Page 14 of Already At Risk
Cameron winked at me once before walking away.
And I tried very hard not to trail my gaze after him.
It took me another twenty minutes to escape Josh, and I assumed that by the time I exited the restaurant, Cameron would be long gone, considering I’d seen him leave with his date some time ago. But the moment I walked out the door and turned to my left to start my trek home, I ran head-on into a wall of muscle. A suit-covered chest.
Two hands gripped my bare shoulders, steadying me and unraveling me all at the same time. Because a man was touching me. And I knew exactly who he was—the only man who had ever made me feel this way from a simple brush, a mere taste of skin-on-skin contact.
His breathy chuckle made me shiver, and I leaned into his warmth for just a second, until the sound of his voice, so very close and masculine and husky, made me jump away again.
“We seem to like the same restaurants and bars,” he commented, sounding thoughtful. “I’m surprised we haven’t had more run-ins over the last six months.”
I shook my head. He had no idea how many times I’d been tempted to go back to that pub, to see if he might still be there. Because while one part of my brain knew what I needed, the other part knew what Iwanted.
“That would mean I’d have to go out more than twice in one year,” I said before finally looking up at him, just in time to see the sparkle in his eyes dim slightly at my words. “What are you doing?”
“Waiting for you. Wishing I’d just plucked you from that man before I walked away.” His features tensed. Was he impatient to leave? “I should have realized he’d try to hold you captive longer.”
“But what about your date?” I looked around for her, but Cameron was alone. “She was very pretty.”
Cameron looked over his shoulder in the direction that I assumed she’d left.
“She is.” His lips spread in an amused smile. “Probably because we share the same DNA.”
Oh.
Heat returned to my skin, andshit, he could probably tell. My cheeks felt it the most. But that was okay, as long as he didn’t realize that I was also, admittedly, relieved.
“She’s your?—”
“Sister,” he finished for me. “You couldn’t tell? We have the same eyes, same nose, same complexion.”
I shrugged, feigning nonchalance. “She doesn’t have dimples.”
Cameron’s smile grew, his eyes glittering as he let the words sit between us.
“No,” he finally agreed. “She doesn’t have dimples.”
“Did you have a nice dinner?” I asked, wanting to push the conversation away from the fact that I was very aware of this man’s dimples.
He nodded. “Yeah, it’s always good to see her. She’s visiting from out of town. California. Her husband picked her up.” Cameron cocked his head to the side, considering me in a waythat made me feel bare. “And how was your dinner, Natalie?” He raised a brow. “Or should I say,Sunny?”
I shook my head at his usage of the name I’d given him at the pub that night—a homage to finally seeing the light after a too-long divorce process and the dark marriage that had preceded it. It had felt fitting for the occasion.
“Josh and I matched on a dating app, so he knows my real name.”
Cameron looked disapproving. “Thatman earned your real name, and I didn’t? I’m all for making men work for you, but you need to make them work harder than that, Natalie.”
“I…” I started, but I didn’t really have anything to say to him, because truthfully, he was right. Josh hadn’t proved he deserved any bit of me. “I know. He’s the first guy I’ve tried meeting up with from an app, but maybe I’ll have to adjust my process in the future. Since that wasnota success.”
He stared at me for a long moment, and I refused to back down from the eye contact. “Just don’t tell anyone else your name is Sunny.”
“Why?”
Cameron leaned closer, a brief whisper in my ear that tingled my insides. “That’smyfake name,” he murmured.
I was starting to feel more than warm. Once again, something closer tohot, and I knew I needed to take a step back. ButGod, it was hard. Especially because I agreed with him. Cameron could have that name to himself. I liked that idea, actually. He could keep it—as a memento of a night that I thought about all too often, a reality that I wished I could pursue.
“Can I get you home?” he asked, pulling back like he hadn’t just made me feel more than my date had all night.
