One Last Thing - Chapter 9

Lily

Lily told herself she was tired. It was the heat. The adrenaline. The way Austin lingered in her bones even after the sun went down. All of it added up to a perfectly reasonable explanation for why she kept replaying Cam’s face in her head—the way he’d looked at her like he was bracing for impact.

She ordered room service she barely touched and sat on the edge of the hotel bed, phone face down beside her. She didn’t need to text him any more tonight. Especially not now, when they were being good. Professional. Careful. They’d drawn the line together, with mutual nods and adult restraint and all the right intentions.

Which meant it felt fragile. Like a cage made of glass.

Her phone buzzed. She stared at it for a long second before flipping it over. I can’t sleep. Visions of Cam popped into her head—knowing him, he was lounging around without a shirt. She was so keyed up right now. So restless. Not just from driving and the pressures of racing. All this resisting had her body humming.

She grabbed her room key and after checking the hall in both directions, strode with purpose down to his room. She knocked twice. Quietly. Her pulse pounded in her ears. Is this a bad idea?

As if he’d heard her question, he opened the door. He was indeed shirtless, wearing gray sweats that his slim frame could barely hold up, leaving those devastating hip contours on full display. Not a bad idea.

“I was thinking,” she said. “Maybe we just need to do this. Get it out of the way. Then we can finish the season with a clean slate between us.”

“Like a fling?”

“Call it whatever you want.”

He smiled so wide it hurt her heart. “Get in here.” He tugged her inside, stuck the “Do Not Disturb” hanger on the door, then closed it and flipped the deadbolt. As he walked toward her, she wondered how she’d ever resisted him for so much as a second. She deserved a trophy for that alone. Champion Resister of Cam Fowler. Except she was ready to decline that award.

He pulled her into his arms and kissed her like he was continuing that kiss in the hotel hall in Zandvoort, his mouth hot and tongue exploring. Impatience quickly got the better of her, as she pushed him back on the bed, climbed up and straddled his lap, digging her fingers into his hair. Their mouths crashed into each other, full throttle and with zero hesitation—everything two calculating drivers had to do when they wanted the most out of being on track. She sat back and whipped off her T-shirt, launching it across the room. Cam grinned—that golden-boy smile that melted the hearts of millions of his fans. Tonight, he was all hers.

She went back in for another kiss while he unhooked her bra and pulled it forward. His hands on her breasts were pure magic, sending every ounce of tension in her body straight to her core, binding it up, and well…setting it on fire. She palmed his bare shoulders, curled her fingers into his warm skin, every muscle underneath worth committing to memory. She spent every minute of every day working her ass off for the thing she wanted, knowing she might not ever get it. It was so liberating to have at least a little delayed gratification satisfied—this physical connection
with Cam.

She ground her center against his crotch and that was apparently his cue to roll her to her back and take over. He planted one deep kiss on her lips, then eased off the bed and shucked his sweatpants and boxers. Lily got lightheaded. He was astoundingly easy on the eyes, all lean muscle and long lines. Cam might have the heart of a teddy bear, but there was a wolf in there, too. It was what made him spectacular on track. It also made him unbelievable in bed.

“Your turn,” he said, reaching down and unbuttoning her jeans, then curling his fingers into the waistband, taking her panties along with them. There she was, exposed as could be. With everyone else, she kept up her defenses. It was the surest mode of survival. But there was something about Cam that made her eventually give all that up. She could only stay strong for so long.