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Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Cam’s nostrils flare. “He’s not in a wheelchair, ma’am. And he can handle the hike better than I probably can. I was only—”
“It’s okay,” I said quietly to him. I turned to the nosy woman next to us. “I appreciate your input. That would have helped me out tremendously after the accident. Falling out of an airplane was a total bitch. It took me months before I learned how to walk with only the one leg. I was forced to do all my hiking in wheelchairs during that time, so I appreciate your concern.”
I turned back to Cam, ignoring the woman’s shocked face and refusing to answer any further questions she may or may not have had.
I kissed his hand again and grinned at him. “I promise I’ll tell you if I need to stop.”
Cam’s nostrils were still flared in annoyance, but his eyes turned mischievous before he spoke at full volume. “I was going to say, we don’t even have to do the whole thing if we find a convenient cluster of tall bushes,” he said, using my words from earlier. “If you’d rather spend all your energyfuckingme than hiking, I’d be fine with that too.”
The woman’s gasp could be heard around the entire restaurant. But so could my booming laugh.
I was still chuckling when the server brought our food a few minutes later.
“I’m sorry,” Cam said after the first few bites. “I hope I didn’t embarrass you too much. I forget you have a public reputation to uphold.”
“Dude, you outed me as a top. That can only bring me added street cred as some kind of aggressor, right?” I shot him a wink. “Not that I have a problem mixing it up. I’m happy to try whatever makes my partner happy.”
When I noticed his face heat up at my words, I slid my foot over to rest against his. “Now it’s my turn to apologize for embarrassing you.”
He looked up at me through his lashes. “Not embarrassed. More like turned on,” he admitted softly. “Eat faster, Joshua.”
After we ate, we crossed the river again and began making our way back up the Mall, joking and teasing and sharing more about our lives with each other. Cam told me about being rejected for the school choir because of his terrible voice, and I admitted to getting solos most Sundays at church.
“Not fair,” Cam said with a fake pout. “I would have made a wonderful professional singer if given half a chance.”
“If not for your terrible ability to carry a tune?” I asked.
“Exactly. Meanwhile, look at all fate handed you. A gorgeous face, a stellar voice, a bulldog personality for your job. And here I am. I’ve got this,” he gestured to his face. “A pug nose, the inconvenient tendency to say the wrong thing at the wrong time, and a career in art with little to no artistic talent. I was robbed.”
I pulled him around in front of me and wrapped my arms around his waist. “Fate handed youme, so that’s something.” I was teasing—fully expecting him to bark out a laugh—but his face softened and he became serious.
“How right you are. I take it all back. I’m the lucky one. Fate must think I’m a god among men.”
Cam’s eyes sparkled as he leaned in to kiss me. His mouth was soft and seeking and I took advantage of his small inhalation to slide my tongue past his lips. We kissed for several moments before I pulled back and leaned my forehead against his.
“Let’s get out of here.”
He let out a sigh. “Yes please.”
5
CAM
I wasn’t quite sure what I was thinking when I agreed to go home with a virtual stranger.
Liar.
Okay, so I was thinking he was hot and I was horny. Did there need to be any other reason? But that wasn’t really the whole story, was it? He was sweet and funny and interesting. Josh DeWitt was the total package. I didn’t just want a quickie with him. I wanted the entire night.
“Would you mind if we went to my place instead of yours?” I asked. “I have a dog who’ll need a potty break at some point.”
Josh stopped walking and frowned. “You have a dog? Hm. Dealbreaker. I don’t like dogs.”
It took me a second to realize he was kidding. The man clearly loved to tease and laugh, which had put me instantly more at ease than I’d expected of a blind date. “Then you’re a damned good actor and you can keep up the act at my place just as easily as with that white flea bag you were making love to back there by the Capitol at the beginning of our date.”
I walked toward the side of the Mall, not realizing for a moment he was hanging back, pretending to think it over.
“C’mon, Josh. Get the lead out. Show me how that fancy peg leg works,” I called. “Catch up or you’re not getting any ice cream later.”
