Page 53 of Please Hate Me

Instead, I focused on enjoying the show.

Cameron’s shoulders were impossibly broad and peppered in rust-colored freckles. He ran his fingers through his ginger curls, causing them to dance against the back of his neck. The muscles in his back rippled as he raised his arms. He was truly enormous, especially compared to me—the top of my head barely reached the bottom of his shoulder blades. If I were to describe him, I’d say he was a big boy… but, no, that didn’t do him justice. Cameron was approximately seven feet of hulkingman, soft in all the right places with thick muscles underneath. He wasn’t chiseled like Sebastian, but still, seeing him shirtless made my heart flutter.

“You smoke?” I asked, more to make conversation than out of curiosity.

He looked over his shoulder directly at the nightstand.

“Oh, yeah. Guess I do. Why do you ask?”

He turned to face me, and the hair on his chest caught my eye. I swallowed hard as my eyes meandered down his stomach, fixating on the happy trail that disappeared into the waistband of his jeans.

Heat rushed to my face.

“Smoking’s bad for you.” I choked on my words as a strange quiver infected my body.

Even though Cameron seemed lovely, I expected him to yell at me. We barely knew each other; who was I to tell him something like that? It was a well-known fact that people didn’t smoke for the health benefits.

Still, as he approached me with slow, confident steps, the heat in my face traveled down, collecting itself into a pulsing ache in my core. His boots thumped against the weathered hardwood floor, and I held my shoulders high as I fought the urge to dissolve into a puddle of Mason-colored goo.

“You want me to quit?”

Chapter 16

Cameron

Mason squeaked at my question, and I could swear her face matched the scarlet of her sweater. I didn’t expect her to react like that, but fuck, it was adorable in all the wrong ways. All of a sudden, I wasn’t so opposed to the age gap. It was almost a thrill, being so much older than her. I was the pastor corrupting the popstar. Surely, that wasn’t the case, but I liked the idea.

“I need you to answer my question, darlin’.”

She squeaked again, a tiny little noise that sent a tingle straight into my cock. I wondered if she made noises like that when she came. Alcohol had stolen most of my memories of our first time, so I had no idea what I was in for.

“I—I mean...” Her words trailed into nervous laughter. I was seeing a new side of her tonight. I wondered if this was the person Soph and Luce used to know, the girl with the purple clarinet and the enormous smile.

Anyway, who was I to offer to quit smoking for her? Mason was only gonna be here for a few months, and it was better foreveryone if she just forgot about me after all was said and done. But... I still wanted to make her happy while I had the chance.

“I can quit, but I’ll probably be a bit mean for a while.”

“Y-you don’t have to.”

“I don’thaveto do anything.” I leaned down close enough to feel her shaky breath against my lips. “But a real man makes sacrifices to see his woman happy.”

Her eyes widened.

“Ten minutes ago, I was too young for you. Now I’m yourwoman?”

“Well, you reminded me I put that baby in you. It’d be impolite if I didn’t try to keep you content.”

She swallowed hard, and her knees started to shake. I sat down on the bed, hoping to make her more comfortable by bringing myself closer to her height.

She took a deep breath.

“It’d be nice if you quit smoking. Especially if Lavender wants to meet you when she’s an adult… you’re already ancient, so you need to dosomethingto help yourself stick around.”

A smirk tugged at my lips. Who knew this little mouse was so cheeky? And... I liked the idea of meeting Lavender in the future. Having a baby was dangerous, but letting my daughter seek me out as an adult seemed safe enough.

I pressed my forehead to Mason’s and reached for her hands. They were cold, and I could feel every bone in her fingers. I was almost afraid I’d break her.

“Well, you’d better do your part to keep me young while you’re around.”

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