Page 3 of Sophia & Cameron

“Oh,” she said. At least he wasn’t asking for her name.

With a groan, she eyed him warily. “One dance.”

“One dance,” he agreed.

“Fine.”

He tugged her to the dance floor. That was her first mistake.

Her handsome stranger could dance. And it wasn’t just swaying side to side with the occasional twirl. This guy knew his stuff. He spun her around, dipped her, and moved her into steps she wouldn’t have been able to keep up with if he wasn’t holding her against him. One dance turned into another, then another and another. It didn’t matter if the dance was slow or fast. He had moves.

Sophia lost track of time. It wasn’t until the room had started to clear out that she realized how late it had gotten. She pulled away from him, feeling very much like Cinderella at the stroke of midnight as she hurried across the room.

He fell into step beside her easily enough. “I want to see you again.”

She tossed him a smirk. “What happened to one dance?”

He pulled her to a stop, and his eyes drilled into her. “I think we both gave up on that request a few hours ago.”

Sophia couldn’t maintain the heat of his stare, even if she wanted to, and forced herself to look for Darcy. She hadn’t seen her in a while.

“I think your friend went back.”

She gasped with surprise and a moderate amount of betrayal. “What?”

He reached for her hand, and she stared down at it where he traced his thumb over her knuckles. “I want to see you again,” he repeated softer. It was almost like he wanted to say something more, but he was holding back.

The temptation to agree to a date was almost too much to bear. But she managed.

Sophia pulled her hand from his and shook her head. She replaced her desire with her usual mask of flirtation. “No thanks.” Then without giving him a second look, she hurried out the doors to catch a cab.

2

Cameron Walker

“It’s been how many days? Five? And she’s still turning you down. I don’t know, man. The conference is going to be over in two days, and you’re never going to see her again. Why even try?” Hugo asked.

Cameron fought the instinct to scowl at Hugo. They’d come to the conference together per their boss’s request. According to Mr. Vernes, they needed the most up-to-date information when it came to breeding and raising horses. Cameron hadn’t argued, but nothing would have prepared him for meeting Red. She hadn’t told him her name, and while he was sure her companion would have told him if he’d asked, he was enjoying the chase far too much.

“At this rate, you might as well cut your losses. She probably lives across the country in some small town anyway. Even if she accepted a date with you, what would you do? Follow her like a lost puppy?” The guy was too good at reading people. One look at Cameron and Hugo shot up on his hotel bed, mouth gaping.“You can’t be serious…” He shook his head. “Nope. Because that would make you crazy.”

Cameron shrugged. “I don’t know what to tell you.”

“I get that you’ve been able to track her down every night this week. And heck, the fact that she was willing to dance with you says something. But Cam, you can’t just drop everything for a girl you barely know.”

“What can I say? When you know, you know.” It wasn’t just her looks, though Red’s curves were captivating in their own right. She was smart, witty, and she had enough spunk to keep him on his toes. No one had ever held his attention like she did. And if his only shot to make her his was to follow her to her hometown and woo her, then that was what he’d do.

Hugo muttered under his breath. “You’re either crazy or in love.”

Maybe it was a little bit of both. Cameron smirked at his friend. “Her friend gave me their hotel room number last night. It took a bit of convincing, but I got it out of her. I’m going over there, and I’m not going to leave until she agrees to a date.”

Hugo threw himself back on the bed with a sigh. “Good luck, man. You’re gonna need it.”

Cameron brushedhis palms along the top of his head, ensuring his hair was still in place. Red’s door stood directly in front of him. Everyone was taking their lunch break, and there was a chance that she wasn’t even behind the barrier. Still, his heart pounded like he was here to get down on one knee.

Hugo was right. He had lost his mind. What intellectual person opened their heart to a stranger without even knowing her name? And yet it felt like he’d known her forever. Plenty ofwomen had hit on him over the last five days. And he hadn’t missed a single second of seeing Red’s jealousy. After that first night, she’d practically laid claim on him. Who was he kidding? She had his heart, and she didn’t even know it.

But with her consistently turning him down, he had every intention of milking that jealous side of her—mostly because he felt it too.

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