Page 98 of Already At Risk
Oh, what a dangerous thing to think about—what I wanted.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
Cameron nodded, and then he was out the door.
Right before Chloe vomited all over the couch.
Thank God I put down that sheet.
When Cameron returned thirty minutes later, I realized that his idea ofa few thingsand my idea ofa few thingswere entirely different. He’d bought all the electrolyte drinks the grocery store likely carried, as well as every food item that might fit in the BRAT diet, with the exception of bananas. He must have noticed the overabundance of them in the fruit basket and realized I, at least, hadthatcovered.
“There’s fresh tacos on the counter,” he said after emerging from putting everything away in the kitchen, and my stomach took that inopportune moment to growl. Loudly. Cameron lifted a brow. “Eat them, Natalie. I can sit with Chloe.”
I shook my head as I pushed to my feet. Chloe was feeling well enough that she was sitting up, which I knew was likely becauseshe’d just cleared out her stomach a few minutes before. Or what was left in it, anyway. But her temperature was still holding steady, only slightly elevated, and I suspected this was just a stomach virus that needed to run its course.
“That’s okay,” I assured Cameron. “I’ll get to them in a second. Thank you so much.”
Cameron narrowed his eyes, like he wasn’t sure if he should trust me to take care of myself. But he didn’t push it. He just pressed a glass of water into my hands that I hadn’t realized he was holding.
“Drink, then,” he said before dropping his voice. “You need to stay hydrated, too.”
I drank the water, not arguing. Mostly to save me from finding a response.
“Good girl,” he muttered, low—so low that I almost hadn’t heard him.
I took another long drink, practically draining the glass, and the corner of Cameron’s mouth twitched.
“Do you want me to stay?” he asked after a beat of silence where it was just me gulping water, him watching me with fascination, and Percy Jackson talking in the background.
“We’re not going to get to any more…case notes tonight. So no, I don’t think that’s necessary.”
Cameron gave a slow nod, seeming to recognize that he’d been dismissed. I didn’t mean it to sound like that, but I wanted him to know that staying any longer would shift our predetermined roles. I couldn’t ask him to do that. Ishouldn’task him to do that. Cameron’s expression was mostly unreadable, though, and for some reason, it irked me to no end. What I wouldn’t do to get in this man’s head, just for a little bit.
“Okay,” he agreed. “If you or Chloe needanything, text me.”
I nodded, but it wasn’t good enough for Cameron.
“Promise, Natalie.”
“Promise,” I whispered. “How much were the groceries? I’ll send you some money.”
Cameron made a face. “Don’t do that.”
“But—”
“I don’t want your money.”
“I’ll figure out another way to pay you back, then.”
He shook his head at the idea, not even playing into the possibility for an innuendo, like I thought he might. I’d expected to see that twitch of his lips or glint in his eyes, but he actually looked…annoyed. His lips pursed, and then his gaze swept over me, almost like he was analyzing the moment as it stretched on. His body shifted, uncomfortable with standing still but incapable of walking away. It was like he didn’t know how to say goodbye without using more than words. Like he wanted to touch me but knew he couldn’t.
Touching you again is all I can think about, Natalie.
I’d assumed he’d meant in the context of sex, specifically.
But maybe…
“Night, Sunshine,” he breathed, once again low enough that I felt his words more than heard them.
