The air leaves my lungs in a rush and I’m almost positive I’m hallucinating. I’ve had a few drinks, but there’s no way I’m this drunk. Or maybe someone slipped something into my drink, because there’s no way this can be real right now. Cameron isn’t supposed to be here, yet he’s standing directly in front of me looking like he’s about to commit murder.
Stepping toward him, my mouth feels dry and it feels as if the room is closing in on me. My body sways as the alcohol courses through my system and I reach out, chancing a touch to see if he’s real. My hand lands on his warm cheek and his skin feels soft beneath my fingers as I stroke his flesh.
“You’re really here,” I murmur, my voice barely audible over the music that pounds through the speakers around the room. I’m not hallucinating. Cam is here in the flesh.
He stares down at me with a fire burning in his eyes. “I am,” he says, his voice hoarse and laced with pain. “Where did your friend go?”
My eyebrows tug together and I tilt my head to the side. “Delilah? I don’t know, I haven’t seen her for a while.”
Cam shakes his head at me. “Not her. That asshole who had his hands on you.” He looks past me, his eyes distant. “I’d like to break his fucking hands for touching you.”
My heart pounds erratically in my chest as the anger rolls off him in waves. Reacting, I reach out and take his hand in mine, squeezing it tightly until his gaze falls back to mine. “I don’t know who he is,” I tell him honestly. “I was just dancing and he came up and started dancing with me.”
His eyes bounce back and forth between mine. “I believe you,” he breathes after a moment, his face dipping down to mine as he presses his lips next to my ear. “Can we go somewhere and talk?”
Closing my eyes, I inhale his scent, reveling in how close he is to me right now. God, I missed him more than I had ever wanted to admit. And blame it on the alcohol, because my guard is completely down and I don’t know how to put it back in place right now.
I nod as he pulls away and he laces his fingers in mine, his palm warming my skin as he leads me through the house. We pass Hayden, who smiles at me as our eyes meet. He stands off to the side, slowly sipping his beer as Cam takes me through the doorway, leading me to the back door.
We step outside into the darkness of the night and the air is cold against my skin. I left my coat somewhere inside and I drop his hand as I wrap my arms around myself. Even with the alcohol, I still feel colder than I had anticipated. Cam stares at me for a moment, frowning before he shrugs off his coat and wraps it around my shoulders.
I slip my hands through the holes for the arms, feeling his warmth as I wrap it around my body. Cam stares at me for a moment, his expression unreadable as his eyes desperately search mine. Wrapping an arm around my shoulders, he leads me over to a chair and pulls it out for me to sit down. I drop down onto it, feeling the heaviness in my body as Cam drags another chair in front of me and sits on it.
“I fucked up, Aspen,” he breathes, his voice low and filled with emotion as a wave of pain passes through his eyes.
“What do you mean?” I ask him, the panic in me building as my mind races with possible scenarios of what could have possibly happened. “Are you in trouble? Did something happen?”
He tilts his head to the side, a chuckle rumbling in his chest. “No, nothing like that,” he says, easing my anxiety as he stares directly through me. “I fucked up with you because I couldn’t be honest with myself.”
Swallowing hard, I wrap my arms tighter around my body as I stare back at him. My lips part slightly, but no words find me as I’m taken aback by his admission. Even with the alcohol in my system, I’m coherent enough to understand what he’s saying and I’m afraid of where he’s going with this.
“I’m not going to lie to you, I’m still fucking scared, but I shouldn’t have acted on that fear in the way I did. I shouldn’t have ruined things between us because I was afraid of my feelings for you—because I found myself falling for you.”
I stare back at him, my breath catching in my throat as my heart pounds erratically in my chest. “You’re not the only one who made a mistake because of their feelings,” I admit quietly, my eyes bouncing back and forth between his. “Even though it broke my heart, I went along with it because I was afraid too.”
Cam’s expression softens under the glow of the light that hangs above the back door behind us. There aren’t many people lingering out here, given how cold the air has grown as it’s gotten later in the night. My heart cracks as I admit the truth to him—that he wasn’t the only one who made a mistake that day.
“Come here, baby,” he murmurs, both of his arms stretched out to me.
Rising to my feet, my body sways slightly from the liquor that I was drinking as I step closer to him. His hands find my hips and he pulls me down onto his lap. Turning to face him, he wraps his arms around my torso, burying his face in my neck as I nestle into his warmth.
“Let me make things right,” he murmurs softly, his lips brushing against the tender skin along my neck. “Please, give me a chance to show you that I can be what you deserve. When I said that being friends with benefits wasn’t working for me, I wasn’t honest with you. I want to be more than just your friend, Aspen. You’re all I fucking think about. I only have eyes for you, baby, and I want you to officially be mine.”
My breath catches in my throat and I pull away from him for a moment. His eyes bounce back and forth between mine, searching them as a storm of emotion brews inside his irises. “You want to be with me… like together, as a couple?”
A ghost of a smile plays on Cam’s lips as he nods. Lifting his hands to my face, he cups my cheeks, slowly dragging the pad of his thumb across my bottom lip. “Yes, Aspen. I want you, all of you. I don’t want to play these stupid games anymore. When I wake up, I want to see your face and when I go to bed at night, I want you there beside me. Enough of this friends shit. I want you to be my girl.”
Swallowing hard over the lump that forms in my throat, a wave of emotion washes over me. My nostrils flare as the tears prick the corners of my eyes. Never have I ever felt this way about someone else before. And as much as it scares me… I want the same thing with him.
“Are you sure this is what you really want, Cam?” I ask him, my voice cracking around my words. “Neither of us are exactly the type to get involved like this and dive into a relationship.”
“I’m ready to dive in, baby,” he breathes, his eyes staring directly into my soul. “I want to drown in your ocean and never come up for air again.”
Wrapping my hands around the back of his neck, my face dips down to his and he doesn’t hesitate as our lips collide. I’m lost in him and if he’s ready to drown, then I want to sink to the depths with him. Cam’s tongue slides against mine, tasting like beer as he drains the air from my lungs, inhaling my soul as he devours my mouth with his own.
Abruptly, he pulls away from me, both of us breathless as he stares up at me. “I love you, Aspen Rossi. I’ve been in love with you longer than I’ve wanted to admit and I know there’s no one else for me but you.”
My lips part slightly, the emotion welling inside as I stare into his deep green eyes. “I love you, Cameron. I tried not to, but I can’t fight it anymore. Even though we both have our separate lives, when I think of my future, I can’t imagine it without you.”
“Good.” He smiles, pulling my face back down to his as his lips brush against mine. “Because you’re never going to have to spend a moment of your future without me.” He pauses for a moment, nipping at my bottom lip. “Say that you’ll be mine, baby.”
“I’m yours, Cameron,” I breathe, our lips brushing against each other’s as our breaths mix together. “I’ve always been yours and I’ll always be yours.”
He captures my mouth with his, sealing the deal between us. I’m completely consumed by him, but I know that this is right. We’ve both fought this longer than we should have and it feels good to finally give in to the inevitable. It’s like we’re finally free—free to get lost in love with one another.
We tried to fight fate—we tried to fight love…
But in the end, love will always win.
