by Sam Crescent
“It’s stupid.”
“Tell me.”
“Ugh, fine, I made a vow. A vow not to date or to go out with men, or even to be nice to them.”
He laughed. “Believe it or not, I made a similar vow.”
“With men?”
“No, with women.”
She smiled. “I was just joking around. I’m actually really nervous. The girls think I should date more. I’m not entirely sure myself.”
“Life’s easier when we don’t have to put ourselves out there,” he said. There was finally a woman he could see himself enjoying. She had the sweetest smile, the most beautiful body, and he wanted her.
There.
He’d admitted it to himself.
He wanted her for himself.
****
Later that night after she had finished the dishes, and everyone went home, Alyssa lay in bed with a cookbook that had several scraps of paper sticking all over the book. She loved making notes and changing recipes to suit her palate.
Her cell phone started to ring, and she saw it was Edith calling. Accepting the call, she had just put it to her ear when Edith let out a little squeal. “Did you hit it off? Tell me you did.”
She chuckled. “Hasn’t Camden told you?”
“No. He told us to keep our noses out of it. Tell me, Alyssa. Please.”
“I’ve never been the one to torture. He asked me out on a date, and I did say yes.”
Edith cheered, and Alyssa heard her telling Sean.
“Wow, you really need to consider your own love life if mine gets you this excited.”
“We all knew you and Camden would hit it off. He’s a sweet guy, and you’re going to love him. I promise.”
“Wow, the L-word already,” Alyssa said, smiling.
“Please, stop thinking about all of the other assholes you dated, and give Camden a chance. He’s a really great guy, and he’s had a shit relationship as well. Please.”
“I said yes to the date, and I’m not hung up on anyone or anything, sweetie. Believe me. I’m open to having a good time.” She tried to make Edith feel better.
“That vow is going out of the window.”
She chuckled. “We’ll see.”
“Right, I’m going to go,” Edith said. “Love you.”
“Love you.” She hung up the phone, and blew out a breath. It had been a really long day. Work had been exhausting, but the dinner had been fun. Nervous and fun. Camden was gorgeous, no denying that. She never thought he’d want to ask her out once he had seen her. Alyssa had lost count of the number of times over the years she’d been told how beautiful she was for a fat girl, or how much prettier she would be if she lost some weight.
None of her boyfriends had loved her for her.
They always tried to change her, or wanted her to do something else with her body or her life.
Some didn’t even want her to be in the kitchen. That had been hard. One of her boyfriends had liked to go out all the time, and when she tried to cook dinner, he’d cut her down. She’d lost a little of her confidence during that, but now she was back, and no one was going to take that away from her.
Flicking open the book, she stared down at the recipe and wondered if there was any way she could get out of her date. She didn’t want Camden to be obliged to take her out on a date.
Just then, her cell phone rang. She picked it up, and saw a number on the screen that she didn’t recognize.
“Hello,” she said, accepting the call.
“Hey, Alyssa. It’s Camden.”
“Oh, Camden, hey. How did you get this number?”
“Marshall gave it to me.”
“Oh.”
“I hope that is okay,” he said.
“Yeah, of course. It’s really strange as I was actually thinking about you.”
“That is strange seeing as I was thinking about you, too.”
Alyssa sat forward, nervous. “I was wondering if you only asked me on a date to pacify our friends?”
“What?”
“If you did, then I don’t mind you not taking me on a date.”
“Some asshole really did a number on you, didn’t he?”
“It was a couple of someones.” She didn’t sleep with all of the guys she had dated, not that it made it any better. The men had been pigs, and mean.
“I just wanted to confirm a date, and to tell you how much I enjoyed dinner, and your coconut pie is the bomb.”
“Oh, well, thank you.”
“Do you want to go out with me, Alyssa? I won’t pressure you. I don’t want you to go out with me because of our friends either. This has to be your choice, and your choice alone.”
Alyssa paused. “I’m nervous. There’s no point in denying that, but I think I’d like to go on a date with you. I would.” She cringed even as she said the words.
“You’re lying, aren’t you?”
“I’m not very good at the whole dating thing, and my friends really want this to work, and if I don’t do it they’ll just find another reason for me to go out.” She took a deep breath.
“Okay. How about this? You go out with me, and there are no expectations, no agreements. We have a good time, or we have an awful time. I’ll know when or if you organize a second date?”
“Me?”
“Yes. I’ll drop you off at your front door, and you decide if we go out again? I’ll keep everyone off our backs. How about that?”
“I’d like that. I would really like that.”
“Good. Now I’m going to hang up this phone, so I don’t make you so nervous you ditch me.”
She chuckled. “Good night, Camden.”
“Good night, sweet Alyssa.”
Putting the phone down, she couldn’t help but feel a little warm. His voice was warm, rugged, and so perfect.
Chapter Three
The following night, Camden held a bouquet of red roses in his hands, and wore a suit jacket over jeans. He didn’t know what to wear, and he’d always been a down-to-earth kind of guy. Steak and potatoes, fairs, getting stuck into life. He was an old style guy who believed in taking care of his woman, and loving her with all of his heart and soul.
Alyssa opened the door, and this time she wore a navy blue dress that molded to every single curve. She was to die for, and he knew he was one lucky guy.
“Oh, Camden, they are beautiful,” she said. “For me?”
“Totally for you. Pretty flowers for a pretty lady.”
The smile was worth every dollar the roses cost. He wasn’t hurting for cash, but he rarely had any expensive outgoings.
“You’re so sweet. No one said you were sweet.” She took the roses from him and excused herself to go and put them in a vase.
Camden waited by the door giving her a few moments of peace. Seconds later she came back. “That was really thoughtful of you.”
She grabbed her purse and jacket, and then they were leaving.
He held out his hand for her to take, and when she did, he locked his fingers through hers.
“I’ve been told about that asshole who left you in Italy without any money.”
“I know. I had my passport and everything, just no funds to get me home. Made me so mad,” she said. “It was really embarrassing calling my friends for help. They never liked him, and to be honest, I don’t even know how I ended up dating him. My bad, I guess.” She shrugged, which pissed Camden off.
“You don’t accept that kind of crap, ever. You deserve better.” He opened up the passenger door to his car. “I’m taking us to a movie. I know it’s probably something lame and what was done in high school, but I’m really new to all of this.”
“Don’t worry about it. Honestly, I’d love to watch a movie with you. I haven’t been to a movie in a long time.”
“Then I’m pleased to take you along.” He was useless at this kind of stuff. Camden had wanted to take her on a date, but he didn’t have the first clue what she liked or what to do. Fuck, he was so out of the loop it
wasn’t even funny.
“I’ve told you my story. What about yours? You have a bad dating experience?”
“Bad life experience. I was with this woman who convinced me that she was pregnant. I proposed marriage, and it was only near the last minute when nearly everything had been arranged, guests had been sent invitations, that I discovered she was never pregnant and she was sleeping with someone else. She had made a video with her lover. Posted it up, and it went viral. I got to see she was cheating on me, and laughing behind my back. It was a very explicit video.”
“Wow, I’m so sorry. That must have been awful. I’ve been cheated on before as well. It happens. Did it hurt you?”
“I don’t know. I think I was more embarrassed than anything else. It pissed me off as well. My mom was mortified. She couldn’t believe women could be so mean and so heartless. I left it to her to let all the guests know that I’d been ditched.” He couldn’t stop smiling.
“I don’t think I’d ever be able to handle that kind of humiliation.”
“I’d rather handle that kind of crap than have to deal with other shit in my life. I mean it seriously. I could have been married to her, and she put me through the worst kind of crap. It was an easy release from her shit. Believe me.” He pulled her to him. “I don’t want to talk about that crap right now. This is about the two of us, right? Let’s not dwell on what other people have done to us.”
“You’re so right. I’m sorry. I guess we’re just getting that awful stuff out of the way, and now we can focus on the now.”
“Good.”
He waited for her to climb into the car, and then he rounded the car to get behind the wheel. “I’m taking you for dinner after. I hope that’s okay.”
“It’s fine with me.”
“I can’t guarantee that it’ll be as good as yours.”
She chuckled. “Please, stop worrying. I can eat something other than home cooked food, Camden.”
He wanted tonight to be perfect, dammit.
“It will be.” She patted his hand. “I believe you.”
Turning over the ignition, they sat in silence for a few seconds. “I can’t believe I’ve never met you before.”
“We both have different lives. I met Edith at work, and Sammy and Millie work within the same building but in another department. I deal with insurance, and Millie works in accounts, Sammy in PR, and Edith in sales. We just sort of hit it off. They were already dating their partners, and I was dating at the time. From the sounds of it to me, you were dating your girl, and I was dating my guy, and our paths just never crossed.”
He wasn’t happy about that, but there was nothing else he could do.
“I’m pleased I accepted that invite last night.”
Camden glanced over at her to find her smiling.
“I’m pleased you did as well.”
“I dreamt about that lamb,” he said.
She chuckled. “My mom makes it with rosemary but she really doesn’t like garlic, and I do. There’s just something so amazing about having your own kitchen, and being able to experiment.”
“I can see your enthusiasm.”
“Thanks. I probably shouldn’t talk about it as much as I do. I guess we all like what we like.”
“You can talk about whatever you want.”
“Tell me about your love,” she said. “Your love with working with wood. That sounds really time-consuming to me.”
“It is. I’m a trained builder, and qualified. I can do most jobs on a building site. Working with wood, and carving it, securing it, and making something so bland into something decorative and beautiful, that’s what I do. Building a house is just as important. I never want anyone to be upset when they go inside a home I’ve helped to build. Also, I’m good with repairs as well. Like your tiles. They won’t be a problem. I was thinking next weekend I’ll be free, and I can come over, and put them back on for you.”
“That would be wonderful. I never got a figure for how much you wanted paying,” she said.
“Another date.”
“We’ve not even been on this one. You could hate me.”
“No, that’s not possible. I’d like another date with you.”
Another glance her way, and he saw her smile.
“I’d really like that,” she said.
Excellent. He already had another date planned, and now he just needed to make this one perfect.
****
The movie was a sweet and sexy romance. Alyssa was surprised that Camden was more than happy to sit through it without any fuss. For that, he got extra points, and she really liked being with him. He placed his arm across her shoulders, and it was the first time that she’d been with a guy who had even attempted that. Did it make her lame to have enjoyed that so much? She had the popcorn in her lap, and he’d turned toward her. One arm across her shoulders with his fingers teasing her shoulder, and occasionally her hair. He’d reach over and take some popcorn as well.
He was close, and through that she couldn’t help but be aroused by him. His entire presence was out of this world.
When they made it out of the movies, he threw the popcorn carton in the trash.
“Did you really enjoy that?” she asked.
“Yeah, why not? It was fun, and besides, how can a guy not love a movie like that? The guy got his girl, didn’t he? How could I not like that?”
“I’m starting to wonder if you’re human.”
“I’m human, baby. I can show you how good I am in that department.”
She chuckled.
“Did you enjoy it?” he asked.
“Yes, I did. I really did enjoy it.”
“I saw a diner up ahead. Is that okay?” He put his arm back over her shoulders, and pointed up the street.
“Yes, more than fine. I love cooking, and doing dinners, but I’m a very simple and down to earth kind of girl, Camden. I’ll have a burger just as much as a steak.”
“Now you’re telling me you’re my dream girl, and there’s no way I can let you go.”
He pressed his lips against her neck making her laugh. Her nipples went hard, and her pussy grew even slicker.
They entered the diner, and it was pretty busy. Camden took her hand, and they found a booth toward the back. Sliding inside the booth, she smiled. “This is actually really nice.”
“Good. I’m happy with that.”
Alyssa didn’t want to screw this up. She really enjoyed his company, and the last thing she wanted to do was to make him regret taking her out. Her hands felt a little sweaty.
“Do I make you nervous?” he asked.
“Not at all. It’s just … this is all new. I’m nervous that I’ll screw up. Say something that will make you feel crazy.”
He took hold of her hands.
She noticed how big his hands were compared to hers, and she liked it. Camden was all man, and she loved how he seemed to surround her.
“How about I tell you something that is quite scary?”
“Now I’m worried,” she said.
“I want to have a family.”
Alyssa tensed up. “Excuse me?”
“Yeah, crazy world huh? A guy who wants to get married, settle down, and have a family. I didn’t think it was a problem when my girl came to me and told me she was pregnant. I was happy. Call me crazy, but when it ended I was more upset that I wasn’t going to get the family I always wanted.”
She didn’t know what to say. He was being very open, and very personal.
“Do you want kids?” he asked.
“I do. Yes. Four of them.”
“That’s what I want. Four kids, and a couple of dogs,” he said.
“Cats?” she asked.
“You got it. Maybe a few rabbits and chickens.”
This was getting weirder as he talked. This was exactly her dream to have a huge family, and something comforting and warm. She was an only child, and her parents never had any more kids even though they’d really wanted them.
; “What’s the matter?” he asked.
“It’s nothing. Just kind of surprised that it’s something you want.”
He stroked over her pulse. “I know it’s always a shock for everyone who hears what I like. Women run away scared.”
“I’m not scared.” She gave his hand a squeeze. “Completely the opposite.”
For the first time in a long time, Alyssa actually saw a future with a man. She really hoped it was true.
Later that night, Millie called first.
“So, how did it go?” Millie asked.
“It went great. He’s stopping by next week to do those tiles in my kitchen. I figured I’d make him a chocolate fudge cake. What do you think?”
“Sweetie, that man will fall in love with you at the sight of that cake, and the taste—he’ll fuck you by the end of the night.”
Alyssa smiled. “That’s an interesting thought.” Sex hadn’t been on her mind before she met Camden. Now, sexy, dirty thoughts were constantly entering her head.
“You need to get back on that horse, and the only way to do that is to date. You know I’m right.”
“Yes, I know. You’re always right, and you’re always telling me that you are.” She couldn’t disagree with her friend. “He wants a family.”
“I know. We all know what he wants. Why do you think we’ve all been trying to set you up? We gave both of you enough time to get over whatever crap was going on in your lives. Now it’s time for you both to move on and to embrace everything, and each other.”
“I think you’re right.”
“I know I’m right. I told you this before.”
Alyssa sighed. “I’ve got to go. Talk soon. I promise.”
“You better. I want details. The dirtier the better.”
Hanging up the phone, Alyssa glanced down at the book in her hand. It was a book devoted to cookies, but right now, she wanted to sleep, and to think about one hunky man with hair down to his shoulders, and a beard that didn’t gross her out.
Her dream was to have a family, and to know the love of a really good man. Maybe, just maybe, Camden was that dream guy.
Chapter Four
Over the next week, Camden talked to Alyssa as often as he could. He phoned her, texted, or even turned up at her office for lunch. He was obsessed. There was no other word for it. He hoped he wasn’t upsetting her with his constant visits. She was in his thoughts, and as yet, she seemed to enjoy his attention.