Page 7 of Indiana Idealist
I tromp around the area looking and listening, but see no sign of the rogue hunters. Hopefully, they realized their mistake and went back to the legal hunting grounds.
Suddenly, I hear frantic footsteps on the well-worn path. I jog over, and Camille nearly runs right past me in her panic. Her eyes are wide with fear and she’s wearing a tattered robe and slippers.
Once I get her stopped, she asks in a terrified tone, “Is Charlotte out here? I heard gunshots. The hunters might have accidentally shot her.”
Her frantic gaze sweeps back and forth as she speaks. I take ahold of her arm and am surprised to find that she’s shaking. Hoping to calm the woman down, I say in a deep, soothing tone. “Charlotte is safe and sound at home.”
When the woman’s questioning gaze locks on to mine, I add, “I promise, she’s fine. Would you like to go see her?”
She bobs her head up and down, so I keep a steadying hand on her elbow as we walk in silence toward my cabin. As soon as I open the front door, Camille rushes past me and stoops down in front of Charlotte.
The pig is thrilled by the surprise visit from the woman, which is made obvious by the rhythmic grunting coo sounds she makes as Camille snuggles against her.
Camille turns to look up at me, and I’m surprised to see shiny trails of tears along her cheeks. When I gape at the evidence of her emotional response, she swipes the tears away, explaining, “I was so frightened, and now I’m so relieved.”
I move to sit on the floor beside them. Since Camille still seems jittery, I say, “It’s okay. Charlotte is perfectly safe.”
Camille nods and squeezes her eyes tight as she hugs the animal.
It hits me then. Their relationship may have started as merely a way for Camille to get under my skin, but it has clearly morphed into much more than that. Staring at the two of them, I say, “You really love her, don’t you?”
Without opening her eyes, Camille nods as she whispers, “So much.”
I thought the irritating woman was practically irresistible before, but that is nothing compared to the magnetism of seeing her cry with relief that my pig is unharmed.Dammit.
9
CAMILLE
Iknew the ornery pig had wiggled her way into my heart, but I had no idea just how much I cared until I thought that she might be injured, or worse. Fear had iced my veins when I heard those gunshots, and the only thought running through my mind was getting to Charlotte and making sure she was safe.
I’m glad Leo let me come inside his home and see with my own eyes that she is fine. I’m still shaky, even as I clutch ahold of her, but the queasy roiling of unease in my stomach is starting to subside.
When I look up to thank Leo for bringing me here, I’m surprised to discover the man openly glaring at me. I knew he didn’t like me, but had assumed that our successful new schedule with Charlotte had created a cease-fire in our war with each other.
Just as I open my mouth to ask what his problem is, he half-shouts, “What the hell were you thinking, Camille? You ran here with no orange safety vest when you knew there were hunters in the area.”
I’m surprised by his obvious anger with me. In a quiet tone, I answer, “I wasn’t thinking. I was too scared to be logical.”
Indicating my ratty robe with my hand, I add, “I didn’t even take the time to get dressed. Instead, I just sprinted in this direction because I had to make sure that Charlotte was okay.”
Leo tempers his tone slightly when he asks, “What about your own safety? You could have been hurt.”
His voice is almost accusatory, as if he’s angry with me for putting myself in possible danger.
Tilting my head to the side, I say, “If I didn’t know better, I would say it almost sounds like you care about me, Mr. Sullivan.”
He’s staring intently at me when he whispers softly, “I do.”
His words were so quiet, I’m sure I must have misunderstood. I scrunch up my face in confusion and ask, “What?”
Rather than answering, Leo leans forward and presses his lips to mine in a hungry kiss. He couldn’t have surprised me more if he’d grown colorful, feathered wings and flown out of the room.
Liquid fire surges through my veins. Never in my entire life have I had this strong of a reaction to a simple kiss. I moan into his mouth and climb onto his lap.
I’m only wearing underwear under my robe, so it’s easy to feel his cock straining as I straddle him and rub myself along his length. His hands grip my back as we practically devour each other’s mouths.
It’s been far too long since I’ve been with a man, and this particular one has every cell in my body zinging with anticipation.
