Then You Happened (12 page)

Chapter 21

Cameron

I sat there in disbelief as Sierra bankrupted all of us and owned every piece of property on the board. My dad walked over and shook his head.

“Maybe you should be in the corporate business, little lady.”

She looked over at me and winked. It was the first time in a long time that I lost. She drank the last bit of wine that was in her glass and said that she was heading up to bed. Jolene jumped up and said she was heading up to bed too. She seemed really excited to have a roommate.

I took off my pants and shirt and tossed them on the dresser. As I climbed into bed, I took my phone and sent a text message to Sierra.

“Can you come to my room?”

“Already there.”

She slowly opened the door and stepped inside, making sure to close it quietly behind her. I lifted up the covers and she climbed in, sitting up with her back against the headboard.

“You totally rocked that game.”

“You need to remember where I come from.”

“I let you win.” I smiled.

“You did not. It was all perfectly strategized on my part. Can we have sex?” she blurted out.

“I don’t know. With you being a lesbian and all.”

She laughed as I grabbed her hands when she went to smack me.

“Take off that nightshirt and get down here.” I smiled.

She quickly lifted her nightshirt over her head and tossed it on the floor. She positioned her body perfectly against mine so we were spooning. The more her naked flesh pressed against mine, the harder I became.

“Feel that?” I asked as I pressed my erection against her bare ass. “If you want this, then you have to be quiet.”

“I’m always quiet.” She giggled.

“I beg to differ,” I whispered as I cupped her beautiful breasts in my hands and pushed myself until I was deep inside her.

Once we were finished, she sat up, put on her nightshirt, and kissed my lips.
“Thanks for the booty call and Happy Birthday.” She winked.

“Anytime, babe. Happy B
irthday to you.” I winked back.

She quietly left the room and, as I lay there, I couldn’t help but think about how much I wanted her every day and how much I wanted her to need me. She was becoming an addiction and that was something I didn’t ask for.

****

Sierra

I couldn’t sleep. Not only did I feel like an egg sizzling on the sidewalk in the damn heat, but the loud snore that came from little Jolene was obnoxious. I took my phone from the nightstand and looked at it. Not one single happy birthday text.
Are you fucking kidding me?
As I looked closer, I noticed I had no service, zero, zilch. Damn country. I looked at the time. It was five forty-five. I got out of bed and went downstairs to the kitchen. I popped a k-cup in the Keurig and, once it brewed, I took it outside on the patio. I jumped when I saw Cameron sitting in one of the chairs.

“Shit!” I quietly yelled as some coffee spilled from the cup. “I didn’t know anyone was out here.”

He got up and handed me a napkin. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. You just startled me.”

“Happy Birthday.” He smiled as his lips brushed against mine.

“Thank you. Happy B
irthday to you. Why are you up so early?”

“Why are you?”

“I’ll tell you why. Your sister saws logs all night and it’s as hot as a camel standing in the middle of a desert.”

“Huh?” he said.

I gave him a wave of my hand and sat down in the chair next to him.

“Why are you up and out here so early?”

“I love being out here with my coffee and watching the morning fog rise off the lake. It’s so peaceful and it’s enough to make you really think about life.”

Suddenly, my phone started blowing up. Service must have finally kicked in. I had over a hundred text messages from everyone wishing me a happy birthday, including one from Ava with a picture of us from last year’s birthday celebration. Cameron smiled as he took the phone out of my hand and set it down on the table.

“Enjoy this view while it lasts.”

I didn’t want to enjoy the view. I wanted to read all my text messages and emails. The service was sketchy up here and I didn’t know when I’d get it back. There was a text message that came through and caught my attention. It was from Ryan.

“Happy Birthday, Sierra. I just thought I’d let you know that I’ve moved back to Los Angeles. Maybe we can catch up some time.”

I needed to take in a deep breath because I couldn’t believe the nerve of that asshole. How dare he fucking text me. HOW. DARE. HE.

****

Cameron drove us to the marina. I looked around and was really confused because this marina didn’t look like the marinas back in Los Angeles. Where were the big, exciting boats? I started to worry. Cameron took my hand and led me to the dock where a boat was sitting. He climbed on and turned around and looked at me when I stopped.

“What’s wrong? Climb in.”

“What’s this?” I asked with a smile.

“It’s a fishing boat. We’re going fishing.”

I was confused because he never said a word about fishing. “No, we’re not. We’re going to spend the day on a boat. A real boat.”

“Sierra, this is a real boat and we are spending the day on it. We’re going to fish. I’m teaching you how to fish!” He smiled.

The fake smile that was plastered to my face stayed. “I don’t fish. I hate fish. I won’t even eat fish. When you said we were spending the day on the boat, I thought you meant, like, drinking and basking in the sun.”

“This is a lake. A beautiful, peaceful lake. Not an ocean. This lake is meant to enjoy fishing and that’s what we’re going to do. Now get your sweet ass in here so we can go.” He smiled.

“No,” I said as I folded my arms.

“No? Really, Sierra?”

He stepped out of the boat like he was mad and walked over to me, picked me up, and carried me onto the boat.

“No. This was not my idea of a boat trip,” I said, kicking.

“Yeah, well, it’s wasn’t my idea to take ballroom dancing lessons and wear those stupid shoes. But I did it anyway for you. So you will do this for me and you will like it!”

I sat down on the seat and looked at him. He was really hot when he was being authoritative. I was getting turned on, but I didn’t let him know that. I was mad at him, no matter how sexy he was.

“Here,” he said as he handed me a brown paper bag.

I grabbed it out of his hand, opened it, and pulled out a bottle of tequila and a plastic glass.

“I figured you would need and want that,” he said as he untied the boat and we began to take off across the lake.

“Thank you, but I’m still mad.”

“That’s okay, Sierra. You can be mad all you want. In fact, sit there in silence if you wish. I’m going to do some fishing. It’s been a long time since I was out here and I miss it. Maybe, just maybe, if you opened your eyes to the other side of life, instead of being so caught up in your material world, you’d appreciate life a little more and you’d see the beauty in things you never knew existed.”

I rolled my eyes. How dare him. What the hell was the matter with these guys? Whatever. I was just going to get my tequila on and soak up the sun. My phone chimed with a text message from Royce.

“Happy B
irthday, sexy. If you’re around, I’d love to give you your birthday gift. It’s about ten orgasms wrapped up in a new toy I acquired. How about it?”

Right now, that sounded good. I could go for George giving me ten orgasms. Oh yeah. I forgot. I was in the middle of a lake, being held captive, and forced to look at slimy fish.

“Sorry, Royce. I’m in North Carolina on a fishing boat. Go me!”

“Sounds dreadful. I’m sorry you got yourself into that situation. We’ll fuck
when you get back. Call me and Happy Birthday.”

Cameron got out his fishing rod and lures. He stopped the boat in the middle of the lake and cast his reel out into the water. I stood up and took off the sun dress I was wearing, revealing the bikini I had on underneath. I sipped on my tequila and closed my eyes, taking in the hot rays of
the sun. I was startled and grabbed the side of the boat as Cameron jumped up and started to reel in his rod.

“Look at that beauty!” He smiled as he dangled his rod with the fish he caught in front of me.

“Get that thing away from me!” I said as I fell onto the floor.

He laughed. “Come on, Sierra. It’s only a fish.”

“I HATE FISH! I already told you that. They creep me out.”

He took the fish off the hook and threw it back into the water, then he held out his hand and helped me up.

“I’m sorry.” He chuckled.

“It just tickles me pink that you find my fears so amusing.”

He cocked his head as his eyes traveled from my head down to my toes. “You look extra sexy in that bikini.”

“Save it for the fish.” I scowled.

Cameron sighed and went back to fishing while I went back to drinking my tequila, trying to forget how miserable this birthday was becoming.

Chapter 22

Cameron

I looked behind me and saw that Sierra was sprawled out over the bench with her eyes closed. I couldn’t help but stare at how beautiful her body was. She had me hard from the minute she took off that dress. I didn’t dare let her know. She was already pissed off at me for taking her fishing. What I wouldn’t give to make love to her on the boat, in the middle of the lake. I was starting to get hungry as I looked at the cooler I brought with us.

“Hey, Sierra.”

She opened one eye and, if looks could kill, I’d be dead right about now.

“What?”

“Could you hold the rod for me while I eat a sandwich? I’m hungry.”

She sat up and took the rod from my hand. “Do you want one?” I asked.

“No, thank you.”

“Just hold it still. Don’t move it, mess with it, nothing.”

I grabbed a sandwich and a coke from the cooler and sat down on the bench. I was enjoying my sandwich until Sierra began to scream.

“Cameron, I think we caught something!” she exclaimed as she pulled up the rod.

I jumped up from my seat and stood behind her while I told her what to do.

“Reel it in and pull. Oh my God, this baby is huge. Pull back and reel it in. You can do it.”

She struggled, but I was there to guide her. She finally reeled in the line and there was a beautiful big fish hanging from the end of it.

“Look!” She smiled.

“Congratulations, babe. You just caught your very first fish.”

“Yay, me! Just go ahead and keep it over there while you unhook him.”

At that moment, a part of Sierra had been opened up to a whole new world. As much as she hated to admit it, I could tell how excited she was when she reeled that fish out of the water.

“So, do you have another reel?”

“Really? You want to fish now?” I asked.

“Yeah, that was kind of fun.” She smiled.

I grabbed the other rod and taught her how to tie the lure on. We spent the next three hours catching fish and making fun of each other. Before we headed back, I laid Sierra down on the floor and made love to her under a blanket. We almost got caught. Almost.

****

Sierra

“So, what’s it like?” Jolene asked as she sat on her bed and watched me do my hair.

“What is what like?”

“Being a lesbian?”

Oh, for fuck sake.
Did she really just ask me that?
“Umm. It’s fine, I guess. Why are you asking?”

“I don’t know. I kissed a girl last year. A random girl in a bar and it kind of stayed with me.”

I shuddered. “Do you have a boyfriend?” I asked.

“No. I’ve never had a boyfriend. I’ve just never really been interested in guys.”

Oh boy. I thought Cameron’s little sister was trying to tell me she might be a lesbian.

“I find girls more attractive,” she said.

I stopped brushing my hair and turned around to face her. “Then go with your feelings. Never hide who you are.”

Before I knew it, Jolene jumped up from the bed and smashed her mouth against mine. It was only for a second and I was completely caught off guard.

“What the hell is going on?” Cameron yelled as he walked in the room.

“Nothing. I was just testing something,” she said as she walked out.

I stood there, my eyes as wide as they could get and in shock.

“Would you like to tell me what the hell just happened?”

“I think Jolene is a lesbian and she may have just confirmed it with me.”

“What? My sister is not a lesbian.”

“Yeah, Cam. I think she is,” I said with a twisted face.

He shook his head and told me that it was time to leave for dinner. “By the way, you look really nice,” he said before walking out of the room.

I smiled as I set the brush down on the dresser and took one last look at myself. My cute little floral print skirt that I bought from Old Navy and my ankle boots looked nice. This was an interesting birthday and one I wouldn’t be forgetting any time soon.

“Look at you. You look adorable.” Luanne smiled as I walked down the steps. “Kelly and her husband Jeff are going to meet us at the restaurant. You’ll get to meet our grandbaby, Savannah.” She giggled.

Great. I could hardly wait.
Cameron and I climbed into the rental car and Mark and Jaden got in the back.

“Hey, do either of you know anything about Jolene liking girls?” Cameron asked.

“I wouldn’t be surprised,” Jaden said. “She’s never been on a date with a guy.”

“Sierra,” Mark spoke from the back seat. “How long has it been since you’ve been out of the closet?”

Cameron looked at me and chuckled.

“Oh, it feels like it was only yesterday,” I replied with an eye roll and a wave of my hand.

We pulled up to the restaurant and, when we walked inside, the Cole family was already sitting at a table, waiting for us. I met Kelly, her baby, Savannah, and her husband, Jeff. Like any dinner with a one-year-old, it was eventful. Lots of whining and crying when she didn’t get her way. If I wanted to hear all that, I could have stayed in Los Angeles with Kirsty. After we finished eating, the waitress brought out a birthday cake and everyone sang “Happy Birthday” to me and Cameron. As I sat and watched Cameron and his family, I could feel the love that poured out of all of them. The conversations they had were funny but heart-warming. A dinner with my mother, Clive, and Ava could never be like that. Our dinners always revolved around complaining about the latest designer or who didn’t get invited to certain social events.

“You guys coming to the bar?” Mark asked.

“Yep. You ready?” Cameron replied.

Kelly handed Savannah over to Luanne and Jerry because they were the designated
babysitters while Kelly and Jeff went to the bar with us. We pulled up in the gravel parking lot and I stared straight ahead at the wood-sided building that sat far back in what seemed like the middle of the woods. To me, this was as creepy as shit. Like something out of a horror movie.

“Did they film a horror movie using this bar? I swear I’ve seen it in a horror flick.”

“Stop being ridiculous, Sierra.” Cameron laughed.

He thought I was being funny. I was being serious. We walked inside and, surprisingly, it was bigger than it looked from the outside. The bar had a cabin feel to it. Everything, right down to the floor, was wood. Mark walked behind the bar to grab us some drinks. The rest of us sat in the only round booth in the joint. It had a white
“Reserved”
sign sitting in the middle of it. There was a band that was setting up in one corner. A couple of pool tables sat across the other side of the bar. Mark set the tray of drinks on the table.

“Here’s to Cameron’s and Sierra’s thirtieth birthdays!” Jaden yelled as he held up his glass.

“And to a newfound friendship.” Cameron smiled as he stared into my eyes.

I reached over and pressed my
lips against his cheek. “Happy Birthday.”

“Woo hoo,” everyone cheered as we threw back our drinks.

Everyone walked over to the other side of the bar to play pool. I really didn’t feel like playing, so I told Cameron that I’d stay back at the table for a while and I’d join them later. He nodded and walked away just as Mark brought me another glass of tequila. He slid in the seat across from me and took a drink of his beer.

“So, what’s going on with you and my brother?” he asked.

I narrowed my eyes at him.

“I know you’re not a lesbian, Sierra. But I don’t think you two are in a relationship. So what’s the deal?”

“I am a lesbian, Mark.”

“No, you’re not.”

“Yes, I am.”

He laughed. “I can see why my brother looks at you the way he does. You’re fucking adorable.”

I smiled and laughed at the same time. “Fine. I’m not a lesbian, but don’t you go spreading that around. Got it?”

He nodded his head as he leaned back and folded his arms. “So why pretend?”

“It’s a long story and one I’d rather not get into at the moment. Cameron and I have a special relationship. We like each other very much.”

“You mean you’re fuck buddies. No strings attached, right?”

“How did you know?”

“First off, I knew you weren’t a lesbian by the way he looks at you and the way his face lights up when you walk into the room. I haven’t seen my brother this happy in a very long time.”

“Unfortunately, sex and friendship are all I can give him. I can’t be in a relationship.”

“You can’t or you won’t? Bad experience?” he asked.

“Something like that.”

“Well, your secret is safe with me. Just don’t hurt him. Please. He’s a good guy.”

How could I hurt him when we both fully understand the nature of our relationship?
I flashed him my “don’t worry, but I can’t make any promises” smile and finished off my tequila.

“Hey, Sierra,” I heard Cameron yell across the bar. “Come on. You’re playing.”

I took in a deep breath and I got up and walked over to Cameron.

“Here.” He smiled as he handed me the pool stick. “Do you know how to play?”

I looked at the pool table, ran my tongue across my bottom lip, and looked at Cameron. “It can’t be that hard, right? I just hit the balls with this stick?” I asked.

“Yep.” He smiled.

It was me and him. Everyone else stood back and watched. Cameron let me break. I leaned over the table and positioned the stick.

“Wait a second. You’re holding the stick wrong.” He laughed.

He came up behind me and repositioned the stick so I was holding it correctly. He also gave me a little tutorial on how to hit the ball. The first time I went to strike the ball, I missed.

“It’s okay. It just takes some practice.” Cameron smiled.

He was good. Really good. A good pool player. My balls wouldn’t go in the pockets; his did. He kept making little comments about it being okay and don’t worry, not everyone can play pool. When it was my turn again, I looked at Mark.

“Before I take my turn, do you think you can get me a double shot of tequila?”

“Coming right up.” He smiled.

“Sierra. Are you taking your turn or what?” Cameron asked.

“Hold your horses, boy. Give me a second. You’re kicking my ass and I need a drink.”

He shook his head and smiled as Mark handed me the shot glass. I threw it back like it was water and handed it back to him.

“Let’s get this party started.” I smiled as I hit every one of my balls into the pockets. “Black ball, corner left pocket.” I grinned as I hit it and in it went.

“What the fuck! You’re a scam!” Cameron playfully shouted as he grabbed the sides of his head and did a little spin.

I began laughing as I did my little dance around him. He grabbed me, set me up on the pool table, and whispered in my ear.

“Do you know how bad I want to fuck you on this pool table?”

“Probably as bad as I want you to. It’s obvious you have never been in my basement.” I winked as I jumped down.

Everyone was staring at us except Jolene.
Where was Jolene?
My eyes scanned the bar and stopped as they saw her talking to, or possibly flirting with, some chick at a table in the corner. I silently smiled to myself, not wanting to draw attention to her with the rest of the family.

“Cool. Real cool, Sierra.” Mark winked.