Page 35 of Please Open Me
“Well, this is a warm welcome,” I said, dropping the turkey on the counter. “You both look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
Mason’s face paled further—which, honestly, was impressive.
Cameron recovered first, of course. He was too used to me.
“’Course we did. You snuck up on us and scared the daylights outta Mason,” he said, placing a dramatic hand over his chest like I’d given him a heart attack.
I smiled sweetly, then walked over to plant a kiss on his scruffy cheek. There was always a little spark when I kissed Cam. Not fireworks, just a steady flicker of warmth. Four years together had made it feel comfortable, like a morning cup of coffee.
“I’ll knock next time,” I said, then gestured to the sandwich fixings. “Want one?”
He scratched his beard and hesitated.Hesitated.
That was weird.
Cameron was six-foot-nine, built like a brick wall, and had a very physically demanding job. Heneversaid no to food.
“I need to run to the store,” he said, clearing his throat.
I tipped my head like an inquisitive golden retriever, hair cascading over my shoulder. Mason looked down at the counter and suddenly became very interested in a speck of nothing.
“Can’t it wait?” I asked lightly.
Cam glanced at her again. There was something in that look, something tight and quiet and a little scared. Then he shook his head and moved toward the door.
He didn’t bother explaining. Just slipped on his boots, grabbed his keys, and walked out like he couldn’t get away fast enough.
Okay. That was suspicious.
I slowly turned back to Mason, who was still seated at the island, now very clearly trying to make herself invisible. I was willing to bet money on the fact she was hiding something, and I wasn’t going to stop until I figured out what.
Chapter 10
Cameron
I did my best not to get angry with my younger lovers. Stern, when needed. Overbearing, maybe, but only because no one else had ever protected them.
But angry?
No. That wasn’t who I wanted to be.
They’d both been hurt in the past. Worse, they’d been betrayed by the people who were supposed to love them. Supposed to care for them. While I couldn’t rewrite the past, I could damn well build them a better future, brick by careful brick.
But right now?
Right now, I was fit to be tied.
Since Mason got cleared for sex, I’d been harping on the two of them to be careful. Not because I didn’t trust them, but because I knew better.
Did I want another baby? Sure. About as much as I wanted to marry Sebastian.
But Rosie couldn’t even crawl yet. Mason’s body was still recovering after growing a human and almostdyingin the process. We weren’t even a year out from the trauma of that birth, and we sure as hell weren’t ready for round two.
So yes, I’d been reminding her to take her damn pill. And yes, I’d pulled Seb aside more than once to make it very clear that pulling out was not a form of contraception. Not a real one.
But being young came with its own special kind of ignorance—the kind that makes you feel untouchable. Like, consequences don’t apply to you.
And I thought—reallythought—that they were both smart enough to stop and think.
