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Jules’s stomach goops around like a lava lamp, spreading a soporific warmth that halts the expanding ache. ‘I love how assured you are about sex.’
‘I’ve been told my body is one of my top features.’
‘It is a good body,’ Jules agrees, ‘but you know that’s not what I meant.’
‘Do I?’ The hand at the dip of her back grows heavy and a tightness creeps onto his face at the corners of his eyes.
‘I like your confidence, of course, but I—’ Jules’s heart starts racing, body understanding she’s struck a nerve before her brain catches up. ‘I like your personality more.’
Cameron stills beneath her and the air in the room presses heavy against her skin.
‘You’re goofy, and you’re a music nerd with a sweet tooth, and you love your sisters endlessly,’ she lists, wanting the furrow in his brow to disappear. ‘You’re kind.’
Cameron looks away, the palm on her back curling into a fist. His caramel eyes go wary and he stops breathing beneath her.
She slowly separates their bodies and Cameron immediately swings his legs off the side of the bed, hiding his face. It’s like a kick to her stomach.
‘Cameron?’ Her hand hovers over his back where the muscles are tensed.
‘I’m fine.’ He pushes off the bed and starts redressing, keeping his back to her as he pulls on his slacks.
‘Are you?’
He pulls in a harsh breath, stilling, and Jules holds her breath too, waiting for him to let her in.
‘Do you—Do you want to tell me about it?’ she tries. She can feel his hesitation like a breeze on her skin. He’s about to let her in. This is the moment she’s waited for.
But then he snaps back into motion and Jules’s stomach drops.
‘I’ve got to get to my next session. We both do. I’ll … I’ll see you later.’
Rejection stings like bluebottles around her chest as Cameron hastily pulls on his clothes. She dresses clumsily, fingers shaking, unable to get a proper breath in as space builds between them, harsh and dark like the feeling in her torso. Cameron hides his face from her but when she steps past him at his door, she catches a glimpse. His expression is shuttered.
Her stomach twists. So much for opening up to Cameron to encourage him to do the same. Their impending separation made her greedy to fill her ache with all things Cameron and she’s pushed too far.
Chapter 19
Cameron strides along the walkway around from Sydney Harbour to The Rocks, hands shoved into his pockets and shoes slapping hard on the path. It’s sunny, but instead of warming his skin, it dries him out. His eyes itch. He should’ve grabbed his sunglasses but he rushed out of the hotel after the last talk of the day without thinking.
Jules opened up to him today and he screwed things up. She told him about fears and insecurities and her ex and how comfortable she felt around him, and what did he do? Brush her off. Literally gave her his back and forced her out the room without any reciprocation of openness. Not even a goodbye kiss or another compliment on her presentation. She deserves those.
The kicker is, he wanted to reciprocate. Tell her about Braden, about his worries about his looks and his relationships and trusting new people.
Then she touched a nerve and he got spooked and ran, exactly like he did when he ran away from Cable.
I like your personality more.
Why the hell did that rattle him so much? He should feel relieved she’s not like Braden, that she sees him as a whole person and not a body to have fun with, even though they’re having a fling. He doesn’t, and it’s pissing him off because it’s proving his sisters right. He’s not over what happened. Now it’s poisoning what he has with Jules. They’ve only got two more days at the conference and she may not even look at him again after his departure this afternoon.
Fight, flight, freeze. No prize money for picking which one he is. Flight every time.
Fuck that. He doesn’t want to be that guy. He knows he hurt Jules, and that hurts him. Deep in his chest there’s an ache like something heavy is pressing down on him. He’s got to go back to her. Make things right with them. Apologise. He’ll stop by that cafe on the way back and grab some more meringues. And an entire packet of marshmallows from the convenience store next door.
The sound of a distinctive laugh has his attention shifting from his feet to the crowd ahead of him, pace slowing until his gaze lands on a curvy woman with dark blonde hair and tanned skin. He freezes.
Braden.
His legs tense with anticipation of launching himself along the pavement away from her. He doesn’t want to make a scene though, and she’s walking with a handful of people from his old work. He’s already caused enough bad blood with them all, barring Matteo. He wanted to use this week to repair his image with them, not run like a kid scared any time he sees them. Which he’s failed at so far.
