than it actually is. Well, no, probably not. But I did it with good intentions.” Camden raised an eyebrow in doubt. “Really. I wanted to make sure you were safe. You were so cold last night. All your energy and enthusiasm seemed to be gone. And you wouldn’t talk to me.”
“Maybe there was a reason for that,” Camden said, her eyes focusing on him somewhere at forehead height.
“I wouldn’t know because you wouldn’t talk to me, Cam. Which is strange, because we both know how much you like to talk,” he said with a smile playing on his lips. Camden couldn’t muster up the effort to return it. There wasn’t anything funny about him being here.
“I’m sorry, Vaughn, but I can’t do this with you right now.”
“Do what? Now you can’t even stand to be around me anymore?” She could hear his temper start to rise, but she didn’t care. Whatever game they were accustomed to playing was long over.
“Please, Vaughn. I think you should go.”
“No, not until I’ve said what I came here to say. Let me come in.” When Camden didn’t answer him, eyes still looking above his own, Vaughn continued. “If you’re going to be stubborn about it, I’m just going to have to talk to you out here. After you left, and it became apparent that you weren’t coming back, I was pissed.
“I tried everything I could to think of where to find you. But when I stopped to think why I was so mad, I realized it was because I missed you. We had something together. Something vague, but real, and I was mad that you left before I realized I wanted something more.”
He looked proud, triumphant. He looked at Camden like she should fall at his feet, grateful for the opportunity.
“And you never considered what I wanted?”
“Well, I guess I’m coming to realize that it wasn’t me,” Vaughn’s voice started to rise again, never one to take rejection well.
Camden fixed her stare on the ground, silent. There was so much she was leaving unsaid, so much about how she felt that she couldn’t say to him. In any other scenario, she would have fallen for him, and part of her wished she could allow herself to do so still. She couldn’t allow herself to take the risk on another game when there was so much at stake. Neither said anything for a moment, but she could feel his eyes on her. She stepped back and put her hand on the door knob, about to put an end to this conversation, when he made her pause.
“Where is he?” he asked, quietly, darkly.
“Who?” She looked at him now, confusion gracing her features.
“Your husband?”
“Why would you think I’m married?” Camden asked, bewildered.
“It’s the only thing that fits. You took off with no warning, your parents are pissed at you. I figured you ran off with some guy that your parents disapproved of. I don’t know why I never thought of it before.” Vaughn seized her hand on the knob, moving it away. “So, where is he? Maybe he would like to know what you and I were up to last night. Or maybe we should tell him you were fucking me the same time you were planning to run off with him.”
Vaughn shouldered his way into the house, despite Camden’s attempts to block his path.
“Vaughn, stop. Please, you’re not going to find what you’re looking for.”
“Then there shouldn’t be a problem with me looking around, right?”
Vaughn stormed through the empty living room and into the tiny, galley kitchen. Finding nothing there, he turned and made his way down the hallway, opening doors as he went. Finding nothing in the first two doors, the bathroom and Camden’s room, Vaughn made his way to the last door down the hall.
Camden darted in front of him, trying to stop his barrage.
“Not that one, Vaughn,” she said, holding her hands up in front of him.
He didn’t listen. Stepping around her, Vaughn opened the door to Isla’s room, only to retreat at the sound of her cry. Pushing him out of the way, Camden rushed into the room and scooped her up. With her back to the door and to Vaughn, Camden soothed the little girl, cooing at her softly. When Isla had stopped crying, Camden whirled around on Vaughn, who watched from the doorway. This time it was Camden’s turn to be angry.
“Are you happy, now? Did you prove your point yet? There’s no one else here. Just us. But it’s good to know that you think I’m a slut just because I rejected you,” she said, anger rising.
“There’s no one else?” he asked, brows knitting.
“No, there’s never been anybody else.”
“Never? What are you saying?”
Camden diverted her eyes from his, her voice lowering.
“I’m saying that you’re the only man I’ve ever been with, Vaughn. So if you’re looking for someone to get mad at, it’s just me.”
She flicked her eyes back up to Vaughn, needing to see his reaction. He stood motionless, staring at Camden and Isla through unseeing eyes. For a full minute, he stood in place, and would have for longer had Isla not started squirming in Camden’s arms. Camden adjusted her grip on Isla, hoisting her higher on her hip.
“She’s hungry. If you want to leave, then I won’t hold it against you, but if you want to talk, I’ll be in the kitchen.”
Camden walked past Vaughn and into the kitchen. She wasn’t sure what to expect him to do next. Camden hadn’t expected to tell him about Isla, and definitely not in this way. But it was out in the open now and Camden tried to ready herself for the barrage of questions he would have.
Camden sat Isla in her high chair and sprinkled a handful of cheerios on the tray to keep her entertained while Camden cooked. Turning to the fridge, Camden began preparing a quick supper for Isla. As Camden cooked, she heard Vaughn approach from behind. He pulled a chair out from the table and sat, watching Camden at the stove, Isla happily crunching cereal.
Camden finished cooking the pasta and vegetables and set the dish in front of Isla, who in turn started picking up fistfuls of pasta. She sat across from Vaughn, leaned back in her chair, and looked at him. He was still looking at Isla, studying her with his shrewd assessing eye.
He reluctantly turned his eyes from his child to Camden. She returned his stare. Camden tried to read Vaughn’s face, unsure of what to expect, but he hid behind the same, guarded look of concentration that he used when discussing work. Finally, she wasn’t able to hold back her curiosity.
“So?”
“I guess that explains where you’ve been.”
Camden smiled, relieved he wasn’t angry anymore, though there was a certain touch of sadness in his voice now. “Yes. I moved not too long after I found out.” He nodded, pensive, quiet. “It’s wasn’t much, but it’s all I could afford. And it served us well.”
“So your folks were mad you got pregnant?”
“No, they were pretty supportive when I told them. What made me fall from their good graces was when I wouldn’t tell them who got me pregnant.”
“You never told them?”
“No, and my father was already mad enough. That was just the icing, I guess.” Camden shrugged.
“That’s a shitty way to treat your kid. And grandkid.”
“They were clear on their expectations. It was my decision to not tell them, so I accepted the consequences.”
“And last night?”
“Was my mom’s attempt at reconciliation.”
“So they’ve never met Isla?”
“No.”
Vaughn was quiet again. Whatever he was thinking, he preferred to keep it to himself. Camden could only guess what was going through his mind. Vaughn sat leaning forward with his forearms on his legs, watching as Isla smeared red sauce across her face. He smiled.
“She’s sweet.”
Camden watched as the bowl of pasta got tipped upside down and Isla’s tiny hands began mashing the sloppy mess. Camden shook her head and sighed. “She is.”
“How old is she?”
“Eighteen months.” She watched Vaughn’s mind calculate.
“So you knew you were pregnant when you left?”
“It’s the reason I left.”
He sat back and turned to Camden. “You really don’t like me that much.”
“It wasn’t that. I just didn’t see us having any kind of future together, and if I would have revealed that you were the father, my parents would have pushed for us to get married. I didn’t want to be trapped in a marriage with someone who didn’t have the faintest desire to get married to anyone, let alone me.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Don’t make this harder than it needs to be. You know as well as I that you vigorously fend off any marriage-material woman your mom sends your way. Oh, and what would your mom have thought? She already disliked me. She would have thought this was a ploy to trap you. She would have blamed me for tarnishing your reputation.”
“Who cares about my mother? And that’s not what I was talking about. The part about me not wanting to marry you.”
“With all those debutants chasing after you, I was so far from right for you. I can see if maybe we were in the same circles and I got pregnant, then maybe I could see us making it work. But the only thing we had in common was our weekends at the club. Infatuation. A Kincaid doesn’t end up with a girl like me.”
Isla fussed in her chair, calling for Camden. Camden reached for a wet cloth and tried to wipe off some of the wreckage, then picked her up. Isla giggled and fisted a handful of hair, smearing a hidden handful of pasta sauce as she did. While Camden tried to tug her hair from Isla’s tiny grasp, Vaughn stood and walked over to stand in front of the two. Isla turned her big, dark eyes up to his, then buried her head in Camden’s shoulder.
“She must be able to sense that I know nothing about kids.”
“Well, she’s really smart, so probably.”
Vaughn’s eyes darted to hers, but then caught her smile. He returned it.
“Can I hold her?” he asked, tentatively.
Camden passed the squirmy girl over to Vaughn. With an awkward grasp, Vaughn tried to hold her in front of him. Isla studied him with wide eyes, gauging him. When she was done assessing whether or not to scream at him, Isla reached out a tiny hand and with a veracious grip, pulled Vaughn’s nose.
He yelped and pulled her off of him. Camden laughed as Vaughn fended off Isla’s tiny attack, made all the more funny by Isla’s giggles. Soon tiring from the game, Isla squirmed in his arms, thrashing her little body. Vaughn looked at Camden, alarm in his eyes.
“You can set her down. She’s done with you for now.”
Vaughn set her down and watched as she toddled away, giggling.
“Well, I see she has your sense of humor,” he said, rubbing at his red nose.
“And your inability to take no for an answer,” Camden joked.
“So what do we do now?”
“That’s up to you. You’re under no obligation to stay.”
“And if I wanted to stay?”
“That’s fine too.”
Vaugh tagged along behind Camden and Isla as they started on their bedtime routine. By the time they all finally settled on the couch to read a story, Vaughn’s clothes were speckled with pasta sauce, bath water, and smears of diaper cream. Camden had been impressed at his willingness to participate in the chaos. Camden couldn’t read the look on his solemn face, but his eyes were soft and he hadn’t left yet. Perhaps there was hope that he would want to continue seeing his daughter.
When the story was finished, Camden picked their baby up and carried her past Vaughn to her room. Over Camden’s shoulder, Isla waved a tiny, weary hand at Vaughn and he returned it.
A few minutes later, when Camden returned from putting Isla to bed, she found Vaughn looking at the few pictures that hung on the wall, memories of her and Isla. Camden came to stand beside him. Vaughn touched a picture of Isla on her first birthday, all smiles and icing-covered hands.
“She looks like you here.”
“You think so? I always thought she looked more like you.”
“Oh no. Look at her eyes, full of mischief. She definitely looks like you there.” He flashed a smile down at Camden. “So, she’s really ours?
“Without a doubt. Are you upset?”
He blew out a breath, turning back to look at the picture. “No. I’m not upset that you got pregnant and had our baby. It’s just,” Vaughn stopped, struggling with the words to say. He stabbed a finger at the picture of Camden and Isla, taken in the hospital the day she was born. “Who was with you when this picture was taken?” he asked, frustration ringing through in his voice.
“My neighbor, a friend, drove me to the hospital and sat with me.”
“So you chose that over me?” His eyes bore into hers.
“There was a lot that went into that decision; don’t say it so flippantly. It’s easy to look back now and say that you wanted to be a part of it, but you can’t be certain.”
“Cam, not only did you take away all the firsts I’ll never be able to get back with Isla, you took away the experience of being with you when she was born, when you were feeling shitty and needed someone to take care of you. You deprived us both of that experience. And you deprived me of being with you. I was serious when I told you that I missed you. And I’m kicking myself for not realizing how much you meant to me before it was too late. And for making you feel like you like you meant nothing more to me than a booty call.”
“I thought I was doing right by you. I couldn’t see it turning out any other way. I just saved us the pain of getting there.” As Camden looked into Vaughn’s tormented eyes, she felt the seed of doubt that she carried with her grow.
“You deny our relationship because you think there’s some invisible barrier preventing you from being in my life, but I need you there. My world is full of ass-kissers and leeches, not a single shred of personality between them. I find myself going to the country club hoping you would show up again, only to be faced with more of the same, insipid people. Until yesterday.”
“Don’t confuse obsession with something meaningful. If you want me because I cure your boredom, then you may as well give up now. I’ve learned what I’m capable of and I don’t think I have it in me to be pliant to anyone, regardless of how much money you have. I worked too hard to make a life here for you to come and tell me you can do better.”
“Cam, that’s not what I’m saying.” Vaughn’s hands cupped her cheeks. “I’m trying to tell you that I want to be a part of what you have here. That in the time you’ve been gone I’ve realized that I’m not happy without you. You are all that I want, and had I found you sooner, I’d be telling you the same thing. Had I known about Isla, I would be telling you the same thing.”
Camden studied his face, close to her own, reading what she saw there. His eyes were pleading, tender, and she saw in them an honesty she couldn’t deny. Even so, there was something in her that still wouldn’t break.
“I have a child to think of. I can’t bring people in and out of her life. If you want to be a part of our lives, then you have to be serious.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Vaughn said as his hand moved to the back of her neck, his mouth easing closer to hers. “I don’t think I’ve ever been jealous before today when I thought you were with someone else. I can’t risk that happening again. I lost you once and I’ll be damned sure not to let that happen again.”
Camden softened under his hands. Vaughn’s lips tasted her, warm and crushing. The scent of him surrounded her, spicy and virile, and the familiar feel of his body pressed against hers was welcome after being apart for so long. She molded into him, and when his tongue lapped at her mouth, coaxing her, she readily met his with her own. His fingers climbed up her neck, into her hair. The bite of his fingers fisting into her hair spurred her on, their kisses devouring.
Vaughn’s other hand explored down her body, strong fingers kneading her shoulders, her back, her hips. Camden arched her hips into him, feeling the heat of his growing erection rub into her. The pulsing heat between her legs grew and Camden could feel the wetness gathering there. Her nipples rubbed against the fabric covering them and her hand curled into the front of his shirt. The taste she had of him last night didn’t even come close to curbing the craving she had for him now.
Her nimble fingers found the bottom of his shirt. She pulled it up his body, and Vaughn broke their kiss to allow her to pull it up. Her hands exposed his olive skin, toned muscles, and she abandoned his shirt in favor of rubbing her hands over his chest, plucking at a nipple as she ran her fingers over them. Vaughn hissed in a breath and finished pulling his shirt up over his head.
Camden’s fingers trailed down his stomach to the dark hair that trickled down beyond his pants. She cupped his cock through his pants, kneading it. Vaughn watched her with heat in his eyes, his hand remaining tangled in her hair as she knelt before him and unfastened his jeans. She delved her hand into his pants, revealing his thick erection. She flicked her eyes up to his.
“I’ve thought about this for two years. I can’t wait to taste you again.”
Vaughn’s head fell back as she enveloped him, her lips coating him until she had taken him all in. Vaughn moved his hips into her, dipping the crown into her mouth as she sucked him. Camden watched his muscles contracting as he moved in time with her lips. Her hand gripped his stalk, her lips bumping against it with frenzied vigor until he was pulling her back.
Vaughn tugged her up, the need in his eyes apparent.
“I want to bury myself in you, Cam. When I’m done with you, there’ll be no question in your mind that you belong to me. And me to you.” Camden melted at the need in his voice, the jealousy.
Deftly unbuttoning her pants, Vaughn burrowed a hand between her legs, cupping her sex and pressing the heel of his hand to her clit. Camden bucked into him, the wetness he found there surging. She laced her hands around his neck and rocked into him. Vaughn slid two fingers into her warm wet cleft, and she let out a moan.
The need in his eyes intensified. Vaughn wrapped a strong arm around her waist and picked her up, his other hand maintaining its barrage. She held tight to his neck and wrapped her legs around him as he supported her with his free hand. Vaughn moved them through the house, Camden’s fingers biting into his neck, a silent urge for him to staunch the ache building in her sex. Entering the bedroom, Camden’s hands left his neck, frantic to pull her shirt off. She managed to pull it over her head and let it drop to the floor.
Hovering over the bed, Vaughn’s hand snaked out of her pants and, with both hands, gripped her ass and pulled her into the heat of his cock. The pressure it placed on her needy clit sent tremors racing through her. Camden’s hips rode his erection, unable to stop the need to intensify the pleasure. Vaughn groaned; the sound was gratifying, powerful.
He let her slide down his body and drop onto the bed. Camden kicked off her pants and Vaughn did the same. He came down onto the bed on top of her. Vaughn gripped his fist over her bra and pulled it down with enough force that she heard the lace tear. His hands were immediately upon her bared breasts, and Camden quivered against his touch. Her hands extended over her head, giving herself over to him. Skin to skin and laying against her, Vaughn rubbed his cock against her, his fingers stimulating her aching nipples.
“I missed how your body felt against mine, Cam.” His voice was rough and warm against her.
Bending his head, Vaughn licked the tight points of her nipple. His teeth grazed lightly over it and a throb of desire flooded through Camden. He bathed the tip, swathing it with his tongue. Then moved to the other one, sucking it into his mouth, driving her wild. The tension was building in her body, his cock teasing her, his mouth on her chest.
“Vaughn, please,” she whimpered.
Vaughn straightened and smiled, watching her with burning eyes. He drew his hips back and Camden felt the head of his cock against her. He slowly plunged his hips forward, her body sheathing him in her heat. He groaned as he immersed himself in her. Vaughn started a slow rhythm, easing out of her, into her. The slow scrape of flesh over her burning skin only intensified the fervor. Camden thrust her hips up to meet his, her hands reaching back to grab his ass, urging him in deeper, faster.
Vaughn yielded, his thrusts meeting hers with a frantic desire. Each drive of his cock into her had her writhing, pressure mounting towards ecstasy. Her body stiffened while her sex shuddered around him. Her body contracted, jolting into his. Vaugh wrapped his arms around her body, his body shuddering in release.
Camden lay back on the bed, limp in his arms. Vaughn rolled off of her body, arms still wrapping her, and settled in beside her. With her head pressed against his chest, Camden listened to the beating of his heart finally begin to slow. Vaughn’s hand began a slow path up and down her back as they both recovered.
Camden smiled against his chest. “I can’t remember many times we slept together in a bed. If ever.”
“We have. That time you came up to see me while I was in university.”
“That was, what, six years ago? How do you remember that?”
“You’d be surprised how much I remember about you. You came up and I took you to that frat party,” he said, still stroking her hair.
“Oh, right. And I got so drunk. I don’t remember having sex, though. Just waking up feeling like shit.” Camden groaned at the memory.
“We didn’t have sex, but we did sleep together. In a bed, no less.”
“Why is it that you remember that night?” Camden propped herself up on her elbows, looking up at Vaughn.
“It’s actually a really vivid memory I have of you. It was one of the first times we met outside of the club and I had looked forward to you coming for weeks. I irritated the shit out of my roommate talking about your visit.”
“And then I ruined it by drinking too much,” she said, wrinkling her nose.
“No, not at all. You were pretty wasted, but you let me wrap my arm around you while we walked back to my place, and you let me hold you all night long. Those were things we were never allowed to do any other time we met in secret. And, best of all, you answered every question I asked you as if you were given a truth serum. And I really took advantage of that,” he said, wiggling his eyebrows and grinning.
“What? You never told me that before. What did I tell you?”
“All kinds of things, like you thought my mother was a scraggily, old bag, and that when I got old, I would have a huge nose just like my old man. And that you loved me.”
“I did not,” Camden groaned. She knew she talked a lot, and more so when she had a couple of drinks. But she had no idea she could get so loose lipped when she was drinking.
“Oh, but you did,” Vaughn said, grin still firmly in place.
“That’s so embarrassing. I can’t believe you ever wanted to see me again.” Camden buried her head in his chest.
“It’s not as bad as you’re thinking; it was hilarious.” When she still wouldn’t look at him, Vaughn coaxed her chin with a hook of his finger. When he spoke again his voice was gentle. “How about I make it up to you? Why don’t I confess something to you to make up for it?”
“Okay, but it better be good.”
“When I saw you with Isla today, rocking her, singing, letting her smear her goopy hands all over your hair, I thought it was sexy as hell. And I love you.”
She shook her head. “You’re crazy.”
“No, really. Seeing how much you love her, knowing that she came from both of us. That you’re both mine to love, it’s powerful. I like watching you as a mother.”
Camden smiled against his chest. “I’m happy that you want to be a part of her life, and maybe mine too.”
“Are you really still not convinced? I am already a part of your life; Isla’s too. This is real and it’s already started, so you better learn to like it.”
“You better learn to not boss me around.”
“But I like bossing you around. We have the best sex when you’re all riled up.”
She settled her head on his chest again, letting her fingers run over his body. She smiled as the skin under her hands shivered in response.
“Well, if you’re so serious about this, then you’re in for a big shock with two of us full time.”
“I think you’re right. I’m probably in over my head with just you, never mind Isla.” Vaughn sighed and shook his head. “I don’t know anything about kids. I’m pretty sure I knew my nanny better than I knew my own parents. I’m not sure I’m qualified to do this.”
“Oh, don’t worry, Isla will give you a crash course. Just a tip, though, you may want to up your dry-cleaning budget. I don’t think kids and Italian, tailored suits go well together.”
“Good tip.”
As the exhaustion from the last two days settled over her, she cozied in closer to Vaughn, letting his warmth envelope her.
“I wonder what your mother will say when you tell her,” Camden said around a yawn.
“Oh, don’t you worry about her. She’s gotten a lot softer since you saw her last. Besides, she may come across as a scraggily, old bag, but she loves me. If I tell her I love you, she’ll love you too. And I have a feeling she’ll welcome a granddaughter.”
“I wish the same could be said about my parents.”
“Don’t you think they’ll come around, now that everything will be out in the open?”
“That’s almost worse, like they only want to meet Isla because you’re her dad, not because she’s my daughter.”
“Whatever happens with them, we’ll still be together. We can be our own family.”
Camden blinked back the tears that wet her eyes. After all this time on her own, she finally felt all the love she had been missing. She snuggled in close to Vaughn, the father to her daughter, the man she loved, the one who understood every crazy part of her and loved it all.
THE END