Total pages in book: 108
Estimated words: 103721 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 519(@200wpm)___ 415(@250wpm)___ 346(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103721 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 519(@200wpm)___ 415(@250wpm)___ 346(@300wpm)
And I don’t admit how much that saddens me. How much I yearn for his touch.
Plan, Cameron! Arrangement! This is a fucking arrangement!
I swallow as I fix a smile on my face. “Hey!”
He moves his eyes along my face, and I feel his gaze like it’s a trail of fire. From my chin to my lips to my nose and finally to my eyes. “Hey there, Houdini.”
“Houdini?”
“Yeah, you pulled a magic trick, disappearing after the meet. I was hoping to take you out for dinner to celebrate how great you did.”
My heart trips over itself in my chest. “My bad,” I say offhandedly. “I had plans with my parents, but you’re too kind. Though, I could have done better.”
“Spoken like a true athlete. Never satisfied.”
I shrug. “I didn’t compete on vault.”
“When I asked Evan about it, he said you have a twinge in your back. Can’t do something that hurts. Only makes it worse.”
I don’t know why it pleases me that he asked. “Yeah, I’m on the mend.”
“Great, I can’t wait to see you compete in all four events. You looked great out there,” he tells me, his eyes intent on mine. “As you do now.”
“Thanks,” I say breathlessly, though I do still try to draw in a deep breath. “I loved how you painted on your chest.”
He nods, a small smile pulling at his lips. “Would have been a great photo op for us.”
“It would have. Sorry I missed it. Though, you’ve gotten a lot of interaction on the photo of just you.”
“Eh, I think it’d be higher interaction if we were together.”
It should be illegal the way he says together. He makes it sound so dirty, so welcoming. I swallow at that, my chest aching from my pounding heart. I pull my gaze from his as I lift my phone, and with an unsteady voice, I say, “I finished our plan for this.” I gesture between us, and I watch as his eyes follow my hands before meeting my gaze once more.
“Are we sitting down to talk about it?”
“Um, we can. But I’m sending it to you now, and then we can just go off it,” I say, leaning back a bit to give us some space. I unlock my phone and send him my notes. “I want to get some B-roll footage today since we’re dressed up and all. Just little stuff, nothing too crazy—hand-holding, kisses on the cheek, and things like that. Once products come in, we’ll do videos for those.”
He nods. “I’d like to sit down and talk.”
I wave him off, trying to breathe without taking in his invigorating scent. It’s hard, and I know I look stupid breathing through my mouth, but a girl’s gotta do what she’s gotta do. I turn to set my phone on the counter. “Absolutely. No problem. I’ll look at my schedule.”
His arm comes around me, and a surprised yelp leaves my lips as he pulls me into his hard chest. I can feel the heat of his body pulsating into mine. He positions his face beside mine, and then I notice his phone. I smile brightly, and he does too as he snaps a photo. Then he presses his nose into my cheek, still grinning and looking every bit too fucking good. He inhales, and my eyes drift shut from the sensation. When his nose blazes its way to my ear, my breath catches. “Going to kiss you now, eh?”
“What?!” I squeak.
He chuckles against my ear. “Relax, Cam. I’m gonna kiss your cheek. As directed.”
Everything stops. The chattering, the laughing, hell, even my breathing, as he waits for me to stop him. I don’t, I can’t, as he slowly drags his lips along my cheek, leaving pure lava along my skin. I force my eyes to stay open, the fake grin on my face as he presses a smacking kiss to my cheek. I did plan this, but I didn’t expect the heat to gather so abruptly in my gut. When he nibbles along my jaw, I don’t have to act like I’m laughing. My giggles come out naturally, before he kisses the spot right below my ear, causing my breath to catch and my heart to take a tumble in my chest.
He pulls back, looking down at me. “That’s some good B-roll.”
Finding my voice, I agree, “Yeah, please send it to me.”
“I’ll need your number for that.”
“Yes. Yes, you would,” I decide, and then we exchange numbers. My hands shake as I plug his number into my phone. It gives me a giddy feeling that I know is super dangerous. When I finish, I set the phone down once more and cross my arms over my chest. He’s still very close to me, his scent and heat making it real hard to form coherent thoughts. I bring my fingers together to keep them from shaking, and I’m met with a low rumble from his chest.