by Aurora Rey
“Oh.” How was it that Lauren reduced her to single syllable answers?
Lauren crossed the room and slid her hands around Cam’s waist. Cam reciprocated, resting her hands just above the swell of Lauren’s bum. “You’re adorable. You know that?”
Cam felt her lip curl. “Not adorable. That’s the kiss of death.”
Lauren leaned back but didn’t let go. “What does that mean?”
“Adorable. It’s like the least sexy compliment ever.” God. Did she really just say that?
“I think it’s plenty sexy.”
Cam shook her head. “No. Puppies are adorable.”
“Would you feel better if I called you smokin’ hot?”
Cam didn’t let go, but she closed her eyes and moved one hand to pinch the bridge of her nose. “No. I mean, yes. But no. Can we finish hanging pictures, please?”
Lauren laughed. Like, threw her head back and really laughed. Her grip on Cam tightened. “Do you not want to get me back into bed, then?”
It had been only a few days since they’d slept together, but Cam hadn’t been able to stop thinking about the possibility of doing it again. She couldn’t know if it was the press of Lauren’s body or the suggestive comment, but her own body responded with no trace of ambiguity. And though it wasn’t really her nature to banter in that way, something about Lauren made her bold. “Oh, I didn’t say that at all. It’s just not why I offered to move furniture and hang pictures.”
Lauren did step away then, but she gave Cam’s bum a quick squeeze first. “So why did you offer?”
“I’m a nice person and you needed help.”
Lauren raised a brow that was pure incredulity. “Really? Hero complex?”
The comment struck a nerve, although not in an altogether bad way. Still, she didn’t need to own it. “I wasn’t trying to get in your bed when I came and pulled you out of that ditch.”
Lauren poked a finger right into Cam’s chest. “Exactly. You were playing hero.”
She’d walked right into that one. “But that was a favor to Charlotte.”
Lauren gave her a bland look.
“Maybe I do enjoy helping out now and again. It makes me feel good.” Why did she suddenly feel self-conscious about it?
“I won’t say that’s adorable, but it is very sweet.” Lauren leaned in and kissed her. “And I appreciate you helping me hang pictures.”
They spent the next hour doing exactly that. Well, first they had a brief argument about the absurdity of some of the paintings Lauren had selected—woodland creatures in tweed blazers and reading glasses. “They’re trendy,” Cam said with a scowl.
“But by a local artist,” Lauren countered.
“They’re kitschy.”
“They cost two hundred quid each. And I’m going to keep the artist’s contact info for anyone who wants to visit her gallery.”
Cam couldn’t bring herself to counter that argument. And they were cute. Just so bloody trendy.
They finished sorting the furniture—the old, the new, the pieces they’d refinished together. At least in the rooms that were otherwise done. The floors of the previously carpeted rooms still needed a few days of drying and a final coat of varnish.
Even without the bedding or the little odds and ends that would make the rooms homey, Cam was impressed with the results. The changes weren’t dramatic, but every room felt fresher and lighter, updated without being modern or jarring. Hipster animals notwithstanding. “You’ve done a really nice job, you know. With everything.”
Lauren planted her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes. “Camden Crawley, are you complimenting me?”
They’d moved past the initial animosity. Or, perhaps more accurately, Cam’s animosity. And her suspicion. But this teasing felt new, different. “I am and it’s well deserved. Especially after I gave you such a hard time.”
Lauren offered her a seductive smile. “Okay, now I know you’re just trying to get me back into bed.”
This kind of playful back and forth wasn’t typically her style, but something about Lauren brought it out in her. It didn’t feel entirely natural, but it was rather nice. “Can’t it be both? I think you’ve done a bang-up job and I want to get you in the sack?”
“It can most definitely be both.”
Cam bit the inside of her cheek. Why the hell not? “When can we schedule that? The getting back in the sack part.”
Lauren seemed to consider it for a long moment. “Well, there’s tonight. And tomorrow night. And the night after that.”
Since she was on a roll, Cam pressed on. “Are we talking an either/or situation here?”
Lauren angled her head slightly. “I wouldn’t be opposed to a both/and. Maybe even all three.”
Even though they’d only slept together the once, Cam had the nagging feeling that getting enough of Lauren would be an elusive goal. That should probably worry her. It did, actually. But not enough to eclipse how badly she wanted her hands on Lauren again. How badly she wanted the feeling of Lauren over her, under her, wrapped completely around her. “That could be arranged. Want to come to my house for dinner? I’ll cook for you this time, not just get you drunk.”
“I wasn’t drunk.” Lauren poked a finger at her. “Tipsy, maybe, but I was fully in control of my faculties.”
Cam had a flashback to the way Lauren’s body responded to her touch, the way Lauren drove her absolutely crazy. “Yes, I’d say you were.”
“But I’m not going to turn down dinner. What can I bring?”
“Not a thing.” Cam looked around the room. “Are we done here, at least for the time being?”
Lauren’s gaze followed and she nodded. “I think so. I really can’t thank you enough for all your help.”
“I’m not doing all that much. I mean, the carpet, yes. And reining in some of your crazier ideas. It’s been fun, though, and I’m convinced I’m getting more out of this arrangement than you are.”
“It’s a mutually beneficial arrangement.”
Cam smiled. That was one way of describing it. “The very best kind.”
* * *
After Cam left, Lauren spent a couple of hours in her office, then embarked on a lazy pampering and grooming regimen. Given the amount of manual labor she’d been up to, it felt more like a necessity than an indulgence. She took her time getting dressed, then checked her reflection in the mirror and tucked a loose bit of hair behind her ear. She was going for casual but sexy. If that was even a thing. She left the bathroom and went to her dresser, picking up her favorite perfume and spritzing a little behind each ear and between her breasts.
Why was she nervous?
She’d been to Cam’s already. They’d had sex already. All the pressure should be off. Only this time it was a given they’d sleep together. It wouldn’t be some impulsive thing, giving in to a moment under the soft haze of a few drinks. No, this was intentional, deliberate.
She couldn’t stop that from translating into having meaning. Or the possibility of meaning. Were they dating? Did she want to be dating? She’d never been obsessed with labels and had certainly had her share of hookups and friends with benefits through the years. This felt different, though. And she definitely got the sense Cam didn’t operate that way.
Lauren slipped on a pair of flats and shook off the unease. She didn’t feel the need to define it and, if Cam did, then it was on her to figure it out or start a conversation. Right? Right.
She grabbed her phone and the keys to Albert’s car, mentally reminding herself that it was her car now. She’d just started to chuckle at herself when the phone rang. She smiled. Anja.
“Hey, girl.”
“How would you feel if I descended on you a week early?”
“Uh.” She’d love to see Anja sooner rather than later, but she wasn’t ready for the photo shoots yet. “Does that mean you have to leave a week early, too?”
“No, I’d crash with you for a full three weeks, unless that’s too much.”
&n
bsp; Lauren did a little happy dance at the answer. “There’s no such thing as too much. I just wanted to make sure you’re not in a hurry to take pictures. I’m still a work in progress over here.”
“I’ll help,” Anja said quickly.
Anja was always ready to lend a hand, but something in her tone seemed off. “You okay?”
Anja groaned. “Yes. No, but yes. I was going to stay in Nice a couple of weeks, but I’m not feeling it anymore.”
Lauren put two and two together. “Did things head south with Collette?”
Another groan. “She asked me to move in with her.”
She fought the urge to laugh. “Horror of all horrors.”
“Don’t make fun. I think she was thinking about the M word.”
“I’m sorry. I really am. Especially since you were only dating for like a month.”
“Right? Even if I was the marrying sort, I’d be like, slow the fuck down. Christ.”
Lauren did laugh then. For a woman so adamant about never settling down with a single person, Anja had the terrible luck of having women fall in love with her at the drop of a hat. “I would love to have you here for as long as you can stand to be in one place.”
“Aw. Even if you’re just saying that for free labor, it’s sweet.”
She thought about the look of concentration on Cam’s face as she measured and banged in nails, the reluctant amusement at some of her quirkier artwork selections. “I’ll never turn down the help, but things are in better shape than I thought.”
“Did you cave and hire out more of it? I don’t blame you.”
“Sort of. I enlisted Cam’s help in exchange for a photo shoot and a website.” Although she had a sneaking suspicion Cam would have helped her regardless.
“Oh, so you just hired me out. Genius, you.”
She appreciated the irony, even if she didn’t agree with the sentiment. “I’m paying you for all the photo shoots.”
“No, you’re not. You’re letting me stay for free in exchange for labor.”
Lauren rolled her eyes. “We can argue about it when you arrive.”
“Deal. So, what are you up to tonight?”
At the thought of her plans, Lauren’s stomach did a flip. “Cam’s making me dinner and then taking me to bed.”
The statement was met with silence.
“Anja? You there?” Surely Anja wasn’t scandalized. Lauren had told her about hooking up with Cam after their cocktail tasting.
“Huh? Oh, yeah. Just processing that.”
“What’s there to process? We’ve already slept together.”
“Yeah, but sleeping together and making plans to sleep together are two different things.” Of course Anja would go and have the same thought she’d just managed to shove out of her brain.
“Not really, though.” More silence. Like a good twenty seconds. Damn it. “I mean, yes, it’s intentional this time. But it doesn’t have to mean anything.”
“It does not.”
Anja’s agreement did more to get under her skin than flat-out denial. She had a unique talent to turn a mirror back on a situation and make Lauren see all the things she was trying to ignore. “But it might.”
“Yes, it might.”
Lauren closed her eyes. “I won’t know either way if I’m late and blow my chance.”
Anja laughed. She had a great laugh. Lauren was pretty sure women fell halfway in love with her for that alone. “Go. Get laid. Be merry.”
“Thank you. When will I see you?”
“I’m going to change my flight and I’ll send you the details. I can’t wait to see this place. Oh, and this woman you’ve bedded.”
Lauren laughed in spite of herself. “I’m excited to see you.”
“You, too, lady.”
Lauren ended the call and headed out the back door that led to the garage. She wouldn’t be late, but she was cutting it close. She got into the car and hurried on her way, happy to focus her attention on the road instead of what her night with Cam might or might not mean.
Chapter Eighteen
Lauren pulled into the tiny drive adjacent to Cam’s house. She sat for a minute, pulling herself back from the swirl of her thoughts and into the moment. The moment mattered, not the rest of it. She’d come to England to live in the moment, to seize it. She didn’t need to know what the future held, at least not right now.
She’d just started up the walk when the front door opened and Cam appeared. She looked freshly showered and relaxed in a pair of jeans and a short-sleeved shirt. “Hello again.”
This gorgeous woman was happy to see her, spend the night with her. This was a moment she could get behind. Lauren smiled and let the rest of her worries melt away. “Hi.”
Cam took her hand and pulled her into the house. “I’m just roasting a chicken. I hope that’s okay.”
Lauren considered her meager attempts at cooking. She’d managed a roasted chicken once or twice, but considered it an impressive feat. Maybe now wasn’t the time to own that. “Sounds and smells delicious.”
“I thought we could eat outside. There aren’t that many evenings around these parts good for it.”
She followed Cam through the small living room to the kitchen. “I’d love that. I’ve actually been thinking about adding some outdoor seating at the pub. Do you think I’d need a permit? Just a few tables where the sidewalk is wide.”
Cam angled her head. “I don’t know, but I bet Jane would.”
Not that she had a few thousand extra dollars in her budget, but more seating meant she could accommodate more paying customers. Assuming, of course, she might get to the point of having capacity issues. “I’ll ask her.”
“Something to drink? I have wine, if you’d like.”
Lauren spied a half-empty pint glass on the counter. She’d surprised herself with how much of a beer drinker she’d become in a few short weeks. “Beer is fine.”
Cam opened the fridge. “I’ve got Guinness and Landlord Pale Ale.”
She’d yet to get on board with stouts. “I’ll take a pale ale.”
Cam poured the beer into a glass and handed it to her. “Cheers.”
While Cam carved the chicken and served up plates, Lauren told her about Anja’s accelerated arrival. Although still hesitant about being the subject of a photo shoot, Cam seemed genuine when she said she looked forward to meeting her. Which made sense, really. She’d learned a lot about Cam from getting to know Charlotte and, to a lesser extent, Cam’s family. Cam didn’t have that context for her.
She imagined sitting at the bar with Cam and Anja, Charlotte chiming in from the other side while she pulled pints. It was so vivid, so damned cozy, it made her breath catch.
“Are you okay?” Cam looked at her with concern.
Lauren shook off the sensation—mentally and physically. “Totally. Just a chill.”
“I can get you a sweater or something.”
So chivalrous. Did Cam even do it intentionally or was it ingrained? “I’m good. Promise. Let’s eat.”
They sat outside in what might have been the most charming garden Lauren had ever seen. Climbing vines dripping with flowers, herbs whose aromas wafted every time the breeze stirred. It was almost enough to make Lauren forget about what was to come. Almost. “This is magical.”
“My mum has a green thumb. I’m a novice compared to her, but I like getting my hands in the dirt. Growing things.”
“You’re full of surprises, you know that?”
Cam blushed. “I’ve plans to grow vegetables, but I haven’t managed to carve out enough time.”
Much like the mental image of cozy time at the pub, Lauren’s mind took off. She could see Cam on her knees, hands in the dirt. And she was right there with her, in garden gloves and a big floppy hat. What had gotten into her? “That sounds nice, but this is very pretty.”
Cam smirked. “This isn’t entirely impractical. I bring the herbs to work and use them.”
“Of course you do.” It should
n’t be so charming, but it was. Cam, like the garden, was turning out to be the manifestation of a fantasy Lauren didn’t even know she had.
“You’re making fun of me, aren’t you?”
Lauren shook her head. She couldn’t admit just how far she was from making fun. “Not at all.”
“I’m going to take you to bed now. You’ll have to take me seriously there.”
The playfulness proved even more seductive than Cam at her most serious. Rather than assuring Cam she took her plenty seriously, Lauren lifted a shoulder in a casual shrug. “I guess you’ll just have to show me.”
They paused only long enough to bring the dishes inside. Cam waved off her offer to help wash. “Bed.”
Lauren tucked her hand into Cam’s and followed her to the back of the house. It was such a casually intimate gesture, at once foreign and familiar. Lauren couldn’t take her eyes off of Cam’s fingers, couldn’t stop herself from imagining them on her skin, in her hair. Her breath caught for the second time that night. Only this time didn’t come laden with meaning. No, this was one hundred percent desire.
In the bedroom, Cam flicked on a single lamp. She turned to face Lauren and rested her hands on the swell of Lauren’s hips. Anticipation pulsed through her, without the worry of what might happen after. “I’ll confess I’ve been thinking about getting you back here since the moment you left.”
Lauren’s smile was slow and sexy. “Then I’ll confess I’ve been thinking about being here. You leave quite the impression on a girl.”
Cam thought back to the first time, the way Lauren’s body responded to hers. Part of her wanted simply to re-create that night, to strip Lauren of her clothes and lay her on the bed and do everything she’d been thinking about and craving for days. She resisted, saying instead, “You can be the boss this time, if that’s what you want.”
She had the pleasure of watching Lauren’s eyes go wide. “I—”
“I’m teasing. Well, sort of. I know I pushed back last time, but it was more on principle than always needing to be on top.”
The surprise in Lauren’s eyes vanished. In its place, desire. It reinforced Cam’s own desire to drag her to the bed and do all sorts of wicked things to her. The only thing that stopped her was having just told Lauren she didn’t need to be in charge. And maybe a hint of curiosity about what it would be like to have Lauren running the show. Now that she’d made peace with her doing it in other arenas.