CREE Page 5

  As soon as they walked inside, his friend, Delia made a beeline for them. It was almost as if she had been watching the door and waiting.

  Delia, all five foot two-inches of her left the group of people she’d been speaking with and quickly came over to greet them.

  Deftly she slipped in-between Cameron and Cree. “My goodness, I didn’t think you would ever get here.”

  He glanced at Cree over Delia’s head. “Yeah, sorry we’re a little late.”

  As much as Cree pretended, Cameron knew she didn’t like Delia. He just hoped the more they got to know each other that would all change.

  Delia spared Cree a glance. “Well, I’m glad you both could make it.”

  Cree didn’t believe that was genuine for a second.

  Delia turned back to Cameron. “All of our friends have been asking for you. We should go over and say hello after you speak to my parents.”

  Before they headed in that direction, she yelled out to her guests. “Everybody, Cameron’s here…and Cree too.” She added Cree at the last moment, as if she was an afterthought. Delia placed both her hands on Cameron’s arm guiding him away from Cree and towards a table full of people.

  Seething on the inside, Cree followed behind them. When Delia did that giggle thing that she detested and tossed her shimmering ebony hair, Cree almost lost it. However, she didn’t want to embarrass Cameron in front of his friends and co-workers. Instead, she would play it cool for now.

  Delia was just beaming as she brought Cameron over to her parents. “Mom and dad, you remember Cameron right?”

  Her father smiled. “Yes, of course. It’s good to see you again.” He stuck out his hand, and Cameron shook it.

  “You too, sir.”

  Delia couldn’t seem to knock that silly grin from her face. “Mom, you remember Cameron too?”

  Her mother smiled broadly as well. “Of course I do. How could I forget such a handsome face?”

  The compliments embarrassed him. “Thank you, ma’am.”

  Mrs. Thornton lightly touched his arm. The one that didn’t still have Delia attached to it. “Please, I’m too young for that. Call me Maria.”

  Cree was feeling more and more invisible and angry. She cleared her throat hoping to get Cameron’s attention. As if he’d forgotten that she’d been patiently standing there, he quickly stepped out of the semi-circle of Delia and her parents and guided her by the small of her back closer to them.

  “I’m sorry, please let me introduce you to my wife, Cree. Cree, this is Delia’s parent’s Maria and Brett Thornton.”

  She had never been good at masking her emotions, and she probably wasn’t going to be successful this time either. However, Cree managed to stretch her lips upward forcing a smile to form on her face. Her voice didn’t come out stiff or warm; it was even. “It’s a pleasure to meet you both.”

  Delia’s mother appeared genuinely surprised. Cree wasn’t sure if it was because she seemed to be the only one in the room with mocha skin and big springy-coily hair, or if it was because Cameron was married.

  Cree was used to people being shocked when Cameron introduced her as his wife because he could easily pass for a Hollywood leading man with his sexy lips, dirty blond hair, and blue eyes. She wasn’t, however, used to people not knowing that he had a wife. Especially, people he called friends. Hopefully, that wasn’t the case.

  Looking between Cree and Cameron, Maria Thornton asked, “My goodness, I had no idea you were married. Did this happen recently?”

  Her heart almost stopped. Although the seed of doubt had been planted in the back of her mind, Cree never actually thought Cameron wouldn’t tell his friends about her.

  He could feel her eyes burning a hole into the side of his head. He knew how bad this looked, but he would explain when they got home.

  Cameron turned an interesting shade of red. “Actually, we’re high-school sweethearts.” He tried to pull her to his side, but Cree wouldn’t budge, “We’ll be celebrating our sixth year of marriage in a few months.”

  Mr. Thornton’s voice rang out. “We’ve known you for almost four years and in all that time…” As if he realized what he was about to say he stopped. “I…well…I’m sure I just forgot.” At least he had the decency to remember she was still standing there. Could this night get any worse? She didn’t want to even look at him.

  Cameron tried to smooth it over by explaining. “Cree only recently relocated to New York once I accepted the position at Presbyterian.” He turned to her. “Mr. Thornton was pretty instrumental in helping me get that residency.”

  Upset didn’t even begin to explain how she was feeling. Cree looked him in the eye. “I know how very important that was for you.” He didn’t miss the iciness in her tone. She turned to face Delia’s father. “Thank you for everything you’ve done for Cameron.”

  “Delia sings his praises all the time.”

  “I bet she does.” Cree couldn’t help thinking. She didn’t typically consider herself the jealous type, but she couldn’t ignore the red flags.

  Mr. Thornton tapped Cameron on the shoulder. “Well, he shows great promise. This one here is going to be a fantastic doctor. Presbyterian is lucky to have him.” He looked around. “Where the hell has that waitress been hiding? I’m thirsty. I think I saw a bar on the way in here. Cam, why don’t we go over and grab a drink.”

  Cam. Did he just call him Cam? Cree was so ready to leave, and they hadn’t even had dinner yet.

  He bent low to kiss her on the cheek almost imperceptivity she turned away. “I’ll be right back. Did you want anything?”

  She wouldn’t. She couldn’t even look at him. “No, thank you.”

  Delia laughed. “We won’t bite Cam. You can leave her and go get a drink with daddy.”

  Now Delia was calling him Cam too? Cree knew that she was overreacting, but nobody called Cameron Cam but her. Even that was reserved for special moments just between them.

  Cameron and Mr. Thornton walked out of the private room to get their drinks.

  Maria Thornton chimed in. “So, Cree. What do you do? Are you a doctor too?”

  She’d never felt more inadequate in her life than when she was standing around with all of Cameron’s fancy friends, especially Delia. “I’m enrolled in classes for this fall.”

  Delia spoke. “Really? What graduate school will you be attending?”

  Cree stammered, “I…I’m…I’ll be attending NYU this fall for my undergraduate degree.”

  Marie Thornton looked at Delia, feigning enthusiasm that didn’t quite feel genuine. “Oh. Well…that’s great. It’s never too late to go back to school.”

  So far, this night, talking to these women felt like getting her tooth pulled without any pain medication.

  Smug and pretending to be interested, Delia remarked, “I’m sure Cameron is very proud of you for going back. And, can I say I’ve been admiring your dress? Who are you wearing?”

  Cree didn’t think for one minute that was true; but one thing she could always be proud of was her sewing. She was good. “I actually made this myself.”

  Her eyes widened. “You did not?”

  “I did.”

  “That’s pretty amazing. I just don’t have any creative talent like that. That’s why I became a doctor. My goodness, I bet you save a lot of money too. Daddy would just love you. I put a small fortune on his credit card every month on the silliness of clothing. As a matter of fact, this dress probably cost daddy four thousand dollars. But, it’s my birthday, and I deserve it.”

  The confidence she felt slipped. “It is a beautiful dress, Delia.”

  *****

  The night was long. The longer it went on, the more she felt like a spectator on the sidelines. Cameron introduced her to some people she hadn’t met before, and she chatted with a couple of his friends that she’d already met on previous trips to New York. Cameron knew she was angry and after trying unsuccessfully to engage her in conversation, he gave up.

  She wat
ched him work the room. Cameron was charming and when he would flash that smile with those perfectly white teeth, he drew people to him like a moth to a flame.

  The dagger in her heart came when she’d overheard Delia’s mother talking to someone at the party. “They were high school sweethearts. That rarely ever works.” In less than two hours, all of her insecurities surfaced. She was out of place. For the first time she truly wondered if she and Cameron were still on the same team.

  Chapter 8

  Cameron hoped that he and Cree would have a good time at Delia’s dinner, but the night was a bust. She was pissed. On the cab ride home, Cree looked out of the window as she sat with her arms folded and as far away from him as possible.

  “Are we going to talk about tonight?”

  Cree closed her eyes. They burned. Talk? Yes, they needed to talk, but her emotions were all over the place. She was mad as hell, hurt, frustrated, disappointed, and feeling emotions that she wasn’t even sure she could identify.

  Taking a deep breath, she turned to face him. She didn’t trust her voice, but she spoke anyway. “Sure. Let’s talk.” Grateful and surprised that it hadn’t betrayed her.

  “I hate it when you’re like this Cree.”

  She shook her head, incredulous. “Are you kidding right now?” Sarcastically, she laughed and pointed at him. “You…hate it…when I’m like this. How about I hate it when my husband forgets he has a wife.”

  “I know what happened tonight with Delia’s parents looks bad, but it’s not what it seems.”

  Cree smirked. “Really? Well, by all means, please explain it to me. I’m all ears.”

  “First of all, I’m not very close to Delia’s parents. I’ve met them a few times, but my relationship, if you want to call it that, is mainly with her father. It’s one built on mutual respect. Delia told me he had some connections that would help me get the residency. I accepted her help. When I interacted with him, we didn’t discuss the personal details of our lives.”

  “Are you telling me you tried to get the residency at Presbyterian? You never had any intention of going to Jackson U if it were left up to you!” That was another blow to Cree.

  Cameron was frustrated. “I tried to get both residencies, Cree. But, yes. Presbyterian was my first choice.”

  Cree didn’t have the energy it would require to really think about what he’d just revealed. It was all water under the bridge at this point. She needed to sta focused on what was in front of her, “Let’s say I buy that. He shouldn’t have been able to miss your wedding ring. And, for the record, it didn’t seem like your relationship was very casual. Maybe it didn’t feel that way because good old Delia was always singing your praises. Maybe that’s why your relationship with her parents seemed so much closer.”

  “Cree, you’re overacting about this. When I was around Mr. Thornton, we were in a lab. I don’t wear my ring there. I know this doesn’t look good, but I haven’t given you any reason to be jealous of Delia or anyone else for that matter.”

  “Until tonight.” Cree exclaimed. Cameron Jacobs, you are not going to make me feel guilty for feeling the way I do. You brought me to a party where Delia acted more like your girlfriend than I felt as your wife!”

  “That’s silly. Delia and I are just friends. She doesn’t see me that way, and I certainly don’t see her that way either.”

  “She had her hands all over you and treated me like a nuisance from the moment we walked into the room.” Cree swallowed hard doing her best to choke back her tears. “For the most part, I’m not an insecure person, Cameron. And, I hate that I’m feeling this way.”

  He hated to see her cry. When Cameron reached out to touch her, Cree drew away. He dropped his arms. “Cree…” She turned around to look out of the window.

  They rode the rest of the way home in silence. As soon as the car stopped, she hopped out and went inside. Cameron paid the driver and slammed the door shut. He was pissed too. “I didn’t do anything wrong!”

  Cameron followed her up to the apartment in silence and opened the door. Cree walked stiffly past him going directly to their bedroom.

  Instead of trying to talk to her, Cameron thought maybe he’d give her some space to cool off. He dropped down on the sofa and turned on the television.

  Cree barely managed to make it to their bathroom before her tears began to fall. She closed and locked the door then turned on the water from the sink, hoping it would muffle her sounds. Her heart felt like it was going to explode. After about a half an hour, Cree washed her face and came out. The cool water did nothing to hide the redness and slight puffiness of her eyes. She was just grateful that Cameron was still in the living room watching television. Quickly, she undressed and got into the bed. Cree didn’t think she would be able to sleep but exhaustion took over. Minutes later, she’d drifted off into a restless sleep.

  *****

  Cree was hot. She tried to kick the covers off of her legs but couldn’t. They were entangled with Cameron’s. Sometime during the night he must have come to bed and pulled her body into his.

  She closed her eyes. Cree just wanted to bask in his warmth and forget about everything.

  His voice was gruff from sleep. “Good morning.”

  Cree stiffened and tried to move out of his embrace.

  Frustrated, Cameron refused to let her go. “Come on Cree. Baby, I’m sorry. What do I have to do to get you to forgive me?”

  She turned to face him. Anguish was written all over her face. “You hurt me.”

  Gently, he caressed her cheek and gazed deeply into her eyes. “I spent some time thinking things over last night. I do owe you an apology. I didn’t mean to hurt you and I’m sorry. That’s the last thing I would ever want.”

  When he looked at her the way he did, Cree would agree to almost anything. She hesitated before slowly nodding.

  The impish look reappeared in his eyes. “So, can we kiss and makeup?”

  Cree smiled. He’d felt deprived of her smile for too long.

  “I’d like that.”

  Cameron threw the covers over their heads as he quickly moved in between her thighs.

  “Cameron, it’s hot under here!”

  He pushed her nightgown up around her hips. “And, it’s about to get hotter.” He took a tender piece of flesh on her neck into his mouth.

  Cree closed her eyes in pure ecstacy. His touch could make her forget her own name. She couldn’t help but push her core up into his hardness eager for him to fill her up, but was prevented by the barrier of his boxer briefs.

  She was breathless, as her hands went to remove the offending item of clothing. He lifted up briefly, so that Cree could push them down. She pushed as far as she could with her hands and when she couldn’t go any lower, she raised her knees so that she could use her feet to pull them the rest of the way down and finally off. The movement caused Cameron to hiss when the head of his cock came into direct contact with her heat. She was hot and more importantly, dripping wet. He took hold of his member and slowly slid it up and down her slick folds. Brushing it close to her entrance but careful not to embed himself inside the cavern of her body.

  Cree pulsed around an emptiness that only Cameron could fill. She bit down hard on her lip as she dug her nails into his ass and pressed him into her. She wanted…no needed to feel stretched beyond her limits by his fullness. She squirmed almost causing him to fill her more than what he wanted. He had other ideas. Cameron grabbed her hands and moved them up by her head. He held them there as he trailed hot kisses from her neck to one of her chocolaty peaks. He pulled it into his mouth and sucked…hard.

  Cree almost raised up off of the bed. Her moans got louder.

  He devoured her and once he got his fill, Cameron moved over to the other one. Not wanting it to lack for any attention. As a matter of fact, he didn’t want Cree to lack for any attention anywhere on her body. Skillfully, he continued to lick his way down her heated flesh until he reached the apex of her thighs. He had no choice but
to release her hands and they found their way into his hair.

  Cree raised her knees to give him better access as she called out his name in a barely there whisper. “Cam…please.”

  He was so hard, it was almost painful, but he was determined to worship her. He didn’t want Cree to feel insecure in any way. He was hers, and she was his. Period.

  Instead, Cameron kissed the softness of her inner thighs.

  Cree rolled her head from side to side on the bed gripping his hair in her hands.

  He continued to torture her by being so close but so far. His lips hovered over her sweetness. Cree held her breath waiting…waiting for the moment he touched her.

  “Mmmm, Cam. I can’t take much more.”

  Finally, his lips pressed against where, in moments, he’d be buried to the hilt. When his tongue connected to her there, Cree reveled in the waves of please coursing through her and held his head firmly between her thighs. Cree allowed herself to feel the beginning spasms of what she knew would be an incredible orgasm.

  Cameron used his tongue to part her wet folds and to slowly lick her up and down as if she were his favorite piece of candy. Hungrily, Cameron feasted as her juices flowed. When he pulled Cree’s clit into his mouth and sucked, she saw stars behind her eyelids. He added a finger…then another as he pushed them deep within her core…then pulled them out in a circular motion before driving them back inside again. Faster and faster and faster.

  His breathing was heavy and his own moans started to mirror hers.

  Cameron repeated the same delicious movement over and over again until he knew she was about to explode then he thrust his tongue into her opening. He tried to hold her squirming hips still, while he continued to skillfully stroke her hard with his tongue. After only the third or fourth stroke, Cree screamed as she exploded into a million and one pieces.

  Cameron ate his fill until he felt her start to come down. He then moved up her body to finally stake his claim. He couldn’t wait another second. He positioned his hardness at her entrance and plunged into her channel. Her body immediately clenched around him. Tightness surrounded his thickness. This was heaven. There was no sweeter place he’d ever been. He knew that her body was made just for him. Cameron pounded and pounded as he rotated his hips into her so hard that each thrust lifted Cree slightly off the bed. He worked his hands into her hair. He loved to pull it when he was driving into her. Not only did he pull her hair but he bit her shoulder.