Page 21 of Camilla & Dallas

Page List

Font Size:

It wasn’t Nikki or the men Dallas was interested in watching.

Well, not the men in general.

He had his sights set on Camilla and herboyfriend. Cheyenne had begged him to stay away. She’d told him if he still cared for Camilla, he needed to put distance between them so Camilla could be happy with the man she chose.

But it was the strangest thing. The longer he watched, the harder it became to see these two together. They were friendly, sure. But they didn’t act like they were in love.

What was he thinking? Just because they were dating didn’t mean they had found that love. Just because he’d fallen in love with Camilla the second he’d laid eyes on her didn’t mean Jason would be the same. He was an idiot if he didn’t, but maybe that could work in Dallas’s favor.

No.

Dallas wasn’t going to be that guy. He refused to be the thing that came between Camilla and her happiness.

He tore his eyes away from the scene of the two people chatting. They were smiling—but Camilla’s smile was nothing like the one she used to give him.

Wasshe even happy?

Slowly, he let his focus shift back to the couple but found they weren’t where they’d been when he’d forced himself to look away. He straightened in his seat and swept the room for any sign of them. He caught sight of Jason in the kitchen behind that window, but he didn’t see Camilla.

Until it was too late.

A plate of food was placed in front of him and Camilla took a seat across the table. She glanced up at him, then down to her food. “Eat up while it’s hot. Nikki is an amazing cook. If you’re not going to take advantage of her food often, you’re gonna want to enjoy it at its peak.”

He stared at her, drinking her in. The conflicting thoughts about Camilla, her boyfriend, and the fact that she’d served him up a plate warred with each other in his head. Dallas could ask her why she wasn’t eating with her boyfriend or why Jason hadn’t come over here to eat with them, but when his attention flicked to the man himself, Dallas found him still working.

“Well? Are you just going to sit there staring? Or are you going to get some food? I’m more than happy to give it to—” Camilla had made a show of reaching for the plate, but Dallas blocked her. She bit back a smile and retrieved the fork she’d put aside.

“Thank you,” Dallas said quietly.

“You’re welcome.”

10

Camilla

Camilla stared at the bags of groceries she’d loaded into the back of the ATV and shook her head, frustrated with herself. Hadn’t she made a promise that she wasn’t going to let Dallas get back into her good graces again? Hadn’t she sworn that she wouldn’t allow herself to fall for him?

She glanced up at the hunting cabin with a frown. There was no way he hadn’t heard her arrive. The ATVs were loud and that cabin had the bare minimum in insulation. If Dallas was inside, he knew she was here, so there was not a chance that she’d be able to slip away and pretend she’d never come.

The longer she stood there, the more she wondered if perhaps he wasn’t inside. Dallas could be out tracking and compiling his research on the wolves. If he was, then maybe she could slip into the cabin, put the food she’d brought for him in the fridge, and sneak away without him knowing.

No one had told her to buy these supplies. Dallas hadn’t requested them. Mateo hadn’t asked her to help. She’d gotten up this morning and gone out on a whim.

It didn’t help that Cheyenne had called from China to check in with her. The first question she always asked was if Dallas was leaving her alone like he was supposed to.

Cheyenne grabbed the groceries with a sigh. She’d avoided talking about Dallas by saying one simple statement.

I don’t want to talk about the man who broke my heart.

It was true. She’d had no interest in talking about Dallas—to Cheyenne. No matter how much she wanted to talk about the fact her feelings weren’t staying dormant, Camilla knew Cheyenne would feel destroyed if the love Camilla had for Dallas was fully rekindled.

It was best to pretend everything was status quo.

Camilla moved toward the cabin. It had only one room with a queen bed. There wasn’t a couch in the living space, mostly so anyone who came out in a group could set up sleeping bags on the floor. There was a table for two in the corner of the kitchen space and that was it.

She didn’t need much time to slip into the cabin and deposit what she’d brought before sneaking away. That was her excuse so she could pretend she didn’t come out here just to catch a glimpse of his smile.

Her stomach churned with anticipation as she reached the door and grabbed the knob. It wasn’t locked, but then that was normal, too. The cabin was out in the middle of their property. The only people likely to come across it were those invited.