Page 80 of Beyond the Cage
Once he has me fully outfitted with matching jewelry and accessories, Gem claps excitedly then begins to pack his things away. I change back into my robe and watch him flit about.
“My job here is done. The rest is up to you, Cammy.”
The scowl on Cameron’s face tells me he doesn’t take too kindly to being called that. “I don’t think he likes your nickname for him.”
“I know.” Gem shrugs. “I don’t care.”
Before he breezes through the door, he turns back and hands me his card. “Call me if you need anything.”
On his way out, he tries to run his fingers through Cameron’s hair, but Cameron grabs his wrist before he can.
“Again with this ‘hard to get’ act.” Gem tuts. “Youcall me if you ever decide to play for my team.”
He winks at me and then he’s gone. Laughing, I make my way to Cameron, sitting on his lap.
“Where did you find him?”
With a dismissive shake of his head, he rises and carries me to the bedroom. As we snuggle, he turns the TV on and offers me the remote.
“You find something,” I tell him, yawning. “I think I’m going to take a nap.” It seems last night’s events are finally taking their toll. Laying my head on his chest, I close my eyes.
***
When Cameron wakes me up, it’s dark outside. Reluctantly, I climb out of bed and start getting ready. He’s almost dressed by the time I’m done with my shower, moving around in dark navy slacks, white shirt, and a navy tie with white dots. My nose tickles with the scent of his cologne, and I realize it’s my favorite one.Mm…that’s guaranteed to keep me glued to his side all night.
Once we’re both fully dressed, he taps something out on his phone. After receiving a response, he extends his hand to me, indicating he’s ready. I take it, excited for what he has planned. A shiver runs down my spine as he scans my body hungrily.
“You look good, too. Quite delicious.”
Smiling in acknowledgement, he grabs my coat, places his hand at the small of my back, and nudges me forward. In the elevator, he pulls me against him, my back to his front, and possessively lays his palm on my stomach. Leaning in to him, I inhale his scent. When the doors slide open, I’m just a little bit disappointed we have to move. Before we exit the building, he helps me into my coat then leads me to a waiting Escalade. The driver greets us, holding the door open with a smile. We drive for a few minutes, arriving at our destination—The Hyatt—before I can even check out the custom features in the luxurious vehicle. We make our way through the hotel and to Stetsons. I walk into the restaurant feeling like a queen. It’s not the clothes, the car, or the restaurant; it’s the man whose arm I’m on. He can make me feel like royalty with a look, a smile, or even the simplest gesture. He’s a king, deserving of a queen. He’s my lion and I’ll be his lioness, always at his side.
After we’re greeted, we’re led to a table, but I shoot him a confused glance because it seats five people. He just pulls out my chair and motions for me to sit, not even trying to offer any kind of explanation. I shrug it off, and he helps me out of my coat before I take my seat.
“Thank you.”
The waiter suggests a bottle of red wine, and Cameron nods. As we settle in, I scan the room. The décor is warm and open, in shades of brown. We can even see the chefs hard at work.
As the waiter is pouring our wine, two men walk in, sitting at a table not far away. They smile at me, so I return a polite one. However, they keep staring at me. I look away but when I glance in their direction again, they’re still staring. Do they not see the huge man sitting next to me? I raise a brow, communicating my disgust at their behavior when they start whispering, obviously discussing me. Cameron senses my unease, touching my hand.
“Those two men over there. They won’t stop staring at me.”
He clenches his teeth, turning in his chair. However, instead of the glare I expected, he grins at the men. They laugh, leaving their table and approaching ours. Cameron stands also, greeting them with hugs.Huh? He knows them?
“Good to see you, big brother!” one of them exclaims.
Big brother?That’s when I realize they were just messing with me. And I fell for it. Shaking my head, I rise to my feet. Now that they’re closer, I see the resemblance. They have the same grey eyes and facial features, but are lean whereas Cameron is muscular. Cameron beckons me forward, resting his palm on my back as I extend my hand to his brother.
“Jasmine.” He grins. “Nice to finally meet you. I’m Ryan.”
Scoffing at my outstretched hand, he pulls me into a hug. “Nice to meet you, too, Ryan.”
“And I’m Nick,” brother number two says, also wrapping his arms around me.
“Sorry about earlier,” Ryan apologizes. “We just couldn’t resist pulling Cam’s leg.”
“Yeah. He was about to rip your heads off.”
“We saw the death stare before he realized it was us.” Nick chuckles. “Come. Sit, sit. I want to know everything about the woman who has my brother settling down.”
