Never Say Never by Rachael Sommers (books to get back into reading TXT) 📕

“Well, since it’s just us”—Camila ruffled Jaime’s hair—“I think we’ll probably go to my place in the Hamptons, lock ourselves away from the world for a few days.”

“You have a place in the Hamptons?”

“Mm, about two hours outside of the city. It’ll be nice to get away.”

Emily wondered when Camila had last had a break when she could truly relax and just be.

“Are you excited for Christmas, Jaime?”

“Yeah, presents!”

Their food arrived in plenty of time for them to eat and walk to the theater down the street, but the sidewalks were busy, and when Camila slipped a guiding hand into Emily’s, she nearly jumped out of her skin, but she held on, praying that Camila couldn’t feel the pulse hammering in her wrist.

Because they were holding hands, and sure, it might only be to keep Emily from being swept into the crowd, but Camila’s hand was warm, her hold tight, and she was touching her for the first time in a long, long time, and it set her skin on fire.

Camila dropped her hand when they stepped into the theater, and that was probably for the best because Emily didn’t think she could speak with Camila’s hand in hers.

They sat in a private box. Emily leaned against the railing, peering at the people below. She hadn’t been to many shows in New York, other than an off-Broadway play when she had first visited Cassie, but this was a different kind of energy. She kept glancing at Jaime sitting beside her as he watched the entire show without fidgeting.

At the end, Emily rose to join the ground floor audience in a standing ovation. Camila’s eyes glinted with amusement, but Emily didn’t care. She was on top of the world, happiness flowing through her veins.

When they left, Emily slipped her hand into Camila’s, and she stiffened a little, but when Emily tried to pull away, terrified that she had ruined things, Camila caught her fingers, holding on tight and dragging her forward.

Emily didn’t let go until they reached the town car, waiting to take them back to the hotel. She felt like she was floating and stole furtive glances at Camila, Jaime fighting sleep between them.

The energy was different tonight. There was a charge that needed only a tiny spark to set it alight, and it made the hair on the back of Emily’s neck stand up.

Their time in London was nearly over, and that meant that their bubble was about to pop. Emily had no idea what would happen when they got back. She only knew that she never wanted this night—this night that brimmed with possibilities—to end.

When they got back to their suite, Camila put Jaime to bed. Emily wandered around the living room, finally coming to rest against the back of the couch. She wasn’t ready to sleep—not yet.

“One last game of Monopoly?” Emily asked when Camila returned. “Winner take all?”

“You’re only asking because you’ve lost every single game we’ve played.” Camila stopped beside her at the couch, putting her hand on her hip. She had kicked off her heels, and she looked up at Emily, her eyes glimmering with challenge. If Emily dared to kiss her right now, she’d have to tilt up Camila’s head and lean in to press their lips together.

“Excuse you, I have won some.”

“Two games, Emily. Two. Out of about twenty.”

“I still won some.”

Camila’s chuckle coming from low in the back of her throat did things to Emily that made her mouth dry and banished all appropriate thoughts from her mind.

“Okay, I’ll play,” Camila decided. “You set up while I go get a drink. Do you want some wine?”

“No, thanks.” She wanted to keep her mind clear and was surprised when Camila returned with a glass of lemonade. “That doesn’t look like wine.”

“I didn’t want to drink alone.” Camila shrugged, even though she usually did, but Emily let it go and finished passing out the money for the game.

They played into the night, seated on couch cushions on the floor around the coffee table. Both of them were too competitive to quit, and they played until there was a clear winner.

Emily was gleeful as she took Camila’s last banknote, waving it victoriously.

“Nobody likes a gloater,” Camila told her with a sour expression.

“No one likes a sore loser either.” Emily fired back, grinning. Camila rolled her eyes.

After Emily had put the game away, she was reluctant to move, and when she looked up she found Camila gazing at her, her eyes soft, and for once she didn’t look away.

It was…intense, feeling the weight of Camila’s gaze on her. Her throat was tight and her heart hammered in her chest, and Emily wanted to ask if Camila would be like this tomorrow and the day after and the day after that, if they would play games and banter playfully once they were back to their routine.

But the words stuck in her throat. She didn’t want to break the spell—if she only had Camila for one more night, she wasn’t going to risk throwing it away yet.

Camila blinked first, looking a little dazed, and she cleared her throat as she climbed to her feet. She stepped close to Emily to pick up the couch cushion. Emily still didn’t move, so Camila offered her hand, and she took it, letting Camila pull her to her feet.

When she did, it was with a stronger tug than Emily expected, and she lost her balance, steadying herself with a hand on Camila’s waist.

The delicate point of Camila’s hip bone pressed against Emily’s skin, and she curled her fingers instinctively around her waist. Camila gasped.

They were close, closer than they had ever been before, chest-to-chest, and Camila was breathing on her neck, and she knew, she knew that she should step away and disappear down the hall, but God, she couldn’t because Camila was magnetic, and Emily couldn’t look away from her, much less move—she was frozen in place, her limbs as heavy as lead.

She couldn’t move and