Tomboy

Chapter 7

I launched myself at Jake as soon as he shut the front door. Even in his surprise, his reflexes were perfect as he caught me and supported my weight with his hands under my rear while I wrapped my legs around him. He made some kind of startled sound before I pressed my lips to his. Then we were kissing as passionately as we had before the dance. We somehow made it over to the couch, and he leaned over and deposited me onto it.

Then he sat down beside me. "We have to talk."

I didn't want to stop to talk, so I distracted him by straddling his lap. He managed to say my name once before I kissed him again. I had initiated the kiss, but Jake quickly became the aggressor as he tangled his hand in my hair and hungrily explored my mouth with his own.

When he stopped to take in air, I yanked my shirt up over my head. I wanted to keep the momentum going so he wouldn't have time to change his mind. The fact that I was wearing a sports bra instead of some lacy Victoria's Secret number didn't stop Jake's eyes from roaming there. I always bought sports bras that flattened my chest as much as possible, because I didn't want to feel any bouncing while I was running around. Now the material felt constricting, and I moved to take it off.

"Don't." Jake had grabbed my hands, and his blue eyes were burning into mine. He let go of my hands and grasped me by the waist to lift me off his lap and set me back on the couch beside him. He leaned back and closed his eyes.

I slouched back in disappointment and wondered if lingerie would have enticed him into giving me what I wanted. I had literally thrown myself at him, and he had still rejected me. There was no doubt that he wanted me, because I could still see the proof of his arousal against his pants. Why was he being so stubborn about this?

"Do you like me, Cam?"

My eyes flitted back up to his face as I ran my hand suggestively up his thigh. "I thought that was obvious."

His own hand shot out to stop the progression of my hand. "I know you like my body, but do you like me?"

I considered the question. "I know I said that I hated you when I got mad, but I don't. You're still a good friend to me and Connor. Thanks for keeping me company this week. That was sweet of you, even though I can take care of myself."

"This week was...difficult. You don't know how many times I had to stop myself from waking you up and..." There was a look in his eyes that sent a delicious shiver through me.

"Why did you stop yourself?" I asked softly, trying not to disturb the mood.

He took a moment to compose himself. "I wanted to wait until we were going out awhile before I told you how I feel." When he caught my gaze again, his eyes were just as intense, but in a different way. "I've always liked you, Cam. Always."

"I liked you too," I said, unsure of where he was going with this.

"You don't understand." He sounded frustrated with me.

"You're right. I don't understand. I want you, and you want me. What's the problem?"

"I want more than that with you, Cam." He took my hand as he spoke. "Kyle told me that you're afraid to be in a relationship, but you have nothing to be afraid of with me. My feelings for you haven't changed in all this time." A hint of his sexy smile made an appearance. "Well, except in a certain way. I never thought about you naked when we were kids."

I instinctively pressed my advantage. "You can do more than just think about me naked," I offered.

He stunned me by how well he could read me. "This is not a game, Cam. I'm not your opponent."

I dropped my attempt to seduce him and turned to anger instead. "Kyle had no right to tell you my business."

"Stop avoiding the issue, Cam. This is not about Kyle. It's about me and you. I want to know how you feel about me. We can work through everything else if I know that you like me as much as I like you."

Something like panic overwhelmed me, and I tore my hand from his and stood up in a sudden need to put distance between us. "What do you want me to say?"

He regarded me in silence as the fire faded from his eyes. "You don't have to say it, Cam. I thought things would be different when I saw that you were attracted to me. I guess I was just fooling myself."

I couldn't stand to see his bleak expression. "Jake—"

"No, it's okay. You can't help how you feel." His eyes took on a look I didn't like as they swept over my body. The appraisal was cold this time. "I'll take you up on your offer someday, Cam. I just need some time to get over you first."

He stood up and went upstairs without saying anything else. Not knowing why I was so upset, I stood there fighting back tears until I got myself under control. Then I went upstairs to get ready for bed. Sleep wouldn't come, and I tossed and turned until I heard Mom come upstairs and start running the water in the bathroom.

I waited for a while after everything was quiet and I was sure she had gone to bed. Then I quietly slipped out of my room and down the hall to ease open the door to Connor's room. The moonlight streaming in through the window revealed an empty bed. I went downstairs to look outside and saw that Jake's car was already gone.