Page 52 of Please Save Me

Instinctually, my gaze flickered to his crotch. His maroon sweatpants didn’t show anything inappropriate, and for some disgusting reason, that disappointed me.

I forced myself to look up and hoped the dim lighting would hide the inferno in my cheeks.

“Mason, my girlfriend. Where is she?” I forced myself to sound irritated.

Cameron shot me a cocky smirk as he planted his hands on the kitchen island. From this position, I could see everything I never wanted to. The definition in his tree-trunk-like arms, the dusting of wiry chest hair covering his front, and just how soft he looked. If he actually cared about his appearance, Cameron could have an impressive physique. But, all his muscles were hidden under layers of overindulgence.

“She’s the mother of my child.” He stated calmly. “So you can stop with themy girlfriendline. It just makes you seem desperate.”

I was a little taken aback by Cameron’s… directness. Sure, he and I had never been friendly, but he’s also never outright denied my claim over Mason. I stood and stared for a moment as he lifted the cup to his lips before taking a long swallow.

When he finished, he placed it on the granite countertop.

“You drink?” He didn’t sound too interested in his own question.

“I, uh… yeah, I do,” I admitted.

He blew out a quick breath as he slid the glass over.

“Take a sip of that,” he ordered. “It’s the good stuff.”

I looked down at the glass as I took a deep breath. Was this some sort of sick test? Was Cameron trying topoisonme?

Normally, I’d just knock the glass over. I didn’t have much experience in bars, but I knew that if someone bought you a drink, it was more often than not drugged. That’s just how the world worked, especially when the drink came from someone with a fake name, but something in me spurred me in a different direction.

The cup was cool and weighty in my hand as I pressed it to my lips. Instantly, the liquor caused my chest to burn, and I almost immediately spit it out. But, if I were to do that, I’d show Cameron that he was better than me at something, so instead of swallowing my pride, I swallowed the whisky.

I almost gagged as I did, but I kept it down.

A corner of Cameron’s lip tugged up, but his smile was more sarcastic than genuine. “You’re lookin’ at me funny.”

His comment caused me to stop breathing as I looked away. I reminded myself that this sudden shift in his behavior was probably because of the liquid courage in his system and not because I’d seen his penis.

He reached over the counter to grip my chin, and my heart nearly leapt out of my body as he forced me to hold his gaze. The lack of lighting made his brown eyes appear impossibly dark.

“Listen, I know you don’t like me.” He drawled.

“I hate you.” I confirmed, but those words came out much softer than usual like I had to remind myself of that fact more than him.

He nodded in approval but didn’t echo my feelings. “But, even with that… I know you love Mason.”

I ran my tongue along my teeth as I thought, letting it linger on my canines as I waited for him to continue, but he never did.

“So… where is this going?” I spoke slowly, hoping he’d catch onto the fact that he hadn’t given me nearly enough information.

Cameron pressed his elbows to the counter and looked at the floor for a beat. His chest rose as he took a breath before focusing on me once more.

“I saw you and Dale talking during service before, well, you know.” He cleared his throat before standing to his full height. It was weird having someone actually tower over me. “And, I need you to tell me everything y’all talked about… for her.”

Chapter 16

Cameron

Golden sunbeams flooded through the cracks in my curtains and caught in the dust particles flitting through the air. Mason’s head rested on the middle of my chest as she held onto me like a child would a teddy bear. Unfortunately, Sebastian was also here.

Last night, he claimed to need to be here because he didn’t trust me. Butsomethingin the way he looked at me told a different story, one I didn’t care to know.

I turned my head slowly just to look at them. The straw-colored light warmed Mason’s otherwise cool features, making her look otherworldly. Like an elf or a fairy, even… and as much as I hated to admit it, it was doing something similar to the creep clinging to her as if his life depended on it.

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