After being jilted at the altar, Amber Gardner finds herself in a small beach town and stuck rooming with an unlikely person: her childhood nemesis Cameron, the man she is supposed to hate.
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Amber Gardner and her fiancé were together for two year...
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WE SNUCK OUT OF THE HALL, HAND IN HAND.
Casting one last glance at the tavern hall, I'd turned ahead and met Cam's look—as enthusiastic as mine, like high schoolers skipping school for the first time. I'd never missed school, but I guess I'd be filled with this kind of thrill if I ever did.
I followed him upstairs quickly, trying to keep up with his long steps. At the same time, my mind was occupied with the thoughts of what would happen. Cam pulled out a bold side of me, a woman who dared to ask or speak what she wanted and not be ashamed without second thoughts or what-ifs. For someone like me, this was colossal progress from dwelling on every word and calculating every move not to hurt others.
I had really lived this life for others—to make them happy or not to hurt them. I cared about other people more than I ever cared for myself. I'd been a personal therapist for some but never dared to open my box and look into it. Maybe I was afraid of facing the truth—the broken, needy girl inside of me.
In retrospect, I did everything to make people love me.
But it took me a long way to realize that people don't love you for what you do for them—even if you give them the world. They love you for who you are, and it's impossible until you love yourself first.
Before I fell in love with Cameron Wright, I fell in love with myself—this new version of me that was bold, caring, and interactive.
Now, I feel capable of love, and it's actually as easy and effortless as breathing.
Once Cameron unlocked the door and ushered us in, I found my back against the wooden door. Clueless of my inner therapy session, his eyes were impatient, needy, and dark with lust. I held my breath as he placed his palm beside my head and leaned his forehead against mine.
"Tell me more about those very dark thoughts of yours," he whispered against my lips, his velvety voice tickling my skin. I shut my eyes and let myself get lost in the warmth radiating from his proximity.
When I parted my eyes to look into his, I lifted my hands to cup his face and pulled him toward me. "Let me show you," I whispered back, kissing him.
It was the first touch of lips that ignited the fire between us.
