Camden's Redemption (Gloves Off #4)(10)

Sitting back down, I smiled and shook my head. “I wasn’t going to stand you up. Trust me, I’ve been stood up before and it’s not fun.”

“Well, that guy was a f*cking moron,” he muttered under his breath.

Yes, he was. “Do you know what you want to eat?”

Smirking, he glanced down at my lips and then to the menu, biting his lip. “I don’t think the menu has what I’m in the mood for. But let’s see . . .”

Oh hell, this is going to be a nightmare. My lady bits were already clenching at the sight of him sucking his lip between his teeth. “Cam,” I warned, folding my hands on the table. The wolfish grin on his face made me tremble. I wish he would stop looking at me like that.

“What is it?” he asked.

“For starters, we just met and we don’t know anything about each other. I don’t know what you’re used to but it’s obviously not what I am. My experience with men hasn’t been all that great. You helped me out and I’m paying you back. But if you’re looking for a piece of ass you’re not going to get it from me. We can be friends, that’s it. I’m not your type.”

“How’s that?”

I snorted. “Because I can spot an arrogant, rich boy from a mile away. You’re used to getting what you want. I’m not that easy to get.”

He sat back in his chair, studying me. “Noted. And just so you know, I don’t particularly like the easy ones. Sometimes it’s good to fight for what you want.”

I held up my hands. “All I’m saying is, I don’t want you to get the wrong idea. The last thing I need is to get involved with someone.”

Leaning on the pink lacquered table, he pinned me with his hypnotic eyes. “Buttercup, you have nothing to worry about. I never get involved.”

Clearing my throat, I focused on the menu. My palms were sweaty and I really wanted to wipe them on my jeans, but I didn’t want him to know I was flustered. The bastard knew what he was doing. About that time, the waitress came over and we put in our orders. I had eaten at Macie’s over a hundred times and I always got my usual: scrambled eggs, bacon, and two pancakes. My stomach flip-flopped to the point I didn’t even know if I could eat or not.

“So where were we?” I began. “You were telling me what I owed you. Does breakfast count as payback?”

His lips twitched. “Maybe. But now I think you owe me more than that for keeping me waiting so long. I didn’t know you were the type to be rude.”

“Rude?” I announced incredulously. “I wasn’t gone that long.”

“Still, I think you need to make it up over dinner. My friend told me about another place I should check out. Hopefully, this one is less . . . horrific,” he said, glancing around the room.

I laughed. Mason really tested his manhood with the whole Macie’s suggestion. “Okay, I agree. We can go out to dinner. What place are you talking about?”

“Carolina Tavern. Have you heard of it?”

I should’ve known Mason would say that place. It was his favorite and owned by one of his good friends, Summer Jacobs. She happened to be the widow of his former best friend who was murdered during an illegal MMA match.

“It’s actually my favorite place,” I said. “Does dinner make up for everything?”

“For now. But can I ask you one more question?”

My phone vibrated in my pocket and I groaned, pulling it out. It was my parents. Fuck that. They were the last people I wanted to talk to.

“Do you need to answer it?” he asked.

I slid the phone back into my pocket. “Definitely not. It’s my parents. I don’t really get along with them right now.” That was a story for another day. “So, what were you going to ask?”

He rubbed the back of his neck, glancing down at his food. Was he embarrassed? I don’t think I’d ever seen this emotion on his face. “Do you know where the nearest grocery store is?”

Memories flooded my mind and I burst out laughing, cupping a hand over my mouth. Camden looked at me like I’d lost my mind. “I’m sorry,” I chuckled. “That wasn’t exactly what I thought you were going to ask. I don’t know why I thought it was funny.”

The first week we were at the beach, I watched him in the grocery store and I’d never seen anyone so lost in my life. I almost wanted to do his shopping for him. It was apparent he’d never had to go to the grocery store. I guess that was what having maids and housekeepers did for you.

“I tell you what,” I began. “I’ll take you to the store. I need to get some things anyway.”

The waitress came over and set our plates of food down in front of us, garnished with colorful fruits on a white doily. As soon as the waitress left, he looked down at our food and sighed. “If anyone back home could see me now, they’d never let me live it down.”

“Yeah, I can imagine. Usually, the men who come in here are a little feminine.” I looked at his arms snug in his tight black T-shirt. “And they definitely aren’t built and tattooed like you.” He flexed his arms and smirked. “So where’s home?” I asked.

Picking up a grape, he popped it into his mouth. “California.”

“What made you come out here?”

His reply was quick. “It wasn’t by choice.”