recently, and I guess I’m a bit shocked to have run into him like this.”
Jeremiah pulled me close and leaned in to whisper in my ear. “I can’t wait to hear this story. You’ve been holding out on me.”
I turned and met his gaze. “It was my pride, but I will tell you.”
“When did all this go down?”
“A little over a year and a half ago.”
His smile was evil. “In the hotel, the first time, when you said it had been a while, you weren’t kidding.”
“I have to be serious about someone before I…you know.”
His chuckle was filthy. “Really? This is what you’re going with?”
I glared at him. “Are we not serious?”
“Yeah, now,” he baited me, laughing as he leaned in and kissed my temple.
He was right. It had taken Troy weeks to get me into bed. It had taken Jeremiah stepping into my hotel room.
“You’re kinda easy,” he whispered in my ear before he kissed the side of my neck. “Did you know?”
Only for him. Only ever for him.
He lifted his head and focused on Derek, which was my cue to do the same. I noted how uncomfortable Derek appeared.
“I didn’t want to hear from you,” I said to my ex-friend, and he turned from Jeremiah back to me. “I’m sure you understand why.”
“I—yes, I do.”
Other people appeared around him then, people who used to be in my orbit but had disappeared with Troy and Derek.
“Holy shit, Cameron,” Miles something-or-other gasped when he realized it was me. “How are you? I’ve been trying to get a hold of you. My brother and I are starting a new business, and we need advice on how to get it up and running. You were so great when you set up my business with Troy, and I was hoping you could help me again.”
I had provided many of Troy’s friends with free services and advice. “You can call the firm, but I’m more on the management end of things now, mergers and acquisitions. We definitely have people on staff who can help you, though.”
He was taken aback; I could read it on his face. He’d expected me to simply say yes, but that wasn’t me anymore. I valued myself more now.
Farrow Thompson, who’d been standing next to Miles whatever, reached out to touch my cheek. “We’re all on our way to Mammoth for the long weekend. You and your friend should come with; it’s going to be wonderful. My father bought an adorable little eight-bedroom log cabin up there, so we won’t be crowded at all. And we’re having a party Saturday night.”
She’d always been nice to me, probably because I’d given her some sound financial advice that, because she’d taken it, had impressed her father. He and I had met in Vegas for Troy’s birthday weekend, the year he turned thirty-five.
“That’s very kind of you to ask.” I smiled at her. “But we’re only in town until Sunday afternoon. We have to drive back to Sacramento.”
“Sacramento? Whatever for?” She seemed altogether repulsed.
“You don’t live in Pacifica anymore?” Derek asked. “I loved that house. It was so close to the beach.”
“We go back and forth,” Jeremiah chimed in. “But only for another two years, and then we’ll be back full-time.”
“Ah, so you two live together?” Farrow surmised.
“We do.” He offered her what, for him, was a rather cool smile, before turning to me. “Could I speak to you a second?”
“Of course,” I replied smoothly, even though my heart stopped.
I made our excuses to the group, and we turned and headed down the sidewalk a ways before he rounded on me, arms crossed.
“Yes?”
“Don’t you say yes all cute and innocent. Tell me what’s going on, because I was under the impression I was going home alone, and my heart nearly stopped when you said differently, so––”
“Yours too?”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake, Cameron,” he yelled at me. “You make my heart stop and start all the goddamn time!”
“I do?”
He shot me a death glare.
I was certain my face lit up with the smile I couldn’t contain. “I was going to tell you when we got home, but my boss gave me permission to work out of our Sacramento office for however long I want. I wasn’t sure if maybe you were looking forward to having your own space, though, and––”
He kissed me, right there in the middle of the sidewalk. It wasn’t gentle, it was possessive and dirty, and his hand around my throat, making sure I couldn’t move, the dominance and yearning at the