The Long Game (Long Game, #1)(61)

Cameron’s eyes roamed around my face. “Tony doesn’t know how to act around a beautiful woman.”

Beautiful.

I ripped my gaze off his face and let it settle on the dashboard. “What do you mean?”

“The kid fancies you, Adalyn.” Right. “That’s why he gets tongue-tied. That’s probably why he calls you ma’am, too.”

So Tony believed I was beautiful. Not Cameron. That was fine. I’d never been insecure about my looks or needed anybody’s reassurance to feel good about my appearance. I definitely had other insecurities. But it didn’t really matter, and it was foolish of me to think Cameron would ever look at me like that after how… our relationship had gone.

“I didn’t say thanks,” Cameron shocked me by adding. I looked over at him. His eyes were on me. “Tony recognized me back at the facilities, and you covered for me. I appreciate it.”

I shook my head. I didn’t deserve his gratitude. I… I fumbled with my seatbelt, overwhelmed by the sudden urge to exit this car. It released with a click, and I threw open the passenger door. “Thanks for the ride. I will, hmm, see you tomorrow. Game day. Big day ahead. Good night!”

And jumped out without wasting a minute. I shot in the direction of my cabin but quickly came to a halt.

“Oh no,” I muttered, patting the pockets of my borrowed dungarees. Nothing. Empty. I groaned. “Oh God.”

I turned around. But I—

Collapsed against a hard wall. One that smelled like a pine forest and felt boiling hot to the touch. I stumbled back. “Cameron.”

“Why did you run?” wall-man asked, his chin tipping down to look at his chest. My gaze followed along, discovering my hands were planted on his pecs. I snagged them back. “What’s wrong?” he pressed, flat-out ignoring I hadn’t answered his first question.

“I forgot my things.” I sighed. Yes, I’d focus on that. “Back at the barn. My clothes, my shoes, my phone, the keys, too. I think I left the door unlocked so I could get inside, but I need my phone.”

“What?” he barked.

I frowned. “I was going to ask you to drive me back. There’s strange noises in the cabin at night and I can’t sleep without listening to—”

Cameron moved.

He bolted and walked around me. When the shock wore off, I whirled and went after him.

“I swear to God, Adalyn,” I heard him grumble when I reached him. “There’s no goddamn winning with you.” His hand was clasped around the doorknob of the door. It opened without resistance. “Christ.”

“I told you it would probably be unlocked,” I scoffed. I stared at Cameron’s back. He was… not moving. I’d expected him to be relieved, if anything. This gave him the perfect excuse not to drive me back. But I could… feel the anger leaving his body in waves. “You know what? That’s fine. I’ll make it without my phone. We’ll just drive back tomorrow morning.”

Cameron remained planted right where he was.

“It all worked out for the best so… good night,” I insisted, popping my head over his shoulder. Cameron stepped inside. He flipped the lights on. “Hey, what do you think you’re doing—”

“What in the bloody hell is this?” he asked. His words ricocheted in the confined and cramped space. Then he repeated himself, as if wanting to make sure I heard him right. “What is this, Adalyn?”

“My cottage?” I deadpanned, even though I was panicking inside. The place was a… mess. And I didn’t want Cameron to see how much. My voice wobbled. “Can you please leave? I didn’t invite you in.”

He did the opposite and in two strides, Cameron was standing right in the center of the cabin, his shoulders so high and his back so stiff that I was shocked the seams of his jacket weren’t ripping.

I swallowed hard and trailed behind him. I spotted the trail of panties currently hanging off the antlers I’d used as an improvised clothesline after washing them by hand. The inflatable mattress on the floor. The half-disassembled four-poster bed I’d given up on. The life I’d packed in a matter of hours scattered in one corner of one ugly cabin.

“Explain,” Cameron demanded. “Please make it make sense.”

“It’s my home renovation project,” I said, a bonfire cackling beneath my cheeks.

“Adalyn,” he breathed out. Pleaded really. “You’re still sleeping on the floor. Why?”

Green eyes blinked at me with… exhaustion. A hint of despair, too. I deflated. Gave up. “My plan was to disassemble the bed and get it out of here, but the thing seems to be welded together.” I let out a shaky breath. “The cabin doesn’t have a washer so…” I nodded toward my underwear. “The camping mattress is comfortable, though. So it’s fine. I won’t be here forever.”

Cameron’s jaw clenched. His whole face went tight. “Why didn’t you ask for help?”

I closed my eyes. Help. How could I explain to him that Miami was flat-out ignoring me? That I’d been accused of being pampered and spoiled so many times that I wanted to prove that wrong. That besides Josie, I didn’t have any friends here and didn’t want to be a nuisance to the one I had. That all of this was my fault in the first place so I didn’t think I had the right to complain. “I don’t need help. I’m fine.”