Tempt Our Fate (Sutten Mountain, #2)(96)
He smiles, his thumb brushing over my lip. “It’s a demand but also a plea. You’re already my everything, shortcake. Now I just need to know you’re all mine. Please.”
If I didn’t already know I was falling for him, I’d be positive by the sheer vulnerability in his tone. In the way his eyes roam my face, trying to get a read on my reaction. In fact, this might be the time I realize I’m past falling for him. I’ve fallen.
“Words,” Camden croaks. “I need words to know where your head’s at.”
I’m too busy thinking if I should blurt that I’ve fallen in love with him. It’s at the tip of my tongue, desperate to be put out in the open. But I’m too terrified that my feelings have developed too fast and they’ll scare him away. That his gran was wrong when she told me he was in love with me. So I keep them locked inside, instead fusing my lips to his to distract myself.
He greedily kisses me back for a moment before he pulls away. His fingers stay locked on my cheeks as his icy-blue gaze stares at me deeply. “I’m yours. All yours. Are you mine?”
“Yes,” I immediately answer, glancing at his lips.
“Really?” His voice is laced with vulnerability and excitement, doing something to my heart.
I nuzzle my nose against his. “Is that even a question? You’re rich, give phenomenal orgasms, and are a softie underneath that grumpy facade. Of course I’m yours.”
“I can’t wait to introduce you on the red carpet as mine.”
My head rears back. “Red carpet?”
His lips twitch as a smile plays on his lips. “Yes. This gala is huge. There will be celebrities and people of power from various industries in attendance tonight. And every single one of them will know you’re mine.”
I look down at the dress Emma and Margo helped me pick out. The blush-pink color was one that I couldn’t say no to. When Emma convinced me to try it on, I knew immediately it was the one. The corset top hugged my body perfectly, accentuating my breasts and the narrow of my waist. At the waist, it pleats before the silk fabric falls all the way to my feet. It’s sexy but in a classy way, with a slit that runs up my leg and off-the-shoulder sleeves.
I’ve never felt so beautiful as I did when I stepped out of the room I got ready in and found Camden staring right at me. His shoulders had stilled, as if I’d actually taken his breath away with the formfitting dress and the pristine curls that fell down my back.
Now I’m second-guessing everything, knowing we’ll have to walk a red carpet.
“Will there be cameras?” I ask anxiously, gripping him tighter when the car comes to a stop.
“Yes. A lot of them. But I’ll be with you the entire time.”
“I don’t know if I can do this,” I admit.
His hand finds mine at the same moment his door opens. “I’ve got you, shortcake.”
And before I can say anything else, he slides out. The moment he’s out of the car, he turns toward me and holds out his hand. I grab it, taking a deep breath and letting him lead me into his world.
52
CAMDEN
“I think my cheeks hurt from smiling,” Pippa whines next to me before taking a large gulp from the champagne flute in her hand. We stand off to the side of the dance floor, waiting for Beck and Margo to meet us before finding our table.
My eyes scan the room, looking for familiar faces. There’s an uneasy feeling in my stomach as I search for Daly. We need to have a conversation, but I have to find a way to do it without Pippa hearing. The pit in my stomach could also be from the idea of my parents being here. It depends on their mood if they show up to these events, and I hope tonight is a night where I get to avoid them.
I don’t want to introduce them to Pippa. They don’t deserve to meet the woman I love.
“If one more person asks if I’m pregnant, I might actually punch them in the throat,” Margo rants, walking up to us with Beck and Emma following closely behind.
“Want this?” Pippa offers, holding out her half-drank champagne glass.
Margo snatches it from her hand. “Thanks. I’ll need about five of these to dodge the baby questions all night.”
“Next time someone asks you if you’re pregnant, you should aim the question back at them,” Pippa suggests, a mischievous smile on her face.
Margo and Beck both laugh as Emma walks away to flag down a server with a tray full of more champagne.
“I might actually do that next time.” Her smile falters for a moment as she looks back at Beck. “There’s nothing I want more than to tell people we’re having a baby, but it hasn’t happened yet. And even if we were, I don’t feel comfortable telling people until we’re out of the first trimester.”
Pippa reaches out and squeezes Margo’s hand. “You don’t owe anyone an explanation. It’s nobody’s business. I’m sorry they’re asking you.”
“I told you we could avoid the press,” Beck offers, wrapping his arm around his wife.
Margo smiles up at him. “I don’t mind the press when they’re asking about our work or how much money we think will be raised for charity tonight. I just feel like the baby questions are out of hand.”
“Hold the champagne all night and people will stop asking,” Pippa adds.