Blue couldn’t sleep. So much had happened over the past few days, and her mind was still working to catch up. Carefully, she extracted herself from Cam’s embrace and rolled out of bed. She gently pulled the comforter back up and, with a full heart, stared down at the man who’d made her whole again. For the first time in forever, she had hope for a future. She was happy and she was loved.
So why did she feel so damn restless?
She stepped over the pets, who’d decided Cam’s bedroom was the best place to sleep. Rufus and her cat, Giselle, were curled up together, one purring, the other snoring softly. Padding quietly out to the kitchen, Blue hunted for the kettle, deciding a cup of hot chocolate would help her insomnia. Once she had a hot mug in her hand, she settled into the oversized and overstuffed chair in the living room and let the silence of Cam’s home soothe her mind.
Yet it did nothing.
Blue had a few more sips of hot cocoa, her mind going to places she hadn’t gone in a good long while. The ghosts of her past were circling, and they wouldn’t leave her alone until she banished them. She set down the mug, and before she could change her mind, Blue got up and found her purse near the door where she’d tossed it when she and Cam had walked through the door hours earlier. She pulled out her cell phone, slid her feet into her boots, and grabbed Cam’s jacket. Then she let herself outside onto the front porch.
It was snowing, and she gazed up at a night sky filled with soft, feathery flakes. She watched them drift lazily down and smiled as they fell on her face, melting instantly. Her breath made twin plumes of mist, and though it was cold, she liked the feel of it. She looked down at her cell and scrolled through her contacts until she found the one she wanted. And then stared at the name that glowed green in the darkness.
Heart thumping against her chest and breath falling in rapid bursts, Blue had to take a moment to gather her thoughts and to calm her soul. She could do this. She had to do this. If not now, then never. She hit the Call button and waited. It took a bit for the connection to go through, and then she heard the chime. Biting her lip, she waited, eyes fixed on the mist that fell with each deep breath she expelled. Her heart beat faster, her stomach felt weak, and her knees knocked together.
She couldn’t do this. Ripping the phone from her ear, she was about to end the call when she heard it.
“Hello?”
Blue froze, eyes locked on the phone in her hand.
“Hello?” The voice was like a trip down memory lane. “Who is this?”
“It’s me,” Blue said quietly.
“Bluebell?”
She nodded. “Yeah. It’s me.”
There was nothing at first and then she heard a throat clear. “It’s five in the morning.”
“I know.”
“What do you want, Blue?” The voice sounded tired. Wary. There was no warmth or concern, no hint of love.
“I…” She could do this. “I forgive you.”
Silence so loud, it made Blue wince filled her ear, and she grabbed at the railing because her knees did give out.
“Are you kidding me?” The harsh voice ripped into that silence and made Blue jump. “You forgive me? Oh my God. You’ve got your nerve. I gave you everything you needed. A home and the best clothes. And all that money I spent on dance? You were the luckiest girl in the world, and you could have had it all. But you opened your legs and you were stupid and you got pregnant. Do you know how humiliating that was for me? How the other parents talked? My God, you should be ashamed of yourself. You should—”
“I just wanted you to know.”
Blue ended the call and gripped the phone so tight, her fingers cramped. She stared across the frozen yard, out past the snow-covered road, and into the darkness that surrounded her. This place, this small patch of paradise in Michigan was her home now. Her face relaxed as all the tension in her body melted away.
She heard the door open and turned her head as Cam came up behind her. He was in his boxers and nothing else.
“You’re going to freeze,” she said softly.
He slipped his hands around her and leaned forward, his chin on her shoulder. “What are you doing out here?”
“I had to say goodbye to someone.”
She turned in his arms and pulled his face down so she could kiss him properly. His mouth opened over hers, hot and strong and hungry. God, the man could kiss. The two of them clung to each other until their body heat and desire threatened to melt all the snow in Crystal Lake.
Cam scooped her up into his arms, and they headed back into the house. He carried her back to his bedroom, and she giggled when he nearly tripped over the pets. It was no use kicking them out of the room. They’d just whine and scratch at the door and probably wake up Tawny.
Blue slipped out of Cam’s arms and pushed him back on the bed. She slowly undressed, loving the way his eyes followed her movements with an animalistic and predatory look. He made her feel beautiful and perfect. He was her home now.
He was naked and ready. She crawled up his body and positioned herself over him. Without hesitation, she sank down onto his cock, taking all of him as she began to slowly move.
Bending forward, their bodies joined together, she cupped his face and kissed him again. She was in control and increased their rhythm, breaths falling faster now, their bodies covered in a thin sheen of sweat. “I love you,” she whispered hoarsely.
“I know,” he growled, hands now on her hips. “I’m never letting you go.”
She smiled down at him as their passion built, and when they came, it was earth shattering. It was fire rockets and shooting stars. She was content in the knowledge that it was okay to be happy. It was okay to open up and to love.
It was okay to leave the past behind.
And damn, their lives were just beginning.