Page 39 of Bending Under Pressure

“No, and we don’t know anything about them. Cam was dropped off at a hospital when he was about four months old. He doesn’t know his real name or the exact day of his birthday.”

“Wow,” I whisper. I can’t imagine what their lives must have been like before Octavia and John adopted him.

“I think it bothers him a lot. Babies are usually easier to find homes and families for than the older kids, but he wasn’t adopted until he was six. The system was all he knew until Mom and Dad adopted us. I ain’t gonna to lie. I wish it were his mom coming into our lives instead of mine. He’s always been curious about them, so I know he’d be more eager than I have been.”

“Yeah, well, they aren’t always what they’re cracked up to be,” I mutter, thinking of my dad.

“Doesn’t matter. Cam loves our lives as much as I do, but he wants answers.”

“Do you think he’ll ever get them?”

I feel his shoulder shrug. “I don’t know.”

We fall into silence, but only briefly before I ask another question. “What made y’all climb up here in the first place?”

“Cameron was trying to impress Jess. It worked.”

I laugh. “What are you going to do to impress m

e?”

“I’ve already impressed you. I took you to Mrs. Elsie’s, took you racing, and have been awesome in general.” He moves my hair to one shoulder and kisses my now bare neck. “Don’t you think so?”

“Yes, except for one little detail.” I struggle to breathe when he presses yet another kiss on the sensitive skin.

“Which is?” he drawls.

“Three letters. U. V. A.”

Keelan bursts out laughing. “Fair enough.”

Eventually, we stand to make our way down the ladder to interrupt Jess’s and Cameron’s make out session.

“Are you happy we crashed girls’ night?” Keelan asks, and I nod. He grins, dipping his head to press his forehead against mine as my heart begins stammering in my chest, skipping beats like crazy. I’m hit with another wave of his cologne and goodness gracious, he smells like a piece of heaven. “Would you be impressed if I kissed you at the top of the water tower?”

“Maybe,” I answer noncommittally. I even shrug my shoulder. I already know I wouldn’t be impressed. Nope. Only that much more smitten.

Keelan presses his lips to mine, hard and long, before pulling away with a raised brow. I shake my head to let him know I’m not impressed, but my playful smile gives me away. Keelan grips my hips. He takes one step closer to stand flush against my body. He kisses me again. This time, we part our mouths and he does this tortuously delicious slow dance between our tongues.

I thought that our kisses so far couldn’t get any better, but that obviously isn’t true. He could probably perform magical healing powers with a mouth like his. He could kiss me stupid. Heck, his mere presence does that. Hello, I’m on a water tower behind the police station. Keelan makes me insane. I want to fall apart in bliss from his touch. I want do things like running my hands over his body to feel the muscles I know are there. I want to sigh happily because he’s just that good. For the first time ever, I want a little more. My body is on fire with heat, tingles, and an overwhelming urge to do something about it.

Thankfully and regretfully, he pulls away at the exact moment my hands are about to start tentatively exploring his chest.

“Well?”

“Mhm,” I hum.

He cracks that beautiful smile at me, and then leads me to the ladder.

I have to say, girls’ night turned out pretty great.

Mom’s car isn’t in the driveway and Walter is vacuuming the living room when I walk into the house. He turns off the machine and smiles.

“How was the sleepover?”

“Good. I’m going to put my things away.”

I escape to my room, fall onto my bed, and pick up my latest read. It’s around noon, and Keelan isn’t coming to pick me up until around four. An hour passes before I crave something to munch on. Mom still isn’t home; she probably ran to the nearby legit town to grocery shop, and Walter seems to be hungry as well, because he’s standing in front of the fridge, staring at the contents.

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