by Carrie Elks
A smile flittered on her lips as she walked down the hallway. “Okay, I’m coming.”
In the living room, Josh was standing next to his project. The diagram of a man had been mounted onto thick cardboard with a stand at the back since she’d last seen it. It was complete, each part of his anatomy labeled, and of course in true Josh style, there was a lot of blood splattered around his body.
“Do you like it?” Josh asked, clapping his hands together. “We finished it. I’ve even been practicing my presentation. Cam says I’m a natural.”
Cam? Mia turned her head to the sofa, where Michael and Cam were sitting, their body positions mirror images of each other. Leaning back on the cushions, their long legs sprawled out, with matching grins on their faces.
Mia swallowed. “Hi.” Her eyes were wary as they met Cam’s. “I didn’t know you were coming.” Ugh, could she sound any less welcoming?
“I gave Michael a ride home from practice. He was telling me about the project, so I thought I could help.” Cam gave her a grin. “I know a lot about anatomy.”
She bit down a smart retort. “That’s really kind of you. Thank you.”
“Cam ordered some pizzas, too,” Josh said. “Isn’t that cool? He said you shouldn’t have to come home and cook every night.”
Cam lifted his eyebrows, that smile still ghosting his lips. She rolled her eyes at him, and it widened.
“That’s very nice of Cam,” Mia said. “But I don’t mind cooking.”
“I just heard that things got dicey around here at six,” Cam told her. “I kind of wanted to experience it for myself.”
“Mom shouts a lot when she’s cooking,” Josh told him. “But she’s always better after she eats.”
“She’s probably hangry.” Cam nodded. “I get like that, too.” He looked over at her. “Do you want me to grab you a cookie while we wait for the pizza?”
“I think I can manage,” she said dryly. “But thanks for your concern.”
“I’m thinking of it as life preservation. I’ve seen you angry before.”
Arching an eyebrow, she tipped her head to the side. “You haven’t seen anything, pal.”
Ugh that smirk. It did things to her. Things that she had no right feeling when her sons were in the room. “I’ll go get some plates out,” she told them. “Ready for the pizza.” And to get some distance from Cam. Having him here was confusing.
“Can I do my presentation first, Mom?” Josh asked her. “I’ve been waiting really patiently.”
She blew out a mouthful of air. “Of course, honey. I can’t wait to see it.”
Cam moved his right leg at the same time Michael moved his left. “You can sit here,” Cam told her, patting the middle of the sofa.
“The chair is fine.”
“No, go on the sofa, Mom. I want you to be able to see it all.” Josh gave her a grin. “It’ll be like presenting to the class if you all sit in a row.”
Mia sat down in the gap Cam had made, pressing her arms tightly against her torso so no part of her body was touching his.
And then he relaxed next to her, splaying out until his thigh rubbed against hers. If she moved over, she’d be pushing herself against Michael, and she knew he’d protest. Better to stay ramrod straight and hope that Josh spoke quickly.
“Ladies and Gentlemen,” Josh announced. “Welcome to my show.”
“It’s a presentation, Josh,” Michael murmured.
“Okay. Welcome to my presentation.” Josh beamed. “I’m gonna tell you all about the human body. Blood, guts, and all. It’s squelchy and it’s disgusting, but somehow it all comes together in the end.”
From the corner of her eye, Mia could see Cam smile. Did he have to be so good looking?
“Let’s start at the beginning. With the skin. Did you know it’s the body’s largest organ? It’s a waterproof living layer that protects us. So we should take care of it. Keep it clean, moisturize like my mom does, and try not to cut it too much.”
Cam shifted his leg again. His thigh muscles felt like steel against hers.
Mia kept her eyes straight ahead as her son made his way down the body, taking particular glee at the workings of the bowel. “Did you know all that brown stuff is really just waste?” he asked them. “Our body takes out the good stuff and uses it, then bundles the rest up. It’s a shame it smells so bad. Particularly Michael’s.”
“If you use that in your presentation, you’re a dead man,” Michael told him.
Josh sighed dramatically. “But it’s funny. Cam told me to add in some jokes. Warm up the room.”
Mia turned to look at Cam. His eyes were already focused on her. He lifted a brow as though he had no idea why she was glaring at him. She pulled her gaze away and stared resolutely at Josh.
“Okay, so that wraps up my presentation,” Josh said when he’d finished, a broad grin on his face.
“You need to ask if anybody has a question,” Michael prompted him.
“Oh yeah.” Josh slapped his face with the palm of his hand. “I keep forgetting. Ladies and Gentlemen, do you have any questions?”
Cam put his hand up.
“Yes?” Josh grinned at him.
“What’s your favorite part of the human body?” Cam asked him.
Mia bit down a smile. That was actually a good question.
Josh pressed his finger to his lips, eyes narrowing as though he was deep in thought. Then his face lit up. “The anus,” he told them. “That’s where all the waste goes out. If we didn’t let the waste out, we’d slowly be poisoned. So that’s probably the most important part of our body, and therefore my favorite.”
Cam was shaking next to her, his mouth twitching in an attempt not to laugh. Mia elbowed him in the waist, wincing as her bone connected with his hard muscle.
“Ow.”
Michael turned to look at them. “What’s happening?”
“Your mom elbowed me,” Cam told him. “It hurt.”
“It hurt me more. Your body must be made of titanium or something,” Mia muttered, rubbing her arm.
“Actually, Mom, bodies are made of cells,” Josh pronounced. “Tiny little production factories that make us up. Isn’t that cool?”
Cam leaned in closer to her. “You hurt my cells,” he whispered. “My tiny little production factories might go on strike.”
She shot him a look that made him grin widely. He was enjoying this.
Yeah, and maybe so was she. Just a little. It was nice having another adult here. Maybe too nice.
The doorbell rang, and Michael jumped to his feet. “It’s pizza time,” he said, rubbing his palms together.
“I’ll get some money,” Mia said, pushing herself away from Cam. She was thankful for the space. Her body needed it.
“Cam already paid with his card,” Josh told her. “He ordered on the app. It’s cool.”
She looked at Cam who shrugged. “I’ll add it to your bill,” he told her, standing and rubbing the back of his neck. “Come on, let’s go eat pizza.”
He liked watching Mia when she didn’t know his eyes were on her. Cam sat at the kitchen table, his long thighs crossed as he sipped on a mug of coffee. He’d tried to help clean up, but Mia had shooed him away, telling him if he was buying dinner, then he didn’t get to tidy up, too.
Instead, she’d made him coffee and he’d sat down and watched as Michael rinsed the plates and Josh loaded the dishwasher.
Sam still had an old fashioned drip filter machine, the kind Cam could remember growing up with. It was surprising how good it tasted, even though his buds were more used to flat whites and Americanos than simple old fashioned drip.
“We’re done,” Josh said, closing the dishwasher with a loud bang. Cam smiled into his mug. He really liked Mia’s kids, despite their first awkward meeting. Josh was cute and funny and always made everybody smile.
Michael was more complicated. Part of that came from his age. And some probably came from being the eldest man in the family – if you
didn’t count Sam. Cam could remember how his mom’s death had made all the brothers grow up. It had made them more protective of Becca, too, much to her disgust.
Michael probably felt the same way about Josh.
“Can I go upstairs and finish my homework?” Michael asked.
“Sure, go ahead.” Mia nodded.
“Can I go up, too?” Josh asked, always wanting to be like his big brother. “I can think about my presentation while I play on my tablet.”
“Okay, but say thanks to Cam for dinner first.”
“Thanks.” Josh threw his arms around Cam’s neck. He froze for a moment, then wrapped his arms around the little boy’s body. “I love pizza so much. You made my life a better place today.”
Cam looked over Josh’s shoulder at Mia. She was watching them, her face expressionless.
“You’re welcome, buddy. Break a leg tomorrow.”
“He means good luck,” Michael interjected before Josh could say anything. “Seriously, don’t break anything.”
Cam laughed. “Yep, no trips to the ER. Your mom would kill me.”
“Thanks for your help. It looks so cool on that stand. I think I’m going to get an A.”
Josh hugged him again, then ran out of the room.
Michael gave him a nod. “Thanks. The food was great.”
“It’s a pleasure.”
Mia was leaning on the counter, her mug in her hands as she sipped at her hot coffee. As Michael left, she stayed exactly where she was, her gaze fixed on Cam. The room was loaded with silence, punctuated by her soft breaths. Her chest was rising and falling rhythmically, the sharp lines of her collarbone visible through the open neck of her cream blouse.
“You should always wear skirts,” Cam told her. “Your legs look amazing.”
She put her cup down on the counter. “I wasn’t expecting to see you here.” She didn’t sound angry. More perplexed than anything.
“I wanted to help. You’re busy, Michael was bitching about having to finish this project, and I know that Josh likes me. It felt like the perfect solution to come and work with him. I wasn’t kidding, I know a lot about anatomy. I studied it at college. My plan was to help, then leave when you got home, but then you didn’t come home and the boys were hungry, so I ordered food.” Cam shrugged. “That’s it. No hidden agenda. I’m not trying to rile you.”
“I know.” She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. “I’m glad you were here. Josh looks so happy.”
“He’s a good kid.”
“Michael seems to like you a bit better, too.” Her lips curled. “You’re obviously growing on him.”
Cam sipped his coffee. “How about his mom? Am I growing on her?”
Her gaze flickered to the door. The boys were long gone. She swallowed, her delicate neck undulating. Damn, he really wanted to dip his hand beneath that silky blouse. Not touching her was a kind of torture. He knew exactly what to do to make her breath stutter and her face heat up. He wanted to part those pretty lips, and push his way inside.
“You need to stop looking at me like that.” She shifted almost imperceptibly. He could see the way her thighs were squeezing together.
The memory of them wrapped around his hips made him ache.
“Like what?” He gazed at her steadily.
“Like you’re about to bend me over the kitchen table.”
Cam laughed loudly. “I’m not about to bend you anywhere, Mia. I have extremely good control.” He might be thinking about it, but he wasn’t going to do it. “The other reason I’m here is because I need to tell you something.”
“What?”
“I have to travel to Boston tomorrow. I’ll be gone for the weekend.”
Her face fell. “So no Saturday morning for us?”
He liked the sound of disappointment in her voice. It echoed the feeling that overwhelmed him when his agent called and told him he had a meeting at Freedom Field – no ifs, ands, or buts. The team wanted to see if he’d made any decisions, and he owed them that.
Didn’t mean he wasn’t pissed that he wouldn’t be inside Mia this weekend.
“No Saturday for us,” he confirmed. “Does that upset you?”
She glanced at him speculatively. “No, I was thinking I’d rather clean the house anyway. I just didn’t know how to break it to you.” The corner of her eyes crinkled.
“You always did like dirty things.”
Mia shook her head. “Not dirty things. Dirty people. You.” She shifted against the counter.
“I’ll call you when I’m gone. Check in on how your presentation went, and Josh’s.”
“You don’t need to do that. You’re not…” She screwed her nose up. “I don’t know. You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”
“I want to.” His voice was firm. “I want to talk to you.”
Two pink circles heated her cheeks. “I’d like that,” she said huskily.
“Why are you still standing all the way over there? Come and sit here,” he suggested, patting the chair next to him. He wanted to feel the heat of her body radiating against his. To smell the soft fragrance of her shampoo. To touch her, the way his fingers were aching to.
“I can’t. If I come over, I’ll want to touch you.” Her voice was breathy.
His lips quirked. She felt it, too. “So that’s it? We have to have a six foot exclusion zone between us whenever we’re in public?” he teased. “Just in case I feel the urge to strip you naked and take you in the town square.”
She grinned. “It wouldn’t hurt.”
“How about we go outside instead? You can show me all the flowers you’ve planted.”
“I haven’t planted any… oh!” It took a second for the penny to drop. “Outside, yeah, that would be a good idea.”
Away from the boys, and any prying eyes. He needed to see her, to touch her, be close to her.
In the hallway she slipped on a pair of sneakers, and led him toward the back door. He didn’t touch her – not yet. Instead he shadowed her, his strong, hard body a breath away from hers.
The air outside was cool. Every time the wind gusted, a shower of leaves scattered over the verdant lawn, coloring it in vibrant hues.
Mia led him around the corner of the house. As soon as they were out of sight, he wrapped his hands around her waist and spun her around, pressing her back against the rough bricks as he lowered his mouth to hers.
Their kiss was needy. Days of pent up want exploded as he devoured her with his lips, stroked her tongue with his, dug his fingers into her hips, and pressed his body against hers.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, sighing against his lips. “I’ve missed you.”
“Missed you, too.” He kissed her neck, then slid his lips to that open vee of her blouse, kissing a line along her collarbone. “I’ve changed my mind. You need to stop dressing like this. It’s inappropriate.”
“I’m wearing a blouse and skirt. There’s nothing more appropriate.”
“But it’s bringing up all my older woman fantasies. Teachers with rulers, slapping them against their palms.” He kissed the swell of her breast. “Librarians with glasses and sensible skirts.” Nudging his nose against the top of her bra, he brushed his lips against her cleavage, then brought his hand up to cover her soft breast. “You do things to me with these clothes.”
“If you ask to call me mommy, I’m leaving,” she warned, then tensed as he pushed her bra down and tugged her nipple between his lips.
“Cam… not here.” She sounded torn. “We can’t.”
“I know.” He flicked her with his tongue. “But fuck, I want to.”
“Me, too.” She ran her fingers through his hair. God, that felt good. But then every time she touched him it felt amazing.
“I don’t think I can last another week without my balls exploding,” he told her, pulling his face reluctantly away from her chest. He buttoned up her blouse until her collar was tight against her neck. “There, that’s better. Now I’m not thinking d
irty thoughts about your breasts.”
“You aren’t?” She grinned at him.
“Okay, I still am, but I always am. There’s only one option left, this week we’ll have to resort to online therapy.”
“Is that what we’re still calling it?” Her voice was playful.
“It’s what it is.” He nodded seriously. “It’s another step in your rehab process. How’s your dirty talking game?”
“Non existent.” She blushed. “I’ve never done that on the phone.”
“Never?” His brows lifted. “Jesus, Mia, we have some work to do. This is going to take extra sessions.” He leaned in closer, brushing her cheek with his lips. “Tonight you need to be naked and in bed by ten. When I call, you answer, no questions.”
“You’re bossy.”
“And you love it.”
The smile on her face told him that she did. And he loved it, too. The way she responded to him every time he touched her. The way her breath quickened as he sucked her nipple into his mouth.
The way she touched him like she really cared.
Whoa! Where did that thought come from?
“I guess I should go,” he said, raking his fingers through his hair. “You have your presentation to work on.”
“When will you be back from Boston?” she asked him.
“I’m not sure. Early next week, I hope. Don’t worry, I won’t cancel on you twice.”
“Is it important? Your meeting?”
He shrugged. “Just routine stuff.” Lies, all lies. But he didn’t want her sympathy. Not when he could have her body.
“Okay, then. Be safe.”
“I will. And you, too.” He took a step back. “Good luck tomorrow.”
“Thanks.” Cam lifted a hand in goodbye.
He was almost at the gate when she called out. “Hey!”
He turned to look at her. Her eyes were bright, her head tipped to the side. “Yeah?” he asked. Damn he really didn’t want to leave her right now. She looked too good for that.
“Good luck in Boston.”
He grinned. “Thanks.”
Yeah, he’d take that. Because he had a feeling he was going to need it.
Chapter Twenty