As I walk along the beach with Cameron, everything feels right. After I dropped her off at home last night and drank myself into oblivion, it was clear to me that I was falling for her. All the memories I’d worked years at suppressing, she’s slowly bringing back to reality. And the fact that she’s willing to accept me and take things one day at a time gives me hope. I have a good feeling we could make it this time.

“You’re quiet,” she says and I feel like I’m in a bit of a funk.

“I don’t mean to be.”

“Then don’t. You can open up to me, Nixon.”

I nod and pick up a perfect seashell handing it to her. “Thank you,” she tells me, smiling. Something so simple that I missed more than I ever realized. “You know…Mack was pissed you weren’t there today.” She tries to change the subject and I go along with her.

“I’m sure he was. How were Guy and Luke?”

“Guy was pissed, Luke was…well, how Luke always is.”

“What do you mean?” I ask her, wrapping my fingers around hers. She exhales, holding my hand back. The small gesture satisfying her.

“He’s easygoing, you know that. But they both really wanted to go out today. There are some boaters missing off the coast of Miami and they wanted to search for them.

“Why couldn’t you?”

“Mack wouldn’t let us go up without you.”

“Damn, I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”

“It’s okay. You know as well as I do that they didn’t survive. They were out at sea during a hurricane.”

I nod knowing she is right. Mother Nature isn’t gentle, and she sure as hell doesn’t take pity upon anyone.

“So, are you coming to work tomorrow?”

“Yeah,” I tell her and wonder if she wants to tell Guy and Luke about us. “What do you think we should say to the guys?”

“About what?” she asks, picking up another seashell.

“Us.”

“Nothing yet. We’re taking things one day at a time, remember?”

“I do and nothing will change that…but don’t you think we should be honest?” I ask her, wanting to be sure, especially because of her past with Luke.

“We’ll tell them…when the time’s right.”

“Luke better keep his fucking dick in his pants,” I tell her and she says to me, “You’ve got nothing to worry about. I won’t let anything happen, but you’re going to have to keep yourself in control.”

Sticking my hands up in front of me, I tell her, “Shouldn’t be a problem as long as I get to fuck you at the end of the day.” She smirks, but doesn’t answer me. She’s playing hardball and I like it. “That is unless you have other plans?”

“You know,” she says, “I’m really busy in the evenings, so you might have to fuck me in the mornings.”

“How about both?” I ask her, stopping her on the beach and pulling her close to me.

“That works too.”

She smiles so beautifully, and I ask her, “Did you eat yet today?”

“No, you?”

“Nope, wanna grab a bite to eat?”

“You mean other than each other?” she smirks.

“Sure,” I tell her as we walk up to my condo. “Do you still like lobster?” she asks me.

“Do you really have to ask? You know it’s my favorite.”

“There’s a new place not far from here that has the best lobster rolls. You wanna go?”

“Yeah, I’m game.”

“Okay,” she responds and changes out of her swimming suit and back into her clothes. My eyes are all over her body as I get a glimpse of her tits and ass. Jesus, she’s perfect.

“You gonna stare all day or change yourself?”

“I’m wearing this.” She rolls her eyes at me as I toss on a tank top. I’m most comfortable in my board shorts. I lived for far too long behind a uniform. “This place isn’t formal or anything, is it?”

“Not at all.”

“You’re beautiful, you know that, right?”

She beams, like it’s the first time I’ve told her. She shyly pulls her hair up, keeping her back to me. “Ready?” she asks.

I take her hand in mine and we leave. She drives up to the place and still hasn’t responded to my comment. I’m really not even sure what I wanted her to say, but I do want her to know how beautiful she is. When she walks into a room, everyone looks at her, she takes it over, she’s so fuckin’ gorgeous.

“You good, everything with us?” I ask.

“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?” she questions me back.

“I’m just making sure, ‘cause I was a dick earlier.”

Briefly, she glances over at me and then says, “I understand what you’re going through.”

Parking in front of the two-story restaurant with what appears to be a rooftop bar on it, I ask her, “You gonna let me buy your sexy ass dinner before I take you home and fuck the shit out of you?”

She smirks at my comment, but we both know I’m dead serious.

Walking inside, a waitress says, breezing on by, “Feel free to sit anywhere.” I follow Cameron up to the roof. “Pretty sweet view,” I tell her.

“What can I get ya’ll to drink?” a cute surfer chick asks.

I look at Cameron and she says, “I’ll take a water.” I look at the beers on tap and order a lager. The girl walks off and I ask Cam, “A water…really?”

“I have to drive.”

“Oh please, one beer with dinner isn’t gonna kill ya.”

“I know it won’t, but one will lead to six, and we have work tomorrow.

I stop giving her a hard time and ask, “Do you know what you’re going to get?”

“The lobster roll, you?”

“The same, that’s why you brought me here, isn’t it?”

“Indeed it is. You wanna split one and then get some lobster cheese dip too?”

“Sure, you mind ordering for us. I gotta take a piss.”

She smiles at me and I kiss her before walking off. Wishing she’d follow me. Her lips drive me wild, my cock awakening anytime I feel them, and I battle with it as I leave her.

Finishing up in the bathroom, I get a text from Cameron, Don’t come back to the table. Guy and Macey are here.

Are you serious? Just fucking tell them.

I wait for her to respond, but she doesn’t so I text her again, What the fuck should I do?

Walking back out, I decide to take a seat at the bar and watch them all visiting. I can sense that Cameron isn’t into it. She’s stressed and I want to make it better.

The waitress comes out of the back with a tray of food and I stop her, “Would you mind not telling those other people at the table that I came here with her?”

She nods, a little confused but walks off. Rounding the back of the bar, so I can walk like I am leaving, I pretend to be on my phone and stroll on by their table, sure enough Guy spots me. “Nixon?” he hollers out and I stop, looking at him and then Cameron.

“I gotta call you back,” I say into my phone then slip it into my pocket.

“What are you doing here?” Guy asks me, “I assumed you were sick since you missed work today.

“I tweaked my back surfing, bro, I left Mack a message. Didn’t he tell you?”

“No, he said he hadn’t heard from you.”

“Don’t know; I called him.”

“Do you wanna have a seat?” Macey asks, thankfully changing the subject.

“Oh, I don’t want to interrupt your meal.”

“You’re not. We bombarded Cam,” Guy says

“You sure?” I ask again and Cam pulls the chair out next to her.

“Hey thanks,” I respond and take a seat in it.

“Is your back feeling better?” Guy asks me.

“Yeah, I went in and got a shot of cortisone in it. It’s an old injury from the Navy that easily flares up from time to time.”

Cameron is awkwardly quiet, and under the table, I take my hand and grab her thigh as high up as I can. She looks at me with wide eyes, and I play it cool, smirking.

“So how was work? Did you guys get a lot of calls?”

They both shake their heads at me and then the waitress sets our lobster dip down. Grabbing a chip, I dig in; I’m so hungry. Cameron says, “Sure, help yourself,” reminding me that I’m supposed to pretend I didn’t order the food.

“Oh, is this not for the table?” I ask her with a chuckle and a mouthful of food.

She doesn’t respond and Guy asks us, “Is something going on between you two?”

“No way. Why would you think that?” she’s quick to answer him.

“No reason,” he says and right then…we’re fucked. If we can’t even sit across from him at a table how are we going to make it through eight hours of work each day? I think the best thing to do is to tell them. Even if Luke is pissed—or whatever—he’ll get over it. I mean, honesty is the best policy…right?