Need You Now: Cameron and Mina (Man of the Month Book 3)

by J. Kenner

  By that time, Mina had arrived.

  “Obviously, I didn’t realize it was so low on battery. But thank goodness for that last known location feature, right? I mean, technology.” He held his hands out at his sides in a happy-go-lucky gesture. “Gotta love it, huh?”

  “Stop joking about it.” Tears trailed down her cheeks, and his expression immediately shifted from amused irritation to concerned contrition.

  “Oh, hell. I’m sorry I scared you,” he said gently. “All he did was clip me on a corner. Yes, it could have been worse, but it wasn’t. He could have just as easily hit a pedestrian. Come on, Mina. We both know there aren’t guarantees.”

  “I know. I’m sorry. I’m just—” She sat at the foot of the couch, careful not to bump his leg, then grabbed a tissue from the coffee table and blew her nose.

  “Just having a rough day overall?”

  She sniffed, then looked up at him. “What do you mean?”

  He tilted his head, as if considering how to answer. “Moving to LA. Leaving me. Leaving—you know—your friends. The internship at The Fix. All of that. It’s gotta be hard.”

  Cam loomed in her mind, and she nodded. “It really is.” She sucked in a breath. Time to bite the bullet. “Listen, I’ve been thinking about it, and I’m not—”

  She stopped, her head turning toward the entry hall. She couldn’t see the front door, but she distinctly heard the sound of someone punching in the unlock code.

  Frowning, she met Darryl’s eyes. “Dad?”

  He shrugged, and she was just about to call out to their father when Cam’s voice preceded him into the room. “Darryl! Do you have Mina’s flight information? She’s not home, and I need to get a ticket for tomorrow, and—Oh.”

  He looked between the two of them, as Mina stood up and went to him, not even caring that Darryl was watching every move.

  “Hey,” she said. She expected a similar reply. Instead he took her face in his hands, held her steady, and kissed her so thoroughly that she thought her legs might melt.

  When he finally released her, he glanced over at Darryl. “I’m dating your sister.”

  “Well, I hope so. Otherwise we need to enroll you in an etiquette refresher course. Because your greeting skills are a little over the top.”

  “What are you doing here?” Mina asked, still floating about ten feet off the ground.

  “Coming to tell Darryl that I’m following you to LA. I’ll find work somewhere—maybe The Getty—and I’ll get my doctoral applications in as soon as I can. We’ll make it work.”

  She took his hand, because if she didn’t, she’d float even higher. She drew in air, as happy as she could ever remember being. “No,” she said, “you’re not.”

  “The hell I’m not. I’ve been thinking about this—”

  “I’m staying here,” she said, effectively cutting him off.

  “What? Why?”

  She pulled him over to the couch. There wasn’t much room, but that was okay, since Mina was mostly sitting on Cam’s lap.

  “What happened to you?” Cam said, peering at Darryl, and apparently only now noticing his invalid state.

  “A car ran me over,” Darryl said dismissively. “Who cares? I want to know why she’s staying.”

  “Fair enough,” Cam said. “Not that I’m arguing, but why?”

  “Because I don’t want to lose you,” she said, feeling his reaction to her words in the way his grip tightened, pulling her even closer. “Because I don’t want you to have to sacrifice even a year of your education so I can chase a dream in LA when I could chase the same dream in Austin.”

  “You don’t want to move to LA?”

  “Oh, sometime, yes. But right now, this is home. You, Darryl, our friends.” She lifted a shoulder. “I have a life here, and I want to build onto it. With you,” she said, then brushed a kiss over his lips. “And when you’re done with school,” she added lightly, “I’ll expect you to look for jobs in Southern California.”

  He laughed. “Fair enough.”

  “Were you really going to move out there for me?” she asked.

  “There’s not much I wouldn’t do for you.”

  “This is all very heartwarming,” Darryl said. “But what about the stellar job out there? Are you just going to turn it down?”

  “I already did,” she said. “I sent an email from the ER.” She lifted a shoulder, then met Cam’s eyes. “I never did decline the job offer here. His accident distracted me. And it’s a much better opportunity anyway. Lots of hands-on experience. And that exec in LA is probably lame like you said. Coffee and dry-cleaning and then he tosses you out and drags in a new PA. Not even worth my time.”

  “Except you know he’s not,” Cam said, and her heart picked up tempo. She’d learned the truth from Griffin just a few hours ago. But how the hell had Cam?

  “He really is a stellar exec,” Cam continued. “Yes, the job is a lot of fetching coffee—I was right about that—but his former assistants have gone on to write scripts, produce movies, create television shows.”

  His brow furrowed, and she felt her eyes prick with tears. “You’re walking away from all that? You’re sure?”

  She leaned forward and kissed him. “Yeah,” she said. “I’m sure. I’ll still end up in Hollywood. I’ll get there with a great resume full of real experiences and not coffee and dry-cleaning. And I’ll make contacts from Austin, too. And when I do go to California, I won’t be alone. I’m absolutely positive.” She drew in a shuddering breath. “I love you, Cameron Reed.“

  “Oh, baby. I love you, too.”

  “How did you know about the exec?” she asked.

  “Griffin told me. Said you wanted to know what the buzz was about him. Then he said that if he was in my place, he’d want to know that it was a good job and you’d make great connections.”

  “But—wait. I don’t get it. Why would he even think to tell you?”

  “Probably because I told him you two were dating,” Darryl said.

  Mina gaped. “Wait. What?”

  “Well, it came up. I was chatting with him about the work you did for him. He thinks you’ll go far in the biz, by the way.”

  “Came up? But how did you know we were dating in the first place?”

  He pointed to his head. “Slightly concussed,” he said. “But not blind. I’ve known for ages. Why do you think Zach blew off my party? I might have told him you two were involved, and the twerp wasn’t interested enough in just coming to celebrate me.”

  “And you don’t mind?” Cam asked. “It’s not weird?”

  “You’re both weird. You’re also two of my favorite people. Now I don’t have to worry about either one of you hooking up with a loser.” He looked between the two of them. “Just lock your doors if you’re having sex, okay? My eyes are still burning.”

  “Asshole!” Mina said, then threw a pillow at him.

  “Love you, Meanie,” he said, holding up his fingers in the I Love You, sign.

  “Love you back, Dickbreath,” she said, returning the sign.

  Darryl snorted. “So is it safe to assume that you two have made up now?”

  Mina looked at Cam, who nodded. “Oh, yeah,” he said.

  “Definitely,” Mina agreed.

  “Good. Then go have wild make up sex, okay?” He grabbed the remote off the coffee table. “There’s a show starting that I really want to watch.”

  And since Mina couldn’t argue with that, she stood up, took Cameron’s hand, and led him back to her apartment.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Cam’s eyes locked on Mina’s as he filled her, taking his time as he thrust slow and deep, wanting to make this last. Hell, wanting it to never end.

  She was his. And, yes, he was hers. Fully. Completely. And with a lifetime of adventures spread out in front of him.

  He still couldn’t quite believe that she was staying—much less that she was staying for him. But then he looked deep in her eyes again and saw the love reflected th
ere, and knew that it was true.

  “Come with me,” he whispered, the passion in his mind filtering down to his body. He had to claim her now. Had to see that same joy and release on her face that he felt in himself.

  She nodded, her lips parted, her breath coming ragged. “I love you,” she whispered, and that was the final straw—the intimate touch of her voice that pushed him over the edge, and he lost all control as he exploded inside her, his climax triggering hers, so that she went over when he did, her core tightening around him, her muscles drawing him further in as her fingernails dug into his back, pulling him closer and closer, as if at any moment they would become one person.

  When the explosion settled and he felt whole again, he rolled next to her, exhausted, then took her hand. “I love you,” he whispered, because he really couldn’t say it enough.

  “I know,” she said. “I love you, too.” She sighed, then sat up. “I have something for you.”

  “Yeah?”

  He watched as she got out of bed, then went naked to her dresser. She opened a drawer and pointed to it. “I emptied it out. It’s yours. I figure you can leave some stuff here. For when you sleep here instead of that ratty co-op.”

  He sat up, amused. “This entire huge apartment, and I only get a drawer?”

  Her brows lifted. “Wouldn’t want to move too fast.”

  “We’ve known each other our whole lives, Mina,” he teased. “There’s no too fast in this equation.”

  She came back to the bed and sat beside him, her hand sliding down to cup his cock. “Good point. Prove your worth, and I’ll clear out some space in my closet, too.”

  Laughing, he tumbled her onto the bed, then got on top of her. “I can do that,” he said, then kissed her lightly. “And by the way,” he added, as she writhed naked beneath him. “I really do love my drawer.”

  Cam stood in the office at The Fix on Wednesday afternoon going over details with Nolan, Tyree, Brooke, and Jenna. “I just want to make sure it’s okay if Nolan puts my bit during the contest on Mornings With Wood.” He glanced at Brooke. “There’s not any sort of conflict with your show, is there?”

  She shook her head. “None at all. I double-checked with the producers after Nolan mentioned maybe doing promo spots for the bar during his show. It’s all good.”

  “And the more publicity for the bar, the better,” Jenna added.

  “Amen to that,” Tyree said.

  “Speaking of,” Cam continued, “Kiki checked with her manager and so long as you sign all the forms he’s emailing over, then you can also broadcast snippets of her performance. You too,” he added to Nolan, who rubbed his hands together in glee. “In fact, she and Noah should be here any minute.”

  “I guess that makes our timing perfect,” Kiki said, coming into the office and making a beeline for Cameron. “God, I’ve missed you,” she said, pulling him into a tight hug.

  She gave him one more squeeze, then swooped into Tyree’s arms as well. “It’s been ages since I saw you. I’m so glad this worked out. Oh! I forgot introductions.”

  She turned to indicate the men in the doorway. Cam knew his brother-in-law, Noah, of course. And Noah stood beside another man who Cam had met once or twice. A billionaire several times over, Damien Stark was a former tennis champion turned entrepreneur, with enough money and scandal in his background to keep him and his wife, Nikki, on pretty much constant display in the tabloids.

  “Tyree, you already know my husband, Noah,” Kiki said, then introduced Noah around the room. “And this is his boss—”

  “And friend,” Stark put in.

  Kiki laughed and nodded in acknowledgement. “And friend,” she agreed. “Damien Stark.”

  “It’s a pleasure to be here,” Stark said, leaning against the doorframe and looking as if he owned the place. All things considered, Cam figured that if Stark wanted to, he could probably write a check.

  Then again, maybe not. Cam knew damn well that Tyree had no intention of selling. That was the whole point of the calendar contest and the other ramped up promo. To keep the place in the black—and in Tyree and his partners' hands.

  “I’m impressed with everything you’ve rolled out with an eye toward increasing revenues,” Stark said. “And I’m definitely looking forward to the calendar contest tonight. I understand you put on quite a show last time,” he added, with a wry glance toward Cam.

  “Anything for my adoring public,” Cam quipped, as Kiki rolled her eyes and the others laughed.

  “Forgive my brother. He’s an idiot. I saw Mina on my way in, by the way. She said I was supposed to give you this,” she added to Cam, then blew him a kiss. Silly, but Cam caught it, warmed by the knowledge that Mina was just beyond those walls thinking of him.

  “I don’t suppose you have any more ideas for The Fix,” Tyree asked Stark. “You built an empire from the ground up. Any tips you want to toss my way…”

  Stark probably got asked that kind of question a hundred times each day. But if he was irritated, he didn’t show it. On the contrary, he ticked off the various things that the bar had already implemented to increase the customer base and, therefore, the revenue. And it really was a nice, long list.

  “To be honest, I don’t have a thing to add,” Stark said with what sounded like genuine approval.

  “Whoa,” Tyree said. “I was just looking for an off-the-cuff answer. I didn’t realize you’d taken the time to look into what we’re doing here. Thank you, man.”

  Stark nodded toward Kiki, who shrugged. “What can I say? I was in marketing for years and Damien speaks the language. We talked.”

  “All kidding aside,” Stark said, “I think that short of a collection plate, you’re doing what needs to be done. And if you are taking donations, I’d be happy to contribute.”

  Tyree shook his head. “This bar earns its right to keep the doors open, or it doesn’t keep them open.”

  “I speak his language, too,” Damien said, nodding with approval toward Tyree.

  “Actually, there is one thing you could help with,” Jenna said, stepping forward and looking just a tiny bit intimidated.

  “What’s that?”

  “Enter the contest,” Brooke interrupted, laughing. “You’d be a big hit.”

  “My wife might be less than thrilled.”

  “Is Nikki here?” Kiki asked.

  He shook his head. “She was hoping to fly out to see you perform, but she texted me this morning that our nanny’s ill. She’s hoping to find a friend to watch the girls, but it doesn’t sound likely.”

  “Too bad. I haven’t seen her in ages,” Kiki said, then turned to Jenna whose hand had moved to her belly at the talk of kids. “Sorry. We derailed you. What were you going to suggest?”

  “Well, it turns out that Beverly’s under the weather, too. She said she’ll come do it if we can’t find someone else. But it occurred to me that Mr. Stark would be a great replacement.”

  For the first time, Stark looked a little out of his element. He turned, taking in all the faces—each of whom seemed enthusiastic about the plan. “Ah, I hate to ask. But replacement for what, exactly?”

  Since Cameron was actually entered in the Man of the Month contest, Brooke and Spencer told Mina that not only did she not have to work, she wasn’t allowed to. So instead of running a camera, she had a table front and center with Darryl and Noah Carter and Damien Stark.

  Not bad company, even if she was so intimidated by Damien and Noah that she was finding it hard to make conversation now that Kiki had left their table to go on stage to thunderous applause.

  She was followed by Tyree, who grinned broadly as he reached out to the crowd, thanking them for coming and telling them he hoped they would enjoyed the surprise performance before the Man of the Month contest began.

  “And it’s a double surprise. Those of you who’ve been coming for the last few contests, probably expected to see Beverly Martin up here as our emcee. Well, unfortunately, Bev’s a little under the weather.”
He paused for the sounds of sympathy. “But don’t worry, you have a rock solid replacement. And, no, it’s not me.”

  This time, he paused for the titters of laughter, and Mina had to admit she was impressed with the way Tyree handled a crowd. She knew he’d led men in the military, but leading an audience was entirely different.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome a man who I hope needs no introduction, because I’m damn sure not reading his novel-length resume, Mr. Damien Stark.”

  Taylor was working the spotlight, and Mina saw her shift it to find Damien at their table. He waved to the crowd, illuminated more by the flashes of camera phones than from the huge spotlight itself.

  He made his way to the stage, not the least bit fazed by all the hubbub. He stood for a moment, his hands up in a useless attempt to quell the chatter. Finally, he just picked up the microphone and began talking.

  “Welcome to The Fix, everyone. I’m Damien Stark, and I’ll be your emcee this evening.” He paused just long enough for applause, then started back in, introducing Kiki and telling the audience about how she’d performed on that very stage before her band, Pink Chameleon, got back together. “And a good thing they did or we’d all have missed out on some incredible, award winning songs.

  “I understand the band is performing in San Antonio tomorrow, but we have a special treat, because Kiki is going to perform a new song that hasn’t made it into their repertoire. Ladies and gentlemen, Kiki King.”

  Mina was awed by how smooth he was with no rehearsal, but then she was blown away as she watched Kiki. She’d known Cam’s sister almost her whole life, but the age difference was such that they didn’t hang out together. In fact, most of their contact was when Kiki had babysat her.

  Now, Kiki sat on that stool with nothing but a guitar, and brought the audience to tears with the love song that she sang to the room, but turned back to Noah for the refrain.

  “You’re everything right, you’re everything wrong

  You’re the point of this song

  The man who knows me, the man who sees