“Dammit, Grace. You are worth so much more than you can ever imagine.”
“Then why do I keep getting left?” she asked.
Cam was silent as she looked down and reined in her emotions. Cam felt like the most disgusting of human beings at that moment. He’d hurt her so badly, and he didn’t know how he was going to make it up to her. He might not be able to.
“Grace . . .” He didn’t know what he planned on saying.
“I don’t think I can talk about any of this anymore tonight, Cam. I’m so tired.” The painful memories seemed to choke her voice.
Even though she resisted, Cam put down the computer and then pulled her into the cradle of his arms. “I’m sorry, Grace. I’m so sorry for what you’ve been through.”
Her entire body was stiff for several tense moments, and then, finally, she rested her head on his shoulder and he felt a shudder pass through her.
“It was a long time ago. I just learned that I can’t trust anyone,” she whispered.
“That’s no way to be. I think you’ll learn to trust me again—in time.”
She said nothing, but it didn’t take long before he felt the steady, shallow breaths on his neck indicating she’d fallen asleep.
Cam eased himself carefully up off the couch and stood with her in his arms, then headed to his room. She might wake up angry in the morning, but he doubted it. Tonight she needed someone to hold her and let her know she wasn’t alone in the world.
Tomorrow they could go back to their battle of wills.
The rhythmic sound of a heart beating beneath her ear was what pulled Grace from her slumber. It took a moment for her to realize where she was, and then the smell of Cam drifted through her and she had no doubt she was lying in his arms, in his bed.
She should be upset, but instead she felt comforted. The night before had taken a lot out of her, and although there wasn’t even the tiniest glimmer of light peeking through the curtains, telling her it was the middle of the night, she still felt like it was a new day, like it was almost a new beginning.
She hadn’t wanted to share her story with Cam, but doing so had freed up something inside her, something that had needed to be released for a long time. Was she over everything that had happened? No, she certainly wasn’t. But at the same time, some of her anger had drained away.
“How are you feeling?”
She wasn’t even startled by the sound of his voice. She’d heard the shift in his breathing and knew he was awake.
“Better,” she told him.
“Grace, I don’t know how many times I can apologize for what happened in the past, but I hope if I do it enough, then someday you’ll believe me and forgive me,” he said, his hand coming up and caressing the back of her head.
“You hurt me, Cam. You hurt me more than any of the others because you were the one I loved,” she told him.
Maybe it was the security of darkness, or maybe it was because she’d already opened up to him, but for some reason, it just felt right to tell him how she really felt.
Besides, right now all she seemed to be feeling was the warmth of Cam’s bare chest, warm beneath her hand. She should be pulling away, leaving his arms and reaching for the blankets to cover herself, letting him know this wasn’t what she wanted. So she didn’t understand when, instead of leaving his arms, she fluttered her fingers against his chest, the feel of him too enticing to stop.
“I was so young and stupid and running on pure hormones,” Cam admitted.
“Yeah,” she said with a sigh. “But still, I thought I meant more to you than just any girl who could be easily forgotten.”
He stiffened beneath her before his hand continued caressing her head, before moving lower and rubbing against her back.
“How could I ever forget you?” he finally said. His fingers slid below the hem of her shirt and traveled up bare skin, reaching her ribs, the tips circling around and brushing the side of her breast, making pleasure heat her core.
“What are we doing here?” she asked quietly, but even as she spoke, she pressed her hips forward against his hardness, seeking relief.
“We’re talking,” he murmured. He moved his face toward hers and gently caressed her lips, just a whisper of movement, just enough to make her entire body tingle in anticipation of what was to come.
“You’re seducing me,” she moaned.
“I’m not doing anything you don’t want me to do,” he countered, sliding his fingers down her back now. How she wanted to have those fingers where they had been, so he could cup her swollen breasts.
“I didn’t say I wanted this,” she panted.
“Your body is telling me exactly what you want. If you need me to stop, just say so,” he said against her neck, tracing the smooth skin with his tongue and scorching her with his touch. His hand trailed over her behind, and she cursed the panties that barred her from skin-to-skin contact.
Grace refused to tell him how much she wanted him, but she also couldn’t tell him to stop, so she lay there quietly, small whimpers escaping her open mouth as his hand moved down the back of her leg and then circled her knee and began gliding slowly up the inside of her thigh.
When his fingers stopped at the elastic of her panties, then retreated, she moaned her disapproval. He rested his hand on the inside of her thigh while his mouth made a trail of kisses from her neck to her collarbone, making her stomach tighten, her breasts tingle.
“Please . . .” she moaned, too desperate, too needful now to keep from begging.
“What do you want me to do, Grace?”