Part 3 (1/2)
Fifteen minutes later, we exited the bar and were greeted by the frigid February air. My teeth were chattering as we walked to the next bar on Brittany's list. Cameron's friends had ordered pitchers of beer at the last bar and declined to join us. I was relieved; the last thing I wanted was to have Taylor clawing my eyes out for flirting with Cameron.
Cameron must have noticed my s.h.i.+vering because he quickly pulled me to his side. His body heat warmed me, and I grinned at him gratefully. I wasn't sure if it was Cameron's presence or the alcohol, but I'd become someone I didn't recognize. For the past couple of hours, my weight and what I was going to eat hadn't crossed my mind once. I missed the simplicity of not being obsessed with my appearance.
Cameron insisted on paying my cover charge when we arrived at the next bar. The pub was overcrowded, and we could only find a spot for our group in the back recesses of the bar. After Brittany forced us all to do the obligatory shot of Southern Comfort, she dragged Kurt into a corner to make out. Dan was holding Jessica up, and I doubted she would be able to stay much longer. Todd and Danielle had gone in search of the bathroom, and I guessed they'd be a while, based on the number of people in the bar. I was grateful for the chance to continue talking to Cameron alone.
”Are you enjoying your birthday?” Cameron asked in my ear.
”I am now.”
Gently, he twirled me around to face him. Taking my drink out of my hands, he set it on the high-top table next to us. His left arm encircled my waist and he slipped his right hand behind my neck. I closed my eyes in antic.i.p.ation.
His lips covered mine and our mouths moved in a gentle rhythm. His embrace tightened and I was crushed against the firm planes of his chiseled chest. I could feel every inch of hardened muscle, and it incited my desire. I gripped the back of his head and dragged my fingers through his hair. s.h.i.+vers ran up and down my back as his hands caressed me in time with our kiss. I parted my lips and allowed his tongue to slip inside my mouth. Our tongues caressed, and he deepened the kiss.
His kiss floored me. It surpa.s.sed my expectations in every way and kept me wanting more of him. I felt swept away and I wanted to cry out when he pulled away. It wasn't until I regained my senses I realized I had been close to devouring him in the midst of a crowded bar.
”Wow,” I muttered, surprised I was able to form a coherent sentence. ”You must really want me to sign up for a credit card.”
Chuckling, Cameron twirled me around to face the rest of the bar. ”I think your friend has been trying to get your attention.”
Danielle was calling out my name and waving her hands frantically. Jessica was slumped against the wall, without any shoes on and sandwiched between Todd and Dan. Groaning, I pushed my way toward the group. Danielle's expression was apologetic at my approach.
”I'm sorry to cut out early, but I have to get my sister back home before she pa.s.ses out in a pile of her own puke in the middle of the bar.”
”Will she be okay? Maybe we should all head out.” I grimaced when I saw Jessica smile drunkenly at Dan and attempt to kiss him. I was poised to intervene, but I saw him holding her gently away from his lips. The effects of the alcohol were beginning to hit me hard, too, and I wanted to avoid making a fool out of myself in front of Cameron.
”I'll take care of Jess, she needs to rehydrate and sleep it off. But you absolutely can't leave early. It's your birthday.” Danielle was insistent. Motioning to Brittany, who was dirty dancing with Kurt in the corner of the bar, she added, ”Also, Brittany will kill me if you go home with us.”
”Okay,” I said reluctantly. I was the good girl who took care of everyone. It was strange to hang up my duties for the night.
”Besides, you'd be out of your mind to leave that delicious man,” she chided. Cameron was standing where I'd left him and had his hands shoved into his jeans pockets. He grinned when he saw me watching him and lifted an eyebrow in my direction. My lips were swollen, and I could still taste his kiss. Danielle was right: I'd be crazy to leave him so soon.
Danielle was giggling when I faced her again. ”Just keep in mind that my room is next to yours and the walls are very thin.”
I playfully shoved her shoulder. ”Call my cell if Jessica needs anything. Do you have cash for a cab?”
”Yes, and stop worrying. You only turn twenty-one once.” She kissed my cheek and headed toward Jessica.
I returned to Cameron after I said goodbye to Jessica, Todd, and Dan. With Brittany and I already paired off, the guys no longer saw the point of staying at the bar. They bought me an Irish Car Bomb before they left, which I quickly handed over to Cameron.
”Please drink this,” I insisted. ”I will face plant soon if I don't stop drinking.”
”But it's your twenty-first, it's like a twisted rite of pa.s.sage to drink until the point of unconsciousness,” he teased.
”Why? Is that what your twenty-first birthday was like?”
”Worse. I woke up with a tattoo.”
I was pleasantly surprised by the revelation, figuring he was too preppy to have an edgy side. The more I was getting to know him, the more my crush was growing. My damaged psyche questioned why a good-looking, funny, and nice guy like Cameron would be attracted to me. His ex-girlfriend was beautiful; she was most likely a size zero and had a gorgeous face. I was fat and ordinary.
But I wouldn't allow myself to succ.u.mb to my hang-ups. Even if it was just for one night, I'd have fun and enjoy spending time with Cameron. The chemistry between us could be fleeting, and I didn't want to waste time thinking up all the reasons he shouldn't like me.
”So, are you going to show me the tattoo?”
He closed the s.p.a.ce between us and brushed his cheek against mine. His breath was warm as he whispered into my ear. ”That's my party trick for later.”
The rest of the night felt ethereal. I felt like I was existing on an entirely different plane from everyone else, and the only other person I could see was Cameron. His eyes were captivating, and they held me prisoner for the entire time we stood together, talking. Each time we touched, I melted, dissolving into nothingness and becoming only sensation. Cameron didn't paw at me; instead, he was affectionate in a natural way, making every excuse to touch me. He held my hand for most of the night, tracing small circles over my knuckles. Each caress made me envision what else he could do to me using his fingers.
The night came to an end too swiftly. Brittany had her arm laced through mine when we were ushered out of the final bar on our pub crawl. Cameron and Kurt were behind us, bonding over their shared love of the New York Giants. Brittany and I were struggling to walk, both of us equally intoxicated.
Brittany stage whispered, ”He's so freaking s.e.xy, Kayla, you should totally go home with him.”
I dared a look behind me and was met by a pair of glittering blue eyes. Cameron winked my way as he continued his conversation with Kurt. I hissed, ”I'm not going home with him, I barely know him.”
”That didn't stop you from letting him perform mouth-to-mouth on you in the bar.”
”Like you should talk,” I reminded her.
Brittany giggled in response and spun around to face Kurt. She ran behind him and hopped on his back. He carried her down the road to the intersection where we were going to wait for the cab to pick us up.
”Do you want a ride back to the dorm?” Cameron asked me while Kurt and Brittany charged in front of us. ”I haven't been drinking for hours.”
My feet throbbed and my head was beginning to pound, and the thought of being chauffeured home by him was tempting. However, through the alcohol induced haze, I understood it would probably be best to stay with Brittany and take the taxi home. I may have been ready to kiss him senseless, but I didn't want to wake up with regrets the next morning by allowing things to go farther than I felt comfortable with.
”Thanks for the offer, but I should probably head back with my friends,” I said softly.
”I was going to drive you all back,” he elaborated.
”We already called a cab. Anyway, if you drove us home, I'd feel obligated to invite you up. Call me old-fas.h.i.+oned, but that's pretty quick, considering we haven't gone on a date yet.”
”This night turned out much better than I expected. I thought I'd be at the bar all night, whining to my friends about the girl who never called me,” he said.
We stopped walking and I began to s.h.i.+ft from foot to foot to stave off the bitter cold. I shoved my hands into the pockets of his wool coat and smiled up at him. ”Thanks for a memorable birthday.”
The wind picked up and my hair was blown into my face. He smoothed my hair back and cupped my chin. His lips grazed mine, and I sighed in contentment. He drew back and then planted a gentle kiss on my forehead.
”Will you call me this time?” The husky timbre of his voice was stirring up l.u.s.tful images of the two of us in my head. I conceived of things he could do to my body to help me forget how much I loathed it.
”Do you want to take my number just in case I lose my nerve?”
He pulled out his cell phone and I relayed my number to him. Smirking, he quipped, ”This is your actual number, right, Bella Swan?”
”Yes,” I said, and I blushed. I hoped he would call but didn't want to say it. The night brought out a side of me that had been dormant for a long time. I'd begun referring to that period as the before: Before my dad died and broke my heart, before I transformed into the calorie-counting maniac who abused her body for skinniness.
When the taxi pulled up, I disentangled from his arms. I kissed his cheek, lingering for a second too long. I breathed in his scent, already addicted to the subtle masculine aroma. As I took a step backward, I hoped his smell lingered on my skin, reminding me of the incredible night I'd had. Cameron escorted me into the cab and leaned over for a quick peck once I was crammed into the backseat with Brittany and Kurt.
Brittany kissed her palm and blew it in his direction. ”Bye lover boy!” she exclaimed. Her dark curls fell forward, concealing her face, and she began to laugh hysterically. I had a hunch I wasn't going to live the night down anytime soon.