Page 65 of Hiding Hollywood

“You don’t have to get out.”

Sticking her nose in the air, she ignored his statement and followed him to the front door. The move might qualify as the pushiest thing she’d ever done. Rude, in fact. She’d write him an apology letter later.

He’d never said he didn’t want her. All his reasons were based on irrelevant logic.

“The spare keys are right inside.” He fumbled with his keys and unlocked the door. She moved in right behind him, closing the door as he said, “Got them.”

In a swift move, she pressed his shoulders back against the wall. A faint trail of moonlight came in from a window on the other end of the house, illuminating the small foyer enough to show her that he held his hands up in the air like someone surrendering. Lacy whined from her crate somewhere in the house. Lacy would have to wait.

“Addie?”

“You don’t get to tell me what’s best for me, Cameron.” She nipped at his bottom lip. Her fingers found the top button of his shirt and slid it free. “Tell yourself whatever you need. Lie again. Plead temporary insanity. False imprisonment.” She undid the next two buttons. “This is what I want. You do, too.”

“I know, but—”

“No buts.” She smiled and reached around to give his butt a squeeze. “Well, maybe one butt.”

“We can’t.”

“We can’t?” She sighed. “Or you won’t?”

“I want to. Really. But, you know we can’t let this go that far.”

She made quick work of the rest of his buttons before running her hands along his bare chest and down his abs. Her fingers rested on his buckle. “I once had a math teacher tell me I can do anything I put my mouth to.” His muscles clenched tight as she pressed a kiss to the center of his chest. His warm skin, his scent, confirmed her desire to make itthenight.

“I don’t think that’s what they said,” he muttered. His head fell back against the wall with a thunk. “I’m trying to do what’s right for both of us.”

She pressed her lips against his chest again and muttered, “I don’t care about being in custody.”

He groaned, his voice sounding strained when he said, “You leave soon.”

She ran her hands up his abs, over his chest and back down his arms. “We need to get started. There’s a lot to explore.” He still didn’t get it. This was right for them. If he’d let go, he’d see it. She stepped away, far enough to pull her tank top over her head before tossing it somewhere into the darkness of his living room.

His breath sucked in through his teeth, his green eyes appearing black in the shadows, but he still didn’t touch her.

Interesting. How far could she push her straight-laced cop before he caved? She was in control. Of her life. Of this moment. Brian had stripped her of the power to make her own decisions for too long. But that had been her fault.

No longer.

She unsnapped the back of her bra.

He growled that way that drove her crazy.

She threw her bra into the same darkness where her tank top had ended up. “I think I need help getting out of these boots.”

“Damn it, Addie,” he mumbled as he dropped the keys onto the tile floor. He took over, drawing her close, kissing her until her head swam. She worked the rest of the buttons of his shirt loose, pushing it from his shoulders.

When his shirt dropped away, he scooped her into his arms, taking long steps to his bedroom and dropping her on the bed.

He pulled off the second boot. They locked eyes in the near darkness. This was it. That line he’d refused to cross. The line she hated.

There wasn’t any going back to the distance they’d maintained before. God, their future together was a mess, practically nonexistent, but how could she walk away from Cameron and not feel as close to him as possible?

Easy, she couldn’t. She needed this and so did he. For once, they needed to be with someone for the right reasons.

Cameron toed off his boots and tossed his belt to the corner before covering her body with his. His fingers skimmed down the side of her body, making her laugh as he touched her waist.

His lips smiled against hers. “Somebody is ticklish.”

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