The Paid Bridesmaid(65)
“Do you need help with that?” Camden asked.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
As if I’d conjured him up, Camden was standing behind me. I twirled around and saw the way his eyes darkened, how his chest went up and down a bit faster, like I was the one making him feel like there wasn’t enough oxygen in the room.
“Wow,” he said. “You are stunning.”
I resisted the urge to preen a little, enjoying his appreciation more than I should have. It wasn’t too long ago that I didn’t want any men to look at me, but like I’d told him, he was different. “Thank you.”
“Didn’t anyone ever tell you not to wear a red dress to a bullfight?”
I laughed and asked, “What does that even mean?”
“We already established that you’re a smart woman, Rachel.”
Was I about to get run down by a randy bull? Maybe Camden would pick me up and throw me over his shoulder to have his way with me. I tried to tamp down the little thrills rising up inside me.
While I was busy trying to calm my rampaging heartbeat, he pointed at my shoulder. “Maybe I should finish what I started. It looks like I didn’t do a good job of massaging your shoulder.”
If he’d done it any better, I might have died. “It’s fine, thanks.” I noticed that he was carrying a bottle of water. “You’re not drinking tonight?”
“Sadie asked me not to. I’m not the designated driver since we’re not going anywhere, but I’m the designated nobody-gets-a-face-tattoo-or-a-black-eye guy. I’ve got to protect those pictures, right?” When I smiled at him, he asked, “What about you?”
“I’m drinking soda to spite Mary-Ellen.”
He just nodded and I actually kind of loved the fact that he didn’t even ask me why. Krista would have done the same thing because she knew me so well. It felt a little like he did, too.
“So,” I said, “what are you guys doing here? I thought you had some big boys’ night planned.”
“We did. But Dan didn’t want to be away from Sadie. She told him she was going to drink tonight and I suspect he was afraid things might get a tad out of control.”
“He doesn’t trust her?” I asked.
“Of course he does. He’s just protective.”
“Nothing says ‘I trust you’ like a combined bachelor and bachelorette party.”
Camden shrugged and said, “I told him not to worry, but he didn’t listen. I knew that you were here and that you’d have things in hand.”
His words stung a little. Like I was some fuddy-duddy stick-in-the-mud. “Because I’m the boring one?”
“What? No. Because you’re the loyal one who puts her friends above everything else.”
Only I wasn’t really friends with Sadie. I mean, I was, we liked each other, but it was a lie. Maybe I should have considered it more of a white lie. Like, “I really like your new haircut,” or “We should definitely catch up soon,” or all of Instagram.
Either Vance or Rick made a huge whooping sound and the entire table broke into laughter. They all definitely seemed to be feeling more than a little happy.
“We should get back over there to keep an eye on them,” I said and Camden nodded. I hurried back, not wanting to linger too close so that my body didn’t get any bright ideas.
I slid into the seat next to Krista and she said, “Ooh, the man you obsess over is here.”
“I don’t obsess,” I corrected her, speaking softly so that we wouldn’t be overheard. “I think about him the exact right amount.” Which was all the time, so maybe she was right about the obsession thing.
“Well, know that I’m here as your best friend. How do we play this thing tonight? Am I going for polite but cool toward him? Or super friendly? Do I make myself scarce? Or are we going to end up in jail tonight? You know I’m down for anything.”
This was why I loved her. “I’ll be fine.”
And I truly believed that right up until the moment Dan said, “We should do something fun. Play a drinking game.”
Mary-Ellen pounded on the table with her open palm and said, “No! We should play something even better. Like Truth or Dare!”
I wanted to say that was not really a game for adults, but then she added, “I’ll go first. Camden?” It was obvious what her dare was going to be, that she planned on manipulating this situation, and I couldn’t stop the jealousy that swelled up inside me. “I dare you to ki—”
“Wait!” Sadie interjected, cutting her off. “I’m the bride. Shouldn’t I get the first turn?” Her gaze turned toward me and I knew. I just knew. “Rachel! I dare you to kiss Camden!”
She was trying to protect her fiancé’s best friend, in her own way. I could recognize that, even if all the blood had left my head and pooled at my feet. She was doing her best to head off Mary-Ellen. Sadie turned to me, apologetic and pleading and more than a little drunk.
“Aren’t you supposed to give me a choice in the matter?” I asked, already knowing what was going to happen. “Don’t I get to decide whether I’m telling a truth or doing a dare?”
Dan was mumbling something, looking annoyed, but Sadie ignored him. I couldn’t look at Camden. I didn’t want to see his reaction. My pulse was already throbbing so loudly in my ears that I couldn’t think straight—if he had that smoldering “I want to kiss you” look in his eyes, there was no way I could resist him.