Love Tap(37)

We’re a mess.

Biting my bottom lip, I nod and fight back the tears trying to fall from my eyes.

“Dinner is done,” Journey squeaks from behind us.

“I’m not hungry,” Dad croaks, before heading to his room.

Journey wipes her eyes and heads back into the kitchen. As heart breaking as it was to watch my father break, I think it is the first time I have seen him cry about Mom.

“I need some air,” I mutter, wiping my cheeks of spilled tears.

Crossing my arms, I head out the back door. Walking until my feet hit the train tracks. I can’t help but let my eyes sweep to the tree. The makeshift box still there that Camden made to hide my sports magazines after my dad took them away. I wonder if it still contains my magazine collection in it. Wiping the snot from under my nose, I head toward it. Opening the lid the blue crate greets me. I can’t help but smile, and grab the one off the top.

“Everything okay?”

Grasping my chest, I quickly turn finding Camden standing on the tracks. He’s wearing jersey shorts and no shirt. A blue bandanna wrapped around his head.

His chest is defined and literally not fair to the woman race. He looks tough and sexy.

“Camden, you scared me,” I breathe heavily.

“You alright?” Lowering his head, his eyes look at me with concern. He must have heard everything.

Looking back down at the magazine stack I sigh.

“I forgot how thin the walls on these houses are.” Glancing back up, he crosses his arms awaiting my response if I’m fine or not. “Yeah. I’m fine.” Sitting on the grass, I open the old magazine. The pages stick to each other from old age.

Speaking of houses, I wonder where his parents are.

“I haven’t seen your mom or dad, do they still live in the house?”

“No. Dad had another affair and Mom divorced him and ran off with Aunt Jenny, leaving him the house and the debt. I bought the house before the bank could take it.”

My brows rise at the information. His dad always eyed the women on the block and he drank a lot. I’m not surprised he strayed again.

Camden makes his way to me and sits next to me. The smell of his cologne causing my body to come alive with need. We are sitting in the same spot I lost my virginity. My mind can’t help but drift to sex. I swallow hard and try to focus on the magazine in my hand.

He sits back on his hands, and looks around him before hitting me with a smug smile.

“What?”

“Memories is all,” he shrugs, waggling his brows.

I roll my eyes, I knew he was going to bring it up.

“Don’t get any ideas.”

He laughs. “I chased you once Tate, I won’t do it again.” Inhaling a strong breath through my nose I breathe through the hurt constricting my chest.

“Nobody asked you to then, and I’m not asking you to now.” I play it cool, looking over the pages of the sports magazine.

Silence falls between us, the sound of a train in the distance howling out.

Feeling the conversation has gone south, and I am tired of arguing for the night I stand.

“I gotta go,” I state. Stepping over Camden’s leg I toss the magazine in the box. Trying to step back, my foot catches on the root of the tree and I trip. I fall right into Camden’s lap, causing him to fall on his back.

“Watch where you’re going!” he snaps, trying to untangle himself.

“Maybe if you’d move I wouldn’t have tripped!” Pushing my hands into the dirt my face comes within inches of his. I instantly notice his hard chest under mine and the way one of his knees sits right in-between my thighs.

His warm skin against mine burns a fire right into my core. My nails dig into the dirt and I swallow hard. His blue eyes search mine and for the first time since I’ve been back, I don’t sense anger from Camden.

He palms my wrist, his eyes pinning me where I lay. I want to stay like this forever. I can’t find it in me to move even if I wanted to anyway.

The train hollers out again as a light comes into view from down the track.

Blinking myself from my sexual daze I push myself up, and Camden sits up.

Camden clears his throat, and smooths my shirt down. Our eyes flick to one another, before darting anywhere but. The awkward tension settling back in.

Stumbling on the f*cking root again I make my way over the track into my backyard. My body is on fire, and the desire pulsing between my thighs is demanding to being tended to or a cold shower.

Parting the tree branches I head back to the house, leaving Camden behind.

I find Journey setting the table looking over the dinner she made proudly.

“Still going to try for a family dinner?” I ask, gripping the back of a dining room chair and pulling it out to sit in. I want this family back together just as much as she does, but I think it’s going to take time.

“Yes, I won’t give up that easily,” she replies, as she sets a fourth plate.

“You set too many plates.” I jut my chin at the plate she just placed.

“No I didn’t, there’s four.” She points at each one as she counts them.

“Exactly, there’s three of us. How much pot have you been smoking?”

She casually shrugs. “I invited someone else.”

“Babe, you’re out of TP in the bathroom,” an unfamiliar voice sounds from behind me. Glancing over my shoulder I find the guy that was outside our house weeks ago, when Journey had a bloody nose. Scotty. He has on a blue ball cap that sits backwards. A black tank top and baggy dark jeans. Tattoos running up and down his arms.