by Hadley Quinn
Oh. Good. Lord.
Camryn could feel the heat sear into her skin and it spread quickly. That was fear, right? Fear and panic that wanted to consume her any time she considered moving on. But there was something different this time. She didn’t feel the angry, defensive reaction that she normally would. Was it because she actually liked Teague? This was the guy she’d chosen to get her back into the game, but she didn’t expect to actually feel something between them.
She was glad the railing was right in front of her because she might have to hold on.
Teague slid his arm around her waist and placed his hand against her stomach, pressing her back to his chest. His body was so warm that Camryn closed her eyes to actually enjoy the heat against her. His other hand reached for her wrist and brought it up to his mouth at the same time. He placed her wrist to his mouth and said, “And this isn’t kissing you either.”
His lips tickled her skin again and she was already regretting her little challenge to him. She’d wanted to shed herself of the fear she felt whenever she was around anyone but Brandon, but really… What was she thinking orchestrating such a bet?
And Teague was probably the last person she should be doing this with. He was way too charming; way too playful and witty and just…too tempting. And he was going to use every arrogant advantage he could in order to come out victorious.
He dragged his lips softly along her forearm and then whispered, “You must be freezing since your skin is so full of goose bumps.” She could hear the triumph in his voice and she wasn’t sure if she should beat his ass or just laugh about it.
“Well it is about thirty-five degrees out here,” she replied casually.
When he took both of his arms and wrapped them tightly around her, she laid her head back against his shoulder. It felt dangerously natural, especially since she warmed up almost instantly.
He placed his cheek against hers and said, “Come on, let’s go inside.”
After a tender act like that, Camryn was afraid her legs wouldn’t move. But Teague took her hand in his and she followed, grabbing her empty bottle from the railing on her way by.
“Here, I’ll take that for you,” he said, removing the bottle from her hand. He held the door for her as she entered the house, and he stepped in behind her. “I’ll dispose of this and meet you at the couch.”
She nodded as they parted for opposite directions.
***
When Teague returned to the party, Camryn was sitting on the arm of the couch this time since it was occupied with Kyah and Jay, plus two others. Teague watched her from a distance for a bit, trying his best to figure her out. She had something that intrigued him, but it didn’t really matter. One week. It was perfect. She’d be leaving town shortly after that and he didn’t have to worry about anything more. He could do this. A week and he could have this girl.
She smiled when he approached. “Did you get lost along the way?” she asked.
He stood next to her and slid his arm around her shoulder. Pressing his cheek against her head he replied, “Nope. But if I ever do, I’ll always find my way back to you.”
Her body seemed to tense a little, but maybe he was reading into it too much since her response wasn’t anything he was expecting. “Well it was a polite way of assuming you were taking a dump,” she replied dryly.
He lightly laughed as he squeezed onto the arm of the couch behind her. “You’re such a mood killer,” he whispered against her ear.
She laughed, but then she tensed again when she looked across the room. She turned to him and said, “Can we get out of here and grab some food or something? I feel violated just by the way that guy looks at women.”
Teague was aware that Garrett was staring at them, and even though he felt bad that Camryn was uncomfortable, he was also glad. She’d literally laid into Garrett down in the basement, but she was smart enough to avoid him in case he caused more trouble.
“Let’s go,” Teague agreed with a nod.
He made sure Kyah could take Jay home, and then they left.
Chapter Six
“Is it in the guy handbook that they all have to name their vehicles with girl names?” Camryn asked. She was feeling a little anxious being with Teague alone and was trying to keep the conversation casual. He put the Jeep in park and shut the lights off. The moon was out enough to see the white of the waves ahead in the Pacific Ocean, so she focused on those.
“I’m not sure, but this Jeep belongs to my buddy Quentin. He’s in Europe for a year. But Ruby is just a name, not a nickname or whatever.”
“It’s a name but not a nickname?” she smiled. “I’m thoroughly confused. You mean because it’s red?”
“Because it’s a Rubicon. It’s the specific model.”
“Ah, that’s right,” she slowly nodded. “They do usually say that on them, don’t they. Crossing the Rubicon,” she murmured to herself.
“What?”
“Oh,” she shrugged. “It’s a saying. There’s a river in Italy named the Rubicon. When Julius Caesar crossed it with his army, it was said that his rebellion passed ‘the point of no return.’ So the saying ‘crossing the Rubicon’ is sometimes referred to as ‘the point of no return.’”
Teague raised his eyebrows. “God, brains and beauty. I don’t even know what to say.”
She smiled but continued. “Caesar even said ‘alea iacta est.’ The die is cast.”
“Hmm, yeah rings a bell. History major?”
She took her time answering as she stared ahead at the waves barely visible in the dark. “No, I didn’t go to college.”
Teague didn’t reply at first and then asked, “Was that your choice or…?”
“Yes and no,” she replied. “I’ll give you the abbreviated version, okay?”
He smiled and said, “I’ll take anything you give me.”
For a moment, she faltered. She could see him enough in the dark that his dimple was visible, and for some reason, it was her Achilles heel. The attentive way he looked at her didn’t help either.
“Well, my dad died when I was fifteen,” she said. “My parents were already divorced for several years, but my sister and I had lived with my dad for the most part. My mom ended up marrying for the third time when I was a senior in high school. She wanted to run off with Lyle and move up here, but me and Mel wanted to stay and finish school in Fresno. My Uncle Tim ended up taking us in—my dad’s brother—and we just ended up staying in the area. I kept working and my sister kept playing and…not much has changed, I guess.”
Teague seemed to take it all in and then nodded. “Huh. So what kind of work do you do?”
“I’m a dancer.” She could tell that caught him by surprise when he didn’t respond, so she added, “Before you picture me naked, twirling around poles, let me just say that’s not the kind of dancing I mean.”
His expression changed and his crooked smile appeared again. “Pssh, I was not even thinking that. The poles didn’t even enter my mind yet.”
She laughed and lightly backhanded his arm. “But you did assume I was a stripper.”
“Well, yeah, for a brief moment…”
She thought he looked a little unsettled about the idea so she asked, “And that would bother you? If I were?”
He studied her for a second as he slowly nodded his head. He leaned across the console until their faces were twelve inches apart. “You’d have to quit, because there’s no way in fucking hell that I would ever let any other guy see you like that. In fact, if your boy toy has it in his fucked up head that he’s getting in your pants when you get back, I’m gonna shove his dick down his own throat.”
Her heart launched into overdrive. So he thought Brandon was her friend with benefits, huh? Well, she figured that was okay for now, although her chest was pounding frantically because he was so close to her and because of his possessiveness. But it was actually the first time a guy’s arrogance didn’t royally piss her off, which was confusing. However…
�
�I’ll let you know if you ever have that kind of say in my life, okay?” she smiled evenly.
He didn’t answer her, and they continued to stare at one another. Finally Camryn opened the door and stepped out, a blast of wind curling around her body in an instant.
“Holy shit, that’s cold!” she shivered.
***
Teague remained in the Jeep when Camryn got out, but his thoughts were still processing her previous challenge. If he has a say? How about when… “That would be New Year’s,” he answered himself as he grabbed a blanket from the backseat.
“Huh?” Camryn asked, rubbing her arms with her hands.
He got out and shut the door, so she shut hers too, and Teague smiled at her over the hood of the vehicle. “Don’t you have something thicker than just that jacket?” he asked.
“It’s all I brought. I didn’t even think about needing thermal underwear when I left a sunny sixty-four degrees behind.”
He came around the front of the Jeep and unfolded the blanket. Stepping behind her, he wrapped it around her body and held it there. Trying not to think about how good she smelled and the fact that his junk was pressed against her lower back, he said, “No worries. It’s working out just fine.”
“Are you warm enough?” she asked. She tilted her head back at the same time, and their mouths were barely two inches apart.
Teague felt like he was already wearing down every time she was so close to him. It felt natural to be able to kiss her in a moment like this, to find out with his tongue just how good she tastes. But there was no way he was losing the bet. He’d spend the week it would take just so he could sink inside of her. It would be worth it.
He lifted his chin and set his cheek against her forehead instead. “Just being this close to you heats me up pretty good, Camryn. You keep the fire burning, beautiful.”
She turned her head to face forward, and again he thought he felt her body tense up. He wasn’t expecting all of these cold reactions to some of his words. Didn’t he give her a compliment? Or maybe she didn’t know how to accept one.
“Let’s walk,” she said, pulling away from him. She didn’t even look back to check if he would follow, but he did anyways. Once they were on the sand, they were side by side. “So tell me about yourself, Teague. Do you work or just stalk people on the beach all day?”
He smiled easily. “I work and then I stalk the beach.”
“Ah, I see. So what kind of work do you do?”
“I work at one of the surf shops up town. Five a.m. almost every day.”
“Surf shop, huh. Do you also surf?”
“No, I give advice about equipment that I know nothing about,” he bantered.
“Okay, dumb question. Then you need to take me out sometime.”
He studied her closely until he realized what she meant. “Surfing?”
“No, whale watching. Yes, surfing. Just because I’m from California doesn’t mean I know how to surf. I’ve been out on boogie boards, but never tried surfing.”
“Oh, uh, well, you probably don’t want to learn here then. Have someone there teach you.”
She stopped to face him. “Maybe I just want you to teach me.”
He met her gaze and swallowed. They were barely a foot apart again, but then she looked away. He took the blanket from around her and sat down on the sand against a log. “Come here,” he said, patting the space next to him. She sat and leaned against him as he wrapped them both up.
“This is nice, Teague, but it hasn’t distracted me one bit. Surfing? Will you take me sometime?”
“Sure,” he replied, deciding to just humor her for now.
“What else do you like to do?”
“You mean hobbies?”
“Mmhmm.”
“Hmm, well, I’m probably your typical guy. I like sports, cars and motorcycles, food, music, and I especially like being a conceited asshole.”
She smiled at that. “Noted. And what’s your last name, by the way?”
He unnecessarily cleared his throat. “It’s Chandler.” Teague was waiting for lightning to strike him but nothing happened.
Camryn only nodded, like she was logging it into her head. They sat for almost a minute without speaking, listening to the waves crash in the distance, before she said, “You can smoke if you want.”
He stopped shaking the leg he didn’t realize he was shaking. “Huh?”
“You haven’t had a cigarette for a while. It’s okay if you smoke.”
“Oh. Nah, I’m fine. And I quit two hours ago, remember?”
“Sure,” she chuckled.
“You think I’m kidding?” he smiled, leaning around her so they were face to face. “I was serious, Camryn. I told you I was done.”
“You don’t actually expect me to stop drinking, do you?” she asked dryly.
“Not if you don’t want to.”
They were silent again, listening to the ocean. After a few minutes, Teague moved her hair to the side and placed the corner of his mouth against her neck.
“You smell good,” he murmured. He brushed his lips along her skin, from her neck up to her ear, and then along her jaw. He pressed his cheek to hers and said, “Do you know how hard this is, not being able to melt against your mouth, suck on your lips, your tongue… You do know that, don’t you,” he stated.
She didn’t respond, which made Teague curious. He wondered if he’d been pushing his luck big time. So far she hadn’t said anything about his little ploy to get around her half of the bet. She seemed to be receptive to his attention, but uncomfortable at the same time. But he was beginning to realize that Camryn’s “rule” was a double-edged sword. She probably knew that too, and he wondered how many other guys she’d tortured this way.
Well, hell. Maybe it was time for him to play it cool. He leaned back against the log and adjusted her in his arms. “So tell me more about yourself,” he said.
She released a breath of air and then settled her head back against his shoulder. “Well, let’s see. I’m twenty-two, my sister is nineteen. We rent a house in Fresno, complete with a stupid ass parrot that Melanie insisted on having. He’s absolutely useless, but it is pretty funny when he says ‘fucktard’ out of the blue.”
Teague couldn’t help but laugh. “Who taught him that?” After her brief silence, he laughed again. “Gotcha.”
“Hey, the bastard calls me fatty all the time. ‘Hey fatty, hey fatty,’” she mimicked.
“What? No way.”
“Yes way. So I figured I’d name him Fucktard.”
“Who taught him ‘hey fatty’?”
“I have no idea. Mel got him from a guy down the street. He’s kind of an asshole; the type that would talk to women like that.”
“Sounds like a winner. So the bird knows his new name now, huh? Fucktard,” he laughed softly, shaking his head.
“Yep. But I’m betting he’s probably dead by now, since Melanie most likely hasn’t remembered to feed him. Maybe there’s a silver lining to me having to be up here.”
Teague considered that for a second. “And…a dead bird would be the only perk for you having to deal with your mom?”
He could see her smile at the hint. “Nah, I can think of other things.”
“Hmm, like what?” he asked in a low voice. He was close to her face again, but resisted the temptation to get closer.
“Well,” she mused. “Like being near the beach to run.”
He expected some sort of tease like that. “Definitely a bonus.”
“And…it’s kind of nice to have a break from my sister, even though I’m worried the house could be burned to the ground when I get back.”
“So did you upgrade or downgrade by trading her in for your mom,” he joked.
“Ugh, you’re right. Hmm, guess my silver lining is a little bleak, huh. Damn it.”
“Well, you’ve still got the beach nearby to run.”
“True.”
“And if your sister burns down the house, Fucktard go
es down with it.”
She laughed out loud. “Oh my God, you’re right!”
“See? Always another silver lining that could appear later on.”
“Very true. You’re wise, Teague. And how old are you?”
“Not much older than you. Twenty-three.”
“Oh thank God you are older, though.”
“You don’t prefer younger guys, huh?” He tried to keep the laugh to himself.
“No,” she scowled.
“Hmm, then I’m seeing another silver lining here… And by the way, you have a beautiful laugh.”
Camryn’s smile seemed to question his compliment. Did she think he was making fun of her?
“Well…thank you,” she finally replied. “So do you. It feels good to laugh with someone after…dealing with stuff.”
“You mean your mom? Is there anything I can help with?”
She smiled at him with surprise. “No, but thanks,” she answered, playing with a section of her hair that fell over her shoulder.
His eyes were fixed on her fingers for a moment, and then he looked at her face. She was a gorgeous girl, and now that Teague knew she was a dancer, he could only imagine what it was like to watch her body move. He shouldn’t be thinking about things like that, though. Just wondering what her lips tasted like was bad enough. His natural instinct was to kiss her right now, but he wouldn’t get far with that before she branded him a loser and left him in need of a cold dip in the ocean.
Well fuck it. He couldn’t force his hands to behave any longer, and he slid them under her jacket and into her shirt. She might have tensed just slightly, but she didn’t object, and just feeling that small amount of her flesh against his fingers was enough to break him down.
His discipline became lost at sea.
Chapter Seven
Camryn couldn’t decide which was louder, the pounding in her chest or the crashing waves. She couldn’t forget Teague’s lips on her skin from earlier. He’d also said some really nice things to her and her body reacted automatically, and because of that, she wasn’t so sure she appreciated his compliments. Whatever Teague was doing, it was working. She hadn’t let a guy get this affectionate with her in the past two years. Brandon gave her little kisses here and there, but it was never this intimate. Her body had never reacted to him like it did with Teague.
