Taste of Love (19 page)

Madison blushed and started eating, putting an end to their conversation, or at least the heavy part of it. Cameron took the hint and changed the subject. He gave her the rundown of their next few days in Chicago. There were a couple of appearances to make that night, then they could go to a club if she felt up to it. The next morning he had a few radio shows to do, then a rehearsal at the venue, with the concert the following night. They would stay in Chicago after the concert and head to St. Louis the next morning for a show that night. The day after the show, she would be heading back to her life in New York.

Madison wondered how he could keep it all straight, playing in so many cities, each one having different schedules and events. It was giving her insight into his touring life, and explained why he was so tired. She also knew that he had cancelled a few appearances because she had come to visit him, so this wasn't even the true version of his usual schedule. The cancellations were something she had overheard Cameron and Riley fighting about on the phone, but she didn't let on that she knew.

After lunch, they walked around some more, shopping at some expensive boutiques that Madison never would have entered before. Any time she picked up something black, Cameron took it out of her hands and replaced it with something vibrant. She laughed at his antics and ended up with a rainbow of different colored clothes. This time she played it smart and made a point of buying one more piece of luggage to carry all the clothes she had purchased on the trip.

When they returned to the hotel, Cameron went to his room to prepare for the appearances he had committed to for the evening. When he asked Madison if she wanted to go, she politely declined so that she could relax for a while in their hotel room, and maybe even make use of the hot tub.

Once he left, Madison had plenty of time to herself to think on their conversation. Had she really given him her heart already? Did she really trust him? Her first thought was to call Austin, but she knew he had an extreme dislike for Cameron, and would be biased. The only one likely to be honest with her was Chase.

Chase's number rang through her cell phone, and just as she was about to hang up, he answered. He sounded out of breath. "Hey Mary! How's vacation?"

Madison laughed. "It's great! Exactly what I needed." She smiled dreamily. "What took you so long to answer?"

Chase giggled. "I was a bit pre-occupied, saying goodbye to a hottie at my door. And you will never guess who said hottie is!"

"You're right, and you know I hate these games, so just tell me who it was." She went to her room and put her bathing suit on as she talked, then grabbed her cover-up and her room key as she headed down to the hotel's hot tub and pool.

"It's someone you know quite well, and he is an absolutely fabulous kisser!" he gushed.

"Chase! Tell me for God's sake!" she yelled, the sound echoing in the elevator.

Chase laughed, playing his schtick to the hilt. "Remember how I told you that Thomas boy was a closet queen? Well, my gay-dar was right! I ran into him on the street yesterday, we went out for a drink, and well, he just left."

He sounded so pleased with himself. Madison's mouth dropped open. Thomas? Really?

"Wow...you called it!"

"I did indeed. The queen always knows," he reminded her.

"Good for you! Are you going to see him again?"

"We're supposed to meet up again tomorrow. It's hard because he hasn't come out yet and I'm not sure if I want to deal with that or not." He sighed a long, drawn-out sigh. "Are you upset with me? I know you were kind of dating him."

"Not at all! That's kind of what I called to talk to you about."

"Do tell?"

Madison looked through the glass door to where the indoor hot tub and pool were, happy that it was completely empty. She walked in and shed her cover-up, sinking into the extremely hot water with a moan of delight. "So, you know I'm touring with Cameron at the moment, right?"

"Uh, duh."

"Well, we got into this intense conversation today about how he wants to be with me, but that it won't happen until I trust him. Then he said that he already has my heart, I just need to realize it and let it happen. I don't know how to trust him when I know that he's on tour and all these hoochies want to get with him, even though when we're together, he's never given me a reason not to trust him. Actually, when we're together, I trust him more than I trust anyone aside from you. I trust him more than I trust Austin now! It's just when he's gone that I'm not sure about."

It felt delicious to be able to tell someone all the thoughts that were tumbling through her head and heart. Chase, true to what she expected, turned from his usual fun self to a serious giver of advice in an instant.

"I have to admit, I wasn't too sure about him at first, but I'm really starting to think he's a stand-up guy, Madison. And sexy as hell, but that's beside the point."

Madison laughed.

"I know that what we saw at his concert wasn't a good thing, obviously. He was kissing another woman. But did it go further than that? And had you committed yourselves at that point?"

"No, it didn't go further than that, and we hadn't even talked about how we felt about each other at that point. And he told me that he hasn't even kissed another girl in the past few weeks, even though they seem to attack him as he walks through the crowd."

"Well, my dear, the way I look at it, you're never going to know unless you give it a try. Just relax and let yourself go, and see where things lead for once. You're OCD in every other part of your life, so just this once, be impulsive and stop over-thinking every aspect of it," he suggested.

Certain that he was right, Madison thanked him and hung up her cell phone after wishing him luck with Thomas. She closed her eyes and rested her head against the back of the hot tub.

A few minutes later, she had decided. She would let Cameron know tonight that he was right, and she wanted to try a relationship.

Cameron returned from his engagements looking tired and worn out. Madison felt for him, knowing that she had rested, something he didn't have the luxury of doing. He gave her a sleepy smile and led her to the couch.

"Let me just take a shower and I'll take you out to dinner," he told her, followed by a yawn.

"I have a better idea. You go lay down for a little while, and I'll order room service. Deal?"

"Are you sure?" Seeing her nod, he agreed. "On one condition. Once we order room service, tell them to deliver it in an hour, and you come and lay down with me. I'm in the mood to cuddle."

"Ok, but only cuddle!"

He smiled at her innocently. They ordered their dinner and went to lie down in his room. Once under the covers, he turned on his side and pulled her body close, so that they were spooning. His arm wrapped around her stomach tightly, feeling how perfectly she fit beside him. Just before he drifted off to sleep, he promised himself that he would show her that she could trust him, and that he was the man that would make her happy.

Cameron awakened to a knock on the door, feeling more rested than he had in a while. Madison stirred next to him. She moved to get up, but Cameron pulled her back to him. She looked at him to protest, but he shut her up with a soft kiss to her lips. "Thanks for napping with me. I didn't realize how much I needed that."

He got up and went to the door, leaving Madison sitting in bed, touching her lips and smiling.

Over dinner they decided to stay in for the night and watch some movies and relax. They cuddled together on the couch, watching one of the pay-per-view movies the hotel offered, when Madison snatched the remote and put the movie on mute. She sat up and looked at Cameron, who was instantly on guard. He eyed her suspiciously, like she was going to say something he wasn't going to like.

"You were right," she stated simply.

"I usually am, but what was I right about this time?"

"You were right when you said you already had my heart, and you were right to say you already have given me plenty of reasons to trust you." The words rushed out of her mouth.

He smiled. "And this means?"

She exhaled slowly. "This means that I want to give 'us' a try, but I don't want to rush things, especially when you're touring."

Cameron's heart thudded with joy. He was beyond happy that she had come around, and frankly, it had happened sooner than he expected. Not that he was complaining!

"I knew you'd see things my way eventually," he laughed, and was promptly tackled on the couch. They playfully wrestled until he got her body beneath his. He kissed her deeply, savoring the taste of her mouth, the feel of her tongue dancing with his, the soft moan that vibrated in the back of her throat. When they finally came up for air, he smiled in relief.

She returned his smile and sat up. "We're missing the movie." She rolled on her side and he lay down behind her, taking the television off mute. He played with her hair and lightly ran his hands up and down her arms while he tried to watch the movie. However, the only thing he could concentrate on was the woman in his arms, the one he never wanted to let go.

Madison was having the same thoughts. Every time she felt his touch, shivers ran through her body, and she knew she had made the right decision. Even if she knew it all along, it felt great to have it out in the open.

When the movie ended, Madison yawned. She had been fighting to keep her eyes open the last half hour, but she didn't want to be out of Cameron's arms. Seeing her yawn, Cameron sat up and got off the couch. He pulled her up so she was standing in front of him and he placed a soft kiss on her lips.

"Will you sleep with me tonight?" he asked.

Madison was suddenly wide awake.

"Just sleep, I promise!" he added when he saw her uncertain look. She nodded silently in agreement, and went to her room to change into her pajamas. Cameron was waiting for her in bed when she got there, and once she was under the covers, she turned on her side so that she was face to face with him.

"Thanks for making me take this vacation. Looks like I needed it for more reasons than I realized," she admitted.

"I am so happy with you here. I'm tempted to kidnap you and not let you go until the tour is over."

She laughed. "Austin's already pissed at me for leaving. I guess I've been leaving him in charge a little too much."

"He's your employee. If he can't handle what his boss tells him to do, maybe it's time to find a new job?"

"I know, but he's more than an employee, he's a friend too. Maybe I need to promote someone else to help out."

Seeing the stress start to settle on her face again, Cameron closed the space between them and kissed her. What started out as a sweet and gentle kiss soon turned passionate. His hands reached out and rubbed the nipples that were poking through the thin tank top that she was wearing, and her hands were slowly making their journey from his chest to places further south.

Just before her hand touched his hardening erection, his hand shot down and stopped hers. She backed up with a questioning look in her eyes.

"If you do that, I'm going to break my promise of us just sleeping," he panted.

"I'm comfortable with that," she told him, and tried to reach down again.

"Madison, I promised, I'm sorry." He saw the hurt in her face and put a hand on each of her cheeks. "Baby, there is nothing more I want right now than to make love to you. But we are going to take this slow, and I'm not going to break my word for anything."

She nodded, looking at him sheepishly as he got out of bed. "I'm just going to go take a quick shower. I'll be right back."

Madison rolled onto her back as soon as he shut the bathroom door and put her hands to her flush cheeks. She didn't know what had gotten into her! She had never acted like that before. But she was also sure that whenever she was near to him, the heat returned.