Cameron stared back at me for a long moment, then he said all confident and smug, “No you won’t.”
I narrowed my eyes. “What did you do?”
Cameron shrugged.
“What did you do to the cottage, Cameron?”
“There’s water damage in the bathroom.”
I gave him a bland look. “Did you go in there with a bucket just to make sure of it?” Cameron smiled and yes, my heart toppled to my stomach at the sight. I sighed. The truth was that I was comfortable in Cameron’s cabin. With him. I didn’t want to leave, either. “Do you always get away with what you want?”
He took a step forward, getting so close I had to tip my head back to meet his gaze. “Hopefully.”
My thoughts scattered. I had questions. I knew I had them. Important ones about the cottage. But his tongue peeked out and licked his bottom lip, dragging my attention there. “You trimmed your beard.” His mouth twitched and my hand reached out. Unconsciously. Thoughtlessly. I stopped myself. “It looks good.”
The fingers of his free hand wrapped around my wrist. “You can touch me.” He brought my hand closer to his face, and my breath caught in my throat. But I closed the rest of the distance on my own, and when my palm reached his jaw, I cupped his face. My fingers grazed the surprisingly soft beard. The skin on his cheek and neck, too.
Cameron’s eyes fluttered shut.
I moved my hand, my fingers brushing the side of his face with my nails.
“That feels so good,” he hummed.
It did for me too. I—
A whistle was blown close behind.
I dropped my hand. “The uniforms have arrived.” Green eyes reappeared. They were as dazed as I felt. “Finally,” I croaked. “That’s what, hmm, is in the box. I should stop petting your beard and… check them.”
Cameron huffed out a laugh. “Fecking hell, darling.” He shook his head. “You thought you were petting me?” Another chuckle. “Way to shoot a man down.”
My cheeks warmed. But I refused to let this man sidetrack me again. “Did you just say ‘fecking hell’？”
“I don’t curse around the girls anymore. Manager said it was unprofessional.”
Oh. “That’s, um.” All the air seemed to escape out of my lungs. “That is sweet. Thanks for going the extra mile, Coach.”
Something flashed behind his eyes. Then Cameron shook his head, as if in… disbelief. “Ah Christ.” Another one of those laughs toppled out. “I think you’ve broken me, love.”
I frowned. I also blushed even further at that love.
Luckily, before I could say or do something strange like, let’s say, drop to the grass in a tangle of emotions I didn’t understand, I was being tackled from the side.
“Careful there,” Cameron said in a gentle but firm voice, one of his hands falling on my shoulder. He stabilized me, and his fingers brushed the back of my neck. Tingles spread down my arm.
I looked down to find María hugging me.
“I’m just so happy you’re okay,” she mumbled against my side. She glanced up, a serious expression on her face. My chest tightened at the sight. “Did you get our card? Did you see that Brandy and Tilly also signed? I painted their paws and made them sign with them.”
So the weird smudges of ink had been the goats.
“Yes,” I admitted weakly. “I loved it. I…” I wasn’t going to get emotional. I really wasn’t. “It was beautiful. Thank you so much.”
“We’re just glad you’re okay,” Juniper said from the group, obtaining a wave of nods from the rest of the girls.
“I’m also glad, ma’am—Adalyn,” Tony said from Cameron’s side. Then added, “I told them they could take a five-minute break, Coach.”
Cameron only lifted his eyes off me to give Tony a nod.
María released me, taking my hand before stepping away. “So what’s in the box? Is it gifts?” She frowned. “You should have told us you were coming today. We could have thrown you a welcome party.”
“That’s really okay,” I assured her, with a squeeze of her hand. The kid’s smile turned wider. “And yes, I’ve come bearing gifts. It’s a surprise. For everyone in the team. I just hope you like them.”
“I looove surprises,” María confessed. Followed by a long ohhhhh from the rest of the girls. She took a step forward and poked at the box in Cameron’s arms. “Do you love surprises, too, Miss Adalyn?”