“Enjoy your stay. And if you need anything at all, just call reception. We’re staffed twenty-four hours for your needs.”
Sliding his hand into hers, Cam nodded at the bell hop. “Thanks,” he said, his thumb caressing her wrist. “But right now I have everything I need.”
Mia woke the next morning to the glorious sight of a naked Cam Hartson carrying a tray laden with breakfast food into the bedroom. She was naked, too – their clothes were almost certainly still scattered over the living room – her bare legs twisted into the cool white sheets.
“Did you go outside to get that tray?” she asked him.
“Yeah. They left it on the porch.” Cam put the tray on the nightstand, picking up a croissant and taking a bite.
“You left the bungalow naked?” She watched as he poured two cups of coffee. “Careful, you wouldn’t want to scald any… delicate parts.”
He grinned. “It’s Naked Saturday, remember?”
“I don’t remember giving it a name.”
“Well I did. It’s Naked Saturday. No clothes allowed.”
“What if I want to explore the island?” she asked him as he passed her a coffee mug.
“Same rules. You’ll have to do it naked. Or wait until Boring Clothes Sunday.”
She burst out laughing. She liked the goofy side of him as much as she liked the part of him that always played to win. “Boring Clothes Sunday. You’re really selling it to me.”
He shrugged. “I tried to make it Naked Sunday, but the airline put in a complaint.”
Passing her a plate of pastries and fruit, he sat down on the bed next to her. “Actually, we’ll probably need to get dressed tonight, too. I’ve booked us reservations at the restaurant here.”
“No naked restaurant?” She sighed loudly. “You wound me.”
“I knew you’d like Naked Saturday.”
She pulled her lip between her teeth, her eyes softening. “I like being with you.”
He swallowed, his neck undulating. “Yeah, well I like being with you, too.” He took a deep breath, his sculpted chest rising. “I kind of wanted to talk to you about that.”
“You did?” She put her half eaten pastry back on her plate, giving him an interested look. “Okay then.
“Remember my meeting in Boston last week?”
She nodded.
“They want me to go for a coaching position with a new expansion team in L.A. I’m supposed to fly out there next week, but I don’t want to take it.”
Her breath caught in her throat. L.A.? That was on the other side of the country. “Why not?”
“Because I want to stay in Hartson’s Creek with you.” He ran his tongue along his bottom lip, his eyes meeting hers. She could see the vulnerability there. It touched her.
“Oh.” She breathed out raggedly. “You do?”
He took her hand, tracing the lines of her palm with his finger. “How would you feel about that?”
“I’d feel…” She took a deep breath. The thought of him staying around for her made her skin flush. She could feel the warmth of his gaze as he watched her, the teasing touch of his finger as he drew patterns on her palm. “I’d feel pretty good about that,” she admitted, her lips curling. “But I’d need to know more. What do you mean by staying around? Do you want to keep on the way we are? Because Sam’s already noticed and it’s only a matter of time before everybody else does. And I can’t have the boys dealing with that.”
He shook his head. “No, that’s not what I want.” His eyes were hooded. “I want more. I don’t want to hide how I feel about you anymore.”
Her hand was shaking in his. “How do you feel?” she whispered.
Cam took the plate from her lap, putting it on the bedside table, then put her mug of coffee beside it. He slid his arms around her waist, turning them both until she was straddling his thighs, her chest pressed to his. “I think better when we’re touching,” he told her. “In fact, everything’s better when we’re touching.”