Page 63 of Hiding Hollywood

“Yeah? Well, I asked her, and she said yes. I guess that makes her my date now.” He dropped a large arm around Addie’s shoulders. “Ain’t that right, sugar?”

Using two fingers, she picked the guy’s tree-trunk of an arm up by the cuff of his shirt and let it drop as she moved away. “No, Rusty. I enjoyed the dance, but I’m here with Cameron.”

“Not sure why you’d waste your time with a scrawny, small-town hick like him.”

Cameron shifted, barely a step but enough that it put Addie a little behind him. His muscles tightened.

Rhonda, the owner, appeared at his side. “Howdy, Chief Deputy. I see you met Rusty. He’s my nephew. Came in from Texas today.” She smacked her gum, looking between the two men, and talking fast as usual. “I don’t want my two favorite fellas gettin’ in trouble now. I could see all that testosterone shimmering between the two of you from the other side of the room. I still haven’t replaced the mirror in the men’s bathroom from your last fight.” She popped Cameron on the shoulder. He hoped he didn’t flinch from the harder-than-necessary jab. A warning. “Besides, if you get in a fight, who would we call?” She cackled at her joke.

“A cop?” Rusty spit out. “Figures.” He leaned to the side, tipping his hat to Addie. “Rhonda’s got my number. Call me if you’re ever in Texas, beautiful.”

“Thanks again for the dance.”

As Rusty walked away, Rhonda eyed Cameron a moment.

“Thought I’d traveled back in time with the way you looked at little Rusty. I needed to come to save him.” She shifted her gaze to Addie. “Ain’t never seen Rusty in a fight, but I’d still put my money on this one.” She hitched her thumb in Cameron’s direction. “Called his daddy on him plenty of times back in the day. Fastest fists I’ve ever seen. Laid men out before they knew what’d happened.”

Addie threaded her fingers with his. “I remember him and my brother talking about the fights at football camp. You always said you won.”

“Never saw him lose.”

Addie leaned closer to Rhonda. “Tell me what happened to the bathroom mirror.”

Cameron grimaced. “Let’s not drag all my bad decisions into the light of day, please.” He made sure people obeyed the law. No one respected a law enforcement officer that had won a few barroom brawls.

Rhonda, leather pants, purple sparkly top, and hair teased higher than gravity allowed, gave him a solid shove. “Get your girl out there on my dance floor. Hold on tight. I saw Cummings over there looking her way several times. He wouldn’t return her in the same condition he left with her in. Need steel-toed boots to dance with that old coot.”

The music changed again, even slower. Cameron slid his arm around Addie’s waist, torturing them both as he slowly pulled her to him. The way she looked at him felt like it meant more than a simple dance.

She ran her hands up his arms, over his shoulders, and linked them behind his neck.

Only one beer but it seemed more like twenty the way she threw him off kilter. Made him think things, hope for things, that didn’t make sense. Things that could never happen between them with the distance that would be there in a matter of days.

Her head dropped on his shoulder, her breath brushing across his neck. Her sweet scent, light and fresh, clung to her hair.

He’d lose Addie soon. She’d have the charges cleared and leave Statem. It was too small a town for her.

Just like last time. But, with Jennifer, he’d felt duped. He’d planned his life around one idea that shifted, changed on him without warning. Now, with Addie, he knew up front that she would leave. This wasn’t her life. A small shred of panic began to form in the back of his mind. If he got any closer to her, let her in any further, he’d never want her to leave. Or else he’d have to go with her.

“You’re a good dancer, Cameron.” Her soft words vibrated against his skin. The atmosphere had mellowed out as one song melted into another one. The party people, the ones who like to whoop and holler, had left, leaving two dozen or so couples clinging to each other, swaying on the dance floor.

Rhonda moved through the bar, saying goodbye to the other guests, clearing empty bottles.

Addie nestled her head against his shoulder. Twirling a strand of her hair through his fingers, he watched the golden hues change colors as the Christmas lights undulated above them.

The night was almost done. His one date with Addie finished. He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, gathering every ounce of restraint he could muster to pull away.

“It’s time to go.”

Her body pressed a little closer against his. “Okay. But I’m not ready to say goodnight, though.”

He sure as hell didn’t want to say goodnight either, but they didn’t have another choice. He was responsible for her. It went against every code of conduct book ever written to take her back to his place. No matter how much he wanted it.

“I’ll try to see you tomorrow.” The offer resulted in silence on her end. He held up his hand in a goodbye wave to Rhonda. “Let’s go. I’ll drive you back to my parents’ house.”

She cupped his face in her hands, her face void of anything other than open honesty. “Are you sure you want to take me back to your parents’ house?”

God, the matter-of-fact way she asked him punched him harder in the gut than any of her sexy routines he’d seen before.

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