All At Once (Completed) - Finding You Book 1

Camden

       

Morning comes too soon. The sun is too bright and I'd do anything to stay in this bed with Harper.

I may have been half asleep, but I heard every word she said last night.

My arms are wrapped around her middle, I'm holding her tightly against my bare chest and I know the second I move them, she'll wake up, too. I shift slowly and cringe. The adrenaline last night kept me from hurting, but I'm feeling every single bruise this morning.

Harper turns in my arms. She's so close the tip of her nose presses against my neck. I smile at the intimacy of this simple moment.

"Morning," she says softly, pressing a few kisses on my neck.

"Morning," I say. She's backed up a bit and her lips have made it to my chin. She brushes her lips back and forth over my stubbly chin a few times and her nose scrunches up. "You're extra scratchy this morning," she teases. She's wearing one of the biggest smiles I've ever seen, but as her eyes open further, the playfulness in her eyes is replaced with worry.

I must look a lot worse than I did last night, too.

"Shit, Cam," she frowns, sitting up on her knees so she can get a better look. She looks like an angel wrapped up in those sheets; it takes a minute for to remember where we are. She gently touches my eye and I wince.

"Sorry," she says. She looks over the rest of me, moving the rest of the sheets away and frowns at the bruises on my ribs. "What the hell happened?" She swallows, her eyes meeting mine again.

"It looks worse than it is," I tell her, sitting up a little. The concern in her eyes is sexy as hell, and I want to find the energy and strength to press her into this bed and make love to her the way I've been craving for days. But I don't. Not right now. She wants answers. She deserves them.

My left hand finds hers in her lap and I squeeze it.

"I thought you were call the police," she says quietly before her teeth sink into her lower lip.

"I did," I say slowly. "They just got there after the drug dealers," I tell her.

"Drug dealers? What?" Her eyes widen. "I didn't count on that,"

"Yeah, well. When have things ever gone according to plan for us, Harp?" I wink and a small smile creeps up on her lips. This is it. She is it. She's the only person in the world I've ever wanted to share these moments with, and for as sad as this conversation really is, it's filling another hole in my heart I didn't know existed.

"It's fine. It's over," I tell her. "You're safe. He's safe," I say, tipping my head int he direction of the door to Chase's hotel room. "Nothing else matters,"

She swallows. There's something on her mind and I think I know what it is.

"Whatcha thinkin'?" I ask.

"That I love you," she blurts out quickly. Her cheeks turn pink. She's worried I'm going to be upset with her, but it's just the opposite. I'm thrilled. "I know it's not what you want to hear right now, but...it's just that I've had everything I ever loved taken away from me, and can't go on pretending like you're not the most important person in my life. I can't go on acting like I don't want this to go anywhere. Because I do. I want this...you and me...to go somewhere. Anywhere. Everywhere," she breathes.

Wow. That's a lot more than I expected her to say. She kinda just knocked the air right out of my lungs. I like it.

"I love you, Camden. Please don't ask me to take it back," she begs.