Kiss Cam (With A Kiss Book 1)

by Anie Michaels

“Let it go to voice mail,” I whined, taking the opportunity to whip my shirt over my head and slide my panties down my legs, fully preparing to let him do whatever he wanted to me if he’d only get back in the damn bed. “Camden, this could be considered torture in a few countries. Come back.” I wasn’t against begging. Obviously.

  He disappeared out the door of his bedroom and I flopped back down on the bed with a huff.

  Fine.

  I’d continue without him.

  Almost on autopilot, one hand went to my abandoned breast while the other slid between my legs. I was still buzzing from what Cam had done to me, and even though my hand wasn’t my choice as a replacement, it would have to do. I heard him returning to the bedroom, and I imagined his face when he walked in and saw me touching myself. I pictured his eyes zeroing in on my hand between my legs, watching as I used my fingers to get myself off. I envisioned him completely enraptured by the sight of me, unable to take his eyes from my body, but fully capable of taking himself in his own hand, stroking himself to the sight of me.

  Instead, I heard him say—with a smile in his voice—“Hey, Mom.”

  Instinct kicked in—along with my old high school fear of being discovered by mothers—and I grabbed the silky gray blanket to cover myself immediately. I whipped the blanket over my head, effectively cocooning myself, but the fabric wasn’t enough of a barrier to stop the sound of Camden’s laugh hitting my ears.

  “No, it’s not a bad time,” he said, trying to muffle his laughter. I felt the mattress dip and I fought the urge to kick him right onto the floor. “Just lounging around.”

  I stayed under the covers listening to Camden have a normal, rational conversation with his mother while I lay naked just feet from him. I tried not to eavesdrop, but honestly, if he didn’t want me to hear what he was saying, he probably should have taken the call in another room. Or, oh I don’t know, not answered the phone!

  “I don’t really have any solid plans for the day, no.” He paused, and I could hear the Charlie Brown teacher voice of his mother through the phone and the comforter. “Sure, brunch sounds great. Give me an hour. Actually, make it two.” I opened my mouth in a silent gasp. “Okay, see you then. Bye, Mom.”

  I held perfectly still, hoping he had forgotten I was there. But when the top of the comforter was peeled away from my face I saw him looking down at me.

  “Where were we?” he said in a sultry voice.

  “Oh, no,” I said, sitting up and tucking the blanket around my body so tight not even light could get through. “There will be no nookie now. I cannot believe you just sat there talking to your mother!”

  He had the nerve to laugh.

  “Listen, Riley….” He laughed. Again. “My mom has her own ringtone, so I knew it was her. I also knew she’d call endlessly on a Sunday until I picked up. It’s kind of her thing.”

  I didn’t want to accept his excuse. “It’s a little weird that you’d rather talk to your mother than do things with a woman.”

  “Babe,” he said softly. “The instant I hear my mother’s ringtone, nothing good happens downstairs. You think it’s weird to stop when my mom calls? How about being able to continue knowing my mom is calling?” He raised a knowing eyebrow at me, and I had to admit, he had a point.

  “You could have said something. You just bolted.”

  He stuck his bottom lip out a little and tugged at the top of the blanket, silently asking for permission to enter. I gave the blanket a little slack, but he overpowered me and pulled it away fully, climbing in with me, not even trying to hide the fact that he was checking out my naked body.

  “I’m sorry. I should have said something, but my brain was scrambled. Now,” he said, cupping my breast again and kissing the top swell, never breaking eye contact. “Where were we?”

  “You were about to give me a fabulous orgasm.”

  “Ah, yes.”

  And then he did.

  Twice.

  It was an hour later and all was forgiven. It was hard to stay angry at a man who spent more time making you come than any man you’d ever been with. The sex was fantastic, and then we’d spent a few minutes cuddling and catching our breath. He asked me about the wedding, and I gave him the CliffsNotes version, all while totally blissed out.

  Eventually I knew I had to get up and make my way home.

  “Do you mind if I shower here?” I asked against his chest, still lazing against him.

  “Of course not. I might join you.” He said the words against my hair while his hand gently ran up and down my arm.

  “I can wait if you’re in a hurry. I know you’ve got to go soon.” His hand stilled.

  “You’re not coming with me?”

  Shock and confusion registered at the same time. “Going with you? To brunch? With your mom?”

  “Well, Not only my mom. My stepdad will be there too.”

  “The mayor?”

  “Shit, I’m sorry. I should have asked you before I accepted.”

  “Wait, you assumed I was going with you?” My heart rate was rapidly approaching detonation. “I thought you were making plans. Like, I’m going home to water my plants, and you’re going to brunch with your parents.”

  “I thought we were spending the day together.”

  “I thought so too.”

  “Damn it.” He ran his hands down his face. “Riley, I’m sorry. My mom asked if I’d come to brunch and you and I hadn’t made any plans, so I thought we’d go there. You were sitting right here when I made the plans. I thought you were cool with it.”

  “Oh, my God,” I squeaked, panic taking over. I sat up, holding the blanket to my chest. “I can’t go have brunch with the mayor and his wife.”

  Camden narrowed his eyes at me. “It’s my mom and stepdad.”

  “Yeah, to you. To me it’s the mayor and the first lady of Portland!”

  “They’re just like any other people. And I know they’re going to love you.”

  “I brought over my weekend jeans and a slouchy sweater. I don’t have brunch-with-the-mayor clothes in my bag.”

  His hands dropped back to his face. I watched, still panicked, as he took a few deep breaths and let them out. Then his hands fell away and his eyes met mine. “I’m sorry. I pushed you again. I should have thought about how comfortable you would be meeting my parents, and I know we’ve only been seeing each other for a couple weeks. This was a hasty decision. All I wanted was to spend the day with you and for you to meet my mom, for her to see how happy I am when I’m with you.”

  His words were so honest and heartfelt, something inside me crumbled a little. Even though I felt 100 percent in the right, a tiny part of me could see his point as well.

  “You should have asked me first.” I poked his chest with a finger.

  “I know. I’m sorry. I’ll take you home. I didn’t mean to ruin the day.”

  “The day isn’t ruined, Camden.” I let out a dramatic sigh. “Can we at least go to my apartment to let me pick out some more appropriate clothes?”

  “You’ll come?” He smiled his sweet smile and any resistance I’d built up melted away.

  “I will. But you owe me. And I intend to collect.”

  “Sounds interesting,” he said with a snicker.

  “Oh, it’ll be more than interesting.”

  He laughed like I was being ridiculous, and suddenly it became my mission to surprise him. But first, I had to meet his parents.

  Chapter Nine

  Camden

  I loved the Batmobile. But the car had never felt sexier than when Riley was in the passenger seat.

  I’d showered at my place and I pretended not to notice when she took the opportunity to look through my medicine cabinet. She thought she was sneaky, but in reality, I was extraordinarily aware of her. When she came into the bathroom, asking me to tell her about my mom and stepdad, to give her a little background, I had to laugh when she pried open the cabinet.

  I followed her back to her apartment and waited whi
le she got herself ready.

  In truth, she could have worn a paper sack to my parents’ house and it wouldn’t have mattered to me. I didn’t care what they thought about her, but only because I knew they’d love her. I knew my mom would be able to see past whatever she wore, down to the things that actually mattered. Like how I felt about her. My mom would be able to see what she meant to me.

  But when she emerged from her bedroom in a beautiful and soft-looking sundress, I was torn between admiring how gorgeous she was and demanding she go back in the bedroom and put something less arousing on. The dress, which was white with pink and blue flowers, came down to midthigh, allowing so much leg to show between the hem and the little brown ankle boots she wore. I wanted to run my hands all over the smooth expanse of skin, let my fingers linger at the especially soft place behind her knees. The dress had no sleeves so her arms were bare all the way down to her graceful hands. Hands I wanted to feel on me right that instant. Riley, in that dress, was too much. Too much beauty. Too much grace. Too much sexiness. I couldn’t handle it.

  “You look beautiful,” I managed to say even though my voice was strained. “Won’t you be cold?” That was my non-caveman way of asking her to cover herself up.

  “Oh,” she said, flipping her freshly curled hair over her shoulder, “I have a cardigan.” She said the words as though a cardigan was a chastity belt, like it would keep wandering eyes away from all of her.

  “Babe, it’s like, fifty degrees out there.” I hitched a thumb toward the window and sure enough, it was gray and drizzly, a typical Oregon fall day. Surely she would listen to reason.

  “Your car has a heater, right?” she asked with a smile. “And we’re just walking from the car to your parents’ house. It’s not like we’re going hiking.”

  All her points were valid.

  I watched as she slipped a baby blue cardigan over her arms and flipped her hair out of the collar. I wanted to walk her back into her bedroom and peel the cardigan off her, watch her dress float to the floor as I took it off her body, but I knew we had to go. I held my hand out to her, giving it a squeeze when she placed it in mine. I used it to tug her close to me, making sure I had her gaze before I spoke.

  “You really do look beautiful.”

  “Thanks,” she said as a blush crept over her cheeks. I wanted to see that blush all over her body. She tilted up on her toes and pressed her lips against mine. “I want to make a good impression.”

  “You will,” I said, pressing another small kiss against her neck.

  I held her hand until we’d made it to my car and I closed the passenger door behind her. The entire ride I watched as her eyes panned the scenery. When we pulled into my parents’ neighborhood, I noticed her mouth gaped open slightly, and her leg started bouncing. Gently, I placed my hand on her thigh, noticing the way it stopped bouncing at my touch.

  “Everything’s going to be fine. It’s just brunch.”

  “Brunch with the mayor.” She gave me an exasperated look but added a smile.

  “I know, but he’s not the mayor at home. Besides, he’ll probably eat with us and then disappear into his study. On Sundays, he likes to read the newspaper from front to back.”

  She nodded, and I gave her thigh a squeeze. When we pulled up to the house, her eyes widened.

  “Did you grow up here?” she asked, her voice breathy as she stared at the house.

  “Nope. When they got married they bought a house a little farther west, and that’s where they lived until I moved out for college. They bought this house a few years ago.”

  “Empty nesters are supposed to downsize.”

  I laughed. “Well, I guess they didn’t get that memo.”

  “Apparently not.”

  “Come on,” I said as I put the car in park in the circular driveway. “It’ll be fine.” I hopped out and walked to her door, opening it and offering her a hand. She took it with a smile and we made our way to the front door. Even though I’d never lived there, I didn’t bother knocking. My mother had a fit the few times I knocked, so I’d made it a habit not to. I opened the door and called out. “Mom, we’re here.”

  “In the kitchen,” my mother called.

  “I brought a guest,” I replied.

  “Oh, fantastic,” she replied, her voice excited. “I made too much bacon anyway.”

  “See?” I whispered. “She made too much bacon.”

  “I feel much better now,” Riley replied sarcastically.

  I led her into the kitchen and my mother turned toward us as soon as we entered. The initial shock that registered on her face when she saw us didn’t escape me, and it probably didn’t escape Riley either, but my mother was married to a politician and recovered quickly. She put on her perfect smile and walked around the island to greet us.

  She lifted up on her toes to kiss my cheek, giving my shoulder a squeeze as she did, then pulled back with an expectant smile on her face.

  “Mom, this is Riley, my girlfriend. Riley, this is my mother.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Rogers.” Riley held her hand out for a polite handshake, but my mother pulled her into a hug instead.

  “No handshakes for the girl my son brings home and introduces as his girlfriend.” My mother held her captive for an appropriate amount of time and then released her. “And call me Meg.”

  “Thank you, Meg, for having me over.”

  Mom gave her another sparkling smile and then said, “I’ll go find out what’s keeping your father.” I tried to hide the immediate tensing in my body that happened whenever my mother called Andrew my father, but it was interrupted by the man himself.

  “I hear Camden brought a guest,” he said, rounding the corner. Andrew was not nearly as good at hiding his disappointment in seeing Riley as my mother was. “Who’s this?” he asked, unkindly. I felt Riley stiffen next to me and my arm wrapped around her shoulders, turning her in to my side.

  “This is Riley. My girlfriend.”

  “What about Sophia?”

  My eyebrows drew together in confusion and my heart started to pound in my chest.

  “What about Sophia?” I retorted.

  “I thought you were dating Senator Greenway’s daughter.” Andrew had the audacity to look at me as though I were the one being rude, and that made my blood boil even more. I used my arm to move Riley behind me, shielding her. There was no reason to think she was in any danger, but I didn’t want him even looking at her.

  “I went on a few dates with her, but it ended. I’m dating Riley now.”

  “Andrew, please,” my mother quietly begged, whispering as though she were ashamed of the situation. Then she turned to me and said, “Obviously, we were expecting to see you with someone different. I’d love to get to know Riley and have a nice brunch, all four of us.”

  “No offense meant to your friend here, Camden, but I was counting on you to see things through with the Greenway girl.”

  “See things through?” I scoffed.

  “Andrew!” My mother was done whispering at that point. “You cannot dictate who Camden decides to date.”

  My stepfather had the nerve to look put out by my mother’s interference, but he relented.

  “I can go.” The small voice came from Riley, and I turned around immediately to see her with her shoulders caved, looking humiliated. My hands immediately wrapped around her neck and brought her eyes up to look at mine.

  “Don’t worry, we don’t have to stay. I’ll take you home. Or back to my place. Whichever you prefer.”

  “No. No one’s leaving,” my mother interjected. My body turned to see my mother and with it came Riley. I tucked her back into my side, not willing to let go of her. “Riley, I am sorry for my husband’s behavior, but I am sure you have known some men who sometimes put their foot in their mouths. Andrew is a good man and only trying to look out for Camden. He might look like an ass right now,” she said, shooting him the death glare I’d been exceedingly familiar with during my teenage years, �
�but I assure you it is nothing personal, and he’d love to have brunch with you.”

  “With all due respect, Mrs. Rogers,” Riley said in a small voice I’d never heard from her before, “your husband absolutely does not want to have brunch with me.”

  “He wouldn’t know what to wear every morning if I didn’t put it out for him. And I’ll be honest with you right now, after the last five minutes, if he doesn’t want to be sleeping in the guest bedroom for a week, brunch with you is exactly what he wants.” My mom gave Riley a genuine smile, and I felt her relax against me a fraction.

  “Listen,” Andrew started, taking a few cautious steps toward us. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to make you feel unwelcome, I was just surprised. Please accept my apology and stay.”

  I used my free hand to pull her chin toward me. “It’s okay if you don’t want to stay. I’ll take you wherever you want to go.” She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, seeming to contemplate her next move carefully. Without another word she pulled herself from my embrace and walked toward Andrew. When she was a few steps away, she put her hand out to him.

  “My name is Riley Smith, and I am not the daughter of a senator, but I am Camden’s girlfriend.”

  I couldn’t help the cloud of pride that expanded in my chest at her words. She wasn’t backing down from him and that was impressive and sexy at the same time. After all the worries she’d voiced to me about the differences in our families and our backgrounds, in our socioeconomic status, Andrew’s rant was the very last thing she needed to hear. She already thought we were too different, and now he was basically saying that Sophia was perfect for me only because she was the Senator’s daughter. Never mind she was a vapid Barbie doll with no personality. Sophia had absolutely nothing on Riley.

  Andrew reached out and shook her hand politely and he seemed sincere, but I couldn’t tell if he was putting on a good show for us or not. Truth be told, it didn’t matter to me. As long as he was decent and polite to Riley, we wouldn’t have a problem. He didn’t have to approve of her; the only person whose opinion mattered in that room was Riley’s.

  “Fantastic,” my mother said on a sigh, a strained smile on her face. “Let’s all head to the dining room and get to know each other a little better.”