So she pressed closer, needing to feel more of him, needing to know how she affected him. The evidence was there, nudging her belly and causing another wave of shivers to snake down her spine.
Then something flashed out of the corner of her eye, followed by a yelp.
Cameron slowly lifted his head. “Don’t hold me responsible for what I may do to these women.”
Audrey blinked. “What?”
But Cameron had already shifted his attention to whatever had interrupted them. Audrey followed his line of sight and bit back a grin at the four women gawking at the two of them. Their signature beehives left no doubt as to who they were and what they were doing with their camera phones. Someone seriously ought to start reporting these ladies.
“I got a good one, girlies!” Lois shouted as she waved her phone in the air. “This one’s going on the Instagram.”
“How many times do we have to say it, Lois?” Lois’s friend piped up. “There’s no the. It’s only Instagram. Not the Instagram.”
“I still think I got the better shot,” another one chimed in. “I have here a prime picture of Cameron palming the woman’s ass.”
Audrey couldn’t help the heat that flamed her cheeks. She wasn’t sure if it was from hearing the word ass leaving a seventy-something-year-old’s mouth or the fact that they’d so easily noticed Cameron’s firm grip on her derriere.
Cameron pinched the bridge of his nose. “Lois, if you post any pictures you just took to any social media site, I’ll sic Brandon’s dog on you.” Then he jabbed a finger at her friend. “Same goes for you, Beverly.”
“Already uploaded mine,” Beverly announced. Then she beamed at the rest of them. “Told you my phone was faster. The three of you need to get the new iPhone already.”
Virginia rolled her eyes and leaned heavily on her cane.
Cameron blew out a heavy breath and shook his head. “Son of a mother’s whore.”
“You watch your tongue, young man. We may be progressive, modern women, but we’re still ladies.”
Cameron narrowed his eyes at them. “Somehow I doubt that, Patty.”
Beverly gripped Lois’s skinny arm. “Let’s go get funnel cakes before they run out. I want hot fudge and powdered sugar on mine.”
The four women walked away, with Cameron’s gaze never leaving them. “I know where you live,” he called after them. Then he placed his attention on Audrey, and his gaze further darkened. “What’re you laughing at?”
“Nothing,” she immediately said. “But I think maybe you secretly love them.”
“Love them?” he questioned. “They’re a public menace. They need to be committed.”
“They also make you smile,” she pointed out.
Cameron turned toward her and gripped her elbow. “That’s not a smile. It’s a grimace of pain.”
Audrey held back another grin as she allowed him to lead her to…“Where are we going?”
“The bumper cars,” he answered. “I need to bash my frustration out.”
The ride that Piper was on had just ended, and the girl came running around to the line again.
“I wanna ride with Uncle Cameron,” she announced.
Cameron glanced down at the girl as he passed over ride tickets to the attendant. “Just be sure to hold on tight.” Then he winked at Audrey and she had a feeling that maybe he was talking about both of them.
Sixteen
Later that night, Cameron was digging around in the fridge while simultaneously nursing a serious case of blue balls. He thought about jumping in the shower and giving himself some relief, but the thought didn’t hold much appeal. Then, as he’d been sniffing his way through leftovers, his phone dinged with another text from Tessa. The woman had been trying to get in touch with him for weeks. Normally, Cameron would have told her to come on over. But now…now Tessa didn’t interest him.
What he and Tessa had was casual anyway, and both agreed to stick with it as long as it was working. Well, now it was no longer working for Cameron.
That’s because she doesn’t have blond hair and make you hard as a rock.
Yeah, there was that.
Tessa had to know things would end between them sooner or later. In fact, Cameron was surprised she’d stuck around this long.
Cameron finally found something to zap in the microwave as his phone pinged again. With a sigh, he picked the device up and thumbed the message.
Busy tonight? I can be there in ten.
The one before that said something about missing him and how some guy she’d met while visiting her sister hadn’t come close to satisfying her the way Cameron could. The thought that she’d been with some other guy, and was now trying to get a booty call out of him, should have caused at least some jealousy. But nothing.
The microwave dinged as he typed his reply.
Tired tonight. Getting ready for bed.
He wondered for a minute if she’d see that as an invitation. But Tessa knew better than to show up unannounced.
You didn’t exactly put up a fight the last time she showed up unannounced.
But that was before Audrey.
He’d never talked about his father to anyone. Not even his mother. Not Blake and not Brandon either. But tonight, he had found himself spilling his guts to her, and all Audrey had to do was bat those long lashes at him, and he felt as though he could tell her anything, that she wouldn’t judge or make him feel like an insensitive prick for ignoring his sister all those years. She’d simply listened and comforted him.
Cameron blew out a breath as he gathered his leftovers from the microwave. After a second thought, he set them back down and picked up his phone again. He needed to send a clearer message to Tessa so she understood.
I think our arrangement has run its course, Tessa. We should probably go our separate ways.
Was that clear enough?
