Unspoken Words (Unspoken #1) (8 page)

Stretching, I reach over and grab my phone off of the nightstand. There are several texts from Morgan, Lindsey, and Karsen checking to see how I feel this morning. When Christian and I left them at the diner last night, they knew I was going to have one hell of a hangover this morning. They watched me consume a decent amount of alcohol last night. More than I normally do. I figured if I drank enough, it could numb the pain that I felt in my chest. Maybe the alcohol would have masked the embarrassment that I felt every time I looked at Jamie as he sat across from me at the table.

Morgan: Hey, drunk bitch, we’re heading to Redemption tonight. I have a private room set up for us. Bar bill is on Lincoln and me. Be ready at 10, we’ll swing by and grab you guys.

Me: After the amount of alcohol I consumed last night, I really DO NOT want to go out tonight. Was I that bad last night?

Morgan: WHATEVER, you’re going out. Wear that tight strapless black dress you have and your red Manolo Blahnik heels. NO ARGUING. Yes, you were drunk, but not too much to handle

Me: Ugh . . . Can’t we just have a movie night?

Morgan: NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!! Don’t make me have to come there and dress you myself. You had a shitty night last night. That is not the welcome home party I wanted for you. We will dance and drink all night. Tonight will be awesome!!

Me: Okay . . . Okay . . . I’m gonna jump in the shower and head out for a run. I slept like shit last night, so I need to try and burn some energy off.

Morgan: I can think of a few ways you can burn some energy off. It begins with a J and ends with an E, with AMI in between (lol) That boy has it hard for you. No pun intended.

Me: WHATEVER . . . His silence spoke volumes last night.

Morgan: Maybe you just caught him off guard. Cut him some slack, Cam.

Me: I gotta run. I’ll talk to you later.

Morgan: Don’t ignore my text about you catching him off guard. This conversation is NO WHERE NEAR OVER!!

Me: Love ya too . . . talk to you later. Putting phone on charger. MUAH

I finally get up, grab my toiletry bag and head down the hall to the bathroom. The apartment is quiet, so Christian must still be sleeping. I turn on the shower and wait for the water to get hot. Looking at myself in the mirror, I’m a little scared at the reflection staring back at me. My eyeliner is smeared and my hair looks like rats ran through it while I slept. Oh God, last night was rough. I step into the shower and when the hot water hits my body, my muscles immediately begin to relax.

By the time I am done with my shower and wrapped in a comfy towel, I decide to scratch the idea of going for a run.

I need to get this nasty taste out of my mouth. Quickly I brush my teeth and gargle some mouthwash, hoping it will help.

When I open the bathroom door, I hear
his
voice.
Shit
. . . Jamie is here, what the hell? It’s only ten o’clock, why is he here already? This day cannot get any worse. I grip the towel tighter and try to sneak out of the bathroom without being noticed. I fail miserably, because Jamie spots me immediately.

“Don’t think I don’t see you. You and I need to talk. Like now,” Jamie says, his eyes scowling and pleading at the same time.

“There isn’t anything to talk about, Jamie.” He and I stare at each other and I pull my towel tighter around my chest, suddenly feeling self-conscious and exposed.

I can tell he is pissed. “Like hell there isn’t.” He looks back at my brother sitting on the couch, “Give me a few minutes, I need to talk to your sister.”

I ignore him and continue to walk into Christian’s bedroom and slam the door.

I hear my brother say, “Go for it, Bro. I think you are going to need more than a few minutes. I’ll get the coffee brewing and start breakfast. Breakfast should be done by the time you finish getting through that thick head of hers.”

Jamie barges in the room, shuts the door behind him.

I am beyond pissed now. My head feels like it is going to explode and I do not want to have this conversation with him. I take a deep breath and when I turn around, Jamie is chest to chest with me.

“You need to hear me out. What happened last night was a mistake.” His voice is firm and final.

A gasp leaves my throat involuntarily. I push against his chest and he takes a step back. I need space to breathe. I can’t have him this close to me. Not today, not after last night, not after he just said last night was a mistake.

“You’re goddamn right it was.” I turn around and walk over to my duffle bag on the bed. I need to get dressed and get the hell away from him. I am trying to find a pair of yoga pants and a tank top when Jamie comes up behind me. He puts his arms around my waist, pulling my body against his chest. I struggle to pull away, but he just holds me tighter.

“Calm down, Cami. I didn’t mean it like that. You’re only hearing what you want to hear.”

I take a deep breath and let it out. I repeat this action several times, trying to calm myself down before I lose my shit. My head is throbbing, my heart is racing. His tight hold only pisses me off even more.

“LET. ME. GO. NOW!” I demand through gritted teeth. Trying to get out of his hold, I twist and turn, attempting to loosen the death grip that he has on me. This just infuriates him more, causing him to pull me against his chest again.

“Are you done acting like an ass?”

I close my eyes and continue to take deep breaths to calm down. I mutter to myself, “Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out.”

Maybe I should try a different route. I am still naked and this should buy me some time.

“Can you please get out? I need to get dressed. I’m naked under this towel, in case you haven’t noticed.” I grab my towel by my left breast to keep it secure around my body.

“Oh, trust me, I’ve noticed you’re only in a towel. It’s driving me fucking crazy. But I’m not leaving until you hear me out,” Jamie says firmly.

“I heard exactly what you said, Jamie. You said that last night was a mistake. I heard you loud and clear just like last night. I’m not an idiot, although you made me look and feel like one.”

I don’t have it in me to fight with Jamie. He must sense that I feel defeated and he turns me around to face him. He places his finger under my chin, “Camryn, please look at me.”

When I don’t look up, he applies a little pressure against his finger, forcing me to stare in his eyes.

“Last night wasn’t a mistake. Me not answering your question was a mistake. You caught me completely off guard. I wanted to answer you, I just couldn’t find the words. They were on the tip of my tongue, the words have just been kept under wraps for so many years that I didn’t know how to voice my feelings for you.”

My heart is speeding up even more because of what he is saying.

He takes a deep breath. “When I tell you how I feel, I want the words to be perfect. Ones you’ll remember for all your life.”

Tears build in my eyes. I am trying my hardest not to let them fall. But one by one they begin to stream down my cheeks. I quickly try to bat them away. “Jamie, I don’t know why I asked you that. I should have never put you on the spot.”

Jamie lets out a deep sigh. “There you go again, you’re not listening to me. You didn’t put me on the spot. You had a question that you wanted an answer to. Yes, I am attracted to you, Cami. You know that I think you are the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on.”

He cups my face tenderly in his warm hands. Slowly and seductively, his gaze drops from my eyes, to my bare shoulders to the swell of my breasts. He leans in, his lips brush against mine. His tongue traces the softness of my lips. My knees weaken as his mouth descends down my jaw, burying his face in my neck. From just his kiss, my body aches for his touch.

The sound of the smoke alarms and the banging on the door makes me pull away from him.

We both turn and stare at the door, which then flies open. Christian looks between Jamie and me with wide eyes. His eyes going back and forth between the two of us, taking in the scene before him. Jamie still has his arms around my waist. Christian has a bewildered look on his face, then smirks at us.

“Sorry for all the noise. I sort of burned breakfast. But I managed to not fuck up the coffee. There are bagels in the cabinet, the bacon isn’t edible.” Christian turns to leave but stops and looks at us. “I don’t even want to know what was happening in here.” Then continues to walk out leaving the bedroom door open.

Jamie looks down at me. “This conversation isn’t over. We’ll talk later when he isn’t around, okay? That way there won’t be any interruptions.”

My voice is hoarse with frustration, I murmur, “Sure.” My lips are still warm and moist from his kiss. I raise my fingers to them, wishing the kiss would have lasted longer.

He sighs then lets me out of his embrace. Jamie leaves the room in pursuit of my pain-in-the-ass brother who has the worst timing in the world. I flop down on the bed, throwing my hands over my head, praying that this day doesn’t get any worse.

I hate fighting with Jamie. The only good thing that came out of our fight was he just confessed that he does see me as more than a best friend.

I can sense Jamie needing to tell me more. I saw it in his eyes . . . felt it when his fingers dug against my skin. I even felt it in the pulsing bulge between his legs as he held me tight against his chest. This is definitely not over between us and we just need time alone to figure this all out.

JAMIE

WALKING OUT OF
Christian’s bedroom, the smell of burnt bacon turns my stomach. A cloud of smoke hangs in the air. Christian is rushing around, opening up the windows in the kitchen, so I help him out by opening the ones in the living room.

“How did you manage to fuck up breakfast, dude? You make breakfast for us almost every weekend, and you never manage to screw it up.” Christian is acting odd, so I know he is up to something.

Avoiding looking at me, he walks over to the cabinet and grabs the bagels and pops one in the toaster. He takes a few mugs from the cabinet and heads over to the coffee pot, “I wasn’t paying attention.”

I walk over and snatch a mug from the counter. Christian turns around and fills my mug with coffee. “What do you mean you weren’t paying attention?”

Looking sheepish, he chuckles, “Do you really want to know?”

Raising my eyebrows, “Yes, please do tell, I am dying to know.”

“I was eavesdropping outside of the bedroom door.” Laughing he walks toward the fridge to grab the coffee creamer.

I walk over and snatch the coffee creamer out of his hand and pour some in my cup. Turning around to face Christian, I say to him, “Let me get this straight. You fucked up our breakfast, because you were being a nosey shithead? Dude, that is a new low, even for you. You could have just waited and made us a kick ass breakfast. I would have filled you in later when we were at the gym.”

Christian shrugs his shoulders, “The two of you seemed pretty heated, I just wanted to make sure that everything was okay.”

Glaring at him, “Are you kidding me? You wanted to make sure everything was okay? When have things between me and Camryn ever not been okay? We argue, we get over it. We bicker, we move on. You, of all people, should know that.” I walk around the counter and pull out a stool to sit on. After I take a sip of my coffee, I continue, “There was a misunderstanding last night and I needed to clear it up with her. I didn’t want her being pissed at me all day.”

The toaster pops and Christian slides the bagel on a plate in my direction. I spread on some cream cheese and take a bite.

“Cami, do you want a bagel?” Christian yells down the hall.

She responds, “Sure, I’ll be out in a few minutes.”

“Did the two of you settle this
misunderstanding
?”

Taking another sip of my coffee, I look at Christian over the brim of my cup. “I think we did. Only time will tell.”

“Don’t hurt her, dude, I’m warning you,” he says as he leans back against the counter, crossing his arms over his chest.

“I would never hurt her.” I bite out and take a calming breath. “I just need to figure out how to tell her how I feel.”

He glares at me. “You have been in love with my sister for years. Pull your head out of your ass and just tell her. You get one life, Jamie. Make sure you live it with the one you love. Every minute you waste is a minute you don’t get to spend with my sister. Make every second count.”