“I’m not skittish,” I responded defensively.
But when I pulled my hand from his, he shot back, “No, not at all,” before rolling his eyes.
We walked a few steps side by side in silence until he suddenly dragged a hand through his hair and sighed. “I thought we were in a much better place lately, Camilla.” Even in the dim moonlight, I could see the frown marring his handsome face. “Are you having second thoughts again? Are you back to where we were when you came to me? Because I’ll fight you if I have to.” The threat was loud and clear in his tone.
The more I tried to respond, the more my thoughts mottled my words, causing me to trip up and stumble like an idiot. I finally managed to say, “I’m not having second thoughts.”
He abruptly stopped walking and turned to face me. “Be honest with me.”
There was no way I could be honest with him, because that meant I first needed to be honest with myself. And under no circumstance could I allow my feelings to progress or even admit them. Frustrating tears welled just enough to blur my vision. Upon seeing them, Trey pulled me into his arms. “Hey, you’re scaring me now. Are you okay? Is Alivia okay?”
I nodded against his soft cotton T-shirt. “We’re fine. I’m just having a hard time processing everything.”
“Meaning me?” He pulled away far enough to stare down at me.
“You and all that comes with you.” Mainly, the fact I can’t stop thinking about you. “It’s a lot to take in.”
Misinterpreting my admission, he said, “We’re just people, Camilla. People with money, but no different than you. We bleed the same—we cry the same.” As he continued to hold me hostage with his crystal-blue eyes, every cell in my body came alive. “We hurt the same.”
“You and I may, but a six-year-old hurting is much different.”
“Why is she hurting?” he asked a bit too harshly. “She had a ball today.”
“She did.” As did I. “And this weekend will be one she talks about over and over. She’ll want more of it, and we both know that’s not something we can promise her.” Feeling his eyes on me as I shifted to face the ocean, I tried to pull out its tranquil energy to settle my nerves. But having him so close repelled any calmness I sought out. “Our daughter is a very trusting little girl, and her age makes her very impressionable.” When he suddenly closed the distance between us, I stared at the look on his face. “What?”
“You said ‘our daughter.’” I had? “You’ve never used the word our before.” While his eyes searched my face, his brows pulled together just before he lowered his lips to meet mine.
Instantly, every issue I had, both old and new, vanished.
Trey
For ten, maybe fifteen seconds, all my pent-up sexual frustrations waved a white flag and said, Fuck it. And the prick that I was surrendered to it by pressing my lips to hers before running the tip of my tongue over them to gain access. And to make things worse, my grip on her hips tightened as I pulled her body flush against mine… mainly to relieve the ache behind my zipper.
But once she opened her mouth, our tongues tangled in an erotic dance, and a soft moan traveled through her, cuing logic to smack the back of my head.
The way I yanked back you’d think her lips were coated in acid. But I didn’t stop there and actually retreated a few steps for good measure.
Shit… shit!
What the fuck?
She stared at me in shock, her hand robotically raising to cover her gaping mouth. “I’m sorry, Camilla. I shouldn’t have done that.” My admission caused lines to crease her forehead before she wordlessly shook her head.
Was she agreeing that I shouldn’t have? Or was she saying, Yes, I should’ve?
There was no way of knowing what ran through her mind, and not being the type to play games, I came right out and asked, “Did I fuck up?”
She continued to stare, prompting me to pace. “Look, I know this isn’t an excuse, but lately the slightest encouraging sign causes any common sense I hold to short circuit.” Stopping before her, I sighed and added, “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Her expression contradicted her words while the tension between us hung heavier than the saltwater scent. “I’m exhausted. I’ll see you in the morning?”
I wanted to say, No, let’s talk this out. I wanted to be sure this didn’t make her retreat even further into her own head. Instead, I nodded silently and watched her walk back toward the house.
What the hell was wrong with me? Pulling a move like that with Camilla was no better than throwing gasoline on a fire. I felt like I was on trial, and anything I did could influence the jury’s ruling.
Fuck.
A few minutes later, I walked my sorry ass back to the house. Funny, we hadn’t gone far, but the sand stretching before me seemed endless. Upon hearing voices, a part of me hoped they talked her into hanging out instead of retreating to her room alone. But the closer I got to the deck, the more it was obvious Camilla wasn’t there. The guys were playing poker around one of the tables while the women sat drinking cocktails and chatting near the pool.
“Hey, everything okay?” Jack asked, halting the conversation.
“Yeah,” I said on a shrug. “She went to bed?”
Jack nodded before asking, “Want to play? Maybe you’ll change Hunter’s luck.”
“I’m down two hundred already,” he griped.
Needing the distraction, and always wanting to be a thorn in Amatto’s side, I plopped down on one of the empty chairs and said, “Deal me in.”
Chapter 18
Camilla
This getaway proved to be a blast for my daughter… not so much for her mommy.
I’d already been a bundle of nerves from the moment my feet landed on the paver stone driveway. But even before that kiss, I’d felt like there was a blinking neon sign over my head that read, I’M FALLING FOR TREY. And after it, I felt naked.
More flirting on his part, and more adorable interactions with Alivia made it impossible for me to relax enough and have a good time. I was confused. Trey being a charmer wasn’t anything new, and neither was that short fuse of his when he felt threatened. It was experiencing those two extremes within a five-minute span that messed me up.
I’ll fight you if I have to.
If that wasn’t a threat, I don’t know what was.
And then he’d kissed me. Besides the fact he’d literally lit me up from the inside out with that one perfect kiss, he’d also unintentionally opened a portal into a black hole of doubt. Was there a purpose to his charm? Did he have an agenda?
Worse yet, he quickly stepped away with remorse written all over his face. He regretted it. He clearly felt that kissing me was a mistake.
There was no relief to my torment. Even after the kids were all tucked in for the night, I’d lain in that ridiculously comfortable bed, thinking of him on the other side of my wall. Was he experiencing his own battle? Was he thinking of me? Or was he plotting?
I needed to talk to my friend.
Although it was late, wishful thinking forced me to send Debbie a text asking her to call me if she were awake. My phone rang almost immediately.