Cameron
We walk into the ballroom and the atmosphere is electric. Tash knows her stuff and these balls are an amazing achievement. Tash and Ashley have clicked and are getting along famously. Even Murph loves her.
“What do you want to drink?” Joshua asks us.
“I’ll have a Margarita,” Tash replies.
“Me, too.” Ash smiles. “My favorite drink. Great picking.”
“Scotch for me,” I murmur.
Natasha smiles and her and Ash begin to chatter. I’m distracted. I need to find my mother before she gets to Ashley.
“Back in a minute,” I whisper in Ash’s ear.
“Okay.” She smiles and gives me a squeeze of my hand.
I follow Joshua to the bar. “Have you seen mother?”
He glances around. “No.” His eyes hold mine in a silent acknowledgment. “Good idea,” he says.
My father comes into view as he walks through the crowd toward us. I laugh and shake his hand and pull him into an embrace. I love my father. He’s travelled from Australia to be here tonight. He never misses a function. His flight only landed a few hours ago.
“Hey, Dad.” I smile.
“How’s my son?” He grins.
“Good. Great, actually.”
Joshua turns when he sees our father and grabs him in a headlock. The two of them laugh together.
“Dad, I have someone I want you to meet.” I smile.
His eyebrows rise in surprise. I think that’s the first time I’ve ever said that to him.
I lead him through the crowd to the most beautiful girl in the room, and I wrap my arm around her from behind until she turns. “Ashley, this is my father, Robert.”
Her face falls in surprise. “Hello, lovely to meet you.” He kisses her on each cheek and smiles and then turns to take Natasha in his arms as he says hello to her. I glance around as the three of them make small talk.
Where is my mother?
Suddenly, I see her approach us through the crowd. Fuck it. I wanted to get her alone before she met Ashley.
“Cameron.” She smiles as she approaches and I wrap her in my arms.
I love my mother but I know she’s an acquired taste with zero tact.
She kisses Natasha and my father.
I smile. “I have someone I want you to meet.”
She turns in surprise.
“This is Ashley, my girlfriend.” I take Ashley’s hand in mine and my mother raises a brow.
“Girlfriend,” she repeats with surprise. “And when were you going to tell me this, Cameron?”
“I’m telling you now. Ashley, this is Margaret, my mother.”
My mother’s eyes drop to Ashley and she looks her up and down.
Ashley shrivels under her glare and I feel my protective instincts kick in.
“Hello, nice to meet you.” Ashley smiles.
Mother puts her hand out and shakes Ash’s hand with a fake smile. “Likewise.”
A frown crosses Ashley’s face and my father interjects, sensing my mother’s lack of manners.
“Ashley, what do you do for work?” he asks politely.
“I’m a final year med student,” she replies meekly as her eyes find mine across the group.
I smile and nod as my fury begins to rise.
I bend down. “A word, Mother,” I whisper in her ear as I pull her over to the wall.
“What is it?” she snaps.
“What was with that greeting to Ashley?” I snap.
She frowns in disgust. “You introduce someone to me as your girlfriend and expect me to play happy families? Forget it. How dare you not tell me you were seeing someone? It’s the height of rudeness. I should know everything that is going on with you.” She sneers.
“Let me make something very clear to you: Ashley is important to me and you will be fucking nice to her.”
“I’ll do nothing of the sort. She looks cheap. Where did you meet her? In a trailer park?” She looks around the room to escape my penetrating glare.
“Listen here… I mean it. You better behave yourself.” I growl.
Joshua walks over and my mother smiles and kisses him. “Oh, Joshua, talk to your brother. He’s picked up God knows who.”
Joshua rolls his eyes. “Cut the shit, Mom. Ashley’s nice.”
“You don’t even fucking know her.” I sneer. I swear to God, if she’s rude one more time, I’m going to lose it.
“Mind your language, Cameron,” she snaps. “How long have you known her?”
“I met her years ago and we lost touch. She’s only just came back to me.”
She smiles slyly. “Well, let’s just see how long she lasts, shall we?” She walks back through the crowd to Ashley. “We do know your track record with women.”
Joshua rolls his eyes.
“I swear to God, if she ruins Ashley’s night, it’s fucking go time.”
Joshua smirks. “Look at you getting all protective.”
I clench my jaw as I watch my mother’s fangs come out as she talks to Ashley across the room.
“You really like her don’t you?” he asks.
I nod once. I don’t even know how to verbalize how I feel about her.
He pats me on the shoulder. “This could be it, mate.”
I raise a sarcastic brow.
“Maybe she’s the one.” He smirks sarcastically.
“Fuck off, will you?” I reply flatly. He walks back to the group and I stand and watch them all talk.
She’s the one, alright. I knew it five years ago.
I know it more than ever now.
The night has been fun, but it’s coming to an end. Ashley, Natasha, and Adrian are dancing and laughing like they have known each other forever. I stand and watch them from my spot near the bar.
“You can’t take your eyes off her, can you?” Joshua asks.
“Hardly.”
“She’s beautiful.”
“I know.” I smile as I sip my drink.
He watches her for a moment. “It’s a weird feeling, isn’t it?”
I nod, knowing that he knows exactly how I’m feeling.
He’s obsessed with Natasha and always has been.
“How can you be with so many women and feel nothing, only to then meet one woman who makes you feel everything?” I ask.
“I don’t know.” He thinks for a moment.
“Wait till you have kids one day, mate. Then you’re totally fucked. Your heart doesn’t even beat inside your body anymore. It belongs to them.”
I frown. It doesn’t feel like it is now.
Ashley turns and sees me, and her face breaks into a broad smile. She wiggles her finger for me to go to her. I down my drink, put my glass on the bar and walk over to take her in my arms. We sway to the music in a slow waltz. She leans up and kisses me. “What an amazing night.” She smiles.
“It has been.”
“Your mother hates me.”
“My mother hates everyone. Pay her no attention.”
“That’s what Tash said.” She smiles hopefully.
Joshua comes and joins the group. He takes Natasha in his arms and they kiss tenderly.
Ashley smiles as she watches them. “God, those two are so in love, aren’t they?”
I smile as I watch them. “Since they were kids.”
Her face falls in surprise. “They fell in love when they were kids?”
I nod as I watch them laugh together. “They fell in love as kids and then couldn’t be together. They reconnected in their late twenties.”
Ashely smiles in wonder as she watches them. “Sounds so romantic.”
“They’ve got one of the most incredible love stories. They’ve been to Hell and back. They adore each other.”
She frowns and then looks up at me, smiling softly. “I adore you.”
I bend and take her lips in mine. “You ready to go home, Ashley Tucker, my all night fucker?”
She laughs out loud and I spin her around.
“With a romantic line like that, how can I resist?” she replies.
“Well, I am a three in the romance category, remember?” I raise a brow.
“Five.” She smirks.
We continue to sway to the music. “I’ve been upgraded to a five?”
She kisses me and then smiles softly, pulling my ear down to her mouth. “Maybe a seven, but don’t tell anyone,” she whispers. “I don’t want it to get out on the street.”
I laugh. This woman kills me. “How about I take you home where I know I can give you a ten?”
She licks her lips and smiles up at me, with those big beautiful eyes shining.
I need to bury myself deep inside this woman tonight.
Fuck. I can’t get enough.
I can’t get close enough.
I push my hips forward so she can feel how hard I am for her.
“Do you want to fuck me, Cam?” she whispers sexily.
“You know I do.”