Page 153 of Already At Risk
“I’m not going to stop,” he went on. “Not for a long time. My girl’s always gonna know exactly how gorgeous she is.”
“Is that what I am?” I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth in thought, and Cameron’s gaze flicked to my mouth. “Your girl?”
I really liked the sound of that.
“Mmm.” Cameron shook his head, oddly a little disappointed in the question. And then I understood why. “If you’re really asking me that, then I have some work to do tonight, don’t I?” He raised a brow. “Let’s go.”
Taking my hand, Cameron led me down the steps. But before we could make it to his car, something caught my eye out of my peripheral vision.
Were plantsgrowingin my garden?
I dropped Cameron’s hand, getting sidetracked as I walked across the tiny patio. “What’s that?”
Cameron was silent for a moment, and then, when he seemed to figure out what I was talking about, said, “Oh, Chloe didn’t tell you about that?”
I frowned, staring at the little sprouts in the soil. “Tell me about what?”
“We planted flowers that night you were at the hospital.”
Turning, I stared at him. “You planted flowers?”
He nodded, looking amused at my shocked expression. “Sunflowers, baby.”
God, the things he could do to my pulse with just a couple ofwords.
“The flowers were Chloe’s idea,” Cameron added, just like he did with the sunflowers in the vase that night. But I knew better than to believe he hadn’t played a part.
“She has a sudden thing for sunflowers, huh?”
He shrugged, the corner of his mouth twitching as he held his hand out, and I walked back to him, taking it. “Do you like them? I’m sorry if you had another idea for that patch of soil.”
I had to swallow past the lump in my throat before I could answer. “I love them. I’ve been meaning to plant something there for a while. I can’t wait to watch them grow.”
Cameron gave me a warm look. “Me too.”
We walked to his car, and he opened the door for me—always a gentleman, it would seem. Although he also wore this crooked smile that told me he had plans for tonight that would make me rethink whether that was true.
“Where are we going to eat?” I asked as I slid into the front seat of his car, itching for more details.
“Somewhere…unexpected.”
“Oh?”
That caught my interest, but I had to wait while Cameron shut my door and walked around to get into the driver’s seat. He took his time buckling his seat belt and then looked pointedly my way, waiting for me to do the same. I reached back to grab it.
“I really have no interest in taking you somewhere I’d have to share you with other people,” he finally answered, taking the buckle out of my hands and clicking it in place for me before resting his hand on my thigh, adding heat to an already warm day. “I knew you were going to look as amazing as you do, and I’m fucking tired of keeping my hands off you in public, Natalie.” Cameron slid his hand to my knee, giving it a little squeeze.
It reminded me of how he’d touched me under the table during my deposition, both keeping me grounded and sending my body into overdrive.
He was doing the same thing right now.
“Oh,” I repeated, feelingflustered.
“Unless you’d prefer I keep my hands to myself?” he asked, casting a speculative glance my way.
He started to loosen the grip he had on my knee, and I immediately placed my own hand on top of his, stopping him.
“I didn’t say that,” I said, breathless. My entire body flushed hot, and I wondered if Cameron could feel the heat radiating off my skin, beneath his touch.
