CREE by LaShawn Vasser Read Free Book Online

slick!”
    Somehow she managed to keep the smile that threatened to burst out in check, “Whatever Mel. I’ll talk to you later.
    “Talk to you later.”
    *****
    That evening, Cameron texted Cree to let her know that he was going to be home late…again. After he’d already called to say he’d be home in time for dinner.
    She glanced up at the clock. It was almost midnight, and he still wasn’t home. After sitting in the same position at her sewing machine for several hours, Cree forced herself to get up. She stretched and rolled her neck and shoulders attempting to get some of the kinks out of her body.
    Cree had already gotten dressed for bed in the hopes of catching a glimpse of Cameron before she went to sleep.
    “I’d better put his dinner away,” she said to herself as she went into the kitchen to wrap up the plate she’d spent several hours preparing and put it in the refrigerator.
    Even though they were living under the same roof, they didn’t get to see each other very much. So far, that had been incredibly disappointing. Tomorrow they would have an entire day to themselves since he was off.
    Finally, she heard the sound she’d been waiting for all day. The front door opened and closed. Quickly, she left the kitchen and came out into the living room.
    The tiredness immediately left her body. She smiled. “Hey.”
    Cameron looked pure worn out. “Hey, babe.” He kissed her on the cheek.
    “Rough day?”
    He shrugged. “All par for the course, I guess.”
    “Are you hungry? I made dinner.”
    He yawned. “You didn’t have to cook. I grabbed a quick bite to eat at the hospital.”
    Cree was doing her best not to be angry. It wasn’t his fault that she spent all that time trying to make him a home cooked meal. She scratched her eyebrow. “I thought I would surprise you since you’ve been working so hard. I just thought it might be nice to have a meal together.”
    “Maybe I’ll eat it in the morning for breakfast. Right now, I just want to get a shower and go to bed. I’ve got to be back at the hospital at seven tomorrow morning.”
    “I thought you were off tomorrow?”
    “I was. But, another resident had an emergency, and I have to cover for him. I’ll get Friday off instead.”
    Cree did her best to hide her disappointment.
    “Speaking of time off, everybody’s getting together at Char’s Restaurant for Delia’s birthday on Friday. I thought we could hang out with them for a bit.”
    That was the last thing Cree wanted to do. “I was hoping we’d have a quiet night together. It’s her birthday?”
    Cameron pulled Cree into his body and held her close by the small of her back. “I know. That sounds amazing, but yeah, it’s her birthday.”
    Cree didn’t care one bit that it was her birthday.
    He touched his nose to hers. “I promise I’ll make it up to you. And, we’ll only stay a couple of hours.”
    She let out a breath. “You promise?”
    “I promise.”
    “I don’t want to seem difficult. It’s just I miss you and want us to spend some quality time together. You get to see most of them at the hospital. I don’t have that luxury.”
    “You’re right. And, if it weren’t her birthday, I promise we’d be snuggled up for the night.” He yawned again. “Man, I’m tired. I’m going to hit the shower. Meet me in the bed?”
    Cree nodded.
    He kissed the tip of her nose and went to get in the shower. Cree turned off her sewing machine and put her patterns away, then turned off the lights. As soon as she entered the bedroom, she undressed and got into bed. Ten minutes later the mattress dipped under the weight of Cameron’s body. He turned off the lights. Cree scooted back so that they were in a spooning position.
    He wrapped his arms around her and pressed his lips into the soft curve of her neck. He whispered into the dark. “What did you do today?”
    Cree basked in the warmth of his body. “I went to my yoga class.”
    Cameron blinked a few times trying to shake