Redeeming You (Before You #2)(7)
She threw her napkin on the table. “What’s your problem with me? I didn’t do anything to you. I was offered a job to keep you out of trouble. I didn’t create the job. I’m doing Chasing Ruin a favor. There’s no reason to insult me.”
“I would’ve happily peed in a cup for the remainder of the tour, but no, you needed a job, so now I’m stuck with you as a sidekick for a month,” Cam shot back.
“Well, it’s a done deal now so get over it. The label agreed. The band agreed. Let’s work together to make this go as smoothly as possible.” She hoped her voice didn’t sound as though she was pleading with him, but she didn’t want to spend a month bickering with him.
Cam tapped one of his fingers on his chin, a sly smile pulling on his lips. “How is this little arrangement going to work?”
“What do you mean?” Taylor asked hesitantly. He was up to something, and judging from the look on his face, she wouldn’t like it, not one bit.
“After a show, I like to pick up a girl or two and f*ck. It’s kind of a ritual for me. It releases some tension.” Cam leaned across the table, tugged on the blue streak at the front of her hair, wrapping it around his finger and then he released it. “What can I expect from you? I mean, you can watch or you can join in. It’s up to you. What do you think? Are you more of a watcher or a doer?” He grinned. “I’m fine with either. I’m into both.”
His voice was low and inviting as he grinned that crazy sexy grin she’d seen him flash on stage more than a few times. Sadly, it made her heart skip a beat or two when he aimed it at her. He was good—better than she gave him credit for—and he knew it and it kind of pissed her off.
“Hmm…that’s a hard choice,” she murmured. “I’m not sure.” She leaned forward pretending to contemplate his ridiculously insulting question, her mouth within grazing distance of his, and she smiled coyly. “Good thing I don’t have to decide because your post show groupie gorging days are over, or at least until the end of the tour,” she said leaning back again, feeling completely satisfied when she noticed the exasperation sizzling from his pretty-boy blue eyes. She pressed her lips together so she didn’t laugh. She didn’t need to rub it in his face.
“Says who?” he snapped.
“The band. The label. Me.” She shrugged. “I need to do my job effectively and that means making sure there isn’t a repeat of your little video stunt on my watch. I can’t do that if I let you wander off with a bunch of groupies after every show.” She shook her head. “Sorry, it’s not going to happen. Do you have any other questions?”
His eyes narrowed dangerously. “Are you going to follow me into the bathroom too?” he asked, his voice sickly sweet. “Because if you’re real nice, I’ll let you hold my junk.”
“What’s wrong? Is it so small you have a hard time finding it?” she shot back.
And then, he laughed that laugh that crinkled the corners of his startling blue eyes. “Maybe if you’re real nice over the next month, I’ll give you a peek, and I promise that you won’t be disappointed.”
Taylor’s hand itched to slap him, but she painted a bland smile on her face. Don’t play his game. It’s a job. It’s not personal. She took a bite of her sandwich. Someone needed to teach his guy a lesson. He needed to be knocked down a notch or five hundred.
“Well, what a nice offer, but like I already said, you’re not my type. As for bathroom breaks, I can wait outside the door and vice versa.”
“What about sleeping arrangements?”
“If we’re on the bus, it’s fine. Jax said I’d have a bunk on the bus. When there’s a hotel stop, we can get adjoining rooms.”
“Sounds…fun.” He rolled his eyes. “So I guess our arrangement starts now.”
Clearly, he was done teasing her for a moment, which was fine with her. She couldn’t take much more right now anyway.
“Guess so.”
CHAPTER THREE
Cam took another bite of his burger, not that he was hungry. He lost he appetite the minute Taylor so kindly explained his bleak future. It looked as if he was in for one of the worst months of his life, and that said a lot because his life had pretty much sucked since Bre dumped him. Other than Chasing Ruin, he had nothing going for himself unless he counted his string of meaningless, faceless hook-ups and one pissed off liver.
The guys had warned him repeatedly to exercise some control and to start using his head, but using his head was the last thing he felt like doing when he wanted to crawl out of his skin. Thinking was too hard, because invariably his thoughts always circled back to Bre and all the stupid shit he did to her. Then he felt guilty and wanted to start drinking—or worse—again.
Unable to take another bite, he dropped his burger on his plate. He watched Taylor nibble on her sandwich, dabbing her mouth self-consciously after ever bite. He’d been a major * to her, but he couldn’t stand the way she looked at him. She hated him and he didn’t understand why.
Studying her now, her dark blue eyes, long nearly black hair, cute pixie features, and porcelain skin, he felt like a complete piece of shit, and maybe he was. Taylor hadn’t done anything to him, and she was Alec’s little sister—one of his closest friends. Alec had been his constant companion and his only real friend after Bre left him for Jax, so the last thing he needed was for Alec to be pissed at him. Marcus didn’t care about anything or anybody as far as Cam could tell, and Jax…he had Bre, so even though they were friends, there would always be a wall between them.