Kate

When I awoke the next morning, Cam was wrapped around me like a vine, our legs entangled with one another, our bodies nestled like two blissful spoons. Cam’s gentle breathing whispered along my shoulder, right where he had laid his last kiss the night before. I had now concluded that being in his arms—well, as far as I was concerned, there was just no place better. I snuggled into him a bit more, loving the feel of him enveloping me. Still thoroughly jetlagged, I began to give up any hope that I’d be able to fall back to sleep, so I just lay there peacefully, enjoying our little cocoon as the sun slowly began to stream into the room.

As I gently stroked the hand that Cam had rested on my waist, I thought about how incredible the night before had been—the way he had looked at me as though for him there was no one else on Earth. He had touched me in such a way that it almost seemed as though he had always just instinctively known how to unleash mind-blowing sensations in my body, and I literally couldn’t get his words out of my head. “You’re mine now, and I’m yours. It’s that simple.” I smiled at the idea of being his. Had he really meant it and if he had, what would Cam and Kate look like beyond the confines of this crazy tour? The thought filled me with both fear and an overwhelming sense of hope all at the same time. At that moment, Cam tugged me closer to him in his sleep as he nestled a bit nearer to me, making it impossible for me to wipe the silly grin off my face.

My bliss, however, was interrupted as I heard my phone begin to buzz on the nightstand next to me. I reached for it and quickly silenced it as I glanced at the caller ID. It was Evelyn. Of course, it had to be her. On what may have been the happiest morning I could remember, of course, she would call. I sighed as I tried carefully to extract myself from Cam’s embrace without waking him. Fortunately, he was out cold and simply rolled over to the other side of the bed, allowing me a chance to tiptoe out of the room and onto the terrace, where I quietly closed the door behind me to answer the phone, likely on the very last ring.

“Hello?” I said, trying to keep my voice down.

“Why are you whispering?” Evelyn barked.

“I’m not…” I cleared my throat “I—I just woke up.”

“Oh, right, what is it…like 6:15 am there?”

“Good guess,” I said sarcastically.

“Don’t get snippy. You should be up anyway, preparing for the junket today.”

I sighed, hating that despite the fact that I had proved time and time again that I was a more-than-competent employee, autonomy was never on the menu with Evelyn.

“Kate, don’t forget that the British press can be tough. They are extremely gossipy, and this is his hometown. Things that no one gives a shit about in LA can be tabloid gold there. You need to be on your game. Do you hear me?”

“I know, Evelyn. I’m on it,” I said, beginning to feel annoyed.

Evelyn sighed, acknowledging my irritated tone. “Okay, okay. I’m done hounding you. How’s everything else going over there? I haven’t heard much from you, sweetie.”

“It’s fine, I guess. To be honest, we got off to a bit of a rough start, but I think that was to be expected. I think we understand each other now.”

“You got off to a rough start, huh?” she said incredulously.

“Nothing I couldn’t handle.”

Evelyn laughed humorlessly. “So, how long into the trip before he made a pass at you?”

I glanced over at Cam, who still lay in bed asleep.

“No—he’s—been a perfect gentleman,” I lied as I grinned halfheartedly at him.

“I’m surprised to hear that, quite frankly. He must be banging that Amber again, then?”

I tensed a bit. “I—I really wouldn’t know, Evelyn.” I ran a hand through my hair and began to pace.

“It’s your job to know, Kate. Sadly, who Cam sleeps with is news to some people, and he’s always got someone in his bed. Generally, when the bimbos line up, though, Amber is first in line,” Evelyn said as I ran a tense hand through my hair. “I can’t say I blame Cam. He’s young, gorgeous, rich and famous—I’d do the same if I were him, wouldn’t you?” Evelyn laughed.

“I suppose,” I said humorlessly, now feeling a bit ill and desperately wanting to end this conversation. “Listen, I’ve got some schedules to look over,” I lied. “I’d better get a move on.”

“No worries. Listen, it sounds like things are going well. Haven’t had any complaints from the client yet. Very proud of you, kiddo. Keep up the good work.”

“Thanks,” I said, completely devoid of emotion at this point. “Talk soon.”

I hung up with Evelyn and tossed my phone onto the now abandoned tea cart as I made my way to the railing of the terrace, relaxing my crossed arms on it for a moment before resting my forehead on my arms and wishing for the universe to give me a freaking break. The little bubble that I had been in just minutes ago had now fully burst.

Was I just deluding myself about Cam? Last night had felt so real but had Krysten and Amber felt that once, too? Was this really worth putting everything I had worked for at risk? I mean, I had seen how he treated women after he slept with them; hell, I’d even helped him toss one of his girls out like a piece of used Kleenex. Had I just given Cam the one-night stand that he’d been after all along? Perhaps he had just been intrigued by the challenge of me and in the light of day he would….

My last thought was interrupted as I felt a pair of muscular arms wrap around me, pulling me close to an impenetrable wall of man followed by a gentle kiss on my neck.

“Why are you all the way out here and not lying in bed with me, where you belong?”

“I just needed some air,” I said with a sigh.

I was quiet but could feel Cam’s eyes on me. “Is everything okay, love?” he said, now turning me to face him.

“Yeah, everything’s good,” I said, smiling weakly, not wholly meeting his gaze as I pulled away from him and busied myself with straightening up the remnants of our tea party from the night before. I could feel him watching me intently now as he crossed his arms with a sigh.

“Oh, I get it,” he said.

“Get what?”

“You’re going to be weird about this, is that it?”

I sighed and was now a little annoyed and not liking having my emotions being pulled in so many directions so early in the day. “I’m not being weird. I just have a lot on my mind is all.”

Cam shook his head. “Kate, don’t do this.”

I stopped what I was doing and regarded him in an adversarial manner. “Do what, exactly?” I asked a bit haughtily.

“Pretend like last night didn’t mean as much to you as it meant to me because it will literally break my heart. I was there. I know we both felt it.”

I slowly put down the teacup that I had been fussing with, hating the way I was reacting but seemingly helpless to stop it. I regarded the slightly worried look on his face and softened a bit.

“Last night was amazing, Cam,” I said, pulling at the belt of his bathrobe, “but maybe this doesn’t have to be such a big deal.”

That was it. Cam’s eyes suddenly became as large as saucers as he bent down a bit so that he could look me dead in the eye as he grasped my shoulders. “It’s a big deal…to me,” he said pointedly. “A very big deal.”

I was frozen to the spot for a moment. “It is?” I asked timidly, suddenly feeling shy and a little foolish for having doubted him.

Cam threw his arms up, huffing. “Kate, I’m falling in love with you. You must feel that.”

My heart began to race as a silly grin threatened to cross my lips. “Seriously?” A nervous laugh of disbelief escaped.

Grinning at me now, apparently dumbfounded, he asked, “Why is that so hard for you to believe?”

“Because…you’re you!” I said stupidly. “You could have anyone, and I cannot fathom why you would stop at me, Cam! I’m combative,” I said, starting to pace anxiously, “not to mention horribly opinionated, and I clearly overthink things.” I spun around to face Cam as he grinned at my meltdown. “Also—this is now officially the most fucking complicated work situation…on the planet,” I said, throwing my hands up, a little winded from my sudden outburst.

Cam smiled and tugged at the belt to my bathrobe, slowly reeling me into him. “Are you done?”

I took a deep breath, the fight quickly leaving my body. “I suppose so.”

“You’re right. You are one hundred percent all of those things, but when we’re alone—just the two of us…” he said as he slowly slid his arms around my waist, “you’re very…very agreeable,” he continued, accenting each word with a strategically placed kiss to a different spot on my face, lulling me into a state of calm. “Plus, I’m pretty sure all of that combativeness, as you say, is just a prelude to some fucking mind-blowing make-up sex down the road, which quite frankly I’m looking forward to sampling.”

I couldn’t help but burst out laughing at that. He always knew exactly what to say to make me smile, and I loved that.

“Besides which,” he continued, “I rather like our new work situation.” He took my face in his hands and kissed me sweetly on the lips.

I smiled. “I suppose it does have its perks,” I said, wrapping my arms around his neck.

He nuzzled into that spot beneath my earlobe and dropped a series of slow kisses there that made my pulse race. I could feel Cam smile into my skin just before he pulled back to look at me. “Just be in this with me for a while, okay? We’ll figure out the rest of it in due time.”

Sighing, I paused to take in just how beautiful this man was. “You get that this is a little scary for me, right?” I said, stroking the side of his face. “I mean, my job is basically on the line here.”

Cam nodded. “I do, but I also think there’s far too much good here to not at least try to figure this out, Kate. We’ve just come through a ridiculous gauntlet of obstacles to get here. Can we please just enjoy this for a minute before we go about fucking it up?”

I smiled back at him just before I took his face in my hands and gave him a slow, tender kiss, once again stunning him silent as he wrapped his arms around me tightly.

“I still love when you do that,” he said a bit dreamily now.

And with that, he picked me up, and I wrapped my legs around his waist as he walked us back towards the bed.

“Now that that’s sorted, can we please have a bit of a lie-in and then perhaps another shag around eight or so and get this day started properly this time?”

I chuckled. “As long as you promise to feed me before the junket.”

“Oh, I’ll feed you, love,” he said, lowering me back into the bed and making himself at home on top of me.

“Real breakfast, Atwood. Not an extra side of sausage.”

“I thought you loved my sausage? Last night you were just begging for it.”

I slapped at him playfully to which he feigned shock. “So violent, Katie. Try to control yourself,” he said, now pinning my hands above my head to avoid further attack as he went to work attempting to kiss every inch of my body, immediately putting me back into a state of pure bliss.

This man was going to be the death of me, but at least it would be a sweet death.