The Secret (Magnolia Grove #4) - SERIES COMPLETE

Chapter 15 - {Holden}

MY MOUTH IS dry, and my palms sweaty. "You're not my mother."

She bites her lip as they curve into a smile. "Nope," she says, raking her eyes over my body like she's been starving and maybe I'm her food.

Peeking around her, I look for her car. "They let you drive yourself home?"

"Nope."

"Did you go home last night after I left?" I ask, completely puzzled by her single word answers. She's never been the quiet one.

"Nope."

This time, I smirk at her. Note to self: Stop asking yes or no questions. Inching closer to her, I lean down to her ear and whisper, "Who brought you here?"

She shivers. "You smell like stale beer," she says ever so softly in my ear, but I swear she lets her lips touch my lobe when she's done. Her breathing sends a message straight to my cock.

Chuckling, I don't move because I'm so damn glad to see her on my front doorstep, to feel her breath on my skin. "Funny. My mother said that. Sure you're not her dressed in a disguise?"

She sticks her finger out and pokes my dick. "I'd hope you wouldn't be sporting that for her."

"Only you. Did she bring you here?"

"Maybe."

Fuck. No more yes or no questions, Holden. Reaching out, I brace the doorframe, spreading my body into a bit of an X to support myself after my body starts to protest my antics from last night. "What did the doctor say caused you to be so sick?"

"Bleeding ulcer."

"Figured that's what it was."

"Are you gonna invite me in?" she finally asks me.

"Not yet. I kinda like this game we're playing."

She's probably weak and tired, though.

"Unless you're weak."

"Nope."

"I am."

She laughs. "No, no, you're not. You're stronger than anyone I know. And brave. And persistent. And patient."

I back up, wanting to look into her eyes as she says all these...nice...things about me. No smartass bickering. Maybe she's not herself.

"Invite me in if you want to hear the rest."

I back away from the door, giving her space to enter. "Do you wanna come in?"

"Nope."

"What the fuck, Cam?"

She grins a wicked smile. "Ask it another way."

"Come in?"

"Nope." She slowly shakes her head.

"I give up."

"Repeat after me, Holden."

"Oookay."

"Do."

"Do," I repeat.

"You."

I let out a little laugh and lick my lips. "You."

"Choose."

Fuck. My heart starts galloping in my chest because I think I have an idea of where she's going with this. "Choose."

"Me?"

"Yes."

She smiles. "Do you choose me?"

"I choose you." I know exactly what she wants me to do, but she's so damn cute, I can't help but mess with her.

"No, you're doing it wrong." She giggles. "Say. It. Ask. Me."

"Do. You. Choose. Me, Cammie?"

She jumps into my arms, wrapping her legs around my waist. See. Totally. Unexpected. Beautiful. Smart. Girl. My girl. She hovers her lips over mine as I grip her ass. Her hands are on either side of my face. "Yep," she says before kissing me. I kick the door closed.

"I love you, tigress. And your little game of yep and nope."

She rubs her nose against mine. "I love you, Holden. Games are so much more fun with you."

"Did you get a charger?"

"I did. Thank you for what you did for me with my family. I think Wells is sorry. My dad, eh." She bobs her head from side to side. "Not so much. But maybe we'll get there. Even if he doesn't, I still choose you."

I sit us down on the couch, running my hands through her hair as she straddles my lap. It reminds me of that first day in the cabana. "Give him time."

She nods. "And by the way, you were wrong."

I stare at her dumbfounded. "Really?" I find that hard to believe. I'm hardly ever wrong. "How so?"

"I had a lot of time in the hospital to think about all the things you said." She shrugs, arching an eyebrow. "You said my father took away my choice. And he did for nine years, but then he gave it back to me in Rind 'N Grind the day after the auction."

"Actually, I recall him saying if you left with me, not to bother explaining. That's an ultimatum, and I've never really considered those choices. Besides, you left alone."

She runs her finger down my lips. "Ah, yes. I remember. I was there. That was before getting in your car instead of the Uber I ordered."

I stiffen. She caresses my neck, strums my collarbone.

"Where I let my hand wander down..." Her fingers completely bypass my chest and find their way to my cock. She squeezes my steel erection. "Here," she says before biting her bottom lip. "And, as if that wasn't enough of a statement...a choice...I moved into your mother's guest house, where it was obvious we were having slumber parties."

Fuck, she's hot. "So..."

"So, Holden Jaxon Masters, let's try this again. No more secrets. Only promises."

"What if I told you right now I have one more secret? Would you be mad? Are secrets okay to keep if I promise it's not the destructive kind?"

She grins. "Hmm. I think I may know what your secret is."

I laugh. She's cute. There's no way she knows what this one is. "Do you, now?"

"Is it you telling me you're finally ready to experience how good I feel while my legs are wrapped around you, your cock buried deep inside me, with me only wearing a pair of my Louboutins? Are you finally going to let my shoes live up to their little nickname you gave them?"

Sucking in a breath, I give her a little dose of her own medicine. "Nope."

"Hmm," she says, nibbling my neck.

"Not the same secret I'm thinking about. But I guess I didn't realize I had two until just now. That one definitely is up there on the priority list."

She grinds against me. "I guess good secrets are okay, then."

I'm so lightheaded, so dizzy, so in love with her. "Cam?"

"Huh?"

"Thank you."

"For what?" she asks, her head tilting.

"For being so damn perfect." Because I know if I cared to look it up in Webster, it'd use her name as an example in a sentence.