Page 52 of Instant Bond

“Um, I don’t know. I guess I was just thinking about that article from before.”

“Forget about that, and forget about him.” Karter’s voice was unusually firm. It seemed like he was kind of mad about the whole situation, but I wasn’t exactly sure why. I mean, it made sense for the photographers to interpret them being there as a date, even if it hadn’t been true. Unless there was something about it I didn’t understand?

“Um, well, I’m not upset about it or anything,” I started. “But is he someone you’re friends with or what? I mean, how well do you know him?”

“We are not friends,” he said flatly. “But I’ve known him since I was in school.”

“Oh, wow, really?” I was surprised to hear that. “You’ve known him that long?”

“Our parents became good friends when we moved into their neighborhood. There was no way for us to avoid each other askids, and then we ended up working in the same industry. That’s all.”

“You don’t like him?” I realized. The tone of his voice made that pretty obvious.

“We’ve never gotten along,” he said. I wasn’t exactly an expert in detecting human emotion, but I could tell the conversation was making him uncomfortable. But that was only making me more curious.

“Why not?”

“His personality is difficult to deal with.”

He was answering me with the shortest, vaguest answers possible. I wasn’t sure whether to be worried about that or not. It was weird, but I didn’t think he would do anything behind my back, so maybe he just hated this guy so much he couldn’t stand talking about him. But if that was the case…

“If you dislike him so much, why did you get drinks with him?” I wondered.

He heaved a sigh, glancing up at the ceiling before answering me. “I was under the impression that doing so would be a gesture of good will. A truce, if you want to think of it that way.”

“And he didn’t?”

“He saw it as an opportunity to force a situation where we would be photographed together. He deliberately used me for that purpose.”

“Oh!” I realized. “So you think he did that on purpose? I mean, made it look like you guys were out on a date? Just so he could get his picture in some tabloid article?”

Karter stared at me for a long time before answering. “That must have been his intention, yes.”

“No wonder you were so mad about it,” I said, taking another sip of my drink. “That is pretty lame. Uh, just so you know, I don’t want to be in any tabloids or famous or anything like that.”

His face softened and it looked like he was relieved to be done with that subject. “I’ll keep that in mind, Cameron.”

I still wasn’t entirely sure what to think. It sounded like they weren’t exactly besties but that didn’t mean that guy would do something as crazy as buying out my apartment to demolish. I mean, he wouldn’t have had anything against me, right? If he and Karter weren’t friends, he probably didn’t even know I existed. I decided to forget it for now, until I could maybe look more into the company later.

KARTER

THE REST OFour lunch was peaceful, with no more questions about Lucas. I had no clue what had prompted any of that, but I didn’t like it. I wanted to keep the whole situation under wraps until I could get it resolved with Anthony. The last thing I wanted was for Cameron to have to worry about him on top of everything else going on. Not to mention that it was embarrassing that I needed outside help in regards to being harassed by an omega in the first place. It made me feel like a weak kid in the schoolyard getting bullied for their lunch money.

We took a short walk around the nearby park before heading home. He threaded his fingers through mine as we walked, glancing up at me a bit shyly as he did. We’d been fucking like rabbits at every available opportunity, but holding my hand was apparently blush-worthy for him.

I couldn’t get enough of him. He was always on my mind, no matter what I was supposed to be doing. It was obviously the same for him, if I could go by the fact that he was ready for whatever I wanted at the drop of a hat. And no matter how much time we’d spent together during the day, he always wanted to be touching me. Cuddled into my side or my chest, or just holding onto my arm. Even at night, when he should have been tired of me, he loved being wrapped up in my arms.

I’d heard people say that relationships had a honeymoon phase, a dreamy beginning period where you wanted your partner all the time. That must have been what was happening with us.

“Um, you know, sometimes people stare at you,” Cameron pointed out to me once we’d loaded back into the car.

“They probably recognize me from interviews I’ve done or things of that nature.”

“Well, maybe,” he said, but looked unconvinced. “I think they probably mostly just look because you’re hot.”

I glanced over at him, raising my eyebrow. “Is that why you’re always looking at me?”

“Pretty much,” he admitted, but didn’t look particularly ashamed by that fact. “I mean, you are really,reallyhot.”

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