she pointed out. “She and Anders got back from their trip to Perth a few days ago. Got engaged too.”
“Wait a minute,” he said. “You’re not angry with me?”
“For what?”
“You know … Darcey and I.”
She pursed her lips. “Did anything happen?”
“Absolutely not. We’ve never shared more than a friendly hug,” he said.
“All right then.” She patted him on the shoulder. “We’re good.”
Cam didn’t move an inch, still not quite believing what had happened. “Thank you. I was afraid you’d burst into some kind of jealous tirade and storm off.” He hated showing petty feelings like jealousy or envy. They were irrational and unnecessary.
“I’m not upset because you went out with Darcey,” she began. “You both were single and free, and though a tiny—a teeny tiny—part of me is jealous, that happened before we even met. I was just caught off guard because everyone knew before I did, and I hated that feeling.”
“Of course, I understand.” She’d been humiliated, and that was after she’d defended him. “And I’m sorry if you were hurt.”
“Thank you. I mean, it’s no one’s fault. It’s not like we had time to discuss our past. I mean, we only had our meet-cute what, over an hour ago?”
“Meet what?”
“You know,” she nudged him with her elbow. “Our meet-cute. The cute story we’re going to tell everyone when they ask how we met. Or is it meet-sex in this case?” She shook her head. “Anyway, maybe you’re right. About the going slow thing. I just … I don’t wanna fuck this up, Cam.”
The sincerity in her voice made his heart twitch. “You won’t … I mean, we won’t,” he reassured her.
“Good.” She grinned up at him. “Actually, I just realized something hilarious.”
He caressed the side of her face. “And what’s that?”
“Anders asked me to the same shindig,” she said with a chuckle. “Can you imagine if I had shown up on his arm at the ball?”
“What?” A strange, tight ball curled up in his chest. “He asked you out? On a date?”
“Only because he had no one else. And I said no, obviously. But what if I did come and we met and—” Her brows knitted together. “Wait … are you jealous?”
“Jealous?” His voice pitching higher than he expected. “I do not get jealous.” His bear, on the other hand, begged to disagree. Oh, shut up.
“Uh-huh.” The corners of her lips tugged up. “Anyway … can we move on? Fresh start?”
The idea of J.D. and Anders going to that ball was still making his head buzz, but he swallowed those unnamed emotions. “All right. How about we get some dessert?”
The rest of the evening proceeded with much less excitement. Damon, Anna Victoria, Gabriel, and Temperance came back, and they were also joined by Daniel Rogers and his mate, Sarah and her brother Adam. There was no more talk of the past, and Cam found himself at ease.
When things finally wound down, he escorted J.D. back to her truck in the parking lot.
“You got a ride home?” she asked as she unlocked her door.
“Yes.” He nodded to the dark blue Range Rover on the other side of the lot. “I’m renting a flat in South Blackstone, though I’m hardly there. With work and my research taking up a lot of my time, most nights I just nap in one of the dorm beds, especially after a night shift. But since the offices will be closed down for the holiday, I suppose I’ll have to go home.”
“Right.” Turning around, she faced him and placed her hand on his chest. “So … are we still doing this going slow thing?”
“Of course.” He cupped her face with both hands, thumbs caressing her cheeks, and stared down into those marvelous eyes of her. “I want to get to know you better.”
Her lids lowered, her lashes casting shadows over her cheekbones. “What do you want to know?” she asked in a low, sensuous tone.
“For one thing …” He lowered his head toward hers. “What does J.D. stand for?”
“Whoa.” She pressed her palms firmly on his shoulders. “I thought we were slowing down.”
“What’s wrong with your real name?”
“Nothing,” she said. “It’s just … I’ll tell you some other time, okay? When I’m ready.”
“Fine. But how about you tell me what your animal is.” His bear, too, was itching to know.
She took a step back. “I said slow down, not put it on light speed there, champ.”
He frowned. “So, you won’t tell me your real name or your animal? Is there something the matter?”