Total pages in book: 100
Estimated words: 94630 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 315(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94630 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 473(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 315(@300wpm)
“Watching you in those jeans all night. Just ignore the hard-on. I do.”
Jo laughed and leaned back on his shoulder, turning her head to catch his eyes in the flash of light created by the strobes.
“I think I’ll choose to enjoy it instead of ignore it.”
Cam propelled them forward, circling one arm around her waist and linking their fingers with his other hand.
“Enjoy what exactly?”
“Knowing that I affect you. For a long time I didn’t think I could.”
“Ironic since for a long time you have.” Cam snuggled into a needy spot between her neck and ear, his breath misting the skin with the words.
Jo would have pinched herself if she hadn’t been death-gripping Cam’s forearm to stay upright. This day, the weeks, the month had been grueling and had wrung so much energy from her, she hadn’t been able to fully appreciate what had happened over the last few days. For nearly seventeen years, the man, now hard at her back, now nibbling at her neck, now caressing fire across the strip of skin between her jeans and her shirt, had been her unrequited love. This beautiful man, who had no idea how incredible he was, was taking care of her. Her. Jo, who had always taken care of everyone else. And she loved surrendering to his care. It was like bungee jumping off the moon with Cam as her cord.
Jo forgot that she could barely skate. Ignored the fear of falling and possibly spraining a limb, and submerged herself in this moment. Sunk into the strong arms surrounding her, drawing huge, gulping breaths of this dream.
“What’s this song?” When she released his arm, she slid her hand with slow caution, lest she collapse, over his shoulder and up into his hair. “I’ve heard it before.”
“Of course you have. It’s a classic. Marvin Gaye. ‘I Want You.’”
Marvin dripped sex over every lyric, his voice reaching and stretching and breaking into an orgasm of sound that left Jo hot and wet and melting into Cam’s chest. Every word seemed to echo her story, the heartbreak of a one-way love. Every word followed their past to this second where her fantasy had crystallized into this improbable reality of a relationship with Cam. Finally.
A stealthy wetness crept from the corners of her eyes. The sweetness, the about-damn-time rightness of being pressed into him, rattled the gate Jo always locked over her composure. In the middle of a skating rink, surrounded by couples dancing and dipping and whizzing, she was coming undone. She sniffed, determined to hold on to as much of her dignity as she could.
“Hey.” Cam twisted his fingers around hers more tightly, his hand squeezing her waist. “You okay?”
Jo nodded, words trapped between the walls of her throat, squirming to escape.
Cam skated around to face her, stopping them in the middle of the rink. He lifted her chin, inspecting her features in the dim, multicolored light.
“You’re tired and probably hungry. Enough for one day. Ready for some food?”
Jo nodded, hungrier for him than for food. She let him pull her along to the edge of the rink, being careful when he told her to. Watching her step when he took her elbow. Is this what she had been missing running the show all these years? This feeling of being cherished by a man, swaddling all her weariness? But who was she kidding? It wasn’t just any man. It was Cam. “Any man” would have his balls between his eyes by now for presuming to take control and dictate anything to her. Cam knew her too well and cared about her too much to abuse what she was giving him.
“If we do this again, I need to bring my own skates.” Jo pulled the skates off and ran her hands across the wheels. “I don’t share shoes, even the wheelie kind.”
Cam laughed, grabbing both their skates and heading toward the rental counter while Jo slipped on her flats. She walked up behind him and noticed Brandee pointing an attractive woman in Cam’s direction. The woman stood petite and curvy. Her sandy hair lay close against her scalp, a lovely contrast to her almond-colored skin. In a few swift strides, she reached Cam’s side and ran appreciative eyes up and down his tall frame.
“Brandee said you were looking for me.” She leaned one rounded hip against the counter Cam had set their skates on. “I’m Lashaun, and you are?”
“You probably don’t remember me,” Cam said to the woman. “I was only like eleven years old the last time you saw me, but it’s—”
“Little Cameron?” The woman’s eyes rounded and widened. “Damn, you grew up fine.”
The low rumble of Cam’s laugh reached Jo’s ears.
“I haven’t been back here since I left years ago, but I wanted to thank you.”
“For what?” Lashaun raised penciled brows. “Sneaking you in all those times?”