“You’ve got it,” he calls over his shoulder.
I watch him get into his truck before I shut the door. With Cade gone, a rush of exhaustion washes over me. I’d thought about getting some things ready for tomorrow, but now, I’m too tired. Instead, my bed and a big bowl of sugary cereal are calling my name.
I’ve done it so many times that I’m able to rush through getting the cafe closed for the night. It was already fairly ready since we weren’t very busy. My eyes roam over the space as I go through a mental closing checklist in my mind. Satisfied I’ve done everything I’m supposed to do, I flick the lights off and open the door.
Instead of it opening, it runs into something hard with a thud.
“What the h—” My words are cut off as I look up to find Camden gripping the door. His eyes are dark and clouded, his lips pressed into a thin line as his eyes bore into mine.
“Camden?” I ask, shocked to see him standing there. I haven’t seen him since he was climbing into the back of a black SUV at my family’s house. He’d wanted to get away from me so fast that he couldn’t even wait for me to take him back to the gallery. We hadn’t spoken since. The time and distance he placed between us has only fueled my anger.
That same fury bubbles inside me at seeing him again. I can’t get a read on him. He’s hot and then cold, and it’s driving me crazy. I should be thankful that between the two of us, he stopped us from doing something drastic like kissing, but I’m really just disappointed I can’t describe how he tastes.
“Shortcake.” His words are low, coming out almost like a growl. I don’t know if it’s the fire burning in his icy-blue eyes or the way his shoulders rise and fall in angry breaths, but something about him sends a shiver down my spine.
“Didn’t know you were back in Sutten,” I breathe, my eyes flicking to the small amount of empty space between us.
He looks down at it, too, before taking a step closer and closing it. I have to take a few steps back so we don’t touch. My feet slip on the freshly mopped floor. The only thing that saves me from busting my ass is his strong, thick fingers wrapping around my bicep.
He doesn’t let go. I need him to let go. We’re too close, and I’m thinking that it still wouldn’t be terrible to kiss him, even though he gets on my nerves and is constantly acting like an asshole.
“I had unfinished business here,” he mutters. I can’t help it. When his eyes focus on my lips, my tongue peeks out to wet them. It was involuntary, but the way he stares at my lips with pristine focus makes me want to do it again to keep his gaze like that forever.
“Like what?” I breathe, fully aware that I’ve slowly leaned closer to him.
All it’d take was for me to move another inch and our foreheads would be touching. I wouldn’t know what was his air and what was mine. All I’d know is that we were sharing it and that breathing the same air is so close to tasting him.
My heart hammers against my chest as I wait for him to answer. I’m angry with myself for wanting to kiss him, for knowing with every fiber of my being that if he closed the distance, I’d let him. He has no redeeming qualities except he’s so good-looking that it’s unfair. He’s an asshole, hates this town, and left me wanting more last time he almost kissed me.
None of that matters. Because I think I can deal with him being an asshole if his kisses make up for it.
I just know he’s got to be angry in the bedroom. I think I’d like to find out. I know plenty of ways to keep his mouth busy so he wouldn’t have to talk.
Starting with having his tongue down my throat.
I swallow, relishing the way he looks at me. I’m confident similar thoughts are running through his head.
“What’s the unfinished business, Camden?” I whisper.
He rips his gaze from my body. The moment our eyes collide, I know I’m going to get what I want.
“This,” he growls.
25
CAMDEN
I could try and be gentle with her, but I have no desire to. I’m so fucking desperate to finally seal our mouths together that my fingers tangle through her hair, giving me the chance to pull her face to mine. My cock stiffens at the small gasp that comes from her lips seconds before our mouths collide.
She tastes better than I could ever dream of. The moment my tongue skirts against the seam of her lips, she gladly opens her mouth for me, allowing our tongues to stroke against one another.
She moans, and I swallow it, yanking on her hair to angle her head even higher. At this point, she must be having to stand on her tiptoes to allow me access to her mouth. Her tiny moans tell me she isn’t bothered by the position in the slightest.
Another brush of our tongues, and her palms hit my chest. Her fingers grip my dress shirt so tightly I bet it warps the fabric. I don’t give a damn. She could rip it right off me, and I’d thank her for doing it. I think I’d do anything, give anything, to stay locked in the kiss forever. To always have her at my mercy just like this.
I should’ve known she wouldn’t kiss gently. I knew I didn’t have it in me to take it slow, to start with a peck before my tongue got involved. But I wasn’t expecting her tongue to match every stroke of mine. For her to open her mouth even wider, allowing me even more access.
Her fingers find the back of my neck as she attempts to pull me even lower. One of my hands tangles in the long strands of her hair, keeping her mouth pinned to mine, while the other grabs onto her chin to keep her still. She wants to take control of the kiss, but I won’t let her. I’ve been dreaming of this since the moment I left that mountain, so I’m going to kiss her the way I’ve vividly imagined for over a week.
There’s a sting at the back of my neck from where her fingernails scrape against the exposed skin between my collar and hairline. I groan at the feeling, wanting to feel the bite of her nails all over my body.
Would they dig into my ass as I fucked her as deep as her cunt would allow?
Would they scratch at my scalp as my tongue circled her clit?
God, I need to know. I’m fucking rabid to find out.
My teeth catch her bottom lip. I bite down, wanting to see her reaction. She moans so loudly that my cock aches in my slacks. I want to palm it, to give it some kind of relief, but I can’t let go of her. She’s allowing me to manhandle her exactly as I want, and I’m relishing every single second of it.
Is she like this in bed? So demanding outside of the bedroom but aching to be dominated while being fucked?
“Fuck,” I moan, licking along the spot on her bottom lip that was just between my teeth. “What the hell are you doing to me?”
I could get addicted to the sound of her moans as she throws her head back in pleasure. Her perfect sun-kissed skin is exposed to me, just begging for me to leave a mark. I pull on her hair once again, lost in the way the yelp from the pain turns into a moan when my lips graze the hollow of her throat. Her entire body shudders underneath my touch, only fueling my desire for her further.
“Camden.” My name comes out like a plea. I think I could grow obsessed with the sound of it, mixed with her moans. She’s so goddamn reactive that it drives me wild.
I kiss along her neck, unable to help myself from biting a spot there, knowing it would be hard for her to hide a hickey. Lost in the moment, I want to claim her for myself, to have something left behind from this moment to remind her how much she drives me crazy. I want her to think of me anytime she feels the throb of the bruise from my teeth. For her to think of us in this very moment every time she looks in the mirror to cover it.