into her apartment. “You sure you don’t want me to come in and check in your cupboards and under your bed?”
“Very funny,” she said, lifting her eyebrows.
“Seriously, though.” He stepped closer, narrowing the gap between them. “If you need me, I’m happy to stay.”
He was close, too close. Her heart rate stepped up, her breath growing shallow. Her defenses went on high alert, an alarm sounding in her head. But he wasn’t threatening and intimidating. Instead, he exuded warmth and genuine concern, and right now her soul craved for someone to take care of her. She didn’t step away, but instead lifted her face to look up into his. He stared down at her and then reached out to brush her hair away from her neck.
Catching her by surprise, he lowered his head and placed a soft but firm kiss on her mouth.
Lily froze, her whole body screaming in alarm. All her old reactions at someone touching her flooded back, her heart racing, every muscle tensed. She wanted to push him away, but both her inertia and her thoughts stopped her doing so.
This wasn’t what she wanted, not really, but a part of her felt like she should be allowing Cameron to kiss her. He was a good guy, who seemed to like her and wanted to take care of her, but she couldn’t change her body’s reaction.
But still she didn’t push him away. Maybe she was kissing Cameron as a way of saying ‘fuck you’ to Monster for everything he’d done, but perhaps she was simply desperate to have someone hold her and tell her everything was going to be okay.
Yet Monster, and the loss of him, flashed into her head, making her heart hurt.
Placing her hands to Cameron’s chest, she finally broke the contact. “I’m sorry, I can’t.”
His lips twisted. “The bad boyfriend?”
She nodded. “He’s not bad, not really. He’s just grown up in a different world than ours.”
“I’m not going to pretend I know what that means, but I know you’ve been through a lot, and so I’m not going to press you on it either.”
She exhaled a sigh. “Thank you.”
“But if you need me, you know where I am. Any time, day or night.”
“Don’t you work?”
He laughed. “Yes, but from home. I’m a social media consultant.”
“Seriously? I didn’t even know there was such a thing.”
“It’s a fairly recent development. It used to just be called a marketing consultant, but things have narrowed down over the past few years.”
She laughed and the sound felt good in her chest. “Okay, well, I know where you are, so I’ll call, I promise.”
“Good. I’ll look forward to it.”
He backed out of her doorway and shoved his hands into his jeans, and then spun away to walk down the hall, toward his own place. She stood, watching him as he went. He threw a glance and a smile over his shoulder, catching her standing there. Lily smiled back, and then stepped inside and shut the door. Quickly, she shot the lock into place.
With a sigh, she placed her back against the door and put her hands over her face. She didn’t need any more complications—life was difficult enough.
Her mind went to the money Monster must have deposited in her account. What the hell had he been thinking? That it would help her, somehow? Or perhaps it was simply guilt money, something to make him feel better without giving any thought to what sort of shit-storm it might stir up for her. Was the money going to get her in trouble? She already felt like she was under suspicion from the police, even though she hadn’t really done anything wrong, and now this massive sum was going to make her appear even guiltier.
Her stomach twisted with a hollow hunger, and she realized she hadn’t given any thought to the practicalities of living. She’d been out buying guns when she should have been grocery shopping. Without even looking, she knew her refrigerator would be bare. When she’d lived here, she’d only ever bought the basics, and anything left over would have gone bad by
“Very funny,” she said, lifting her eyebrows.
“Seriously, though.” He stepped closer, narrowing the gap between them. “If you need me, I’m happy to stay.”
He was close, too close. Her heart rate stepped up, her breath growing shallow. Her defenses went on high alert, an alarm sounding in her head. But he wasn’t threatening and intimidating. Instead, he exuded warmth and genuine concern, and right now her soul craved for someone to take care of her. She didn’t step away, but instead lifted her face to look up into his. He stared down at her and then reached out to brush her hair away from her neck.
Catching her by surprise, he lowered his head and placed a soft but firm kiss on her mouth.
Lily froze, her whole body screaming in alarm. All her old reactions at someone touching her flooded back, her heart racing, every muscle tensed. She wanted to push him away, but both her inertia and her thoughts stopped her doing so.
This wasn’t what she wanted, not really, but a part of her felt like she should be allowing Cameron to kiss her. He was a good guy, who seemed to like her and wanted to take care of her, but she couldn’t change her body’s reaction.
But still she didn’t push him away. Maybe she was kissing Cameron as a way of saying ‘fuck you’ to Monster for everything he’d done, but perhaps she was simply desperate to have someone hold her and tell her everything was going to be okay.
Yet Monster, and the loss of him, flashed into her head, making her heart hurt.
Placing her hands to Cameron’s chest, she finally broke the contact. “I’m sorry, I can’t.”
His lips twisted. “The bad boyfriend?”
She nodded. “He’s not bad, not really. He’s just grown up in a different world than ours.”
“I’m not going to pretend I know what that means, but I know you’ve been through a lot, and so I’m not going to press you on it either.”
She exhaled a sigh. “Thank you.”
“But if you need me, you know where I am. Any time, day or night.”
“Don’t you work?”
He laughed. “Yes, but from home. I’m a social media consultant.”
“Seriously? I didn’t even know there was such a thing.”
“It’s a fairly recent development. It used to just be called a marketing consultant, but things have narrowed down over the past few years.”
She laughed and the sound felt good in her chest. “Okay, well, I know where you are, so I’ll call, I promise.”
“Good. I’ll look forward to it.”
He backed out of her doorway and shoved his hands into his jeans, and then spun away to walk down the hall, toward his own place. She stood, watching him as he went. He threw a glance and a smile over his shoulder, catching her standing there. Lily smiled back, and then stepped inside and shut the door. Quickly, she shot the lock into place.
With a sigh, she placed her back against the door and put her hands over her face. She didn’t need any more complications—life was difficult enough.
Her mind went to the money Monster must have deposited in her account. What the hell had he been thinking? That it would help her, somehow? Or perhaps it was simply guilt money, something to make him feel better without giving any thought to what sort of shit-storm it might stir up for her. Was the money going to get her in trouble? She already felt like she was under suspicion from the police, even though she hadn’t really done anything wrong, and now this massive sum was going to make her appear even guiltier.
Her stomach twisted with a hollow hunger, and she realized she hadn’t given any thought to the practicalities of living. She’d been out buying guns when she should have been grocery shopping. Without even looking, she knew her refrigerator would be bare. When she’d lived here, she’d only ever bought the basics, and anything left over would have gone bad by
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