Page 7 of Finally Home

“Sorry, Bear has absolutely no manners, like at all.”

He laughed and helped her upright. West winced when he stood up straight. The adrenaline was wearing off, and his body was beginning to relax enough to feel the lingering soreness from the wreck. Add in adjusting to the altitude and the mental marathon of the flashback, and he felt as though he could sleep for a week.

Cami wrapped an arm around him again and helped him into the cabin, flipping on the light switch by the door.

The cabin was cozy and deceptively large on the inside. For what the A-frame lacked in width, it more than made up for in depth.

They entered into a large living area with a small sectional and woodburning stove to the right, and a small dining table for four to the left. Against the largest wall in the room was a bookcase packed top to bottom with novels.

West smiled to himself and wondered how many of them had been bought by him. Some girls loved receiving flowers, but not Cami. He’d found such joy in the way her face would light up when he arrived at her house with a new romance novel. It seemed her love of reading hadn’t waned over the years.

Above the second half of the cabin was an open loft he assumed was the only bedroom. That was going to make for interesting sleeping arrangements.

Below the lofted area was a small kitchen and a door West assumed was a bathroom.

Most impressive, though, were the floor-to-ceiling windows that made up the back wall. He imagined the view was breathtaking in the morning sun.

“Would you like to shower or make phone calls first? I can grab you some clothes my brother left for when he covers down at the retreat center.” Her eyes raked over him slowly, and he didn’t miss the way she sucked her bottom lip into her mouth. Maybe it was possible she was as affected by his presence as he was by hers. “I think you might be a bit bigger than him, but they should fit you all right until we can get you off the mountain.”

“I’ll shower if that’s okay with you. Since I’m assuming you’re going to call your mom as soon as I step out of the room, can you have her call Mom and let her know what happened. We both know they had a hand in my coming up here, and I honestly don’t think I have the strength to answer her litany of questions right now.”

His mom was going to lose her shit when she heard about the accident. He only hoped Cami’s mother could calm her down before he inevitably had to talk to her. The flashback in the truck was enough—he didn’t need to rehash it again with his mother.

Cami tipped her head back and laughed. “Don’t think I don’t see you’re throwing me under the bus here to deal with the mothers.” Her smile lightened his thoughts. She needed to stop smiling at him like that, or he would be hard from sunup to sundown. “I’ll let you have a free pass this time since you were just in a wreck, but you have to promise to call her tomorrow.”

“Deal.”

She twisted her hands in front of her nervously. “Are there any other phone calls you need to make before you shower?”

“Nope.”

She cocked a brow at him, like she expected a different answer. Who else would he need to call?

“All right then.” He got the feeling she didn’t believe him but didn’t press her to explain. He needed to try to keep his distance from her, both mentally and physically.

She walked through the kitchen to a cracked door by a flight of stairs he assumed went to the loft. “The bathroom is right here. There are towels hanging in there you can use. Leave the door cracked so I can hear you in case you fall or something. I’ll grab those clothes for you and whip us up something to eat.”

“Thanks, Re—Cami.”

She disappeared up the stairs that led to the loft, and West peeked his head around the corner to watch her. He was such a glutton for punishment. Yup. Her ass still held the perfect heart shape it had all those years ago.

He heard Cami say hello to her mom before he closed the bathroom door. She told him to leave it cracked, but if he did he’d be too tempted to listen in on their conversation to see how she felt about him being there. He wasn’tthatmuch of a glutton for punishment.

It didn’t matter how she felt. It didn’t matter how he felt. She deserved better than him.

West undressed, thankful for the moment to be free of the restraints of his jeans. Staring at Cami’s ass hadn’t helped the perpetual hard-on he’d had since arriving at the cabin. Turning on the water, he considered taking a cold shower to remedy the problem, but his aching muscles begged for the hottest temperature available.

He took inventory of the cuts and bruises he’d sustained in the crash, then stepped under the scalding water. The water washed away the dirt and blood from his body, but the deep soreness remained. It would likely be worse in the morning. The cut on his forehead wasn’t deep enough to need stitches, but he’d likely have a scar once it healed.

Oh well. It’d make for a good story someday, and he’d treasure his time with Cami while it lasted.

After he finished washing, he looked down at his still-hard dick. “Not happening, bud,” he whispered to himself. “She’s not ours.”

West stepped under the water, allowing it to wash over him and silence the world around him for a moment. He reached between his legs, debating if he had enough time to rub one out and settle his lustful tendencies. Grabbing his hard length, he inhaled deeply, the smell of Cami’s shampoo feeding his need. He tipped his head back as he stroked himself, imagining Cami was there. His hands on her luscious curves. His face buried in the soft red curls between her legs as she came undone. His name on her lips.

Pleasure built within him, and he bit back a groan when the bathroom door opened.

“Are you okay?” A panicked Cami stood in the doorway, mouth agape as she took in the sight of West with his hard dick in his hand through the glass shower door. She stared a moment longer before she dropped the clothes in her hand and covered her eyes. “Shit. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”