Page 50 of Unwrapped
He cups my face. “Camille, I love you. I’ve always loved you. Please say you’ll give me another chance.”
“Dean? Holy shit, man. I thought you were in Boston?” Ryan’s voice pops the bubble around us.
My stomach hits the floor.
“Fuck.” Dean releases my face and straightens like he was caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
My heart sinks, knowing he’s about to fall back into his old patterns. So much for him going after what he wants. That lasted all of five minutes.
“I thought you were supposed to take Mom out?”
Dean meets his gaze. “Change of plans.” While he’s not touching me, our chairs are facing one another, and he’s caged me in with his knees. There is no mistaking the intimacy of the position.
Ryan’s bewildered gaze jumps between his brother and Jude, who’s casually twirling a lock of my hair. “Mind telling me what the hell’s going on here?”
“Don’t worry about it.” Dean lifts his chin, drawing his shoulders back.
“What are you doing here?”
“Like I said, don’t worry about it.” Dean rests his hand on my thigh, rubbing his thumb in circles. “This may come as a surprise, but my actions don’t concern you.”
Ryan’s gaze flicks to my lap before settling on Dean’s face once more, his eyes narrowing. “What are you doing with Cam?” Not getting the answer he seeks, he addresses me instead. “I thought you were here with Holland?”
“Oh, I am.” I drum my fingertips on Jude’s leg, beyond grateful he didn’t leave when Dean showed up. I’ll need him to hold me together after Dean decides I’m not worth the trouble. I inject false calm into my voice. “We established that earlier, remember?”
Jude smiles up at him, full-on threading his fingers into my hair like he’s massaging my scalp. “We’re starting a polygamist colony. Wanna join? We can be brother husbands.”
“Grow the fuck up, Holland.” Ryan redirects his scowl to Dean, gesturing between us. “Is this some kind of joke?”
Dean eyes him. “Do you see me laughing?”
Ryan’s ears turn red, like they always did when he got mad. “Can I have a word with you outside?”
“Sure.” Shrugging, Dean leisurely climbs to his feet and follows Ryan out of the ballroom without so much as a backward glance.
I blink rapidly, forcing my lungs to expand on shaky breaths.
Jude settles his palm on my knee. “Hey, relax, sugar. Everything’s gonna be fine.”
“How do you know?”
“He’s here, isn’t he?”
I wrap my arms around myself in a hug. “What if he changes his mind?”
“He won’t. Didn’t his outline, or whatever it was, reassure you?”
“Yes, but Ryan’s going to give him shit for being with me. You know how Dean gets whenever there’s conflict. He’ll back down like he always does.” My lip quivers. “Then he’ll leave again.”
“May I read what he wrote?”
I hesitate for a moment, trying to decide how Dean would feel about that. Then I remember he had no problem professing his feelings in front of Jude. I hand him the letter.
His lips curve into a smile as he reads. “Moths, huh?”
“Don’t you dare say a word.”
He presses his hand over his heart. “I won’t.”
