Redeeming You(27)

“Coconut shampoo,” she answered. His warm breath caressed her neck and goose bumps erupted on her body. She tried to turn to face him, but he held her tightly.

“Just relax and take a nap.” He lifted their intertwined hands and kissed the inside of her wrist as though she were his lucky charm.

“What are these?” he asked tracing the little stars tattooed on the inside of her wrist.

“Lots of long stories,” she answered evasively. The stars on her wrist were personal and telling Cam the meaning behind them would expose more of herself than she wanted anyone to see, including Alec. Alec thought they were random meaningless tattoos.

“One, two, three, four,” he mumbled as he counted each tiny star. “Tell me about one of them.”

As she turned to face him, he tucked a long piece of hair behind her ear. “They’re nothing important.”

“Not if you have them permanently tattooed on your body,” he commented, his gaze focused on her.

She’d never explained the stars to anyone. To everyone else that asked, she responded that she liked stars or something equally inane. But Cam could sense there was more to the story and part of her was inclined to share it. Something about Cam drew her in and she had a hard time withholding anything from him.

She propped her body up on one elbow. “When I was a kid, I had this teacher that gave out star stickers when a student overcame a challenge in class. That was her reward system.”

“Okay,” he said his eyes searching hers.

“The idea stuck with me. Anyway, when I’ve faced challenges in my life and I’ve survived or thrived in spite of them, I get a star tattooed on my wrist to remind myself that I can conquer anything if I put my mind to it.”

Cam didn’t respond. Instead, his fingers repeatedly whisked over her wrist, tracing each tiny star tattoo. Self-conscious, she tugged her hand away. “Silly, huh?” she said, forcing out a laugh.

“Not at all. I like it.”

“You do?”

He nodded.

“So what about your tattoos?” she asked, her fingers brushing the length of his left arm. “Do they mean anything or are they just part of the rock star image?”

Bending his head, he kissed her softly and then pulled back, letting his thumb brush along her cheekbone. She leaned into his hand. She loved the way he touched her, little simple touches that made her feel as though he cared and that she really meant something to him.

“They mark things, feelings or moments I want to remember.”

Her eyes traveled the length of his arm and then she pushed his t-shirt up so she could see his shoulder. “But they don’t look like anything.”

“I know. They’re just something I attach to each particular memory.”

“Someday we’ll have to share,” she said, yawning. Her eyes were heavy. She couldn’t stay awake much longer.

“Someday,” he said rolling her away from him so her back faced his chest again. He kissed her neck and chills traveled the length of her spine. “Let’s take a nap and then we’ll eat dinner and do some sightseeing. Sound Good?”

“Okay,” she mumbled as she closed her eyes relaxing into his warm embrace. She liked being held by Cam more than anything she’d done in a long time. It felt right even though her heart stuttered with the realization. She’d told him they would have fun together, but this wasn’t what she meant by fun. Fun was making out in the bathroom after his performance or dancing a little too close at a club. Holding each other as they napped was something entirely different and more than she expected from him. She just hoped she and Cam were on the same page because she didn’t want to be hurt, not now, and not by him.





CHAPTER NINE





It was dark when Cam woke a few hours later. Taylor had rolled over during her sleep and her long leg was draped over his. He watched her sleep. He loved the delicate lines of her face and the way her soft porcelain skin contrasted with her dark hair. He twisted a piece of her hair around his index finger and her eyelashes fluttered before her eyes opened fully.

“Hey,” she said, her voice still gravelly from sleep.

“Hey,” he said back, returning her smile.

“Do you still want to go out?”

No. He’d like to stay in bed with her until the guys came to drag his ass out of her room for their next performance, but he knew he couldn’t do that. He wanted to spend quality time with her so she realized this thing with her meant something to him, and while he couldn’t do that with the guys breathing down his neck on the bus, he could do it tonight when they all had other plans. “Yes.”