The Date (Magnolia Grove #2)

Chapter 4 - {Holden}

"But now, no?"

"Now." She swallows, her eyebrows arching. "I don't know." She pulls the first towel closer to her face, as if it could get any closer to her. "What made you ask about that time in my bathroom?"

"Same face then and now." I grin because I'm so damn happy. I don't know is better than no. There's no doubt our chemistry has only grown as we've aged. It's like oxygen has breathed new life into the nearly snuffed out embers. They're turning into a raging fire, and damn if I'm not going to make it my mission to see how quickly I can cause an explosion between the two of us.

Her lips finally curve up, but I'm not sure if it's that she is as content as I am. I search her eyes like they hold the ultimate treasure. Except, they do. I can read her like a book. "Same. Damn. Face. You're lying to me, Cam. You do know. Admit it." Yeah. That's the source of the excitement. Not her words, but rather her actions—the way she responds to me—opens up to me.

She buries her head in the towel this time and screams.

Fully unfolding the new towel to keep her covered, I lift her legs and sit perpendicular to her, her calves resting on my lap. "Why are you screaming?" I pull the other towel from her face. I want to say that I'd rather hear her screaming my name while my cock, not my fingers, are buried inside her. "I wanna see you scream like you did that day when we were playing laser tag."

"Amie laughed at me. You're going to laugh at me too."

I chuckle. "Too late," I say. I am already doing that.

She glares at me. "See."

"Why are you screaming, Cam?" I ask, my tone suddenly serious. She's actually communicating with me, and I don't want her to clam up on me—to pretend the elephant in the room doesn't exist because it's huge, weighs a couple of tons, and is terrifying for her. Because one minute you're in a relationship, the next you're in another man's arms, and then you're betrayed. It makes me mad as hell just to think about it all. Somehow, though, I don't think that's why she's yelling into the towel like it's a pillow.

She stops. "Why do you think?" I stare at her, but don't answer. She's not turning the questions around to put them back on me. "I wanted you to kiss me then, Holden."

"So, that makes you scream into towels in frustration?"

She throws it at me. "Shut up. I didn't think I liked you, but when I kissed the mirror I was disappointed it wasn't you. I wanted to know what you tasted like, how warm your mouth was, and the smoothness of your tongue."

My cock wakes the fuck up even though I know there's a "but" coming. And damn, this grin I'm wearing is probably the cheesiest thing ever.

"You kept sending me mixed signals. It's not a date, but practice kissing me on the mirror. I like you, but you should probably get the phone so I won't have to actually kiss you. I've got your back, but then when it really counted, you didn't."

I rub her legs on my lap. Once again, it all comes back to my father the cock blocker. But. "That goes both ways. How many times did you have my back after that? How many times did you see how I was doing? Cat got your tongue?" I grind my teeth and bite my own goddamn tongue. It's not her fault. But it's not my fault, either. Or maybe it is because if I'd been her Romeo, I would've gone after my Juliet no matter the consequences. "And I never said it wasn't a date. I said it wasn't a double date."

She tilts her head, her eyes narrowed.

I close my eyes for a second, reliving that moment. "I also meant for you to practice kissing me on the mirror. I'd already planned to come catch you doing it and show you what it was like to do it for real." When Cammie sucks in a breath, I look at her. Her eyes are watery. Damn, I didn't mean to make her cry—to make her feel like she couldn't even look at me. That's when I realize it's not that she's avoiding me. She's staring at that goddamn picture. "And I didn't like you." Her chest rises and falls in a heavy, exaggerated motion, like she lost her breath and she's trying to find it again. "Look at me."

She does, and a tear falls.

"I loved you, Cam. I still do."

She shakes her head. "We were too young for all that. We were just friends. If you'd loved me, you would have fought harder."

Nodding, I close my eyes. There it is. I let her down. She wanted me to chase her, to be the dude in the Taylor Swift "Love Story" video she was obsessed with. "Would it have mattered? I knew that day you fell at the pool I'd never be able to keep you safe, but I had no idea what was to come. And then I went and broke Brody's fucking nose right as news was spreading about my father. Ultimately, Cam, that solidified our fate more than what my father did. I wasn't good enough for you. If I couldn't keep you from falling, couldn't keep my cool, how was I ever going to be worthy of your father's approval?" I shake my head, closing my eyes. "We didn't know it at the time, but they'd put us together for a reason that day. I was supposed to protect you, to lighten the blow, to give you normalcy. I failed a test I didn't even realize I was taking. Trust me. It wouldn't have mattered."

"Yes. If you'd told me how you felt, it would have made a difference. If you hadn't completely alienated me then perhaps we could have had some kind of relationship. You were a constant in my life. And then you just pretended I didn't exist anymore. How do you do that to someone you love?"

I squint and bite my tongue, but decide to just let it all out since we're finally being honest with each other. "All I did was act the part that everyone expected because I didn't give a fuck what anyone else thought about me other than you. And I'd already lost you. Do you think for a minute your father would have allowed me to date you after all that shit?"

Cammie nibbles on her lip, but doesn't say anything.

That's because there's nothing left to say.