Page 35 of Instant Bond

We haven’t technically gone on a date or anything yet, so we are just talking.

“I would have taken you on a hundred dates if I thought you would let me,” he informed me.

“I know,” I assured him. Lifting the laptop off my legs, I set it on the table and leaned into his side. “I appreciate you staying and looking into this with me. I know you’re upset with me.”

“I’m not upset with you,” he denied. “I’m upset about everything that’s happening to you. I couldn’t be mad at you for that.”

“But you’re upset that I don’t want to quit my job.”

“I’m not upset about that,” he corrected me. “I just want you to take care of yourself the way you take care of others. And if you won’t, then I have to make you. You don’t give me a choice.”

“Taking care of myself is the last thing on my mind,” I scoffed.

“That’s exactly my point, Cameron.”

He stared down at me, long enough that goosebumps started forming on my arms and legs. I wanted to kiss him, but I instantly became aware that my face was sticky with tears and other unpleasant fluids.

“Um. I’m going to go clean up and change out of my work clothes, if that’s okay.”

“Sure,” he said. “Take as much time as you need.”

Slipping into my bathroom, I splashed water on my face, scrubbing it into my eyes. It reminded me of the first time he’d come into the restaurant and thrown my nerves into complete overdrive. It had barely been any time at all since then, but things felt so… Advanced. And now he was trying to give me money so I would quit my job.

A small part of me, a part I felt guilty over, wanted to agree and just sigh with relief. If he wanted to pay for me, then why shouldn’t I let him? Life had done nothing but screw me over and over for nearly a decade now. Maybe this was me finally catching a break. But was it fair to expect that from him, just because we were… Dating? Talking? Having sex? He wanted more from me, and I wanted more from him. I was pretty positive about that. But all the lines were so blurry now, it was hard to wrap my head around what we were exactly.

I searched myself as deeply as I could manage for the knowledge of whether Karter would get bored with me, or abandon me, and I came up confident that he wouldn’t. Sighing, I threw my work uniform in the hamper and pulled on the clothes I’d brought into the bathroom with me.

When I came out, he was in the same spot that I’d left him, but the plate and cup from before were gone. It was a small gesture, but it lit me up in my chest like a bouquet of flowers or a box of chocolates. His eyes met mine, then immediately dropped down to my shirt. On it was a picture of a smiling wiener dog, wrapped in a bun with a curvy line of mustard on his back. He blinked a couple times before shaking his head, but the corner of his mouth was perked up into a grin.

“What?”

“Just wondering how many more of these ridiculous shirts you have.”

“You don’t like my shirts?”

“I like them,” he said quickly. “They’re very… You.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“They’re cute, and you’re cute. That’s all I mean.”

Smiling, I settled back down next to him, cuddling into his side. “So, I thought about something.”

“Oh?”

“If me quitting my job at the strip club means that much to you then I’ll quit. And I won’t make a fuss about you helping me with the money I’m losing from it. On one condition.”

He tilted his head, narrowing his eyes with suspicion. “What’s the condition?”

“I still want to keep Ty in his daycare for Friday nights because he loves it, so… Maybe we could use the time I’d be working to go on a date? Or dates,” I added, hoping it wouldn’t just be once. “It doesn’t have to be anything fancy,” I quicklyamended, remembering who I was talking to. “Even just staying in and watching a movie or something… I would really like that.”

His expression softened as I rambled, and by the time I’d finished, he was already pulling me up into a gentle kiss. His mouth moved against mine slowly at first, before the tip of his tongue traced my bottom lip. I wrapped my arms around his neck, twisting into a position where I could settle up into his lap, straddling his thighs.

“Everything is just totally falling apart for me right now,” I said, staring into his eyes, our faces barely an inch apart. “But because you’re here… I’m not as freaked out.”

“I won’t let anything happen to you,” he promised. “Or Ty.”

“I know you won’t,” I said. “It’s just hard for me. I’m not used to being taken care of.”

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