Her lips curved into a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Wendy looked pretty flirty to me. Did y’all used to date?”
Blowing out a breath, I decided to go with the unvarnished truth. “I don’t date. I haven’t dated anyone since high school.”
Lily laughed. “Really? I don’t see you spending many nights alone, Cameron.”
Resting my arm on the console, I brushed my pinky against Lily’s. “There’s a big difference between a date and a random chick I hook up with on the road.”
My honesty might send Lily running for the hills, but there was no use pretending. When she didn’t screech to a stop and throw me out of the car, I called it a win.
“How about you, Lily?”
She lifted a shoulder in a half shrug. “I’ve had a couple dates since high school.”
“I figured that.” My pinky slid under hers, and I hooked our digits. “Nothing serious though?”
I tried not to squirm as I waited for her answer. It had been a long time since I had to try this hard to pry information from a chick.
She sighed. “I told you, I don’t have time to date. Between school and working two jobs, I don’t even have time to paint anymore.”
“Two jobs? You don’t make enough at The Mansion?”
“Not really. SMU is expensive. I work as a bartender a couple of nights a week so I can afford the little extras.” She shot me a quick smile. “Like food.”
I glanced over her faded jeans and the frayed ends on her sweater. Maybe we were more alike than I thought. I came from nothing. Worked my way up. The difference was, even in cheap denim and scuffed up tennis shoes, Lily looked polished. Regal.
We rode in silence until she pulled into the tree-lined driveway at the Mansion. Jerking to a stop at the hotel entrance, she put the car in park and then turned to me. “Sorry about the mix-up today. I had fun, though.”
Her eyes were soft and relaxed, and there wasn’t a hint of her little stammer.
“Have dinner with me tonight,” I said impulsively.
Those baby blues clouded with hesitation. “I can’t.” Softening her refusal with a smile, she pulled her hand away. “I’m meeting a demanding client in the morning. He purchased a very expensive package. I need to be up bright and early to make sure everything is perfect.”
Since Lily wasn’t like the girls I hooked up with, taking her to the museum, the ballet, and all that shit would probably satisfy her three-date requirement. And then we could move on to mind blowing sex. Dinner tonight wasn’t part of the plan. But I couldn’t help myself.
Lifting her chin with my finger, I looked into her eyes. “It’s just dinner, Lily.”
Her icy gaze melted into a clear, blue sky. Full of possibilities. “Okay,” she relented, looking around nervously. “But not in the d-dining room. We can’t…I mean…I work here, Cameron. There’s a no fraternization policy. Go to the bungalow, and I’ll be r-right behind you.”
No fraternization?
I wasn’t even sure what that meant, but I didn’t want to open my mouth and give her a reason to change her mind, so I pushed open the door and climbed to my feet.
When I dipped my head to peer into the car, I found Lily chewing her lip, looking anything but sure. And hell, I wasn’t sure either. About any of this.
An excuse floated to my lips, some phone call I had to take. Or a meeting with Logan. But instead of sending Lily on her way, I smiled. “Don’t be long.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
* * *
Lily
I snuck around the side of the building, my heart racing so fast I thought it might burst from my chest.
In all my life, I’d never done anything crazy. There were no drunken one-night stands in my past. No wild parties. No drugs.
I’d done enough damage to my relationship with my parents when I switched majors and broke it off with Brad. And because I hoped to one day repair the rift, I was careful not to conduct myself in a manner that would reflect poorly on my family.
Until now…
The voice in my head sounded suspiciously like my mother’s. Bitter and full of resentment. It was almost enough to make me reverse my course.
But why should I? It wasn’t like anyone would ever find out. Cameron was a rock star. This…whatever it was…meant nothing to him. In a few days he’d be gone. And I was fine with that. But for one night, I wanted to be wild. Carefree. To taste freedom with no regret.
I took a deep breath and rapped once on the door to Cameron’s bungalow.
He greeted me with a smile that didn’t touch his eyes. “Lily, what are you doing here?”
A shadow stretched onto the carpet behind him and my stomach dropped to my shoes. He had someone here. Jesus.
“I-I, um…”
My tongue twisted into a knot that no amount of counting could unwind.
Locking our gazes, Cameron said smoothly, “That’s right. You’re here to drop off the itinerary for my package.” He stepped aside to allow me entry. “Come on in.”
Still unable to form words, I shook my head. Because, really, did he expect me to play along? I was about to bolt when he caught my wrist. “Dave is inside,” he whispered, giving my arm a tug. “Just be cool. He’s about to leave.”
Dave smiled at me from the kitchen when I stepped over the threshold. “Good evening, Miss Lily. I’ll be out of your way in just a minute.”
“N-no rush.”
Slamming my mouth shut, I shifted my feet and tried not to look guilty.
After stowing a plate of fresh fruit in the fridge, Dave lumbered our way. “Have you decided on dinner, sir?”
Cameron’s eyes darted to mine and I felt my cheeks go up in flames.
“Um…no,” he said, patting the valet on the back. “I’ll call room service if I get hungry. You know… later.”
Dave’s gaze volleyed between the two of us. “Well, then, I’ll be on my way. Y’all have a good night.” He smiled as he brushed past me. “See you, Miss Lily.”
My shoulders sagged when the door slid shut behind him. “You th-think he suspects anything?”
Cameron flipped the deadbolt, then pulled me into his arms. “We haven’t done anything.” His lips grazed the shell of my ear. “Yet.”
Tipping my head back to allow him access to my neck, I sank my fingers into his long hair. With agonizing slowness, he traced a path across my collarbone with his tongue. And then his lips found their way to mine for one chaste kiss.
“You want that dinner I promised? Or can we start with desert?”
***
Cameron
A soft moan passed between us. Lily’s or mine…I wasn’t sure. But I had her off the ground, my face buried against the curve of her neck a second later.
“Fuck, Lily, you’re sweet,” I groaned. “So fucking sweet.”
Hooking her leg around mine, she pressed closer, a silent assent that stilled my heart. She held on tight as I carried her to the bedroom. But when I eased her down onto the mattress, uncertainty painted her features.
Don’t think.
I rushed through kicking off my boots, shedding my shirt, and unbuttoning my jeans. With a smile, I dug a condom out of my wallet and tossed it on the nightstand. If I didn’t get inside her soon, I was afraid I might explode.
Letting my jeans fall to the floor, I kicked them aside and dropped on my knees in front of her.
“I think you’ve got too many clothes on, darlin’.” I slid the Converse off her feet. “Let’s see what we can do about that.” Her lips parted as if she wanted to ask me something, so I straightened up. “What is it?”
She didn’t answer, just laid her palm flat against my cheek. The touch was unexpected. Intimate. And not something I was used to. Before I had time to think about it, she eased onto her back, her eyes glued on mine. I tugged at her zipper. And when I kissed the smooth skin below her belly button, I was gone. So gone for this girl. Lost in the moment. A couple more tugs and her jeans flew across the room.
>
Confused when she slipped out of my grasp and scooted to the top of the bed, I sank onto my heels.
“Come here, Cameron,” she said, holding out her hand.
Twining our fingers, I crawled on top of her, my lips claiming hers. I tangled our tongues, my desire to get close, closer, driving me to distraction.
Breaking our connection abruptly, she blinked at me. “What’s your hurry?”
The words lodged in my throat. Because I didn’t have an answer. Sex was something that came with the territory. A perk that went along with having a song on the charts. But usually there was not much touching, just a mad dash for the finish line.
Lily leaned in and pressed a kiss to my bottom lip. And there was no frenzy. No promise of wild abandon. Just a lingering taste of honey and her fingers in my hair. It was the sweetest kind of torture. And I knew that I could spend weeks lost in her touch. Exploring every part of her body. But we didn’t have weeks.
The thought sobered me like a bucket of cold water, and I rolled onto my back.
“I didn’t want you to s-stop,” Lily said quietly. “Just…you know…slow down.”
Finding her hand, I laced our fingers. “I’m not stopping. Just catching my breath.”
For years, every woman I’d been with knew what she was getting. Or whom they were getting. Cameron Knight. For an hour, maybe longer. No expectations, no repeat performances. It was a song I knew as well as any I played on stage.
I never had to explain it.
But when Lily rose to her knees, her cornflower orbs digging into mine, I realized this was real for her. More than a random encounter. She hadn’t snuck into my dressing room or cajoled her way onto my tour bus. And she wouldn’t disappear in an hour when we were through.
Tangling my fingers in her hair, I tried to find the words to let her down easy. But the selfish prick who didn’t want this to end seized control at the last second. “Stay with me tonight, Lily.”
My heart sank when she froze, but I understood. At least one of us had the self-control to realize that this was a bad idea. Letting my arm fall to my side, I watched as Lily climbed off the bed.
In one swift motion, she stripped off her shirt and peeked over her shoulder at me. “Can you help me with this?”
More confused than ever, I pushed to my feet. “With what?”
“My bra. It’s a little t-tricky.” She turned to face me, the sparkle in her eyes faint at best. “Unless you just want a quick fuck, and then I s-suppose you can leave it on.”
She’d given me the perfect out. I could bend her over right here with a clear understanding that once the sun came up, we’d be nothing but a memory. A passing thought.
No.
Even if we only had a few days, I wanted to make them real. Sliding my fingers into her hair, I tilted her head back so I could devour her mouth. She didn’t hesitate, locking her arms around my neck and moaning when I scored my teeth along her bottom lip. “Turn around, baby.”
When she did as I asked, I pressed a kiss to her neck as I fumbled with the two small hooks that fastened her bra. But no matter what I tried, the catch wouldn’t give. Frustrated, I dragged a hand through my hair. “I can’t figure this fucking thing out. I’m about to rip it off.”
Lily’s shoulders quaked, a throaty laugh spilling from her lips.
Crushing her against my chest, I growled in her ear, “It’s not funny. I was making a grand gesture.”
Slanting her gaze to mine, she reached between us and unfastened the hooks with ease. The lavender straps slid from her shoulders, and I had her on the bed before her bra hit the ground.
“Fuck, you’re sweet,” I murmured, flicking my tongue over one perfect pink nipple.
Trailing kisses down her stomach, I dropped to my knees on the floor. When my mouth moved a little lower, and I tugged the bow on her panties with my teeth, she came off the bed with a start. “What are you d-doing?” I flicked my gaze to hers, smiling as I inched south. “No…Cameron…you c-can’t…”
Swallowing hard, my heart slammed into my ribs. “You’re not…a virgin, right?”
As much as I wanted her, there were some lines I wouldn’t cross.
“Of course not! I’m twenty-three years old. I’ve just n-never…nobody’s ever…you know…d-done that.”
The shock knocked me back on my heels. Too many years of discussing sex openly—what I wanted, and what a girl wanted to give me— had destroyed any filter I had.
“So none of your boyfriends have ever gone down on you? Like, ever?”
Lily lifted her chin defiantly, crimson staining her cheeks. “There’s only been one. We met in high school. He left…I mean, we broke up when I quit the business program and switched my major to art.”
She frowned at the admission, and my hand slid south to rub her calf soothingly. “You studied business?”
Defeat marred her features, and her shoulders sagged. “Yes. But I hated it.”
Grabbing Lily’s hands, I pulled her to the floor and settled her on my lap. “Chase has a business degree from Stanford. He said the classes were a bitch.”
“They weren’t that hard. Telling my p-parents I was leaving the program? That was hard. I’ve always been a d-disappointment. But dropping out was more than they could deal with. We’ve only spoken a few times in the last couple of years.”
She looked lost. Fragile. And the urge to comfort her was too strong to resist. So I pulled her against me, and brushed a kiss to the top of her head. “How could you ever be a disappointment?”
“M-My stutter, for one. My dad kinda felt b-bad about that. But my m-mom—she thought it was my fault. That I didn’t try hard enough to be n-normal.”
“Why would you want to be normal?” Tightening my embrace when she stiffened, I stroked her hair. “You’re special.”
“Special?” She snorted. “I hate that word. My m-mom used to tell everyone about my ‘s-special’ classes. Getting accepted to SMU and maintaining a stellar GPA still wasn’t enough to convince her I’m not s-stupid.”
I barked out a laugh. “Stupid? Why—because you do that cute little thing when you get nervous?”
Lily studied me with narrowed eyes, clouded with disbelief, and I couldn’t help but shift under the weight of her stare.
“I barely graduated,” I admitted. “My dad hauled me around to every bar in Austin until he left my junior year in high school.” Twirling a lock of her hair around my finger, I studied the silky strands. “Even got me my own fake ID.”
“W-why would he do that?”
“Because my old man didn’t give a shit if we grunted like animals as long as we did it with a guitar in our hands.”
Shrugging, I tried for casual to avoid the next emotion that crept over her face. Pity. I didn’t do pity. But then I didn’t do sharing either, and here I was, naked on the floor telling Lily the Cliff Notes version of my life story.
“He shit a brick when Chase got accepted to Stanford,” I continued with a laugh. “Not that it mattered, since he left right after that. I didn’t see him again until my first single hit the charts.”
Burrowing closer, Lily rested her cheek against my chest. I waited for more questions, but none came. And for a long moment, there was only the sound of our breathing.
“Do you miss him?” she finally whispered, so soft I could barely hear her.
“My dad?”
She nodded.
“Fuck, no. He was an asshole. My brother did more to raise me than that man ever did. What about you?”
Pondering, she ran her fingertip over my collarbone. “Yeah…I do. Not all the time, but the holidays are hard. Last Christmas, I ordered a turkey from the grocery store. I had to eat turkey sandwiches for two weeks because I blew my whole budget on that damn bird.”
“When’s the last time you saw them?”
Sighing, she sat up. “A couple of months ago when the Tennison Foundation dedicated the new library at SMU. I watched from the back, but I didn’t ta
lk to them.”
My hand froze, fingers still twisted around a lock of her hair. “You’re a Tennison? As in—”
“Marcus Tennison is my father. I guess you’ve heard of him.” She looked down. “Of course you have.”
It was impossible to live in Texas and not know who the Tennisons were. They were old money. Oil money. And if you believed the hype, they gave half of it to charity. Yet their daughter drove a car older than she was, and worked two jobs to pay for her education.
“And they don’t talk to you because you’re an artist?”
It made no sense to me. And I guess Lily saw the confusion on my face. “It’s one thing to support the arts. And another to have your daughter hawk her wares in a gallery.” A humorless smile curved her lips. “My mother’s words, not mine.”
“What about your brothers and sisters? What do they do?”
“I’m an only child.”
Lily sank against me, effectively ending our conversation when her soft lips grazed my neck. If she wanted a distraction, I could do that for her.
Easing her onto her back, I pinned her arms over her head, holding both wrists easily with one hand.
“What do you want, pretty girl?”
She arched her back, offering her tits, and I gladly complied, sucking one pert nipple into my mouth. Reaching between us, I parted her slick folds, teasing her clit with the tip of my finger. But I wanted more. So much more.
“Let me taste you, Lily.”
I didn’t realize I’d said the words out loud until she answered with a breathy “yes.”
Holding her gaze, I slid her panties over her hips. Hitching her leg over my shoulder, I pressed a kiss to her inner thigh. “Relax. Let me take care of you.”
Her knees dropped open. And she was so wet. So ready. I slid my tongue over her needy bud, and there was nothing but her sweet taste and her soft words. “Yes,” and “please,” and “don’t stop.”
She arched off the bed when I slid two fingers deep inside her drenched pussy. Seconds later when she came undone, I nearly followed her over the cliff. After wringing every bit of pleasure from her body, I stood on wobbly legs. “Come on. Let’s go to bed.”
Rock Star Romance Ultimate: Volume 1 Page 59
