Page 61 of I Loved You First

“Um, this one.” He handed her a book about a turtle who was afraid of thunderstorms.

She grinned. “This looks perfect.” Opening to the first page, they both got lost in the adventure, doing their best to ignore the torrents of rain and the occasional clap of thunder.

Brady yawned as the story ended. “We should do another.”

She studied his sleepy green eyes, well aware that if she kept reading, he would fall asleep. “Definitely.”

He handed her a book about the Marvel characters saving the day. “I like this one.”

“I can’t wait to see what happens.” She began to read, looking at Brady halfway through the new adventure, realizing his eyes were closed. Reading a couple more pages for good measure, she shut the book, setting the entire stack on his nightstand, staying put like she’d promised she would until the storm passed.

She glanced at the time on her phone and then toward the window, where the rain still poured beyond the curtains, worrying a little about Cam. He’d texted a few times throughout the day, letting her know he was running late after a round of storms had delayed his crew’s progress. But he should have been home by now.

Settling more comfortably against the pillow, her thoughts wandered back to their kiss—as they had all day. Even when she and Brady had been busy running errands, she’d found herself distracted, unable to think about much else.

They’d been doing so well with their new dynamic. She’d tried her best to keep some semblance of an emotional distance, but Cam had snuck his way back under her radar with his humor and good heart.

When he stopped her in the bathroom doorway yesterday afternoon, he surprised her. She’d seen the yearning in his eyes as they breathed each other’s breaths—the same yearning she’d felt for weeks and tried to ignore.

It had felt so good to taste Cam again—to let his skillful mouth take command. To feel his hands on her body. It was as if no time had passed at all.

She’d expected regrets after her crappy night of sleep, but when she pushed her covers back this morning, she’d only wanted more.

Nibbling at her lip, she worried a little because this was a road she’d never planned to travel again. She and Cam were friends. Only friends. But even as she told herself so, she craved him, knowing full well what he could do to her—what they could do to each other.

Shaking her head, she stared across the room, studying Brady’s posters, determined to think about something else. Cam would be home any minute. Then she would head out and take a long, cold shower before she went to bed.

Cam tiptoed his way up the stairs when all was quiet in Brady’s room. Nearly every downstairs light had been blazing bright when he pulled up in the driveway a couple of minutes ago—Brady’s MO during an evening thunderstorm. Luckily, the worst of the rain had dissipated the closer Cam had driven to Maple Ridge.

Walking down the hall, he smiled as he stopped in Brady’s doorway, staring at Brady and Fi asleep under the dinosaur covers. He chuckled at the way his son had sprawled out in his typical bed-hogging style while Fi lay on her side, taking up a mere few inches on the edge of the mattress.

He exhaled a long sigh as he tracked his gaze over her gorgeous face. He’d thought about her all day—about her taste and how good her soft skin had felt pressed against his.

Closing the distance between them, he crouched next to her, sliding his knuckles along her cheek, breathing in her shampoo and perfume.

Her eyes fluttered open, staring into his. She rewarded him with a slow smile.

He smiled back, holding his finger to his lips, gaining his feet when he craved to kiss her again.

Fi carefully inched her way out from under the covers, doing her best to be extra quiet as she stood.

Cam shut off Brady’s lamp, waiting for Fi to step into the hallway before he closed the door halfway. “Hey,” he whispered.

“Hi,” she whispered back, looking sleepy and sexy in her simple outfit. “I’m afraid I fell asleep on the job.”

He shrugged, adoring the way she wrinkled her nose. “It’s an easy thing to do. Kids are pretty warm and squishy.”

She grinned, giving him a peek at those spectacular dimples.

His smile returned as he tried to figure out where things stood. When he and Fi spoke this morning and texted throughout the day, it had been mostly business as usual. “I’m sorry I’m so late. I got caught in the storm.”

“It’s okay.”

“How did today go?”

“Really good. We did some grocery shopping before lunch and baked some cookies this afternoon when it got too rainy to do much else.”

“I’m always down for homemade cookies.”