Page 45 of Be Mine Forever

Want slow-boiled in the look Cam draped over her body, and if it was up to Jo, there would be no skating tonight. Foggy windows and a rocking Land Rover…yes.

“You make it sound really dirty, which is fine with me.” Cam turned that look down to a simmer Jo hoped would hold for the rest of the night. He raised her hand to his lips and nipped her wrist with his teeth. “Now stop trying to seduce me in the parking lot and come on.”

Jo drew a deep, mind-clearing breath, reminding her nether parts that she was a lady and mounting her new boyfriend in broad daylight would be frowned upon. She had no idea what to expect of this run-down skating rink, with grass growing through the cracks in the parking lot and missing bulbs in the neon sign. It looked basically like an ’80s time capsule, garish colors and all. Cyndi Lauper might come rolling out on wheels any moment singing “Girls Just Want to Have Fun.” And this somehow inspired the anticipation all over Cam’s face and humming from his body the closer they got to the dilapidated building.

“I take it you’ve been here before?” Jo stood beside him in line for rental skates.

“Countless times.” Cam walked backward toward the desk, blessing her with his rakish grin. “A couple of times I even paid.”

Before Jo could respond to that glimpse into Cam’s delinquent youth, they reached the front of the line.

Cam leaned forward, peering past the teenaged employee with the braids and oversized hoop earrings. “There used to be a manager here years ago named Lashaun. She lived in the neighborhood. You know her?” he asked her.

“I know her. She don’t work here no more, though.” The girl—Brandee, according to her peeling name tag—eyed Cam like he was a box of the Whoppers shelved behind her. “You want me to take your number in case I see her?”

Cam aimed that devastating arrangement of lips and teeth at Brandee.

“Nah. Thanks, though.” Cam’s face sobered a little. “You know if she’s doing okay?”

“Oh, yeah. She just works at Target now.” Brandee twirled a braid and popped her gum. “The new one off MLK. She might be in tonight, though, ’cause it’s Grown and Sexy Night.”

“Fridays used to be called Old School Night,” Cam said.

“Not for a long time.” Brandee’s eyes made quick work of Cam’s casual but well-cut clothes. “You from around here? I ain’t seen you before.”

“It’s been years since I’ve been back.” The slight smile Cam wore faded until there was nothing left of it. He pointed to the shelves behind Brandee. “We need skates.”

A few minutes later, Jo settled on the bench beside Cam, casting a discreet glance at the people around them lacing up skates, buying snacks, and rushing on wheels around the rink. She bent another inch trying to tie the laces on her skates.

“Could you have found jeans any tighter?” She gave up on tying the laces and plopped her foot in Cam’s lap.

He laughed and finished the laces for her, tugging on her leg until she was flush against him.

“I packed your bag for the weekend in a hurry.” He ran his fingers over one thigh, his touch burning through the denim and searing her skin. “Just grabbed the first pair of jeans I saw.”

“You’re getting a little too comfortable rifling through my underwear drawer.”

“A family could go camping in your closet.”

“Glamping maybe.”

Jo stood, aware that the fitted cotton shirt he’d chosen barely reached her waistband, not covering any of her considerable assets in the tight jeans. Cam’s eyes weren’t the only ones glued to her ass, but his were the only ones she cared about.

“I’m not sure I’ll be able to skate in these jeans.”

Jo watched Cam’s lips twitch, fighting back a grin.

“Are they tight?” Cam wrapped one hand around her thigh, squeezing and steadying her on her wobbly skates. “I hadn’t noticed.”

“I think tight jeans will be the least of my problems. Falling and busting my ass is more of a concern.”

“Lucky for you the Barfield projects junior roller-skating champ is teaching you everything you need to know.”

“Is that a real thing?”

“Okay, so there wasn’t a trophy or an actual contest, but if therehadbeen, Iwouldhave been the junior champion.”

Jo laughed when her ankle turned over and she almost fell. “I’m not sure I can trust you.”

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