He moved towards the hall, planning on checking on Cami and Madison, when he heard a shuffle behind him. He spun around quickly to find Ken staggering towards him, his expression contorted in rage as blood ran down his face. Now, with injury as well as inebriation, Ken’s actions were even slower and easier to figure out. As he lunged at Drew, Drew moved, bringing his knee up to collide with Ken’s stomach. Ken groaned in pain as he once again collapsed on the ground.
“You really want to stay down this time,” Drew warned. “Trust me.”
Ken just moaned in reply. He didn’t seem like he was going to try and fight anymore, but Drew decided it was better to stay where he was until the police arrived. He was sure that Cami and Madison were safe in the bedroom, no matter how badly he wanted to go check on them.
Instead, he tried, as hard as he could, not to grind his foot into Ken’s shoulder blades as he waited for the familiar wail of sirens.
10
Cami
Cami hung on the phone with the emergency operator until she heard sirens wail in the background. She was extremely embarrassed that her neighbors would be able to see her ex-husband being led from her house in handcuffs, but she tried her best to push that out of her mind. There was nothing she could do about it, after all. What she could do was ensure that Madison didn’t have to witness her father being led from her home in handcuffs.
After hearing Drew open the door and the sound of new voices in the living room, Madison sat up and looked towards the door worriedly. She hadn’t spoken a word since being led away from the kitchen table, and her obvious fear was tormenting Cami. She hated to see her daughter that way—hated to see her have to go through something as traumatic as what had just happened.
“Mommy has to go out and talk to the men, sweetie,” Cami said, stroking her daughter’s hair. “I need you to stay in here and watch your movie.”
Madison nodded and stared at the screen. The Little Mermaid was playing—one of Madison’s favorite movies—but she seemed to be looking through the television more than watching it. Giving her daughter one last look, she slipped from the bedroom, making sure to shut the door securely behind her.
In the living room, one police officer was handcuffing Ken while another read him his rights. Cami was surprised—thought not too surprised—to see blood on his clothes and dripping down his face. When he saw Cami, he tried, once again, to lunge at her.
“This is all your fault,” he shouted, though his words were somewhat obscured by his drunken state.
The police officer was none too gentle with him as he yanked Ken back away from Cami.
“Why don’t you go put him in the car while I get their statements?” the other officer suggested.
While Ken was being led from the house, Cami ushered the other officer into the kitchen, where she invited him to have a seat. She sat down next to him, though Drew chose to stand and pace across the floor.
“So,” the officer said with a kind smile, “why don’t you start from the beginning?”
“We were just sitting down to eat when Ken came banging at the door,” Cami began.
“Ken is the man who was just arrested?” the officer asked.
“Yes,” Cami clarified. “Ken Bellamy. My ex-husband.”
“And who all was here eating dinner?”
“Myself, my boyfriend Drew…” Cami motioned towards Drew, trying not to cringe. This was the first time she’d used the term boyfriend and she hated that it was in such unfortunate circumstances. She hoped she hadn’t overstepped her bounds, but Drew’s reassuring smile put her at ease. “And my daughter Madison.”
“And is Madison Mr. Bellamy’s daughter, or Drew’s?” the officer asked.
“Ken’s,” Cami replied. “Mr. Bellamy’s. We’re actually in the middle of a pretty bad custody battle right now. I guess my lawyers found some proof that he wasn’t as sober as he claimed to be, and he was pissed.”
“Well, if they didn’t have proof before, they have it now,” Drew said with a sigh.
Cami offered him a soft smile.
“Yeah,” the officer agreed. “This will all go into his arrest record, so it will be available to the judge in the custody case.”
“I guess, one good thing came from this,” Cami replied.
“So, then what happened when he arrived?” the officer prompted.
“I tucked Madison into the back bedroom and turned on the TV really loud. I then opened the front door.”
“And where were you?” the officer asked Drew.
“I was in the kitchen, watching everything but trying to remain out of sight. I wanted to handle it myself but Cami thought Ken wouldn’t react well to me.”
“So, what happened once you opened?” The officer turned back to Cami as he posed the question.
“He pushed inside and started raving about how it was my fault that my lawyer had uncovered some DUIs that he’d been trying to hide from his fiancée. I guess she found out and she was upset with him. And I think, he was starting to realize that he wasn’t going to win the case. I asked him to leave and he wouldn’t. Then he tried to take a swing at me. Drew stepped in and prevented Ken from attacking me, then told me to go to the bedroom with Madison while I called the police. And that’s where I was until you arrived.”
“And what happened out here?” The officer turned back towards Drew, waiting for an answer.
“When he lunged at Cami, I pinned him against the wall. I was holding him there after she went back to the bedroom, but he started to struggle and tried to attack me. So I punched him in the face. He fell to the ground, and I thought the struggle was over, so I turned to go check on Cami and Madison. But I then heard him getting up so I turned around in time to see him lunge at me again. But he was drunk and slow and easy to avoid, so I kneed him in the stomach.”
The officer was making notes on a pad in front of him, and Cami felt herself grow worried.
“Drew won’t be in trouble will he?” Cami asked. “He was only defending himself—and me.”
“I highly doubt it,” the officer assured her. “Your ex-husband may try to press assault charges—he seems like the type—but it would be hard to make it stick. I mean, he was in your home uninvited and he swung first, even if he failed to hit anyone. And I’m sure the tox screen will come back with a high level of alcohol in his blood. It would be very unlikely that he’d even find a judge willing to try a case like that.”
“Good,” Cami said, offering Drew a weak smile.
“Listen,” the officer said as he stood. “I know this was a scary thing to happen, but I can guarantee you that it almost certainly won your custody battle for you. And if you need me or my partner to testify about his behavior here tonight, we’d be more than happy to. I grew up with a drunk for a father, you see. So I know all about women trying to stand up to their piss-poor excuses of husbands. My mom was one.”
“Thank you,” Cami said, shaking the officer’s hand.
She let Drew see the man out as she went to check on Madison. Her daughter was still curled up where Cami had left her, staring vacantly at the screen.
“Hey, honey,” Cami said, crawling across the bed towards her daughter. “How are you?”
“Daddy?” Madison asked, and it broke Cami’s heart a little bit. “Is Daddy here?”
“No, honey,” Cami answered. “Daddy is gone. Daddy is gone, and he isn’t coming back.”
“Oh. Okay,” Madison replied, not actually looking very upset over that information. Perhaps she didn’t really understand. Or, perhaps, she wouldn’t actually miss her father.
Cami reached out and pulled her daughter into her lap, holding her tight until Drew came back into the room. He sat down on the bed next to Cami and stroked Madison’s hair for a moment.
“I’m going to clean up the dinner mess,” he told Cami, “then I’ll head home. It’s been a stressful night for you two, and you probably want to be alone.”
“No!” the little girl cried.
> Both Cami and Drew looked at Madison, who was trying to crawl out of Cami’s lap and into Drew’s. Cami, of course, was more than happy to let her.
“Don’t go,” Madison begged, fisting her hands in Drew’s shirt. “Me scared.”
“Oh, sweetheart,” Drew uttered against her hair as he held her tight and kissed the top of her head. “There is nothing to be scared of. Not anymore. But I’ll stay anyway, just to make sure you’re safe.”
“Okay,” Madison said, not relaxing her grip on Drew’s shirt.
Eventually, the three of them ended up in Cami’s bed, watching the second half of The Little Mermaid. By the time the movie was over, Madison was fast asleep, snuggled securely between Cami and Drew.
As the credits rolled, Cami stood and moved to pick up her sleeping daughter.
“Let me,” Drew said, easily lifting Madison and carrying her down the hall.
Cami padded after him, feeling her heart melt all over again at the sight of Drew putting Madison to bed. They tucked her in together and each kissed her on the forehead before heading back into the living room.
“I’m so sorry about tonight,” Cami said, shifting from foot to foot.
On one hand, it had been amazing watching Drew stick up for her and her daughter, then the way Madison had clung to him and asked him to stay. He’d even helped put her to bed! But, at the same time, Cami was half expecting Drew to decide that her life was just too much drama for him. She really was humiliated by what happened.
“Don’t be,” Drew told her, pulling her into his arms. “I’m not. I mean, I’m sorry that Madison had to experience as much as she did today. But she seemed okay by the end of the night. And if it’s what had to happen in order to ensure that Ken is out of our lives, it’s a small price to pay. Think about what the officer said, Cami. He basically lost the trial tonight. We’re free of him. Forever!”
There was the we again. Even after all that happened, Drew was still in this with her. They were in it together. They were a we.
“I love you so much,” she whispered against his chest before she could register what she was saying. But, as soon as she did realize what she’d just admitted, she froze. Her heart began to race and she tried to figure out a way to take the words back. “I mean—”
To her surprise, Drew just laughed and hugged her closer.
“Nope,” he said. “You’re not allowed to back-pedal on that.”
“I didn’t mean to say it,” Cami admitted, still not pulling her face away from the security of his strong chest.
“But did you mean it?” his deep voice asked in her ear.
She had half a mind to lie and deny it…tell him that she wasn’t in love with him. But she couldn’t bring herself to do it, so she nodded against him.
“Yes.”
Drew eventually pulled away, and Cami began to panic. It had been too soon. She tried not to look at him, but Drew’s strong hands came to each side of her face.
“Look at me Cami,” he said. Hesitantly, Cami raised her eyes to his. They were full of warmth and passion. He smiled softly at her, stroking her cheeks with his thumbs. “I love you, too,” he said.
For a moment, Cami forgot to breathe. Yes, Maggie had said as much the other day, but it had been second-hand information. And Maggie often liked to embellish things. But now it was coming from Drew’s own mouth. He loved her. This was real.
When Drew’s lips pressed against hers, it was with all of the tenderness and love she’d just seen in his eyes. It was sweet at first. An extension of the feelings they’d just confessed to each other.
But it quickly deepened, growing in passion and urgency. After the tense night and the love confession, they both just needed to lose themselves in each other. Or rather, Cami was sure that she needed to lose herself in Drew. And, by the way he was moaning and licking into her mouth, she assumed he felt the same.
Cami was surprised when Drew bent and effortlessly lifted her off the floor. He didn’t break their kiss, even for a second, as he carried her bridal style to the bedroom.
Cami used the opportunity to push her hands into his thick dark hair, pulling his lips against hers even harder. She couldn’t get enough of his strong, muscled arms and chest, carrying her so easily. Cami never would have guessed that she loved being manhandled, but it turned out that she did—a lot.
In the bedroom, Drew sat on the edge of the mattress, still holding Cami tight. He finally pulled out of the kiss to look down into her face. His dark amber eyes were full of all the words he’d already spoken.
“God, I love you,” he said again, a small smile spreading across his lips.
Cami melted further into his arms, the combination of his words and touch sending bolts of heat crashing through her body. She opened her mouth to respond in kind, but Drew’s mouth swallowed her words. Since he already knew how she felt, she let him devour her hungrily instead.
After a few more minutes of heated kissing, they both pulled away, panting. Drew then began to kiss and lick his way down her jaw and across her neck until he found the little spot behind her ear that drove her wild.
“Oh, Drew,” she moaned against him.
“I love the way you moan my name,” he responded breathlessly.
Drew then set about displaying yet another set of impressive skills by quickly and seamlessly removing Cami’s shirt and bra, one handed. He let out a guttural moan as her breasts sprang free, bouncing the way only large, natural breasts do. Cami sometimes felt insecure about her chest, definitely not as perky as the fake boobs most women of the same bra-size had. But it was impossible to feel self-conscious with the way Drew was looking at her breasts now, all hunger and naked want.
“So beautiful,” he murmured as his hand slid up to caress one mound, squeezing and pulling at the rapidly hardening nipple. “I wanted you from the first moment I laid eyes on you. With your round curves and fiery hair and wild personality. I think I loved you from the moment I saw you.”
Cami wanted to scoff at his cheesy words, but there was a part of her—a large part—that were eating those words up. Plus, once he lowered his hot, greedy mouth to her other breast, she was incapable of forming any comprehensible speech. Instead, she just moaned and arched against his tongue, which was lapping at the nipple held gently between his teeth.
Cami had never felt anything like this before. It was so amazing, the feel of the rough heat of his tongue laving at her sensitive flesh. She felt like she was going to explode. It was so intense that it was almost painful by the time he finally pulled away from her.
Cami was almost incoherent with need, helpless to do anything but cling to him, enjoying the sensation as he licked and sucked his way up her breasts. She knew that he was probably leaving marks, but she didn’t care. In fact, she liked the idea of Drew marking her as his. She was his and wanted the world to know it.
While Drew’s mouth was caressing Cami’s neck and chest, his hands were exploring lower, from the soft flesh of her stomach to the wide curve of her hips. Then his fingers were working on her fly, unfastening it before pulling her pants down her legs. Cami allowed Drew to lift her slightly as he removed her pants and underwear.
As she shifted, she could feel the press of his clothed erection against her bare bottom. There was something extremely erotic about sitting in Drew’s lap, completely naked, while he was fully clothed. She couldn’t help but grind down on the delicious hardness pressing against her through his jeans.
Suddenly, Drew lifted Cami off his lap and tossed her gently on the bed. Cami let her body relax against the soft comforter, spreading her legs invitingly and allowing Drew a fuller view of her body as she lay there before him. His gaze was hungry and wild as he devoured her with his eyes.
Cami could feel her own juices begin to drip on to her thighs and wondered if Drew could see that from where he stood. She hoped so. She wanted him to know that she was ready for him, as hungry and wild as he was.
“Cami,” he whispered breathlessl
y. “You’re so beautiful.”
Cami preened at this, opening her legs even further and running her hands slowly along her body, stopping for a minute to play with her breasts before moving down between her legs. Cami played with herself leisurely, slowly circling her clit as she watched Drew undress. He made quick work of his clothes, tossing them on the floor as he went. Soon, he was naked, standing over her, stroking his full, throbbing erection.
Cami examined his body ravenously, licking her lips as her eyes fell on his huge, leaking manhood. There was a bead of pre-cum hanging from the tip, and Cami wanted more than anything to taste it.
Unable to help herself, she was on her hands and knees and crawling towards him. When she got to the edge of the bed, she reached out and grabbed his hips, pulling him towards her as she ran her tongue slowly up his cock until she was able to lick the pre-cum off the tip. They moaned as one as she savored the salty taste in her mouth.
Cami looked up into Drew’s eyes. He was looking down at her pleadingly. Without him having to say a word, Cami knew exactly what he wanted. He elicited a raw, dirty sound as she gripped the base of his length and guided it between her wet lips.
Drew moaned again and brought his hands up into Cami’s hair, bucking his hips slightly. He stilled, as if catching himself, but Cami hummed in encouragement and used her hands to direct his hips until he was thrusting into her face in earnest. Cami was dizzy with the taste of him. Like an aged port that was both bitter and sweet, it was driving her crazy with want and need.
The noises Drew was making, small whimpers of need, were also going straight to Cami’s head—and her sex. She was pulsating with desire. As much as she loved the feel of him in her mouth, she needed more. She felt like she might spontaneously combust at any minute if she didn’t find relief.
Drew whined loudly in protest as Cami finally pulled her mouth off his cock. But, as she spread herself out on the mattress, opening her legs in invitation, he got the message. Drew reached into the bedside table to grab a condom, then crawled onto the bed beside her.
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