Page 118 of The Backup Plan

“It’s part of the game.” He pounded his chest and coughed. “I’m glad to see you, too.”

“Maybe we could get lunch this week and catch up. I’m picking up the pop art panel idea again, and I have sketches to show you.”

“We could do that.”

“Cam thinks Jordan is the new rock-paper-scissors king of the Easter Islands.”

Justin rubbed the back of his skull. “I heard he was just tired of getting his clock cleaned every week.”

THIRTY-FIVE

Nothing is Broken

CAMERON

Avery flopped on the bed like a starfish and feigned a yawn. “This one’s my bed, and that one’s yours, right? I’m so sleepy.”

“I threw a ball like a million yards today,” Cam whined as he pushed her to one side of the mattress. “And a bunch of big, mean guys hit me and tried to take my ball. But I was very brave and tough and I didn’t let them.”

“You win.” Avery rolled into his open arms, smiling. “Today, anyway.”

He kissed her. “Every day. God, what a relief to have some space to ourselves and not be checking the time.” He unclasped both of their watches and set them on the bedside table, then moved to the buttons of her dress. “Stop time. I don’t want to take my hands off you all night.”

“I don’t want you to.” She wriggled the unbuttoned dress over her head, pushed a bra strap over her shoulder, and winked.

Cam pulled her back down laughing, and went to work on the rest of their clothes. “I love undressing you. Even when I’m impatient and just want to rip everything, I love finding you under all this, every time.” He drew her to his chest. “And holding you like this, with nothing between us. Avery, I’ve never wanted to be this close to anyone, and I can’t get enough of it with you.”

She responded with kisses trailing from his lips down his neck. “I failed miserably at keeping my hands off you tonight.”

“Fields seemed fine. Everybody’s fine.” Cam caught a quick breath when she took him in her hand and squeezed. “Totally fine.”

He hardened as she stroked him, and he closed his eyes to take in the urgency of her hand and the pressure of her lips on his skin, moving lower, down his chest and stomach. Sinking deep into the pillows, he breathed out a long, satisfied exhale as she took him into her mouth. “Yes,” he whispered, brushing his hands over her hair. “God, Avery, your lips…”

Tightening her mouth, she slid from base to tip and back again, sucking him in and wrapping him in gentle strokes of her tongue each time she pulled back. His groans matched her rhythm, and he fought the urge to push her head down. He leaned into it instead, rocking his hips to push further back in her throat.

Cam’s heart pounded as she dug her nails into his thighs. When she shifted her fingers between his legs and dragged them lightly up to meet her lips, the pressure mounted and pressed on his lungs like a weight on his chest. He grabbed his hair and pulled to startle himself out of the spiral.

“Get up here, or I’m going to lose it.”

She peeked up at him, eyes wide over glistening, parted lips that looked ready to dive back in. “If that’s what you want.”

“I want to see how turned on you get when you’re turning me on.” He pulled her next to him and spread her thighs, sliding his fingers over the slick warmth and pushing gently inside. “God, I love that. I love how wet you get just from teasing me.”

“It’s almost like your body is talking to mine and telling me what we need.”

“I love everything about how we work together,” he said, rolling on top of her. “I love pushing into you now, just like this, so wet already that it doesn’t hurt.”

“I want it.” She arced against him, grabbing his hips. “Oh, fuck, Cam. Just like that.”

He slowed his pace. “Like that?”

“No. Harder.”

He slowed even more, barely pulsing inside her. “Like that?”

She pulled him down as close as she could and whispered. “Either you’re going to go harder on me, or I’m going to put you on your back and go harder on you.”

He pulled out and flipped her over, and she bucked against him when he thrust inside. “Oh, I’ll go harder on you.” He slapped against her over and over as his hands roamed her body, and smiled when he felt her wobble as he slipped his fingers between her legs. “Or I could be very gentle right here.”