Redeem Me (Kin #6)(19)
Author: Jennifer Foor

The guy was a total douche, who made it clear that he hadn’t seen her. The thing was, I could have sworn that I’d seen him around before. Since Cameron’s parents took this trip every year, I wondered if he was part of their firm, and perhaps I’d met him at one of their parties that I’d attended with her.

Still, it didn’t mean that she’d be in his room. Since I was determined to talk to her, I went and camped outside her door, hoping she’d eventually show up. Nothing could have prepared me for the feeling that I got when I looked down that hallway and saw her coming out of the same room I’d knocked on. Her head was down, and it was obvious that she was upset. She looked up and spotted me¸ stopping immediately. I could see the fear in her eyes, as my stomach knotted up. She’d been in that room.

With him.

With her head hung down low, she approached me, sighing as we became face to face. “What are you doing here?”

I shook my head and snickered. “I thought I was comin’ to catch you in a lie, but apparently you were tellin’ the damn truth.” I couldn’t believe that my innocent girlfriend had just been in another room with a naked guy. From the look of her hair, I’d say they were doing a lot more than talking about the weather. “I can’t even look at you.”

I peered down the end of the hallway, expecting the guy to come out at any minute. “How long’s this been goin’ on?”

She shrugged. “What are you talking about?”

“Come on, Cam. Do I look like an idiot to you? I just got in my car and drove hours to prove to myself that you weren’t movin’ on. Then I get here and it’s obvious that you’re doin’ just that. What I can’t understand is how it’s so easy for you, because it’s tearin’ me apart inside.” I slid down to the floor, burying my head against my hands. I’d never experienced this kind of betrayal. The pain besieged me, enough to where I couldn’t even talk about it.

We both heard a door shutting and turned in that direction. Thankfully it wasn’t her friend. Cameron turned and inserted her keycard into the slot. She held the door open. “Come inside, Parker. I don’t want everyone eavesdropping on our business.”

As reluctant as I was, I stepped inside the confines of her room. She kicked off her shoes and lifted her shirt over her head. “Just let me take a shower, and we’ll talk.”

That stunned me. “Are you serious? Do you have to wash off the proof? What’s wrong, Cam? Do you smell like him?”

She became offended. “Screw you. I came here with my parents and other partners in the firm. What I do is my business, since you’re the one who clearly ended our relationship. Don’t you dare come in here making assumptions that aren’t true.” She headed into the bathroom and turned on the shower. I could hear her sobbing, and even though I wanted to, I couldn’t feel bad for what I’d said. She was ripping my heart out. Fighting back my own tears was becoming impossible. I looked up into the mirror and saw myself for the first time in days. My eyes had huge dark circles around them, and they were bloodshot. My hair was just as disheveled as Cameron’s.

I could hear her in the bathroom, but it didn’t sound like she’d gotten into the shower yet. I walked in there and found her leaning over the sink. She was bawling with snot running down over her lips. We looked at each other for a brief moment before I pulled her against my chest. “I’m so sorry, Parker. I just wanted the pain to go away. I thought it would help me forget about you.”

I squinted, fighting with the inevitable. Warm liquid fell from my eyes as I became aware that I’d done all of this. It wasn’t bad enough that I’d destroyed my relationship with my family, but now I’d ruined Cameron too. It was too much to handle.

For the longest time we stood there holding each other as steam filled the small bathroom. Finally Cameron pulled away and finished undressing. She turned to me before climbing into the shower. It was difficult for me to understand how I wanted to be with her, even after she’d just been with someone else. It was as if I desperately needed to know she still wanted me. Out of that hopelessness, I began removing my own clothes. Beyond that curtain was my reason for existing.

I pulled the plastic, waiting for a response from her. It was pleasing to see her motioning me to step inside. The hot water beat down on my back as I made that move. Cameron had her arms crossed over her chest. I didn’t wait for her to adjust before drawing her into my hold. Her head once again rested perfectly against my body as I kissed her softly on top of the head. “Did it help?” As much as it hurt me to ask, I needed to know.

“I don’t even want to discuss it. Please, can we just be here together?”

It would have been nice if I was able to do anything but think about another man’s hands on my girlfriend. I thought about the way he’d touched her, and how she’d responded to him. I imagined her lips on his, getting a bad taste in my mouth like I was going to hurl. Then I went straight to seeing her naked in bed with him. I cringed and let go of her, looking away from the distaste of it. “How could you do it? How were you able to walk in that room with him? Who is he, Cam? I’ve seen that guy before. He works for your dad doesn’t he?”

She nodded, but cried harder, scrunching up her face and concealing it with both hands. “Yes. He works for my dad. I’ve known him for years.”

“So, is this the first time this has happened, or did you lie about me bein’ your first?” Since she’d bled after our first time I knew I was overstepping. From the immediate pain in her eyes I could tell I’d hit a nerve.

“How dare you say that to me. You know you were my first, Parker. I’d never lie about that.”

“But you’d lie about other things? He was in a f**kin’ towel, and the guy wasn’t wet. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that he wasn’t in the f**kin’ shower.”

“He was getting in. I swear.”

That just made it worse. “Oh really? Were you plannin’ on joinin’ him?”

She shoved me alongside the tile wall. “How dare you! You have no right to come in here insinuating what I’ve been doing with my time. You broke up with me, remember? I can see who I want.”

“Oh, and I guess you can f**k who you want now too?” I wanted to hear her say it. I needed to know if that was how she felt. Our emotions were heightened, and this was the worst time to discuss something so important.