He’s got his smart-ass smile on. “In any room you like.”
“That’s my girl,” he says and kisses me thoroughly, then turns to rid himself of the condom and turn off the light. He tucks me against him and kisses my head. “Sleep, beautiful Mia.”
“I’m not sleepy,” I reply in the middle of a yawn.
“Right.” He kisses my forehead.
“I like lying on your chest. It isn’t too hairy.”
“Good to know.”
I smile, but he can’t see me in the dark. I drape my leg over his and kiss his shoulder. My eyes are heavy. His breathing has evened out, and I’m quite sure he’s already fallen asleep.
Typical.
But honestly, I could lie here all night and just listen to the sound of his heart and his breathing. His skin is smooth against my cheek, and his body is firm and warm. I didn’t know that I was craving touch so badly until Camden came back into my life.
Now I don’t know what I would do without it. I don’t want to think about that. I know that he’ll be leaving soon, and I don’t know for sure what will happen after that. I guess we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.
Soon I realize that I’m sleepier than I thought.
“Why does he need to see us right now?” I ask Camden the next morning. It’s not even nine yet, on a Saturday no less, and I wasn’t ready to go to the restaurant. I had at least another hour of lazy time coming to me.
“He didn’t say,” Camden says. He reaches over to lay his hand on my thigh. This man never stops touching me.
And I’m not complaining.
“He just said that he needed to meet with us. I think he’s invited everyone.”
“Shit. They’ve cancelled the show.” I rub my fingertips against my forehead. “His bosses didn’t like it. This sucks so bad. He moved here for this show. I mean, he really moved here for Riley, but it was possible for him to do so because of this show. If he can’t work here, what will happen? Riley will be crushed if he has to move back to L.A. That can’t happen, Cam.”
“Whoa. Slow down, control freak—(a) he didn’t sound upset at all; and (b) you are taking on everyone else’s stress, and that’s not healthy.”
“That’s who I am,” I reply and stare out the passenger window as Portland breezes by. “She’ll be devastated. God, this sucks.”
“You’re such an optimist,” Camden says and glances at me with a worried frown. “Seriously, stop that. It’s probably something completely different.”
I nod, but I don’t think that’s the case at all. I have a bad feeling about this.
Shit. Poor Riley.
Camden pulls up to the restaurant and I trudge inside. I didn’t put on any makeup this morning. By the time Trevor called and said he needed to see us ASAP, there just wasn’t time.
I also haven’t had a whole cup of coffee yet, and that is never okay.
The others are already sitting in the dining room, at two round tables that have been pushed together.
“Who brought muffins?” I ask as I snatch one and take a seat. “We haven’t had breakfast yet.”
“Or coffee, from the looks of it,” Cami says with a sweet smile. I narrow my eyes on her as I take a bite of my muffin.
“This is store bought,” I say. “But it’s not too bad.”
“Of course it’s store bought,” Addie says. “Unless you make them from scratch, this is what we get.”
“At least I know I serve a purpose.”
The others smirk as Trevor stands, holding an iPad. “Thanks for coming everyone. I know it’s unusual to meet about business matters on a Saturday, but I wanted to bring this to your attention right away.”
My eyes are pinned to Riley. Does she already know?
“A few days ago, I submitted the film that we had already shot to my boss. I wouldn’t usually do that, but I saw something there that I wanted him to see. And he agrees with me. We’ve decided to switch things up.”
“I’m so sorry,” I whisper and cover my face with my hands.
“Why are you sorry?” Addie asks from across the table.
“Obviously he’s about to tell us that the show has been cancelled already.”
“Oh please,” Cami says, rolling her eyes.
“Well, she’s not entirely wrong,” Trevor says. I cover my face again and shake my head. I’ve screwed this up for them. “But she’s not right either. Camden and Mia, you two work exceptionally well in front of the camera. You’re fun to watch. The flirting is natural, and both of you are attractive people.
“The more I watched, the more obvious it became to me that you shouldn’t be working against each other, you should be a team. My boss just called me about an hour ago, and gave me the thumbs-up on this. Unfortunately, that means that we’ll have to reshoot what we’ve done so you’re not in competition with each other, but rather working together.”
“But, Camden has a job,” I say, confused.
“Actually,” Trevor says, “Best Bites TV has decided not to shoot any more seasons of his current show.”
“What?” I turn to Camden and can see that he’s already aware of this. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I just found out about it yesterday,” he replies, staring at Trevor. “How did you know?”
“You’re on my show, Camden. Of course I know. This is one of the reasons that your show wasn’t picked up again.”
“Oh God.” I sigh and look at Camden apologetically. “I’m so sorry.”
He just shakes his head. I can tell that he’s agitated. I could see it on him last night when he arrived at my house. This must be what was bothering him.
“I think this show is going to be amazing,” Riley says with a smile. “Trevor ran it by me last night before he’d heard back, and I agree that viewers are going to love you guys.”
“You didn’t tell me?” I ask.
“Mia, I couldn’t say anything until Trevor had the green light. If they didn’t go for it, there was no need to mention it.”
“So what do you think?” Trevor asks, looking at all of us. Kat, Cami, and Addie all nod.
“It’s really up to Mia and Camden,” Kat says. “They’re the ones who will be working together. The show benefits the restaurant, there’s no denying that, but the specifics are up to you guys.”
“Agreed,” Addie says.
Trevor looks at Camden and me. “What do you two think?”
“I need some time with Mia,” Camden says before I can respond.
“Of course,” Riley says, standing. The others follow suit and they all wander into the bar.
“What do you think?” he asks me after they’re out of the room.
“I think I’m surprised,” I reply truthfully. “And I’m disappointed that you didn’t mention the change with your show last night.”
“I had better things to do,” he says with a smile.
“Really, you’re the one that has to decide if you want to do this,” I say. “You’re the one who will have to spend a chunk of time in Portland. My life really isn’t disrupted either way.”
“Okay, let me ask you this way. Do you want to work with me on a full-time basis?”
I frown and consider how much to say. Of course I want him here full time. The thought of him leaving makes me break out in hives.
But I don’t know if we’re ready for that kind of truth yet.
“Mia, you have to talk to me here.”
“I would be fine with it,” I reply. “Shooting the show with you last week was fun. I can see why Trevor wants to change things up this way. I just want to know how you feel.”
“Honestly, we would have had this conversation soon anyway, Trevor just beat me to the punch. I’d like to make Portland my home base for a while. I just got you back in my life, and I’m not ready to lose you again this soon. This show would be the perfect way for me to stay here.”
I smile, hope blooming in my chest. “You’d already thought about this?”
“I had. We would have had this exact talk within the next forty-eight hours, I promise you.”
“I’m definitely not ready to say good-bye to you.” I brush a strand of hair from my cheek. “I think this show would be fun. I’m in if you’re in.”
“Let’s call Trevor back and tell him it’s a go.” He smiles and kisses my cheek. “Thank you.”
“Were you surprised during the meeting yesterday?” Addie asks me the following afternoon. We’re in downtown Portland shopping—at my request.
I don’t know what’s gotten into me.
“I was worried that we’d been cancelled,” I reply and check out a black top. “But not being cancelled was a nice surprise.”
“Of course you’re not cancelled. You’re too good in front of the camera.”
I roll my eyes, but Addie keeps talking.
“I’m serious. I’ve been in front of the camera most of my life, and I know when someone has it. And you have it, my friend.”
“Well, thanks. And thanks for coming with me today. I usually hate to shop.”
“I know. Are you sick?”
“No.” I laugh and hold up a bright pink pair of pants. “I need help from the fashionista.”
“I’m your girl,” she says, and shakes her head no at the pink pants. “Put those down right now. Don’t even look at them again.”
“Yes ma’am.” I hold my arms out at my sides and look around. “I don’t know where to start. I usually just buy stuff that isn’t tight and is easy to wash.”
“This is painful,” she says, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Okay, today is going to be a lesson in fashion. Now that you’ll be on TV full time, we need to revamp your wardrobe. Are you going to have someone do your wardrobe for the show?”
“I don’t think so,” I reply.
“Okay great. You can write most of this off on your taxes, since you’ll be wearing it on air. We’re going to start with pants, then tops and dresses. We’ll end our day with shoes and bags because that’s my favorite part, so we’ll consider it dessert.”
“Is this going to take a long time?”
“Do you have something else to do?” She raises a brow.
“I have a date with Camden at seven.”
“We’ll be done by then, and you’ll have a sexy new outfit to rock on that date. Trust me.”
“I do.” She leads me into the plus-sized section of Nordstrom and starts looking through racks and racks of jeans. She pulls out four pairs of jeans, two pairs of cropped pants, and moves on to tops.
By the time she’s done, the dressing room is filled with every fabric and color there is. Addie takes a seat on the bench outside the dressing room and points at me. “Go try them on.”
“All of them?”
“All of them.”
I roll my eyes and shut the door, looking around me. She’s organized them by outfit, thank God. Otherwise, I never would be able to pair them up.
I try on several outfits that she likes, but she doesn’t love.
“Try the black-and-white striped cold shoulder top next.”
“Why do I want my shoulders to be cold?”
She laughs and shrugs. “Because it’s cute.”
I try on the one she wants and walk out to look in the mirror. “Oh, I like this. I have a waist.”
“Exactly,” she says with a nod, standing next to me. “See, it’s not a sack. We don’t lose you in there. It hugs you where you want to show off, and it camouflages the spots we don’t want to draw attention to.
“Now, we’ll add a pair of ripped cropped pants, and this look is so cute.”
I add the pants and can’t help but agree with her. The outfit is flattering and fun.
“These jeans are one hundred dollars,” I say, blinking quickly.
“Yep, and you’re buying them.”
I scowl and return to the dressing room. When I come out in another outfit, I shake my head no. “I don’t like it.”
“Why? It’s adorable on you. And the white looks fantastic with your dark hair.”
“It’s too tight on me.”
“It doesn’t look too tight. Remember, the baggy clothes aren’t flattering, Mia. If you don’t want to accentuate your weight, you can’t wear clothes that make you look bigger.”
“Says the fashion model.”
“Hey, I’m not a tiny girl either. Look at this.” She pulls her shirt up under her boobs. “I have a fat roll, and stretch marks from Ella. My hips are ridiculous. But I know how to dress so those aren’t the things you see. Trust me when I say, I don’t see the weight when you wear this. I see a beautiful, confident woman.”
“I guess I’m just used to always wearing baggy things.”
“I know, and it’ll take some getting used to. But you really do look amazing. I wouldn’t let you walk out of here in anything less.”
We choose about ten outfits and three dresses. My credit card is weeping as we move on to shoes and bags.
“Addie, I’m not paying this much for a handbag.”
She rolls her eyes again. “Mia, you’ve carried the same handbag since college. It’s not cute. It’s not even sort of cute. You carry a handbag every day. I’m not even asking you to buy a Chanel bag. Let’s start with Coach or Michael Kors. Kate Spade is adorable. They’re affordable too.”
She’s right. They are cute, and spending a couple hundred dollars on one is much better than spending the several thousand dollars that I know she and Cami spend on bags.
“You know, I was going to buy knives. I need knives. Instead I’ve bought more clothes than I’ve ever had in my whole life combined.”
“You don’t need more knives. You have a million of them. Stop pouting.”
“I like knives.”
“And you’ll love these shoes.” She hands me several pairs to try on. “How are things with Camden?”
“Really good.” I bite my lip as I slide my feet into the cutest black shoes I’ve ever seen. “I can’t wear these at work.”
“No, those are for dates with Camden,” she says with a wink. “Men like a girl in sexy shoes. And they don’t always have to be heels to be sexy.”
“Thank God because I’d fall and kill myself.”
“No you wouldn’t. But I know you like the flats. Tell me more about Camden.”
“He’s a nice guy. I don’t know if there’s more to say that you don’t already know. But it’s going well, and he makes me happy.”
“Good. That’s all any of us want for you, sweetie.” She smiles and piles up the boxes that we’ll be taking with us. “We did well today.”
“Shopping with you is expensive.”
“Well”—she smiles shyly—“thank you for the compliment.”
I snort and follow her to the check out. “Good-bye, knives.”
“I know how much money you make. You can still buy the knives.”
Chapter Twelve
~Camden~
I’ve never seen her like this. I’ve seen her laugh before, but not like this.
We’re at a comedy show in Portland that’s been sold out for weeks, but I pulled some strings and here we are. Third table back from the stage, we’re enjoying dinner and a drink while some comedian named Iliza talks about how women love fall, and all things pumpkin, and pinning nonsense on Pinterest.
Mia is laughing her ass off. Nodding. I take a photo of her just as she wipes a tear from the corner of her eye.
The show is just over an hour, and by the time it’s finished, Mia looks all worn out.
“She’s funny,” I say and enjoy my after-dinner drink.
“Oh my God, so funny,” she replies and sips her water. “I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time.”
“You’re gorgeous when you laugh,” I inform her casually. Her eyes widen slightly and then she shrugs one shoulder, almost letting the compliment roll off her. “And your outfit is sexy as fuck. Did you go shopping?”
She nods happily. “Addie and I went this afternoon. S
he destroyed my bank account, but I figured that it was time for a wardrobe rehab. Especially since I’ll be on television more, and Addie is the best person to take shopping. She knows what she’s doing.”
“I have to agree. You look beautiful.” I lean in and kiss her bare shoulder. “Why is there a hole in the shirt where your shoulders go?”
“Because it’s the style,” she says with a laugh. “I think it’s supposed to be mysterious and alluring. Like, I’m going to be demure, but just in case you forgot, I have skin too. Here, I’ll show you just a little of it. On my shoulder.”
I’m laughing now and can’t resist leaning back in to kiss the shoulder in question. “It’s working. I definitely have a desire to see the rest of the skin that the shirt is hiding.”
“Awesome, my plan is working.” She wiggles her eyebrows and finishes her water. “What should we do next?”
“Well, I was thinking about walking across the street to go dancing.” Her eyes light up like it’s Christmas morning. “I know you like to dance in the kitchen. Do you like to dance out of the kitchen?”
“Hell yes,” she says, nodding enthusiastically. She reaches for her purse. “Let’s go.”
The club across the street is busy, but given that it’s a Sunday evening, it’s not crammed. The music is thumping, much too loud to have a conversation, which is just fine with me. I don’t plan to do much talking. The moment we walk through the door, Mia’s body is moving with the beat of the music. Her handbag is small, and slips over her head to hang across her body, resting on her hip. With her hands free, she grins and leads me out onto the dance floor.
She has great rhythm, and when her hips begin to move, I’m transfixed. This could have been a very bad idea. I could conceivably embarrass myself.
I’m that turned on.
I begin to move with the music too, and Mia smiles widely.
“You can dance!” she exclaims. I just nod and take her hand, spin her away from me, then pull her close and enjoy the fuck out of her.
It’s vertical sex. We’re lost in a sea of bodies, moving together, letting the pounding music pulse around us and through us. She has no inhibitions at all. No insecurities.