The Final Countdown

Chapter 23

Maddie

With my pulse skyrocketing, I brush past my mother with Cameron still on video chat to practically sprint up to the guest room I'm staying in. My mother acted as if she didn't hear Cameron ask to speak to me in private when the conversation of Nina was brought up, humming to herself as she sprinkled different seasonings for the chili in the crockpot.

"Is everything okay?" I ask. As soon as I step into the room, I shut the door quietly with my back, careful not to make Elias cry again or wake Ethan up. About a thousand different scenarios are currently floating through my head, and all of them are irrational. Deep down, I know Cameron wouldn't cheat on me, but my worst fears are stabbing past my barrier of common sense.

What if he likes her more?

What if in the past few days, he's decided she's better than me? More fun? She is younger, after all.

"Mads." I snap out of my train of wayward thoughts when Cameron's voice floats through the speaker. "Hey, take a breath."

With a hand placed over my chest, I grip the phone tightly with my free one and take a seat on the plush mattress. "I'm sorry," I admit. "Please, just tell me what you need to before I have a full-blown panic attack."

Raking a hand through his disheveled curls, he sighs and says, "Nina said some...weird things today. She didn't outright hit on me," he blurts when he notices my cheeks turning red with anger, "but it didn't feel right, you know? And I wanted to talk to you about it first because maybe I'm overreacting."

I'm gritting my molars with so much force I'm surprised they haven't chipped yet. "What did she say?" I'm trying to be calm, but Cameron knows me better than anyone. He can tell I'm about to lose it.

"She was struggling to carry her boxes into the guest house, and I felt like shit because we forgot to hire movers for her. I helped her carry one of the boxes into the kitchen and she thanked me, but when she thanked me she grabbed my forearm."

Out of all the things in the world I thought he would say, it certainly wasn't that. "She grabbed your forearm? Like, in a seductive way, or..."

"I can't explain it, but it felt..." He trails off, trying to find the right words. "It just felt like she held on for a beat too long if that makes sense. I've been around women my entire life, Mads. I know when flirtation is there, and the intent of her hand on my forearm was calculated. At least it seemed that way."

"And you don't think this could possibly be you reading too much into things?" Nina is a beautiful woman. Perhaps Cam was afraid I'd find out it happened and immediately blame him for it, thus jumping to conclusions about it all.

"At first, I wrote it off as me overreacting but then..."

I think I'm going to vomit.

"She walked back to the house to wake Iz up from her nap. When I told her I'd watch her for the rest of the day, Nina suggested I take some time to myself to relax because I work so hard. She insinuated that you probably wouldn't mind giving me a massage after work once in a while because it's every girl's dream."

Jealously has been a liveable breathing factor in the history of Cameron and mine's relationship. I'd love to say I'm a woman who doesn't care if another girl tries to hit on my husband, but I'd be blatantly lying. The thought of Nina potentially lusting after Cameron has my right eye twitching, and the comforter clenched tightly in a fist.

Still, what Nina suggested wasn't enough to get her fired. On pen and paper, we're her bosses, but there's also a signed contract between us. Nina could sue us for unlawful termination if she deemed it necessary. There's no proof she's been trying to hit on Cameron, and suggesting I give him a massage may be heading into dangerous territory, but it's not enough to terminate her employment with us. And the last thing we need is more negative media attention right now.

The wheels are turning in my head as Cam releases another sigh. "I might be overreacting."

"You aren't," I reply, tone clipped. "That wasn't professional of her to say that to you, but it's not enough to fire her. She didn't try to throw herself at you or anything. I think... I think we need to let this play out. Maybe she didn't mean for it to be interpreted that way. What did you say back to her?"

"I dismissed her for the day."

My lips tug into a grin. I shouldn't find that hot, but I do. My sexy, insatiable husband loves me more than life itself. I wish I was home with him right now so I could straddle him and show him just how much I appreciate the man he is.

"We don't need any more negative media attention. Not until we figure all of this out with Katie. If it escalates any further, fire her ass, but for now... For now, I'll keep an eye on her."

Cam arches a brow. "And how do you plan to do that?"

I flop onto my back, holding the camera above my face. "By doing frequent check-ins when I'm not at work to ensure Izzy is still being safely cared for, and also by groping you every chance I get."

He laughs, and the sound makes me feel buttery light inside. "I'm not going to complain about that. I'd never complain about that."

My eyes scan his face, over his slightly crooked nose and chiseled jawline to his full, plump lips. I knew marrying him we'd go through situations like these where women would try to weasel their way into our marriage. And maybe Nina really didn't mean it the way it came out. I know I've said things I haven't meant before.

God, I really am too nice, aren't I?

"You look so fucking good right now," Cameron mutters, dipping his gaze to where my tits are pushed up to my chin from my position in the v-neck t-shirt I'm wearing. "You know there's never going to be anyone else for me aside from you, right? And you know I'll give you reassurance whenever you need it?"

I nod silently, my pulse skittering to a rapid speed. In seconds, my heart is beating at an odd rate as Cam switches his phone into his left hand. I know exactly why he needs his right hand available, and it's certainly not for texting.

"Do you need reassurance right now?" He asks.

I don't need him to reiterate how much I mean to him because he proves it to me on a daily basis. I'm more than confident in our marriage and this life we've built together, but that still doesn't help my anger towards a woman possibly trying to come between us. This life of fame is bringing a lot of unwanted guests, and sometimes, I just wish it could be easier for us. Just me, him, and the family we're going to create. That's all.

And right now, in this guest bedroom, it's only me and him.

Rising from the bed, I lock the door, my lips twitching into a devilish smile. "That depends. Do you want to give me reassurance?"

"Oh, more than ever." His voice has dropped an octave into that sultry, smooth honey-like vibrato that could send me to my knees in an instant.

"Show me how badly you want to," I tease.

He moves the camera to showcase his hard cock, running his hand up his shaft to stroke the full length. I'm entranced starting at the velvet crown that feels oh so delicate in my mouth. The veins and ridges I've delicately traced with my tongue, knowing just which spots make him tick. I'm practically salivating when he thumbs off a bead of moisture that forms at the tip, using it to continue stroking. "Is this enough proof for you?" He rasps. "Let me show you just how much you turn me on."

"Hm..." I tap a finger on my chin as if I'm unaffected even though there's already a damp spot formed on my leggings. Truthfully, the man could do anything and I'd be a puddle. "I don't know..."

"Maddie," he pleads. "I'll do anything."

"Anything?" I ask.

He nods, shifting his hips to meet his hand as he palms his cock. I've always appreciated that Cameron isn't quiet in bed, and hearing those moans of his as he gets himself off has my thighs clenched tighter than Fort Knox.

I'm at my brother's house with my mother downstairs cooking chili, but how am I supposed to deny him when he looks like a Greek god on the damn screen?

What the hell, right?

"Fine, Holden," I say with a playful smile, lying down on the mattress once more. "Show me what you've got."