“I’m going to run to the bathroom,” Taylor said, pushing Alec out of the booth. “Don’t let Cam leave without me.”
“Got it,” Alec said as he watched her walk to the back of the restaurant, sitting down again when she was out of view.
“Be nice to her.” Alec lowered his voice so Cam had to lean forward to hear him. “Tay acts tough, but she’s not. Underneath that hard shell she’s fragile and broken.”
So what; wasn’t everyone these days? He downed the rest of his beer, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “This month can’t end fast enough.”
“Just get your shit together and don’t take out your anger on her.” Alec glanced over his shoulder looking for his sister. “And keep your hands off of her. She needs stability and you can’t provide that, not even close.”
“Thanks for the warning, but you can rest assured: I’m not interested in your sister, and she’s made it abundantly clear that she’s not interested in me, so back off. You don’t need to play chaperone for the next month. I’ll be nice enough.” Alec’s eyes narrowed and Cam threw his hands into the air. “I promise.”
Cam wished he could start drinking heavily right now because he needed to be drunk to hang out with Alec and Taylor all night. He could envision the whole night right now—Alec with his cold, suspicious eyes following his every move, making sure he kept his hands and everything else away from Taylor, and Taylor with her sassy mouth and…well, everything.
Except for his time spent on stage, performing with the guys, this month would suck. No women, no drugs and no stupid behavior, but he could drink as long as he followed the rules and he planned to do plenty of that tonight.
CHAPTER FOUR
Taylor watched Cam take his third shot of tequila in the last hour. They were alone in the VIP section of the club—at least at that particular table, if she didn’t count the bottle of Patrón taunting her. There were plenty of other people laughing and dancing around them, but their table could have been in Siberia with the coldness radiating off Cam’s body. Marcus had disappeared within twenty minutes of arriving and she hadn’t seen him in over an hour. Her brother hovered near the corner of the VIP section overlooking the dance floor, hardly paying attention to the women circling around him like he was a bright shiny diamond necklace.
At least she didn’t have to deal with Cam’s groupie addiction tonight. Fortunately for her, Cam waved any woman away that came in his vicinity¸ and if they didn’t heed his warning, his cutting words did the trick. He had a sharp tongue when he wanted to use it. He wasn’t all fun and easygoing charm like the tabloids portrayed him.
She sighed, pushing her hair behind her shoulder as she tapped her fingers against her leg in time with the music. Maybe this month wouldn’t be as bad as she feared—just boring, if tonight were any indication, and she could deal with boring. After all, she lived a dull life since she graduated from college and moved to LA to be near her brother six months ago. No, that was unfair. Her life had been boring, confining and utterly suffocating for a year and a half before that courtesy of her crappy ex-boyfriend Miles. Dating him had been like living in a glass cage, watching the world around her, but never being able to experience it. His controlling nature and insults had sucked the life right out of her until she felt as if she couldn’t breathe without him critiquing her technique.
Life with Miles was a series of no’s and don’ts. No talking to other guys when he wasn’t around, no going to bars with her roommate, Evelyn, no dancing if it wasn’t with him, no wearing short skirts. She could spend a full twenty minutes going through his disapproval list. Miles sucked.
The sad thing was that, initially, she had thrived on the attention and concern he showered on her. She’d been so snowed by him she’d mistaken his controlling behavior for something akin to devotion. She probably shouldn’t be so hard on herself for misreading him. After all, except for Alec, nobody had ever cared what she did and Alec had left home shortly after she turned thirteen, so it had been a long time.
On paper, Miles was a great guy. He came from a mostly normal family. He had a college degree and a passion for music that matched hers. He sang in a band, but it wasn’t as good as Chasing Ruin, not even close. It was a little too grunge-like and depressing for her taste, but she didn’t care at the time.
When she met him, he seemed like a dream come true. As time had passed, his attention turned obsessive and confining. He yelled at her and demeaned her every chance he got. Luckily, he never crossed the line into physical abuse, but the mental and emotional crap was more than enough to justify leaving him. She shook her head trying to erase her thoughts. She wanted to keep those memories buried in a box with the rest of the shitty stuff in her life. Thank god he was finally out of her life for good. She hoped he would realize she had no intention of getting back together. He needed to stop trying to contact her.