Page 65 of Caught in the Middle

“And those on a mission to bring interest to adventuring outdoors tend to care a lot about sharing the importance of cleaning our waters, leaving no trace, and building community. There’s nothing that makes you feel like you’re exactly where you need to be like sitting around a fire with the stars overhead and good people all around you.”

Cam smiled as he caught sight of her face, knowing full well she was getting lost in memories, likely reliving them as she shared. It amped up that magnetic energy about her and he loved every minute of it.

“You love what you do, don’t you?”

She nodded, letting his hand go so he could pull out a key card. “I really do. It feels like such a privilege.”

He unlocked the door and held it open for her to enter first. “I’m glad you have that.”

“Me too. What about you? You seem to like what you do a lot too.”

He rubbed the back of his neck, a boyish smile forming as he looked down and admitted, “I do. It’s nothing fancy and doesn’t provide me a lot of excitement or travel, unless it’s for meetings, but I like the people that I work with, the structure, and the security it provides for my lifestyle.”

“I think that’s wonderful.” And she really did. There was something to be said for appreciating what you have and being content with what it provides.

“If I ever craved change, then I could always try transferring offices to a different city or state, or work to earn a promotion that would require me to relocate.”

“Would you ever want to do that?” she asked. “To move?”

He looked her in the eyes as he said, “I have no problem with moving or making changes if it means getting what I want. My family and friends will always be there for me whether I’m a fifteen-minute drive away or a fifteen-hour flight.”

She let out the breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. She suddenly didn’t think he was talking about promotions, and she knew she was asking from a curiosity that had nothing to do with work.

“Would you?” he asked “Take your photography skills and live somewhere else?”

It was something she’d thought about a lot, and not just because of Lauren's comment this week about her and Cam or what a pretend long-distance relationship might bring up. “I like change and trying new things. I like where I live and what the location offers, but I’ve also considered moving to experience what life is like elsewhere. As long as it didn’t compromise the success and hard work I’ve put into growing my business, I would go where I wanted.”

If Cam hadn’t already known before, he’d know now that he admired this woman. Maybe it made him crazy, but there was something about her making a decision based on how it would affect her career, considering she’d worked so hard to carve a path out for herself, that he respected. It shouldn’t be surprising that he’d be drawn to a confident and successful woman because he was surrounded by women like that between his mom and sister and his friends back home.

“Have I ever told you how amazing I think you are?”

She couldn’t help but smile as she broke eye contact and walked over to where her suitcase still lay open on the desk. She started pilfering through it, not looking for anything, but to keep her hands busy. “Maybe a little, but you can start retelling me now.”

“Mmm,” he said from where he stood by the bed. “I think you’re intelligent, the best damn dancer I’ve ever known,” he smiled when he saw her lips lift at that. “I am clearly in awe over the way you take charge of your life. I like how sweet you are but the way you get fired up real fast when someone rubs you wrong.”

He let his words sink in before continuing. “Mostly, I think I like the way that you look at me.”

She turned toward him at that. “How do I look at you?”

“Like you might not want to lose me.”

Emma swallowed. “Are you mine to lose?”

“Only if you’ll let me be.”

She looked him over, really took him in. The strong jaw covered in stubble, those arms that she loved having wrapped around her, the softness of his brown hair, and her favorite, those blue eyes that always sought her out and looked deeper into her soul than anyone dared go.

Cam slowly walked toward her, crossing the room one step at a time. Emma had to tilt her head back as he came closer, her eyes never leaving his.

“Do you know how you look at me?” she asked in a whisper as he stopped mere inches in front of her.

“How?”

“Like you might open my heart to something I’ve never felt before. Like I might just be a goner if I give in.”

He couldn’t help but smile at her admission, the hope that swirled in him taking over. “If you give in, I promise to never cage you. The world is yours, Emma. I just want to be by your side if you’ll let me.”

She blinked back the unexpected tears collecting at the edges of her eyes. It wasn’t his words but the truth and promise she could feel in them. The commitment to be there and not leave, to let her be who she was, and the understanding he had of her.

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