Page 131 of The Long Game

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

Cameron

I pressed the phone to my ear, feeling my knuckles crack.

“Pick up, pick up,” I begged. Prayed. “Come on, love. Pick up the phone.”

When the voice I was dying to hear never came, I cursed under my breath. I hung up, stopping myself from throwing the damn thing out of the cab window.

Christ, where was she? Had something happened? Why wasn’t she picking up her phone? It was so goddamn late and I—

My phone rang.

I picked up immediately.

“Cameron,” Adalyn said. My name off her lips flew straight to my gut. Chest. Heart. “Cam?”

“Where are you.” I heard myself bark. I closed my eyes. This wasn’t the way to win her back. To grovel like I was determined to. To show her I trusted her. “I— Where are you, love? I need an address.”

Voices in the background got through. A female one and a male one. Was she listening to me?

“Adalyn?”

“Oh God, you’re not going to believe this,” she said. And why was her voice breaking? “My father—I— Oh God. I’ve been so stupid. I wish you were here. I—”

“I’m in Miami, I’m coming to you right now, but I need you to tell me where you are.”

Something that sounded a lot like a sob left her, and Christ, my fingers tightened around the phone in my hand. Adalyn spoke. “I’m on my way out of the Miami Flames grounds. I was going home when I saw all your missed calls.”

“Can you wait there for me?” For the first time in hours, I breathed a little easier. “Don’t go home yet. I’m coming to you. Just… wait for me. Please.”

“But—” she started.

But I was already barking at the driver, “Can you drive faster?” The guy shot me a glance. “I’ll pay you double.” He throttled the engine. “I’m almost there, love.” My hand tightened around the phone. “I know you didn’t need me today, but fuck, Adalyn. I hated how you left, I hated not knowing if you’d come back. I think I need to hold your hand. Make sure you’re okay. Just— Do this for me? Please? Don’t go to your apartment yet. I have a hundred apologies I need to say.”

“Cameron,” she said again, and my heart seemed to skip one, two, five beats. “I didn’t mean my apartment. I meant Green Oak.” A strangled sound came from the beautiful and smart woman on the other side. And I thought I stopped breathing. “I meant you.”

I spotted what without a doubt were the facilities. And when we entered the parking lot I told him, “Stop the car.” I pulled more money than I’d promised him out of my wallet and clasped it to his shoulder.

“Sir, you can’t—”

Oh, but I could. I flung open the car door and ran the few yards to the entrance of what had to be the offices. I dashed through the glass doors, and there she was. Adalyn, my Adalyn. She was right there, like I’d asked, with her phone at her ear and an expression of concern. I realized I hadn’t hung up.

Our eyes met across the big hall.

Her lips wobbled for an instant. And then, she was on the move.

Fuck. Not once in my life had I felt an urgency this powerful, this strong, to wrap my arms around someone gunning in my direction at that speed.

Adalyn landed against my chest, and I brought her to me, into me, everything finally quieting down. The riot clattering in my head, the storm of emotion that had been gathering in my chest. The world. Nothing around me mattered except her.

“This is where I meant,” she said against my neck. “It’s you, Cameron. I was coming back to you.”

My hand closed around the back of her head, my fingers slipping into her hair. I tugged so she would look at me. “I’m so goddamn sorry. Tell me you forgive me, please.” I needed to hear it. I needed to make sure. “Tell me you’ll give me the chance to show you that I trust you and only want what’s best for you. Don’t let this go before I’ve gotten the chance to show you how good we can be together.”

She smiled, and it was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. “Only if you tell me the words. The ones you didn’t want to say.”

I swallowed. Then, slowly, almost as if I was scared she would disappear, I closed the distance between our mouths, taking her lips with every single ounce of who I was. I told her with everything I had.

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