Chapter 8

Katie

I sat on my bed and had just admired the paint job I had done on my toenails. My cell phone started to ring, so I carefully shuffled to the edge of the bed and picked up my phone.

“Hi Katie, it’s Cam, can you come over when you get a chance?” he asked in a neutral tone.

I smiled to myself. “Yes, no problem. I just have to let my nail paint dry and I will come right over.”

I had become excited. Cam had called, and I had to find something to wear that would leave him begging for me. I chose not to wear panties or a bra and opted for some sexy, light blue figure hugging Lycra shorts and a tank top that was low cut under the arms.

Once my nail paint had dried, I grabbed a quick shower before adding a slight touch of perfume and slipping into my skin-tight shorts and a baggy tank top. If this did not turn on Cam, he had been off the scene for way too long.

I look awesome!

I stood and looked at myself in the mirror. I could see the shorts pushed right up against my pussy and showed me off like a treat. It was naughty, and I laughed at my ingenuity. As for the tank top, this had to be viewed from the side to be thoroughly enjoyed. I turned and looked at my side. God Damn, I look really hot! I could see the curve of my breast as the oversized arm area bared a little more than it should have.

I brushed my long hair and added just a little makeup in the eye department to make them pop. I had one final glance in the mirror and thought, “I would take you if I were a guy.”

I left the house and made my way up the street towards Cam's house, my hair still wet. I was letting the breeze comfort me; it blew through my tank top and washed over my bare breasts. I reached the sidewalk and headed up the drive as my nipples hardened. I wanted to be with Cam so fucking bad.

I got to the top of the drive and the door was already open. I knocked and heard Cam call for me to enter. I closed the door behind me and walked into the living room. Cam had just put Emmy to sleep and he had turned to face me. I could see, from the look on his face, he had obviously been in a bad mood.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, surprised.

“I thought about it since yesterday. I had no idea why you would go that far,” Cam said in a whispered tone that was well and truly pissed off.

I stepped closer toward him. “I don’t know what you’re on about?”

“Your dad. Why did you get him involved?” he asked through gritted teeth.

“Cam, I’m sorry, but you have lost me. I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I replied, confused.

“Yesterday, he had me in his office, and he told me, no… he ordered me to let you help out around here,” he said as he walked into the kitchen area, ignoring me.

“Cam, something has gone on, and I’m out of it. I know of no conversation between you and my dad. And why would I do that anyway?”

“I’m sorry Katie, I can’t believe what you say. There must have been something that you said to him to make him think like that?” His face was disappointed.

I stood there with a blank expression on my face and thought back to what I had said to my dad. Cam was so adamant I had said something, I’d become unsure of what I might have said for Dad to come up with a conversation like that.

“The only conversation I have had with Dad was that I had thought about a career in childcare and that you had nobly defended me against that dickhead Peter. There was nothing else, honest,” I explained.

“I’m not sure that you know what you’re saying sometimes,” Cam said as he leaned on the kitchen counter, head in hands. “The Admiral of all people. Fuck me. That’s the last thing I needed. Shit, I have a decent life, and this job is all I have and all I need to look after Emmy,” he said as he looked at me.

“Cam, however it happened, I’m sorry. You have to believe me when I say I wouldn’t do that to you, or to Emmy,” I explained.

“Well, it is too late now, it has happened, and he has said it,” Cam said. “I’m just pissed off because if it goes wrong, it could affect my whole career.

“Cam, I understand how you feel. All I said to dad was how good it made me feel that you cared enough about me to stand up and defend me at the party,” I explained as I leaned on the opposite side of the counter.

I thought about what Cam had said, and I could see why he had become upset. It was obvious my dad had listened to how I had spoken about Cam and pushed his responsibility onto him. God, he had just taken advantage of a situation to make it easier for himself.

“Katie, can I just stop you for a moment before you get all carried away. I didn’t stand up for you because you’re the Admiral’s daughter. I stood up for you because it was the right thing to do. And you could have been anybody, and I would have done the same thing,” Cam went on in a stern tone.

“I just thought…” I started to say before Cam cut me short.

“I don’t give a flying fuck what you thought. Those are the facts. I helped because I could help, case closed,” Cam sighed deeply. Why was he so damn hot when he was mad? It wasn’t a good thing.

I hated that he was angry.

I looked at Cam and then I couldn’t understand why he had to be so fucking off with me. I had praised him up for being a gentleman, and now he had jumped down my throat and was being a real prick. It just goes to show under all that exterior, these soldiers and SEALs are all the fucking same. But why is there such a wide range of emotion with Cam? He went from being a knight in shining armor to a complete dick, and that was just because of something my dad had said to him.

I should have been pissed at him for talking to me like I was a piece of shit, but I felt horrible for the way he had become a victim of circumstances in his eyes. He had been forced to go to a party, seen a damsel in distress, and now he had been lumbered with me by Dad. Basically, a stranger that had been thrown into the midst of, not just his life, but also into Emmy’s too.

“Cam, none of it was supposed to happen this way. I feel sorry for you because none of it was your fault and now you’re at the center of it all,” I stood explaining from the other side of the counter.

“Well, life’s a bitch, and then you die,” he said with a fake grin. He had a point. That’s about the way life was for everyone. I had a father I couldn’t please and an itch I couldn’t scratch. I was young and dumb most of the time, but people around me made it too easy to simply stay that way. There was no reason to grow up, no one to do it for.

“Cam, I think it is better if I go, I can see you need some time to yourself, and I’m the last person you want to be with right now,” I said, shamefully.

I headed toward the front door and placed my hand on the handle. I started to twist it and Cam put his hand on mine. I turned to him and he was standing close to me.

“Please don’t go. Stay with me, Katie,” Cam said, towering over me.

Oh, God.

Cam had placed his hands on my arms and I could feel the chemistry and warmth between us explode. I looked into his eyes and I melted on the inside. I had wanted to become close, but when I was touching his body, it was just electrifying.

No matter how cold he had just been to me, there was no way I could be off with him. I had become so attracted to him, and I think that was why Dad had put him in the position he had. I naturally spoke about Cam in a more affectionate way than I talked about most people, and for a good reason.

“Katie, I’m so sorry for the way I just acted. That is not me, it is your dad. The whole thing got to me more than you would ever know,” he explained.

“Cam, I understand. It’s okay,” I said as I placed my hands on his chest. My legs felt like they might buckle.

“I don’t think you know how much you have affected me,” Cam said. He led me back to the kitchen diner.

“Why, what makes you say that?” I asked.

“It may sound stupid, and I may have looked silly, but after talking to your dad, I went back to the cadets training. I stood on the beach and I rang the living shit out of the bell.” His eyes were perfect as they looked into mine.

“No way, you rang the bell because of me,” I said.

“Yeah, I did. You got to me, that much,” he replied.

I was amazed and shocked. The great Cam Cross had admitted defeat from me, a young, naughty girl. I could understand it though. He certainly rang my bells. Everything about him had me turned on and I wanted to give myself up to him on a platter. I only pretended to be a bad girl most of the time, but I’d yet to follow through. I wasn’t so sure I could stop myself with him.

Cam led me to the couch so he could explain. “The last thing I wanted was to sound mean. It’s not in my nature, unless you do it on purpose.”

“Okay. Keep going,” I replied as I sat still, feeling his energy.

Our legs brushed against each. I was in Cam heaven and in the moment. I watched his beautiful lips as he spoke and tried to concentrate. He was making it damn hard with his nearness. Why the fuck didn’t he have a woman already? Or several of them really.

“Well, since Stacey died, I have had no real visitors, and this house has been my, sort of, hideaway from the world, The only regular visitors I’ve had are Owen and his wife, but over the past few months that has become less and less,” Cam explained.

“So why have they stopped visiting you? I asked.

“Well, Owen told me Madison cheated on him and had filed for divorce, which I only found out on Friday,” he said in a sorrowful tone.

God, he looks amazing in his white tee.

I was overwhelmingly sad for Cam. He had a beautiful wife, from what I saw in the pictures, and she had been taken well before her time. Then, he had instantly become a single father with a beautiful daughter. He had not only done this, but he had also done it with one of the most demanding jobs a person can imagine.

He had turned his whole life around, and the one set of individuals who were close to him had, through no fault of his, abandoned him due to their own problems. I couldn’t comprehend how someone could survive that kind of situation for so long. The emotions that must have gone through his mind must have tormented him on more than one occasion.

“Cam, listen to me carefully,” I said as I placed my hand on his leg and squeezed softly.

He looked at my hand and then lifted his gaze to my eyes. “What?”

“It is time,” I said. I rubbed his leg.

“Time for what?” he asked.

“You have to start letting people back into your life; don’t shut them all out,” I said in a soothing tone. “You’re a good man and should have someone special.” I shrugged, “You deserve that. Seriously.”

“It’s hard,” he said, “I’m not sure if I know how to anymore.” He placed his hand on mine and glanced down at our fingers as he touched me. Warmth raced up my hand, and my body reacted to the simplicity of his touch. Fuck, I wanted him so bad.

“You don’t have to do it all alone. Some people want to help,” I explained. “Just take it step by step, one day at a time. It might be easier than you think,” I smiled at him.

“You really think I could do it? Like, you know, let people back and be close to them again?” Cam asked, the innocence in his voice not matching his masculine demeanor in the slightest. It was like I was experiencing a rare jewel. Getting to see someone like his open up and just be real. I coveted the thought.

“Cam, you went through heartache in war and with Stacey. If you can come back from that, you can do anything,” I replied, squeezing his leg.

I couldn’t help but feel even more attracted and turned on by him. He had just shown himself at his most vulnerable to me, and I just had the overwhelming urge to throw my arms around him and give him a huge hug.

“Perhaps you’re right. It has been long enough and I have put up my defense for long enough. As Emmy grows, she will need me more than ever. And if I’m shut off, I will be of no use to her,” he explained as he smiled.

Cam looked like he had reached a crossroads. He had decided to make a choice rather than shutting everything out; he wanted to embrace life again and the time for him to do that was right at this very moment.

He looked at me and smiled sincerely. “Katie, thank you.”

“Thank you for what?” I asked.

“For being you,” he replied.

“Huh, I’m no one special. I’m just an Admiral’s wild-child daughter!” I exclaimed.

“I told you before, there is way more to you than the impression you give out,” he said. “I know there’s more to you underneath that craziness. I was your age once too.”

“Okay. Just don’t start telling me about your wild and crazy days like you’re over them.” I offered a cheeky grin, “You still have a lot left ahead of you.”

“Katie, I have been in this situation for nearly two years. Um, actually I have been mourning and, in reality, not one person has said anything like you just have,” Cam explained.

“Well, maybe I’m special, or maybe it’s you that brings out the best in me,” I replied with a shrug.

“Well, whatever way, I’m going to start fresh right now. I would be happy if you came around to help out with Emmy or anything else I can find for you to do over the summer.” Cam smiled broadly, being so friendly.

“You really mean that I can come around and help out?” I asked with an enormous grin on my face. “Thanks, Cam, you won’t regret it!”

“As they say, better the devil you know than the devil you don’t,” he said as we both laughed together.

“So, when do you want me to start?” I asked excitedly.

“Well, I think I need a shower, so if you want to watch Emmy while I’m in there, you can start now,” Cam said. He stood and headed to his room.

“Cool, no problem,” I replied as I walked to Emmy who had now woken up. The idea of him getting into the shower did me no favors. I had to force myself to keep my thoughts out of the gutter and my libido under control. He could have made a sandwich in front of me and I would have been turned on. Maybe this wasn’t the best thing to do, but then again, I’d never been one to heed caution tape in any area of my life. I wasn’t about to start now.

Cam was just about to vanish into his room before he turned. “Katie, one last thing… her diaper will probably need changing!”

“On it, Soldier!”