Page 46 of Chasing Clouds

Pulling Camille in front of me, I wrap my hands around the sides of her head. “Hey, don’t do that.” I shake my head and stare down into her face. My thumbs trace underneath the edge of her jaw, pausing to take in the softness of her skin.

“Do what?” she mumbles, my fingers hovering close to her mouth. Her eyebrows slant down.

“Play the part.”

“I don’t know what you mean.” She breaks eye contact with me and looks at something over my shoulder.

“Yes, you do,” I say gently, one hand slipping around to the back of her head and tilting it, this time using my thumb to trace her lips just like I did earlier in the week. I swear I could stare at her mouth and her lips indefinitely and never tire of it. The pink gloss she has on smears, and I can’t help myself as I bring my thumb to my mouth and suck it off. Her breath hitches as she watches, and my heart rate picks up as silence shortens the distance between us.

I didn’t kiss her earlier on my balcony, and for days it’s all I’ve thought about. Don’t get me wrong, I sure wanted to, but I wanted to think back on that night after all this is over and just remember dancing with her.

“Camille.” Her eyes dart up from my lips and her hands find my waist. “These people are my team, my friends. You may be new, but you’re with me, so you’re one of us. No one is going to judge you here.”

She drops her head and focuses in on my chest. “Everyone judges, Reid. You’ve just never dealt with the repercussions like I have.”

“Not here, and if at any point you feel uncomfortable, we’ll leave. Okay?”

Her eyes come back to mine as she nods. Leaning down, I kiss the corner of her mouth, and she lets out a contented sigh.

“Relax, and just be yourself,” I mumble against her skin, inhaling the light floral scent of her perfume.

“And who is that?” she whispers.

“The girl who’s not afraid to stand up for herself or get dirty.” I smirk.

“Dirty?” She pulls back a little.

“Oh, yeah. You working on the mirror all week in those little shorts was quite possibly one of the sexiest things I’ve ever seen.”

Her eyes widen and then she grins. “Hmm, me working on the mirror is sexier than me in this dress?” She takes a step back and spins around. I don’t know where she found the garment, but it’s classy and so sexy at the same time. It’s white, tight, and backless. Kill me.

“Princess, you know you look incredible in that dress—are you trying to drive me crazy?”

Giggling, she steps forward and smiles up at me as her arms wrap around my waist.

“There she is.”

Her smile is bright and aimed right at me. I love that I get this smile and others don’t, but she shouldn’t be wary of sharing it. It’s beautiful.

Trailing my fingers down the bareness of her spine to her lower back, I pull her tighter against me. I can feel eyes on us from somewhere in the house, but damn if that’s going to stop me from putting my hands on her and having this moment with her.

“Thank you, Reid.”

“For what?”

“I don’t even know anymore—everything.” She pulls back and looks up at me.

Bending down, I lay my lips on hers, and it’s the lightest, sweetest kiss I’ve ever given or experienced, and it feels so right.

“You ready?” I ask her.

“Yes. Just stay with me.” She lets go of my waist and threads her fingers through mine.

“Babe, I’m not going anywhere.”

The party turns out to be a lot smaller than I expected. At least twice a year, Missy throws a huge party with hundreds of people, but tonight there are less than fifty. Most of them are couples from the team, a few of their close neighbors, and of course the team’s PR representative and photographer.

I understand, I really do; the fans love to get glimpses into our lives. It makes us seem more relatable, and in the end, fan loyalty becomes stronger because they feel like they know us.