She slid a hand up his arm, resting it on his shoulder—it felt as solid and warm as she thought it would. Even though Cameron’s kisses made no secret of how he definitely liked her, she wondered if she was dreaming. But even her best dreams couldn’t compare to how it felt to be in this man’s arms.
As his kiss deepened, Jane lost any reservation she might have had at the beginning and tugged him closer. His other hand skittered down her arm, then settled at her waist. She wanted to press herself against him, be closer to him. Her own wanton thoughts were making her pulse race, and the way Cameron kissed her made everything else heat up.
“Jane,” he whispered against her mouth. “Did I tell you that you look great in this dress?”
She smiled. “Mmm. So if I was wearing something else, I’d be at home with my dad?”
Cameron chuckled and kissed the edge of her jaw. Then his mouth scattered kisses down her neck. “No, you’d still be here. But I wouldn’t be able to do this.”
Jane lifted her chin as his mouth pressed against her collarbone. Her eyes closed again as his lips made their way along the top of her shoulder.
“I thought you were hungry,” she said.
“I am.” His mouth was on hers again, tasting, teasing.
“That’s not what I meant,” she said, giving him a playful shove.
He chuckled and grasped her hand. “We should go in, as much as I’d rather stay here kissing you.” When she blushed, he grinned. “Unless you want to stay here.”
“We should go in.”
Cameron opened his door and walked over to her side before she could get out herself. He opened her door and extended his hand. When she placed her hand in his, she felt the electricity of his touch all the way to her toes. Now that he’d kissed her, she didn’t expect this intense reaction. She stood, and instead of moving back to give her room, he pulled her into his arms.
Her heart thudded as he drew her close. She moved her hands up his chest, loving the feel of his warm sturdiness, then looped her arms about his neck.
Cameron rested his forehead against hers and closed his eyes. “I like kissing you, Jane,” he whispered.
She smiled. “It wasn’t so bad.”
He lifted his head. “What?” When he saw her smiling, he raised one of his hands and traced his thumb along her jaw. “I can do better.”
She laughed. “I was kidding.”
“Good.” He winked, and a split second later, his mouth was on hers again.
This kiss was gentle, exploring, as if he was in no rush at all. When he pulled back, Jane was surprised to find that she was still standing. Cameron grasped her hand and brought it to his lips. “Let’s go eat.”
They walked toward the restaurant together, and although a cooling breeze had picked up, Jane felt none of its coolness. Did Cameron even realize that he’d just given her the best kisses of her life? She couldn’t even remember the names of any of the guys she’d dated at this point. A few kisses from Cameron, and it was like no one else existed.
There wasn’t a wait, but several of the tables were filled. Jane wondered if Cameron would drop her hand. This place was very public, and there were certainly people here who knew Cameron. But he kept her hand in his as he told the waitress they needed a table for two.
The pretty blonde waitress smiled and said, “This way. I’ve got an opening in the corner booth, if that’s okay.”
“That’s perfect,” he said, giving Jane’s hand a small squeeze.
So they walked hand in hand past at least a dozen tables, Cameron seemingly oblivious to the few people who looked up and gazed after them. They might not know Cameron personally enough to greet him, but they certainly knew who he was.
Cameron motioned for her to slide into the booth first, and then he slid in on the other side. He didn’t sit right next to her, but it was close enough so that when he draped his arm over the back of the booth, it would be obvious to anyone who looked over that they were on an intimate date.
“So...” Cameron said with a grin.
Which made her feel hot all over again.
“What does your dad usually get?” he asked.
“The baby back ribs and baked potato,” she said. “What about you? Are you a ribs kind of guy?”
“I knew I liked your dad for some reason.”
She elbowed him, and he caught her arm, then slid his hand down it and linked their fingers together. “You didn’t tell me how you charmed my dad,” she said.
“I told you, we burned some rubber together.”
She didn’t miss the mischievous glint in his eyes. “That’s it? I don’t believe it.”
He shrugged, tracing his thumb lightly over hand. “Guys are pretty simple. Food. Cars. And—”
She put a finger to his lips. “I don’t want to hear it.”
He chuckled, and she lowered her hand.
“What’ll you folks have to drink?” The waitress had arrived.
They ordered drinks, and Cameron added on the loaded baked potato skin appetizer.
“I haven’t tried it, but it sounds good,” Jane said.
“You can’t come here without trying the loaded baked potato skins,” he said. “I mean, I don’t even think you can say you’ve lived until you’ve eaten them.”
Jane smirked. “Has anyone ever told you you’re dramatic?”
He looked as if he was in deep thought, then said, “No, you’re the first.”
“I don’t believe that.”
“It’s true,” Cameron protested. “Now tell me my other flaws.”
She raised her brows. “I didn’t say that being dramatic was a flaw.”
“So, it’s an attribute?”
“Okay.” Jane laughed. “Maybe it is a flaw.”
Cameron’s phone buzzed, and he took one look at it and turned it off.
“Work?” she asked.
“No... Crystal.” He slipped the phone into his pocket. “She’s not letting some issues drop. But let’s forget about her tonight.”
The waitress brought the appetizer, and after one bite Jane was hooked. “My dad would love these. He’s going to regret telling us to go do something.”
“We can get an order to-go,” Cameron said.
Of course he’d offer. “You’re too generous,” she told him.
“Is that another flaw?”
“Not in this case.” She picked up another potato skin and bit into heaven.
“I like that you eat normal food,” he said just before eating one of the potato skins.
Jane knew he was referring to Crystal and her eating habits.
By the time their food order came, Jane wasn’t feeling hungry anymore. She ate a couple of ribs, then told the waitress she’d take the rest home, along with a second order of the appetizer. The restaurant was getting ready to close by the time they left, and Jane was surprised so much time had passed.
“That was good,” Cameron said. “Thanks for suggesting it.”
“Funny.” Jane scooted out of the booth, and he grabbed her hand again. Jane decided that she liked him holding her hand, very much.
As they walked through the parking lot, he draped an arm over her shoulders. Jane leaned into him, enjoying the cocoon of warmth and comfort being so near him brought. When he opened the passenger door to let her in the car, he stole another couple of kisses.
“Okay, Romeo, I should get home,” she said.
He groaned and buried his face in her neck. Goose bumps broke out across her skin. “Did I tell you I like you?”
“I think you made that pretty clear,” she said with a laugh.
He drew away, looking stoic, and as if he was making a big sacrifice in releasing her. Jane settled into the seat and sighed as she waited for him to walk around the car. She hadn’t dared hope this might happen, but now that it had, she had a lot of questions. It wasn’t the time to ask them, but she was feeling both nervous and exhilarated at the same time. First of all, Cameron Vance. And he’d kissed her
. A lot. But... Cameron Vance.
She lived in a dumpy house with her dad and cleaned houses for a living, and Cameron... His family was one of the most wealthy in Pine Valley.
The door opened, and he slid into his seat.
His gaze connected with hers. “What are you doing tomorrow?” he asked as he started the car.
“Sleeping in,” she said. “Then I’ll be playing it by ear.”
He pulled out of the parking lot, then turned onto the road leading back to the main town. “Call me when you wake up.”
“Okay, bossy,” Jane teased.
He said nothing, but he reached for her hand.
An hour later, when Jane was just about ready to fall asleep after going through her nightly routine, plus checking on the dog, her phone buzzed with a text. She grabbed it from her nightstand. The text was from Cameron: Goodnight, beautiful.
A grin spread across her face, and she felt a rush of warmth flow through her entire body. She wrote back: Goodnight, Romeo.
She closed her eyes and let her mind drift to the events of the evening, then further back to the first interactions with Cameron. She realized now that she’d met him at maybe the worst time possible. Was he on the rebound? Before Crystal, what had his relationship track record been? Jane told herself she wouldn’t worry about it tonight. She’d go to sleep with a smile and some pretty fantastic kissing memories of Cameron.
Hours later, she woke to a huge set of doggy eyes peering at her.
Sparks nudged her with his wet nose, and subsequent slobber streaked across Jane’s cheek.
“Sparks,” she said, wiping at her face as she sat up. “How did you get in here?” By the bright sunlight in her room, she guessed it was at least ten in the morning.
She scratched the dog’s head as memories of the night before with Cameron flooded through her and filled her heart. She leaned forward and hugged Sparks, sharing some of her joy with him. Then she remembered how Cameron told her to call him when she woke up. She grabbed her phone to see if he’d sent any other text messages. There was nothing. But she re-read their most recent strand anyway.
Sparks barked, and Jane looked over at the dog. “All right. I’ll get your medicine. And did Dad feed you yet?” Probably not, since Jane had told him that Sparks needed to take his medicine the same time he ate.
Jane climbed out of bed, pulled her covers straight and grabbed a thin robe to wear until she got into the shower. She’d take care of Sparks before calling Cameron. She didn’t want a hungry dog whining in the background.
Sparks followed her out of the room and down the hallway. Her dad was sitting at the kitchen table reading the newspaper. “Good morning,” he said when he saw her. “I see Sparks found you.”
“Did you let him into my room?” she asked.
“He was hungry.” Her dad’s eyes twinkled. “I see you brought me some leftovers. I’m assuming I can have them for lunch.”
“Yep,” Jane said. “Cameron insisted that we get you an order of the loaded baked potato skins. They’re really good.”
Her dad nodded. “Cameron is a thoughtful person.” His lips almost twitched into a smile, and she guessed her dad was holding back. It wouldn’t do to compliment a Vance too much.
Jane opened one of the dog food cans on the counter, and Sparks started barking. “None of that,” she commanded. Sparks slouched to the ground and whined. Jane added the syringe of arthritis medication to the dog’s food and mixed it in.
Sparks didn’t seem to mind the altered flavor, and he ate his food, licking the large plastic bowl completely clean.
“Good boy,” Jane said. “Want to go for a walk?” She’d call Cameron on her walk. That would give her a little privacy away from her dad overhearing their conversation.
Sparks barked.
She laughed. “Okay, let me get dressed.”
Once she was ready, she clipped the leash on the dog’s collar. She put in her earbuds when she left the house. The walk wouldn’t be much exercise for her, since Sparks moved so slowly, and Jane kept to the shaded side of the street. The summer sun was already plenty hot this morning.
She pulled up Cameron’s number and hit send. It rang four times, then transferred to his voice mail. Jane hung up without leaving a message. He’d see that she called and then call her back, right?
But by the time she returned home from her walk, there had been no call from Cameron. Before going into the house, she typed up a text to send him: Slept until 10. How about you?
She sent it, then let Sparks into the backyard. She followed him and pulled a lawn chair into the shade. Sparks was tired out and lay down next to her at the base of the chair.
Jane double-checked that her phone was on and the volume turned up. Her text had been delivered, but she couldn’t tell if it had been read. Jane pulled up the Kindle app on her phone and synced to her latest page read in her current book. But she couldn’t concentrate on the plot and found herself re-reading the same couple of pages.
When Jane saw that it had been more than an hour since she’d sent the text to Cameron, she groaned. Last night had been amazing, for her. But maybe it had been just another date to Cameron.
Cameron stared at the ceiling as the morning sunlight played across the room. He’d had possibly the best night of his life with Jane, only to be turned into a nightmare when he finally called Crystal back.
He’d ignored all her texts that alternated between pleading and threatening until he returned home after dropping off Jane. The final text had prompted him to call her back even though it was after midnight. When the words: I’m pregnant, had shown up on his phone, Cameron had felt like the earth had swallowed him whole.
After talking to Crystal, and telling her that, no, he didn’t want to get back together, not even for a child’s sake, he hung up, feeling like crap.
Despite the fact that he knew he’d never get back together with Crystal, not for any reason, this event would tie them together for the rest of their lives. He wasn’t about to become a deadbeat dad, and Crystal made it clear that she expected generous child support.
Cameron was surprised he’d slept at all after receiving such devastating news. Why couldn’t the woman who became pregnant with his child be someone like Jane, or even any one of his previous girlfriends? Just not Crystal.
This would affect not only his life, but his parents, and of course his very new relationship with Jane. What would she think? If she was smart, she’d cut herself off from him. Who wanted to be with someone in as big of a mess as Cameron was in?
And now, in the light of the morning, nothing seemed better. The crushing weight was still there, and Cameron’s head was killing him. He’d left his phone off all night and couldn’t bring himself to check what were surely texts and missed calls from Crystal. She’d already demanded that he cover her prenatal care. Which of course he’d help with, but wasn’t that what insurance was for? Then she reminded him that she’d quit her job permanently when they’d started wedding plans. She hadn’t had time for both. He’d responded that he’d thought she was taking a three-month leave of absence, not quitting.
No wonder his headache felt like someone was stabbing him with a knife over and over.
And, he couldn’t forget that in the middle of all this mess was an innocent baby who’d be born—according to Crystal’s calculations—in seven months. February.
Cameron groaned.
He dragged himself out of bed and into a scalding-hot shower. If only he could wash away the entire few months he’d been with Crystal. She’d told him she’d been on the pill, but her response was that all birth control was only ninety-five percent effective. Why hadn’t she told him earlier? She said she’d suspected for a couple of weeks, and that her emotions had led her to “nesting,” as she again tried to justify taking his credit card and spending thousands on new furniture. Cameron told her they still weren’t getting back together. He’d hung up when she started screaming at him.
But as the
hot water sprayed over him, he wondered. If he had known about the pregnancy earlier, would he have tried to make things work with Crystal? Would he have followed after Jane? Would he have allowed himself to kiss her last night?
Another groan.
When Cameron had dried off and dressed and gotten the first cup of coffee in him, he finally went back to his room to fetch his phone. He sat on the edge of his bed and turned his phone back on.
Three texts from Crystal. No surprise there.
A missed call from his mom. She was probably inviting him to Sunday dinner. And... Jane had called, then left a text.
He read through her text and felt his heart twist. He’d told her to call him when she’d woken up, and she had. His request had been so simple, so hopeful, and now... everything had changed. He’d have to tell Jane about Crystal, and he knew that the news would suck all the way around. Jane would be hurt. She’d go back to her life before they’d met. And he would be one of those jerks that she’d look back on and wonder what she’d been thinking.
Cameron hung his head and closed his eyes. He’d have to tell her. Today. As soon as possible. It was only fair. Besides, Jane could very well hear the news from someone else. Cameron wouldn’t put it past Crystal to make sure that she did. Some of Crystal’s nasty accusations against Cameron had included his playing the field with their former cleaning lady.
He picked up his phone and called Jane. He winced when she answered, her voice full of expectation. “Jane,” he said. “We need to talk, in person.”
“Okay,” she said, the wariness plain in her voice.
“Can you come over?” he asked. “Or can we meet somewhere privately? I don’t want to involve your dad in our discussion.”
“Does it have something to do with my dad?” she asked, worry now in her tone.
“No, nothing like that,” Cameron said. “I just... need to talk to you in person.”
“All right.” Her voice was soft, resigned. “I can leave here in about half an hour. I’ll come to your place.”
Cameron exhaled, but it was far from relief that he felt. “Okay.”
He hung up and remained still for several moments. Then he replied to Crystal’s text with: I need to think through everything. I’ll contact you tomorrow. Cameron might have to let go of Jane, but he refused to let Crystal worm her way back in. Until the child was born, he wanted very little contact with her.
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