I can’t think about the way his Southern accent drawled as he said those dirty things. If I did, I’d be staring at him, panting like a damn dog in heat.
But it was hot and casual. And our relationship ended exactly after he delivered an earth-shattering orgasm. Which was perfect because I don’t date anyone. So, going into that hookup with a clear vision of how cut and dry it would be wasn’t hard. Besides, even if I were in the position to date, Cam Hardy would be the last on my list as far as boyfriend-material dudes go.
Even if he is fun to look at.
I know if he spotted me right now, I’d be safe. Given the number of women who flock to him and his entire group or the rate at which he changes who’s in bed with him … he’d never recognize me. That was a few weeks ago. He’s probably had at least half a dozen hookups since that night.
Me? I’ve had a big. Fat. Zero. Just as I had for years prior to that one deliciously hot night.
As I watch him grin while he talks to his friends, a shiver runs up my spine as his deep voice echoes in my mind, saying all the dirty things he said that night in that sticky, slow accent. How I’ll ever stop imagining that hookup is beyond me. He certainly set the bar high for any future sex I could potentially have with other men.
Once they are gone, I push my car door open and grab my messenger bag before closing the door behind me. I’d much rather be at home right now than here. Likely in sweatpants without a bra on. But here is where I need to be, unfortunately.
This year isn’t going to be easy. I’ll be starting my clinicals soon, and the real work at becoming an RN will begin. When I moved here from New Hampshire a few months ago, I had one goal in mind. Get this crap done as quickly as humanly possible. I don’t want to be a college kid. I just want to start the next phase of my life.
Dragging my feet, I walk into the classroom and head to my desk.
Let’s get this night over with.
Cam
After practice, I run to the coffee shop before heading to the library to pick up Layla. We don’t get to hang out nearly as much as we used to now that she’s going steady with her man and all.
As I pull up to the curb, she walks outside and heads toward my truck.
Pulling the door open, she grins. “Howdy, friend,” she says, trying to talk in a Southern accent like my own.
“Your drawl needs some work, girl.” I laugh. “Got you this. Maybe it’ll make you realize that, deep down, you’re madly in love with me, and then we can just go on and live happily ever after.” I pass Layla an iced coffee as she gets situated in the passenger seat. “I would have gotten you one to give Henley, too, but she’s too bitchy to deserve that.”
Until I met Layla, I’d never even tried an iced coffee. I’m not addicted to them the way she is, but I do enjoy them from time to time. And whenever we hang out, I always try to surprise her with one. She’s one of the good ones in this world. A true gem.
Her best friend, Henley, doesn’t hate me nearly as much as she used to, but even when she did, Layla stood by my side. I’m not everyone’s cup of tea. I’ve been known to ruffle feathers and step on toes. Layla might tell me to cut the shit when I’m in the wrong, but she’s never walked away from our friendship.
“First off, all the coffee in the world isn’t going to make me want your balls, Cam-Cam.” She pats my shoulder. “Second of all, call Henley a bitch again, and I’m going to stab you right in the dick.”
“A soft stab or a stab where I’ll actually bleed?” I tilt my head to the side. “I mean, hell, at least you’d be touching it.”
“You’re nasty,” she says before taking a sip from the shit she thinks of as crack. “Oh my good, loving Lord, that is good. You did good, Cammy. You did good.”
Layla knows I’m kidding with her. She’s in a relationship now, and I respect the hell out of her man. She and I did attempt to make out once before she was tied down, just to see if any sparks flew. Ended up feeling like I was kissing someone who was my sister. It was fucking weird. Hot as she is, she and I have zero romance flowing between us. Her friend Henley, however, I could have gotten on board with that. But she had some weird childhood love she never got over. And besides, she couldn’t really stand me from the get-go. So, you see, that ship sailed before I even got a chance to climb on board.
“What have you been up to anyway, my dude?” She wiggles her eyebrows. “Any new looove interests I should know about?”
“I feel like you know the answer to that, babe.” I pull away from the curb, heading toward her apartment. “But I will tell you that I hooked up with this chick a few weeks ago. She was really fucking hot. Didn’t want me to talk during sex though unless it was dirty. Her words, not mine.” I sigh. “Basically, she used my dick, and away she went.”
She turns toward me, looking amused. “And how did that make you feel?”
I think for a second.
“Well, I don’t really know.” I scratch my chin. “Is that all I am to girls? A ride at the world’s finest theme park?”
“Oh, honey, no.” She shakes her head. “No … I’d say a county fair at best.”
“Dick,” I mutter. “I’m so not a ride at a county fair. I’m a motherfucking Disney or Universal ride. The ones that make your head spin and your heart pound and you think about them for years—no, a lifetime.”
“I was thinking more like the Tilt-A-Whirl or Thunderbolt. Possibly the Scrambler.” She shrugs. “But, hey, whatever helps ya sleep at night, my friend.”
“Those rides are rusty and rickety.” I scowl. “I’m fucking smooth and robust.”
“Robust, eh?” She pulls her lips to the side. “Odd word choice. Reminds me of a salad dressing of some sort. Or maybe a beer. But okay. Your dick is robust and smooth.”
“Not my dick.” I frown. “The entire experience of sex with me. Follow along, would you? It’s a whole fucking vibe.”
“My bad. Did you find this girl fascinating?”
“Sort of,” I tell her, thinking back to that night. “She wasn’t a girl. She was a woman.”
“Ooh, a woman.” She nods. “Do explain how you differentiate between the two.”
“She knew what she wanted. And what she didn’t want. For once in my life, she wanted to leave before I was ready for her to go. I would have liked to get to know her a bit better.” I sulk. “Instead, she got her orgasm and ran for the door. I actually feel like I annoyed her.” I sigh. “I’ve never felt that way with a chick.”
Layla is quiet for a moment, but I know the wheels are turning.
“Maybe you didn’t deliver?” She scrunches her nose. “Maybe she wasn’t, you know … satisfied.”
“Oh, she was satisfied,” I say cockily. “Trust me on that.”
“Well then, maybe she just didn’t want anything more than sex.” She looks out the window. “Perhaps relationships aren’t her thing.”
My lip twitches. “You mean, like you?”
She feigns being hurt. “Me? I am in a relationship. One where we don’t sleep with other people and we text each other good night and good morning. We even send each other corny memes.” She nods her head, smiling. “I’m adulting and shit. A grown-ass lady I am.”