by J. Kenner
She tilted her head up to look at him. “Really? All of it?”
He nodded. “Monks would copy the pages, day after day after day.”
“Tedious.”
“Yup. Check this out.” This was the part that always amused the middle school kids that sometimes toured the library. “When they got bored, they’d doodle.”
He indicated the margin, and she bent closer. “Is that a mouse?” She looked up at him. “The monk drew a mouse?”
He grinned, more at her delight than at the mouse. “Cool isn’t it? And some manuscripts have some pretty racy images in the margins, too.”
He showed her a bit more from the collection, thrilled that she seemed genuinely interested. When they finally left the library and could speak in a normal tone and not worry about where they put their hands, she slid into his arms and sighed.
“Thanks,” she said. “I like seeing a bit of what you do.”
“It’s not all monks and mice,” he said, making her laugh.
“No, I get that. But it’s a peek inside of you. And I like that.” She rose up on her toes and kissed him then, casually and sweetly. A gentle kiss. Tender and soft and loving.
It was the kind of kiss that felt like a relationship.
But even as his heart twisted with joy, Cam knew better than to get his hopes up.
Chapter Ten
Cam woke before five a.m. to the sound of his phone ringing, the shrill sound rocketing him to consciousness. He snatched the phone, afraid it was Mina, then sagged in relief when he saw Kiki’s number.
“Time goes the other way,” he said.
“Shit! I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking. Are you awake?”
“Well, I am now,” he grumbled. “Are you still in London?” His sister was the lead singer and songwriter with Pink Chameleon, a band that had recently made a comeback, and was now touring the United States and Europe to great reviews and sell-out crowds.
“Yup. Celia and I are walking through the park outside Buckingham Palace.”
“Tell Noah he needs to do a better job monitoring your phone use,” he said, the comment making her laugh. Her husband of almost two years now, Noah was the President of the Austin division of Stark Applied Technology. With Kiki on tour, though, he was doing a lot of work from the road.
“He’s in New York with Damien,” she said, referring to the head of the company, Damien Stark, a man Cam had only met a couple of times, but found to be ridiculously down to earth considering he could probably buy the entire solar system and then some. “I’m not going to see him until we meet up in Austin.”
“Well, then tell him to make you a cheat sheet, because every time he’s away, you call me in the middle of the—wait. Did you say Austin?”
“Yup. We’ve squeezed in performances in Dallas and San Antonio at the beginning of the second leg of the US tour. And I insisted that we have at least one night at home. This on the road thing is crazy pants.”
“That’s fabulous.” Technically his half-sister by a different father, Kiki was ten years older than him. She’d been as much a mom as a sister, and he’d been thrilled when she moved to Austin—and missed her terribly now that she was on the road. “When will you be here?”
“Dallas is Tuesday. San Antonio is Thursday. I intend to sleep in my very own bed on Wednesday night.”
“Wednesday?” he repeated. “That’s not even a week away.”
“I know. Plan on dinner.”
“Hell, yeah, I will. I—oh. Shit.”
“You have plans.” He heard the disappointment in her voice.
“Kind of. You remember I told you about the calendar guy contest at The Fix?”
“Comic relief,” she said, and he could practically hear her rolling her eyes. “I can’t believe you did that.”
“I can’t believe I told you,” he said dryly. “At any rate, the contest is every other week, which puts Mr. March on this coming Wednesday.”
“And you’re entering again?”
“Hell, no,” he said quickly. “Well, technically, I’m already entered since all the guys can roll over to the next contest if they don’t win. But no. That’s not my plan. But Mina’s working the show, and since I’m an assistant manager now, I figure I should be there even if it’s not my shift.”
“That’s right. I already said congratulations when you texted me, but congrats again.”
“Thanks again.”
“And what about Mina?”
He’d confessed the crush to Kiki before she’d gone on tour, figuring that she might have some brilliant, life-changing advice.
She hadn’t, but just sharing his feelings with his sister had been a relief.
“Things are good,” he told her now, then gave her the PG-rated rundown of his recent time with Mina. “Actually, I was going to text you when I got up and ask you—”
He’d intended to ask about using their downtown condo for a date with Mina, but cut himself off as a brilliant idea swelled in his head.
“Cam?”
“Is it just you and Noah coming to Austin? Or is the whole band coming?”
“Just me and Noah. Celia has family in San Antonio, and Eden and Kristi said they want to fall face down on a hotel mattress and sleep until we perform. Why?”
“Would you be willing to do an acoustic number? Just you and your guitar? I know you can’t do the songs you’re touring with, but maybe something you’re working on?”.
“Um, I guess. Why?”
“Well, it would be a great surprise for all the customers. I mean, it’s been well over a year since you’ve performed here, and that was before the band got huge. And I could get Nolan to talk about it afterwards on his radio show. And then word would get out that The Fix is the kind of place where Kiki King drops in to perform, and that would get it on the map. And since we’re trying to increase revenue, I figure—”
“I get it,” she said, laughter in her voice. “And sure. I can do that. On one condition.”
He narrowed his eyes, even though she couldn’t see him. “What?”
“You enter the calendar contest.”
It was a good thing he was still in bed, because that demand would have laid him flat. “Seriously? Why?”
“Honestly, because I’ve been on the road for what seems like forever, I’ve missed you, and I haven’t given you enough shit lately.”
He rubbed his temples, then sighed. Because how the hell could he argue with that? “Fine. I’m in. But I have a condition.”
“Good God, this could go on forever. What’s yours?”
“I’m taking Mina out tonight. Can I take her back to your condo?”
“Of course. You have all the access codes.”
“I know. I just wanted to ask. And is it okay to stay through the weekend?”
“Planning one hell of a date, are we?”
“Not planning so much as hoping,” he admitted, making her laugh.
“Again, you don’t even have to ask. So long as you’re out before we get there on Wednesday, consider it yours.”
Despite going back to sleep after he hung up with Kiki, Cam was exhausted by the time six o’clock rolled around. Mostly because he’d spent the afternoon running various errands and making trip after trip to the condo in order to get everything just the way he wanted.
Only when he was certain that everything was perfect, and he’d forgotten nothing, did he finally shower and change into clean jeans and a button-down shirt, then walk the few blocks from Kiki and Noah’s downtown condo to The Fix on Sixth.
It was only six-fifteen when he arrived, but that was okay. If Mina wasn’t finished, Cam was happy to hang out and talk with his friends.
He headed straight for the bar where Eric was busy working, then he glanced around until he caught Tiffany’s eye. She gave him a thumbs-up, but whether that was her way of saying hello or a signal that things were going well with Eric, Cam didn’t know.
Not that it mattered. Tiffany was too busy to ask, an
d Cam was preoccupied with finding both Mina and Jenna. He found Mina first; she was walking the perimeter, her camera scanning the room. He could tell the second she noticed him, because she stopped moving, kept the camera on him, and grinned. He assumed she’d zoomed in on him, and he made a goofy face, causing her to lower the camera and stick her tongue out at him.
He winked, then continued his search for Jenna, ultimately finding her in the office with Tyree going over a stack of paperwork.
“Cam, my man,” Ty said, shifting his attention from the paper to the doorway as Cam knocked on the frame. “A little eager, aren’t you? You’re not on shift until tomorrow.”
“I can’t stay away from this place,” Cam said, and Tyree’s smile broadened.
“I know that feeling. What’s up?”
“I was looking for Jenna, but you’ll both want to hear this.” He told them about his conversation with Kiki and about her agreement to perform before the Mr. March contest.
“Are you shitting me?” Tyree said. “Because if you are, that’s grounds for firing.”
“Funny,” Cam said, as Tyree leaned back in his chair, his hands behind his head.
“Damn, but I always did like your sister.”
“No kidding,” Jenna said. “I’m talking major girl-crush here. She’s really okay with that? Because this is amazing.”
“Totally okay. She loves this bar, and she likes small venues with just her guitar way more than the monster stadiums her managers set up for the band’s tours.”
“What’s going on?” Mina asked, coming up behind him and putting her hand on the flat of his back.
For a second, Cam stiffened, certain she’d realize the intimacy of the touch and step back, but she kept her hand there, although she did ease forward so that she was standing beside him.
“Kiki’s going to perform next Wednesday,” Jenna said.
“No kidding?” She looked at Cam. “You arranged that?”
“I might have had something to do with it.”
For the flicker of an instant, their eyes met, and he saw the tiniest smile play at her lips. Then she turned to Jenna. “I came to tell you that Brooke had a question. And to let you know I’m heading out. I’ve got a hot date tonight.”
She didn’t look at him. Just turned and left, her hand falling away from his back and leaving a Mina-shaped handprint of heat and promise.
Jenna looked after her, then turned her attention to him. For a second, he thought she was going to say something about him and Mina. But then her gaze dropped to the desktop, she grabbed a leather folio, and hurried past him into the hall saying, “I’ll go see what Brooke needs.”
Cam told Tyree that he was heading out, too, and if Tyree made the connection between him and Mina, he didn’t show it. All he said was, “You earned yourself some serious karma, Cam my man. Thanks.”
Cam nodded in acknowledgement, then walked back toward the main bar, intent on finding Mina.
He didn’t get that far. Instead, Mina grabbed him by the elbow and pulled him into the dark corner near the shelves where the paper products were stored. “That was nice what you did,” she said. “Asking your sister to perform, I mean.”
“You think?”
She hooked her hands around his neck and lifted herself up on her toes. Her lips brushed his ear as she whispered. “Very take charge. Very sexy.”
He stifled a moan, the unexpected sensation of her breath tickling his ear wreaking wonderful havoc with his insides. “Mina,” he murmured, surprised and aroused. Anyone could come back here. Anyone could see. And the moment they did, the secret was over.
Which was fine by him, but the fact that Mina was being so reckless was such a turn-on that he was as hard as steel...and seriously considering abandoning all of his careful plans in order to yank her out into the alley and fuck her senseless right then.
Her hand slid down to cup his cock, and she made a soft noise of satisfaction that only made him harder. “I have high hopes for our date,” she teased.
“I’ll try hard to live up to your expectations,” he retorted, stressing the word hard and making her laugh as her hand pressed against him even more firmly.
He groaned, then roughly took her wrists and pushed her back against the wall, her hands forced above her head as he pressed his body against hers. “You’re playing a dangerous game, baby. Because I swear I’m on the verge of taking you right here, propriety and job security and our secret be damned.”
“The ladies room is just across the hall. It has a lock.”
Christ.
She squirmed but he held her hands firm, sorely tempted.
So ridiculously, incredibly, painfully tempted.
“No,” he finally said, then almost changed his mind when he saw the disappointment in her eyes. He leaned forward, releasing one wrist so that he could slide his hand down. He caressed her breast, then cupped her sex over the spandex of her leggings as she ground down on his hand. “Anticipation,” he murmured, then eased back, breaking the contact between them.
“Bastard,” she said.
“For now,” he agreed. “But I bet you won’t think so soon.” He trailed his fingertip down her neck, over her collarbone, then lower and lower, veering off before he reached her sex. “I think you’ll be begging me for more.”
She nodded, her green eyes flashing with both sensual heat and challenge. “All right then,” she said. “Prove it. Let’s see if you can make me melt.”
Chapter Eleven
“A limo?” Mina stopped on the street to look at the sleek, black vehicle. They’d left The Fix through the back door and then walked down the alley to Brazos Street. She hadn’t thought anything of the limo at first, but then the driver had stepped out and held the door open, and Cam had steered her that direction.
Now, as she slipped into the dark interior, she looked over her shoulder at Cam and smiled, a little bit awed. “Unexpected, but nice.”
He settled in beside her as the driver indicated the two freshly poured Mimosas. Cam handed Mina hers before pushing the button on the privacy screen and picking up his own glass. “To surprises,” he said, and a laugh bubbled out of her. The truth was, Cam was the biggest surprise of all. The way she felt so easy with him. So connected.
“Definitely.” She clinked his glass then took a sip before looking out the window. “Where are we going?”
“Are you fuzzy on the definition of surprise?”
She finished her mimosa and held her glass out with her brows raised, challenging him to deny her another. “Silly me. I thought the limo was the surprise.”
“It’s a multipart surprise,” he told her as he made her a fresh drink. “Part of the surprise is traveling in style.”
“You got that right. This is a sweet ride. My dad hardly ever hires limos, and when he does, it’s for work. The only ones I’ve ever been in were during school. And those reeked of beer. And usually had a half-naked frat guy with his head through the sunroof screaming drunken insults at pedestrians.”
This, she thought was much better. A nice ride and an even nicer guy. And the two of them all alone with all sorts of possibilities.
“Damn,” he said. “I forgot to arrange for the drunken frat guy.” He pointed to the sunroof. “Shall I start to strip down?”
“Later,” she said. “I think you can count on it.” She looked him slowly up and down, and then licked her lips for effect. “But I think I’ll keep you in the limo and all to myself.”
She asked where they were going, but he told her that was part of the surprise.
“I grew up here, too, you know,” she said. “Surprise destinations aren’t going to be that easy unless you’re taking me to the airport.”
“Damn. I forgot to reserve the jet to Paris.”
She had a sudden vision of the two of them in Paris, eating croissants from a street cafe, holding hands as the rode up the Eiffel Tower, exploring the Louvre and all the winding streets in the city.
With his
sense of fun and his love of history, it would be an amazing trip, and it scared her a little how much she wanted to start seriously planning just such a journey.
He pulled her close then and kissed her, distracting her from her Parisian fantasies and ensuring that she lost all interest in trying to figure out where they were going. Instead, they wiled away the time enjoying a time-honored limo tradition—making out in privacy in the very back seat.
Once the car stopped, she was distracted by the need to straighten her clothes, and so she didn’t realize where they were until the driver opened the door and she recognized the well-known Austin restaurant.
“The Oasis!” she said, thrilled with his choice. “And just in time for sunset. This couldn’t be more perfect.”
“I’m friends with one of the bartenders, and he promised he’d make sure the hostess seats us at a perfect table.”
She knew what he meant by perfect, of course. The Oasis was built in multiple levels on a hill overlooking Lake Travis. It faced the west, and the sunsets over the water were both stunning and well-known. Getting a primo table, especially in the summer, was quite a feat.
“You’re amazing. A limo and perfect seats. What will you think of next?”
“Actually, margaritas and nachos if that sounds good to you.”
“Are you kidding? It’s perfect.” She squeezed his hand across the table. “This is perfect.”
They still had thirty minutes until sunset, and they talked about everything and nothing—including her fantasy Paris trip—as the sun slipped lower and lower in the sky, finally disappearing in a cacophony of color.
“That was amazing,” she said. “This date has been amazing.”
“I’m glad you approve,” he said, flashing a crooked grin. “But it’s not over yet.”
In fact, she thought an hour later, the Oasis had barely been an appetizer. After they returned to downtown, he took her to one of the high-rise condo buildings, and they rode up, up, up until finally entering a small studio with a view of the river. “It’ll be gorgeous tomorrow,” he said, “but even at night it’s pretty with the lights.”