Page 42 of Among the Stars

The image of Veronica smiling up at him filled Cam’s mind, and he remembered what she’d said on Christmas Day about wanting a family. To his own surprise, his stance wavered. He imagined her carrying his child and pride list through him seconds before the breathtaking fear.

“Dude,” Janie said. “You’re all pale and shit. Are you okay?”

If he was thinking about having children with a woman he’d known for only thirty-six hours, Cam was definitely not okay.

“I need to shower.”

Cam stalked into his bedroom. After turning the shower on full blast, he undressed, catching the scent of Veronica as the T-shirt went over his head. His body hardened, and his parting words came back to haunt him.

Think about me touching you.

His dick came to full attention, ready to perform. With a growl, Cam reached for his cell and typed out a message.

I want you.

A message came back.

I offered.

I should have stayed.

Yes.

Cam imagined her purring that word while he buried himself deep inside her. As the bathroom filled with steam, he typed one word.

Tonight.

Tonight.

Removing the rest of his clothes, he stepped into the shower and leaned an arm on the wall, allowing the state-of-the-art system to ease his fatigued muscles. Closing his eyes, he pictured Veronica kneeling before him, licking her lips in anticipation. And then he took himself in hand to provide much needed relief.

* * *

“Just put a yeah there,”Veronica suggested. She was so over this damn song.

Ash tapped his pencil against his chin. He’d been hunched over the yellow legal pad for an hour now. If he didn’t straighten up soon, he’d walk down the aisle looking like Quasimodo. They were in the studio he’d built in a spare bedroom in his house. This was the house they’d lived in together, a rundown shack when they bought it a few months after the wedding. The renovation had been Ash’s passion project, so when they’d gone their separate ways, letting him keep it made sense.

“Maybe I need to change the line before it.”

Veronica made stabbing motions behind his back. Why the hell was she here? He’d dismissed every suggestion she’d made. She got it. This was his love song to his true love. But why did Veronica have to be tortured in the process. Wasn’t she being tortured enough?

Speaking of. The one good thing about Ash ignoring her was that it gave her time to obsessively check her phone for more texts from Cam. As far as sexting went, the simple I want you was base level at best. Based on his parting words this morning, she knew he could do better. Tired of waiting, she took the texting bull by the horns and started something herself.

I’m still sore from last night.

She read the words back and realized the statement wasn’t remotely sexy. Deleting the message, she tried again.

I can still smell you.

Holy shit, did she suck at this. Veronica put a little more thought into the next one.

“This whole verse is wrong,” Ash announced, and she quickly tucked her phone beneath her leg.

“You’re overthinking it,” she said. “Read me what you have again.”

“I’m telling you. It’s wrong.”

“Read,” she demanded.