“What time do you think you’ll be home?” my dad asked.
“I don’t know?” I glanced at Cam. He looked amazing, as usual. “You think people will want to go out for pizza after the game?”
“Probably. I’m not even sure I can make it all the way through before grabbing food. I guess it depends on if we’re winning or if it’s a normal game.” Cam snickered. Our football team was horrible last year, so chances are they’d be awful this year, too. Nobody went to the games because they were exciting or to show school spirit. They mostly went because it was something to do. I went to support Bethany. If she had to spirit finger through the suck fest that was a Franklin High School football game, I supposed I could sit through one and cheer her on.
“Don’t worry, Mr. Barnes. I’ll have her back by morning.” My dad loved Cam. He had the parent-charming gene secured tightly in his DNA. He always told my dad he’d have Beth and me back by morning. And my dad always countered with eleven.
“How about by eleven?” Dad answered.
“That was going to be my second suggestion,” Cam reassured him.
“All right, then, you two kids have fun. Behave yourselves, and for heaven’s sake, Bianca, drive slowly. I don’t think your bank account or your social life could survive another speeding ticket.”
“Yes, sir,” I barked, saluting him, then pushed Cam through the front door before I got any more of my dad’s lectures.
“Do you really want to stop for food first?” I asked once we were pulling out of the driveway. “I could swing you through a drive-thru real quick.”
“Nah, we don’t have that much time. If we don’t get there pretty soon, the student section will be full and we’ll get stuck behind the marching band. Last time that happened, I was singing the school fight song for a week. I took a lot of crap for that. Not even I can get away with something as lame as singing the fight song in public.”
It was only a ten-minute drive to the school, but Cam got comfortable anyway. He pushed his seat all the way back, threw his feet up on the dash, and reached over to tug on my pigtail. After a good, long yank, he dropped his arm and settled it across the back of my shoulders. Great, here we go again. More unnecessary touching.
Sure, Cam and I had physical contact all the time. Especially when we were playing ball. I guess we hugged often enough. But that had always felt so normal. Good friends bumping into each other. The touching this week seemed more intentional, almost flirty. Cam flirted tons, but never with me. Maybe I was reading signals that weren’t there. Two years of wishful thinking were starting to affect my judgment. Best not to hope or assume. You know what they say assuming does. It makes an ass out of you and me, but mostly just me.
We pulled up to the school a few minutes before kickoff. Cam paid for my ticket. A little weird, since he’d never offered before, and we’d been to lots of football games together. The crowd was thick, and he was trying to clear the way. But I’m small and he’s a giant, so I was getting manhandled and falling behind.
“Come on, slowpoke.” Cam reached back and grabbed my hand as he pulled me through the surge of people. I looked down at our hands. Our fingers weren’t laced together, but his ginormous hand was securely wrapped around my tiny one. I blinked slowly, shook my head, then looked up at the back of Cam’s.
Holy crap on a stick. Cameron Bates was holding my hand. I mean, I wouldn’t say we were “holding hands” since I was behind him and he was dragging me through a crowd. But he was unmistakably holding my hand. On purpose. He’d never done that before. Breathe, Bianca, just breathe.
We got to the student section, and he didn’t drop my hand until I pulled away to find a seat. What the crap? Was he going to keep holding my hand? In front of God and all our friends? I’m not sure I could handle much more of this without my head exploding. I needed a distraction. I looked down at the cheerleaders and saw one of them waving in our direction, and it wasn’t Beth. Perfect.
“Look, Cam.” I pointed down to the side of the field. “Your girlfriend is trying to get your attention.”
“Huh?” he asked, confused. When he finally saw Angelica waving her pom-poms and wiggling her fingers (and I’m pretty sure shaking her boobs), he chuckled and waved back at her. Angelica was far enough away that we couldn’t hear her, but she mouthed something that looked like for you as she blew Cam a kiss. Then she did an impressive back handspring followed by a slower back walkover into the splits.
I’ve got to give it to her; Angelica really was a good tumbler. However, I don’t think that was the message she’d been trying to send with her last move. Cam gave her a complimentary clap. She stood up and gave him a bashful-looking curtsey. Oh, please. Nothing about that girl was bashful. She knew what she wanted, and everything she did was calculated to get it.
I hope Cam wasn’t really into that kind of girl. If that’s the sort of thing he wanted, then I could kiss my chances good-bye. I wouldn’t act like that. Not even for Cam. He sat on the bleachers and yanked me down next to him while I continued to glare daggers at Angelica’s backside.
“What’s wrong?” he asked. “Dare I say you look jealous?”
“Ha!” I scoffed. “If I wanted your attention that bad, I could just sport some of Bethany’s spankies and strut around in a short skirt. I’m pretty sure it’s not the back handspring you were busy admiring.”
“Hmmm.” Cam pretended to be deep in thought. “That sounds like a really good idea. We could leave now and go straight back to your place…”
I slapped him on the arm. “Oh, shut up, you perv.” I pretended to be angry, but I was having a hard time holding in my laughter. The thought of me in a cheer uniform was utterly ridiculous.
“No, seriously.” He kept going. “Do you even own a short skirt? Because I’ve seen Beth in some knee-high socks, and I bet she’d let you borrow them.”
“OH. MY. GOSH.” I slapped my hand over his mouth. “I’m not removing my hand until you promise to control your horn dog thoughts.” He raised his eyebrows and then bit my hand playfully. “Gross.” I pulled it away quickly and wiped the slobber across his cheek. Then he did something shocking. It happened so fast I didn’t even have time to react.
In one swift move, Cam lunged for me. He wrapped me up tight in a bear hug, pulled me onto his lap, leaned me back, and…licked my face. I squealed, wiggled, and begged for mercy. I guess this was the wrong reaction, because it only fueled the fire. He then assaulted my sides by tickling me relentlessly. I thrashed and kicked and started calling him foul names, but on the inside, I was having an emotional panic attack.
“STOP TORTURING ME!” I yelled with a laugh. No, don’t stop, my hormones screamed. I wondered how long I could endure his closeness, but I was saved by the approach of Brady, Mike, and Caleb.
“Looks like you could use some help there.” Brady grabbed my arm and tugged me away from Cam’s lap.
“My knight in shining armor.” I fake swooned as I laughed. I sat back down next to Cam, and Brady sat on my other side so I faced him. “Thanks for the rescue. I think I was seconds from peeing my pants on his lap, though it would have served him right.”
“I’m happy to rescue any damsel in distress. Especially if it’s you.” He smiled.
This was flirting I could handle. It was so easy to tease and laugh when it was Brady. If Cam did and said the exact same things, it’d be like a nuclear reactor melting my brain. Brady struck up a comfortable conversation. We talked about school and basketball and other random stuff. The next thing I knew, it was almost halftime. I looked over at Cam, and even though he was talking to Caleb and Mike, he seemed annoyed. Mike could definitely have that effect on people.
I leaned in close to Cam and whispered, “Do you need someone to get you out of your conversation?”
“Funny,” he muttered. “I was just wondering the same thing about you.”
“Oh, no. I’m actually having a nice time. I doubt I’d be as content if I’d had to talk to Mike for the last
forty-five minutes.” I smirked, but for some reason Cam didn’t return the smile. He still looked annoyed.
It was dark out by now, and even though it wasn’t supposed to be cold tonight, the wind had picked up. I was starting to get chilly. It was still summer in freaking Florida. I hadn’t expected to need a jacket. I shivered slightly and wrapped my arms around my torso.
“Are you cold?” Brady asked me. “Because you can have my jacket if you need it.”
I was about to say thanks and take the jacket from him, when Cam jumped to his feet. “Don’t worry, Bebe, I’ve got you covered.” He climbed up a row and sat directly behind me. Then he spread his legs and pulled me back against his chest. He wrapped his arms loosely around my shoulders and rested his head on the top of mine. I froze. Alarm bells went off in my head, and my thought process slowed to a crawl. Yeah, he’s got me covered. Literally.
“This should block the wind from blowing against your back. You’ll be fine as long as I stay here,” Cam assured me. I started to protest, but he leaned down and spoke into the back of my hair. “Just go along with it, Bebe. This’ll get me out of my conversation with Mike.”
Understanding finally hit me; Cam needed an excuse. To get away from what was probably an annoying feminine conquest story that was really a load of bull crap. I relaxed a little and shrugged my shoulders. The position that seemed intimate just seconds ago now felt more like a buddy keeping me warm. I admit I was a little disappointed, but I’d take it. Friend Cameron with his arms wrapped around me was better than no Cameron with his arms around me. I turned to Brady. “Thanks anyway. I think I’ll be warm enough now.”
Brady’s face fell slightly. It’d be hard to continue our conversation from this position, at least without bringing Cam into it. So, I decided to lean back and watch my sister at work. Bethany was an awesome cheerleader, bubbly and full of smiles. Plus, she was as good at tumbling as Angelica was.
Cam and I sat in companionable silence until the end of the third quarter. We watched the game and cheered. We occasionally chatted with our friends, but true to his word, Cam continued to keep me wrapped up. For a while, he grabbed the end of my braid and rubbed my hair between his fingers and against the tip of his nose, almost absentmindedly. Like he didn’t realize he was doing it. At the start of the fourth quarter, Brady got up to go to the bathroom and Cam leaned in to the back of my head again. “I’m starving now. You want to grab some pizza?”
“You don’t want to finish the game?” I was starting to get hungry, too, but I didn’t want to leave the comfort of his arms. Who knew if I’d ever be in this position again?
“Nah, I don’t care if we miss the end. The other team is leading by so much we’ll never catch up. Beth’s riding home with her friends, right?”
“She didn’t say she needed a ride, so probably. Should we wait for Brady to get back and see if the guys want to join us?”
Cam was quick to dismiss that idea. “I think I’ve had my fill of Mike for the evening. We can’t really invite Brady and Caleb without inviting Mike, so I think we should quietly slip out.”
“That sounds subtle,” I laughed sarcastically, “but I’m on board.”
Cam stood up, and the cold air hit my back once again. I immediately regretted my decision to go for pizza. We gave a quick good-bye to Caleb and Mike without explaining where we were headed, then climbed down the bleachers. On our way to the parking lot, a gust of wind hit, and I tried unsuccessfully to subdue a shiver. Cam put his arm around my waist and pulled me in to his side as we walked.
“Guess next time I’ll have to bring a jacket,” I said, opening the door to my car. “Nonsense,” Cam responded with a wicked grin. “You don’t need a jacket; you have me.” He winked as he slipped into the passenger seat.
CAMERON
So far, tonight had been a success. But the night wasn’t over, and I didn’t want to get too cocky. Still plenty of time to screw something up. Bianca looked freaking adorable when she came downstairs sporting two long pigtails. Pigtails, for heaven’s sake. It was enough to drive any man crazy with lust. When I saw her, I had to control the urge to pull her close and plant a big, wet kiss right on her glossy pink lips. I don’t think Bebe would have found that very amusing, and I’m sure her dad would have been less than thrilled, so I decided to be patient.
I’d been pretty aggressive at the football game. I paid for her ticket and found an excuse to hold her hand. She pretended to be disgusted when I bit her, but I knew better. Nobody is disgusted by Cameron Bates’s mouth. I’m not sure what came over me; the need to kiss her was so strong I couldn’t help myself. I pulled her on my lap, leaned her back…then chickened out and licked her cheek instead. Not the most romantic move.
Once she was on my lap, I needed an excuse to keep her there. I wondered what else could I touch without getting slapped? I chose tickling, and Bebe was eating it up…until Brady interrupted us. It’s like his whole purpose in life was to ruin my mojo. What a tool. Couldn’t he tell that I was here with Bianca? What kind of dude barges into an intimate tickle fight and steals the girl away? Someone who wants his ass beaten, that’s who.
I was working up the energy to throw down with him when it dawned on me that Bebe had been maintaining their conversation willfully. If she’d wanted to be rescued, she would have found a way to let me know. Was he the knob knocker she’d been staring at the other day during lunch? Bebe never talked about who she was into. For all I knew, he was the guy of her freaking dreams. The thought made me panic.
I’d never been so forward about touching Bebe, but tonight I was like a caveman staking my claim. I might as well have clubbed her on the head and thrown her over my shoulder. She’d been totally focused on Brady and I got annoyed. So, I did what any self-respecting man would do. I lied; a lame excuse about needing to get away from Mike. Truthfully, Mike hadn’t even been talking to me, but Bianca didn’t need to know that.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t sure if she let me hold her because she wanted me to, or if she was trying to help me dodge a conversation with Mike. Heck, she could have just been cold and using my body for a source of heat. Normally I’m ok with a girl using my body for a variety of different reasons, but with Bebe, I wanted it to be more than that. I wanted her to want me back. Geez. I was starting to sound like a flippin’ girl.
Now we were seated in a cozy booth at Nick’s Pizzeria. I thought about sliding onto the bench next to her, but I’d already been pushing my luck tonight. “What sounds good?” I asked her as I glanced over the menu. I was hungry enough to eat a whole pizza by myself.
“Nothing with onions,” she replied.
“No onions, huh? I get it. You want to keep your breath nice and fresh for when I kiss you goodnight later.” Now I was really testing my limits. The way she responded to that blatant come-on would definitely give me a better idea of where I stood.
“Huh,” she grunted with a smirk. “Something like that.”
Well, that sucked. Her answer didn’t give me jack crap to go on. Was that a yes to the kiss? I ran my finger down the menu, ready to drop another hint. “If you’re in the mood for pasta, we could always split the couple’s special.” There, that should get response.
“We could split the couple’s special, but I’ve seen how you eat. I doubt there’d be enough for both of us.” She bit her lip in concentration as she looked down the menu. Darn, that was a good one, and she didn’t even take the bait. Come on, Bebe, you’re killing me here. You’ve got to give me something. Looks like I was going to have to bite the bullet and ask outright.
“So, Bebe, what’s up with you and Brady?” I asked casually. We settled on a veggie pizza—hold the onions. She was right about the onions. Those and all the sausage and pepperoni that I normally ordered would have left my breath less than fresh.
She looked at me quizzically. “What do you mean, what’s up with me and Brady?”
“Well, you two were talking for so long tonight, I was wondering if you had a th
ing for him?” There, that wasn’t so hard.
“Would it be a problem if I did?”
Not the answer I was hoping for. I was hoping for Oh, Cam, how could you ever think I’d love anyone but you? I’d have been satisfied with a nope. I didn’t know what to expect, but definitely not what she said. She kept throwing the ball back in my court. How was I supposed to respond? Yes, it’s totally a problem if you have a thing for him. It’s a problem if you have a thing for anyone that isn’t me. Yeah, that wasn’t going to happen. I was hinting like crazy, and I still had no idea if it was having any effect on her.
“Not necessarily…” I answered. I’d play her game.
“So you’re saying there might be some instances when it would be a problem if I had a thing for Brady?”
No. Yes. Damn it, woman! This was getting me nowhere.
“I’m saying that he seems into you, so if you like Brady, I suppose you could do worse. But if you aren’t sure about him, you should hold out, because you could definitely do better.”
“Oh, yeah, Mr. Smarty Pants, who would you suggest is better for me than Brady?”
This is it. It’s do or die, Cam, do or die. “Well, let’s see here.” I ticked the names off on my fingers as I listed them. “There’s LeBron James, Chris Hemsworth, Principal Davis, me…” I trailed off and held my breath as I waited for her response. I can’t believe I just threw out my own name. That was way too obvious.
She paused and stared at me really hard. It felt like forever. Then she opened her mouth and laughed. Not a giggle or even a hearty chuckle. A gut busting, knee slapping, roll-on-the-floor-dying kind of laugh. She doubled over for a second, and when she sat back up there were tears in her eyes. Real. Freaking. Tears. I’m glad the thought of me being good for her is so absurd that it makes her cry.
Perfectly Oblivious (The Perfect Series Book 1) Page 4
