Finding Love's Wings (36 page)

My jaw drops as he closes the door.
 

I turn to Tristan. "Are we really that bad?" We both start to laugh.
 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Come 'ere, Sweets," I say, extending my hand.
 

I escort her onto the patio, where, sitting on the table, two domed place settings holding our lunch await.
 

"I thought you could use something to eat.” She sits as I pull back the domes. Underneath there are pancakes, sausage, bacon, and eggs.
 

"Mmm, that smells wonderful." She takes a drink of orange juice as I sit down.
 

She cuts into her sausage then spears it with her fork. An invisible shudder runs through my body as I watch her bite down.

I can’t think about that now. I need to convey something to her. “Thank you, Cami."

"For what, Tristan?" She looks at me, puzzled.
 

"Well, mainly because for a long time I've felt like nothing has been in my control. The fallout with Layla and the story, but also..." I sigh. "Doing what I do requires me to relinquish control to those involved, mainly my agent, my PR rep, and of course the production and promotion teams for whatever movie I'm filming or promoting. Having you here to help handle Trinity, Vinnie, the police, the press conference, all of it, means a lot to me and I realize that I haven't properly thanked you for all of it. I'm finally starting to feel like I have some control back in my life. So thank you."

Cami doesn't respond and I look at her, perplexed. "What is it?"

I watch as she blinks rapidly, wide-eyed, looking as though she is fighting back tears. "I just feel a little overwhelmed."

I set my fork next to my plate and bring my fist up to rest my chin on it. Looking into her eyes I say, "Explain, please?"

"Well, I came here to get away from Reed, and to just escape life. And my escape has led me straight to you. I'm afraid that I'm becoming emotionally overwhelmed, but in a very good way." Pregnant pause. "I—I'm worried about where we will go from here."

"We, as in you and I?" She just nods. "Well, I will tell you where I see us going from here." I pause and take a sip of my juice. "When I picture New York next week, I see you by my side. When I picture the following press tour for
Conjure
, I see you on the red carpet with me. And most of all, when I picture the worldwide press tour for
Love is Burning
, I see you touring Europe with me." I pause. This is it. This will either be the nail in my coffin or an open door. "In other words, Cami, I see you, everywhere I go, alongside everything I do."

The tears she was fighting now slide silently down her cheeks. I don’t say anything, just let her absorb my words.

Finally she speaks. "What are you saying, Tristan?"

Can I honestly, after only five days, tell her that I'm on the verge of falling in love with her? Can I be completely honest with myself and fully embrace the fact that it's true? But what if she's not in love with me?
 

As the silence stretches out, the hope in her eyes turns to worry. Jesus, she is falling in love with me.
 

Watching the raw emotion on her face, I know without a doubt that I will protect and cherish this smart, beautiful, sexy goddess that sits before me. She is everything I ever wanted in a woman.

"Please, Tristan, just say whatever it is you're thinking." Her eyes plead for a response.
 

"Cami," I breathe. "I can't imagine leaving here without you or going about my life without you. It has taken me twenty-eight years to find you. I'm not about to let you go."
 

I stare at her, trying hard to show her with my eyes what I'm not yet ready to say aloud. We need time to grow. To learn one another.

I lean across the table to kiss her, slowly, passionately. Unhurried. When I pull away I say, "You're beautiful, Cami. Never forget that."
 

Reaching up, she caresses my cheek. Leaning into her touch I realize I barely know her, but I will spend every day for the rest of my life getting to know her.
 

After our very late lunch Cami took care of some
Bold
business. Answering emails and such. Despite what she thinks, I think she’s ready to take over her father’s company. If she thinks for one minute that Trinity, Vincent or I will let her fail, she has another thing coming. I will not, after these last few days see her give up on something she is so natural at.

Whatching her work has me in awe. Her level of concentration is amazing, and she looks so damn sexy in her reading glasses that I hadn’t seen until now.

When she’s done she goes into the bedroom get ready for our friends' arrival. She's been in there quite a while, and I'm starting to worry. After everything that's happened today, I'm afraid she may be rethinking getting involved with me. She may have been willing to put up with the fans and paparazzi, but I don't think she expected my being so protective of her.
 

My thoughts are interrupted by Tyson striding quickly into the room with a look of sheer horror on his face.
 

"What's eating you?" I ask.
 

He just stares at me, lost in thought, like he's unsure how to say what he needs to say.
 

"Spill it, maestro."
 

"We have a pretty big problem," he says.
 

"Whatever it is, we can handle it."

"Right. Well, yeah, I suppose we can, though you might want to get Cami in here first."
 

My brow creases. "Why?"

"It involves her, too."

"What involves me?" Cami's voice is clear and coming from behind me.
 

I turn to look at her and she looks utterly amazing. Her hair is up, curly and swept to the side. Highlighting the blue streaks across the top. Over her left ear is a purple flower. Her makeup is subtle but beautiful, and her skin reflects the glow of the sunset outside. She's wearing a purple halter top that matches her purple pumps perfectly. Her legs are clad in white skinny jeans that accent the curve of her hips. My mouth falls open like a drooling fool and she stares back at me.
 

"You like?" She smiles a seductive, secret smile and turns around.
 

I hear my sharp intake of breath. The back is open except for a silver chain keeping the two halves together, and it's immediately evident that she's not wearing a bra. Her corset is strung with white and purple ribbons. It's impossibly hard to pull my eyes away from her sexy, nicely rounded derriere that my hands twitch to caress. The twitch in my pants is all the proof I need that I'll never get enough of this beautiful woman.

"I..." I stutter through my response. "I—I think you look amazing," I finally manage to sputter.
 

Her smile is warm and genuine.

She finally looks away from me and toward Tyson. "What's going on, Ty?" she asks, real concern coloring her tone. I turn to face Tyson expectantly.
 

"We had a large group of about eight women check into the hotel about an hour ago. They were asking for the penthouse suite, and one of the women threw a ginormous fit when the concierge told her it was currently occupied."

I interrupt him. "What exactly does that have to do with us?"

"Mike was in the lobby when all of this was going on. He was unable to see who was causing the altercation; however, it was not the woman arguing that caught his attention. Two of the women appeared to be bodyguards, dressed in black, standing back in a semi-protective stance from the woman throwing the tantrum."

"Okay," Cami interrupts this time. "So it's someone famous. Or at least someone that feels the need to be protected. What exactly does that have to do with Tristan, or myself for that matter?"

Tyson takes a deep breath, "I'm getting there." He shudders. "Mike sent a cell phone picture to Sasha, wanting to know if she could identify either of the bodyguards." Tyson has turned back into Mr. Professional.
 

"And? Did she?" Cami asks Tyson.
 

I'm pretty sure I already know the answer.
 

"Yeah, Sasha knows one of them. They used to work together."

"Well?" Cami barks.
 

I find my voice. "It's Chanty, isn't it."

I feel Cami stiffen immediately. When her voice comes, it's lower than a whisper. "Layla."

For fuck's sake, how in the hell does this happen? First, the main reason for fleeing to Tarah shows up in the form of Cami, and now the real reason I ran shows up in living color.
 

Dammit all to hell. Cami is not going to put up with this insanity, I know it. Why should she?
 

Cami manages to pull herself together far faster than I can even begin to comprehend. "What impact is this going to have on us? Our guests arriving? Travis?"
 

Jesus, she's not running?
 

"None, if I can help it. We can maintain radio silence from within the hotel. Though I suggest making contact with Trinity. Fill her in."
 

My head snaps up. "We will do no such thing. I can handle this, and if I can't, then I have complete faith in Cami's ability to handle this."

"Uh..." she stutters. "Tristan, I..."
 

She has so much self-doubt about her abilities. I need to find a way, some way, to help her see that she can handle this if the need arises.

"Cami, if it comes to it and we need to call Trinity, we will. But right now, Layla blowing my location blows her own. No doubt she's here for similar reasons as both of us. She's not going to go running to the press."
 

I turn to embrace Cami and she has a very leery look in her eyes. Looking down at her I say, "You asked me today to trust you, said that you’ve never given me a reason not to. So I'm trusting you, and trusting your ability to handle this if the need arises."
 

She smiles slightly and nods. "All right, Tristan, I will do what I can, if it becomes necessary."

"That's my baby-girl," I say, caressing her back.

"What does this mean for me?" she asks Tyson, pulling back from me but not letting go of my waist. I wrap my arm around her shoulder, holding her close.

"It only means anything if she knows who you are. The likelihood of that is relatively slim." Tyson is cool and professional.
 

Cami nods and moves to sit down on the couch.

I'm anything but cool, calm, and collected. What kills me the most is that I'm trapped within these four walls when right now I want nothing but to flee the room. I feel so lost. Cami and I have come so far, only to have Layla come between us after all.
 

I've started pacing the room without fully realizing that I'm doing so. Cami sits silently on the couch, staring down at her hands, lost in her own thoughts. I have to find out what's in her head.
 

I cross the room and kneel down at her feet. She doesn't move to look at me, but she also doesn't move away. I turn to Tyson and nod toward the door. He nods back at me and leaves the room.
 

"I want to touch you, to hold you, but I'm afraid you're going to reject me," I whisper.
 

I look up to look into her eyes and I see tears forming in the corners. Not spilling over just yet, but I know they're close. I reach out tentatively toward her to cup her face. When my fingers reached her cheek she leans into my gesture. My heart soars. I use my thumb to stroke away her tears.
 

She looks up then, staring at me. "You're not going to get rid of me that easily."
 

I gasp. She brings her hand up to mine against her cheek, pressing to hold me there.
 

One sentence is all it has taken for me to want to admit that I love her. I love this woman. I have fallen in love with Cami.
 

I open my mouth to tell her, but before I can speak her eyes grow wide, and in a very small voice, almost like I'm not meant to hear, she says, "I was scared that I was the only one."

I cup her face in both my hands. When our lips meet, I'm lost to sensation, to the warmth in my heart spreading throughout my body. My love for Cami bringing me back to life. I know in this moment that I will die without her. I need her like I need air to breathe, water to drink, and food to eat. I know I will do anything for her, including forego my career in favor of our love and our relationship.
 

My kiss becomes more demanding, but just as sweet and sensual. I put into it every ounce of the love I feel for her. Cami is my angel. She is my saving grace and my guiding light.

PART THIRTY-FOUR

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Tristan, Mike, and Tyson are all waiting patiently in the sitting room for everyone to arrive, but I can't sit still anymore.
 

Layla is somewhere downstairs, hanging out with her girlfriends, doing God knows what, and I have this awful feeling that this is not going to end well. Having all of this coming down around me is something I know that I need to get used to. It's a part of who he is. I try hard to tell myself this.
 

I've wandered out onto the deck near the pool, overlooking the beach below. The sun is well below the horizon, but there is still a faint blue glow in the distance. It’s something I've noticed the last couple of nights on the beach.
 

Despite the darkness, I can still see a few people milling about on the beach in the light of the moon and the hotel. There is a group of women about twenty to twenty-five yards from Blu's deck. From this distance, it's impossible to tell who's down there. It could be Layla and her group, or someone else entirely.
 

Off in the distance, I hear the whooshing of helicopter blades. Looking in the direction of the sound, I see two red lights and one white search light heading right toward me.

"They're here," Tristan says from behind me. I look over my shoulder to see him walking in my direction.