Page 117 of Stolen Bases

Luckily, Mom was nowhere to be found. Not that it matters. There’s nothing left to say at this point. She made her stance clear, and how I feel doesn’t factor in. I’m not changing my mind about Cam, and neither is she.

For the first time in my life, I don’t have the desire to be the peacekeeper in the family. I’m tired of putting everyone else’s needs first to make them happy. This time, I’m putting myself first.

Tension I didn’t know I was holding in my shoulders floats away as I race down the street in the California heat, towards Cam and his matte-black Mercedes that idles at the curb, waiting for me like he did at my window. My legs move faster, closing the distance between us as quickly as possible.

When my mother threw him out of our house, I really thought that was it. That he was giving up and walking away. Confusionand pain like I’ve never felt slashed my heart into a million pieces.

But I was wrong.

Cam never left. He didn’t waste a single second letting me think we were done. He rushed out the door, only to climb up to my window and wait for me. In his own way, he gave me the assurance I didn’t know I needed. It turns out one of my love language is words of affirmation.

The driver’s side door opens at my approach, and Cam in all his six-five glory steps out of his fancy SUV, wearing a baseball cap low on his head. As usual, my man looks good in a simple pair of gray joggers and a black t-shirt.

Hell, he can make anything look good.

Instead of waiting at the passenger door, Cam turns his hat backwards and makes his way towards me. His face lights up, and the invisible string reeling me in tightens and my heart flips.

I rush to him and jump into his waiting arms. He carries me to the car while I cling to him like a monkey, holding him tight. Cam places me gently inside and kisses my cheek. I’m giddy and high as I watch him walk around the front of the car.

“Hey, baby.” Cam grins, sliding into his seat.

I can feel my cheeks heat as I grin back. “Hey.”

Cam leans across me, and I’m hit with the scent of his masculine citrus body wash that makes me dizzy with lust. I close my eyes and breathe him in. He smells like home and security … and sex.

The click of the seatbelt has my eyes snapping open.

He pushes a strand of my hair behind my ear. “There. All safe.”

“I could have done that myself, you know?” I sound out of breath and needy.

Get a hold of yourself, woman.I’m already turned on, and all Cam did was lean over and buckle me in.

“I know.” He shrugs, tugging on the strap at my chest. His fingers brush my neck, and my skin pebbles.

“My hero,” I tease.

Cam chuckles, and if didn’t know him as well as I do, I might have missed the color in his cheeks. He’s attempting to play off thesweet gesture, but it meant something to him. I sometimes forget that this relationship stuff is new to him too, and it’s okay for me to let him take care of me in his own way.

“Nah, just taking care of my woman.”

His woman.Two simple words with so much meaning. Two words I could hear for the rest of my life and be happy.

Without second-guessing, I grip his ears—knocking his hat off his head—and press his soft lips to mine, pouring every ounce of what I feel for him into my kiss. Love, appreciation, possession… As much as I’m his, he’s mine too.

Our tongues slide together in a perfect rhythm, slow and tender. Everything but us disappears as he consumes me. The low rumble in his throat reverberates through me, leaving me needy and wanting more.

“Take me home, big guy,” I say without hesitation.

Cam’s hazel eyes darken, and I can’t figure out what he’s thinking.

Embarrassed, I backtrack. “Sorry, I, uh, didn’t mean to … imply. You know…” I trip over my words.

He leans in, his face inches from mine, and whispers, “Imply away, baby. I like when you call my place home. If I have my way, it will be someday.”

Cam blows me away with his honesty and vulnerability as he claims my mouth in a hungry kiss that’s both ardent and demanding. His hands tell the same story. One is gentle, cupping my face, the other rough, gripping the back of my neck.

My thighs clench in anticipation as he takes control of our kiss, and I let him. I could kiss him all day and night, and it would never be enough. That’s how good it is. A hum rattles low in my throat as he nibbles my lower lip, and my fingers twine around the soft locks on his hair. Silky, warm arousal pools between my legs.

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