“Oh.” If her cheek
s could catch on fire, they would. “Well, I have one condition if we’re really going through with this…adventure.”
“Yeah? What is it?” He was warming to the idea. Sounded simple enough and it wasn’t a hardship, spending time with Chloe.
“No sex.”
…
Chloe waited for Cam’s reaction, fully prepared for a hell no. He hid his shock well—that was a good sign. She saw it in the flare of his green gaze, though. He hadn’t expected her to say that.
“No sex, huh?” he finally asked, his expression neutral. As if they were negotiating a movie date and their preferences.
She slowly shook her head. “I’ll get too attached.”
“Right…” He still gripped her knees, those big, warm hands now stroking her skin. A distraction she didn’t want to stop. “I hate to dash your teenage dreams, but Melanie and I were engaging in lots of, err, sexual activity that summer.”
Of course they were. They’d been the golden couple. Young and beautiful, hand in hand or their arms around each other—she’d envied them so much, it had been painful. How she’d coveted a relationship like theirs, so seemingly pure, full of innocent first passionate love. As a couple they’d been so pretty, so perfect.
Always she’d put herself in Melanie’s place. Cam’s hand sprawled across her shorts-covered butt, their mouths constantly connected, gazing at each other all dreamy eyed.
Oh yeah, she wanted what she’d never had. It was probably the silliest idea she’d ever come up with but damn it, she had simple requests, enjoyed simple pleasures.
But sex with Cam would be taking it too far. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to be with him; she just knew he would eventually pick up again for his next assignment. He always did, while she never planned on leaving. Giving her body to Cam would lead her to giving him her heart. She was already halfway there. It would make her love him too much.
Make it that much harder for her to watch him go. And he would definitely go…
“Well, we’re keeping it clean,” she said primly, shifting her knees so he let his hands drop. She immediately missed his touch. “Sex only complicates things.”
He snorted. “I’ll say.”
“So why complicate? Kissing is simple.” Not really, but she wasn’t going to not kiss him. She’d already indulged in that temptation.
She wanted more.
“And you like kissing.” His gaze dropped to her lips.
“Don’t you?” He was good at it—okay, freaking fantastic at it—but if he said he didn’t like kissing, she might need to call this off after all.
No matter how much it would break her heart.
“I like kissing you,” he said simply.
Everything within her went warm and liquid. “Okay. Well…that’s good.”
His gaze still lingered on her lips. “Want to practice? Make sure we’re compatible?”
“Haven’t we kissed enough already to see we’re pretty compatible?” She laughed nervously, saw that he was definitely not laughing, and she stopped. “You’re serious.”
“Aren’t you serious with this sweet summer dating thing you suggested?”
“Um, yes.”
“All right then. I’ll agree to it but first, we need to make out.” He leveled her a look. “For a long time.”
She coughed. “You’re suggesting an extended make-out session?”
“Exactly. Isn’t that what you want? I saw that covered swing you have on your back patio. We can sit on it, smooch for a while, and stare at the moonlit lake. That’s how summer romances usually start, right?”