“That it takes time for you to warm up to and trust people, especially when your heart is involved.”
He nodded. “It does.”
With Troy, that faith had been misplaced, and Cameron had paid a price for it, in self-doubt and self-recrimination.
“But it’s been different with me,” I professed, grinning at him. “With me, you dived right in.”
“Yes, I did.”
“So did I. I’m not in the habit of inviting people into my life, but you, honest to God, it was like the sun came out.”
His eyes fluttered closed, and he lifted his face, as though into a soft wind, and took a breath before he smiled.
“I need you to know that I see you. You loving Troy––”
“That wasn’t love,” he corrected adamantly, eyes open, staring at me.
“You thought he was special enough to marry.”
His breath caught. “But it never felt like this. It never felt the way it does with you.”
“Well, that’s good.” I took his face in my hands. “But I don’t care who you loved before me, who you were going to marry before me. It doesn’t matter, and it definitely doesn’t make me think more or less of you, because none of it has anything to do with you and me.”
“No, it doesn’t,” he agreed.
“So let’s be done with ancient history and focus on our present and our future.” After a moment, I got a nod.
“I thought you were going to say we should focus on the here and now, and not put ‘future’ in there.”
I scoffed. “Please, I know better’n that. You not worry about the future? Is that even possible? Why would I purposely stress you out by skipping something like that?”
“You wouldn’t.” He sighed.
“No, I wouldn’t.”
“Because you’re perfect.”
“Ooooh, I like ’em crazy,” I teased, leaning in to kiss him. “Makes it easy to get ’em into bed.”
“I meant you’re perfect for me,” he purred, and I heard his breath catch in anticipation. “And please, Jeremiah, for God’s sake, yes, take me to bed.”
Quick peck, and I stood and slammed the door shut, then ran back around the car to jump into the driver’s seat. Him laughing so hard he could barely breathe was a welcome sound.
18
Cameron
Even though we had both agreed to live in the present and the future, it was hard not to think about the last time Troy had been in my house, bent on seduction. It was a stupid memory, but we’d been talking about him all night, so it made sense that I was dragging it with me when I walked through the door. The second the door closed, though, and I was knocked back into it, held there with one hand, the breath being kissed out of me, it was like the ghost of who I’d been evaporated into the ether. This was Jeremiah, who I loved and trusted, eying me dangerously, and the combination of the two, the trust and the heat, brought a noise from deep in my chest that would have been embarrassing in front of anyone else on the planet.
When he pinned me to the door, taking my mouth and letting me feel his hard cock as he ground it against me, I wrapped my arms around his neck so he couldn’t get away.
I was sensible; I knew kisses that made your stomach flutter, your breath catch, and your pulse quicken didn’t happen every day. The roll of arousal that made my own cock thicken and my ass clench in response came from more than Jeremiah being a great kisser. He wanted me. Oh God, did he want me, and to both feel that and know it, deep down inside, was overwhelming.
Each scalding kiss made me moan his name before he took a delicate bite of my earlobe, his breath hot on the side of my neck. I begged then, and it was shameless, but I didn’t care.
“You’ll tell me if you want to top,” he whispered. “Promise me.”
It had never been my preference, but I would give him anything. “If you want that or need it or…oh,” I mewled as he put his hand between us and groped me through my jeans. “I would take such good care of you, I swear.”
“I like this,” he husked, working open my belt and then the button on my jeans, slow with the zipper before his fingers reached under the waistband of my briefs and traced over the leaking head of my cock. “Having you in my hands.”
“Please.” My voice caught when he dropped to his knees,