"You got rid of my clothes last night, remember?" I said. He smoothly undid the sash around my waist and ran his hands over my skin, cupping my breasts.
"Mm," he said, pressing a kiss to the side of my neck. I turned the water off and turned my head to kiss him. He pulled my robe down off my shoulders, letting it drop to the floor. The fact that he'd been down here in his underwear told me we had the house to ourselves. Gina, his housekeeper, usually got weekends off. There was no danger of her walking in and seeing us.
One of his hands tweaked my nipple, while the other slid down between my legs to my clit. I sighed, clutching the edge of the sink as he touched me.
"Aren’t you going to be late?" I asked dreamily.
"We have all morning, babe," he said, his hands leaving my body briefly before holding me by the hip as he ran the engorged head of his dick against my folds. I leaned forward, resting my elbows on the sink's ledge and offering my rump to him. He entered me in one smooth thrust. My eyes fluttered shut as he rocked steadily in and out of me, grasping my hips to control our speed. He leaned his chest against my back, reaching back between my legs to touch me as we fucked.
I loved him feral and needy like this. It would cut through his now structured life, the side of himself that he saved for me. I cried out, shuddering as I came. He went harder, thrusting faster into me, cursing as I felt his release coating my walls. He kissed my shoulder and the back of my neck as he carefully withdrew. I turned to face him, and he kissed me. I wrapped my arms around his neck, pressing our bodies together.
"What?" he asked, as I cupped his face, running my thumb over his stubbled jaw. He hadn't shaved yet.
"I love you, Cameron," I said. I had never said it to him before. I had wanted to but never felt like I should have. Like I should wait longer before letting him know, not be in such a hurry and whatnot. He swallowed looking down at me.
"I love you too, babe," he said, kissing me again. No, we didn't have the whole day together, but there was tomorrow, and the next day, and the one after that. There were enough small close moments like this that made it worth it. Our timing from the start had been kind of off, but it had worked out. It was enough. Knowing I had him was enough.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Cameron
One Year Later
“They couldn’t wait ‘til fucking July to do this?”
“It’s not too late to skip, you know,” Natalie said, walking into the closet. I saw her reflection in the mirror I was looking into, buttoning my shirt up.
“Fuck it, we’re staying home,” I said. I saw her pull a dress from her side of the closet.
“I mean, sure, I guess they could get another guest of honor last minute.”
“Wear the red one,” I said turning to look at her. She had done her hair and makeup already and was trying to pick between two dresses. The red one I had gotten her and the other one, teal, she saved for occasions like this.
“Because you got it for me?”
"You're my date. I actually have to be seen in public with you," I joked.
"You know what? They probably should find a replacement guest of honor last minute," she sniped playfully, taking the red dress off its hanger. It was a floor length gown with long sleeves and no back, the kind of red that looked like it would burn you if you touched it. The contrast between her pale skin and light hair was beautiful. She had taken preparing for today a lot more seriously than I had, having picked the dress weeks ago. She'd look beautiful whatever she wore; I just wasn't looking forward to sitting through the ceremony.
These banquets happened every year, sometimes twice a year, and usually, they weren't around this time of the year. This one was special, I guess; at least it was out of the ordinary. It was the first since my father had died. Since my parents’ passing, Porter Holdings had dedicated a number of public buildings to them: libraries, community centers, shelters. That was a good thing to do if you wanted people to call you a good person. That wasn't something I wanted, more something that was happening whether I liked it or not.
The last year had been a ride, at times not the best but I'd made it out alive on the other side. Several months ago, it had been the first anniversary of my parents' death. I had been dreading the day as it had gotten closer and closer, but it had come and gone just like any other day in the end. I didn't know what I had thought would happen because nothing did. It was Natalie who convinced me in the end to visit their graves; I still didn't know what I felt about doing that. I didn't know whether there was one right way to feel about your parents dying. That was kind of the way it was supposed to go, right? Nobody wanted to bury their own kids, but that didn't mean it was necessarily easy the other way around.
It had been a ride, but I had Natalie there with me. She... she was my family now. We had moved in together finally, choosing to just wait out the rest of the lease that she’d had on her last place in Provo, and well, things had never been better. We were doing great; the company was doing great; there was going to be champagne on tap all night tonight, so things were looking up.
I headed downstairs to wait for Natalie, and when she was ready, we left. We got a driver so I could sit in the back with her. Tonight was kind of a big deal, but not really for the reasons that she was thinking. I would have skipped it entirely if that hadn’t been on the table, but with some luck, this night would make itself worth the effort of coming out.
The venue was right on Utah Lake. It took us a little under an hour to get there. It was an event hall that was routinely booked for weddings and other parties. For our event, the hall was decked out in black and white decorations. Tables dotted the wide space with seven place settings each. I hoped we ended up somewhere good.
Natalie had had to attend fewer of these than me, but she was good at meeting people and making them think she really cared about their conversation. That or she just really enjoyed business events, and I was the grump. Whatever it was, having her near me through the night made it bearable. I lost her once or twice when investors and past collaborators pulled me aside to speak to me, but I never saw her hunched over in a corner anywhere, looking like she needed rescuing.
After came the speeches. Everyone sat and pretended to listen, applauding at intervals. I got uncomfortable when people blew smo
ke up my ass, and Natalie could tell. She reached for my hand under the table, holding it. After my short address, the speeches that followed felt like they got longer and longer. A lot of them talked about my parents, which I appreciated. I would never forget their passing, but I had mostly come to terms with it. It was nice knowing that they had affected as many people in their lives while they had still been here. Something to aspire to, which I was happy to have. The meal was next, and by that point, I was restless.
"Come with me," I said to Natalie, taking her hand and helping her up. She looked surprised but politely excused both of us from our table. The hall opened on one side through sliding doors to a manicured lawn where events sometimes spilled out onto. There was a short pier out over the shores of the lake. Since people had weddings at the venue a lot, there were lights everywhere; these rustic-looking lanterns were up and down the pier, hanging from the trees, and along the outside of the building. Snow from the last light fall sprinkled the green lawn with white.
"It's gorgeous out here," she said. It was beautiful, if a little cold. It is perfect, the thought suddenly hit me. I had slid the ring into my jacket's inner pocket while she had been in the closet getting dressed. She had no idea that I had it. If she did, then she was nice enough not to let me know that she did.