Page 20 of Just Like This
Chapter Eight
Garrett
Ididn’t want the nightto end. I wanted to remain firmly planted in that spot with Cami, dancing and singing and kissing. She had made me feel calm. The concert could have turned into a complete nightmare for me, but instead, it had been a blessing. Her excitement was infectious, which helped. I’d found myself focusing solely on the way she danced and sang, at her elation when her favorite songs were performed. And when I’d felt that sinking feeling start to creep up, I had reached out, and she’d been there, ready to be an anchor for me.
“Hey, are you two ready to go?” Palmer asked. There was a scowl on his face, and suddenly, I understood why Cami backed away. Palmer had witnessed our kiss. For a moment, I felt a twinge of guilt. I wasn’t trying to keep pouring salt in a wound that had only started to heal, butdamn, it felt so good to have my lips pressed against hers. She was heaven in my arms, and every inch of my body screamedmore,more,more.
“I think we’re going to wait until it clears out,” I told him.
“Suit yourself,” he said.
I wanted more time to be alone with Cami. I didn’t want to have to worry about Nikki or Palmer or anyone else. I wanted to stay put and kiss her sweet, soft lips until the stadium emptied. And then I wanted to take her back to the car and fog up the windows of my rental.
“Hey.” Cami reached out and touched Palmer’s hand. He stopped and looked down as if her touch had burned him. “Why don’t you and Jackson come back to my house?”
“Are you sure?” I was more than a little disappointed that she didn’t want to spend time alone with me.
“Yeah. It’ll be fun.” She looked up at Palmer expectantly, as if to apologize in her own way. “Are you in?”
Palmer deferred to Jackson, who replied, “I’m in.”
“What about me?” Nikki whined, threading her arms through Palmer’s. “Can I come too?”
Palmer turned to Cami and gave her an expectant look. “Sure,” she seemed to agree reluctantly.
“See you there,” Palmer said finally before brushing past us.
“You didn’t have to invite Nikki,” I said to Cami as we followed the last of the crowd out of the stadium.
“It would have been rude not to invite her,” she answered.
“She was rude to you the entire night.”
“Was she? I hardly noticed,” she teased, grinning up at me before stopping to place a light kiss on my cheek. “This was an amazing first date.”
“What are you doing tomorrow night?”
She was silent for a moment before she replied, “I think I’m free.”
“Now you’re not. We’re going out,” I stated matter-of-factly.
We made it out of the stadium and into the parking lot where I directed her toward where we had parked. As soon as I caught sight of my rental car, I felt hungry. I needed to be close to her again. I pinned Cami against the passenger side of the car, and she looked up at me with a similar expression. Slowly, I closed the millimeters of space between us. Toe-to-toe, I leaned forward and brushed my lips against hers. I held her waist firmly as she arched her back, pressing her breasts into my chest. Her hands lifted to cup my cheeks as she reciprocated with light, fluttering kisses.
“I want more,” I growled with frustration when I couldn’t take anymore. I pulled away, attempting to clear my head. Cami looked confused. So I explained further. “I don’t want to rush you into anything, Cami. You’re the first woman I’ve met who I want to go slow with. I want to do everything right.”
She nodded as her hands fell away from my face. “I understand.” She bit her lower lip before she flicked her heated gaze on me. Her desire mirrored my own. Her small hands reached out and pressed against my chest before traveling lower. She grasped my belt in her tiny fingers and tugged before letting go. “But everything with you feels right.”
Holy fuck. The angel inside her drew me close. But deep down, she seemed to have a devilish streak. The only way to know for sure was to press her buttons.
I took a step forward, closing in on her, and let my hands drift down the front of her shirt until I hit the waistband of her shorts. My fingers slipped under it and brushed against the warm, smooth skin of her stomach. She sucked in a sharp breath, which only emboldened me.
“Howrightdoes this feel?” I brushed her lips with a teasing kiss as I moved my hands from the waistband of her shorts to the frayed edges. Why were cutoffs so damn sexy? My fingers drifted under the material to the soft skin of her inner thigh. She trembled against me as I continued my exploration, moving my fingers farther up her thigh until I brushed just the edge of her underwear. She moaned her answer and closed her eyes. “Open your eyes, Cami, and look at me.”
I withdrew my hand, and her eyes popped open. She wanted more, maybe even expected it, but I wasn’t going to give it to her. “Cami, I’m not going to fuck you against my rental car in some stadium parking lot. You mean more to me than that. But I’ll happily indulge you once we’re in private.”
Cami exhaled loudly, and her entire body seemed to relax. “I feel different around you, Garrett. But you’re right, we don’t need to rush anything.” She looked around the parking lot, which was still pretty busy, and seemed to realize what could have happened. “We should probably go.”
The car ride back to Gig Harbor was unremarkable. We made small talk. I asked her about her dad’s illness, which she didn’t want to discuss.
