Finally Found

Cammie sat there a moment. Why did she always do that? He was being perfectly nice. He had never been anything but nice to her. Okay, maybe he had been a little flirty, but certainly not disrespectful, and the bustier was bound to give him the wrong idea.

She stood up and stretched. She was just about over her anger when she noticed a piece of paper sticking partway out of the top drawer. She vaguely remembered seeing him shove it in there earlier. Oh, the inner conflict. On the one hand, if he wanted her to look at it, he would have shown it to her. On the other hand, if he hadn’t wanted her to see it, he should have hidden it better. She pulled open the drawer to peek.

It was a list of names. Girl names. He was writing down all the women he had slept with. Her initial reaction was pure fury at the arrogance of that man to keep a running list of conquests. Then, she realized that the paper looked really fresh, not ten years old as it should have been. She calmed down, slightly. Then she looked once more…and realized that she wasn’t on it. She studied it even more closely. Neither was her sister.

Well, at least he didn’t look at her as a conquest, just lumping her in with everyone else. On the other hand…he had slept with so many women that he had to make a list to keep track and her sister was apparently completely forgettable. She heard footsteps in the hall. He was coming back. She shut the door and tried to look like she hadn’t been caught snooping.

Adam opened the door just enough to stick his head in. “I just wanted to warn you. I’m not sure what your intentions were for the cookies, but everyone is awake out in the kitchen and eating them. On the bright side, they are getting rave reviews. And you may get hired for wedding favors at the very least…” He winked at her and waited for a response.

She smiled. “Cookies are for eating. I’m glad everyone is enjoying them. I’ll be right out.”

The door closed and she sighed. Yeah, I’ll be right out just as soon as I can wipe this guilty look off my face. Bright side…the cookies were a hit. Soon enough, her catering company would be, too.



There was something magical about the tree lighting. That had to be it. The excitement was absolutely contagious. Adam had watched as Sam and Haley had immediately held hands as they started to make their way through the swarm of people. He saw how Ellen and Ryan had smiled at each other as they walked together pushing Abby in her stroller. Maybe Cammie had noticed, too. All of a sudden, he felt her arm loop through his. Then he felt her face press against his arm. It was nice. It was new and different. It was an intimacy he had never previously experienced. It was the kind of thing he had thumbed his nose to in the past, but now everything was different. He was different.

It slipped out. Just when he had decided to stop trying with her, he looked down, saw her face upturned, like she was waiting for a reaction, and he said softly, “This is nice.” To his surprise, he was rewarded with a smile.

“Yeah, I think so, too. I’m glad we’re here.” She squeezed closer to him for a split second then smirked. “So are some of these people going to be at the house tomorrow night?

Looking down at her he sighed. “Were you just being nice for appearances?” He had to know.

“Of course not. I just started thinking that before I decided to get too comfortable, I should consider our reputations. I am working on building one and you probably don’t want yours ruined by having people thinking you’re screwing the help.” She pulled away the minute she spoke.

Adam sensed what she was thinking. It was probably something having to do with her sister…the sister he didn’t remember, the sister he supposedly slept with. He struggled with that because he had been advised by his father to never sleep with the help because of the very reasons Cammie had just mentioned. Yet, in her mind and possibly in reality he had clearly broken the one of the few rules he thought he’d never break. The other biggie was to keep it wrapped. Though he had done that religiously with every other girl, he never had with Cammie. Clearly he was going to hell. He looked skyward.

“Look,” she said, quickly changing the subject. “There’s everyone!”

So they headed over to join the rest of the group. As chilly as it was, no one objected when Cammie pulled out the huge travel mugs of hot chocolate. When she shared that she also had S’mores ingredients, Haley commented.

“Honestly, girl,” she said with a smile, “you need to stop setting the bar so high. You are making the rest of us look bad.”

“Ha!” Ellen retorted. “Maybe the way to your man’s heart is through his stomach, but Ryan assured me long ago that the way to his was through his penis.” She smirked while her husband laughed heartily and squeezed her close.

“Well, this is who I am. This is what I do,” Cammie replied without apology.

Adam simply beamed. How refreshing. How different from what he was used to. How real. How perfect.



When they made it back to the house that night, Abby was ready to sleep for the night and the adults were ready for some quiet time in front of the fireplace. They were all snuggled together on the loveseats and in chairs while sipping a nice Moscato. It was getting later. The other couples had already headed to bed although not necessarily to sleep and talk of the cocktail party being held there the next day had begun.

“How do you think we should set up?” Adam asked Cammie.

“Well, my suggestion would be that since people always seem to want to hang out on the sides of the rooms that we either give them a reason to come to the center of the room, like chaffing dishes and food, or we set the food all around the outsides and force them to be in the center more. It’s all about what you want to do.” She proceeded to tap on her front teeth.

“Is there anything you need from me?” Adam asked; genuinely interested in helping.

“Nah, I should have it covered, other than that, I just may need help with tables.” She smiled at him, but he could tell her mind was elsewhere.

“What are you thinking?” He asked seriously. “You seem lost in thought. I really wanted to enjoy some time with you, since we’ve had some issues…pretty much since we’ve started talking at my birthday.” He chuckled, realizing how crazy all of that sounded.

She smiled up at him from her reclined position on the loveseat. “Then we probably should stop talking.”

His face grew serious. What was she suggesting?

“Ready for bed?” She asked as she stood.

Shaking his head, he responded, “I’m really not tired yet.”

Already, she had started making her way toward the hall. “Who said anything about being tired? I’m pretty sure I can help you get tired.”

Suddenly a smile spread across his face. He wanted to question it. He wanted to know why she wanted him tonight, but hadn’t the other night. He wanted to understand so that if it was something he did or said he could keep…doing and saying it. Only he was afraid to talk. His words always seemed to get in the way. The last time she had shown up in his room, he had been certain that they were going to stay in that bed together all night. He would have bet money on it. Then, sure enough, he opened his big mouth and asked for a trust he obviously didn’t deserve and then the moment was lost. He wouldn’t make that mistake again.

That’s why he followed her dutifully down the hall. That’s why he took every cue she gave him. He went in his own door. He watched for the light to come on in the jack and jill bath. He waited until she opened the door and gestured for him to come through, to come to her. She had changed into sleep pants and a tight shirt. He could see her nipples through it, poking straight out.

That’s when he broke down. He opened his mouth. “This bed is bigger,” he said, gesturing to Sam’s old queen size bed.

“Who said anything about a bed?” She asked, smiling almost wickedly.

His eyes grew wide. Cammie was constantly full of surprises. She helped him strip. It was just as well. He was shaking and fumbling, since he was so excited. Finally, she just pushed his hands out the way and did everything. The sweater was pushed over his head. She was so thorough that she even managed to get the shirt underneath to come off at the same time without even getting tangled up on his head. Damn, she was a pro. He wanted to ask her number. It just popped into his mind. She was so…experienced. So adept at what she was doing…he really wanted to know. A quick vision of that conversation played out in his mind and he managed to resist before he was left to handle his own business.

There were times his way right away was nice. He had been months without sex with another person. And as soon as he had been well enough, moved to Sam’s, he had taken matters into his own hands. He hadn’t had to do that since he was a teen, since before he had sex with another person, but it was that or get all backed up. It had been tough sharing a house with Sam and Haley. Apparently even fancy houses had remarkably thin walls. Even more apparent, his brother had to be surprising good at something to make Haley cry out and whimper like that while the bed frame squeaked like it was threatening to give out.

Her hands had deftly unzipped and unbuttoned his jeans. Her hands were around his waist, guiding them past his buttocks. Adam tried to breathe calmly and evenly so that she wouldn’t know how excited he was. It was no use. The minute he stepped out of his pants and her hands touched his bare skin, his cock was at attention. He marveled at his body’s reaction to her. He had done everything that would normally dull his senses. He had eaten late. He had been consuming alcoholic beverages. Still, his body wanted more than he could explain to be with her body.

Standing still and naked in the center of the room, he waited to see what she would do next. She was circling him, studying him, letting her fingers glide ever so softly over his skin as she moved about. It was…intense. It was exciting. It was all he could do to hold back, to keep still. Finally, she stood before him once more; only now, she pulled her shirt over her head and dropped her sleep pants to the floor. To his delight, she wasn’t wearing any panties. At last, she stood before him naked. His patience ended.

Reaching out, he hauled her body to his. Inhaling sharply, she was completely pressed against him. When she raised one leg to wrap around his waist, he captured that leg, then the other, took two steps and set her on the counter. The height was perfect. She leaned back, her legs splayed wide for him. Her eyes, those incredible blue eyes lined with long thick lashes, lowered and squeezed shut. He had endured all the foreplay he could stand. He teased her, licking her nipples with the very end of his tongue, moving it about, tormenting her, much like she had tormented him. Then, he took it further. Everything about her actions begged for some part of him to be in her. Her hips squirmed on the granite counter. So he leaned forward, poised at her already wet entrance. He rubbed his cock back and forth over her folds, teasing her *, taunting her vagina. He could hear her breath catch every time he came close. For once, he would be in control. For once, he would feel like a man with her and not like her toy, her plaything.

After repeating that experience more than a few times, Cammie whimpered. “In,” she moaned. “In me now.”

He chuckled. “Not until you ask me nicely.”

Her eyes flew open. He recognized the look. She wanted to hop off the counter and run away. She was so proud. Would she do it? Could he get her to all but beg for it? He continued pushing against her opening. Her eyes lowered again. Her mouth formed a satisfied smile. In a blink, she had wrapped her legs around his waist, and after timing it perfectly, managed to maneuver her hips and with the help of her legs, propelled him into her…all the way…until their bodies were simply in the way. Soon her fingernails were raking down his back providing ultimate pleasure, leaving no pain.

Too soon, it was over. They were both heaving, breathing hard. Adam laid a hand flat on her chest to feel her heart racing, then grabbed her hand and placed it on his chest so she’d feel his. A satisfied smile crossed her face. Picking her up, ever so carefully, he walked them to his bed.

“What are you doing?” She tried to protest. Her face was the picture of alarm.

“Lay with me. Stay with me. What will it hurt?” He tucked her into the bed with him, wrapped his arms and legs around her, confident that she was good and stuck. Then he promptly fell asleep.



That question resounded in her mind. While Cammie would have loved to have melted into him, she couldn’t allow herself to do that. Look what he had done to her sister. Look how Cin had suffered all those years. How could she allow herself to develop feelings for a guy who had caused her sister so much pain? The answer was clear. She couldn’t. The best she could do would be to enjoy him now, in the moment. Remember that he wasn’t built for long-term relationships. Think of him as simply a friend…or better still…a friend with benefits…and save entanglements of the heart for those who could potentially stick it out. Theirs was to be nothing more than a mutually beneficial relationship. He was helping her. She was helping him. That would suffice.

So she tried to rest a moment, wrapped in his warmth. She ran her fingers up and down his arms, felt his muscles rippling under her fingertips as he periodically squeezed her close. While this was a totally foreign experience, it also felt welcome in an unexpected way. Her body felt heavy and comfortable. It would have been so easy for her to drift off, to let her mind go blank, but she just couldn’t. Something in her couldn’t allow that, couldn’t let her rest and grow accustomed to an experience she might never get to repeat. She would end up no better off than her sister, thinking and dreaming about an impossible future, nursing a hurt, and suffering the shame.

Staring at his face in the darkened room, she reached out, cupped his face in her hand. Sighing, her decision made, she slid slowly out from under his arms, slipped her legs out through the enclosure his own made. Then with one lingering look, she passed through the bathroom back into the safety of the top bunk. Though she scooted into the corner as best she could, it didn’t feel nearly as cozy as she remembered it. With a frown on her face, she finally fell asleep.