by Ronica Black
They heard the women clamor up the steps.
“Hello!” Rylee called out.
Blake tightened her grip. “I’ll sneak away every chance I get. I just don’t know when or how often that will be.”
Cam plucked the key hanging on the hook by the door.
“Here.” She placed it in her palm and gently closed her fingers around it. “Come anytime. Night or day. Even if I’m not home. In case you need some more ‘alone time.’”
Blake’s lips tilted mischievously, and Cam almost slammed the door and carried her away to the bedroom, to hell with Sage and Rylee. But Cam wasn’t the only one who wanted to keep their passion private. That was Blake’s wish too.
“Yoo-hoo? You guys in there?” Blake released Cam and eased open the door.
“We’re here.”
Cam stood next to her and smiled. Blake’s friends seemed too excited to pay close scrutiny.
“We heard the dogs so we hurried over to see if you came home with Cam,” Sage said.
“We’ve been kind of worried,” Rylee said. “No one’s been able to reach you.”
“Oh? Guess I better get home then.” Blake escorted them back out the door, walking alongside them.
“Sloane’s been calling and texting,” Rylee said.
“Huh. Must be my phone.”
“We don’t always get a signal out here,” Cam added, watching them go.
“That must be it,” Blake said. “Good night, Cam. Thanks for the ride.”
Cam lifted her hand in a wave. “Night all.”
Sage and Rylee kept talking, asking after Cam, but Blake explained that she was tired and led them down the steps. Cam closed the door and ran her hands through her hair in exasperation. How was she going to calm down after her time with Blake? She was on her mind, on her skin. The taste of her on her tongue.
She wished suddenly that she was a runner, like Blake, so she could just take off down the beach and run until she collapsed in sheer exhaustion.
But I’m not a runner. I’m just a…
Writer.
She crossed to her den where she kicked off her shoes and sat at her desk. She cracked open her laptop and reread what she’d last written in her new story and picked up where she left off. The emotions swirling inside her flew out through her fingertips, into the keyboard and onto the screen. She didn’t have to pause to search for words or feelings, or to speculate about how her characters would behave in any given situation. It all just came.
And she didn’t have to pause to think about why.
Because she knew.
She was living it.
Chapter Thirty-eight
Cam opened her eyes and took in her surroundings. She was in her den and her head was in her arms on her desk. She must’ve fallen asleep. She sat up and glanced at the pewter clock on her bookshelf. It was just after six. Dawn had not yet broken through the windows. She stood and stretched, and the dogs, who were crashed out on their beds behind her, didn’t pay her much mind. Byron, at least, lifted his head to consider her before he returned to his slumber.
She made her way into the kitchen and started a pot of coffee. She couldn’t remember how long she’d written for, or even really what time she’d even started. What she did remember was Blake. She must not’ve been able to sneak away after all. Cam was disappointed, but as she headed for the shower, she thought maybe Blake staying away might’ve been a good thing. They’d both needed some sleep and had Blake shown up, sleep most definitely would not’ve entered the equation.
She soaked under the hot water for as long as she could given the limited water supply, and allowed it to work her back and shoulders. She heard the dogs bark for a couple of seconds, or thought she did, but the noise was gone so quickly she didn’t give it further thought. When she emerged, feeling revigorated but pleasantly relaxed, she slipped into her robe without bothering to tie it, and ran a comb through her wet hair. Then she walked out of the bathroom to return to the kitchen, yearning for her first cup of coffee.
“Good morning.”
Cam’s heart jumped to her throat. Blake was standing across the room behind the couch.
“Jesus Christ.” She clenched her chest.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. But whether I spoke up to announce my presence or not, I knew you would be startled.”
Cam laughed and flattened her palm against her pounding heart. “Startled. That’s not exactly the word I would use.”
“I guess you didn’t hear the dogs when I came in?” She had on gray leggings, running shoes, and a thick hooded jacket. She seemed nervous, and she didn’t seem to know what to do with her hands. Cam couldn’t figure out why until Blake glanced at her and her eyes quickly ran down her body before darting away.
Cam looked down at herself, saw that her robe was open and instinctively tugged it closed. “I heard them but I didn’t pay attention.” She tied her belt, securing the robe. “They didn’t bark for very long.”
“Once they saw it was me, they got a little excited and started battling for affection. Barking was no longer the focus.” She glanced back at her, flushed, and laughed softly. “That uh, didn’t help any.”
“What didn’t?”
“You closing your robe.”
“Oh.”
“I don’t think anything will.” She met her gaze and this time, held it. “Help, that is.”
“Do you need help? Want…help?” Cam walked toward her, her first cup of coffee already forgotten. She was confused by Blake’s nervousness in seeing her nude. But beyond her confusion, there was a little amusement, and she was very determined to discover the root of Blake’s unease.
“That depends.”
“On what?”
“On you and whether you’re comfortable with my being here. Because if you’re not, then yes, I’m going to need help. You’re going to have to shove me out the door.”
“Why would I be uncomfortable? You seem to be the one who’s…off a little.”
“I walked in on you pretty much naked and scared you half to death. So, yes, I’m a little off.”
“I’m fine,” Cam said. “I was ‘startled’ as you say, but pleasantly so. My heart is still racing, but now it’s racing for a different reason.”
Blake’s demeanor appeared to change quickly as she listened to Cam, as if she’d finally found what she’d expected to find when she first walked in the door. Cam could feel the heat coming from her newly confident stare, and she knew, without a doubt, that Blake’s heart was racing just as quickly as hers.
“I guess I don’t need any help then,” she said. She moved toward her. “If you’re not going to shove me out the door.”
“If I were you I’d be more worried about me holding you captive.”
“What do I have to do to make that happen?” She stood before her and reached out and loosened her belt. The robe fell open and Cam shuddered, but not from the chill of the air hitting her moist body. But from the feather-like graze of Blake’s fingers as they ran up her stomach to her breasts, where they tantalized and teased, carefully avoiding the centers.
Cam tried to keep her composure, but Blake was burning a trail along her skin and singeing her with her eyes.
“You know what? I think I do need help. Because I don’t know what I want more. To keep standing here looking at you in that robe like this, only able to get a small, but very enticing glimpse of your beautiful body, or to open the robe and see you completely. What do you think I should do?”
Cam trembled as Blake’s fingers dropped to her thighs and caressed there, moving up and then down, like she’d done to her torso.
“I don’t care as long as—you keep touching me.”
“Then we’ll keep the robe on. Because I love the way you look in it. And I’ll just…gladly work around it.” Her hands left her legs and returned to her chest. She inched open the lapels of the robe and exposed her breasts. Cam saw the hunger that overcame her as she lightly brimmed them,
causing Cam to hiss as the sensation shot down between her legs.
“Oh, God, how I’ve wanted to see these,” Blake said. “Feeling them last night, imagining what they look like, didn’t do them justice.”
Cam laughed a little, the sound hitching with nerves and arousal. “They’re small.”
“Mm, they’re beautiful.” She circled the centers with her fingertips, seemingly fascinated. “Perfect.”
She knelt and snuck her tongue out to trace the path her fingers had taken.
“Blake.” Cam held on to her, desperate for the strength to remain standing.
Blake answered by taking her in her mouth completely, tugging on her just enough to make her wet and begin to throb. And for a second, Cam thought she was going to explore that for herself when she once again lowered her hand to graze along her thigh. But she only toyed with her, skimming her center externally, careful not to dip inside and touch where she ached the most. Then she moved her mouth to Cam’s neglected breast, did the same as she’d done the other, but this time, she didn’t lower her hand to tease her. This time, she drew away from her breast, knelt down to where she’d touched her, and breathed upon her before she made contact with her lips, sending Cam into a frenzy.
Cam panted, struggled to speak and to stand as Blake’s feather-like movements continued everywhere but the place where she wanted it most. It wasn’t long before Cam had her hands knotted in her hair, trying to guide her, while pleading with her to show her some mercy.
“Jesus, Blake. For God’s sake. I’m dying.”
“That’s what I’m going for,” she said. “I want you to want it so bad you feel like you’re going to die if you don’t get it.”
“I do. I do. Christ.”
Cam clenched her eyes, unable to watch. But what she felt next made her eyes fly wide open. Blake had snuck her tongue into her hidden flesh and begun to explore. Slowly. Tentatively. Enough to make Cam tense and shudder and tighten her fingers in her hair. But it was not near enough to satiate her need.
“You’re fucking teasing me again,” Cam breathed.
She heard Blake laugh as she drew her tongue away and then started in again, this time grazing her clitoris. Cam nearly buckled, and she swallowed hard, desperate for air.
She stumbled backward, seeking the wall that framed the entryway to the kitchen. When she found it, she braced herself and tried to catch her breath. But Blake was right back at her, on her knees between her legs, easing them apart and exposing her flesh with the gentle outward press of her thumbs. Slowly, painfully slowly, she began carefully licking her clit, as if she were purposefully trying to send sporadic shockwaves of pleasure up through her. Short, fierce shockwaves that had her crying out and slamming her head back against the wall, and then in the next instant, had her looking down at Blake, begging for more, her body shaking uncontrollably.
“Blake, I can’t stand anymore,” she said gripping her head so tightly her fingers ached.
“You can. I promise you can.”
“No—Blake. I mean I literally—cannot stand here anymore.”
Blake pulled away just enough to look up at her, and then she lifted Cam’s right leg and encouraged her to rest it on her shoulder. Cam tried to argue, but Blake would have none of it, and as soon as she started kissing her way up her inner thigh, Cam wasn’t able to argue.
“Lean on me as much as you need to,” Blake said. “I’ll support both your legs if I have to.”
Cam soon had no choice but to oblige as Blake kissed her way back into her flesh and full on attacked her with an overzealous tongue. Cam opened her mouth to call out, but her voice was lost, eaten up by the ecstasy raging through her. It was all she could do to breathe, everything else was an impossibility, overtaken by the feel of Blake’s slick, velvet assault between her legs. And as she pressed against her, cinching her tightly to the wall, holding Cam’s leg securely on her shoulder, she went at her harder, as if she had Cam right where she wanted her, pinned against her mouth, unable to move, to escape, even if she became desperate to do so. And Cam was already there, at that point, feeling like she couldn’t take another fucking second of the pleasure Blake was bestowing upon her. But her involuntary struggle to free herself was futile, and it only made Blake moan and push her tighter against the wall.
Cam clenched her jaw and fought for another few seconds until Blake changed her technique and went from frenzied licking, to deep, sensual, tongue swirling kisses, and deliberate, deep pulls of Cam’s clit into her mouth.
“Oh, fuck,” Cam rasped as the new sensation flooded her. She was suddenly no longer wriggling to escape. Now her body could not only handle what Blake was doing to it, it fucking loved it, taking it in, all that it could, like it would never, ever, be able to get enough. Cam could not remember anything ever feeling that fucking good.
The pleasure washed over her, invaded her, warm and powerful, and her hips began to slowly thrust, as her body fell into a composed, but eager rhythm for more. She relaxed her hands and caressed Blake’s head and face, the feel of her flexing jaw exciting her further.
She watched her feed on her through hazed eyes, disbelieving the moment was real. Was it?
“Blake,” she whispered. “Is this—really happening? Am I—? Are you—? How can it be—so fucking—” Her head and her eyes lolled back then and she came, her body arched into Blake, thrusting powerfully but silently, as everything Blake had been giving her collided and bunched and exploded outward, tearing her apart as it burst out of her. She couldn’t focus, couldn’t think, wasn’t even sure if she was still holding on to Blake or not. She just kept coming, like it was fucking eternal, her body moving in that same controlled motion, allowing for the insanely sweet pleasure of that orgasm to be milked for as long as she could hold out. When her body finally did give, the flood of pleasure was still flowing, and she jerked and shook as she fought to pull away. Blake finally showed her the mercy she’d needed before and let her. An unknown amount of time passed before Cam registered Blake’s soft voice, calling her name.
Cam blinked and nearly fell to the floor as Blake released her leg to stand. She took Cam in her arms quickly, bracing her. She helped her to the couch and eased her down and sat next to her. She was touching her face, brushing back her hair. Cam blinked some more, and she came into focus. She was smiling, her lips swollen and dark from their exertion. She looked just as pleased as Cam felt.
“How did you—what did you—?” Cam couldn’t complete her sentences. Blake had just ravished her. That, she knew. In what was obviously expert-like fashion. That she knew too, but she didn’t know how to question her about it at the moment. Because it seemed Blake had not only left her body spent and reeling, she seemed to have done the same to her mind.
She grinned and then leaned in and softly kissed her.
“Mm, it was wonderful,” she said. “You were wonderful. And you taste fucking beyond wonderful.” She touched her own lips with her fingertip and a satisfied look gleamed in her eyes. “I’m going to keep you on me for the rest of the day. So I can get a taste of you whenever I want.” She pulled the blanket off the back of the couch and draped it over Cam.
“You—what you did to me…”
She stood and then knelt over Cam to kiss her once more. “Shh, we’ll talk about it later.” She straightened. “Kenna is expecting to walk with me this morning. I need to go work up a sweat so I can use running as my alibi when I go back to the house to get her. Although, you did work me up quite a bit already. So, it probably won’t take much to convince her.” She fingered her lips again and then touched Cam’s face before walking backward toward the door. She said good-bye to the dogs, who appeared to be just as delirious as Cam, and then disappeared out the door after giving Cam one last grin.
Cam sat in silence and stared in a daze at the closed door. Her mind and body tingled, and she fell back against the couch and closed her eyes and allowed herself to be carried away in the wake of bliss Blake left behind.
Blake was curled up on one of the comfy chairs in Sloane’s living room, happily reading another one of McKenna’s romances, when Sage walked in and handed her another book. Blake took it slowly, searching her face for a clue, but she only saw a woman with poorly hidden excitement behind her eyes. That excitement broke free as Blake finally looked at the cover of the book.
“I bought it for you in town,” Sage said, bouncing on the balls of her feet. “It’s her first one. And it was so popular she continued with it and created a series.”
Sage’s mood was infectious, and Blake had to pretend not to be as affected as she read the title and Cam’s pen name. While she was able to keep her display of emotions in check, she wasn’t as apt with her actions, and she flushed as she caught herself running her fingers along the raised lettering of Cam’s name.
“Kind of surreal, huh?”
Blake placed the book in her lap. “What do you mean?”
“That Cam wrote that. Wrote all seventeen of them. And she’s right next door.” She sank down on the couch and held a throw pillow to her chest like it was a teddy bear. “And hot. And single.”
“Is she?” She cleared her throat, her voice faltering. Thinking of Cam always left her reeling, but today, it was more than just her desire for her causing the turmoil. Actually, her desire for her, her ache to be with her, was what was making the turmoil all the worse.
“Hot? Um, yeah.”
“No, I mean…how do you know she’s single?” They all knew of Cam’s singlehood, but Blake was playing coy, hoping to throw Sage off scent.
“Where have you been? Sloane and Kenna have been trying like hell to hook you up with her. Rylee wants her. We’ve all done nothing but talk about her since the first day we got here. I know you haven’t been that clueless.”
Blake tried to feign memory loss. “I’ve had a lot on my mind with the clinic and everything.”
Sage drew her bare feet up and sat lotus style. She looked reflective, like the thrill she’d initially had in discussing Cam had settled some. “I’d heard rumors that she was single, from fans, but I didn’t give them much credit. The one about her losing her wife in a car accident seemed the most unbelievable to me.” She pulled at the decorative frayed edge of the pillow. “But now that I’ve met her…and seen how she’s so withdrawn, I’m beginning to think it might be true.” She looked at Blake with what appeared to be an invitation to confirm her suspicion.
