Page 63 of SALT

Her face flushes. "Everett…" she draws out my name as she drops her eyes.

"Just answer me," I say as I pull her chin back to center, forcing her to meet my gaze.

"Yes, but it's the good kind. You didn't hurt me."

"Good. When you see me with her, remember you're sore because I spent hours inside the only person I see. It's you or it's no one."

It's an admission of things I'm not ready to face, but it's real and raw. There won't be anyone after her. As much as the thought of celibacy sucks, I know I wouldn't feel anything with anyone else. It would be meaningless. I'd walk away from it feeling worse.

"Stand up, sunshine." My hands grip her thighs, and I place a kiss on the pubic bone before peering up at her. "Help me empty this house."

Everyone stayed much later than expected. Elijah broke up with Annie recently, and after golfing with Kipp a few weeks ago, I know it hasn't been easy on him, especially living in a small town. He didn't just break up with a girl, he broke up with her whole family, but while it may hurt now, I think, in the long run, it will be worth it for both of them. When it's right, when it's love, it doesn't wear off. Seeing him have a good time with the girls had me stilling my hand and letting the night ride, even if it meant I had to watch the biker boy incessantly hit on Cameron. After watching them together in the pool, I understood how hurt she was seeing me sit beside Lauren. I had to grab my chair several times so that I didn't fly out of it and knock him out just for touching her.

Everyone stayed until it was time to go out to the bars. I was going to call them an Uber when Lauren offered to drop them off, which was perfect. I killed two birds with one stone. Since Lauren drove separately, I no longer needed to think of ways to kick her out. I'd like to say I'm freshly showered, with an empty house, and Cameron all to myself; however, that is not the case. Colton stayed. He had too many drinks and apparently gives zero fucks that he's been hogging Cameron's attention ever since everyone else vacated the premises.

Grabbing my phone off the dresser, I sit on my bed and send off a text before I can talk myself out of it.

Everett: What are you doing?

I click into the security camera app to see where they are while I wait for her reply. When I excused myself to bed, they were sitting in the living room, laughing their asses off about some show I know nothing about.

Cameron: Lying in bed.

My fingers hover over the keypad. I know precisely what I want to say, but if I open this door, there will be no closing it. Fuck it. I'm already fighting demons that came from the consequences of choices I've made. What's a few more?

Everett: Want to come to mine?

Cameron: Is that a serious question?

Everett: I take sleeping very seriously.

Cameron: What if I'm not tired?

Christ. I can't tell you the last time I flirted with a woman. The women I've been with since my divorce have been a different breed. The ones who were my age weren't looking for anything more than a good lay, and anything younger than ten years was going to sit on my dick for a shot at landing a wealthy husband. That's not arrogance. It's just the truth. In the end, both parties were using the other. It's that thought that gives me my next line.

Everett: I could come up with a few ways to help with that.

Cameron: Colton is downstairs.

Everett: Then you better be quiet.

After I hit send, I realize the double meaning in that last text. I wasn't going for sexual, but I'm pretty sure that's exactly how it landed. I meant she needed to be quiet while sneaking into my room. The last thing I want is her quiet in my bed. The door to my room slowly opens, and she steps inside, gently closing it behind her. But then, instead of striding across my room and crawling onto my bed as I expected, it's as if the floor grew roots. Cameron Salt is anything but shy. However, you wouldn't know that looking at her now. She's currently the embodiment of the word.

"Is something wrong?" I ask, setting my phone on the nightstand beside my bed. She rises on her toes before pressing her back to the door and rolling her lips. "You had no problem helping yourself to my covers last night." I try to keep it light, not knowing where her head is. She wouldn't have walked down the hall and let herself in if she didn't want to be in here. I didn't force her hand.

"Last night, you weren't watching me walk to your bed," she answers with a shrug before gesturing between us and adding, "This feels different."

"That's because it is." I nod toward the spot next to me, "Come lay with me so we can see how it feels together."

"Okay," she says as she bites back a tiny smile before it spreads, and she steps off the door.

"Cameron." She pauses as though she's done something wrong. "Lock the door this time."

Chapter 22

Cameron

It's been a little over a month since I started sharing Everett's bed at night and waking up in his arms every morning. At home, we're so in sync with each other. We fit together like a custom puzzle, unique, one-of-a-kind, and oh-so-perfect. It's cliché, I know. Everyone who finds their person says it's true, but we fit together because we were made for each other. At least, that's the way I see it. I haven't wanted to rock the boat and talk about the future or what comes next. All I've wanted to do is enjoy every second of pretending this is our new normal. That this is going to be our forever, one where there is no end to these magic moments. Something this beautiful can only be some sort of sorcery. There's no way I'm actually waking up with the man I love naked and wrapped around me like a second skin. No words, just gentle touches, soft smiles, and pure contentment. It's magical, and I'm not ready to return to reality. We'll be forced into a reckoning soon enough. The season will end, and there will be no more shared car rides to work, Connor will come home, and I graduate in a few months. That's why I'm soaking in all the tender, untainted, fleeting moments now, writing them on my heart so it beats with these memories forever. Even if it doesn't work out, I never want to forget what it felt like to be his.

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