Redeeming You (Before You #2)(55)

“For you, I'll do almost anything,” she said. Leaning closer to her until their noses nearly touched, he could see the four different shades of blue in her eyes. He could spend hours lost in them, memorizing every detail.

“What a coincidence. I feel the same way.”

“Let’s go check out my surprise.”

“Right.” He drew back. “Let’s do this.”

***

“The hotel,” she said stepping into the elevator. “This is my big surprise.” She smiled letting him know she was kidding. The entire drive to the hotel, she had guessed a million and one possible things he could have planned for her tonight, but Cam just smirked and shook his head, refusing to give her a single clue.

“You’re such a little kid.” He pulled her from the elevator and stopped in front of their hotel room.

“Whatever. You’re not much better. You’re practically tormenting me with this surprise.”

He pulled a black blindfold out of his pocket. “You need to put this on.”

“No way,” she said instantly stepping back. She hated not being able to see. Locking her in a dark closet for hours on end as a child was her mom’s version of time out for bad behavior. Unfortunately, her mom left her in there overnight.

He lifted it up, swinging it in front of him. “No blindfold, no surprise.”

She studied her feet unable to respond.

A shadow passed across his face. “Tay, what’s wrong?”

“I don’t like not being able to see.”

He nodded as though he understood and he probably did. He had the uncanny ability to understand her without exchanging words. “Do you trust me?” he asked his face serious, but kind. “I wouldn’t do anything to hurt you and it’s only for a few seconds until I get you in the room.”

She rubbed her hands against her legs for a second before answering. “Fine.” She turned her back to him, so he could tie it around her head. “But if I want it off, you have to listen to me.”

He secured the knot, and she felt his fingers drop to her shoulders, down her sides and then they stopped at her hips. He pressed a kiss to her bare shoulder and she shivered at the familiarity of his lips against her skin.

He removed one of his hands from her hip and she heard the click of the door.

“Take about five steps forward,” he said, guiding her into their room with his hands on the tops of her shoulders.

“You’re not going to let me run into anything, are you?”

Cam laughed, his warm, minty breath brushing across the side of her face. “Never, silly girl.”

“I object,” she said as the faint sound of accordion music drifted through the room.

“To what? The music.”

“No. For the record, I’m not silly and I’m not a girl.”

“Your objection is duly noted.” She felt his hands on the back of the blindfold. “Are you ready to see?”

“Please.”

She gasped. “You didn’t,” she whispered. “A café in Paris.” A little round table with a white tablecloth sat next to their bed. Cam had placed a black metal Eiffel Tower stuffed with white tulle and miniature lights in the center of the table.

On one side of the table, there was a platter filled with cheese, duck pate, grapes, and thinly sliced French bread. On the other side was a bottle of champagne in a shiny silver chiller.

“Do you like it?” Cam asked, watching her face.

So much so she could scarcely breathe. Nobody had ever done anything like this for her before. She threw her arms around him and kissed his forehead, the tip of his nose and then his lips before she leaned back. “I love it.”

His lips curled up at the corners. “Good.” He pulled out her chair. “Sit.” Lifting the champagne bottle, he wrapped a white towel around the top, opened the cork and poured them each a glass without spilling a drop.

“You’re pretty good at that. I’m impressed. I would’ve spilled half the bottle on the floor or injured someone.”

He moved his chair so he was next to her rather than across the table and sat down. “I used to bartend.” He shrugged. “It’s all about towel placement and holding the bottle at a forty-five degree angle.”

“Ah…that makes sense.”

“So,” he said, a little nervously. “What do you want to eat?”

“A little of everything.”

He filled both of their plates.

“When did you have time to do this?”

“I’ve been working on it for a week, so today I just had to coordinate a few details, but the idea came to me when you told me that you wanted to go to Paris.”

“Really?” she asked, a few tears threatening to spill.

“Hey,” he said, cupping her face with his hands. “No crying. I still have a couple more surprises. Don’t fall apart yet.”

“You do?” Her eyes widened. She couldn’t believe there was more.

Cam leaned over and grabbed an envelope and a small rectangular box from the floor under the long tablecloth. “First open this,” he said holding out the envelope to her.

She tore the corner of the envelope and slid her finger along the seam. Inside she found a couple sheets of paper. She opened the papers and quickly scanned over the information. A huge smile spread across her face. “A trip to Paris. Is this real?”