Page 60 of Freeing Camila

Those three words. No hesitation. No pretense. Just truth.

“I love you.”

He’d said it back with the weight of everything he was. The memory of it was still echoing in his chest, settling in a place that had been hollow for too damn long.

He turned his head slightly to look at her. She slept facing him, her cheek nestled into the pillow, lips parted just slightly. There was a kind of peace in her he still didn’t understand—how she could sleep so easily next to someone like him. How she could love someone who’d spent most of his life navigating shadows.

He’d never believed love was something he’d be capable of. Not really. He was a man forged in dark corners of the world, carved into shape by grief, guilt, violence, and sacrifice. He had seen too much. Done too much. And for a long time, he wore that like a shield—proof that he was safer alone.

But then she’d walked into his life—full of grace and quiet strength and this blinding, relentless light that chipped away at his armor without even trying. She didn’t demand pieces of him, didn’t try to fix what was broken. She just saw him. And still chose to stay.

She’d looked at him like he was worth loving.

And that changed everything.

He reached out and brushed a strand of hair from her face, his touch careful, tender. How did she do it? How did she make him feel more like a man than a weapon?

He didn’t have all the answers yet. But as her eyes fluttered open, and she smiled at him—sleepy, peaceful, his—he knew one thing with absolute clarity.

She was the light that had found him in the dark.

And he would never let go of her.

And as he watched her slowly wake, he knew with a certainty that startled him—he’d do anything to protect this. To protect her. Not because she needed it, but because he did.

Because loving her wasn’t the weakness he’d once feared.

It was the strength he never knew he had.

Unwilling to wait until she was fully awake, he gently pushed her to her back and climbed over her. Their mouths merged, tongues tangling just for the pleasure of it. He reached for the condom that still sat on the bedside table, tore it open with his teeth as she nipped at the sensitive skin of his neck. With trembling hands, he rolled the protection on then was inside her, where he belonged. Where he never wanted to leave.

She opened for him. Wrapping her legs around his hips, her heels hooked behind him. His need took control. He wasn’t gentle. He was fierce. And she met him thrust for powerful thrust.

Her walls pulsed around him, and she came with a rush. He didn’t stop. He pushed through her release and brought her to another one. She was mindless. Screaming his name. Moaning her pleasure. And he reveled in every sound. Every quiver. Every surrender she gave to him.

He couldn’t stop the inevitable. He thrust deep and emptied himself inside of her, words of love falling from his lips.

If he could wake up every morning just like this, he’d be content . . . forever.

CHAPTER25

Little Victories Bucket List No.15: Curse

Since the big reveal,things had been going smoothly; a sense of calm had settled over everything. Cammie had barely been back to her apartment since she and Wade shared their feelings for each other. She loved Wade’s little house, and he seemed to love having her there.

She’d talked with the authorities about a week after her father’s arrest and was ready to testify when the time came. Despite experiencing some trepidation at the prospect of facing the man, the knowledge that Wade would stand beside her provided her with the courage to tackle any challenge, no matter how daunting it might be. She’d been warned her father’s lawyers would try any means to discredit her, but she wasn’t worried. It may be naïve of her, but she had righteousness on her side. He’d go away for life and she’d finally be free of him.

She still found it hard to believe he was responsible for so many crimes. She understood his monstrous character, yet she mistakenly assumed his wrath was targeted exclusively at her, for a reason she’d never been able to comprehend. Little did she know, he was just as ruthless to everyone who crossed his path.

Feeling a deep obligation to atone for her father’s past misdeeds, an act many, including Wade, believed to be unnecessary, she set her sights on determining how she could best aid the victims of his human trafficking activities. Baker agreed to help her set up a foundation to help the victims that were found. He also mentioned a few groups that were dedicated to helping find and rescue victims. She didn’t know how many lives her father had stolen, and frankly, she didn’t want to know, but she hoped every one of them could be saved.

The victims were never far from her thoughts as she finished up her shift. Marilyn had an appointment and left early, leaving it to Cammie to close. As she diligently cleaned the kitchen in preparation for Marilyn’s bakers’ early morning arrival the next day, the sound of the bell above the door startled her.

“Be right there,” she called. With a final wipe of her hands, she pushed open the swinging door and entered the front of the bakery. “Oh, hi,” she greeted spotting Daniella.

The woman grunted a greeting while still standing by the door. Strange.

“I was just about to close,” she prompted when the woman didn’t move any closer to the counter. “So if you’d like to place an order, please do it now.”

---