by Mills, L. C.
He smirked. “Caught me! No, they aren't, but we have the place to ourselves and it meant we could talk! Jim didn't mind, I can check over the books while I'm here so no worries!”
I laughed. “Oh hey, I meant to ask, can I come with you on your run Monday?! I've not run for ages and kinda wanna get my fitness back up! Figured you wouldn't mind! I can jog behind you!” I grinned imagining Cameron turning around and catching me walking instead of running.
He shrugged. “Sure, do you have running trainers because I didn't think to get you any?”
I nodded. “I do, I'll collect them later, I'll just throw on some sweat pants and a hoodie to run in!”
“Food's ready you pair!” Jim grinned as he walked over with a huge tray of chili nachos.
“Looking good as always.” Cameron grinned.
He grinned. “You're welcome, Cameron, when you’re ready, I've got the books ready for you to glance over!”
Cameron smiled. “Thank you.”
“Oh wow that smells wonderful! Thanks.” I grinned as I looked at the food. I was pleased there was a huge heap of sour cream dip because I loved it.
“You’re welcome.” He walked off in the direction of the office area.
“Do you normally check over the books?!” I leant forwards and picked up the dish of food and rested it on both of our laps.
“I like to just make sure of what's what, pays to keep an eye on things, I do the same with many of my ventures.”
I frowned, wondering just how many places he owned or part owned.
“So what else do you invest in?! Are they all like small places like this?!” I picked up a nacho and dunked it in the sour cream before shoving it in my mouth whole.
“There is something very sexy about seeing a woman eat!” He smirked as he picked up a nacho. “But in reply to your question, they aren't all small, I part own a lot of little places that I keep an eye on but the big ones I take a back seat for the most part! Like the nightclubs, they don't need me unless it's an emergency.”
I grinned. “Nightclubs plural?! I might have been to one of them! I did a lot of that after I moved here, not so much recently.” Now I was intrigued as to what ones he did own. I could understand him leaving the management to run things for him.
He laughed. “Well, you fell half-drunk out of one when you first arrived!”
I was glad my mouth was currently full of food because it stopped me from cringing. I swallowed my mouthful. “Oh my god! What the hell must you have thought?!” I couldn't imagine him, seeing the story and not having an opinion about it.
He was quiet while he eat.
“I never normally get that drunk! I was just letting off steam! I met Damon that night in the club, I didn't know he worked where I lived, I thought he was cute and he liked my accent but I don't really remember a lot after leaving.”
He sighed. “Honestly, I've seen so many celebrities falling drunk out of my clubs I stopped having an opinion on them, but I am interested in how that idiot managed to get in, 221B isn't cheap and it's mostly frequented by high rollers or the Glitterati!”
I shrugged. “Well, I think he knows someone that works there! I'd like to go back with you and dance!” I grinned at him.
He smirked. “Would you let me kiss you?!”
“What now?!” I was confused by his question.
He shook his head as he laughed. “No, I meant if we danced at the club, would you let me kiss you?!”
I shrugged. “Of course I would! I might even let you buy me a drink!” I winked at him.
His eyes sparkled. “Then one day I will take you dancing! We will dance until dawn and then roll home under the full moon!”
I grinned at the idea. “I'll look forward to that!” I liked the idea of going dancing with Cameron, I knew he had moves. I just knew he'd be a good dancer.
“I'm sure we'd make the tabloids, I'd carry you out because your feet would ache too much to walk.”
I bit my lip. “Sounds like we are gonna have a brilliant night! Do I lose a shoe?! I mean I would probably take them off!”
He laughed. “No, you'd be holding them! They'd be your favourite ones so you wouldn't want to lose them!”
“Ah, I see.” I smiled at him lopsidedly, I could actually imagine him holding me as we left, we'd both be drunk but Jones would pick us up.
“Want the last bit?!” He had scooped the last of the sour cream onto the last whole nacho and was holding it out to feed me.
I nodded. “Yes, please.”
He grinned. “Open wide.”
I opened my mouth and stared at him, unable to look away as his hand moved closer to me as he carefully fed me the food.
“So good.” I moaned softly, then flicked my tongue out and licked my lips. I watched him raise his hand to his mouth, intending to lick his fingers clean, he'd used his fingers to get the last of the broken bits of nachos out, and he’d eat all the tiny broken bits and now had sticky fingers.
“May I?!” My heart beat fast in my chest as I blurted it out. I hadn't intended to lick his fingers clean, but now I had said I wanted to see his face.
He quirked a brow at me and held his hand out. “Be my guest!”
I grinned as I took hold of his hand in mine, and brought his hand to my mouth. I glanced down at his fingers, then back up to his brown eyes.
He breathed in as if he was steadying himself.
I placed his forefinger slowly into my mouth, closing my lips around it, and flicked my tongue around it, sucking it softly drawing it further into my mouth. He tasted of sour cream.
He closed his eyes and breathed out heavily. “Oh, Evangeline.”
I placed each of his fingers into my mouth one at a time, slowly and carefully licking them clean, I never broke my eye contact with him. That was the most important bit, I wasn't just cleaning his fingers I was letting him know what I was capable of doing with my mouth and he knew it.
“All clean.” I breathed, as his fingertips trailed down over my bottom lip and rested on my chin, they felt warm from being in my mouth.
His eyes were dark now, as he looked at me, drinking me in. “I have never found anyone's mouth as fascinating as yours, my darling.” He breathed heavily.
I took a shuddery breath. “I am glad you find it of interest.” I smiled impishly at him.
He lent in, his breath hot against my lips. “Oh I most definitely find it interesting.” He brushed his lips against mine.
I pressed myself to him as best as I could and kissed him back like he was oxygen and I couldn't breathe without him.
After a while we pulled apart, both slightly out of breath.
“My mouth is yours.” I knew it and he knew it, I was entirely his.
He stroked his fingertips down my cheek and smiled his perfect lopsided smile at me. “Then I am yours too! I've never felt this way before, but I actually want you to know I will never look at another woman again!”
I grinned all stupidly at him. “I know, we make a pretty good team you and me!”
He leant into me and kissed me softly on the forehead. “We sure do, I'm gonna just go check the books over, are you okay to sit here for a bit and wait for me?! I won't be long.”
I nodded. “Of course! I'll text Jess, I've not really had a chance to lately and I'll text my Dad too!” I laughed. “Yanno make sure he knows I've not been doing anything above my station in life!” It still stung that my own father had insinuated I wasn't good enough for Cameron.
“I'm sure he regrets saying that now! When we all meet he will see that it's the other way round, that I'm not good enough for you!” He sighed and his eyes darkened.
“That's bullshit! You make it sound like your some monster that's brain washing me when you aren't!” I narrowed my eyes at him definitely.
He tilted his head to one side, his eyes looked guarded. “How do you know I'm not a monster?!”
I shrugged. “Because you love m
e, because a real monster isn't capable of love! Now stop being a dumb ass and go check your accounts!” I smirked at him.
His face split into a perfect smile and his eyes danced with light. “Yes, Miss Watson! You’re very bossy for an essentially small person!” He got up and patted me softly on the head, and chuckled.
I battered him away softy with my hand. “I'll get you back for that small comment one day, Mr. Ballard!” I raised an eyebrow at him. I was five foot 7 I wasn’t small.
He laughed and shook his head. “Oh, I'll look forward to that!” He walked away chuckling to himself.
I pulled my phone from my jeans pocket and typed a nondescript text to Jess, there was just things I couldn't tell her about Cameron and me. She wouldn't understand and I had promised him whatever he told me stayed with me. I sent a similar text to my Dad and then checked my emails, nothing interesting just work stuff that I was ignoring, I hadn't been working on songs for a while now, I had some roughed out lyrics at home, I'd have to actually work on them sooner or later.
Cameron's fingers linked through mine as we walked down past the Tate Modern back towards my apartment.
“So did you text Jess and your father?!”
He tried to sound casual but failed.
“I did, yeah, wasn't much to tell either of them! My Dads busy with the band and Jess has a new job so I just leave them to get on with things.” The South Bank was bustling with people all going about their day, some walked with an air of determination as they weaved in and out of the tourists who dawdled along stopping to snap photos.
“I know you said you feel lonely sometimes because of being away from everything but have you thought about telling them that's how you feel then maybe they'd make more effort to stay in better contact with you?!”
We rounded the corner and headed away from Tower Bridge. He had a point I could tell them, but part of me didn't want to. “It was my choice to come live here, and if I told Jess or my Dad how lonely I felt sometimes they'd both freak out! And besides, I have you now!” I grinned up at him, I didn't feel alone when I was around him.
He smiled back down at me. “I am glad I make your life a less lonely place, I have to admit that I didn't think I was lonely, I didn't need anyone else but since you came crashing into my life I have come to the realization that I was a lonely man!”
I chuckled at the way he described me coming into his life. “I guess we both learned new things about ourselves we didn't know or maybe just did, but didn't want to admit to!” It had to be a good thing. He was learning to let me in and I was learning to trust him.
“Yes indeed! So what do you want to pick up from your apartment to take back to mine?! You won't need clothes.”
As we rounded the corner my apartment block came into view.
“Oh, just my notebook and a few other bits, I'm so behind on submitting songs that the record label is getting antsy with me!” I cringed because he owned the label that paid me very good money for my songs and here I was moaning.
“I will speak to the client lesion people and have them call off the hounds! They shouldn't he hassling talent like yourself!”
“You don't have to do that, I am behind so they have every right to ask what's going on but thanks.” I didn't want anyone to think he was giving me special treatment.
He tutted. “Well, I happen to know they aren't meant to harass you so I will contact them and get you some slack! Your work is worth waiting for!”
I grinned as we approached the main doors. “Thank you, I do appreciate it! When you’re at work Monday I'll finish them off then.”
He pushed open the main door and held it open as I passed by. I was glad to not see Damon at the front desk as we walked past to the lifts.
“Take your time darling, you know the boss so it's all good.” He laughed as he prodded the button for the lift.
I shook my head as I watched the illuminated floor, counter countdown to our level. “Well, some might say I have an unfair advantage!”
The lift doors rolled open and we both walked in and Cameron pressed the button for my floor. “Well, I don't think that's true and who's to know darling?!”
He always seemed to come up with an answer, I silently cursed him for being right. “Well, I guess so! I'd better find my keys!” I pulled open my bag and started to rummage. “Why do they always fall right to the bottom?!” I laughed as I felt around for the keys.
He smirked and pulled the key I had given him out of his pocket. “We can use mine!”
I grinned at him, he was carrying it around with him. “Awesome!” My fingers found metal of keys just a little too late, so I let them fall back again as the lift came to a standstill and the doors opened.
Cameron strode with purpose to my door, proudly inserting the key and unlocking the door. I didn't know why, but it made me giddy with happiness seeing him using the key I had gifted him.
“I'll just grab my backpack and shove a few bits in it.” I put my shoulder bag down on the kitchen counter.
“I'll wait here for you.” He pulled himself up to sit on one of the stalls at the breakfast bar. He looked perfectly at home just sitting there and I found myself staring at him.
He grinned lopsidedly at me. “What?!”
I shrugged. “Just thinking how at home, you look, I could get used to seeing you sat in my kitchen!”
He smiled a blinding smile at me. “Well, I could get used to being here.” He glanced around the apartment. “Maybe I could stay over one night, would save you worrying about being here alone.” He was trying to be casual but it didn't get past me, he was meaning Damon but he was right.
“Yeah, I'd like that.” I grinned as I walked off to my room to pack my things. After 10 minutes I had a whole host of things packed into my backpack, including the denim jacket I had been working on, I wanted to get it finished so I figured I could work on it later Sunday or Monday. I re-joined Cameron in the kitchen. “I've got what I needed.” I shouldered the backpack.
He grinned over at me as he got down from the stall. “I'll carry the backpack.” He held his hand out for it.
I frowned. “It's not heavy! I'm okay to carry it!”
He grinned. “Doesn't matter, I would still like to take it from you!”
He was being persistent, so I gave in and shrugged the backpack off and handed it to him. “If you insist!” I smirked when he saw the unicorn patch on the front.
“Don't let my sister see this, ever, because she will literally want one!” He chuckled softly.
I grinned. “I like your sister, she's got some bizarre social skills, but other than that, she's a great kid.” I put my shoulder bag back on and walked over to the door.
“She's always been that way around others, mostly people she likes!” He sighed. “The trouble is she has access to all these media outlets now and it makes these teens feel like they are friends with people from bands or actors and such when really all it does is give these kids false ideals.”
I pulled open the door and let him pass me. “You actually have a valid point, when I was growing up the Internet had only just become widely available but now there is very little privacy! I actually think there is more pressure on our younger generations than ever before because they live their lives out via social media!”
He made himself busy locking the door. “You have a very valid point! It's all too easily accessible and in some ways that's good and bad in others because everyone has less privacy now!”
“I think the thing is that the press use it the same way, they stalk you and then spread whatever story they are peddling and everyone believes it to be true!” I pressed the button for the lift and waited.
“It's also quite misleading too! Georgia looks up to you, I'd say you are a pretty good role model.”
He held his hand out for mine as the lift doors rolled open. I laced my fingers with his as we walked into the lift and pressed for lower ground floor. I pulled a face
.
“Well, I'm not sure I'm a good role model! I'm flattered you think that way though!” I was flattered, but I wasn't squeaky clean.
His mouth twitched into a smile. “Well, I happen to think you are! Your intelligent, level headed and beautiful not that you'd admit it!”
I smiled lopsidedly as the lift took us back towards the underground car lot. “Thanks, well, I'll try my best to help her if she ever asks me advice.” I felt proud she liked me enough to tell her brother, she looked up to me. I guess after rescuing her, she saw me differently. I wasn't just the daughter of a rock star to them and that was new to me and meant so much.
“Your eyes dance when you smile, I could watch you all day and never get bored of seeing how your face reacts!” He chuckled.
chapter 31
The lift came to a halt, the doors rolling open and I stepped out dragging him with me. “Well, that would be weird, but whatever floats your boat.” I winked at him playfully and laughed.
“Oh trust me darling, you do float my boat!” He smirked as we walked towards the car.
I laughed, I should have known he'd throw the comment back at me.
“Well, I'm glad to hear it cause I gotta tell you, I like how you float your boat. There is no such thing as calm waters when you float your boat with me!” I smirked broadly, proud of my comeback.
He laughed as he unlocked the car. “I love you!” He grinned.
I tiptoed to reach him and softly kissed his lips. “I love you to Cameron.”
His arms locked around my waist as he pulled me flush to him. “My heart fills with words I can't verbalize properly whenever I hear you say that, I had always refused to say the words before because they never had real meaning, but now it makes my heart sing to know we say it because we mean it!”
“I understand what you mean, I know you find it hard to show affection in the way I do, but I know you love me, its okay.” I was trying to tell him that he didn't have to keep saying it if it made him feel weird.
