Page 47 of Hiding Hollywood

“Fine. But I want you out of my condo by this weekend, Addie.”

“She won’t be released for another week,” Cameron said.

“I don’t care. If her stuff isn’t gone by Saturday, I’m tossing it in the garbage.”

Addie wanted him out of her life anyway. “Fine. Plan on Trevor coming by. He’ll get everything.”

“Good. I have a few words to say to him.”

“Oh, and plan on Grayson being there, too.” She crossed her arms, enjoying Brian’s stunned look. Playing the “Grayson card” was like playing an Ace in poker. A-Class celebrity who recently finished filming his latest assassin movie. He’d help Trevor if she asked him.

Brian stalked the rest of the way to the car and climbed in. He revved the engine, again and again, like a teenager at a drag race. It was a dumb exhibition of maleness.

Cameron snatched her tight to his chest, blocking her, when Brian whipped his car around, flinging gravel in all directions. Rocks pelted around her, pinging off the Sheriff’s car and the front porch and hitting her in the ankle and legs.

Sheriff Dempsey spoke into his radio in a calm, steady voice. “Dewey.”

It crackled in return. “Yes.”

“Black Mercedes. Headed west out of town. Check his speed.” His eyes caught Addie’s. “Do it the second those front tires cross into the construction zone.”

“Why, Sheriff, it’s not like you to have a mean streak,” Dewey replied, ending it with a laugh.

Cameron eased up from around her. “You okay?” He brushed his thumb down her cheek.

“You lied.” She wrapped her arms around his neck. “For me. You lied.”

He held her tight, lowering his voice. “I’ve never had a reason to lie before.”

Sheriff Dempsey paused next to them. “Addie, you do know you are free to stay somewhere else? What Cameron said is not in the release papers. We trust that you won’t leave.”

“I know. I read the papers. I love staying with you and your wife.”

He smiled in a way so like Cameron’s that it caught her off guard for a moment. “We enjoy having you.” He disappeared inside the house in a couple of long steps.

She looked back at Cameron. He skimmed a hand down her back. “You know we shouldn’t be doing this.”

“Too bad.” She rose on her toes and pressed her lips to Cameron’s for a quick kiss. “Because I plan on staying right here and doing this a lot for the next week.”

15

Fifteen minutes before anyone would miss her.

At a quarter till seven, the sun had begun to set, but Addie hoped Cameron wouldn’t head to his parents’ house yet. Mrs. Dempsey had readily agreed to let her drive her car into town without any real explanation of why she needed it. Even after Addie fessed up about the suspended driver’s license situation, she’d only laughed.

How such a laidback woman could have produced Cameron was one of those mysteries of the universe. Sheriff Dempsey even seemed less rigid than Cameron did most of the time. The job was serious. Addie would never doubt that, but Cameron didn’t have to act uptight all the time.

Except when he kissed her. That serious focus made her toes curl.

Addie received the message that he didn’t want to push this thing between them loud and clear last night when he’d stepped away from her when she tried for an extra-long goodnight kiss. After the run-in with Brian, her blood hummed for a good, old-fashioned teenage make-out session to take her mind off of it.

For a man to want her, computer-geek Addie, for the first time.

Instead, Cameron had kissed her like any respectable first date and said goodnight. That left her with a computer she couldn’t use forWhite Rabbitand a lot of pent up energy. Describing the feeling a frustrating didn’t even scratch the surface.

She turned onto Jefferson Street, the main road through town, and passed by the Sheriff’s office. She only had a handful of days left in town. At Cameron’s pace, she might get to second base. She wanted the freaking home run. No regrets.

She needed that perfect situation, alone, where no chance existed that anyone would find out. Their relationship needed to stay low key. Out of the spotlight of the town’s gossip. Otherwise, he might pull away completely.

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