When we pull up at the gates, there’s not a photographer in sight. I give Scotty the magic number and we pull in. We get dropped off and Cam tells Benny he will call him when we’re ready to leave. I turn to look at Cam.
“Who says I’m going back to yours tonight?”
He looks down at me frowning. “Me. You’re staying at mine until we decide on something we wanna buy.”
“When was that decided?”
“We discussed it this afternoon, in the office.”
“Yeah, we discussed it. Nothing was decided, Cam. Stop making decisions for me. What I drive, where I live, who drives me. I’m a grown woman. I’m more than capable of making my own decisions.”
He stops walking towards the front door and stands with his hands on his hips.
“Why’d you fight me, Kitten? Every step of the way, you fight and argue with me.” I turn and face him, folding my arms across my chest as I do.
“Stop telling me what to do and I’ll stop fighting you.” He stares at me for a few seconds, biting down on the corner of his bottom lip.
“Kitten, I love the fuck out of ya. Please would you move in with me? Please accept the car and the driver as a gift from me to you and please let us look for a house we can buy together and turn into a home.” Wow. That would’ve taken a lot for him to do. Cam’s not rude or ill-mannered by any means, but he doesn’t often ask. He orders and he demands; that’s just his nature and I don’t suppose anyone often questions his demands, apart from me, but instead of ignoring what I want, he’s done the opposite. For me, he’s gone right against what comes naturally to him and he’s asked me to accept his gift and to move in with him.
“Yes, Tiger, to all of those things. I would love to.”
He rakes his hand through his hair and sighs, “Thank fuck for that. Now come here and kiss me.” God, why did that demand just turn me on so much? I seriously need to get a grip of my libido. I don’t remember being this horny in my life, ever.
*
I have no keys on me to get into my parents’ home, so we head around to the back doors. As we walk in, my mum is peeling potatoes at the sink and my dad is polishing a gun at the kitchen bench. My mum’s face lights up when she sees us and I feel a whole new kind of guilt for not being around these past few days, or months for that matter.
“Frank, hope that’s not out to shoot me with,” Cam says from behind me.
“If I was gonna shoot you with it, son, I’d clean it after, not before.” Oh, shit.
“Dad, can you put the gun away, please?”
I give my mum a cuddle as she says over my shoulder, “Yes, Francis, clear all this mess up and go and lock that bloody thing away. You know how much I hate them.” I step out of my mum’s arms and give my dad a cuddle.
“Jesus, Georgia, you’re skin and bone, girl. I thought they would’ve fattened you up in Aus.”
“Thanks, Dad. I actually ate well while I was there, but I was waiting tables for a bit and I surfed a lot.” I step out of my dad’s arms as he reaches past me and shakes Cam’s hand. This must be hard for my dad and I can only imagine the earful he would’ve copped from my mum today about being nice tonight.
“Pour us a glass of wine while I get these potatoes in the oven, Georgia, please, sweetheart,” she asks while I watch her carry the potatoes to the oven. My mum has a huge old-fashioned Aga range in her kitchen for cooking on and I notice the two trays of sizzling hot fat she has to put the potatoes on as she opens the door.
“Blimey, Mum, how many spuds have you got there? How many you cooking for?” She puts the ton of potatoes back in the oven and stands up, her face glowing from the heat.
“Phew, that’s hot. Where’s that wine, George?” I get the wine out of the fridge and pour us both a glass.
“You wanna beer or something else, Cam?” I hear my dad ask. He actually sounds civil.
“I’ll have a bourbon please if you’ve got one, Frank.” I watch as my dad puts his gun in its case, winks at Cam and says, “I sure have. Come with me.” I smile at Cam as he looks nervously at me before following my dad.
“If I don’t come back, just remember I love you,” he says quietly as he walks by. I smile. My big, hard alpha is a mess because of my old dad, but I know he’ll be safe. My dad will just be taking him to his office, where his gun case is. It’s also where he keeps all his special bourbons and whiskeys.
I turn back to my mum and pick up my wine glass,
“Cheers, Mum, it’s good to be home. I’ve missed you all so much.” She gives me another cuddle and we both sit on the bar stools up at the bench.