“My roommate, Hannah. That’s her room,” I said, gesturing to the closed door next to the bathroom.
“You live here with a roommate?” he asked incredulously, taking in the small space.
I laughed. “Of course. I could never afford the rent on my own. This is New York.”
“I have no concept of that,” he said absently.
“Well, thanks for rubbing it in,” I said and watched his face fall.
“Oh, shit. Sorry. I didn’t mean to be a dick. I wasn’t thinking.”
I leaned against the doorframe and crossed my arms over my chest. “I’m not offended. Don’t worry about it. I’ve accepted my lot in life, and I like living with Hannah.”
He nodded, still looking bothered by his accidental humblebrag.
“Now, come on,” I said, beckoning him forward. “I have a TV in my room, and my bed’s big enough for both of us.”
“Your bed?” he questioned in surprise.
I rolled my eyes. “It’s just a bed, Cam. I’m not asking you to do anything but sit on it.”
“I wouldn’t be offended if you did,” he joked, because I knew he’d never make an actual pass at me after what he’d just witnessed.
Even if he wasn’t a gentleman, I was sure he now thought I was a basket case and was probably grateful that I’d told him we couldn’t be more than friends.
“I’m sure you wouldn’t be,” I teased him as he stood and followed me into my room.
He looked around the small space that was literally only wide enough for my full-size bed and a side table. My TV was on the wall across from the bed, above my dresser that was next to my ridiculously small closet that was jammed packed with clothes and shoes and bags. The only window was over my bed. It was a sad room, but I’d done what I could to make it mine.
“Sorry, no Westside posters,” I told him.
He looked over at me as I took a seat on the bed. “I’m hurt. I figured after today you’d have gone out and bought one. Did I make a bad impression?”
“You made a great impression. I actually ordered three posters before you got here. One is of just you. I’m going to put it on the ceiling so I can look at it before I fall asleep at night.”
He grinned. “And dream sweet dreams about me?” he asked as he plopped down next to me.
“I hope so,” I said playfully. “Now what are we watching?”
“Les Mis,” he said, smirking at me. “I already queued it up on Netflix.”
“But we just saw the play two hours ago.”
“Now we can compare and contrast. It’s kind of a thing I’ve always done with plays that are turned into movies. I’d love to hear what you think.”
“Okay, weirdo. Whatever you want.”
He turned to look at me with a gleam in his eyes. “You don’t want to know what I want.”
“Oh, I can guess,” I said, figuring if he was a twenty-one year-old guy alone with a girl late at night, it wasn’t exactly a mystery.
“I’m not sure you can, but that’s okay. Let’s watch the movie. No talking.”
“Okay, no talking.”
“Shh,” he said as he started the movie, watching intently as the opening number started.
I smiled to myself, gladder than he could have known that he was there. This guy that I hadn’t even known existed had swept into my life and taken over. I hadn’t even realized it was happening, but there he was. I had a feeling he wasn’t going anywhere, and I was going to have him as a friend for a long time. And I was okay with that. Cam was a kind of an amazing guy.
“Can I ask you something?” I whispered fifteen minutes into the movie.
“Yes,” he whispered back.
“Do you really take bubble baths to relax?”
He didn’t look at me, but he smirked as he kept his eyes on the screen. “I’m not sure you want me to answer that question.”
“Why? I’m not going think you’re gay for liking baths and scented candles. You already refuted that idea earlier today, and I believe you. I’ve just never met a guy who likes baths.”
He turned to look at me, his green eyes darting to my lips for a several seconds, and I thought he might kiss me. And a part of me wanted him to, because everything with David suddenly seemed a million miles away. Right here, right now, it was just Cam and me. But then he shifted his eyes and met my gaze, and the moment passed.
“My mom always took baths when she was stressed, and it’s one of Dillon’s girlfriend’s favorite things to do. I actually have a hot tub on my back deck, so I usually go that route, but you already told me not to brag, so I didn’t want to say that.”
“It’s okay if you brag a little,” I told him as I turned to face him, leaning my head against the headboard as I appraised him. “I can live vicariously through you. I honestly wouldn’t change where I live, so I’ll sacrifice space – and a hot tub – to live in the city.”
What I didn’t want to tell him was that I could have had a bigger apartment and a hot tub. I could have had all of that if I’d let my parents bankroll me like they’d wanted to when they first visited me in New York. They hated my apartment and wanted me to live in a building with a doorman, but I hadn’t wanted to take their money. It came with strings that I didn’t want to be tethered by.
“That’s because you’ve never seen my house,” Cam teased. “It’s right on the beach. You might change your mind.”
I smiled. “I’m sure it’s incredible.”
“It is,” he agreed. “But I like New York too, so I can see why you live here. It is a pretty amazing city.”
“You haven’t even seen a quarter of it,” I said, feeling disappointed that he had to leave tomorrow. There were so many things I wanted to show him, and I would the next time he was in town. I had promised to play tour guide for him again.
“You can change that,” he said softly, his eyes locked with mine.
“I know, and I will the next time you’re here.”
He shrugged. “Or you could show me tomorrow – and the next day, and the day after that.”
“Tomorrow? But I thought you were going to Detroit to see your family?”
“I’ll get there, but since I’m already here I figured I might stay for a few more days and, you know, really soak in the city – but only if I had someone who wanted to do it with me.”
He was talking about me. He wanted to spend more time together. As soon as he said it, I knew I wanted the same thing – which was a little unnerving to say the least.
“I’m actually leaving to go home tomorrow,” I told him, buying time.
“You could stay,” Cam said, shrugging slightly.
“Stay? But I already bought my ticket – and I can’t really afford the exchange fee. Plus, the difference in prices will be ridiculous since it’s the week of Thanksgiving, and I’m sure there aren’t any flights available anyway. Besides, my parents probably wouldn't be too happy if I missed Thanksgiving.”
Cam smiled. “What if I told you I had a way for you to get home, and I’d make sure you were there on Wednesday night? Would your family be okay with that? Would you stay then?”
“I don’t understand.”
“I can charter a plane,” he explained. “I’ll drop you off in Atlanta and then take it to Detroit.”
“Okay, it’s official. You’re insane.”
My parents had money. I’d grown up more than comfortable, but one thing my dad never did was hire a private jet to take us places. We flew commercial everywhere we went. Cam apparently did it without thinking twice. It was mind-boggling.
“I’m being serious, Andi. It’s completely feasible, and it’s honestly how I was going to get home anyway. I arranged my flight this afternoon when I went back to the hotel to change for dinner, but I can easily change it to Wednesday and add another stop to the itinerary.”
“Another stop completely out of the way in Georgia?” I asked incredulously.
“Yes,” he said definitively, like it really was n
o big deal. “What do you say? Can we continue our sight-seeing adventure?”
His green eyes danced with the light from the TV screen, and in them I saw so many things I didn’t understand, but in truth I hadn’t understood much since the moment I’d first met Camden Baylor. But I also couldn’t argue that he made me laugh, he made me smile, and I was having more fun with him than I’d had with anyone in a long time.
“Sounds fun. I’m in,” I told him, not letting myself have time to think about everything that was running through my mind, because as my words pushed his smile into a full-blown grin, I knew that was all I needed. I wanted more time with him.
“Awesome. That’s so great,” he said cheerfully.
“I’m just excited to ride in a private plane,” I joked.
“Oh, come on! You’re a little excited to hang out with me some more. Admit it,” he said, leaning closer to me.
I wondered what it would be like to kiss him. Despite my earlier breakdown, that was where my mind went. Everything with David had seemed to slip further and further away as I’d been laughing and talking with Cam. It was unbelievable that he had that kind of power over something that had consumed my thoughts for weeks and put me in tears earlier, but it was something he did so easily. He just made things seem less crappy, and he made everything with David seem trivial and petty, so much so that I finally wanted to let it go and move on – whatever that meant. I wasn’t sure, but I knew I was ready.
“I’m a lot excited to hang out with you,” I admitted.
“Excellent,” he said softly, his eyes still shining in delight as he watched me. “We’re missing the movie.”
“I know, but I like talking to you.”
“I like talking to you too. I’m glad you didn’t end up being the ice queen I thought you were when we first met. You’re actually pretty cool.”
“I’m sorry about that. I wasn’t really in the best mood last night. God, that seems like a lifetime ago. Was the concert really just last night?”
He nodded. “It was.”
I tried to stifle the yawn that crept up on me, but I couldn’t and put my hand over my mouth at the last second.
“Are you tired?” Cam asked me.
I nodded. “A little.”
He caught me by surprise when he draped his arm around my shoulder and pulled me against him, tucking me in under his arm so my head was on his chest. “I won’t judge you if you don’t make it through the whole movie,” he said softly.
I looked up at him, a part of me wishing he would kiss me. We were in the dark, as close as we could get, sharing a whispered conversation. In every other scenario like that in my past, the guy had made a move. But Cam didn’t. He just met my gaze and smiled down at me.
“I’ve seen the movie. If I don’t make it through the whole thing, I think I can still share my pros and cons,” I told him.
“Does your front door lock automatically?”
I nodded. “Yes.”
“Okay good. I can let myself out then and not worry about you being safe after I leave.”
“Just stay,” I said, snuggling close to him as I made an impulsive decision.
“Stay?” he questioned.
I looked up at him. “If you want? It’s late, and you gave Chris the night off. I don’t want to worry about excited fans or eager photographers mobbing you on the way back to your hotel.”
He laughed. “I think the probability of that is low. No one knows I’m here – except the driver of the hired car that dropped me off, but they’re paid for their discretion, so I’m not really worried about him.”
“Okay, well, the offer’s there if you want it.”
“I’ll stay,” he said almost immediately.
“Good,” I said as we both focused our attention back on the movie. We’d missed close to twenty minutes of it.
“Can I ask you something?” Cam said after a few minutes.
“Sure.”
“How old is that guy anyway? Your ex-boyfriend.”
I smiled as his question caught me off-guard. “He’s forty.”
“Forty?!” Cam asked in disbelief.
“Yes. Forty. It’s not that old.”
He raised an eyebrow at me. “My dad is forty-seven. That seems old to me, but if that’s your thing, I’m not going to judge. Are you into older guys?”
I hesitated before saying, “Usually.”
I was suddenly reconsidering my vow to not date younger guys because of the guy four years younger than me who currently had his arm around me. Not that dating him would even be feasible. I had to remember who he was, what he did for a living, where he lived. It was easy to forget, because he just wasn’t that guy to me. He was Cam – a fun-loving, sweet, funny, normal guy who rode around in hired cars and brought a security team with him wherever he went.
Okay, so he wasn’t completely normal, but the fame thing didn’t even register with me. I had to remind myself that he’d been on stage at Madison Square Garden the night before, playing to thousands of people. I’d heard him sing on the radio before – even if I couldn’t remember it. He was a famous musician. Our lives were worlds apart, but it didn’t feel that way when I had my head on his chest, inhaling his crisp, woodsy scent, the softness of his t-shirt inviting me to snuggle closer.
When I thought of him that way, he was just a boy – and I’d be lying if I said he was a boy I didn’t like. In just twenty-four hours, he’d gotten under my skin. And it wasn’t the guy the world knew. It was the guy who only I knew, and that made impossible things seem possible. But so far, he hadn’t even tried to kiss me, so maybe I was getting ahead of myself.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I just didn’t peg you as someone who would date guys so much older than you. You seem so fun.”
I laughed. “David was fun. We just had a different kind of fun, and it didn’t feel weird when I was with him. Our ages really didn’t matter. I just liked who we were together – until I found out it was a lie.”
“I hate liars,” Cam said firmly.
“Me too,” I agreed as I felt his fingers tug my hair from the bun I’d put it in when I’d gotten in the bath.
He ran his fingers gently through the strands as I relaxed into him. Neither of us said anything else as we refocused on the movie. But that was how I fell asleep, with Cam’s fingers trailing through my hair, grazing my scalp and lulling me into oblivion.
Chapter Eight
Cam
I wasn’t exactly sure what I was doing, but I also wasn’t thinking. I was just acting and reacting. At times Andi was the easiest person for me to read, but at others she was a closed book. Because of that, I didn’t really know what was happening between us – which was also why I’d decided to stay the night at her apartment.
Aside from the fact that she was sleeping soundly against my chest, and I didn’t want to disturb her, the idea of leaving her bed, of going out into the cold and returning to my equally cold hotel bed didn’t exactly appeal to me. And I liked having her curled up against me. I liked it way more than I should have.
It was probably wrong of me. She’d literally been crying about her ex-boyfriend an hour before, but I justified that her state of mind was all the more reason for me to stay. I didn’t want to leave her alone.
I wanted to kiss her. Damn, did I want to kiss her. I’d never wanted anything more in my life, but I would be the biggest dick on the planet if I did that after what she’d been through earlier in the night, not to mention the fact that it was a completely insane notion. Andi didn’t see me in that way. I wasn't her type. She apparently liked older guys, and even if she decided to try out a younger guy, anything we could have together would be a short-lived hook-up.
I had to be back in L.A. in a week. I had a life. I couldn’t date someone who lived three thousand miles away. It would never work, but it was suddenly all I could think about.
I knew I was getting way ahead of myself. I was picturing things I hadn’t wanted thirty-six hours earl
ier, things I’d made fun of Dillon for wanting, and things I hadn’t figured I’d want for years. Then I met Andi, and everything changed. I couldn’t explain it, but I also knew that didn’t matter. We couldn't be together. We could have fun hanging out for the next three days, because she’d awesomely decided to humor me and stay in town, but then we’d say goodbye. That was it. That was all it could be.
But I was damn sure going to make every second with her count, and whether she liked it or not, I was going to spoil her. I could do that, and after seeing where she lived, it was exactly what I wanted to do. Her apartment was the saddest thing I’d ever seen, although I’d never tell her that. She was okay with it, but I knew she deserved so much more.
That was what I was thinking about as I lay practically naked on a massage table and let the Swedish masseuse the hotel had sent up turn my muscles into jelly. Andi was in the bedroom that Dillon had been staying in, and I’d set her up with a full pampering package – massage, facial, manicure, pedicure, and body scrub. It was four hours of relaxation that I almost had to talk her into doing since I’d kind of blindsided her with it, and then I’d lied.
After waking up in her bed with her body flush against mine, and her arm draped over my stomach, I’d fought the urge to turn and wake her with a kiss. It took everything in me to not do that and to keep top of mind that I shouldn't do that. So instead, I’d slid out of bed, called the hotel and made several appointments for her and booked a massage for myself.
I got them every few weeks while I was on tour since performing always made my back stiff. It had become a luxury I was more than accustomed to, but I knew it was something Andi never did for herself. That had been apparent when I’d seen the look on her face after I’d told her how I’d wanted to spend the bulk of the day. Screw sightseeing. That could wait.
She’d showered and changed before we left her apartment, and I’d brought her up to my suite with the pretense of doing the same, but then I’d told her my real plan when the two women from the hotel spa knocked on the door.
Andi had been in shock, and then she’d turned to me and whispered that she couldn’t afford a massage. I’d brazenly pressed my lips to her temple as I’d whispered that it was on me. She’d tied to argue with me, but I’d told her I’d already paid. She pouted for a few seconds before I tried a different tactic. I’d lied and said I wanted a massage and that they were having a two-for-one special. She bought it.
Westside Series Box Set Page 12