Return to Passion

by Carla Buchanan

  Remi had not known if the reaction had been genuine, but applause had erupted and nearly every member of the congregation had come to congratulate the three men—Reese, Frederick and Remington. Some had even volunteered to help with his campaign. It had been an overwhelming display of support and proof that he and Camille would be fine. He only wished she could’ve been there to see it for herself. It might have convinced her.

  Yes, his grandfather certainly was something else. He shook his head. “Yes, he’s full of surprises.”

  Remington and Reese talked for a few more minutes—mostly about Camille. Her father said she still wore the ring he gave her, which was a good sign. The bad sign? She’d locked herself up with her laptop and was only coming out of her room to eat or drink. She was avoiding him and Charlie now that Anna had left. She gave mostly one-word answers and tried to blame her reclusive mood on her writing. Remi knew better and so did her father.

  As they left the early morning service, Remington couldn’t take his mind off Camille and her need to protect him. Even as he ate lunch that afternoon with his grandfather, he couldn’t stop thinking about his conversation with Reese. Remington wondered if this was her usual way to write or if their situation had driven her into hiding. He had a feeling this was all his fault. He’d handled the situation very poorly and this was the result.

  His guilt had mounted substantially because of what Reese had described to him. And not because of what she was going through now, not completely. It was because he imagined her dealing with this kind of decision as an eighteen-year-old girl. He couldn’t fathom being so selfless at that age. He wouldn’t have been able to think so far ahead into the future, putting their goals and dreams ahead of what he wanted at the time.

  Remi didn’t realize he was doing it, but he’d risen from the table. His grandfather gave him a strange look. He dismissed the man and mumbled an apology. This separation was done. He could no longer wait for Charlie to review the company’s codes and bylaws. He no longer cared about being mayor. If the people of Fairdell were going to be hypocrites and judge Camille when she had not committed a sin against any of them, then maybe they weren’t the people he really wanted to lead.

  “I expect you to have my future granddaughter-in-law with you for the next Sunday lunch,” the old man shouted at Remington as he disappeared through the dining room. Remington hoped that he would.

  * * *

  Camille was still crying through her smile as she sat on her bed. If she hadn’t seen it for herself, she would have never believed it, but thanks to her father, she’d just witnessed something amazing.

  She received a text from her father with a link attached and she wondered why he was texting during church service. She’d opened the link he’d sent and when the window opened it took Camille a little while to realize she was watching the service on the church’s website. She wasn’t sure if it was live or a recording, but it didn’t matter because it wouldn’t change the content.

  That morning her father had insisted she attend with him, but she wouldn’t. Remi attended the same church and she couldn’t see him. She’d definitely not be able to resist him and she’d give in to the promises she knew he couldn’t keep—promises of realizing the dream they’d had as teenagers. So she’d declined the invitation for that reason, as well as not wanting to deal with the scathing glances of the other parishioners.

  Now, as she watched on her laptop, she saw Remington’s grandfather, Frederick Krane, standing before the church speaking passionately. She gasped as she listened to the man pour his heart out as he declared his support of his grandson’s engagement to Camille and his run for mayor.

  She was now crying because she was moved by the elder Krane’s words and overwhelmed by the response of the congregation.

  Camille wasn’t sure if this had happened at the first or second service, but in that moment she decided she was done sacrificing. If the people in the town couldn’t put aside their biases after a speech like that, then maybe Remi should reconsider wanting the job of leading such a judgmental gathering of souls.

  She could admit to herself it was why she had yet to leave Fairdell. She still had hope. Camille just needed the right motivation. How ironic it was that it came from a man who’d once disapproved of her entire existence in Remi’s life.

  There wasn’t a time Camille could remember showering and getting ready so quickly. But she groaned at her appearance in the mirror, skeptical about the dress she had to wear. She’d brought three dresses to choose from for her dinner with the distributor and the one she had on now was the last of them. It was a black dress in a conservative silhouette, but that’s where the innocence ended. Her legs were on display halfway up her thigh and the fabric fit snugly to her curvy form. There were tasteful mesh accents that didn’t reveal much, but it was definitely not appropriate for church.

  Stepping into her heels before she lost her nerve, Camille rushed from her room and down the steps. When she got to the garage and saw that the only vehicle left was her father’s truck, she cursed and then asked forgiveness for using the word on a Sunday.

  Looking down at her gold watch, Camille swore again. She didn’t remember what time church ended but it was after one in the afternoon and she was probably cutting it close to the end of the second service. If the video was a recording from the first service, she was already too late. Once again she let an expletive fall from her lips in frustration.

  “Cursing on a Sunday, Ladybug. What would your father think?”

  She cursed again and whirled around to face the most wonderful sight. Remi stood there looking quite confident in a light gray suit and a crisp white button-down with no tie. The first couple of buttons on his shirt were undone, revealing a glimpse of the smooth caramel skin she’d enjoyed touching and kissing. Looking up into his eyes she saw what she’d seen reflected in her own eyes in the mirror, only moments ago.

  They were both done sacrificing their happiness for the sake of others.

  * * *

  The most beautiful sight greeted Remi when he emerged from his car. He didn’t know how she didn’t hear the car, but she looked panicked and rushed and oh so damn sexy. He had no idea where she was headed in that getup, but he hoped he could be invited for the ride. Shaking his head, he realized where his thoughts had gone and refocused his attention on Camille and her complete surprise over seeing him and her appreciative assessment of his form as he stood before her.

  “Remi? What are you doing here? I...” Next thing he knew, he was being attacked. Camille attached herself to him, baby chimp style, leaving parts of her exposed that shouldn’t be exposed. “I’m so sorry, Remi. I was so wrong. I know what your grandfather said and I saw... I don’t care about everyone else. I just want to be with you.” And with that admission, she was kissing him all over his face, telling him they’d find a way to work it out.

  Then suddenly she was gone. She slid down his body, suddenly embarrassed by her actions. He wasn’t complaining; he was just stunned. He’d come here to say something along those lines, and that, mixed with the way she’d thrown her body at him, had Remington trying to process what had just happened.

  Had she just said she’d heard what his grandfather had said at church? How could that be?

  Putting the pieces together, Remington stepped back. She must’ve seen the live stream or the recording of the service and had thought it to be the proof of support she needed, just as he had. Then he stifled a chuckle.

  “You were going to wear that to church?” While the dress looked great, it wasn’t church clothes.

  “Shut up! I’m out of clean clothes.”

  Not wanting her to think he didn’t like her attire, he stepped back into Camille’s personal space. Her skin enticed him with its smell and her body enticed him with its closeness.

  Damn. What had he come over here for?

 
It no longer mattered because they were once again on the same page and she wanted him no matter what they’d have to deal with from those around them. That thought completely fled his mind when she turned around and walked away. The globes of her rear shifted and bounced taking turns as if the movement was meant to hypnotize him into following. It worked. He followed her, all the way to her room. The sound of her lock engaging snapped him out of his haze, but not before Camille’s hand reached for the part of him that desired her touch the most. He was a goner and couldn’t think of why he’d wanted to stop.

  Camille surprised Remi by going onto her knees and giving him more pleasure than he’d ever felt from any woman. The way she caught on to his silent instruction heightened the gratification behind this act. He had to stop her before—

  He should feel embarrassed but he didn’t. Camille was so intuitive and so good at what she was doing that she didn’t allow him to be embarrassed for coming after only a couple minutes of being treated to her inexperienced, yet skilled mouth. She lapped at him as he came down, not wasting a drop, which had him hard all over again before he’d come down from his first release.

  “I didn’t come here for that,” Remi declared and the sound of his own voice was strange to his ears. It sounded as if he’d been holding his breath for much too long.

  “I know.”

  Camille’s phone was going off and Remington encouraged her to answer while he caught his breath and got himself together. She giggled with a little arrogance at his reaction to her efforts.

  She said it was Anna calling from downstairs. The agent had returned so they could move forward with the party plans. What Camille didn’t know was that he’d never stopped planning their engagement party along with her friends. He’d already accepted the fact that Charlie may not have good news for him and was already trying to think of a contingency plan if that were the case.

  “Are you ready for what we’re about to face, Ladybug?”

  “No.”

  Remington pulled the phone from his future wife’s hand and guided her into the warm circle of his embrace. He understood her hesitation, but they were in this together and he made sure he told her that with his words as well as a passionate kiss.

  “I think I’ll change first.” She looked down at herself. “I have no idea what I was thinking. I’m glad you saved me from embarrassing myself.”

  “I love you, Ladybug.”

  “I love you, too, Rem.”

  Remington sighed at the endearment and left Camille’s room before he wasn’t able to do so.

  * * *

  From the moment she’d turned and seen Remi standing in front of her house, Camille had known what they had to face and had just wanted one moment of normalcy before their lives exploded. She didn’t know why she chose that particular form of normalcy, but the overwhelming urge had come over her in the moment and she’d gone with it, and when it was over, she felt alive and in control. An animalistic sensation had coursed through her at the way she’d claimed Remington and the manner in which he’d responded. It was that adrenaline rush and boost of confidence that was pushing her to move forward with revealing herself as Reese Elaine. Maybe once this event was done, then she and Remi could think about how to handle their engagement party.

  When she arrived in the family room, Anna, Charlie, Remington and her father were there. They were in the midst of discussing something but they all immediately fell silent when she appeared at the threshold.

  Remi gestured for her to come over and join him on the couch and she did. She was still really tired after her four-day-long writing marathon and subsequent crying session from the night before, not that she’d admit the latter to anyone. She’d been writing and when she’d taken a break she’d been trying to figure out a way she and Remi could make their relationship work. Every time each solution she came up with seemed as if it would end in disaster, she’d cry and accept her fate once again.

  Kissing the finger where her engagement ring rested, Remington then helped Camille get comfortable and cuddle into his side. She was thankful for his warmth even though her needing him next to her had nothing to do with the temperature. She didn’t want to be apart from him again anytime soon. Those days had been agony.

  Chapter 20

  Camille was curled up at his side like a little kitten looking for attention. It was so uncharacteristic of her to be this way—this vulnerable—and he knew he had to hurry and get them through the impending chaos. He could see how easy it was for her to shut off the world and become withdrawn and reclusive as her father had said she’d done. It was obvious that it was a defense mechanism for his gorgeous little Ladybug and he didn’t want her to ever have to hide again. He wanted her to be the confident woman who’d controlled his pleasure only moments ago in her bedroom. He never wanted her to get used to hiding her identity again or feeling as if she should be ashamed of what she’d chosen to do for a living.

  And it wasn’t that he didn’t enjoy the way she was attached to him. He did. Immensely. He especially liked the way her hand had crept under the hem of his dress shirt and had settled against the bare skin of his stomach. It was as if she needed that skin-to-skin connection to him and he wouldn’t deny her that.

  * * *

  In the last few days Camille had worked through a lot. She’d talked to her father about her issues with forgiving herself for her mom’s death. She’d decided she needed a clean slate in her life if she and Remi were to move forward. Forgiving and forgetting was on the top of both of their lists. Remi had been able to forgive her for what she’d done ten years ago and she’d been able to forgive him for his recent omission. What did they have to be angry about, really? They’d both attempted to do the right thing by protecting the person they loved. And while their actions had left some hurt feelings in their wake, it had been for the best of reasons—for each other.

  It had been an enlightening few days that turned into two weeks of craziness and frustration. Camille had been called back to New York and gone through a whirlwind of business meetings and appointments to get her moved as soon as possible. Anna had even roped her into shopping for a new dress for her party in Fairdell, which had kept her away from Remi that much longer. They’d talked on the phone every day and texted nonstop and now it was time to return to her man and the life she’d chosen.

  Camille couldn’t wait.

  But obviously someone thought she could, because as she sat on the plane to fly her back to Fairdell, the pilot had the nerve to come over the intercom and announce they had to return to the gate and wait out the inclement weather. That delay only lasted for about two hours, and now, safe and sound, they were landing in Georgia. She was about to face the biggest night of her life.

  * * *

  “You ready for this, Ladybug? I mean we could just back out now. We could have the driver turn the car around and I could take you back home and peel every last stitch of this sexy white dress off you. Then I could show you that thing you like...you know the thing I do with my—”

  Camille turned to look at her handsome fiancé with his freshly shaven head and his low beard that she loved. He was serious. If she said the word, he’d take her away and ravage her. She wanted that more than anything right now. Especially being that he’d been flirting for the whole ride from the airport to his home, where she’d changed, and on over to the local Performing Arts Theater where her party was being held.

  “We can’t, Rem,” Camille cut him off, but it had no conviction behind it. There was nothing but lust and desire in her words, as if she dared him to make his words come true.

  “Maybe not, but this is your party and you can arrive when you please.” He then told the limo driver to take a half-hour detour. Camille stared at Remi with bated breath as he spoke, knowing what was about to happen.

  Before Camille could conjure another thought,
Remi was all over her. His lips crashed to hers and instinct took over. Her hands flew to the sides of his face, accepting his tongue as it rolled and lapped and caressed the corners and crevices of her mouth. Camille moaned and wiggled in her tight dress, feeling like the thin fabric was much too confining. Remi’s hand had found its way around her waist and settled on the small of her back and was pulling her closer with each deep moan that escaped her lips.

  She was aware that they should not be doing this but she was unable to deny herself. This man was her addiction and she still was unsure how she’d managed to stay away from him for ten long years. She constantly needed his hands on her as she was utterly obsessed with the feel of his touch.

  Even now as his hands roamed her back, looking for the zipper of her dress, Camille still did not feel as if it was enough.

  Once she was dressed only in her red pumps—a color that matched the hue of the lipstick that was now all over Remi’s face—he stopped her. “Leave them on,” he growled.

  Remi quickly undressed and pulled Camille onto his lap, skillfully impaling her. After that, there was nowhere he did not touch or caress or kiss as they made love like hormonal teenagers after prom, determined to lose their virginity.

  * * *

  Any night with Camille was one Remington looked forward to, but this night was truly incredible. He reveled in her surprise when they finally reached the theater and she saw that nearly everyone in the town had come. He and Anna had worked closely to arrange the event that not only celebrated the town’s famous citizen, but also their engagement, and the kickoff of Remington’s mayoral campaign. Camille had been beyond ecstatic, knowing the party had turned into such an affair, and laughed with glee.

  He’d have to work on her and help her come out of her shell if she was going to be his first lady, but Remi had the utmost confidence that Camille would eventually come around.

  David had been a little jealous he wasn’t more involved in the party planning, but understood the circumstances once Remi had confided in his friend.