Page 31 of Lock 'em Down

“I never had the chance to figure things out for myself and now…” she trails off, lifting her arm in my direction and letting it fall.

“I’d never hold you back from your dreams,” I say softly. “I don’t care if you’re an accountant or not. I’d support you if you want to do drawing or a more creative profession.”

Her eyes snap to mine and widen. She blinks, as if seeing me in a new light. “Leif,” she whispers.

I shuffle forward half a step. “Cam, my mom is here, staying with me, to set me up and see me settled. Your mom obviously wanted you to meet me.”

“My mom just wants me to have a traditional life,” she clarifies.

“What’s wrong with that?”

“It’s not what I want!” She grips the second shot glass and tosses it back.

I grin. But isn’t she hot when she’s stressed? Unraveling in all the right ways. “What do you want, Cam?”

She freezes. Those blue eyes snap to mine and hold. “I want…” she sighs. “I want to start my life. On my own terms. Not as someone’s wife. But as me, Cami Coleman.”

I reach out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. Cami Coleman. I like her full name.

“I’m not in love with you, Leif,” she continues.

“That’s fair. I’m not in love with you either,” I admit. What I don’t say is I’ve never been this twisted up over—this affected by—a woman. “You don’t know me. Yet.” I tuck a hand in the pocket of my jeans. Shrug. “I’m very lovable.”

She snorts. “What if we give this a fair shot and it…doesn’t work?”

“Then, we get divorced,” I agree. “But do you really want to dissolve everything without a fair chance? We’re obviously attracted to each other.” I brush my fingertips over her lips, and she nearly shudders. “Our families won’t oppose it.” I tilt my head toward our mothers who are probably wondering what the hell happened to us. “And we could at least see what this spark between us is. ‘Cause there’s something here, Cam. I’ve never done a serious relationship thing—my first attempt can’t crash and burn.”

She blinks and her eyes clear. She watches me for a long moment. Tilts back again to check on our mothers. “Fine.” She pushes her hair behind her ears. “Fine, we’ll…give this a chance.”

I smile. “Good.”

“Being with you will help get my mom off my back too,” she adds. “She’ll feel better about my move here and give me some space. This arrangement, while temporary, is…also a convenient distraction for my mom.”

I can’t fault her for her honesty…but I hope this “arrangement” becomes more than just a temporary convenience. “Another item for the pro column.”

Cami nods and then her eyes swings to mine, wide and worried. “Ah, your mom is coming!”

I grin. God, isn’t she great?

She shakes out her wrists and practically prances from one foot to the next. I chuckle and reach for her. Then, I pull her into my frame, drop my mouth to hers, and kiss her hard. I swallow her worries and prove that we can give this a real chance.

A promising start.

Nine

Cami

His mouth lands on mine like a balm to my wounds—the ones that are still healing, the ones that are just smarting.

When Leif kisses me, my mind clears. The stress melts away. The worries and doubts and fears subside. There’s just me and him and this. The moment.

His tongue slips inside, and I angle my head, wanting to deepen our kiss. His hands slide to the top of my ass, his fingertips grazing the back pockets of my jeans. My hands are trapped against his chest, and I love that I can feel the beat of his heart through his shirt.

It’s steady. Centering. Here.

“Leif Bang!” His mother’s voice cuts through my head, and I jump back, dazed.

Gah! I knew she was coming and I—Leif’s smirk cuts off my thought.

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