Page 65 of Curious
But that doesn’t stop me from kissing him back. “Being here is plenty. Thank you,” I murmur. “You’re the best.”
“I just want you to feel good all the time.”
While I want to wiggle in his lap and tell him I know a way that he can make me feel really good, in reality, I’m not thinking of sex. I’m thinking of the way I feel so protected. I’ve never had a protector before Cam.
“Can we watch a movie?” I ask. Because I need to relieve the tension. It’s not sexual. Just, everything has been a bit too heavy, and I need a distraction from real life. I don’t want to keep talking about my issues.
“Of course.” He kisses me again. “What do you want to watch?”
“What’s your favorite movie?” I ask.
“A New Hope. What’s yours?” He reaches for the remote.
“Same. Can we watch it?”
“Absolutely.”
Cam makes no move to get me off of his lap. Instead, he moves me so I can see the television screen while still sitting on him. He tugs a blanket from the back of the couch over us. And we watch the movie cuddled up together.
Once it’s over, I reluctantly stand up, and we go down the hall and get ready for bed.
When I crawl in next to him and he wraps his arms around me, I feel so safe. Like not only will he never hurt me, but he’ll make sure that no one breaks through the little bubble we have around our house. Like we are definitely going to be our own family unit.
I start kissing his bare skin because it’s right here and feels so good, and he growls. “None of that. You’re feeling a bit raw, I bet,” he murmurs.
“We don’t have to,” I say. “But I wouldn’t mind fooling around a little bit if you wanted to. I know crying is cathartic, but other kinds of releases feel good, too.”
“Is that what you think?”
I nod gravely.
“Then let’s do it. I wouldn’t want you to feel bad.”
I smile as he begins to kiss his way down my body.
CHAPTER21
Camden
One night after work, Charlie comes over for dinner, bringing pizza for all three of us. He’s his usual self, meaning, although he may be a fully licensed attorney, he can still piss me the fuck off, because he’s an annoying little brother.
Once we’re done eating, Shelby gets up to take care of the dishes, and Charlie joins me on the couch. I feel guilty about not helping with the cleanup, especially since my ankle is almost healed, but Shelby shoos me off to go talk with my brother.
I kind of wish Charlie would leave, even though that’s rude, since he did bring us a meal. But I really need some alone time with my husband. I know it’s hard for him to trust people, but we’ve been talking more lately, and I’d hoped we were making progress.
Charlie grins. “How’s it going with the husband?”
How is it going? I’m not straight. The feelings I have for Shelby have become real. I may want to not get a divorce when it’s done. But Shelby may not be on the same wavelength as me. He’s been hurt very deeply, and I don’t know if I can do enough to help him heal.
I don’t want to say any of that to my brother.
“It’s fine,” I say. “He’s good.”
Charlie looks at me. “Fine? Good? That’s very informative. You’re almost done with your whole no-weight-on-your-foot thing. Are you excited about wrapping up the temporary marriage and getting back into the dating world? Or are you two already seeing people anyhow?”
“Don’t you have to get home? Or go somewhere?” I ask.
“Nope. I wanna hang with my big brother.” Charlie settles in, cracking open another beer, and I want to groan.
