by Tia Siren
Chapter Thirteen
Scarlett
I flipped on my new Bluetooth speaker, pulled up a sappy playlist on Amazon, and blared the smooth sound of Adele belting out a song about lost love. I had screwed up. Why in the hell I had thought it would be a good idea to tell Isaac I was engaged was beyond me. It was one of those things that had basically fallen out of my mouth before my brain had had a chance to stop it.
Now I had to figure out how to get Isaac to go away. One part of me almost wished he would do something violent enough to get arrested. On the other hand, I didn’t actually want him to hurt me. I felt as crazy as I knew Isaac to be. I was actually wishing violence on myself. I had to be losing my damn mind.
I had spent the day cleaning up. Now, I wished I hadn’t. I needed something to keep me busy, to keep my mind off everything. I grabbed my laptop—one of the few things that had been spared during Isaac’s rather violent temper tantrum. I checked my email and was disappointed not to see any emails from the many jobs I had applied to.
Way to kick a girl when she was down.
The sad music was dragging me into a serious funk. I was not a victim.
“I’m not a victim!” I stood up so fast, the dining chair flew across the room. “No way! You are not going to win, Isaac.”
I grabbed my phone, flipped through the stations, and put on something a little more upbeat. I needed to get mad. I wanted to be fierce. I wasn’t entirely sure how one became something they had never been before, but I was going to learn.
Mindset—that was what Hannah always told me. She was small but scrappy. She wasn’t much bigger than me, but no man would ever do to her what Isaac had done to me. Well, a man may try, but I was confident she would grab him by the balls and put a stop to anything she didn’t like.
I could be like that. I hoped. I wanted to be. If I was going to survive this thing with Isaac, I had to be. It wasn’t an option. I didn’t need Cameron. I didn’t need to lie. Screw Isaac.
The second I had the thought, goose bumps broke out across my skin and my stomach felt like it had been twisted into knots. My new fighter mentality was going to take some time to fully adopt.
The music was bumping, and Katy Perry was singing about roaring like a lion. I wanted to roar. I belted out the lyrics, pumping up my self-esteem with every line. I swayed my hips, bounced up and down, and let the energy of the music envelop me.
The song ended and the brief silence between tracks was all I needed to hear a knock on the door. It was like icy water being dumped over a fire. My palms felt slick and my legs began to shake. I wanted to run and hide in a closet. The only person who would be knocking on my door at eight thirty on a Monday night was Isaac.
Another knock, a little louder this time. My mouth went dry. I didn’t know what to do. Did I answer it? Did I call the police? And say what?
On legs that felt unsteady, I walked to the door and peered through the peephole. Relief flooded my body and left me feeling weak. I pulled it open and stared, unable to speak just yet.
“Are you alone?” the deep voice asked.
I nodded. “Radio,” I said by way of explanation with as few words as possible.
“Can we talk?” Cameron asked a little hesitantly.
My mouth opened and closed. I was so relieved to see him and yet so pissed. He had shut me down earlier. He’d had good reason, but it still smarted a bit.
“Now?” I asked, a little out of breath after my solo dance party.
He nodded his head. “At my place. I just put Ella to bed. I need to get back over there.”
“Talk?”
“Yes. Will you come over?”
I realized he was nearly shouting. The music was blaring so loud he had to raise his voice to be heard.
“Um, yeah. I’ll be right there,” I told him, feeling a little anxious.
“I’ll see you in a few.”
I shut off the speaker, took a few deep breaths to calm myself, and then looked at my reflection in the mirror. It would have to do. If I plastered on makeup, he would know I wanted to look good for him. That would look a little too desperate. Desperate was not attractive.
His silhouette on the front stoop of his house gave me comfort as I walked across our yards. Although he had shot down my idea, I knew, in my very soul, Cameron had my back. He would protect me. He would shelter me and give me the comfort I so desperately needed. The man was a natural protector.
“Hi,” I said, feeling a little sheepish.
“Hi,” he said with a warm smile. “Come inside. Did you eat?”
Just like that, three simple words and I felt so cared for. “I’m good. Thank you.”
“Did I interrupt something earlier?” he asked.
I felt a blush cover my cheeks. “Not really. I was just listening to some music.”
He chuckled. “We all were.”
“Sorry. You’re not going to give me a nuisance ticket, are you?” I joked.
He smirked. “I haven’t decided yet.”
He gestured for me to have a seat on the couch. I sat down and waited for him to tell me what was on his mind.
“I’ve been thinking about what you said earlier,” he started in that smooth baritone voice that made me feel as if he were caressing my skin.
“I’m sorry I brought it up.”
He shook his head and blessed me with a small smile. “It’s okay. I get it. You did what you thought would get him off your back. I’ve done some thinking on it. I want to help you.”
“You do?” I squeaked.
“I do. We need to talk about a few of the details, but I will do whatever I can to keep you safe. I know you’re worried. Anything I can do to help calm some of those fears, I’ll do it. If I have to stand outside your door in uniform with my gun at the ready, I’ll do it.”
“Thank you, but you don’t have to do that.”
“I want to.”
I took a deep breath. I hadn’t been able to hear it in the moment, but I understood his hesitations. I would never be able to live with myself if something were to happen to Ella or Cameron. I had created this mess, and it wasn’t fair to keep dragging others into it. I needed to stand up and do it myself.
“Cameron—”
He held up a hand. “First of all, if we are going to be fake engaged, you need to call me Cam. My friends call me Cam. I want you too as well.”
I took another breath. “Cam,” I said, stressing the word, “I can’t ask you to put yourself in jeopardy.”
That made him laugh. “I may have overstressed my problems with the plan. We can make it work. However”—he held up one finger and turned those blue eyes on me in a way that told me he was serious—“I don’t want Ella knowing anything about this.”
“I wasn’t exactly expecting her to be involved.”
“I want to make sure she has no clue what’s going on. I don’t want to explain to her what a fake fiancé is or a fake stepmom. It isn’t fair to get her hopes up and then rip them away. I certainly don’t want to encourage her to lie. This needs to be kept between us.”
I nodded, holding his gaze as I did. “Okay.”
“I need a beer. Can I get you one?” he asked, jumping up from the couch in one smooth move.
“Yes, please.”
He returned with two bottles of beer, opening mine before handing it to me. I took a long drink, letting the cold liquid run down my throat and settle the nerves that felt all tingly whenever I was close to him.
When he took his seat on the couch, I noticed he was a little closer to me.
“Should we toast this fake engagement?” he said with a disarming grin.
I held up my bottle and waited for him to clink his against it. We both drank before I totally lost my shit and burst into laughter.
“I’m sorry,” I said, waving a hand in front of my face. “I don’t know why I’m laughing. This is serious business.”
He leaned his big body back against the leather couch. “Laugh. I like to w
atch you laugh.”
I turned to look at him behind me. There was an actual twinkle in his blue eyes. This was a very different man than the cop version of Cameron Campbell. This man was chill and gorgeous and didn’t seem to have a care in the world.
I flopped back on the couch, our shoulders brushing.
“Thank you. I know this is a huge sacrifice for you. Hopefully, we never have to talk about this engagement again.”
He shrugged the shoulder pressed against mine. “It’s not so bad.”
We sat in silence, drinking our beer. I set my empty bottle on the coffee table.
“Want another one?” he asked.
“I should probably go. You work in the morning?”
“It’s not so late. Besides, shouldn’t we celebrate our fake engagement? A guy doesn’t get fake engaged every day.” He grinned, revealing a set of perfectly white teeth.
I burst into silly laughter again before slapping my hand over my mouth. “Sorry. I forgot Ella was sleeping.”
“It’s okay. Her door’s shut.”
He got up and returned a minute later with two more beers.
“How’s your mom? She told me she was going to take Ella to the amusement park over the weekend.”
“She’s good, and they did. Ella is their pride and joy. They promise me they won’t spoil her, but they lie. That little girl is beyond spoiled.”
I smiled while listening to the way he talked about his family. His voice changed. It reminded me of warm honey. His usual voice was brusque and didn’t invite a person in. When he spoke of his family, you could feel the warmth radiating from him.
“Ella doesn’t act spoiled. She is kind and sweet and speaks so eloquently for a five-year-old,” I assured him.
I watched his chest puff up with pride.
“Come here,” he said in a gruff voice.
His arms snaked out, and he pulled me into his lap, jostling my beer. He took the bottle from me and leaned across me, setting both our bottles on the table before resting one hand on my thigh and the other on my back.
It was an intimate touch that sent heat spiraling through me.
“This could be fun.” His gravelly voice felt like fingertips rolling down my back.
“This?” I asked in a whisper.
“Me, you, a fake engagement—a reason to spend time together.”
He leaned forward to nuzzle my neck. I dropped my head to the side, exposing more skin for him to suckle. His hand moved over my thigh, rubbing and caressing.
“I could get used to that,” I murmured, feeling gooseflesh spread over my body under the touch of his lips.
He moved his hand down my back and slid it under my shirt before moving back up my spine and unclasping my bra.
“You’re so fucking sexy,” he growled, his gentle touch increasing in intensity as his hand moved from my thigh to my breasts.
I put my head back, giving the man full access to my body. It was his to do with as he pleased.
Chapter Fourteen
Scarlett
I felt a cool breeze over my torso and opened my eyes. He was pulling my shirt over my head. Once it was removed, his mouth dropped to my breasts. I could feel his hard length beneath me and moaned with anticipation of what was to come.
“We need to go to my room,” he whispered.
“Okay.”
I moved off his lap, picked up my shirt, and let him lead the way. Once inside his room, we both frantically took our clothes off. I wanted him inside me. The ache and longing were making me jittery. Both of us stood naked facing each other. My eyes roamed over his tall figure, stopping at the tattoos on his chest before following the happy trail of black hair that led down his rock-solid abdomen.
I had to touch and taste him. I stepped toward him, my eyes moving up to his. I saw passion smoldering in those dark blue eyes staring back at me. I dropped to my knees before him and ran my splayed hands over his thighs that resembled tree trunks. The man was hard all over. There was no ignoring the penis protruding from between his legs.
I gently stroked it with one hand, relishing the silky-smooth feel of the appendage. The contradicting soft and hard in my hand was overwhelming. I looked up to see him staring down at me with a penetrating gaze. Holding his gaze, I stuck my tongue out and barely touched the head of his cock.
A flood of power washed over me as he clenched his teeth while his whole body stiffened. Using my hand to hold him steady, I closed my mouth over the head of his cock and rolled my tongue around. His eyes squeezed close, and I felt victorious. I wanted him to feel as good as he had made me feel the other night. I wanted him to see stars exploding behind his eyes as his entire body jerked and convulsed with exquisite pleasure.
I dropped my gaze back to the man’s beautiful, engorged cock my mouth was lavishing and let myself get lost in the moment. My tongue ran up and down the length before closing over the top and sliding down the rigid length of him. I wanted him to come in my mouth. My hands reached around his body to run over his solid ass, holding him steady while I bobbed up and down on his dick.
His breaths dragged in and out from above me. He was close. I was going to give him that starry sky I was so desperate for him to see.
“Stop!” he grunted loudly.
My mouth froze halfway down his cock.
“Stand up,” he ordered.
I didn’t debate what to do for long. I stood before him, using the back of my hand to wipe my mouth. He was staring at me with that piercing gaze that made me feel as if he could see my every thought.
“Cam?” I said in a hoarse voice.
In a flash, he was on me, his large body hoisting me up. My legs wrapped around his waist, holding on for dear life. He slathered my neck with wet kisses before finding my lips and plunging his tongue deep inside. I swallowed the groan that escaped his throat, driving my own need higher.
He moved with me clinging to his body. Every step rubbed his body against my pussy. I arched my back and rubbed hard against his pelvis, needing the pressure. With an overwhelming, powerful need for penetration, I reached between us. He stopped moving and gave me enough space to slide my hand between our bodies. I guided his cock to where I needed it most, arching my back just enough before slowly sliding down over his hard length.
I realized I was holding my breath and let it out on a long sigh as I continued my own impalement. I wiggled my hips and fully seated myself against him. Neither of us moved, both of us relishing in the feel of being completely connected.
His harsh voice cut through the silence of the room. “If I were your real fiancé, I would fuck you hard every night. Hell, three times a day.”
I kissed him, gently at first and then with more intensity. Each thrust of his tongue inside my mouth was like an electric shock to the place where he was deep inside my body.
“I’d let you. I’d be naked and waiting,” I panted.
My body was in an upward spiral, making it difficult for me to think or talk.
“Are you going to come?” he asked in a husky voice, sliding his hands under my ass and lifting me a few inches before pulling me down in a forceful thrust.
I moaned.
He lifted me again and dragged me down onto his waiting cock. His hands began massaging my ass, squeezing and spreading before yanking me impossibly closer to his body. I felt as if our bodies were one with every inch of mine touching his hot skin.
“Come for me,” he said on a whispered plea.
I was helpless to deny him and felt my juices rushing to my core, my back arching as my pussy contracted around his shaft.
“There you go,” he murmured, running his fingers up and down my spine. “Clamp down on my dick.”
My body was still convulsing when he laid me on his bed with sweet tenderness. His hand ran down between my breasts and over my stomach before moving back to squeeze my breast, tenderly at first and then far more vigorously. He dropped his mouth to my nipple and suckled on one, then the other before he used his
teeth to pull while squeezing my breasts.
The sensation of pain mixed with pleasure was driving me to new heights. With his mouth still clamped over one breast, he ran his hands between my thighs, using mild force to spread me wide open. His fingers trailed over my pussy lips before he probed inside me with one finger. My body responded to his touch, another orgasm building up.
“My fiancée would be wet and waiting,” he whispered, “just like this. Your pussy is so wet. That’s what I want to feel whenever I get between your legs. My fiancée is going to be quivering with need every time she looks at me.”
I groaned and nodded. “I am. I will. I mean—” I stopped talking when his finger pushed higher inside me.
He added a finger and worked them inside me, tickling and rubbing and making me feel feverish as I squirmed on the bed beneath him.
“Cam?” I asked, staring at his face, waiting for him to look at me. His gaze was focused between my legs where his fingers were creating a firestorm.
His eyes met mine, his fingers still massaging and probing intimately inside my body. Watching him watch me took the act to a new level of eroticism that made me feel completely connected with the man tenderly massaging the inside of my body.
“Let go,” he murmured, his blue eyes drawing me in to some place far away from reality. It was his eyes and the way he was looking at me that pushed me over the edge.
I tumbled into the sweet abyss, my eyes dropping closed as he expertly strummed my body, knowing just when to apply pressure and when to speed up his touches. I felt completely possessed, my body arched and bucking against his hand. A fine sheen of sweat broke out over my body.
“There you go,” he whispered in my ear, his lips moving over the lobe and to the sensitive flesh below. “That’s what I wanted.”
I nodded, still not able to form words. He climbed onto the bed and lay beside me before reaching out with his strong arms and lifting me over him. I straddled his body and was instantly revived. I wanted to ride the man below me and take him to that dark abyss I had just left.
My hands rubbed over his chest before moving over his shoulders and down his bulging biceps. I had seen his kind of body in the movies, but I had never enjoyed the pleasure of feeling it with my own hands. It was a heady feeling to be dominated by such a powerful yet gentle man.