Chapter Six Continued...

"Are you okay?" He asks.

"Yes."

I want to say no. I'd almost died tonight, but I figure he means physically. I motion towards Ari sleeping on my shoulder.

"Can you help me get her up into the car?"

Cameron looks at Ari then at me. Then in one swift motion, he picks her up in his arms, cradling her like a child. Ari is not a small girl. She is at least 5'9 and an athlete. I can't help but appreciated his show of strength. He is my knight in shining armor. And even in his oversized joggers and cotton shirt, I'm insanely attracted to him. And I might still be a little buzzed. It's hard to tell the difference when Cameron is around.   

I stand up and pick up our things. I double check to make sure I've got the three shoes and the shared purse. Then I approach the truck. Cameron has the passenger door open and is sliding Ari into the middle seat of the cabin. Before I can climb in, he grabs me and pulls me into a bear hug. He smells amazing, like Old Spice. It may be a gross thing to say but it's the same scent my dad wears, and I find it comforting and safe.

"Thank you," I say into his soft cotton shirt.

He rests his chin on the top of my head.

"Always."

And I know he means he will always be there for me. Warmth floods my veins and my heart melts. Words can't describe how much I love him. We haven't said the three little words but we don't have to. Our actions say it all.

We both get in the truck. I ask him to drive us back to his place because I don't know how Damien will react and it's an excuse to spend time with Cameron.

He asks why we are barefoot. I'm not ready to tell him about our run across the street. I tell him we couldn't walk in them and had taken them off. He doesn't further question my story. He looks over at me several times but never says anything.

Finally, I ask. "What?"

He pauses and I think he isn't going to answer. Then he says, "You two are dressed nice for a study night."

That's right. I'd told him we couldn't hang out on my birthday because of my physics project. Which had been true at the time. Ari had changed the plans. I feel guilty for not letting him know.

"I'm sorry. We were studying; honest. We finished and then you see Ari had a bad day..." I'm rambling but I'm not good with drama or guilt. "...then she convinced me going out would make her feel better. And..."

Cameron interrupts me. "She manipulated you into goin' out."

"No, it's not like that at all." I protest. Sure, it'd taken encouraging, but I'd made the decision to go. This wasn't her fault.

"I wanted to go," I add.

"Whatevs." He says.

Cameron is clutching the steering wheel so hard the blood has drained from his knuckles. I'd never seen him this angry before.

"You shouldn't hang with this girl." He snaps. "I've heard things. She's wildin' and she'll drag you down with her."

He glances over at Ari's sleeping form, and I see the contempt in his eyes. "I'm tellin' ya, you don't want to be like her."

It dawns on me that he has never liked Ari. Even at the college party, he'd been rather cold. And come to think of it whenever I mentioned Ari, he was quick to change the subject. And if we were all in the same room together, he ignored her as if she wasn't there. I'd liked this about him. It felt good to have a guy around who only saw me when she was around.

I'd thought it was because he loved me. Now it was sus. Why didn't he like her?

Cameron and Ari had gone to school together, he must have read the Dirty and probably still did. He was also good friends with Dechlan. The jerk had probably said all sorts of awful things about her. Things a scorned guy says to his pals in the locker room.

"Ari is wonderful and I'd be lucky to be like her." I defend.

He scoffs and throws his hand up, letting go of the wheel.

"Fuck that!"

Now, I'm angry. "What's wrong with you? You don't know her like I do." 

"What's wrong with me?!" He shouts, he looks at me angrily then back at the road. "I don't know maybe because my girlfriend went out dancing with a bunch of guys. Dressed like that."

He gestures angrily at my dress. "Doing god knows what, with the likes of this girl!"

"Shhh!" I hush him. I check Ari. She is still asleep.

I whisper harshly. "What? I need to ask permission to go out with my friends now?"

"Yes!" He shouts exasperatedly.

Now I'm really pissed off, and my whisper turns into a shout. "Excuse me?! You want me to believe when you're away at your Frat house, you don't go out with your buddies all the time without asking my permission. And she is my friend. You don't know her."

"Oh, I know Ari better than you think. I went to school with her. She was a slut then and she's a slut now. I don't know what you or Dec sees in her."

And confirmed. I'm right, he believes the rumors about her. And he's wrong.

"And for your information," He continues, "I at the very least text you and tell you when I'm going out."

I'm at a loss for words. He is both right and wrong. I should've told him, but Ari wasn't the problem. Ironically, I'd almost slipped up tonight, she'd been the one to save me from making a mistake.

"I'm sorry, I should've told you." I sigh. "But you can't dictate when I hang out and who my friends are. And she's not a slut."

Cameron shakes his head but doesn't say anything. I have nothing more to say to him either. My hands are shaking, and I can feel the tears welling in my eyes. I was mad, not sad, these were tears of anger. For the rest of the drive, we ride in silence. Both of us are steaming. I half expect him to turn around and drop us off at Ari's house.

By the time we reach the place he is staying, my emotions are firmly in check. It's our first fight. I'd never had a boyfriend before, and I don't know the rules. How were fights supposed to end?

I had apologized, he still hadn't. And now I'm feeling like a terrible person. It's past two in the morning and he'd climbed out of bed to come to get us no questions asked. Despite me being less than truthful about my whereabouts.

He's already sliding Ari's sleeping form out of the car and carrying her inside. I'd been planning to wake her, but I wordlessly follow. Cameron lays her down on the living room couch. He's surprisingly gentle. Then he straightens and puts his hands in his pockets. His expression and posture seem regretful.

"Can she borrow some clothes?" I ask.

He gives me a look. "My clothes..."

He whines and motions towards Ari, "What's wrong with what she's wearing?" 

I give him a look.

"Fine." He says in exasperation.

Then he heads for his room. I pour a couple glasses of water and bring one to Ari. I gently shake her awake. She opens her eyes groggily and takes the water. She rapidly downs it then sets the empty glass on the floor. She is about to lay down again, but I stop her.

"Bathroom?" I ask.

She gets up and I take it as a yes. Cameron walks into the room and hands me a pair of sweats and t-shirt without looking at Ari. He starts to retreat into his room, but I stop him.

"Any blankets and a pillow?" I ask.

He gives me another annoyed look again.

I plead him with my eyes. I don't want to fight. Not about this and not with Ari awake. He sighs in defeat then heads back to his room. I walk to the bathroom and give her the spare clothes.

When she exits the bathroom, she's in the fresh clothes, and she has removed the black streaks of make-up from her face. Cameron leaves a pillow and a blanket for her on the couch before escaping back to his room.

I grab another glass of water and set it on the table by the couch in case she gets thirsty. Ari mumbles thanks and then instantly follows asleep the moment her head hits the pillow. She looks peaceful when she's asleep, innocent, carefree. Sleeping beauty. I brush her hair out of her face and kiss her on the forehead. I watch her for a moment, then I turn to the bedroom.

I open the door to Cameron's room and peek inside. He is already in bed. The room is dimly lit with only a bedside table lamp he is using to read a book.

"Are your roomies home?"

"No." He says without looking up from the pages of his book. I'm not sure if he's still mad.

On the corner of his bed are a set of fresh clothes he's laid out for me. It's his Run DMC shirt and his favorite joggers. I smile. It meant he was no longer upset with me.

He finally looks up from his book and stares at me. His stare makes shivers run up and down my spine. My heart starts hammering against my rib chest. He is looking at every inch of me from my toes to the top of my head. Cameron's eyes linger on my legs and my cleavage.

I'm still wearing the glorious dress Ari had given me. And though Ari had been a mess, I'd managed to stay intact mostly. My hair is wilder but my make-up isn't smudged. And despite Ari's tears, the dress is intact and dry. In other words, I still looked sexy and his eyes said as much.

"Can you help me unzip this?" I turn my back to him and shift the fabric concealing the zipper on the back. 

I can unzip it on my own, but then he wouldn't be able to. Behind me, the bed creaks and his feet pad softly on the carpet towards me. He shifts my hair aside and then his warm hand rests on my shoulder. Cool air brushes against my exposed skin as my dress slowly unzips. Lips graze the side of my shoulder than trail up to the back of my neck. His kisses are light and goosebumps rise on my arms and shoulders.

I turn around to face him then very slowly, very deliberately, slide my dress down and let it drop to the floor. Cameron takes in my lacy lingerie. His eyes go wide and he licks his lips. 

Then his mouth crashes down on mine. His tongue slides into my mouth; caressing my own. It feels good. I moan into his mouth. He grabs my waist and pulls me close. I can't get enough of him, can't get close enough. I try to press my body even closer.

He lifts my leg, pinning it to his side with his hands, and we press deeper into each other. I can feel him pressed against the thin layer of my panties. A familiar tingle and throbbing begins to build between my legs.

Without breaking our kiss, I jump up and wrap my legs around his waist. His fingers knead my thighs as he carries me towards the bed. My head lands on the pillow and his weight falls on top of me.

His tongue is hot and wet on my skin. Cameron's mouth trails along my jaw, down my neck, to my breast, then lower to my navel. A longing to feel him lower, deeper, inside of me, is building.

He looks up at me from under heavy brown lashes and says between heaving breaths, "Are you sure?"

We haven't had sex before. It's not his first time, but it's mine. But we'd spent some time under the sheets getting to know each other. I'm comfortable with him. I'm not afraid. All I feel is an incredible desire and inexplicable need to feel him closer.

I can see and feel how much he wants this.

Cameron's eyes watch me; waiting. They're hazel with flicks of bronze. The dim light dances off the bronze curls falling in his eyes. Bronze Boy is as beautiful as the night we first met. His thumb lazily caresses my inner thigh in a circular pattern. His other hand is resting on the edge of the lacy fabric between my legs. Without breaking his stare, he presses his warm lips against my skin.

I want this too. I want it more than I've ever wanted anything.

"Please," I beg in a breathy whisper.

He answers by pulling me into his mouth. I gasp and my eyes flutter shut.

Finally end of Chapter Six...Chapter Seven next.

Thanks, everyone for reading. It's one of my favs for obvious and not so obvious reason...I know I might I've broken some hearts with this update.

Was Cameron wrong for being upset? Or maybe Ari really is bad for her?