20. Dominic

TWENTY

DOMINIC

I drive us to a grocery store where I buy everything I can find that I remember seeing Camryn eat throughout the years. Her eyes pop wide open when I return to the truck.

Now we're parked in a field in the middle of nowhere with a small lake in front of us. The sun beats down on us as Camryn lies with her head on my chest.

Surrounded by empty boxes of snacks on the blanket in the flatbed, we stare up at the puffy clouds while I trail my fingers through her soft strands. It's probably the most content I remember ever being.

"Do you think this is wrong?" she asks.

My fingers falter. "Do I think what is wrong?"

"Benny is dead, and Brittany is in hospital." Rolling over, she rests her weight on her elbow as she looks down at me. She trails those beautiful eyes over my face, stroking her fingers down the length of my nose and lips. "It feels wrong somehow. There's something out there that's out to hurt us."

I snatch her wrist with my hand as the sun heats my cheeks, feeling her pulse pick up speed. "Listen to me, it's okay to be happy."

"You're happy?" she asks, a smile playing at the corners of her lips.

"With you, yes."

Her smile slips and her brow furrows as she searches my eyes.

I cock my head, skimming my fingers over her smooth cheek, shifting a lock of hair out of the way. "I want more moments like these."

A blush creeps up her neck, reddening her cheeks. She's so damn cute when she gets shy like this.

She tries to look away and hide those rosy cheeks, but I won't let her. I capture her chin and lift my head to press my lips to hers, and then I lie back down, smiling wide and squinting against the sun. Her chin feels so small in my hand as I pull her back down until she hovers inches away from my lips. "Forget about everything else for a moment and be here with me."

"Okay," she agrees quietly, and I almost growl and take her once more. Instead, I release her. She lies back down beside me, nestled into my side with her chin on my shoulder and the whisper of her breath against my throat.

"Why did you use to hate me so much when we first met?"

A pang of… something blossoms behind my ribcage. I can't put my finger on the emotion. She must sense my hesitation because she says, "I'm sorry. You don't have to answer."

A large cloud rolls across the sky, threatening to steal the sunshine. Sighing, I press a kiss to the top of her head. "I didn't hate you. I was angry with my dad. We had a broken relationship after my mom passed away. Dad, he… Fuck…" I rub my eyes, swallowing down the ache that constricts my throat. "My brother accepted that he had moved on, but I couldn't. Seeing him dote on you and your mom… His new family. It hurt."

My chest feels tight, and I avoid looking her in the eye when she pushes up on her elbow again. Those breathtaking eyes slide over my face while I grind my teeth to dust.

"It wasn't you?—"

"Shhh!" She presses her fingers to my mouth. "It doesn't matter, Dom."

I meet her gaze and the knot in my chest eases when she lets her eyes drop to my mouth, framed by the sun peeking through the cloud overhead. "It matters."

"No, Dom. You said it yourself—be here with me." She trails a finger over my lips, then climbs to her feet and jumps off the flatbed. "Let's go for a swim."

I sit up, bewildered, as she strips out of her clothes. "What are you doing?"

Pulling her top over her head, her long hair cascades over her freckled shoulders. "I'm getting naked."

A smile spreads across my lips. "I can see that."

She unclips her bra and then tosses it into the overgrown grass. "Am I swimming alone, Dominic?"

I watch her slowly back away with a teasing smile that's so flirtatious my chest warms with something foreign, something I've never felt before. Something only this girl can evoke.

Jumping up, I yank my T-shirt over the back of my head and she sinks her teeth into her bottom lip as I drop it to the flatbed.

"You better run."

Her lip escapes from between her teeth, and a bright smile touches those sensuous lips. She squints up at me, shielding her eyes from the sun with her hand.

I rest my foot on the edge of the flatbed and offer a wide grin. "You think I'm joking?"

A laugh escapes her when I jump down, landing with a heavy thump.

"I don't see you running," I tease as I kick off my shorts.

"I don't know," she replies, watching me remove my shoes and socks. "I'm curious to see what you'll do."

My smile is wolfish. "You know exactly what I'll do when I catch you."

Once I'm fully undressed, I hold up a shoe and make a show of letting it fall to the grass. A heartbeat passes while we smile at each other, and then she squeals with delight and dashes for the water.

My fingers surf the warm breeze outside the window.

Camryn is quiet on the way back, and I soon find out why when she breaks the silence. "Do you think we should tell my mom about us?"

I cut my gaze from the road to look at her. "Do you think she'll take it well?"

She worries her lip for a moment, then sighs and looks back out the passenger window. "No, she won't."

An ugly feeling settles in my chest. Trust her mom to try to get between us. It wouldn't surprise me. I gnash my teeth before forcing myself to relax.

When she continues staring at the passing cornfields, I pull my hand from the window, grab the steering wheel, and reach for her fingers. "We don't have to tell her yet. There's no rush."

There absolutely is. I want the whole world to know about us, but I'm mature enough to admit that it's not ideal to go public this soon after the move.

Camryn attempts to smile, but then her eyes catch on the road, and she straightens in her seat. "Pull over here."

Frowning, I follow her line of sight. "Wilfred's farm? Why?"

She gestures impatiently, and I spin the wheel.

The truck slows to a halt by the edge of the road.

"What are you—" I ask when Camryn jumps out, but she slams the door shut.

What the fuck? Where is she going?

I climb out too, frowning as she sets off down a dirt road that leads to his house.

"Camryn," I shout, but she doesn't stop.

Fuck…

Chasing after her, I catch up halfway down the dirt road. "What are you doing?"

"He's not home," she responds.

My mouth opens and closes, at a loss for words.

"Camryn," I hiss when she opens the gate.

She slips through, then turns and says, "Look, I'm going to explore. You can either follow me or go home. It's your choice."

My eyes slide past her to the farmhouse, skating over the dirty windows and derelict porch. The driveway is empty except for a rusty tractor. Somewhere in the distance, hens cluck.

"I don't get you sometimes," I say, running a hand down my face. "Why are we here?"

She peers back at the house, and my hackles rise when she looks at me with her lip trapped between her teeth.

"Demons, remember?"

A frown creases my brow, but she's already gone, sprinting across the overgrown grass.

Expletives pour from my lips, and I slam my fist down on the gate. She's so fucking stubborn when she gets an idea stuck in her head. Dammit.

The gate creaks as I slip through.

Camryn peers through the window beside the door when I climb the porch steps. "I can't see anything," she says, sounding dejected.

"Maybe you should just knock to see if he's actually out," I suggest.

"Or maybe we should just walk in," she replies triumphantly, opening the door.

I chuckle despite how crazy this is. How crazy she is. "What can I do to convince you that this is a bad idea and we should leave?"

"Are you scared, Dominic?" she asks as she turns around with her back to the door and a teasing smile on her lips.

The kind of smile that hardens my dick.

My chuckle is filthy when she backs inside. "Are you challenging me?"

"Maybe." She bites her lip, letting the moment linger.

She knows exactly the kind of hold she has on me, and fuck me if I'm not a glutton for the heated look in her eyes.

With a final smile, she turns and enters the house, leaving me reeling in the doorway. I follow behind, and she winks at me over her shoulder as I slowly shut the door.

It's dark and quiet. I breathe easier.

"Why are we here?" I ask as we move through various gloomy rooms.

She lets her fingers drift over a worn fabric couch that looks like it's an heirloom from the sixties. Her curious eyes skate over the torn wallpaper, sideways picture frames, and dead flowers in the windows. "Something tells me this place is important."

I look around, crinkling my nose at the overfilled ashtray on the coffee table. But then my attention catches on her when she pauses in front of the fireplace to inspect the framed photographs lining the top.

My eyes snag on the curve of her neck and bare shoulder. The strap of her tank top has slid off and rests halfway down her upper arm. She's effortlessly attractive with her still-damp hair. Though I've already fucked her countless times today, my dick stirs again. If it were up to him, we'd be buried balls deep inside her constantly.

"Look at this, Dom," she says, waving me over without looking away from the picture frame in her hands.