Page 64 of Hiding Hollywood

No. He wasn’t sure he wanted to take her back to his parents’ house. Taking her anywhere else, including his house, wouldn’t result in the distance his job required.

She huffed and turned, walking off the dance floor ahead of him.

He hated exactly two people at that moment. The first was himself, for not being able to shake his strict, by-the-book attitude with the same easy disregard as Addie seemed to do.

The second was whoever invented blue jeans. The vision of Addie’s butt walking away from him would only grind salt in his open wound as he tried to go to bed tonight. Alone.

19

Propped up against the side of the truck bed, Addie crossed her arms against the cold night air and waited for Cameron. She thought the phrase, “slow as molasses in January,” fit his pace. Slow, steady steps that frustrated her more and more each second that passed by. A sloth looked like a rabbit compared to Cameron at the moment.

She hadn’t had any real intentions of inviting herself to stay with him tonight. Although, the thought of staying with him all night appealed to her. She dreamed to wake up next to the one person in the world who knew her. Knew all about her.

After an eternity, he reached her side and opened her door.

“Cameron,” she whispered as she grabbed his shoulders. Her lips pressed against his.

She wanted to prove that he wanted her as much as she wanted him and tip his decision in her favor.

It worked.

For a moment.

He tilted his head sharply, breaking the kiss. Pinching the bridge of his nose, his voice sounded as frustrated as she felt. “Let me take you home.”

“Is that what you really want?” Her hands slid down his biceps and back to his shoulders. God, she loved his shoulders.

Pain and longing registered in his expression before he cupped the back of her neck and gave her a long, deep kiss. The kind meant for goodbyes. That wasn’t happening yet.

Maybe in a few days.

But not tonight.

As he lifted his head, Addie realized a few of the last patrons leaving Rhonda’s slowed down to watch the exhibition. Making a scene, and making a fool of herself, for the right reasons was worth it. Giving everyone in this too small of a town something to gossip about forced her to climb into the truck and let him drive her away.

Cameron had another thing coming if he thought she’d roll over and play the good girl and do what she was told. She already warned him she would fight dirty to get what she wanted. The dirtier the better when it came to Cameron.

The silence in the truck strained between them as he drove down the dark, two-lane country highway. He glanced at her every couple of minutes.

“Other than this part, I had a nice night.”

“Me, too,” she mumbled. Addie crossed her arms and looked out the window. The smell from the bar lingered on her clothes and in her hair. At this point, two things were clear. It really was dark out in the woods in the country without streetlights, and Cameron needed a strong push to make him get past his rules and procedures. A shove that sent him beyond his boundaries. Something he couldn’t walk away from.

He pulled in front of his parents’ house. All the lights were off. The Sheriff worked the night shift, but his mom’s car wasn’t parked in its usual spot.

Cameron put the truck in park. “I don’t know where Mom could be.”

“Do you want me to call her?” Addie pulled out her cell phone. “I have a missed text. She said to tell you that she had to go to Ms. Iris’s, but that you should have keys to the house.” She failed to mention the winking smiley face and thumbs up she’d added to the end of the text. Mrs. Dempsey understood.

“I’ll have to drive down to my house to get them.” He pulled away from the house she would not be staying in tonight. She’d made that decision, and Cameron would have to get used to it.

But that left her getting past Cameron’s defenses. She’d never cared much for arbitrary rules. Order and pattern, she enjoyed. Programming strings made sense to her. But Cameron’s logic about her being in custody was irrational to her. They both knew that after the court date that she’d be released. Pushing her away because a piece of paper says she was under the Sheriff's Office’s custody this week and next week she’ll be free…that didn’t make any sense.

His strict, tight control might be a necessity at work, but in their relationship, she didn’t have any plans on accepting it. After being so stifled by Brian and not even realizing it, she refused to be polite about what she wanted in life any longer. Right now, she wanted Cameron to let go.

He pulled into his driveway a few minutes later, putting the truck into park and opening his door.

She climbed out after him.

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