by Hadley Quinn
He was standing right in front of her, submissive and apologetic, and Camryn couldn’t deny the fact that it was everything she needed at the moment. She knew how combative she could be when trying to protect her heart, but instead of Teague just walking out the door, he stayed to deal with it.
He was slowly converting her heart, bit by bit.
“Finding out about Zach was not what convinced me to come down here for you, though,” Teague added. “It helped me understand you a little better, and why you chose to keep your distance. But Camryn… I’m not going anywhere, okay? If you’re afraid to get to know me because you don’t think it will last…”
She sighed and shook her head. “I don’t know what my issues are sometimes, to tell you the truth. And I’m sure that’s even worse than if I did know. I just… I thought maybe I could move on without having to mix any of it together. Meeting you when I did… It was unexpected, and what there was between us was great, and how we met was just awkward and funny and just…meant to be like that I guess,” she smiled.
He smiled too, most likely picturing their full body meet-and-greet like she was remembering.
“Teague, I felt that meeting you was already helping me move on, so when you mentioned Zach…”
“I ruined everything.”
“Not everything,” she smiled. “Sorry I overreacted.”
“You didn’t. I just thought I needed to be prepared if, you know, being with someone else was going to be too hard for you. I was making an assumption I should have talked to you about first. I’m sorry. I guarantee I’ll say a shitload of stupid stuff.”
“That was not a stupid assumption,” she smiled gratefully. “Before I met you—and just the first couple of times around you—yes, that is exactly how I felt. Just the idea of moving on was hard and I’ve struggled with it but… Like I said, you are the difference. I feel like I’m going to be okay now.” She paused and took a deep breath, thankful that those words were at least out in the open now. “And it’s fine if you say stupid stuff because you make up for it all the time,” she smiled, placing her hands against his chest. She slid one to his neck and put her lips on the other side, kissing a trail up to his ear and then along his jaw. Her mouth grazed his and he smiled as she softly nipped his lower lip. She pressed against him, kissing him deeply as he returned the fervor.
“Don’t let me rush you,” he whispered in between breaths of air.
“You’re not,” she replied. “This is what I want. I’m ready to move on. With you.”
The heat built quickly, a blazing fire that scorched them both. Teague slid his hands behind her, massaging her ass as she pressed against his erection. All it took was for Camryn to say, “I want you so bad,” and Teague had her legs wrapped around his waist as he carried her to the bedroom.
He continued to kiss her as he carefully set her on the bed. Camryn felt her eyes become heavy with desire as Teague propped himself over her.
“You are so incredibly gorgeous,” he whispered. “I’ve never met anyone whose inner beauty matched her outer beauty. It’s overwhelming and absolutely mind-blowing.”
He crushed his lips against hers, and her only response was to hold him tight and kiss him just as madly. The fire burned even hotter as she slid her hands up his shirt and pulled it up to remove it. He yanked it off and she couldn’t help it when she actually licked her lips at the sight of him.
Holy beautiful eight-pack.
His chest and arms were firm and contoured in all the right places, and the thought of his stomach muscles working against hers heated her up even more.
“My turn,” he smiled, carefully kneeling over her to slide her shirt up.
She laughed when he kissed her skin for every inch her top moved until he pulled it entirely off and his lips were against hers again. Camryn felt twinges of excitement between her legs as her body relayed how badly she needed him inside her. Her body seemed to be in carnal catch-up mode and she didn’t want to stop. She reached down to undo his jeans and then slid her hands over his waist and along his lower back, taking pleasure in the feel of smooth skin and muscle.
Teague continued to kiss her, his tongue searching deeper for those moans she was still bridling for the time being. He unbuttoned her pants and traced his fingers along the top of her panties as he propped himself up beside her. Camryn raised her body slightly higher, encouraging his exploration, and he smiled. He kissed her jaw and said, “Please tell me when to stop.”
“You don’t need to,” she answered, returning kisses on his chin.
She noticed him take a breath of air as he closed his eyes, but he kissed her lips softly and said, “Any time you need me to stop, just say so, okay? I swear, Camryn, I only want you to be happy.”
She was with a man that had sex appeal screaming from every inch of him, but his sweetness and sincerity turned her body into a sexual mess just as easily. She knew without a doubt that this was the man she’d been waiting for. Teague was the comfortable gentility that she needed; he had the patience and the tenderness that fit her perfectly.
“I haven’t been with anyone for over two years, Teague,” she admitted. “Believe me when I say how badly I need you right now. And it’s not just physical. I mean yeah, it is, but it’s more than that. It’s just…” She couldn’t even form the words. She wanted to tell him so much more but already felt like she was ruining the moment.
He kissed her so thoroughly it was obvious the moment was not ruined. “I know what you mean,” he whispered, and he kissed her again until they were a tangled, needy heap on her bed. “I’m wondering how wet you are for me,” he sighed against her neck.
Tingles consumed her skin as she laughed in a pained, sort of desperate way, but didn’t answer.
“On a scale of one to ten, how wet are you, Camryn?”
She smiled at the tease in his alluring voice and couldn’t resist. “Probably not more than a three.”
“What?” he scoffed. He chuckled softly and added, “You, sweetheart, are a liar.”
“Prove it,” she whispered.
His lips were sucking on her earlobe as his fingers slid further into her panties. “Oh, I intend to,” he murmured in a husky voice. His other hand maneuvered behind her back to release her bra, and when he slipped it off her arms, he gently took a nipple in his mouth. She was already writhing before his fingers even slid between her legs.
“Oh hell, wetter than the Northwest,” he smiled.
She choked out a laugh as he slid two fingers inside of her. His mouth left her breast and he kissed her cheek, and then her lips.
“You’re off the charts, hon. I’d say at least a twelve.”
“I’d say you’re probably right,” she rasped. She moaned when his fingers went deeper, his thumb rubbing circles over her clit at the same time.
“It feels so good to touch you like this,” he told her softly.
He continued to make love to her mouth as he finished her off down below. It came charging through her in an instant; her natural reaction was to squeeze her legs together and push against him. He whispered encouragements in her ear, and if it wasn’t enough that his words were hot, his voice was even hotter. She decided that Teague had to have the sexiest voice she’d ever heard.
Teague pulled out of her and moved down her body until his lips kissed along the waist of her pants. He tilted his head to smile at her as he unzipped her. When he pulled her pants off, his smile turned from cute to wicked as he grabbed her legs and yanked her ass to the edge of the bed. He knelt on the floor and slid off her panties, and then hooked her legs over his shoulders as he kissed the insides of her thighs.
“You’re kinda wet,” he teased, licking his lips when he looked her in the eye.
She exhaled her impatience as she moved in front of him. “I get wet just from looking at you,” she answered breathlessly.
He lifted an eyebrow. “Oh yeah? Well I don’t doubt that, being that you’re a twelve when I touch you there.”
She tried t
o laugh but it was pathetic because he was so close to licking her she could almost feel it. Finally she felt his mouth against her, tongue diving deep to taste her.
Camryn let out the moan she knew Teague had been dying to hear and it definitely excited him more. His mouth and the responsive sounds that came out of him sent her over the edge seconds later, and she released a vocal accompaniment to match the orgasm that pulsed through her. As she slowly came down from the bliss, he licked her once more and kissed her clit before finally making eye contact again.
“Fuck, that was hot,” he murmured in a husky voice, retrieving a condom from his wallet. He dropped it on the bed beside her as she set her wobbly legs on the edge of the bed and pushed herself backward. Teague followed as he shook his pants off and climbed over the top of her again. While he explored her breasts with his hands, he pressed his lips to hers so she could taste the ecstasy he’d been immersed in.
Camryn took the opportunity to slide his boxer briefs down. He was sexy with them on, giving her a great view of what exactly was inside them, but holy hell, he was a beautiful man.
Every single inch of him.
He kicked them off and slid the condom on, and then repositioned himself over her. It appeared like he was going to again give her the option of stopping, but she didn’t want him to. She opened her legs to invite him in, rolling her hips slowly to show him how incredibly turned on she still was. He lowered himself further, massaging her entry with his tip. Camryn exhaled and bit her lip, encouraging him to keep going as they moved together. He kissed her intimately as he gently pushed into her for the first time.
Camryn relaxed her legs over the backs of his thighs as he gently held her wrists above her head. She matched his movements inward, slow and easy, and they maintained eye contact the entire time. When Teague let go of her hands she slid them behind his back to hold him tight.
“You feel fucking incredible,” he told her softly. He placed one hand against her cheek and kissed her. “Is this okay for you?”
“It’s more than okay,” she smiled right away. “If it didn’t feel so good when you make me come, I’d settle for doing this with you all night.”
His crooked grin was adorable when he said, “You don’t have to settle for anything. You’ve yet to benefit from the whole Teague experience, sweetheart.”
“Well then I’m in the right place, aren’t I?”
He slowly smiled again. “Damn right, you are. Or…I am,” he added, giving a little extra push into her.
A tiny grunt slipped out of her and then she laughed as she wrapped him up tighter.
“And we do have all night, you know,” he murmured against her neck.
“You’re going to stay?” she asked with surprise.
He lifted his face up, alarmed. “Hell yeah, I’m gonna stay. Well only if you want me to—”
“Yes. Yes, please stay…”
“I want to be here with you. I need to be here with you,” he said softly, kissing her mouth again. “You own me now, Camryn Jacobs.”
Looking into his eyes, Camryn could feel the sincerity they held. It warmed her heart and soul, and she felt like she belonged here with him too. It was time to trust her heart again and let it lead her to something with Teague. She didn’t know what it would be, or what it was about him that felt so right, but she was willing to let it happen.
When Camryn rolled him over to trade positions, Teague had the cutest grin on his face as he willingly succumbed to her. He never took his eyes off her as she worked him over, and even though she had only ever been with Zach, it felt so easy to be with Teague.
She leaned down and kissed him, and while against his lips she said, “I’m about to break loose here, Teague, but for your first time inside of me, I want you to make me come.”
He read her salacious smile loud and clear and turned her onto her back again. He slid his hands under her ass to improve the angle as he moved in and out of her. She pressed her head against the bed and arched her back with several moans mingled with his name and Teague came right after she did.
It was an explosive finale that left them both breathless and sweaty, and Camryn was glad she was on her back because she was seeing stars.
Teague kissed her softly as he pulled out of her. He dropped to his back next to her and exhaled another long breath of air. “Holy shit,” he managed to say.
Camryn turned her head to look at him. “I didn’t know you could scream like a girl,” she smiled.
He laughed at the tease because she’d been the vocal one. “Yeah, well, that called for something special,” he winked. “Whatever I can add.”
Biting her lip she smiled shyly. “Sorry, I don’t think I’ve ever reacted like that before.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Really? You sounded like a pro.”
She lightly backhanded his chest. “Shut up,” she laughed.
“It was hot, Cam. What are you embarrassed about? I don’t think I’ve ever come so hard in my life.”
“Really?”
“Hell no. You’re just… Whoa.”
She smiled and traced his chest with her fingers, but after a few seconds, he took her hand in his.
“Hey, I’d say it’s time to tell me how you cut yourself Christmas Day,” Teague said, taking her hand and kissing the small pink scar on her wrist.
She rolled her eyes and laughed. “I’m telling you, it’s really stupid.”
“So? Even better,” he grinned. “Please?”
“Fine,” she shook her head. She turned on her side to face him better. “So we were eating dinner, right? I was cutting my turkey and was kinda spacing out—thinking about you, actually.”
“Oh yeah?” a cocky smiled appeared at the corner of his mouth. “Picturing me naked again?”
“Yes, you arrogant fool. Pretty much.”
He placed their hands against his chest when he laughed out loud and it made Camryn smile.
“God, you’re incredible,” he exhaled. “You almost cut your arm off because you were busy fantasizing about me. You were dreaming about what you would do to my naked body and mistakenly sawed your arm instead of the turkey.”
“Not even close,” Camryn chuckled. “That’s when the stupid crash happened. It made me jump enough that the knife sliced across my arm.”
“Right,” he laughed again.
She dropped onto the pillow and laughed with him. “Fine, convince yourself of whatever you need to.”
“I am. Thank you.”
Turning to him again she slid her hand over his stomach and pressed her lips to his chest. “I need help taking a shower,” she murmured. “Know anyone qualified?”
“I believe I’m qualified, but if I’m not, I’m sure you can sign off some hours on my internship.” She rolled to her back and laughed again. Teague pulled himself closer to her, sliding an arm around her waist to kiss her cheek. “Have I told you how much I love your beautiful laugh?”
Placing her hand against his face to kiss his lips she replied, “Yeah, you have. And thank you for giving me all these opportunities to laugh.”
Chapter Twenty
“So you kissed him, huh,” Brandon stated indifferently as he took another bite.
Camryn looked at him from across the table as she set her hands in her lap. She didn’t want him to see her nerves working as she rubbed her fingers with apprehension. Talking about Teague with Melanie was one thing. As silly as her sister could be, she at least knew Camryn well. Brandon did too, but there was one major difference… He was Zach’s brother.
She waited for him to say something else, but he continued to eat. Why she was so worried about his approval kind of pissed her off, but she couldn’t help it. Brandon was the only person she knew that loved Zach as much as she had, and she’d spent the last twenty-five months trying to get on with her life in so many unusual ways while Brandon had to watch.
Finally she couldn’t stand it anymore. “Would you say something more than that?” she blurted, pushi
ng her plate away from her. She glanced around the restaurant before lowering her voice. “Jesus, Brandon. I’m talking to you about something really difficult and all you can do is eat your damn food.”
He raised his eyebrows with surprise and then slowly put down the fork. “Sorry, Cam. I just… What do you want me to say?”
“I don’t know. I’m sorry that was rude. I’m just… This is all new to me.”
He barely shrugged. “Well…um, is this what you want? Teague, I mean. You like him a lot, I take it.”
“Yes. I think… I think he’s…” Well hell, she couldn’t even say it. Her feelings for Teague scared the shit out of her. She didn’t know if Brandon would understand that or not. Yes she was entitled to a life after Zach, but would his brother treat her differently once she found someone else? Even with their awkward relationship, she still needed him in her life.
“What’s going through your pretty head, Cam?” he sighed. “You look like you’re going to throw up. Are you having another panic attack?”
She squirmed in her seat a little. “Not going to have a panic attack. Haven’t had one for a few months. But back to Teague?”
“Okay, back to Teague. What is it you want to talk about? You met a guy, he came down here to be with you and…? What, Camryn?”
She placed her elbow on the table and rubbed her forehead. “We’re still friends, right?”
He almost gaped at her. “What? What kind of question is that? We’ll always be friends, Cam. Unless your new boyfriend still has a problem with me. I’m not the one that’s going to come between us,” he motioned to the two of them.
“Teague isn’t like that. I haven’t exactly told him much about you—I think he thought you were my friend with benefits when you first met him.”
The corner of his mouth frowned. “Really. Did he come to that assumption, or did you help him along?”
She didn’t like the accusation in his voice, even though he was right. “I had just met him, jackass. Kind of had to play it safe.”
“Fine,” he chuckled. “But what about now? You told him about Zach, right?”