The Single Dad (Red's Tavern 4)

“Hey, hey, it’s fine,” a voice said.

“Cam. Fuck,” I uttered, remembering the night, reorienting myself to my surroundings.

My heart slammed like a drum against the front of my chest. It was always like this. I wished I could be woken up without my body thinking it was some sort of life or death situation, but I’d resigned to the fact that it was just who I was now.

Slowly I remembered, as I looked over at Cam’s dimly lit silhouette. It was still completely dark outside, and Cam was still here with me. Cute, freckled, hopeless Cam. Gorgeous Cam. My brain pieced the night back together.

I’d met him at Red’s Tavern.

Wanted to fuck him.

Decided I shouldn’t.

Let him sleep in the tent with me.

Why the hell had I let someone sleep out here with me? That had been my first mistake.

“Are you okay?” he asked. He was clearly freaked out by my reaction.

“I’m so sorry,” I said, lying back down on the warm sheets, pulling in a breath.

“I didn’t mean to wake you,” he said as he tentatively settled back in next to me. His voice was so apologetic, like he thought he’d done something wrong.

“You’re completely fine, Cam,” I said. “I just wake up skittish. What time is it?”

“Two-thirty,” he said. “I… tried to be quiet coming back in.”

Christ, he really was too sweet for his own good.

“It’s completely fine,” I said. “Trust me. I’m just not used to anyone being in here with me. Ever.”

I breathed in long and slow through my nose, my slamming heart finally starting to settle down a bit.

“Right,” he said. “Don’t worry, I’m putting the center pillow back, I promise. I just couldn’t sleep, and I went to use the restroom, and… yeah. Good night, Luke.”

He was far too kind for his own good, too. My adrenaline faded into a groggy stupor, my brain hazy with sleep. Silence filled the air between us again, and this time I didn’t fall asleep anywhere near as quickly as before.

A rush of emotion surged through me as I remembered our night.

I wasn’t used to feeling so affectionate toward somebody I just brought home from a bar. He was genuine, in a way that nobody usually was. It was like everything was on the surface with Cam. He could never hide his true feelings. He wouldn’t want to, anyway. I certainly didn’t have to do any second guessing with him.

He also happened to be the sexiest thing that had come through my house in a very, very long time.

I turned over, letting my eyes flutter open to look at his silhouette, just past the center pillow. I could see the soft tufts of his hair sticking up in every direction. The dip just between his neck and shoulder. The curve of his waist visible from underneath the blanket.

I hummed softly. “You couldn’t sleep?” My voice still sounded so heavy.

“Wish I could,” came his response.

“The fucking worst,” I said.

“Yeah.”

“Ever try melatonin?”

“I have. It doesn’t always help.”

“Right,” I said. “Better than sleeping pills, though. What about meditating before sleep?”

“I’ve tried it all,” he said, his voice sounding small. “I’m just a little broken.”

I sighed. “All right, fuck this pillow,” I said, grabbing it and shoving it away. He seemed confused for a second, turning back to look at me.

“Oh,” he said, surprised as I closed the gap between us. Body heat filled the space between us. “You don’t have to—”

“I really want to,” I murmured, shimmying up behind him and letting my arm drape over him like a weighted blanket.

He sighed softly. “God, that feels good,” he said.

“It does.”

It would have been enough. Just this closeness, this warmth, helping him feel like he wasn’t alone in this world as I realized I wasn’t quite so alone in mine, either.

But I was also starting to learn that Cameron could be pushy.

Pushy in the best, slightly mischievous way.

As we lay there, he slowly wrapped his hands around my hand, pulling it up to his mouth, pressing a warm kiss to the side of my wrist.

“Promise I’m not going to try anything,” he whispered. I could feel his lips moving against my skin.

I didn’t stand a chance. My cock perked up the moment his lips had touched me, and my position didn’t do me any favors. My cock was hardening and starting to push right up against his ass.

He let out a low groan as he felt it.

“You’re impossible,” I said.

“It’s not my fault,” he protested. “You took away the pillow.”

“Trying to make you feel better.”

“Well, it’s really, really working.”

I let out a shuddering breath, feeling all of my willpower dissolving at once.

I leaned in closer to him, burying my nose in the soft hair at the nape of his neck, pulling in his scent. I kissed him there, right behind his ear, as his grip around my hands grew even tighter.