Page 39 of Cam's Treasure

"Thank you," he said in a soft voice, and then his eyes flicked over me. "You're very handsome." His cheeks heated up even more, as if he was embarrassed by the admission, and I smiled widely, dropping my hand before he became too flustered.

"He's right. You look hot," Cam added with a grin, and I gave a soft laugh. I found Cam very refreshing. He was cheerful and so very unafraid. Then again, he was a dragon, and dragons were known to be fearless, sometimes to their own detriment. I'd need to be careful about that so Cam didn't get himself hurt.

"Ready to go?"

"Hell yeah!" Cam said while Micah nodded, and I led them to my car. There was a moment of indecision over who would take shotgun before Cam asked if they could both sit in the back seat.

"Of course."

I opened their doors for them, which Cam seemed to find amusing, and then walked over to the driver's side.

"Where are we going?" Cam asked as soon as we were on the road, and I chuckled, knowing that this wasn't the last time he'd ask me that question.

"It's a surprise I'm hoping you'll both enjoy."

Cam's eyes gleamed with mischief, but he didn't press further as he settled back into his seat.

As I drove, I snuck glances at them in the rearview mirror. The two men were as different from each other as two people could be, and yet they were so very close. It was beautiful to watchthem interact with each other, and a part of me was afraid they had no need for me at all.

Fate thought they needed me, though, so I wasn't going to let my fears stop me from getting to know them better, from doing all I could to make my place in their relationship and in their hearts, starting with the best first date I could come up with. I hoped they enjoyed it.

Seventeen

Micah

I'd just discovered something surprising.

Despite his visible ease and relaxed form, Ember was nervous, about this date, and about his place in this relationship.

None of it showed on his face or in his voice, but his thoughts were a different matter altogether.

He was being careful not to think of where we were headed, other than in terms of street names and landmarks that I had no hope of recognizing, and I realized he knew I might be listening to his thoughts.

He knew, and he didn't care. He knew, and he was letting me hear his worries, his fears.

Was it intentional? Had he done it to show me I wasn't alone? Or did he just not mind me peeking into his head?

Before I could come to a conclusion, we arrived at our destination.

I looked out as Ember stopped the car, then realized we were in an underground parking lot.

If I wasn't with a dragon—andif Ember wasn't our mate—I'd be worried about where he was taking us. Instead, I was just curious, but not more than Cam, who was practically bouncing on his toes as he looked around for a clue.

Ember smiled when he saw his visible excitement, and then gave me a similar smile, even though I was just standing there. He seemed to be making an extra effort to make me feel appreciated, and I wondered if Cam had told him to.

Had Cam told him I hadn't really wanted to meet him yet? Or that I was unsure if he'd want me? The thought made me feel ashamed, and I glanced away from him, twisting the ruffles on my dress for something to do.

"It's this way," Ember said, and Cam slid his hand in mine, giving it a light squeeze. I glanced over at him, and he gave me a soft smile, as if he could sense the direction my thoughts had taken and wanted to pull me away from there.

Returning his smile, I held on tight to his hand as we followed Ember up a set of stairs and into a reception area of sorts.

The sound of arcade-like pings and music seeped out of an open doorway, and Cam raised a brow at me, almost vibrating with excitement.

Ember turned to face us, and for once his nerves were visible on his face.

"I booked us for a game of paintball because I thought you'd enjoy it, but if it doesn't sound enjoyable, we can do something else." Ember gazed at me for a moment, his eyes scanning me from head to toe. "Oh. Would you be able to play in that outfit? Maybe this was a bad idea."

I knew what Cam would say before he opened his mouth, and not because I could read his mind, but simply because I knew him so well.

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