by Katee Robert
Not everyone got a happy ending, no matter how many stars they wished on.
Some people had to settle on the mediocre instead of aspiring for greatness.
She just never thought she’d be part of either group.
With a sigh, she tried to focus on Cameron. “I’m sorry, I missed that last bit.”
“In life.” They turned another corner, and she started to recognize shops from the next street up from their hotel. “I had reservations when Aaron decided to bring you in, but you’re good at handling people and situations.”
“Yeah, I’m a great glorified secretary.” Managing her mother’s moods had given her plenty of people skills, though they mostly meant she gave excellent customer service no matter what her personal level of frustration was.
“Trish.”
Oh no. She knew that tone of voice. It meant nothing good for the conversation. Cameron obviously wasn’t pleased with her blasé comment, and he just as obviously intended to sit her down and...
Well, she didn’t know what. A come-to-Jesus talk about knowing her worth? Or maybe one where he pointed out that she wasn’t a glorified anything—she was literally their secretary.
No matter which way he was headed, she wanted no part of it. They would have their talk when they got back to New York. It could sure as hell wait until then. If this was an escape, she wanted to get her money’s worth, so to speak.
Trish turned into him, grabbing the front of his jacket and leveraging herself up to take his mouth. His surprise only lasted a second, and then his hands were on her hips and he guided her several steps until her back hit the wall. Cameron dug his big hands into her hair and tilted her head back to get a better angle. He moved away long enough to say, “I know you’re trying to distract me.”
Of course he did. He wasn’t stupid. She forced an impish grin. “Are you complaining?”
“Not especially.” He reclaimed her mouth, but this time the pace slowed down. Cameron teased her with soft, barely there kisses until she growled in frustration, and only then did he set his teeth against her bottom lip and slip his tongue into her mouth.
The man kissed like a dream.
A really naughty one.
Give and take, advance and retreat. Over and over and over again, until she lost all comprehension of the other people on the street or the fact that they were most definitely in a public place with an audience.
Trish had only meant to keep him from his questions, from pulling her apart at the seams to satisfy his curiosity, from creating a foundation of trust that neither of them could follow through on.
It didn’t matter what she’d intended, only the end result.
And the result was that she wanted his hands all over her body, wanted him to stroke her just so, to send her hurtling over the edge. She wanted to take him into her body and ride him until they stopped worrying about the future, because the future was just a distant dream and they were here and now. That was the only thing that mattered.
He tore his mouth from hers. “Upstairs. Now.”
Incapable of words, she nodded. Cameron gave her a look like he wanted to throw her over his shoulder because she wouldn’t move fast enough on her own, but he settled with grabbing her hand and towing her behind him. The half a block back to the hotel passed in a blur, and she caught sight of the startled face of the front desk lady before the elevator doors closed between them and the lobby.
Cameron turned to her, but she was already moving. She hopped and he caught her just like she’d known he would. Her legs went around his waist and her back hit the wall as he took her mouth again.
Yes, this.
Yes, more.
He didn’t let her down as the elevator doors rattled open. Instead, Cameron walked them down the hallway. His dark eyes looked just as wild as she felt, as if he might take her right there in the hallway if they didn’t get through the door fast enough. Trying to anticipate, she dug into her purse for the hotel room key, barely getting it out before they reached the door. “Got it!”
He grabbed it out of her hand and then they were in the room. Cameron strode into the bedroom. “I need you.”
“Yes. Now. Hurry.” Making out on the street like a couple of teenagers had her so primed, she practically vibrated with it. He kept her pinned in place as she reached between them. Cameron used one hand to grab a condom and undid his pants. It didn’t take much to work them down his hips to free his cock, but even the two-second delay was too long without him inside her. “Hurry, hurry, hurry.”
He knocked her hand aside so he could roll on the condom and then he thrust, filling her completely, assuaging her empty ache. They froze, both breathing hard. Cameron leaned back enough to check her expression. “You good?”
As if she hadn’t been right there with him this whole time. Trish rolled her hips, taking him deeper yet. “Don’t stop.”
His grin made something in her chest twinge in a way that would have terrified her if not for the pleasure building with every beat of her heart. A tempo that reduced itself to one word. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.
Cameron lowered her to the bed and shoved her shirt up to bare her breasts. “I like you like this, Trish. It’s fucking indecent and I’m never going to be able to look at you in a pencil skirt without thinking about that skirt around your hips and my cock buried deep inside you.”
“Good,” she gasped. Something to remember her by, even after it was over.
The wildness trying to escape her seemed to translate to him, because there was no teasing, no driving her to distraction before taking what he wanted. No, there was just Cameron moving over her, driving into her again and again in the most delicious way possible. Every stroke hit the end of her, the pleasure-pain building to a desperation unlike anything she’d ever known.
She ran her hands down his strong back and grabbed his ass, pulling him closer yet. Deeper. Harder. “I never want this to end.”
His words were slightly muffled against her temple, but she could have sworn he said, “It doesn’t have to.”
Trish came between the space of one breath and the next. She could feel Cameron trying to pull back, to get enough distance to keep his own orgasm at bay, but she was having none of it. “Come with me, Cam. Come for me.”
He cursed and she knew she’d won. His strokes became rougher yet, driving them both up the bed until his entire body went tense and he clutched her to him as he came. He had the presence of mind to roll to the side, but he didn’t release her, so she ended up with one leg sprawled over his hip and his cock still buried inside her. Trish kissed the center of his chest and allowed herself to enjoy the feel of him holding her close.
So good...
So better than good...
She instinctively went tense, sure that he’d say something or she’d let her fear get away from her. But nothing happened. He just stroked a hand over her hair again and again until she finally relaxed. “What kind of movies do you like, Cam?”
“I’m more of a reader.”
She smiled sleepily against his chest. “Let me guess—John Grisham?”
“Occasionally, but I’m more of a fantasy fan.”
That got her attention. “Really? Like the farm boy is really the chosen one who has to save the universe and he’s probably really a king but he doesn’t know it... That sort of thing?”
His laugh rumbled through her. “Sometimes. Though there are a lot more stories within the genre than just that type.”
“Oh yeah?” She snuggled closer. “Tell me about them.” And she listened as he spun out teasers for tales that she’d never heard of. Cameron had a natural storytelling gift, yet she never would have guessed it before now. His low voice soothed the last of her fear away.
It would be okay.
They could have this week, and she could keep her issues at bay long enough to enjoy he
r time with him to its fullest. The only person standing in the way of that was Trish herself, and she didn’t want to do it anymore.
It helped that, for the first time in a very long time, she was well and truly happy and willing to take things one day at a time instead of looking years ahead and seeing only failure.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
THE NEXT DAY couldn’t go fast enough. Cameron had never resented his work before, but it had never kept him from something he wanted before. Someone. Trish had set up shop back in their suite, while he was left to make the trek to Concord Inc. on his own. It had seemed reasonable at the time, but he swore he could actually feel the distance between them growing.
Not to mention the seconds ticking away from their time left together.
He didn’t know how to fix that. She’d been ready to call the whole thing off before he’d distracted her with an offer for a reprieve. He wasn’t delusional to think that more time spent in his presence would endear him to her. His cock? Fuck yeah. But it had been too long since he’d tried to tiptoe around someone else’s emotions. Just from the law of averages alone, he would say something to piss her off and screw things up before the week ran out.
Unless we just keep having sex until we’re too tired to talk.
As appealing as that option was, he wanted more. The haunted tour last night had been goofy, but Trish’s excitement had rubbed off on him, and seeing the tour through her eyes meant he enjoyed the hell out of it. He wanted to watch her favorite horror movies to have her prove him wrong about the genre. He wanted to share his favorite books with her. He wanted to know everything about her, where she’d been, where she was headed.
Cameron could count on one hand how many people he’d actually wanted to spend more time with...and still have fingers left over if he wasn’t including family. Trish was so refreshing and amazing, and she never seemed to take it personally when he said the wrong thing. Set him straight? Without a doubt. But she didn’t huff and walk away from him and leave him wondering where the hell he’d gone wrong.
Over the years, he’d picked up bits and pieces from Aaron about his two sisters, but Cameron had never paid much attention because he never expected to actually meet them.
He didn’t give a damn what Aaron had to say about Trish. He wanted to hear her history for himself.
Moving too fast.
Was he, though? He’d dated enough to know that something like this didn’t come around often. It didn’t come around at all for him. He’d be a fool to let her go, no matter how unfathomable he found this new territory.
Besides, it was hard to move too fast when she was already planning her exit strategy.
He forced thoughts of Trish from his head as he got to work on the security system Concord Inc. had commissioned. It was relatively straightforward as such things went, for all the nondisclosure agreements and secrecy, but setting it up required time. He could put together the appropriate firewalls and systems in his sleep, but Cameron hadn’t gotten to where he was by half-assing anything.
No matter how much he wanted to do just that today.
He made himself keep working until five, and then packed up and headed back to the hotel. With each step that brought him closer, excitement thrummed in his chest. He’d drag Trish into the shower with him to ease their thirst for each other, and then they’d head out for food and a little more sightseeing.
He barely made it through the door.
Trish appeared as if by magic—as if she’d been waiting—and gave him a quick kiss even as she started unbuttoning his shirt. She wore a different one of his shirts, and she should have looked absurd in the oversize clothing with her bare legs. Instead, she looked downright delicious. “You’ve been gone all day.”
Surprise kept his feet planted and his hands off her as he watched her finish with his shirt. “That was the plan.”
“I know. It was a stupid plan.” She shoved his shirt and jacket off his shoulders and gave a little hum of satisfaction. “Do you know how many times I ended up in our bed with my hand between my legs, thinking about you while I worked myself into a frenzy?” Trish had his pants undone and shoved them down before he had a chance to speak. She stroked his cock and gave him a sweet little smile. “We can talk in a minute, okay?”
Cameron leaned back against the wall next to the door and sifted his fingers through her curls. “You’re crazy if you think I’m going to stop you. I’ve been thinking about you all day.”
She pressed a kiss to his jaw. “Good. I’d hate to suffer alone.”
“Perish the thought,” he murmured. He forced himself to keep his eyes open, to watch her kiss her way down his chest until she was on her knees. Cameron used his hold on her hair to push it back from her face and ensure an unobstructed view. He didn’t want to miss a moment of this.
She stroked him once, twice, and then took him into her mouth. How many times had Cameron jacked himself to the image of her brightly painted lips wrapped around his cock? Pink, red, and on one memorable day, she’d worn purple. Today her lips were a pink bright enough to be seen from space, and the sight of his cock disappearing between them was almost as good as the feel of her mouth sucking him deep. She went after him with the same desperation he had churning up inside him every time he thought about what would happen once they boarded the plane back to New York.
His cock bumped the back of Trish’s throat and it was too much. Cameron hauled her up his body. “I need more than your mouth right now.”
“No fair.” She wrapped her legs around his waist as he walked them toward what had become their bedroom. “You go down on me all the freaking time. I want my turn.”
“Later.”
“Why do I think later means never?” She laughed as he dropped her onto the mattress and yanked off the shirt. She wore absolutely nothing beneath it. Her laugh was like nothing he’d ever heard before. Joyfully filling up the room until all he could focus on was this woman in this moment.
As if he’d want to be anywhere else.
Cameron bracketed her hips and dragged her to the edge of the mattress. “If later meant never, then I’d say never. Later means later.” He pushed a single finger into her and cursed when he found her wet and tight. “Were you fucking yourself with your fingers while I was walking here?”
Her grin turned evil. “Maybe.”
“What am I going to do with you, Trish?”
Her laugh turned into a moan as he pushed a second finger into her. “I have a few ideas.”
“I’m all ears.” He kept slowly fucking her with his fingers, ensuring he hit that spot inside her that made her eyes damn near cross with every stroke. He circled her clit with his thumb. “Hmm?”
“You’re unbelievable.” She reached up and hooked the back of his neck, towing herself up to kiss him. “You want it spelled out? I want you. Hands. Mouth. Cock. All of it. Every position. Over and over again.”
His stomach dropped, and even though Cameron knew better, he still said, “Your list of my attributes leaves a lot to be desired.”
Trish rolled her eyes and flopped back onto the mattress. “What do you want me to say? That I am having fun with you? That I like how much thought you put into the haunted tour and making sure we eat somewhere that has fish and chips because you know I’m a little obsessed? That I really dig your kind of closet nerdy thing with the fantasy novels? Or maybe that I think it’s really sexy how smart you are, and your inability to filter yourself has become charming instead of infuriating? That’s the lamest dirty talk out there.”
“You like me.”
“No, really? Of course I like you—sometimes in spite of yourself.” Something akin to vulnerability crept into her blue eyes. “If you haven’t noticed, I’m not exactly great at this stuff.”
She’d just thrown out a revelation he thought he’d never hear. Oh, he knew Trish enjoyed their time toget
her, but there was a vast difference between enjoying how he made her come and enjoying him.
Cameron started to reach for the nightstand where they’d stashed the giant box of condoms, but Trish burrowed her hands under the pillows and came up with one. She tore it open. “Pays to be prepared.”
“Words after my own heart.” He spread her wetness over her clit as she rolled the condom onto his cock. He pushed into her and they both went still at the sheer perfection of how good it felt. Not enough, though. It was never enough, because it always ended. He hooked her thighs and lifted her legs as he thrust forward, bending her in half and allowing him as deep inside her as he’d ever been.
“Oh, Cam.” She clutched at his shoulders. “God, that’s good. Don’t stop.”
The same thing she said every time they had sex. Don’t stop. And he answered just as he always did. “I’ll never stop, Trish. Not as long as you want it.”
Cameron kept his strokes steady and reached down to stroke her clit how he knew she liked it. He’d had Trish at night and in the morning, but late afternoon Trish might be his favorite. The clouds that had lingered all morning finally parted and golden sunlight bathed her skin, making her damn near glow beneath him. Her expression went ecstatic and her pussy clenched around him as she came. He couldn’t hold out longer. He didn’t want to. With her milking his cock so sweetly, he let go and came hard enough to see stars.
Never want to let you go, Trish.
He managed to keep the words inside, if only barely. It was time to change how he approached this. Trish had admitted she liked him, and it was a small step from liking to falling for him.
He wasn’t going to give her up without a fight.
* * *
After a detour into the shower, Trish finally allowed Cameron to haul her out of the hotel for some exploring. Night had long since fallen, but the city hadn’t slowed down in the least. It felt different from New York, though. Less frenetic, maybe. Cameron tucked her under his arm and pulled her close as if they’d walked down the street together a thousand times before.
