You know how sometimes you meet someone you just click with?

Yeah, for me that never happens. Not until now. Not until Cam. He and I talk about everything. No subject is off limits. It’s fun and exciting, and a little scary, too. Our views are sometimes the same, sometimes different. Debates are always up for grabs. And long discussions seem to go by in the blink of an eye.

I know all about where he ranked on the swim team in high school and who his favorite football team is. That he likes basketball over baseball and wants to get season tickets to the Lakers this year. He’s even shared stories about his brother and sister, such as how they would trick their nanny into leaving them alone. How they used to get on the subway without their parents knowing and explore the city on their own. How they always counted on each other. Did everything together.

In turn, he knows I graduated top in my class. That Maggie and I despised cheerleaders in high school and that I didn’t lose my virginity until I went to college. Yes, I took a lot of flak about that from Maggie. I told him about my mother dying. About Maggie’s mother taking me in and how she is like my own. And he knows that designing jewelry is my lifelong dream.

With each waking hour, I think we learn a little more about each other.

It’s not as if I’ve been keeping track in my date book or anything, but we’ve seen each other every day for the past twenty-two days. We haven’t spent every night together. However, the nights we didn’t stay together, Cam snuck into my bed in the early hours of the morning to wake me up before he went to work. All I can say is the sex is fantastic. Varied. Wild. Crazy. Subdued. Romantic. Hot. The list goes on and on. And yes, don’t shoot me, but I made a list of adjectives to describe it.

Then there are his text messages. Like clockwork, he texts me during the day when he’s on break—funny texts, dirty texts, downright pornographic texts sometimes. They always make me laugh and sometimes make me blush.

I try to be as witty as I can, but when it comes right down to it, I’m just not as funny as he is.

Shhh…don’t tell him that.

Cam goes back to New York tomorrow for his sister’s graduation. He’ll be gone a week, and I think I might miss him.

It’s odd to think a guy I haven’t known that long already means so much to me.

Honestly, I’ve tried not to think about it too much. I have a tendency to overthink everything and I refuse to overthink us.

As I fit my key into my door, a text goes off from my phone.

Cam: I’m off for lunch at 1. Want to meet me?

Me: Just got home. Let me pick something up and we can have a picnic. Where should I meet you?

Cam: At the main lifeguard tower. Grab the book. It’s on my nightstand right next to the studded condoms. Feel free to bring one of those along too. Gabe will have nothing on me.

Me: Keep dreaming ☺

Taking my time, I go inside and yank my dress clothes off so that I can slip into something more comfortable and maybe a little sexier. A strapless sundress is perfect. I pull my hair back and grab a pair of flip-flops. Much better.

I’d spent the morning calling on boutiques with my portfolio to try to place my designs in their stores. Again, no bites.

Turns out I couldn’t live without a plan. It just isn’t me. Free love. That I can do. Free bird? Not so much.

List complete or not, I think I know who I am. The same old Makayla—just an improved version. And I like who she is.

Still, I need a plan. The sales at the surf shops aren’t taking off quite the way Derek and Andre had projected. The prices are too high, and there is no way to lower them and still make a decent profit without compromising on quality. And that I’m not willing to do. Andre and I have gone round and round about it. He’s giving it two more weeks. Soon, I’m certain I’ll be pulling my designs out of his stores.

Cam and Brooklyn hide their spare key under the front mat. How clichéd is that? But hey, it works out when I need to get inside.

Unlocking the door, I hurry through the kitchen and stop when I see a gift box on the table.

Now, we all know curiosity killed the cat and I should know better, but still I can’t resist, and I lift the lid slightly. There’s something silver and shiny inside and it gleams in the sunlight. Now I have to know what it is.

Lid off, I stare down at it, almost studying it, completely uncertain what it is. It’s one solid piece of metal with three beads on the end and a curved handle. There’s a card, so I pick it up. It reads, “Cam, here’s a fun wand, which can be used vaginally and anally, not necessarily in that order. Bring it with you when you come to New York and stop by. No strings attached. Promise. Can’t wait to see you. Love, Vanessa.”

Like a hot potato, I drop it into the box and wish I’d never even looked inside. Now, I not only have the picture in my mind of how it works, but of Megan with a B using it in front of Cam to lure him back.

Awesome. Just awesome.

Rushing from the room, I run to his. Taking a breath, I calm myself down. I have nothing to worry about. He’s never given me cause in the least to fret over Megan with B. Just because she hung out with him and his brother all the time and they share memories of Brandon doesn’t mean he wants to fuck her. Just because I saw him give in to her once doesn’t mean he will again.

Convinced I’m right, I grab the book and stare at the condom package with a smile. Cam bought a whole bunch of silly ones, but that one is by far the funniest. Small silver studs coat the outside with one large one at the end. It is meant to stimulate the feeling of a piercing when inside me. So far, I have refused that one, but who knows, I might decide on it tonight.

Feeling better, I leave, trying not to think about the fun wand—in all its shininess and the angles of pleasure it promises to bring. Cam and I don’t need toys like that to find our pleasure.

Excited to be driving my first automobile, I hop into my bright blue Jeep. I had narrowed it down to either the two-door Jeep, smaller than Cam’s, or a Ford Focus. Horrified at the idea of me driving anything but a car without a roof in a beach town, Cam talked me into the Jeep. The color wasn’t his favorite. Girly. Bold. It suited the new me perfectly.

Stopping at the only sandwich shop in Laguna Beach that offers more than gluten-free bread, I order two ham-and-Swiss-on-whole-wheat sandwiches, a bag of veggie chips (because they didn’t offer real potato chips), and two waters. Painting a smile on my face while still dwelling on what he was going to do with that present, I head to the beach. Once I park my car, I go in search of him, trying not to think about the kind of sex life he had with Vanessa. Whereas Sebastian and I were vanilla all the way, were he and Megan with a B chocolate?

Oh, God, I’m stressing.

His shirt off and foot propped up, I spot his long, lean body immediately. He’s standing outside the main lifeguard tower, which strangely enough is not used as a tower anymore because of its age. Yet it remains firmly planted on Laguna because it is iconic. At least that is what Cam has told me.

From afar, I watch him stretch and move. Always fascinated by the lines of his body and its dips and hollows, I wonder if I freeze right here, how long I can watch him before he looks my way.

Within seconds, he turns my way with a smile so wide and bright and genuine that I want to kiss his face off. I want to run my hands through that mess of his hair and smooth my fingertips over those brows and trace the curves of his ears with my tongue. I want to eat him up like the juiciest of apples and let him drip down my hand, my wrist, my arm, and then lick him all up.

Instead, Megan with B is all I can see, that image from the night in the club when she licked him all up, and all I can muster is the barest hint of a smile. “Hey.”

“Hi.” He scoops me up and twirls me around, ignoring or not noticing my standoffish behavior.

“You look…great,” he says as he lowers me to the ground.

I don’t respond. I look at the picnic basket I packed in my hand instead, though honestly, I don’t care if we eat at all.

“I snagged us a cabana for the next hour,” he tells me, pointing to one about five huts over.

The solicitous hand at the small of my back as he takes the basket from me makes my knees go weak.

“So I had this kid near my tower this morning who kept pretending to drown…”

Telling each other about our days is always something I look forward to, but right now all the words seem to blend together. Step-by-step, side-by-side in the sand, I feel like I might burst if I don’t ask him about what I saw.

Inside the cabana there is a television, a couch, a couple of chairs, and a minibar. It’s pretty nice, I have to say. Cam sets the basket on a table in front of the couch and turns to me with a frown. “Are you mad at me?”

“Should I be?” I press my lips together and rub my tongue slowly on the inside of my teeth to keep my voice low.

“Let’s see, as far as I know, nothing has happened since I ate you for breakfast,” he says, taking my arms with his rough, callused hands and making me shiver.

That hint of a smile on my lips makes me angrier. Why does he always do that to me—make me laugh in any situation, even when I don’t want to?

“Are you on the rag?” he asks. “Because if you are, you could have warned me. PMS sometimes turns women into another being. My sister is always a real bitch during that time, so I know how to deal with it.”

My mouth falls open and the words just fly out. “No, I do not have my period. But did you know how to deal with Vanessa when she was on the rag?”

He blinks a few times and then I think it hits him. “You looked in the box on my kitchen table, didn’t you?”

I shrug. “I might have.”

He laughs. He actually laughs.

I want to punch him. Instead I step back.

Cam grabs me and holds me tight. “Vanessa has been sending me sex toys since I moved here, like her being provocative would woo me.”

“And what, you hold on to them?”

He laughs again. “No; in the past, I’d find a girl and use them with her—you know, as a ‘fuck you’ to Vanessa. But this time, I was just going to throw it away until Brooklyn stopped me. He wanted it to play some joke on his friend Sasha.”

My whole body relaxes. “Oh,” is all I can say.

That laughter takes over the small space and he pulls me flush to his body. “Are you jealous?”

I push away. “No, should I be?”

Unwavering, he tugs me back. “No, I only want you,” he whispers in my ear as he licks around it. “I won’t even be seeing her this week since my sister can’t stand her. But even if I do, you have nothing to worry about.”

Cam’s confession fills me and I feel stupid for being jealous over a woman who hurt him so badly. “I’m sorry,” I offer, “I shouldn’t have reacted like that.”

His lips find mine. “Baby, green suits you, but if you’re feeling guilty, I think I can come up with a good way for you to make it up to me.”

Dying to hear this, I lean back. “And what would that be?”

He winks at me. “How about we talk about it after lunch.” And then he opens the picnic basket.

Once the food is set out, we sit beside each other on the couch and go about eating. I unwrap my sandwich and shake a little mustard pack on it. Cam watches me with keen interest. I give him a smile, and he licks his lips before he starts chewing his sandwich. I sip my water. Swallow. He takes a bite of a chip and makes a face. That breaks our comfortable silence.

“They taste like cardboard,” he says.

“I know. But it was either that or kale salad.”

He shivers and takes another bite. “I’ll stick with the cardboard.”

After that, things return to normal between us and I tell him about my morning. Slight detour, but we’re back on track.

We finish our food and Cam grabs the book. “Book club time.” He grins and stretches out on the cushion that isn’t exactly as soft as a couch, but better than the sand we laid on last week when we did this. It’s taking a while to finish this book because we keep getting distracted.

I squeeze in between him and the back of the outdoor furniture and rest my chin on his bare chest. Unable to stop myself, my gaze lowers to his body. To his abs, which are smooth and so ripped I have to trace the indentations with a finger. His legs are solid muscle, and I push one of my legs between his just to feel his strength against me.

My eyes lifts to his nipple right beside me and I think about how much he likes it when I bite him there, then to his tan neck, thick and strong, his Adam’s apple sexy as he speaks in that deep voice.

“Makayla.” He slaps my ass.

I meet his gray gaze.

“You ready?” He laughs as if knowing exactly what I’m thinking.

“Ready.” I smile up at him and close my eyes.

With his arm outstretched and the book over our bodies, that caramel voice is clear and loud. “‘It was midsummer. The halfway mark. Summer lay in the center of her bed, looking at both men. She knew their bodies as well as she knew her own. Gabe was taller than Owen and had ink on his pale skin, whereas Owen was tan and had none. Gabe had come to Summer with nipple rings, and his recent gift to her of a piercing on his cock brought endless pleasure.’” Cam pauses.

Smoothing my hand on his warm chest, I look up at him. “You’re still hung up on that, aren’t you?”

He shifts a little, causing my body to cover more of his. “That piercing. I just can’t even think about it. It has to hurt like a motherfucker.”

I can’t stop touching him, circling my fingers around his nipples. “He did it for her. For her pleasure. I think it’s romantic.”

His head jerks down. “I don’t know. Flowers would be just as romantic, and way less painful.”

I pinch his nipple hard. “Just keep reading.”

“Ouch,” he says. “Do that again. I can take the pain in the name of romance.”

That laugh sends shivers through my body. “Keep reading, Romeo.”

“Okay, okay. ‘Summer looked down at Gabe and Owen with gratitude. They knew her body as well as she knew theirs. They knew what she liked and what she didn’t. How to please her. Summer raised herself to her elbows to see the two sets of eyes upon her. Two men licking her cunt, stroking her, fucking her with their fingers, bringing her to the edge of pure, undiluted pleasure. Abruptly, Gabe stopped his ministrations and told her to sit up. She tolerated the command only because she knew oblivion would soon be hers.’” Cam stops and runs his hand down my ponytail.

I grow hotter at his caress.

With his eyes burning into mine, he says, “Gabe is obviously the alpha, so why does he continue to share her with Owen? Why not kick him to the curb?”

Sweat warms us and practically melds our bodies together. With the air between us practically crackling, I answer him. “Because Owen gives her what Gabe doesn’t—tenderness.”

His strong shoulders, muscled biceps, and hard, sculpted six-pack are suddenly all I can see as he shakes his head in disbelief. “Why can’t one man be enough?”

I watch a drip of sweat trickle down his washboard abs. “I think for most, one is,” I say, and wonder if he’s thinking about why Vanessa cheated on him.

Cam tugs on my ponytail a little forcefully. “Do you think I have a little Gabe and a little Owen in me?”

I look into his needy, hot gaze. “Yes, I think you do, and you’re more than enough for me,” I reassure him.

Puffing his chest, he laughs. “That sounded a lot like I was fishing. Please forget I even asked you that.”

My fingertips trail over the top of his thigh, and I bend to kiss his chest. “I will not. I rather like the thought of being a little good and a little bad.”

He shakes his head. “You, Makayla Alexander, never cease to amaze me with what you say.”

A small lick around his nipple makes my own poke against the cotton of my dress. “Good. Then I know I can always keep you guessing.”

With a laugh, Cam settles his gaze on the book. “‘Summer moved to the side of the bed and placed both feet on the floor. Gabe had expended his short-lived control and ran a hand up her thigh to swipe a finger across her wet pussy. Her body reacted with the slightest of shivers and he smiled deviously. Owen slid around behind her, straddling her back and pulling her to rest against this chest. He was always the sweet one, the gentle one. Gabe settled between Summer’s legs and put his hands roughly on her hips. Summer’s heart pounded as Owen clasped his arms around her ribs just below her breasts. Gabe shifted on his feet and gripped his cock at the base, guiding it to her opening and pushing inside her. In one quick thrust, he pushed inside her to the hilt. The metal piercing causing a sensation of pleasure to ripple through her.’”

Neither one of us comments, both entranced by the activities of these three.

“‘With Owen behind her, Gabe fucked her slowly for a few strokes, then hooked his hands beneath her knees, bending them, pushing her harder against Owen and deepening the angle. Summer cried out as he pumped inside her and then he stopped, giving just enough time for Owen to lift her and lower her back down. His body shifted so he could enter her from behind, and together the three of them rocked. Skin slapped and sucked. Someone moaned. Another groaned. Pleasure struck so fiercely, it left all three of them breathless. Owen was the first to come. Slick heat spurted from behind Summer. Gabe thrust inside her one more time with a shout, and then he, too, came. Summer had started coming long ago, and was now lost to the depths of oblivion.’” Cam slams the book closed and pulls me fully on top of him.

I peek up at him from under my lashes.

His eyes blaze down at me.

With the feel of his erection hot and thick against my belly, I dig my chin sharply into his chest and gaze at him, squirming a little. “Hey, big boy, did you get a little turned on there?”

Abruptly, Cam sits up, scooting me to sit beside him. “I would never, ever share you with another guy.”

“I…I would never want that.”

Standing, he tugs me to my feet. “Good. Then yes, I’m really turned on and only have twenty minutes before I have to get back to work. Come with me.”

Trailing behind him, I find it hard to keep up with him as my flip-flops keep getting stuck in the sand.

I have no idea where we are going.

But really, it’s not like I wouldn’t follow him anywhere.

Anywhere.