Page 87 of Under My Skin

Cameron pounds into me while kissing my neck and moving up to my ear, where he sucks on the sensitive lobe. “Come for me, Lizzie. I can feel you holding back. Let go. I’ve got you. I’ll always have you.”

His words send me over the edge, and I come apart with my head thrown back. After a few more wild thrusts, he follows me, and we lie there, sharing breaths and looking into each other’s eyes.

“I love you.”

“I love you, too. Thanks for not letting me run away,” I whisper while running my fingers through his hair.

“I would have never let it happen. I would’ve chased you to Chicago and brought you back here where you belong.”

I laugh and try to push him off me, but he doesn’t budge.

“I wasn’t moving there. I was just going to go for a few days. Try to clear my mind. Wrap my head around being just your friend and probably just the girls’ babysitter again.”

“Oh, Lizzie, you were never the babysitter.” He laughs mischievously. “Since I moved back home, you were the girl next door that I fantasized about while jerking off in the shower. I dreamed about you every night and tried my hardest to stay away from you.”

“And look where that got you,” I tease.

“Exactly where I was meant to be.”

We make out like teenagers, which, of course, leads to a night of more sex and declarations of love and plans for the future.

And I realize none of my fantasies or dreams could ever hold a candle to the real thing.

39

CAMERON

Three Months Later

The last fewmonths have been better than I ever expected.

As soon as Lizzie agreed to move in with me, I had all her stuff in my house the next day. Addy and Mackenzie were more excited than I’d ever seen them, and they’ve been more than happy ever since.

If anyone was surprised with how fast Lizzie and I were moving, no one said anything. Which is good, because I’m not letting anyone come between Lizzie and me again. Not even myself.

When Lizzie told her parents we were moving in together, her mom congratulated us, and her dad patted me on the back and gave my shoulder that comforting squeeze. It made me miss my dad more than ever and also really appreciate the relationship I’m building with Eric.

The guys were relieved to hear that I finally committed to Lizzie, and I can tell that they’re genuinely happy for me. Theo saidI told you soway too many times, and Reid is convinced he played a hand in us being together. And Liam, well, he’s so wrapped up in everything Ellie that I haven’t really seen him much. But when I do, I can tell there’s some envy that I’ve finally solidified everything with Lizzie when things are still so up in the air for him.

My sisters were over the moon and have been relentlessly bugging me about proposing and making babies, which I’m honestly not opposed to.

Especially since I have a ring in my pocket and it has been burning a hole there all day waiting for night to fall and the girls to go to sleep.

“You okay?” Lizzie asks, eyeing me from the sink where she’s washing the dishes from dinner.

“Yeah, why?”

“You’ve just been acting weird all day,” she says suspiciously.

“I guess it’s just been a long week, that’s all.” Wyatt and I finally opened our gym—Gym Goals—this week, and it’s been a huge success. We’ve sold more memberships than we expected to, and everything has been running smoothly.

All my fears were for nothing, and it just reinforces my new mantra: I have to try. Worst case scenario, I fail. But best-case scenario, I succeed and get exactly what I worked so hard for.

Lizzie dries her hands and walks over to me, wrapping her arms around my waist and under the hem of my T-shirt so her skin is on mine. I lean down and seal my lips to hers.

“Gym Goals is a success. Just like I knew it would be.” She goes up on her toes and kisses me again. “You should be so proud of yourself, Cameron. What you and Wyatt created is unbelievable and just what Brantley Falls needed.”

“Thank you,” I mumble against Lizzie’s lips as I kiss her again. God, I love kissing her.

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