Page 67 of His to Seduce
Chapter 22
David
“Talk.”
I should have known the command wouldn’t work on Camden.
She huffed in response and glared out the window like I’d somehow been the one to piss her off and make her cry within the span of a few hours since I’d seen her last.
“I don’t want to talk about it,” she muttered.
A low boil started in my gut, that same sensation I had felt this morning when she didn’t want to talk about work. I knew not to shove her over the edge of a cliff to get her over her fears, but I was past the point of guiding gently. I’d give her time to talk about the things she struggled with, but I’d had to share my past and my regrets with her.
At some point, she was going to have to start showing me she had some small amount of trust in me.
“Why aren’t you at work, Camden?” My jaw hurt from clenching my teeth.
Sensing my frustration, which felt like a living, breathing animal in my SUV, she huffed another breath.
“I got fired today.” She crossed her arms over her chest.
I jolted from the shock and had to fight not to slam on the brakes in the middle of the road. “What? Why?”
Her chin wobbled as I looked at her. I gave her a moment to compose herself and turned down the street to her place. I’d been on my way to Fireside to help Declan out with the lunch rush, but I would call him to let him know I wasn’t going to make it.
Business had started picking up, and fall was a busy time, but he’d still forgive me. Plus, his bartender Jeremiah was almost as good as me.
“Why, Camden?” I softened the question, forcing myself to take a calming breath.
I pulled into her driveway. She jumped out of her seat the moment I stopped. “Not fired,” she said, “I guess. I was put on a leave of absence, so I quit and walked out.”
She headed for the front door, and I didn’t waste any time. I followed her inside her house, pressing close to her back. No way was I giving her the space to tell me she didn’t want to talk about it again.
“You okay?” I wrapped my arm around her stomach and squeezed as she maneuvered the door and removed her key from the lock.
“No.” She tilted her head back. The tears and pain in her eyes were my kryptonite.
Before she could explain, I spun her around and wrapped my arms around her back. She was hot, her shirt clung to her back from her run, and sweat beaded her hairline. I resisted the urge to undo her hair from her ponytail and take the band. My hand slid to the back of her head and I pressed her to my shoulder.
“It’s okay,” I crooned, as she fell apart in my hold. Her shoulders violently shook and her breath caught, making a gasping sound. “It’ll be okay, Camden.”
“You know what sucks?” she cried, pulling back from me and wiping her tears. “It’s that I didn’t actually do anything wrong. Someone else did, and for some damn stupid reason, I’m going to be the one taking the fall for it. It’s so unfair, but there isn’t a damn thing I can do about it, and I hate it. I hate it, and I’m so fucking tired of life being unfair. That people who go about life minding their own business, keeping their head down, and just doing the right thing…that we’re the ones who are punished. That we’re the scapegoats and the victims, and all the evil people, all the predators and assholes, they get away with whatever they want because they can.”
Shocked at her outburst and the venom in her voice, I stayed rooted to my spot while she paced her living room.
“It’s not right, David. It’s not fair, and it’s not okay, and I’m so sick and tired of all the bullshit falling on my shoulders. How much more do I have to bear? How much more do I have to take?”
“Hey,” I called, forcing my steps to carry me forward. I reached for her but she jumped back, like a wild animal too skittish and scared to be touched. “Talk to me, Cam. You can tell me anything.”
She shook her head, tugging on her ponytail. With a violent heave of breath, her shoulders fell and like a miracle…her expression shuttered.
What the hell?
When she spoke again, her voice was robotic. It scared the shit out of me. “I’ll be fine. I’m always fine, you know? And this will be no different. Not really.”
“Camden—”
She stepped away and toward the kitchen. I followed her without hesitating. What in the hell was going on?
