I couldn’t help the giggle that slipped out. “So there’s be no fooling around at all?”
“None. My poor love tunnel needs some TLC.”
“What’s a love tunnel?” Sarah asked, still looking at my phone.
My mouth dropped, but Macie answered without missing a beat. “It’s the river that runs through the Venetian hotel in Vegas. It’s pretty cool.”
“So why do they call it a love tunnel? And why does it need TLR?”
“It’s TLC, which stands for tender loving care. TLR is that stuff that cleans pipes? Wait…that could totally work too in my situation,” Mace said with a twinkle in her eye.
I kicked her under the table. “Focus!”
“Right, anyway it’s a love tunnel, because it’s supposed to be like a romantic gondola ride that they do in Italy.”
We paused, waiting for Sarah to response, but turns out she was into her game and didn’t hear a word. Thank God. I shook my head at Macie and mouthed ‘careful’ to her.
“So are you going to give him some time then, or are you going to move on?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. I really like him Keegan. He’s not like the other guys I’ve been with. It’s like he really wants to know me, the real me.”
I reached across the table and took her hand. “It scares you doesn’t it?” Macie nodded. “Thought so. Maybe it’s time for you to allow someone in. Dodger’s not going to hurt you. At least not intentionally. Give him a chance.”
She bit her lip and gave my hand a squeeze. “K.” There was a moment of silence before she said, “Okay, enough about me. I want to know everything.”
Our waitress was just passing by so I got her attention and said, “We’re going to need a few drinks.” She took the order, and I started talking.
Two drinks, dinner, and forty minutes later, I finally finished telling her every last little detail about the party, and what happened between Camden and me. She sat back in her seat with a dumbfounded look on her face. “Holy shit. You did it before I did.”
I blinked at her. “That’s what you took away from all of that?”
“No not entirely, but I totally feel like I should give you a congratulatory hug or something.”
“Macie… it’s not a big deal.”
“The hell it’s not. We’re talking about Camden Brooks here. Have you seen what he looks like?” her voice squeaked.
I laughed. “Oh yeah, I saw plenty of him.” We both giggled. “That’s not what I meant though. Camden and I aren’t going to give what we are a name, but we are definitely exclusive. I want to know about the Luke situation.”
She narrowed her eyes. “He’d truly be better off if Camden or Dodger got a hold of him. If I see him, there will be no mercy. Nobody does that to somebody I love and walks away with all their body parts intact.”
I’d find what she said funny, except I knew that she really wasn’t kidding. Macie could be quite the scary little thing when she wanted to be. “Just leave it alone. I’ll deal with him by myself.”
“I get that you want to, but the jerk needs to pay for what he did. I can’t believe that happened, and I was freaking there!”
I nodded in agreement. “It’s not your fault. But I’ll take care of Luke. I just need a couple of days to think about what needs to be said to him about all of it.”
“Alright, I’ll give you some time. But if I see him around campus, I can’t promise that he will be in one piece when you do say something. I’m already plotting his very tragic accident.”
I laughed. “I can handle that.”
We stood up from the table and made our way out to our cars. There were brief hugs all around, and I loaded Sarah up and took her back home. On my ride to the apartment, I got butterflies knowing that I was going to see Camden. For the first time in a long time, I felt like the possibilities were endless. I was truly happy, and I liked having something to look forward to.
CAMDEN AND I HAD FOUND OURSELVES a new routine over the past week. Which was probably a good thing, because he liked routines. He woke up before I did and would go for a run. By the time I rolled out of bed, he would already be downstairs making me breakfast. We’d eat together then I’d head off to my classes. The day always seemed to drag by, because I was anxious to see him. Between school and work, they took up too much time. Being able to see Camden at the end of a long ten hours was like my own little special reward. That was not to say that we haven’t had a few minor hiccups. Living with Camden and being in a relationship with him were two very separate entities. He could be very pushy. Like, which room we were sleeping in. He grumbled about buying me a new bed and needing to break it in. And we really did almost break it the other night, but I liked his bed. It smelled like him, and it was cozy. Then we had an issue over him paying for things when we went out. I liked to pay my own way when we went places, but Camden said I wasn’t letting him be the man in the relationship. He said it made him feel good to know that he was taking care of me. I understood the words behind what he was saying, but convincing me that he needed to take care of me, when I’ve always taken care of myself, was a whole other issue. And apparently arguing in front of the movie theater about such a thing was grounds for a good spanking in the bedroom. I didn’t mind. Yep, Camden was quite the man to adjust to. I really liked everything about him, but he was an extremely dominant man in every aspect of his life. Control was the name of the game with him. He thrived on knowing that he could get me to submit. I was more than okay with it, but I certainly put up a good fight before I gave in. The more I fought, the harder he gave it to me. It became an interesting give and take.
I was just getting off work after a particularly hellish day of filing and was heading to the gym. It was something that had become part of the routine. Listening to music in the car perked me up and by the time I pulled into the parking lot, I was feeling particularly feisty. Camden had sent me some text messages earlier in the day about what he wanted to do to me when I got home, when he knew damn well I’d be sitting in my office blushing. An idea hit me, and I decided I was going to get back at him. Grinning in my car, I knew I’d totally pay for it, but it was going to be epic nonetheless. Grabbing my iPod I got out of the car and walked into the gym. The girl that usually sat in the front was already gone for the day, but Camden was just coming out of a back room when he saw me walk in.
I loved the smile that spread across his face before he said, “Hey Blue.”
He came around the counter and put his arms under mine, lifting me up and bringing his mouth down in a crushing kiss. My legs were dangling so I wrapped them around his waist. Oh God a girl could get used to this. “Hey back,” I said, pulling my mouth away.
His hands were gripping me under my butt. His kiss alone was enough to turn me on, but when he held me like this, like I weighed nothing, I felt like I was floating on cloud nine. People were walking around us, but we continued on as if we were the only two in the gym. Camden asked me a few questions about my day, then set me down. I was wearing a white button-down blouse, and black dress pants with heels, so I still needed to change. I was scheming how I would get behind the front desk and do what I needed to, I just crossed my fingers he wouldn’t pick up on it.
“I’m going to go change real quick. Be right back.” I got up on my tip toes and kissed him lightly on the mouth. “Ouch.” I reached out for his arm.
His eyebrows came down in concern. “What’s the matter? Are you hurt?”