Page 48 of Camilla & Dallas
Camilla groaned and shifted her position.
It was a beautiful day—one where she could see herself going for a walk or a hike with Dallas. One where she should be basking in the afternoon sun rather than sitting here under a tree worrying about her future. She’d come out here to relax, to think, to… dream.
Was it so bad that she could see a future with Dallas? It shouldn’t be. She knew him well enough. They had a history. And he’d promised her that he’d be honest and forthcoming.
He’dpromised.
She could trust him. Or at least she wanted to.
Camilla closed her eyes and leaned back against the tree. She let her head bump on the scruffy bark of the towering oak, then shifted to get comfortable. There was a root that was digging into her backside and making her question if she shouldn’t go fetch a blanket to sprawl out in the sun like she’d just considered.
Footsteps approached from her side and she glanced up. She’d sensed his arrival. Even when she couldn’t see him, she could tell when Dallas was near. It was that blasted connection that she couldn’t seem to rid herself of.
It was both irritating and exhilarating to have the sort of connection that allowed her to know where on the premises Dallas was when she was present. Did all couples experience that?
“Hey,” he murmured.
Her eyes followed him as he dropped down to lay on his stomach beside her. He looked tired. There was a strain in his features, like he hadn’t gotten a good night’s sleep for a while. He rested his head atop his folded arms, and without thinking, she reached for him. Her fingers raked through his hair, massaging his scalp. The instinct to soothe him was all she had, even while her heart screamed at her to talk about her insecurities—if only to confirm they were ridiculous.
He groaned with pleasure, his eyes falling closed. “That feels amazing.”
She smiled despite herself. Right here, they could simply exist in each other’s orbit. They could pretend that there wasn’t a storm cloud threatening to dump insurmountable problems at their feet.
Dallas sighed and she continued running her fingers through his hair. Her thoughts turned thoughtful. He must have sensed her unease because suddenly, he turned his head and peered up at her. “What’s wrong?”
Camilla shook her head, forcing a smile. Beautiful day. Beautiful man. She wasn’t going to let them go to waste.
He frowned and scooted closer before rolling over onto his back. His eyes remained locked on her, the set of his jaw tight.
A strained laugh escaped her lips as she pressed a thumb to that crease between his brows. “If you keep looking at me like that, you’re going to make this permanent.”
His hand reached up and grasped her wrist within it. While not painful, his grip on her wasn’t the sort of thing she could easily pull away from. “Promises,” he said.
“What about them?”
“We said we’d talk about everything.”
She could have snorted at that. The day they’d gone on that hike to the ridge came to mind immediately. He’d been holding back on something. She knew it in her bones. If she had pushed it then, she knew he would have pulled away, so she’d ignored the way he’d looked at her—that strained expression like he wanted to tell her something, but he didn’t want to make her mad.
Lucky for Dallas, she didn’t do that. She didn’t start the argument that simmered beneath the surface. All she did was shrug. “I’m not hiding anything.”
It was clear her words hit their mark when he released her and looked away. The muscles in his jaw tensed, and that unease that unfurled in her chest grew erratic. No, she wasn’t hiding anything. It was perfectly clear that she was worried—but more so that it had something to do with his behavior.
Checkmate.
Dallas blew out a heavy breath and opened his mouth. Finally. He might not be ready to talk about whatever it was, but he was succumbing to the fact that they couldn’t move forward when the lines of communication weren’t wide open.
“Camilla! Good, I found you.”
Her head snapped up to see Jason heading for them.
Dallas immediately stiffened and she had to bite back a smile at his defensive reaction.
“Have you seen Isabelle? Nikki wanted some help with dinner because Mark is going out with his wife for their anniversary. We’re short-staffed.”
Camilla frowned. “Honestly, I haven’t. But Marcus was heading over to the chicken coop a bit ago to check for more eggs. Maybe he’d be willing?”
It was brief but unmistakable when Jason grimaced. Camilla tilted her head as she studied him. His neutral expression returned. “Sure, I’ll check. Thanks.”
