Page 122 of The Long Game

“For good luck,” he said. “So you don’t forget just how superstitious I am.” And with that, he turned around and left me right where I was.

Jesus. Was this my life now? Being invited by beautiful gruff men to have shower sex and wearing their family heirlooms around my neck?

It’s an open invitation for you to join.

I sprung up. The heels of my feet hit the floor so hard, I probably left a mark. We were going to talk either way. He’d said so himself. So we could have a few orgasms first, couldn’t we? Cameron was giving me the choice. Just like he always did. He’d known there was something on my mind and offered me an in and an out. He’d made sure either way, I knew he’d be there.

Stroking himself.

I started for the bathroom, but then, my phone pinged again.

Almost instinctively, I had a glimpse at the notification. It was Matthew’s email.

There had been something about him, something about what he’d said that had left me unsettled. There was something up with Matthew and the answer might be in that email.

I picked up the phone. Unlocked it. Opened my inbox and tapped on the mail.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

Adalyn

It was Cameron’s voice that returned me back to earth.

“Adalyn?”

I blinked, the screen of my phone now black.

How long had I been staring into blank space?

Everything was a blur. I didn’t even remember putting on one of Cameron’s shirts or coming to the kitchen. I just remembered opening Matthew’s email and needing to move. Feeling cold. Needing a glass of water. Needing to breathe.

“Adalyn?” Cameron’s voice came again, a panicked edge in it this time. I heard his steps, then his hands were around my face. “You need to breathe, love.”

Was I not breathing?

Air got stuck in my throat, making me gasp and giving me an answer.

Cameron’s eyebrows knotted, concern twisting his expression. He was right. Cameron had been right all this time. This had to be a panic attack. And it was something I shouldn’t brush off. I should see someone about it. I probably had triggers I should know about. I—

“I need to leave,” I croaked. “It’s my father. Matthew’s email. I need to catch a flight back to Miami.”

His hands fell around my face. He tilted my face back. Met my gaze. “Breathe.”

He was right, I needed to do that.

“That’s it,” he said, as I limited myself to inhaling and exhaling big pulls of air. “Good job, darling.”

The noise in my head started to quiet down. The thumping in my chest gradually came down. But then, new emotions seeped in. Guilt. Sorrow. Shock. Cameron must have been so scared when found me like this. So concerned, so blindsided by… me. I shook my head.

“My father is selling the club.” The words left me in a gurgle. The pressure in my chest rose. I focused on Cameron’s face. On letting the green of his eyes ground me. “To David, according to what Matthew has been told by one of the journalists in his network. And it has to be because of me. It has to be because Dad has no other choice after I messed everything up. David’s probably blackmailing him in some way, using me as collateral again. He must be exploiting the situation I put the Flames in with the video. Otherwise, Dad would never do that. He…” Something crossed Cameron’s expression. “My father would never sell.”

“None of this is your fault,” he said with confidence. Determination. That urge to make it better, to take the concern away from me. “You hear me? Nothing. You’re not responsible.”

Those words brought relief, but he… Why wasn’t he more shocked? What had that emotion flashing through his face been?

“Adalyn,” he said. Slowly, carefully. “Yesterday—”

It hit me then. “You knew.”

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