Page 90 of Hard Rock Sin
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Ispentanother hour and a half mingling, drinking, and eating. The people Jen and Noah introduced me to were more than nice, but there were too many to keep track of. They ended up turning into a whirlwind of names and faces. Jen's friend Natalie was memorable because she tended to speak as if words were at a premium and she had to use every syllable as fast as possible.
"I'll arrange some lunch dates with only a few people at a time," Jen promised me. "It'll be easier to get to know everyone in smaller groups."
I thanked her, feeling relieved. It was a bit overwhelming, partying with so many people who seemed to already know everything about me, when I knew so little about them.
Cameron kept his distance. He seemed to be having a good time hanging out with his friends, though. He actually seemed happy around these people, in a more genuine way than I'd ever seen at his parties. With this crowd, he seemed at ease in a way he never did with the hangers-on he surrounded himself with at his house parties.
Although he was busy having fun, laughing and drinking and telling jokes, it didn't keep him from throwing quick, wicked smirks my way. The heat in his eyes was enough to make me flush. When he looked me up and down, lingering on my legs and chest, I knew exactly what he was thinking.
And I couldn't help but think the same things.
We were only five minutes away from the two hour mark when Cameron came up to me, interrupting a conversation I'd been having with a girl named Cerise. It turned out she was a rock star too, the lead singer in her own band Cherry Lips. Between her name and the dyed, dark cherry red hair cascading down her back, she really had a theme going.
"Just the woman I was looking for." Cameron grinned as he slung an arm around my shoulders.
I stiffened at first, then relaxed. It wasn't too intimate a touch. In fact, it was the exact same gesture I'd seen Cameron give my brother a handful of times. Cameron really was the handsy type.
"Hope I'm not interrupting you two lovely ladies?" Cameron asked.
"Would you care if you were?" Cerise retorted.
"Nope," Cameron said cheerfully.
"I was just asking Cerise what it's like being a girl in the rock music industry," I said.
"You thinking of starting up your own riot girl band?" Cameron teased, poking me in the cheek.
I swatted his hand away, brows furrowing. "I'm afraid Noah got all the musical talent in the family."
"You'd make a bad ass rocker chick," Cerise noted with a smile. "Your pissed off, don't-fuck-with-me look is on point."
"It's that patented Hart scowl," Cameron said with a laugh. "I can't get enough of it."
I fought to smooth my displeased expression. Noah was grumpy enough for the both of us. I didn't need to add to it.
"It's about that time for me to get going," Cameron told us. He tilted his head toward me, giving me a secret smile. "I'm calling a taxi to take me back to the mansion. You want to hitch a ride?"
"You live together?" Cerise asked, her interest piqued.
"It's like a roommate thing," I hurried to explain. "Just until school starts and I move into the dorms." I let out a nervous laugh. "Noah wanted me to live with him, but after walking in on him and Jen having sex one too many times, I decided I needed my own space."
"A billion square foot mansion certainly counts as space," Cerise agreed.
"I am getting a bit tired," I lied. "I think I'll head home with you."
Cameron kept his arm around me as I went about the room saying my goodbyes. It made me slightly nervous, to be touching each other so publicly, but I tried to reason with myself. Cameron acted like this with everyone.
I spotted Noah and Jen as we made our way to the exit. Noah turned his head to us. Instinctively, I ducked out from Cameron's arm.
I saw Cameron's lips twitch downward out of the corner of my eyes, but I didn't have time to say anything. Noah and Jen were already approaching.
"You leaving now?" Noah asked. "Are you feeling okay? Had too much to drink?"
"No, I'm fine. Cameron's heading home so I figured we could share the taxi."
Jen stared at me. No, she was staring at both me and Cameron, flicking her eyes between the two of us.
