Chapter 2
Cameron Walker
“ I t’s been how many days? Five? And she’s still turning you down. I don’t know, man. The conference is going to be over in two days, and you’re never going to see her again. Why even try?” Hugo asked.
Cameron fought the instinct to scowl at Hugo.
They’d come to the conference together per their boss’s request. According to Mr. Vernes, they needed the most up-to-date information when it came to breeding and raising horses.
Cameron hadn’t argued, but nothing would have prepared him for meeting Red.
She hadn’t told him her name, and while he was sure her companion would have told him if he’d asked, he was enjoying the chase far too much.
“At this rate, you might as well cut your losses. She probably lives across the country in some small town anyway. Even if she accepted a date with you, what would you do? Follow her like a lost puppy?” The guy was too good at reading people.
One look at Cameron and Hugo shot up on his hotel bed, mouth gaping.
“You can’t be serious…” He shook his head.
“Nope. Because that would make you crazy.”
Cameron shrugged. “I don’t know what to tell you.”
“I get that you’ve been able to track her down every night this week. And heck, the fact that she was willing to dance with you says something. But Cam, you can’t just drop everything for a girl you barely know.”
“What can I say? When you know, you know.” It wasn’t just her looks, though Red’s curves were captivating in their own right.
She was smart, witty, and she had enough spunk to keep him on his toes.
No one had ever held his attention like she did.
And if his only shot to make her his was to follow her to her hometown and woo her, then that was what he’d do.
Hugo muttered under his breath. “You’re either crazy or in love.”
Maybe it was a little bit of both. Cameron smirked at his friend. “Her friend gave me their hotel room number last night. It took a bit of convincing, but I got it out of her. I’m going over there, and I’m not going to leave until she agrees to a date.”
Hugo threw himself back on the bed with a sigh. “Good luck, man. You’re gonna need it.”
Cameron brushed his palms along the top of his head, ensuring his hair was still in place.
Red’s door stood directly in front of him.
Everyone was taking their lunch break, and there was a chance that she wasn’t even behind the barrier.
Still, his heart pounded like he was here to get down on one knee.
Hugo was right. He had lost his mind. What intellectual person opened their heart to a stranger without even knowing her name?
And yet it felt like he’d known her forever.
Plenty of women had hit on him over the last five days.
And he hadn’t missed a single second of seeing Red’s jealousy.
After that first night, she’d practically laid claim on him.
Who was he kidding? She had his heart, and she didn’t even know it.
But with her consistently turning him down, he had every intention of milking that jealous side of her—mostly because he felt it too.
Any time a guy put his hands on her, the fury built within him. It took a great deal of control not to pull her off the dance floor so he could shield her from the eyes of every hot-blooded male in a hundred-mile radius.
Last night seemed to be the tipping point for her, though. She’d practically pushed a girl out of the way when “I Know She Ain’t Ready” by Luke Combs came over the speakers. It had been the first dance they’d spent in each other’s arms, and somehow it already felt like their song.
And when they’d danced to it last night, she’d avoided looking into his eyes so much he could tell she felt the same way.
Her words still rattled around in his head after he’d asked her out last night.
I don’t do dating.
No matter how many times he’d tried to change her mind, she refused. Then she’d slipped away. Again.
Cameron rubbed his palms against his jeans and took in a deep breath, blowing it out through pursed lips. This might be his only shot. There was no telling when she planned to go back home. He lifted his fist and rapped his knuckles on the door.
Then he waited.
At first, he couldn’t hear anything. But then he heard a faint voice before the handle clicked and the heavy door swung inward.
Red stared at him with wide eyes. “What are you doing here?” Almost immediately, she whipped her head around. “Darcy!”
He heard a faint giggle, then the words, “You might as well hear him out. He knows where we live—at least for the next couple of days.”
Red groaned and dragged a hand down her face. “Whatever you want?—”
“Go out with me.”
Her eyes flicked up to meet his. Wariness flittered through her expression, and it threw him so off guard that he nearly didn’t hear her next word. “Why?”
At her expectant expression, he cleared his throat. “You can’t tell me you don’t feel the spark we have. There’s something here.”
Red could have shut him down, but she didn’t. Instead, she leaned against the doorjamb with folded arms, her toe the only thing keeping the door open. “One date?”
“One date.” Okay, that was a lie. He fully intended on asking her out again for tomorrow, and at that point, he’d plan on getting enough information to start his plan in motion. He already knew he needed more of her. Two dates weren’t going to be enough.
“Just do it,” Darcy called. “You know you want to.”
Red’s cheeks flushed and she rolled her eyes. “Yeah, whatever.”
Cameron straightened. “Tonight. Nine o’clock.”
She lifted a brow. “ Nine ? What are you? A vampire?”
He chuckled. “Maybe you’ll find out tonight.”
When Cameron arrived to pick up Red from her room, he laughed to see her wearing a short-sleeved sweater with a high neckline. It wasn’t exactly a turtleneck, but it covered enough of her skin that it was clear she was teasing him.
She grinned right back, and the sparkle in that look alone set his whole world alight. She was breathtakingly beautiful. Her sage-colored shirt highlighted the green flecks in her deep hazel eyes. It was fitted and paired with jeans that showed off every one of her curves.
He reached for her hand. It was the most natural thing in the world, and he was pleased when she didn’t pull away. With fingers laced together, they headed down the hall toward the elevator.
Everything was going his way. Mercifully, the sky was clear. The stars shone brighter than ever. Tonight, he was going to show her just how good they could be together.
Red already knew they were in sync when it came to the dance floor. But romance wasn’t built purely on chemistry, even if they had it in spades.
“You going to tell me where we’re going?”
He smirked at her. “Patience.” Cameron opened the door of his rental truck for her and gestured for her to get inside. She watched him through the glass until he climbed behind the wheel.
“My brother would kill me if he knew I was going out with someone while I was here.”
He arched a brow. “Protective or overbearing?”
She waved a dismissive hand. “Probably a little of both. He means well, but he feels like he’s responsible for us since we moved away from home to run the ranch with him.”
“Us?”
“My brothers and sisters.”
“Big family, huh?” He couldn’t say he had the same.
“Yeah. You?”
Cameron shook his head. “One brother.”
“Sounds nice,” she said.
He chuckled. “You can’t say your big family is that bad. I can tell you love them.”
She gave him a flat look. “Oh? How is that?”
“It’s the way you talk about them.”
Red scoffed. “I barely said anything about them. In fact, I even said your family situation sounded nice.”
“But not better. And it was the tone of your voice. You care about your family.” He could tell she was working at hiding the smile that threatened at her lips. The dimple in her chin deepened, and it was easily visible, even in the dark.
She blew out a breath and tucked her thick black hair behind her ears. “So where are we going?”
A laugh tugged from his chest. “You really don’t like not knowing stuff, do you?”
She smirked. “And you must fancy yourself a mind reader.”
“Maybe I am.”
Her laughter was a boon to his soul. He liked this carefree side of her. There was the snarky, witty side of Red. And there was the genuine, happy side. He was certain there were even more that he’d have the pleasure of unveiling as time wore on.
When they pulled into some fairgrounds fifteen minutes later, she gave him a surprised look. “The fair. It can’t be open much longer. It’s getting late.”
“We won’t be here long.”
Her eyes narrowed, and then she chuckled. “Well, if I had known that you were confident enough in your dating skills that you thought you could accomplish everything in an hour or less, I would have accepted your request sooner.”
Cameron turned completely serious, leaned across the armrest that separated them and whispered, “Oh, what I plan for you is going to take much more than an hour. By the end of our date tonight, you’re going to be begging me for part two tomorrow.”
Her lips parted with surprise as her eyes searched his. Then she pulled back and smirked at him. “Good luck with that, mister.”
“It’s Cameron.” He waited expectantly for her to offer her name.
She nibbled on her lower lip, then smiled, holding out her hand. “Nice to meet you, Cameron.”
“Are you going to tell me your name? Or will I have to keep calling you Red?”
She wrinkled her nose, and he thought for a moment she’d give in. But then she smirked with a knowing look. “ If you convince me to go out with you tomorrow, I’ll give it to you then.”
He took her hand and shook it. “Deal.” Then he lifted her hand to his lips and kissed it.
Her eyes rounded as large as saucers at the intimate touch. But then she blinked and tugged her hand free from his grasp.
Cameron strode through the fair with purpose.
True to Red’s observation, the fair was closing up shop.
They only had about thirty minutes before those in charge would be closing down the rides, and he needed to get Red there before that happened.
He hadn’t brought her here to take advantage of the empty fairgrounds.
There was something else happening tonight that was sure to get her attention.
When he stopped in front of the Ferris wheel, Red laughed.
“You brought me here to go on one ride?”
He grinned. “There’s more to it than that.” Cameron leaned in closer to her, reveling in the way her breathing hitched at the sudden movement. He whispered, “Have a little faith.” With that, he took her hand and tugged her toward the ride. It didn’t take long at all before they were at the top.
And it took even less time for Red to realize they weren’t going to come back down for at least the next twenty minutes. Cameron had offered money to the guy operating the ride to close the gate and not allow new riders.
Red gave him a dirty look. “You can’t hold me hostage, you know.”
“That wasn’t my plan, but maybe it should have been.”
She rolled her eyes and folded her arms. “I told you. I don’t do dating.”
“Why is that?”
A lift of her shoulders was the only thing she offered him. “I just don’t.”
“Maybe you haven’t met the right guy.”
She lifted a brow. “And what? You think that’s you?”
“I know it is.”
She stilled before she laughed. “You’re either the cockiest guy I’ve met or the most delusional.” A huff left her chest. “Maybe both.” Then she eyed him. “What are we doing up here, Cameron? You clearly have a plan. What is it?”
He studied her for a moment. Then he looked at his watch. “Two more minutes,” he murmured.
“Two more minutes for what?”
He grinned, then glanced at his watch again. As soon as the clock ticked to nine-forty-two, he jerked his chin upward. “Look up.”
Slowly, she lifted her gaze, then her eyes rounded and she gasped.
Glittering stars shot across the sky. The meteor shower would only last for a few minutes, but based on the way Red’s mouth hung open, he knew he’d made the right decision in bringing her here.
Luck was definitely on his side, and nothing proved it more than when she brought her eyes to meet his and leaned forward to capture his mouth with her own.
Talk about seeing stars.