The music pulsed around them in heavy waves of gold light and bass, bodies moving together beneath crystal chandeliers and slow-spinning strobes, but Cameron barely registered any of it anymore. The room had faded somewhere between the feeling of her hands sliding across his shoulders and the soft laugh she’d breathed against his throat moments earlier. Now all he could focus on was her.
Her.
God, that alone should’ve been enough warning.
Cameron let out a low, disbelieving laugh beneath his breath as he looked down at her, eyes roaming over her face like he was trying to memorize it against his own will. This is insane. Weeks ago she’d been a stranger. A face in passing. A woman attached to a file so empty it practically mocked him every time he opened it. And now? Now she had somehow become the center point of every damn thought he’d had for the last month.
He could still remember the first coffee she’d handed him through that car window.
Still remembered the smell of her perfume lingering in his truck long after she’d walked away.
Still remembered standing there like a complete fucking idiot afterward wondering why the hell his chest had suddenly felt too tight.
And now here she was in his arms, swaying slowly beneath dim lights in a dress that should’ve been illegal, smiling up at him with those eyes that always looked like they knew more than she said aloud.
Christ alive, Piney. You are absolutely screwed.
His hand spread wider against her waist instinctively when another man glanced at her from across the dance floor. The movement was automatic now, subconscious enough that Cameron didn’t even realize he was doing it until she was closer against him, heat bleeding through the thin fabric between them.
The man lingering nearby caught Cameron’s stare and quickly disappeared back into the crowd.
Smart choice.
Because something ugly and possessive had started curling beneath Cameron’s ribs tonight, and he genuinely did not know what to do with it.
“Dancin’ with you?” he echoed finally, voice roughened by quiet amusement. “Nia, sweetheart. That ain’t where I crossed the line.”
His thumb moved against her side absently, slowly, like he couldn’t stop touching her for more than a few seconds at a time anymore. Which was another issue entirely.
Too many issues, actually.
You used to be good at this.
At distance. At restraint. At keeping women far enough away that they couldn’t crawl beneath his skin.
But Liliana had walked into his life carrying coffee and sharp little smiles and somehow turned him into a man who actively anticipated seeing someone again. That alone was enough to make him want to lie face-first on train tracks.
“You know what the real problem is?” he murmured, eyes holding hers steadily now despite the war happening inside his own head. “I walked in here tellin’ myself I’d stay focused tonight. Observe the room. Keep things professional.”
Keep your head clear. Don’t let her distract you. Don’t touch her.
A beat passed.
“And then you touched me.”
The confession slipped out before he could stop it.
Immediately Cameron barked out another low laugh at himself, head tilting back briefly in disbelief as his jaw flexed hard enough to show beneath the low club lighting.
Fantastic. Excellent work. Maybe next tell her she’s the reason your blood pressure’s fucked too.
“Hell, Nia,” he muttered, eyes dropping shut for half a second before reopening to find her still watching him with that infuriatingly beautiful expression, “I’ve interrogated cartel runners with steadier nerves than this.”
And that was the humiliating truth.
Gunfights never bothered him. Blood never bothered him. Undercover operations, knives, getting shot at, chasing suspects through alleyways at three in the morning?
Fine.
But one beautiful woman brushing her fingers against the back of his neck while smiling at him like that?
Apparently that was enough to reduce Cameron Piney into a malfunctioning disaster of jealousy and attraction and increasingly questionable decision-making.
Declan would never let you live this down.
The thought almost made him laugh again.
Almost.
Because another man at the edge of the dance floor started looking a little too interested in Liliana again, and Cameron immediately shifted her closer into him without even thinking.
The realization hit him a second later like a sucker punch.
…Did I just pull her closer because somebody looked at her?
Silence.
Jesus Christ.
His expression flattened slightly in self-annoyance before he exhaled through his nose, gaze flicking back toward her.
“See?” he muttered darkly. “That right there. That’s new.”
There was genuine frustration in his voice now.
Not at her.
At himself.
“I don’t get jealous,” he said firmly, like maybe if he sounded confident enough the universe would rewind the last twenty minutes and restore his dignity. “Usually couldn’t care less who’s flirtin’ with who.”
Another pause.
Then quieter:
“Now suddenly every asshole in this room makin’ eyes at you feels like a personal attack.”
And the worst part?
She looked amused by it.
Warm.
Pleased, even.
Which only made his pulse kick harder beneath his collar.
She knows.
That realization sent heat straight through him.
She knew she had him off-balance.
Knew she was getting under his skin. Knew he kept looking at her mouth every time she laughed. Knew he’d started waiting for her to appear places like some lovesick idiot in a noir film.
And somehow instead of terrifying him enough to walk away, it just kept dragging him closer.
His forehead nearly brushed hers as he leaned down slightly, the scent of her perfume threading through the pine-and-amber warmth of his cologne until he couldn’t tell where one ended and the other began anymore. His hand slid higher against her back, fingertips pressing lightly between her shoulder blades while they moved together slowly with the music.
Too close.
Didn’t move away.
Couldn’t, honestly.
Because every second near her felt like voluntarily stepping deeper into quicksand while fully aware of what was happening.
“And honestly?” he murmured softly, eyes searching hers now with something dangerously close to vulnerability. “That’s probably the part that scares me most.”
Not the possibility that she was dangerous.
Not the secrets.
Not even the case.
No.
What scared Cameron Piney was how quickly she’d wrapped him around her finger without even trying very hard.
A few coffees. Some teasing smiles. Late-night conversations. A handful of soft touches.
That was all it took.
Now he was standing in the middle of a crowded gala wanting to glare holes through every man who looked at her too long while simultaneously trying not to think about how perfectly she fit against him.
You are so unbelievably fucked.
And God help him, he still leaned closer anyway.
@echoesoftruth
“Dancin’ with you?” Cameron echoed, his voice low and roughened with quiet amusement, like the thought itself was dangerous. “‘Nia, sweetheart… that ain’t where I crossed the line.”
His thumb drifted against her side in slow, absent strokes, the kind that felt unconscious—like once he started touching her, he couldn’t quite make himself stop. His gaze stayed locked on hers, steady and warm and entirely too honest.
“You know what the real problem is?” he murmured.
A beat passed before he answered himself.
“I walked in here tellin’ myself I’d stay focused tonight. Observe the room. Keep things professional.” His mouth curved faintly, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Then you touched me.”
The words settled heavy between them.
Cameron leaned in just enough for his voice to soften, enough for her to feel the heat of it. “And suddenly I couldn’t remember a damn thing I was supposed to care about besides you.”
His fingers flexed lightly at her waist, like restraint was becoming a losing battle. “That’s the line I crossed, baby. The second I realized I didn’t want distance from you anymore.”
Liliana could only chuckle softly as she held his gaze, satisfaction flickering in her eyes at the way her scent still clung to him, unmistakably hers. “Oh, that’s right,” she teased lightly. “I touched your arm.”
The mock innocence in her voice only made the tension worse. Because she saw it immediately—the shift in him the second another man lingered too long nearby, the second unfamiliar attention settled on her. Jealousy darkened Cameron’s eyes before he could hide it, sharp and possessive and impossible to miss.
His hand tightened at her waist almost instinctively before he pulled her closer against him, closing the space like he couldn’t tolerate anyone else near her. Liliana tipped her head up to meet his stare properly, amusement still playing at her lips despite the heat steadily building between them.
“Oh,” she murmured, quieter now. “There it is.”
Cameron’s jaw flexed. “Don’t start.”
“But you were being professional, remember?” she whispered, the corners of her mouth curling. “Observing the room.”
“Baby,” he muttered, dipping closer until his voice brushed warm against her skin, “you keep lookin’ at me like that and I’m gonna forget this room exists.”
Her laugh softened at the edges, though her pulse betrayed her when his thumb swept along her hip again, slow and deliberate this time.
And when another glance drifted her way from across the room, Cameron noticed immediately.
The look he gave back was calm—too calm—but the arm around her tightened possessively as he lowered his eyes to hers again.
“C’mon,” he said quietly. “You know damn well you’re trouble for me. See?” Cameron muttered darkly, his hand tightening at her waist as another glance drifted her way from across the room. “That right there. That’s new.”
His eyes cut briefly toward the man before settling back on hers, sharp and simmering.
“I don’t get jealous,” he said firmly, like he was trying to convince himself as much as her. “Usually couldn’t care less who’s flirtin’ with who. Ain’t ever been my problem.”
Liliana’s brows lifted slightly, amusement dancing at the edges of her expression, but Cameron only shook his head once under his breath.
“Now?” His voice dropped lower, rougher. “Now suddenly every asshole in this room makin’ eyes at you feels like a personal attack.”
The confession hung between them, raw in a way he clearly wasn’t used to.
He dragged a slow breath through his nose before looking down at her again, jaw tense. “And the worst part is, you notice it.” A faint, crooked smile tugged briefly at his mouth. “Think you’re enjoyin’ it a little too much, sweetheart.”
Liliana let out a soft laugh, tilting her head as her fingers brushed lightly against the front of his jacket. “Maybe I am.”
Cameron huffed out something halfway between a laugh and a warning before leaning closer, his forehead nearly brushing hers.
“You keep playin’ with me tonight,” he murmured, “and I’m liable to do somethin’ reckless.”
“But I thought you were here to stay professional,” she whispered back.
His eyes darkened immediately.
“Yeah,” he said quietly. “You ruined that plan the second you walked in lookin’ like this.”
It was ridiculous, honestly—and maybe that was what made it so dangerously charming. They had only met a handful of times, and yet Cameron looked at her like he’d already decided she was his biggest weakness.
Liliana couldn’t help the soft chuckle that slipped past her lips, even as warmth curled low in her stomach at the possessiveness in his voice. The intensity of it left her a little weak in the knees, though she’d never admit that out loud.
Carefully, subtly, she guided him a few steps away from the crowd and the lingering eyes that kept drifting toward them. Away from the noise. Away from the watching.
“Hey,” she murmured gently.
Her fingers curled around the front of his jacket, tugging him down toward her. “Look at me.”
Cameron’s attention snapped back to her instantly.
And just like that, the tension in his expression shifted.
Liliana rose onto her toes and pressed a soft, teasing kiss against his lips—brief enough to make him want more, slow enough to leave him feeling it after she pulled away.
“It’s just us two,” she whispered against his mouth.
For a second, Cameron only stared at her.
Then he exhaled quietly, almost like she’d knocked the fight clean out of him.
“Yeah?” he murmured, his forehead resting lightly against hers now. One hand slid higher along her back, keeping her close like instinct. “’Cause I swear the second somebody else looks at you, I forget how to act.”
Liliana laughed softly under her breath, her thumb brushing along the edge of his jaw. “I noticed.”
“That obvious, huh?”
“Painfully.”
A groan rumbled low in his chest before he stole another kiss from her—deeper this time, less teasing than the first. The kind that carried all the restraint he was rapidly losing.
When he finally pulled back, his eyes stayed half-lidded on hers, warm and possessive and completely distracted.
“There,” he muttered softly. “Much better.”
Her back met the wall softly as Cameron crowded closer without hesitation, like gravity itself kept pulling him toward her. Liliana’s arms slipped around his shoulders easily, fingers threading together at the back of his neck to keep him there, to keep him close.
Close enough that every uneven breath belonged to both of them now. “Yeah?” she murmured, her lips curving as she watched his expression carefully. “I know what it is.”
Cameron’s hands settled at her waist instinctively, tightening just slightly when she tilted her face toward his.
“It’s because we’re away from people,” she teased softly.
The second the words left her mouth, his breath hitched.
Liliana beamed at the reaction immediately, pleased with herself.
“There it is,” she whispered with a quiet laugh. “You like havin’ me all to yourself.”
Cameron shook his head once, though the look in his eyes gave him away completely. “You say things like that on purpose.”
“Maybe.”
His forehead dropped briefly to her shoulder as a rough chuckle escaped him, but his grip on her only tightened. Like now that they were hidden away from the crowd, he could finally stop pretending he wasn’t affected by her.
“You’re dangerous, you know that?” he muttered against her skin.
Liliana hummed innocently, fingers brushing lightly through the hair at the nape of his neck. “And yet here you are.”
“Yeah,” he said quietly, lifting his head just enough to look at her again. His gaze moved slowly across her face, lingering like he was memorizing every expression she made. “Here I am.”
The air between them felt warmer now, heavier with something neither of them seemed interested in resisting anymore.
And when she smiled at him again—that soft, knowing smile—Cameron kissed her like he’d been thinking about doing it all night.