Page 54 of Flirt
“That wasn’t your fault. You were just a kid.” The more he spoke, the more outraged he became. “Why would he do that? He was there. He knows you didn’t volunteer for that shit.”
This protective side of Cameron was kind of hot. “I didn’t ask a lot of questions, but from what I could tell, he’s angry. He was only sixteen when the trial started, and I think he ended up in a group home. His life hasn’t been a good one, and I think he’s jealous that mine is.”
“How the hell did he even find you?”
“That blog.”
“Jesus, fuck.”
Yep, that about summed it up. “For the first few years, I was careful, convinced that I’d turn a corner one day, and Mitchell would be standing there. Even when I published my first book, I was careful. No author photo on the cover jacket. I refused to do book signings. I even legally changed my name to Asher Dare.”
Cameron jerked upright, his eyes wide. “Changed it?” Those wide, blue eyes narrowed. “What’s your real name?”
“Asher Dare,” he teased. “My birth name, however, is Ashley Derringer.”
“Shut the fuck up. For real?”
“For real.”
They sat quietly for a few minutes, both deep in thought. Well, Asher was lost inside his own head, so he assumed Cameron had thoughts to think as well. How could he not after the bombshell that had just been dropped on him?
“Thank you for telling me,” Cameron finally said, whispering a soft kiss across Asher’s lips. “I hate that you went through that. All of it. Everything.”
Asher sighed. “I hate it, too, sweetheart, but I would hate it even more if something happened to you. Promise me you’ll be careful.”
“Huh?” Wiggling out of his arms, Cameron sat back and cocked his head to the side. “You think Kyle will come after me? He doesn’t even know me.”
“But you’re important to me,” Asher confessed. “I don’t know what he’s capable of, but he’s definitely crazy. If he thinks hurting you will hurt me…” Grinding his teeth, Asher sat back and raked his fingers through his hair. “Just promise me.”
If ever Cameron had a reason to run, this would be it. Asher wouldn’t blame him, either. In fact, a tiny part of him hoped he would.
“I promise.” Lifting his arms, he wound them around Asher’s neck, pulling him into a long, heated kiss that had them both reeling. “Are you going to pay him the money?”
“I don’t know. If I thought it would end this nightmare, then yes, but I don’t trust him.”
“I know it’s not my decision to make, but I don’t think you should. Even if you pay it, he could still go to the press. Or he could ask for more money.”
Asher had thought the same thing, but hearing Cameron agree made it a little easier to believe he wasdoing the right thing by refusing to let himself be blackmailed. Maybe Kyle was bluffing, and if he didn’t get what he wanted, he’d go back to Mississippi and forget Asher existed. Not likely, but he could hope.
“Feel better?” Cameron asked.
“Surprisingly, yes.” It had been difficult to talk about his past, but now that he’d expelled the poison, he felt suddenly lighter.
“So, you’re still coming to the Fall Festival this weekend, right?”
The rest of his tension bled away, and Asher breathed deeply, inhaling the fragrance of Cameron’s shampoo. Funny, he’d never cared for coconut before, but it was quickly becoming one of his favorite scents.
“This weekend?” Friday marked the end of the thirty-day celibacy clause in their relationship. “I wouldn’t miss it for anything.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Growing up in a smalltown no one had ever heard of wasn’t as charming as people made it out to be in the movies.
For starters, Mission Grove boasted a population just north of four thousand, and every single one of those people made it a point to know everyone else’s business. A few years back, there had been a minor disagreement between the all-star quarterback’s rusted Chevy pickup and old man McElroy’s cattle guard. The cattle guard had won, and by the time the tow truck had arrived, everyone in town had known about it.
So, when conversation stopped and all heads turned as Cameron stepped through the doors of the Grasshopper Junction Café that Friday morning, it didn’t surprise him in the least. Weddings, deaths, and breakups comprised the hottest gossip in Mission Grove, but indecent trysts ranked a close fourth. Asher’s flashy Lexus had been parked in his driveway for more than twelve hours, so naturally, the entire town had heard by now.
“Smile,” he whispered to Asher out of the side of his mouth. “Just keep walking and don’t make eye contact.”
