Page 49 of Stolen Bases

What the heck was that?

I pause, phone in hand, and wait. The silence is deafening as I concentrate.

Tap, tap, tap.

My eyes shoot to the window, where I’m pretty sure the soft pecking is coming from. The hair on the back of my neck stands on end, and my heart beats loud and hard—like a drum—in my chest and ears.

This is the start of every scary movie in existence.

Rising from the bed, I get up and tiptoe to the window as soundlessly as I can. Peeling back the curtain an inch, I peek around the heavy fabric.

Thankfully for me, there’s not a creepy man wearing a black vinyl mask and gloves ready to murder me. Only a sexy, hulking man wearing a black shirt, dark jeans, a backwards hat, and a smile. My fear recedes and gets replaced with sheer excitement that buzzes in my belly like a swarm of bees.

Cam brings a finger to his lips and points at the lock on the window. I turn the lock and quietly slide open the glass pane separating me and the man on the deck.

“Hey,” I whisper.

Cam looks to my right, looking for movement in the room next door—Nico’s room. Only the blue light of the television flickers. He looks back at me and grins. “Hey, baby. Want to go on a drive with me?”

“Baby, huh?” I tease, biting my lip.

“Yup.” His voice is low and gruff, and it makes the space between my legs quiver with desire. He holds out his hand. “Are you in?”

I nod before I answer. “I’m in.”

“That’s my good girl,” Cam croons.

My core floods with arousal at his praise. He speaks in a tone laced with innuendo, and although he calls me good, his tone suggests I’m the opposite. All the years of striving to be a good girl have really done a number on me because, right now, all I want to be is Cam’s bad, dirty girl who sneaks out of houses to be good for him.

I reach out for his hand and pause. “Wait. I’m wearing pajamas, and I don’t have shoes.”

Cam’s hazel gaze takes in my attire. His eyes widen at the sweatshirt before he clenches his jaw. He looks pained but doesn’t ask about it. “You’ll be fine for where we’re going. Do you trust me?”

He doesn’t need to ask. Of course I trust him.

“Yes.”

Cam reaches inside, grips me around my ribs, and lifts me through the window. Instead of putting me on my feet, he holds me tight to his hard body and shifts his hands under my butt. “Ready?”

I wrap my legs around his trim waist and hold on. “Yeah.”

With one hand, Cam slides the window closed. Like a thief in the night, he carries me from the deck around the side of the house and to his car three blocks away. He places me in the front seat of his G Wagon and kisses my forehead before closing the door.

I’m breathless, and I haven’t done a thing. It’s all Cam.

I watch as he walks around the car and climbs inside. His spicy citrus scent hits me hard, and my mouth waters. He smells even better than I remember.

Something flickers in his eyes as he looks over at me, putting me at ease and making my earlier worries disappear without a trace. “Seatbelt on.”

His gruff command has me reaching for the buckle and snapping it across my chest and lap. “Where are we going?”

“You’ll see.” He pushes the start button, and his car comes to life, vibrating beneath us. Twining his fingers with mine, he drives us out of the quiet neighborhood full of sleeping people.

The pit of my stomach dips and soars as he glides his thumb across my knuckles while he drives. I soak up his affection like a needy little sponge. I wish I knew why my body reacted to Cam the way it does. He has this inexplicable pull on me, a draw I just can’t shake.

Instead of distancing myself, like a dutiful sister would, I lean into him at every open opportunity.

My eyes veer towards the tempting man beside me. His black shirt works overtime, stretching tightly across his thick chest, hiding his ripped torso and the eye-popping hot washboard abs I know live under that thin fabric. My gaze travels up his neck to his scruff-covered jaw. My chin is still a little raw from his drugging kiss.

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