Kiss This (17 page)

From the smirk on his face, it was obvious
Teague was amused. Melanie wasn’t aware that he’d already cracked
the code.

“Mel, this is Teague,” Camryn introduced.
“And this is my little sister Melanie.”

“Okay,” Teague nodded. “I can put a face to
a voice now.”

Melanie giggled. “Well hell, so can I. And
good God, you’re better looking than I thought! How is that even
possible?”

Camryn looked between the two of them until
Teague answered her silent inquiry. “Your mom gave me your phone
number but I wanted to see you in person,” he said. “We got a hold
of your sister instead to see what you’d be doing tonight.”

“You were conspiring behind my back?” Camryn
playfully accused Melanie with narrowed eyes.

“Hey, we made a deal,” Melanie pointed at
her defensively. “If you came tonight, I wouldn’t pester you about
Inferno. I kept my end of it. You never said anything about not
talking to
him
.”

Camryn rolled her eyes but could hardly be
upset. She didn’t regret the way things worked out because getting
to know Teague the way that she had was the one thing she’d
needed.

Teague pulled her close to him and his deep,
sexy voice whispered in her ear, “I’m dying to kiss you again, so
unless you want all of these people to watch me stick my
tongue—”

“We’re gonna jet,” Camryn smiled to
everyone, trying not to laugh. “I need something to eat.”

“There’s food here,” Melanie teased
knowingly. “What’s the rush?”

“I’ll leave you my car,” Camryn said, moving
on. “Tell me where you’re at tonight, right?”

“Yeah, of course.”

Camryn nodded, gave her sister an informal
goodbye, and then turned to leave. As Teague led her away, Camryn
glanced back at Melanie without him seeing.

“
Did you kiss him
?” her sister
mouthed.

Camryn smiled and nodded her head.

“She’s everything you’ve described,” Teague
said lightly as they headed for the exit.

“Ball of energy, right?”

Before he could reply, one of the charity
workers approached Teague and said, “Again, thank you so much,
man.”

“Uh, yeah, no problem,” Teague smiled. The
guy shook his hand and then joined the other workers back at the
donation table.

“What was that about?” Camryn asked.

Teague barely shrugged. “I had to do
something while I watched you fight off the men so I started giving
away money.”

She stared at him for a second. “You made a
donation? Aw, that’s sweet, Teague.”

“Don’t commend me for it. I wasn’t in my
right mind.”

She started to laugh, just as another figure
breezed up to them, but he wasn’t as gracious.

“Camryn?” Brandon asked, the uncertainty in
his voice apparent. He was looking at Teague and the fact that he
had his arm around Camryn as they headed for the exit.

“Oh, Brandon, this is Teague; Teague,
Brandon,” she introduced.

Neither of them made an attempt at a
friendly handshake. Camryn could clearly feel Teague’s disapproval,
and Brandon looked confused.

“He’s who I met up north,” she informed him,
remembering that she’d never shared a name.

Still Brandon looked unsure. “You said
nothing came of it.”

“Well obviously it has,” Teague pointed
out.

Brandon looked at him and narrowed his eyes.
Teague’s possessive behavior was pushing the wrong buttons on him,
and Camryn knew it.

Brandon looked at her and said, “Can I talk
to you for a second?”

“There’s nothing to talk about,” she sighed.
“I thought I messed things up but he came down to see me. We’re
going to go get something to eat, you don’t need to worry.”

It was evident that Brandon wasn’t convinced
when he smiled sarcastically and shook his head.

“Brandon,” she said, putting her hand on his
arm. “Trust me, okay?” she said quietly. “It’s okay. And you better
tend to your new woman because she looks absolutely pissed that
you’re here trying to convince me not to go with another man,” she
smiled.

He glanced over at Angela, practically
snarling at the sight of them.

“And really,” she added, “if either of us
needs to be worried about the other’s companion, it should be me
worried about yours and how damn annoying she is. I’m gonna kick
her ass if she gives me that look again.”

Brandon laughed but he nodded his head with
agreement. “Yeah. Fine. Got it. And she’s annoying the shit out of
me too, so maybe a chick fight would end the night well.”

Camryn grinned but gave him a wink. “You’re
on your own. I’ve got better things to do.” She gave him a quick
hug and said, “Talk to you soon.”

She didn’t look back because she knew if she
did, she’d notice that protective part of Brandon that reminded her
so much of Zach…

Chapter Sixteen

“So who did you steal this beautiful truck
from?” Camryn asked when they approached it again.

“It’s mine,” he said, looking over his
truck. It was a charcoal gray F250 crew cab with all the bells and
whistles. Chrome running boards, nice wheels, custom lights, clean
and shiny. He knew it was a pretty machine and liked the fact that
Camryn seemed to be fond of it. “The Jeep belonged to my friend
that owns that house. I told you that.”

“And you just kept this lovely thing hidden
away? Wait, it’s got California plates. Did you just buy it or
something? I’m already impressed with you, Teague. You didn’t have
to buy me a sexy truck.”

He smiled at her teasing but didn’t answer
right away. Things needed to progress slowly so he’d be able to
build something real with Camryn, something he could trust and
believe in. Some aspects of his life needed to be introduced at the
right time for his own piece of mind.

Step by step.

“I do have a major confession to make,” he
said as he unlocked the passenger’s door for Camryn.

She stepped up and sat on the edge of the
seat, knees facing out. “Oh? Am I going to love it or hate it?”

“Hate it,” he smiled, putting his hand on
the top of the frame as he leaned towards her.

She grabbed his shirt and pulled him closer,
and when their lips met, she opened her legs so he could stand
between them. With her skirt hiked up her thighs, he couldn’t
resist running his hands along her smooth skin. He wanted to touch
and kiss her all night; it felt incredible.

“Is this to help with the confession or
distract me from it?” he smiled against her mouth.

“Whatever works for you.”

“Well it’s not exactly something I can hide
from you.” She pulled away and lifted an eyebrow, but before she
could jump to conclusions, Teague said, “I couldn’t stop
smoking.”

Camryn stared at him for a few seconds and
then lightly laughed, sounding relieved. “Oh. Well I already told
you that I didn’t expect you to. I mean I’d prefer it if you did,
but I know how hard something like that is to change.”

“I know, but I was doing it. Until a couple
days after you left. Then I couldn’t handle it anymore. I needed
something to…comfort me.”

“I’m sorry,” she frowned.

“It’s my own fault. I’m weak, I know. I’ve
cut way back, though. I know I can do it eventually, and I’ve done
it once before, but this time it’ll be for good.”

She smiled and then slid off the seat to
stand. She lifted her arms around his neck and said, “I have tons
of weaknesses. You’ll learn them soon enough if you haven’t
already.”

“We’ll learn together, apparently. You’re
just getting to know me.”

“True. Which causes me to ask… What are your
plans down here? Are you going to stay with me?”

“I’ve got a place to stay,” he told her.
“You don’t have to house a vagrant.”

She smiled as she softly kissed his lips,
and Teague appreciated the simple beauty in that. He loved her
mouth and couldn’t get enough of it.

“What if I asked you to?” she whispered
against his mouth.

He raised an eyebrow and gave her a crooked
grin. “Then I’d have to consider it.”

“Really?”

He nodded.

“Will you take me home right now? I want you
to stay with me.”

The idea of that completely thrilled him and
scared the shit out of him at the same time. He considered a
response for a few seconds as they kissed again. Finally he pulled
away and said, “If I stay, I’m not collecting on the bet. It’s void
since the circumstances changed.”

“Well I was already in your bed, Teague. So
I’m not sure I know what you’re talking about.”

She was trying not to smile and it was
pretty cute. But Teague
knew
she would mention that, even
though he still wasn’t prepared with a response in the least bit.
He had no idea where the two of them stood.

“I’m saying that there are no expectations,”
he told her. “Camryn, I just want to be with you, and I’d rather
pretend that those words were never exchanged. You’re better than a
bet. What we decide
together
is what I want with you.”

“Teague, if you keep saying shit like that
I’m going to tie you up and never let you leave.”

He raised both eyebrows and added another
lopsided grin. “You promise?”

She placed her hands on both sides of his
face as she examined his features. “Well you certainly make it
tempting. But can you take me home now? Food first, then home.”

He kissed her softly at the corner of her
mouth and then along her lips. “Of course.”

Teague helped her in the truck again, and
before shutting the door, kissed her once more.

Kissing Camryn had become a necessity he
wasn’t going to do without ever again…

***

“Oh my God, he totally looks like a
Fucktard,” Teague smiled when he first saw Melanie’s bird.

Camryn laughed out loud and kicked off her
heels. Teague was bent at the waist peering into a damn birdcage
and it was oddly one of the cutest things she’d ever seen. “I know,
right?”

“What kind of bird is he?”

“A Blue Crown Conure.”

“Blue Crown? Why’s he green?”

“I don’t know. Apparently their heads can be
bluish, I think.”

Teague looked back at the bird. “Well maybe
you really are a fuckup,” he quipped.

The bird squawked and then added, “Hey
fatty!”

“Ha! I’m not the only fatty in the house!”
Camryn laughed.

“Hey, asshole,” Teague glared at the bird.
“I know how to de-feather a bird pretty damn good. And I don’t care
if you’re dead or alive.”

“Hey fatty!” he squawked again.

“Fucker,” Teague murmured.

“Hey, you’re gonna teach him naughty
words.”

“You said he already knows ‘fucktard.’
That’s all on
you
, sweetheart.” He sauntered over to stand
behind Camryn and slid his arms around her, placing his lips
against her neck. “Do you need help out of this dress?” he asked,
running a finger softly along her arm.

Camryn’s heart started to race for the usual
reasons, but she wanted to fight her nervousness. Teague said he
didn’t expect anything from her, but maybe she was ready to try.
She was a dancer, confident with her body, and was used to changing
in a dressing room full of people. Surely she could convince her
heart to get on board and be comfortable, too.

“As a matter of fact, I do need help,” she
answered. “I’m also going to jump in the shower to get rid of this
makeup if you want to join me.”

She heard him suck in a breath of air.
Exhaling, he turned her around to face him. “That’s hard to pass
up, but I don’t think so, hon. But this is what I
will
do…
I’m going to lay in bed with you and hold you until you fall
asleep. But then I’m going to leave.”

“Really?” she eyed him carefully. “You’re
going to leave?”

“Yep,” he nodded.

She thought for a moment as she studied him.
“Is this my punishment for being such a bitch to you?”

“No,” he chuckled. “I’m punishing myself for
not treating you like I should have.”

“I don’t understand.”

With a sigh he shoved his hands into his
pockets. “I just feel like we started out on the wrong pretenses,
maybe. I mean I enjoyed every second of it, but we went about it
like…”

“A fling? Minus the sex.”

“Yes. Exactly.”

“Well isn’t that what you were intending?”
she challenged knowingly. “
With
the sex.”

He was visibly caught off guard with that
one. She knew she called him on it right to his face. “Well, yeah…
I mean… Hell, I don’t know, Camryn. Yeah, I was looking for
something I didn’t have to commit to but…”

She frowned at him. “Teague, I don’t think
any less of you. You’re here, aren’t you? Do you think less of me
because of the bet?”

“No, of course not. I think
more
of
you, now that I’ve gotten to know you. That’s my point.”

Camryn considered that for a moment, and she
supposed it did make sense. She thought more of him too, but maybe
he was right. Maybe, for once, a guy had his head on straight when
she didn’t. Her physical need for Teague was off the charts, but
she liked what he said earlier about making decisions together, and
that was definitely a major one. Teague had every right to feel
however he did. And just because she was finally able to kiss
someone didn’t mean she was ready for everything else.

But she sure as hell
wanted
to
be.

With Teague.

“Okay, unzip me so I can head to the
shower.” She turned around so he could have access to her back.

He slowly unzipped her dress, and when the
zipper stopped above her waist he said, “I’m not sure if I’m
relieved or disappointed.”

Camryn smiled and stepped away from him but
didn’t say a word as she slipped her shoulders out of the dress and
let it drop to the floor.

“Fucking hell,” Teague murmured behind her.
She could feel his eyes taking in her backside in a black bra and
panty set as she walked toward the hallway.