‘It’s a good meet-cute story, don’t you think?’
‘You hate avos, though,’ I said.
‘I do.’
‘In fact, aren’t you allergic to them?’
‘Break out in a rash,’ he said, rubbing his neck.
‘Tread carefully then, Cam. I think I handled an avo at lunch; you might want to stay right away from me.’
He gave me a slow once-over from his higher vantage point. He really did have all the power right now, because in one swift move he could have me pinned to the bed.Did I want to be pinned to the bed?
‘If I were allergic to you, I’d be flatlining by now,’ he said, and made no attempt to hide the fact that his eyes had just scanned my legs.
‘Still time, honey,’ I said sweetly. ‘Symptoms can be delayed, you know. Swelling, rapid heart rate, shortness of breath, and eventual full paralysis and death by anaphylactic shock.’
‘It’s a good thing you know how to doCPRthen.’
‘If you think I’ll give youCPR, you’ve got another think coming,’ I said.
‘Oh, you’ll give meCPR,’ Cam said. His tone was low, almost dangerous. What the hell was he doing? ‘You’ll give meCPRjust as you’ll let my neck go each and every time.’
‘Don’t be so sure about that,’ I said, pushing myself off the bed and standing up. We were face to face now.
‘But I am sure, Lizzy. Just as I’m sure that playing the young couple who fell in love over an avocado comes easily to you.’
‘I’m not secretly in love with you, if that’s what you’re trying to imply,’ I said firmly.
‘You sound very sure of that.’
‘Iamsure,’ I snapped.
‘So why did you kiss me back?’
I blinked at him a few times. I had no comeback for this at all.
He took a step closer to me.
‘Momentary lapse of judgement,’ I said, swallowing hard. That hot, itchy feeling was creeping up my spine again.
‘Is that why you moaned, too?’ And then, before I could register what was happening, I felt myself flying backwards. One second I was standing; the next I was lying flat on my back on the bed and Cam was on top of me.
‘What are you doing?’ I managed, breathless from the shock.
He didn’t answer. Instead, he lowered his face and let it hover inches away from mine. He was so close I could feel his warm breath, smell it, taste it. He leaned in even closer, his lips brushing the corner of my mouth; not quite a kiss, just the softest, slightest whisper of contact. A tiny breath escaped me, and he smiled.
‘Also a lapse of judgement, I assume?’
I swallowed, trying not to react, but my heart was thudding so loudly I was sure he could hear it. He lifted a hand and brushed the hair from my face. ‘What about when you let me touch you like this?’ His fingertips traced a line from my cheek down to my jaw. ‘Still a momentary lapse of judgement?’
I didn’t answer. I couldn’t.
His lips grazed my ear, and I bit back a moan. I did not want to react to this. I wouldnotreact to this! But then his mouth traced a slow path downwards from my ear.
‘And this?’ He pressed the faintest kiss into my neck.
This time, no matter how much I told myself not to react, I couldn’t help it. I let out the softest exhale. Then a moan. I looked down to see Cam’s hand snake between us. And then, without warning, he grabbed a handful of my dress and twisted, wrapping thefabric around his fingers. The message was obvious. He had me. I was his. And like this, he could do whatever the hell he wanted with me. A feeling I usually hated, but . . .
