by Hadley Quinn
“Damn, you look gorgeous,” he said, kissing her on the cheek. “You remember Danny and Nick, right?” Brandon nodded to them.
“Sure. Hey guys,” she gave a polite smile.
“Hi,” they both replied at the same time.
Brandon angled away from them and put his arm around Camryn. “You two walked in and half the room popped boners.”
“Shut up!” she laughed, swatting his chest. “You’re so crude.”
“Well like you, sweetheart, I only speak the truth. Now for tonight’s plan…” He subtly nodded his head across the room and Camryn could tell right away who he had his sights on. “The brunette in the black dress.”
“Don’t you ever go for anything different? You’re so predictable. I could have chosen her for you.”
“Go over there and ask if she wants to join the two of us.”
Camryn snorted. “What if she prefers me instead? Will you get jealous?”
“Nah,” he smiled. “I’ll cheer you on.”
“You’re shameless.”
“I know. But seriously, what do you think I should do at midnight?”
Camryn felt a wave of regret wash over her. She knew exactly what he was referring to and she felt guilty. “Brandon, you don’t have to stick with me at midnight. Go talk to her so you can have something better at the New Year.”
“Aw, Cam. That’s not what I meant.”
“Sure it is, and I don’t blame you one bit. You were my crutch last year when you guys dragged me to that New Year’s party at the hotel. I would’ve busted someone’s nuts if he tried to kiss me, which is why you stuck close by.”
“You made me promise.”
“It was a deal, and I kept my end of it. I came.”
“And we made another deal this year and I plan on sticking to it again.”
“Brandon,” she sighed. “I don’t expect you to miss out on opportunities. We have an understanding, and that’s part of it.”
“But kissing you on the cheek at midnight is turning into a tradition,” he smiled.
“Right, like it’s that thrilling to you.”
“Cam, I get it, okay? You’re not ready and I understand. I’m okay with whatever you need. I wouldn’t lie to you.”
“Then tell me this. Would you like to kiss the brunette at midnight?”
He shrugged. “Sure.”
“Then go introduce yourself. If it’s not happening, I might still be here.”
“Might be? You’re gonna leave?”
“Maybe. I don’t know, Brandon. I barely know anyone here.”
“You know Danny and Nick.” He turned so his two friends could now be included in the conversation. “Nick plays football for USC. I’m sure he’d keep you safe for the night.”
Nick looked as if he were handed a million dollars and told he couldn’t spend it. He glanced at Camryn and then back at Brandon, looking unsure of what to say.
Camryn’s claws went into Brandon’s arm to let him know she wasn’t too pleased with his attempts at setting her up with someone else. Nick was a decent looking guy, but she had no interest in getting to know anybody new tonight.
“I’m sure Nick has already picked his target for the night,” she smiled politely. “I don’t need a babysitter.”
“I don’t mind,” Nick shrugged with interest.
“I gotta go introduce myself to someone,” Brandon told him. “Don’t let any douchebags touch her.”
Camryn rolled her eyes, and when Brandon left, she turned to Nick and said, “I can take care of myself.”
“So I’ve heard,” he smiled. “But I’ll look out for you anyways. Can I buy you a drink and we can just hang out?”
“Sure, that sounds fine,” she nodded. At least the appearance of being with someone would be playing it safe. She understood that was Brandon’s intention, so why not stick with the big football stud.
“So…you and Brandon?” Nick asked as they entered the bar section.
“We’re friends.”
“Yeah, that’s what he says,” he smiled. After they each placed an order and Nick paid, he added, “But he tells us you don’t date anyone, so that kind of makes it weird.”
“I do too date other people.”
“So does he. You guys are friends with benefits, then?”
She gave him a watchful eye, wondering where this conversation was leading.
“Hey, I’m just trying to figure you out,” he said, holding up both hands. “I’ve known Brandon for a couple of years now. He talks about you like a girlfriend, but tells people otherwise. Chicks, I mean.”
“Brandon’s a great guy and we’ll always be friends. Neither of us want a commitment, so it works out well that way.”
“Ah, I see.”
“No, I doubt you do,” Camryn replied. “Not many people do. So what about you? Tell me about football.”
She knew that would get them into friendlier territory, knowing athletes loved to talk about their successes all the time. She listened intently, asked the right questions, and generally did a good job of passing the time. Brandon looked like he was hitting it off with the dark-haired beauty, so Camryn assumed she could head out early for the night.
Melanie joined her for a little while, introducing her to several friends and acquaintances. They danced for a little bit—Camryn even danced with Nick because she could tell he was intimidated by her and wouldn’t push his luck. She assumed the poor guy was biding his time, hoping for something special from her at midnight. Well, maybe Camryn could push him together with Melanie, who seemed to think he was pretty hot.
When eleven-thirty hit, Camryn found a table and sat. Brandon had checked in on her but she sent him away. He seemed to be having fun with the brunette, Angela, whom he briefly introduced her to. The girl didn’t seem too thrilled for him to be checking on his “friend,” but Camryn played it off like she didn’t notice.
“Mind if I sit with you?” a deep voice asked after they’d left.
She whipped her head upward and her eyes settled on a handsome blonde with piercing blue eyes. She tried to do a onceover on his personality and didn’t come up with much. His expression looked friendly but neutral.
“Sure, go ahead. My boyfriend will be back in a little bit, though.”
He slowly smiled, like he knew she was lying. “Okay,” he nodded as he sat. “I’m Ken,” he added, holding out a hand.
“As in the Barbie doll?” she smiled wryly, allowing him to shake her hand.
He lightly laughed. “Sure, if his full name is Kenton.” He waited for a reply but she didn’t offer one. “Is it?”
“I doubt it, but I’m not really up-to-date on my Barbie trivia.”
“Me neither. I know that’s shocking but…”
She actually smiled for real as she took a sip of her water. “Well I’m Camryn. Nice to meet you, Ken.”
“You too. Can I buy you a drink? Something more flavorful than that?” he pointed to her water.
“No thanks. My sister will come by and sneak a drink. She’s not legal yet.”
“So is that who you came with?”
She gave him a smirk. “Yes, she’s my date that’s been collecting her own little book of phone numbers tonight.”
He laughed easily and Camryn relaxed a bit. Maybe Ken would be cool with just hanging out like this until Melanie was ready to go. It was a long shot, but she could hope. It wasn’t her ego telling her that, but just history itself.
“So who’s he?” Ken asked casually, subtly nodding to Brandon not too far away.
“My close friend.”
“And that guy?” he nodded to Nick at the bar with Danny.
“Friend of close friend. I see you’ve been doing proper surveillance, huh?”
He smiled again. “Kind of have to these days. Don’t really feel like getting my ass kicked by a guy for talking to his girl, and I don’t usually prefer to waste my time on girls that don’t rate high on my list.”
Camryn raised a
n eyebrow but accepted the subtle compliment. “Hmm, so how high did I actually rate?”
“Well…if I actually came over to talk to you, then you’ve already rated pretty high, beating out every girl in this room.”
“Well now I feel really bad for wasting your one move for the night, Ken.”
“No-oh-oh,” he pretended to whine, dropping his face into his hands. “Dang, I was so sure about you, too.”
She smiled again, kind of liking this guy. She patted his arm and said, “It’s okay, everyone makes mistakes. I won’t hold it against you.”
“Okay, so at least tell me why. I’ll leave you alone, but I’d just like to know. I’m a beast?”
“No,” she laughed. “You’re very good-looking.”
“I’ve said something stupid?”
“Nope, I’ve liked talking to you.”
“Hmm, so you really weren’t kidding about the boyfriend, huh? He’s just not here,” he concluded, sitting back in his seat. He was studying Camryn for her reaction but she made sure her expression didn’t change much. “Am I right?” he questioned.
She crossed her legs the other direction as she considered an answer. Teague’s face appeared in her mind like it did a thousand times a day, but she had no right to stake a claim on him. Not after leaving like she did, and especially after not even calling him within the four days she’d been gone. His blue-green eyes haunted her dreams at night, along with his smile with that damn dimple in his cheek. His sexy voice spoke to her constantly, causing her chest to tighten with regret…
“Well there kind of was someone, and I kind of messed it up,” she finally replied. “So the answer to your inquiry is no I don’t have a boyfriend, but I wish that he was.” She shrugged, feeling a little dumb for being so honest with a stranger, but also feeling like it didn’t matter.
Ken slowly nodded as he thought of a response. “Well depending on how you messed up, I’m sure there’s a way you guys can work it out. You don’t seem like the type a guy could forget easily. Won’t he talk to you?”
She almost laughed out loud but it would have been sarcastic. Teague had given her his phone number twice, and she was too scared to even send a damn text.
“He lives up north a ways,” she answered, sticking to the simplified version.
“And what if he didn’t?”
Then her heart wouldn’t be hurting, she wanted to say. “Then things might be different.”
Ken took a deep breath and glanced at his watch. “Well, it was nice to meet you, Camryn, but I’d better leave you to call your boyfriend for the New Year.” He stood as she gave him a look of surprise. “Seriously. Just call him and wish him a happy New Year. See where it goes from there.”
She was too shocked to give a response and just watched him walk away.
With a sigh she dropped her chin into her hand. This night sucked and she wanted to go home. She stood and looked around for Melanie, not finding her right away. Moving away from the table, she scanned the corners of the room, praying to God her sister hadn’t gone home with someone without telling her. It wouldn’t be the first time. And if she was mooching drinks off guys, Camryn was going to be just as pissed.
Finally she spotted her by the stage, where a small acoustic act had been finishing up. Camryn sighed her relief and then searched the room for Brandon to make sure he was still enjoying his time with the brunette. If he hadn’t been he would’ve come to find Camryn, but she felt it her duty to check on him anyways.
Couples were starting to unite as the clock crept to a quarter till. Deciding to call it a night, she planned her exit strategy so Brandon or her sister didn’t stop her. She was halfway across the room when something made her look up—a feeling of some sort—and there, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest…
Was Teague.
Chapter Fifteen
Teague studied her reaction from a distance. She’d finally noticed him and stopped dead in her tracks. Making eye contact like that caused his chest to pound furiously, but it was a mix of anger and something else as he still felt hurt that this girl just ran out of town like she did. It was like losing everything all over again and he couldn’t let that happen.
Finally Camryn took a couple of steps forward, hopefully toward him and not the exit. He watched for a few seconds before yet another guy approached her.
Fucking hell, this was getting old.
He pushed off the wall and stalked across the room. Camryn looked up as he neared and she said something that seemed like a brush off to the guy as she walked away from him. It was a good thing because Teague couldn’t stand to see her talk to or touch anyone else. And although the next ten minutes might even kill him, he had to get through it.
Neither of them spoke as they came together and stood facing each other. In heels, Camryn’s eyes were almost level with his mouth, and if she hadn’t been staring at his lips like she was doing, Teague might’ve gotten even more frustrated with her lack of eye contact.
Finally he said, “I think you owe me an explanation.”
Taking a silent breath of air she finally looked him in the eye. “I take it you’re a little bothered that I left without letting you know?”
“Yeah, just a little. I mean really, Camryn. What the fuck is so hard about using a phone?”
“Normally a guy would get a great big “fuck you” for that.”
He was acting like a dick, he knew it, but her reaction only confirmed what he already knew. “The fact that you didn’t even call to say goodbye tells me one thing, Camryn. You know what that is? That you were running from me. I’ll admit that it should have been obvious, but I was too selfish to see what this was really about. There are a lot of things about you that I don’t know, but I’m pretty damn sure you cared about me enough that you couldn’t face me with a goodbye. Call me a fucker for believing you actually owed me that much, but I know you didn’t want to say goodbye.”
She didn’t respond.
“Am I right?” he asked sternly, leaning forward so he was inches from her.
“Yes,” she barely answered.
Teague softened, just from seeing how meek she looked at that moment. It wasn’t his intention to be domineering, but he couldn’t leave without getting through to her.
“Well, you still won the bet,” she told him. “So if that’s why you’re here…”
Shaking his head he replied, “No I didn’t. You lost. I didn’t win it; you lost. There’s a difference. And this has nothing to do with the fucking bet.”
“So…you’re not even going to kiss me?”
Teague took her hand and pulled her to his chest. He placed his mouth against her cheek and whispered, “I want to kiss you so bad that it hurts.”
While his lips remained against her skin, she wrapped her arms around his waist and held him tight. “You scare me, Teague,” she admitted in a whisper.
He pulled back slightly to search her eyes, and even though those words alarmed him, he knew right away she didn’t mean physically. He recognized heartache from staring at it in the mirror, and he could recognize it now. “You scare me, too,” he replied softly, taking her face in his hands. “But…I think if we face our fears together…it’ll be okay.”
She relaxed her forehead against his chin, noticeably relieved. As the activity in the room got busier and people prepared for the count down, Teague suddenly grabbed Camryn’s wrist and began hauling her toward the exit. She tried to keep up, but in heels it was difficult to walk that fast.
“Teague, I’m gonna break an ankle,” she half laughed, half complained.
With a smile he scooped her up in one motion and carried her out the exit. Camryn slid her arms around his neck as she laughed, and then pressed her mouth against his jaw and kissed him. He sucked in a breath of air as he stopped in front of his truck and gently set her on the ground. Her back was against the door and he placed his hands against the truck by the sides of her head.
Teague stared in
to Camryn’s green eyes. He felt she could look at him like that any time, any place, and he’d go weak. And now he was going to do something as simple as kissing her and it felt monumental. He noticed the volume increase from inside the building, everyone cheering for the midnight hour, and the excitement seemed to match the cadence in his chest.
When he slid a hand behind her neck, Camryn responded by pulling him closer. They were sharing the same air, the same anticipation that engulfed them with excitement, not fear. The eye contact was severely commanding between them both, eager and all-consuming. Camryn was watching his mouth come closer…and closer…until their lips were scarcely touching and her eyes closed. Teague paused in this moment, the heat already tangible against his skin without any effort. He brushed her lips with his to move into it slowly, and then gently took her lower lip between his to kiss it softly. It was the most sensual kiss he’d ever experienced and he was barely getting started. He convinced his mouth to press harder but it was still gentle, and when Camryn gripped him tighter, the intensity flamed like a wildfire.
Her mouth opened and his tongue skimmed between her lips. When he did it again it was more persistent, searching for hers. Their tongues met and she let out a moan as he kissed her deep. He softly nipped her bottom lip with his teeth and then sucked it. Teague’s fingers tangled in her hair as his mouth angled perfectly to work with hers, and then he returned to the tender, passionate assault of her tongue. Time was lost. Thoughts were empty. Carnal desires were on autopilot, and hearts were giving in to instinct. It was a mutual surrendering of a little bit of body and a whole lot of soul… and it was only a first kiss.
Teague was barely aware that there were people in the vicinity now, searching for cars or walking to other destinations. It was like coming out of seclusion where all he’d been aware of was the whooshing of his heart in his ears and the sensation of Camryn’s beautiful body against him while her sexy lips connected with his.
He pulled away from her reluctantly, his lips lingering as he continued giving her soft kisses, but he didn’t want others to share his time with her and eventually released her mouth. He tucked her against him and just held her close, wanting to savor the moment with her. They stood against the truck for another minute, sharing the pounding of their hearts as they both caught their breath.