“This is it.”

Cam parked the car along the curb, a slight frown on his face. “Are you sure you need to do this?”

“Yes. I owe it to her.”

He turned the car off. “You don’t owe her anything.”

I looked at him. “I do. It’s not that I blame myself for what happened to her, but if I don’t talk to her, she’s never going to understand why I didn’t say anything. And I need her to.” Because I really would like to go one week without getting a nasty message from her.

Drawing in a shallow breath, he pulled his hands off the steering wheel. “And of course you want me to stay out here?”

I nodded.

He sighed. “I don’t like this.”

Leaning over, I kissed his cheek. “But you like me.”

“I love you.” He turned his head toward me. Sliding his hand around the back of   my neck, he brought his mouth to mine. “Doesn’t mean I’m happy about sitting out here while you go into some random, possibly psycho chick’s house.”

“She’s not psycho.”

“Says you.”

“Says me.”

His lips curved up on one side. “If you’re not out in five minutes, I’m coming in, guns blazing.”

“You don’t have a gun.”

“She doesn’t know that.”

I laughed softly. “I’ll need more than five minutes.”

“Six.”

“More,” I replied.

“You don’t need this, sweetheart.” When I said nothing, he groaned. “Seven.”

“You’re being ridiculous. I’ll be okay.”

Cam sighed again. “Okay. Please be careful.”

“I will.”

Before I could slide out from his grasp, he tightened his grip and captured my mouth. The kiss started off softly, turning deeper and hotter as his tongue slipped inside, moving in ways that reminded me of what he’d done last night and this morning. I moaned into the kiss, and when he pulled away, I was panting.

A wicked glint filled his blue eyes. “The faster you are in there, the faster you get more of that.”

“That is so wrong.” I slipped away, but I was grinning.

“I love you.”

I would never get tired of hearing that. “I love you too.”

Pulling myself from that car was almost impossible, but I did it. My sandals smacked off the cracked pavement as I hurried to the front door. I’d been out in the late morning sun for only a few seconds and sweat already dotted my brow.

I raised my hand to knock, but the interior door flew open, revealing a short, skinny girl with black hair and large gray eyes—wary eyes. They shifted to me and then over my shoulder. She was a pretty girl, one that looked bone-tired and weary.

“Who’s that?” she demanded.

I recognized her voice immediately. “That’s Cam. My boyfriend.”

Her face puckered as if she tasted something sour. “He can’t come in here.”