Chapter 4
Chapter Four
Cameron
We’d both been so exhausted by the time we fell into Rylee’s bed just before dawn, that she’d curled her body around mine, her head on my chest, and fell asleep within minutes.
I’d stroked her hair, caressed her bare back, and smiled when she released a contented sigh and burrowed deeper. No sex, yet it felt like we’d forged a connection that ran even deeper than the physical connection we would have made, had the phone not rung when it did.
And I didn’t know how the hell to process the feelings I was having as I made myself at home in her kitchen, making eggs, bacon, toast, and coffee while she showered.
“Hey, handsome.” She stood in the doorway of her kitchen, smiling. Her hair was full and sexy, but she wasn’t wearing makeup. Her curves were on full display in a white tank top and faded jeans that skimmed her feet, barely revealing red painted toes.
“Hey, yourself. Want some coffee?”
“You’re my hero.” She poured herself a cup and added sugar before leaning her backside against the counter to watch me cook. “Okay, I know I didn’t have any of this stuff. I’ve been on the road for weeks and haven’t gone shopping in forever.”
“I got up a while ago, showered, and went out to pick up some staples.” I plated the eggs and bacon and set it on the kitchen island. “No big deal.” She was watching me while I buttered a stack of toast, making me wonder what she was thinking. “What? Did I overstep?”
“God, no.” She curled her hand around my bicep. “It’s just that no guy has ever done this for me before. Not even after sex.”
White-hot fury, I could only define as jealousy ripped through me when I imagined her mornings-after with guys who didn’t care enough to treat her right. “No guy has ever made you breakfast? What kind of losers have you been dating?”
“Sorry, I didn’t know guys like you actually existed, or I would have looked harder.” Her wink was sassy as she rolled forward on her toes to kiss my cheek. “Seriously, thank you for this. And for everything. You were a godsend last night.”
“Glad I was here.” I meant it. If I’d stayed at Austin’s guesthouse, ruminating about the bastard who’d abducted my sister, I would have gone crazy. The smartest decision I’d made was hopping in my truck for a faceoff with the doll-face who’d propositioned me.
She ran her hand down my back as I plated the rest of the food. “So, what are your plans for the day?”
“I should go and check on my sister in a bit. What about you? Do you have to go to the hospital?”
She nodded, looking dejected. “I don’t want to, but I should.”
“You want me to go with you?”
Rylee smiled, and it felt like a shot to the solar plexus, taking my breath away. Damn.
“You’re sweet for offering, but I won’t subject you to that again.” She sighed. “Besides, I’ve got a couple of radio interviews lined up this afternoon.”
I knew I shouldn’t be disappointed. She was a busy girl, who probably had demands on her time from morning ‘til night. I couldn’t expect her to rearrange her schedule just because I was only going to be in town for a couple more days.
“But my friend, J.T. McCall, just texted me. He owns Jimmy’s. Have you ever been there?”
“Yeah, sure.” Whenever I came to town with friends, Jimmy’s was always one of our first stops, and I’d gotten to know J.T. pretty well over the years. He was a solid guy.
“J.T. asked if I wanted to sing there tonight, and I couldn’t say no. Wanna come with me?”
“Sure.”
Anything for a chance to spend more time with her, even if it meant sharing her with a bar full of people who would probably be clamoring for her attention.
I had to admit, I’d downloaded a few of her songs when I was out running errands that morning.
And her music seemed to run the gamut from high energy party songs to haunting ballads.
Not that I was surprised. The girl herself seemed to be a paradox, so why shouldn’t her music be too?
“Awesome!” She sat at a stool at the small island and asked, “Has your ex reached out since she saw that picture of us?”
I moved one of the three stools so I was sitting across from her at the island. “How’d you know?”
“Because I’m a girl. And if I had a hot ex like you and wanted him back, I’d be crawling the walls knowing he was moving on with someone like me.”
I smiled, not even wanting to know how she saw herself. But I suspected she would be the type of woman who would intimidate an uptight, ice queen like my ex.
“Do you have a picture of her?” Rylee asked, obviously trying to play it off like a casual question, but her eyes told a different story. She was as curious about my ex as I was about hers.
“I don’t know. I may have deleted them all.” I reached for my phone and pulled up the photos, while biting into a piece of bacon. “Oh yeah, here’s one.” I passed Rylee the phone and smiled when she scowled at the screen. “What?”
“You didn’t tell me she was gorgeous.”
I couldn’t deny my ex, Kelly, was a knock-out. And the exact opposite of Rylee in every way. She was slender, 5’7”, with long dark hair, dark eyes, and an olive complexion.
Rylee was about 5’2” with killer curves, short blonde waves, sun-kissed skin, big blue eyes, and a cross between sexy and innocent that was impossible to figure out.
“Your turn. Show me your ex-boyfriend.” I couldn’t believe I was asking about the guy who’d been stupid enough to let her go, but knowing he was still in the picture made me curious.
“Hmm, let’s see.” She reached for her phone and started scrolling. “Here he is.”
“Huh.” I wasn’t going to trash-talk the guy because that would just make me look jealous, but he was a tall, lanky guitar player with old school tattoos, dark hair, a patchy beard, and longish hair. “If that’s your type.”
“I meant what I said last night…” She was biting into her bacon, watching me. “You’re my type.” Leaning in to tease me with her ample cleavage, she whispered, “There’s just something about a man who carries handcuffs, and knows when to use them.”
I tipped my head back, unable to contain my laughter.
This girl was too much. And I wanted more.
“You sure you’re okay?” I asked, sizing up Eden as she sat curled up on her boyfriend’s couch, wearing a blanket like a shawl.
“Yes, but you’re gonna have to be the one to convince Mama and Daddy of that.” She rolled her eyes. “They won’t believe me. Or even Austin. Said they need to hear it from you.” She waved her hand. “Because apparently you have more experience with these things.”
“I’ll call them later. Where’s Austin?”
“In the shower. He should be out in a bit. Thank God Mama and Daddy were in bed when news broke that I was missing. Otherwise, they would have lost their minds.”
“No doubt.”
I glanced at my phone and couldn’t help but smile when I saw a text from Rylee. Apparently, she’d just left the hospital and was heading to the first radio station. She’d be live on the air twice that afternoon and provided details, in case I was interested in tuning in.
I was definitely interested.
“What’s that look about?” my sister demanded. She made an air circle around my face. “You look all… happy. That’s not like you.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“You’re usually broody and growly. At least you have been since the bitch who shall remain nameless cheated on you.”
I sank down in the armchair across from her and kicked my feet up on the ottoman. “Gimme a break, sis. I’m so over that.”
She raised an arched brow, looking skeptical. “Are you sure about that? If you were so over her you would have jumped at the chance to hook up with my girl Rylee last night.”
“How do you know I didn’t?”
She leaned forward before tossing a pillow at me. “Shut up! You’re lying. You were too busy rescuing me. Then you went straight to the police station and came back here.”
Eden would find out, since she followed me on social media, so I figured I may as well fill her in. “I texted Austin after I got to the guest house. You were in the shower, apparently.”
“Yeah, he mentioned you texted to check on me.”
“That, and to ask him for Rylee’s address… and the code to her building.”
Her jaw dropped. “Seriously? You went over there, at that hour? You could have just asked Austin for her phone number.”
“I could have, but I wanted to see her.” No sense playing games. My kid sister had always had a knack for seeing right through me. “I needed to make sure she was okay. Once we found out you were missing and the show got cancelled, all hell broke loose, and no one could remember seeing Rylee leave.”
“But she’s okay?” she asked, holding a pillow tight against her chest.
“Yeah, she’s fine.” I didn’t think I should be the one to tell Eden about Rylee’s mama’s heart attack. If she wanted to fill her in, she would. “She was having a rough night though, so I offered to stay with her.”
“You spent the night with her?” Eden smiled. “I’m glad you finally took my advice and started living a little. There’s more to life than work, you know.”
“We didn’t…” Ugh, I was not talking to her about sex. “I was just there to comfort her, nothing more.”
“Oh God, you’re going to get friend-zoned so fast with a girl like Rylee.”
“What the hell does that mean?” There was crazy-chemistry between us, and the way she’d kissed me when I left told me she definitely thought of me as more than a friend.
“It means she’s a young, talented, sexy woman, whose star is rising quickly. And she needs a man who can keep up.”
I opened my mouth, glared at her, then snapped it shut. What the hell was I supposed to say to that, without getting too graphic?
Eden laughed and pointed at me. “I love pissing you off. You’re so easy.”
“You’re brutal.” I closed my eyes and tipped my head back. I had no idea why it was so easy for her to bait me. Maybe because I was already so invested in Rylee?
“I already knew,” she teased. “I saw your post when I woke up this morning. And I knew that wasn’t you, with all those cutesy hashtags, Mr. All-Business-No-Bullshit.”
I shook my head, torn between amusement and disgust. “She posted that to send a message to Kelly.”