Besides, she needed to regroup before she saw Cam again and she could only do that by avoiding him for the day. She was proud of herself. She didn’t answer one phone call from him the entire day, and she only responded to his texts when he threatened to place a missing persons report or call Alec, and even then, she had responded with three words—see you tonight.
Walking backstage, she flashed her badge to security as she made her way through the maze of hallways until she reached the side stage where she knew she’d have the best view of Cam. She stood behind a couple people gathered near the opening, but almost immediately she felt Cam’s gaze burning into her.
When she looked up, Cam spun to face her as though he didn’t have thousands of people watching his every movement. The crowd disappeared and the room narrowed to the two of them. His face was an impeccably controlled mask, void of emotion, but when her eyes met his, they were angry and heated. A horrible feeling slithered through her chest. Regret? Guilt? She didn’t know, but the look on Cam’s face told her that he had no intention of letting her walk off the premises tonight without talking to him, and if she wanted to sleep in her own room tonight, it would be a big deal—a very big deal.
When Chasing Ruin finished the final song, Cam stormed off the stage directly toward her, only stopping to hand his guitar to a stagehand.
“We need to talk,” he said, circling her upper arm with his hand and her body stiffened.
“I need to talk to my brother,” she blurted out, not wanting to hear what he had to say at the moment. She would prefer if he had a beer or two first before talking about anything. In fact, maybe she needed one too. Cam’s clear blue eyes narrowed into slits, and she looked over his shoulder pretending to search for her brother. A flash of hurt drifted across his face, and her gut twisted, but then she reminded herself to be strong. She didn’t give a shit if Cam had his feelings ruffled. Welcome to life.
Cam leaned toward her, coming within an inch of her ear. “Come with me now unless you want to do this in front of the entire band and any other person who wants to listen,” Cam said. Each word fanned the side of her face with his warm breath.
“You wouldn’t.”
“I most definitely would.”
Looking around the immediate vicinity, Taylor noticed curious faces turning in their direction. Chewing on the corner of her lip, she wanted to walk away, but she couldn’t do it. Cam wasn’t kidding. He’d spill all their dirt in front of everyone, and now that she knew he still loved Bre, she didn’t want anyone to know she was the fool who fell in love with someone who’d never love her back.
“Fine, but let go of my arm,” she replied through clenched teeth.
Dropping her arm, he started walking through the maze of hallways backstage. For a moment, she stood there unable to move. Turning, Cam stopped and raised his eyebrows. Casually, she strolled forward making sure to greet a few people along the way.
Cam opened a metal door at the end of the hall and waited for her to enter before closing and locking it behind her.
The room was a small office with a desk and a chair that took up more than half of the room. The veneer on the desk was chipped and peeling along the edges. The office looked as though it hadn’t been used for years. The seat of the chair was ripped exposing the dark yellow foam cushion inside.
Cam pointed toward the chair. “Sit down.”
“No, don’t tell me what—”
He tipped his head to the ceiling. “Just sit. Don’t argue with me right now,” Cam said, his voice weary.
Fuming, she sat down but not in the chair. She slid her body on top of the desk letting her legs dangle above the gray tiled floor. She swung them back and forth, letting her heels hit the hollow wood veneer, trying to release some nervous energy.
“What the hell happened today?”
“I needed to do some stuff for myself today. Do you have a problem with that?” she challenged.
“I see that.” His eyes roamed over her body starting at her face and ending with her new black lace up, corset styled heels. Even though she hated heels, something about these spoke to her in the mall and she bought them. His eyes returned to hers full of heat and a bunch of other things that made her squirm against the desktop. “I approve.” His lips just barely lifted at the corners.
“Good. Let’s get a drink in the green room. Only two more shows.” She started to slip off the desk.
Before her feet touched the ground, Cam stepped forward, his hands planted firmly against her hips as he moved between her legs. “In a minute. We’re not done talking.”
“Maybe later. I think you have a meet and greet after the show.” She shifted her body, trying to put more space between them so she could ignore the desire building in her body from his simple touch and his heated stare. She couldn’t do this with him tonight, not when her heart was still bleeding from the revelations this morning.