“Cam …” His voice was rough.
I looked down at my shoes and took a breath. “I … God, I knew I would mess this up. I’m sorry. I tried to do it, make myself beautiful, but—”
He was in front of me in a few steps, cupping my cheeks, angling my face so our eyes met. “Cam, you’re always beautiful. Always. When you’re sleeping. When you’re in a T-shirt and sneakers. Especially when you’re in a T-shirt and sneakers. But right now, I’ve never seen anything so perfect.”
Surprise washed over me. “You mean … I didn’t screw it up?”
He laughed and brushed his lips to mine, mindful of my lipstick. “You did the exact opposite of screwing up.”
I sighed, exhaling the anxiety and filling my lungs with sweet relief. “Would you do up my buttons in the back?” I asked, turning in his arms as excitement surged. I swept my hair off my neck.
“Of course.” I felt his hands on my back, the tug of the fabric. “I can’t believe you had a single doubt in your mind about yourself.”
I chuckled. “Well, agonizing over my hair and makeup for the last two hours probably had something to do with it.”
His hand lingered on my back as he bent to kiss the bare skin above my collar. “You could have skipped all of that and I’d still have stopped dead at the sight of you.”
I leaned into him, and he wrapped his arms around me, resting his chin on top of my head for a long moment.
“I’d better go get changed so we can go. I’m ready to take you out and show the world you’re mine.” He pressed a kiss into my hair.
His words sent a shiver through me, and when he pulled away, part of me wanted to forget the party and follow him into his room instead, to stay there for the rest of the night.
But instead, I walked into the kitchen, appreciating the sound of my heels on the hardwood floor. There was some power in it, like a sexual battle cry. I stood a little straighter, feeling a lot sexier, and discovered that I was far more of a badass than I’d realized.
I poured a scotch while I waited on Tyler, feeling classy as fuck, sipping the amber liquid as I paced around the kitchen to make sure I wasn’t going to fall down. Rose and Lily were right — for whatever reason, the heels didn’t feel unstable or overly painful. I mean, who knew how I’d feel after five or six hours, but after trying on twelve pairs of heels, these were easily the most comfortable. If I’d bought the pair that made me walk like a penguin because they were so tall and unstable, I doubt I’d make it down the stairs.
I smiled at the thought of Tyler picking me up and carrying me. Or me riding piggy-back in this dress and high heels.
But when Tyler walked into the room, my smile slid off my face and onto the floor.
He glanced down at his wrist as he buttoned his cuff, his white button-down shirt hugging that long taper of his waist. A black suit coat hung on his forearm to match his pants — pants that fit his long, muscular legs perfectly. He pulled on the coat, and when he looked up at me and smiled, my knees almost buckled.
I realized my mouth was hanging open and closed it.
“I’ve never seen you in a full suit before,” I tried to say, but I mostly mumbled.
His smile pulled into a smirk as he approached me. “What?”
“You look amazing.” I must have been more clear because he heard me that time.
He slipped a hand around my waist and stepped close, nearly pinning me against the counter. “Good. Then we match.”
“Like a set?”
He nodded. “I really want to kiss you, but I’m afraid of your lipstick.”
“That makes two of us.”
He chuckled and kissed me softly again. “I guess that’ll have to do, for now. Are you ready?”
“Not really,” I said with a smile.
“You’re gonna do great. I promise.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“Just stick with me. I’ll take care of you, Cam.”
Warmth blossomed in my chest. “I know you will.”
He took my hand, still smiling down at me. “Then let’s go.”
I smiled back, my anxiety all but gone, filled up on the confidence Tyler gave me, the sweetest gift.
Tyler
Cam gripped my arm like a lifeline as we walked down the stairs, her eyes down and in front of her, putting every ounce of concentration into surviving the descent. Not that it was necessary — I had her. There was no way she’d fall. No way I’d let her.
Breathtaking. That was the only word I could use to describe her.
It wasn’t her makeup, however nice that was, nor was it her dress, which happened to be stunning. It was Cam. She glowed from within, lit by her own batteries, her own spark. She felt good, even if she wasn’t sure whether or not anyone agreed, and that made her all the more beautiful to me.
When we stepped outside, I left her on the sidewalk, stepping to the curb to hail a cab. When it approached, I pulled open the door, looking back to find her standing there in the twilight, her small purse clutched in front of her, eyes big and wide, lips sweet and red. It was a moment that burned itself in my mind, one that I knew would flash before my eyes before they rested eternally.
I reached for her hand, and she took it, using it for leverage to step into the street and slip into the cab, and I slid in behind her.
“The Waldorf, please,” I told the cabbie, and then I sat back and reached for Cam’s hand.
She smiled at me and let out a breath.