Challenge (24 page)

She lifts her brows. “Arsenal is a great step up. If he got an offer from them? It would be a long time coming for him. I’ll miss watching him at Tower Park, but at least he’d still be based in London. It’s just hard because we all grew up in Tower Park”

She continues on about the magic of Tower Park Stadium and watching her brothers play together. While I appreciate her vigour for the sport their family has built their lives around, the voice in the back of my head wants to speak up. Healing, refocusing, and rehabbing should be Cam’s focus, not his contract.

I bite my tongue, though. Partly because I genuinely like Vi, but mostly because, right now, I’m not his doctor. I’m certainly not his girlfriend. I’m just someone he’s having sex with, no strings attached.

Disappointment creeps into my soul over the powerless feeling mixing my professional career and my social life affords me.

“…What are yours and Camden’s plans for the weekend?” Vi’s question snaps me out of my internal musings.

“I um…er—”

“I can think of aerobic exercises we could try,” Camden says, his voice surprising us both from the kitchen doorway behind us.

“Cam,” Vi starts, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Can you maybe, just once, not be the gravy-sucking sex pig you’d like us all to think you are?”

His lips squish off to the side as he contemplates her question. “No can do, Vi. I like seeing that lightning bolt vein pop on your forehead every time I say something that sets you off.”

She rolls her eyes and stands up to check the food. Camden flops down on the stool beside me, spreading his legs wide so our thighs brush together. He waggles his brows at me, and I hate myself a little bit for smirking.

“You know what would be brilliant?” Vi asks, snapping our attention away from each other. “Camden, you should give Indie a tour of Tower Park. The guys are all away this weekend so it’ll be dormant. Tower Park completely empty is even better than packed to the roof with roaring fans…It’s…It’s magic.” She shakes as if she’s just given herself the chills.

“It is magic,” Camden agrees, his brow rising with a naughty gleam to it.

I frown at his weird expression. “Sounds nice?” I have no idea what to say in response. A tour of Tower Park sounds rather date-like and that is definitely not a part of our arrangement. I’m feeling twitchy with all this familial meddling.

“It’s better than nice. You’ll see,” Vi says, placing a mug of coffee in front of me.

Camden’s eyes lose all good humour as he stares at the cup in my hands as if Vi’s just given away his favourite toy. I silently offer it to him. He scowls and shakes me away as if he wouldn’t touch this cup with a ten-foot pole. It’s all very peculiar, which is nothing new for Cam.

After we finish eating, I head down the hall to Camden’s room to switch back into my dress from last night. With Vi projecting all this girlfriend type warmth at me, I had to get away. Add in Cam’s weirdness over coffee and I’m bursting for some space.

When I come out, he’s propped up on the counter by himself as if he was waiting for me.

“Your sister leave?” I ask, looking around the room.

“Yep. Her and Hayden are going baby gear shopping or something.”

I nod and stare down at my feet. “I think I need to go home and get some clothes and, I don’t know…just relax a bit.”

Camden frowns. “We don’t have a lot of time to waste here, Specs.”

“I know but…erm…”

“What?” he prods.

“Well, I’m sore for one.” I feel a flush of embarrassment move over me. There’s an ache between my legs that is not all together pleasant. I’m afraid that if I stay we’ll only make it worse.

The corner of his mouth tilts. “Where exactly are you sore?”

“Shut up, you know where.” I adjust my glasses. “And I’m not sure we should do this Tower Park thing your sister suggested.”

He shoves himself off the counter and folds his arms over his chest. “Why not?”

“Because it sounds like a date and that’s not what we’re supposed to be doing here.” My lips form a thin line as I try to gain some semblance of control back over this plan of mine.

“I’m aware of what we’re doing.”

“Oh…well—”

“I have plans for you, Specs.” He moves toward me and pushes me up against the frame of the doorway. Back in my heels, I reach just below his chin now. One of his hands cups my waist and the other snakes around and palms my arse, bringing me into him. “You see, football and sex are interchangeable for me, and fucking you at Tower Park is going to be fun…for both of us.” He waggles his eyebrows, barely lightening the mood of his hot hold on me.

My groin actually pulses with need and it hurts. The wickedness of his mouth, the promise of his firm grip, and the challenging twinkle in his eyes excites every part of me.

I smile. “Well, when you put it like that.”

A
FTER MAKING FIRM PLANS FOR
tomorrow and leaving Camden’s flat, I couldn’t wait to postmortem things with Belle. Growing up, I never had friends to confide in so she has certainly become my sounding board. Plus, since she created the Penis List with me, it’s only natural that she earns some dirty details.

“Oh my God, you look different,” Belle says as she slides into the velvet green booth of our favourite pub in Bethnal Green, Old George. It’s a renovated 18th century pub with exposed brick, mismatched furniture, and a cool, dark atmosphere. The hipster bartenders with swirlie mustaches fit right in with the vintage décor.

“I do not look different, do I?” I hold my cheeks because I can feel the heat of my blush.

Her dark eyes widen. “I bet if you stood up and walked, you’d look like one of those cowboys from
Brokeback Mountain
.”

I frown. “Why would you say
Brokeback Mountain
?”

Her shoulders lift. “I dunno. It’s the only cowboy movie I can think of that has a lot of
riding
.” She waggles her eyebrows suggestively.

I shake my head at my severely strange friend and hand her my glass of red that I ordered while waiting for her.

“So how was it? How did you leave it? How big is he? Did you spend the night? Or did you go home right after?” She takes a big gulp and hands my glass back to me while gesturing to the sever to bring another.

“Down, Sheba,” I jest. “Let’s start with what’s most important.” I lean in and whisper over my wine glass, punctuating every word, “The sex was intense. Intensely good. Intensely fun. Intensely hot. Intensely overwhelming. Just…very intense.”

Her eyes are on fire with barely contained excitement. “Sounds intense.”

“But it was also sweeter than I expected.” I take a sip, contemplating everything in my head. As mind-blowing as everything was, he did confuse my Penis List a bit.

“What do you mean?” Belle asks.

“He was gentler than what I expected. I’m not complaining, but in the hospital, he was all cocky, arrogant, demanding playboy. This morning when we did it, he was patient, calm, and attentive. There was no spanking or throwing me up against a wall…or anything horribly naughty like I thought a typical Penis Number One would be like.”

Belle rolls her eyes as a bartender hands her a glass of red. She doesn’t even look up. “I wouldn’t have wanted that to happen during your first time anyway, Indie! That would have been terrible. You have to build up to that stuff.”

“I know. But I just…I don’t know…There were moments he looked at me as if…”

“As if what?”

“As if he was deeply connected to me. It was…unnerving.”

Her brows lift. “The guy is good.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, he’s a master. Only the best players know that if you can make a woman feel more than just the physical during sex, it makes everything better. He’s obviously very experienced.”

“Well, that’s what we wanted, right?” I ask, feeling a strange pull in my belly at the fact that I’m reading into him so much. Even if the way he’s doing it with me isn’t unique, I’m not complaining. I checked a very important box today. And by box, I mean my vagina.

“Right! This is all good. This sounds perfect. So how did you leave it?”

“Well, we sort of fooled around afterwards in the bathroom.”

“You slut! Continue.”

I laugh. “The bathroom stuff was hot. Like, crazy masculine hot. He talked dirty and only used his hands on my clit, nothing more. I thought I was going to pass out.”

“I’m hating you a little bit right now.”

Ignoring her remark, I add, “After all of that, I was sore, so we both agreed a night apart would be good. But we made a date to see Tower Park tomorrow and continue our
arrangement
there.”

“Like screwing at Tower Park?” She starts to giggle when I smile and nod. “This all sounds perfect.”

“It kind of is. But God, it’s so hard. My vagina is like…awakened or oversexed or something. It’s tender and I’m hyperaware of it, which only makes me want to have more sex.”

Belle shoots me a knowing smile. “You’re like how a person is when they first get Netflix. They can’t stop binge-watching all the shows. It’s quite cute.” She giggles again affectionately.

“He got weird at lunch, though. His sister stopped by unexpectedly with food. I thought it would be awkward, but she was great. He was fine at first, but then he got cagey. He kept eyeing my coffee. At first I thought maybe he was against caffeine because he’s so dedicated to his health, but he had a cup, too. He kept staring at me over the rim of his mug the entire time. I can’t wrap my head around it.”

Her nose scrunches. “Was it a sentimental mug?”

“I don’t think so.”

“That’s odd. But he still wants to screw you at Tower Park?”

“Yeah.”

“Then that’s all that matters. Forget the rest. You’re in it for the sex. Not the coffee.” She winks naughtily at me.

When I get back to my flat, a strange sensation overcomes me.

I kind of miss Camden.

It’s so stupid because analytically I know I don’t want anything more from him. We’re just screwing. But he’s so much fun that I can’t help but wish he were here.

I grab my mobile to send him a text.

Me: So teach me about this sexting that all the kids rave about.

Camden: Who is this?

Me: Shut up.

Camden: Gran, I told you to stop making me explain the millennials to you.

I burst out laughing so loud that I cover my mouth in embarrassment, even though I’m lying here by myself.

Me: Your gran sounds more fun than mine.

Camden: Actually, I never knew her. She passed away before I was born.

Me: That’s too bad. But if all grans are like mine, you’re not missing out. Mine was glacial cold.

Camden: Luckily you turned out pretty hot regardless.

I smile.

Me: So back to this sexting…

Camden: I think I can teach you better in person. Maybe I should come over.

Me: No way. My vagina can’t take it.

Camden: No funny business. I promise. I’m saving up for Tower Park.

I hesitate to respond. I want him to come over. I want him to come immediately. But this is all supposed to be about sex, and if we’re not having sex, there’s absolutely no reason we should hang out. I can’t get wrapped up in Penis Number One. I have goals and a list and more penises to try in the near future.