Page 43 of Single Glance

He shook his head. When we crossed the threshold into his room, he placed me down on my feet. As soon as the door closed behind us, he approached me, unfurled desire radiating off his skin. “I don’t know what I’ll say, Hadley. Probably the truth. That I like you, and I want you close to me. I’ve already been inside you, and yet I haven’t had you in my bed.”

“I’d leave off the last part.”

“No shit, menace.” Cam shifted a little closer, his hand drifting over my hip. “If you’re not comfortable, I get it. I’d never force you to do anything if you’re not ready.”

I chewed on my lower lip as I looked over at his bed. The idea was tempting, too damn tempting. I’d never shared a bed with anyone, choosing to end my dates once we finished fooling around. Sleeping with someone seemed too intimate, but not with Cam. Instead, the idea of spending the entire night wrapped in his powerful arms soothed me.

But as I glanced back out into the hallway, it reminded me we were both guests in this house. I was pretty sure Victoria didn’t intend on us christening her guest room when she asked us to stay.

“Don’t you think it’s a little disrespectful?” I said. “This is Victoria’s house.”

“And you don’t want to cross that line in her home.” I waited for him to argue, but he just nodded. “I get that, and I can respect it, Hadley. It’s already a complicated situation, so we need to establish boundaries.”

“Yes,” I answered, relieved he understoodme. We’d already crossed a million lines, but I was determined to keep this one. I couldn’t deny the connection between Cam and me anymore—I gave up fighting it—but with this bond so new and complicated. We needed to draw a line in the sand, especially when Victoria didn’t know about us. We still had almost two more weeks until she came home, and I wasn’t ready to think about what would happen when the time came.

“Done,” Cam said. “Nothing’s gonna happen here. But if it’s any consolation, I just wanted to spend the night next to you. No ulterior motives. I’m fucking beat after earlier.”

I moved closer to him, running my hands along his abs. “Can’t keep up with me?”

“You know I can.” He smirked. “But you fucking wrecked me, baby, body and soul.”

I stared up at Cam, trying to read through his words. But I didn’t have to think about it. I trusted Cam. He’d proven time and time again that he’d respect my boundaries—he knew when to push me out of my comfort zone and when to leave things alone.

“Okay,” I said. “I’ll sleep in here.”

With the way Cam smiled at me, you would have thought he just took home the championship trophy. He leaned forward and kissed me. “And I’ll keep my hands to myself. But I want to run something by you.”

“Okay…”

“Go on a date with me.”

“What?” I spluttered.

“A date.” He arched one of his brows. “It’s this thing people do when they like each other. Go out to eat, maybe watch a movie, and if you’re lucky—fuck each other all night long.”

“What did we just say about that?”

“You said I couldn’t fuck you here,” Cam said. “But after this next travel stretch, we have two days off. I was thinking we’d find a place in the city, go out for some drinks, then spend the night. So if you’re willing to wait until after the series ends…” His voice trailed off, letting me fill in the blanks. God, that sounded amazing. An entire night to explore this thing between Cam and me? With no one else around to judge or disapprove? That sounded like perfection.

I smirked at Cam, not willing to concede that easily. “I’ll consider it…” Stepping into his space, I leaned forward and brushed my chest against him. “If your team wins this next series.”

His jaw tensed. “We’re going up against LA.”

“So?” I ran my fingers over his skin.

“They have the best record in the league right now.”

“Sounds like an excuse to me, Seda. I thought you were this major league hotshot. Are you going to let one team stop you from spending an entire night, alone, with me?” I cocked a brow.

“You don’t play fair, menace.”

I kissed his cheek and then scurried out of his reach. “Never claimed to, sarge.”

THIRTY-FOUR

The next morning, I woke up before my alarm went off. While my eyes slowly opened and adjusted to the early morning light sneaking in through the curtains, I smiled like a content kitten. Most nights, I tossed and turned for hours before drifting off to sleep, unable to shut off my brain long enough to let myself rest. But laying nestled in Cam’s arms all night, I slept better than I had in years, enjoying the secure comfort of his hold.

As I stretched my arms out, I glanced over and checked the time. Barely even five. I still had another thirty minutes before I had to get up and start my day, and I wasn’t going to waste a single one. Shifting around to face the other side of the bed, I grabbed for Cam, but his side of the bed was empty.

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