Read Online The Closer You Get by Kristi Gold - Free Book Online Page B

to drink to cope when I first started out,
but Pat set me straight before it got too out of hand. I know my limits, and
that’s a beer every now and then. No hard stuff, and no more than two.”
    She suspected his drinking resulted from his divorce. Not that
she dared to seek confirmation. “I’m happy for you, and sad for Mark if that’s
what he’s doing. He’s not a bad guy, but he does have a sense of entitlement. He
always has.”
    Brett took off his hat and tossed it onto the dining table.
“Whatever’s going on with him, I’m just real sorry this happened to you.”
    “It wasn’t your fault, Brett. It’s mine for opening the door to
him.”
    He lowered his eyes. “It’s the band’s fault he knows you’re
here.”
    “How’s that?” she asked, although she had her suspicions.
    “The guys were braggin’ about you when Mark stopped by the
hospitality tent,” he said. “We didn’t know he knew you and he never even let
on. He just smiled and said he’d catch us later.” Brett raised his gaze to hers,
his blue eyes full of remorse. “I swear, Cammie, if I’d known about the two of
you, I would’ve never let him get near you.”
    Unsure how to respond to the revelation without sounding
ungrateful, Cammie pushed past Brett and straightened the throw pillows that had
found their way to the floor during Mark’s sick attempts at seduction. “Are the
guys on their way?”
    “Yeah. We’ve got a crew coming in to service the buses while we
have dinner. Then we’ll come back here and move the buses to the hotel. I’ll
bunk with Pat and you can have my room.”
    “That won’t be necessary,” she said. “I can sleep on the
bus.”
    “It’s already been arranged, so I don’t want any argument. You
could use a good night’s sleep on a regular bed before we hit the road again.
It’s going to be a long haul for the next couple of weeks.”
    The thought of sleeping on a full-size mattress did sound
appealing. “Thanks. I appreciate it.”
    The sound of familiar voices drifted through the door as the
band members filed in, looking more than a little concerned. “What in the hell
happened between you and Jensen?” Bull asked when they moved into the living
area.
    Brett sent a brief glance in Cammie’s direction. “He’s drunk
and he got out of hand.”
    “He says you bit the hell out of him, Cammie,” Rusty added. “My
question is, what did he do to warrant that?”
    When Cammie looked away, everyone went completely silent.
    “He didn’t hurt you, did he?” Pat asked.
    “I handled it,” Brett answered. “Cammie’s okay now and I don’t
think she wants to talk about it.”
    Rusty stepped forward, hands balled into fists at his side.
“I’ll kill the son of a bitch if he ever lays a hand on you again. That goes for
all of us.”
    Cammie drew a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “Thanks, but I
don’t think we’ll have to worry about him anymore. Brett set him straight.”
    Pat laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Since Brett seems to
have everything under control, we’re going to go get cleaned up now and we’ll
meet you both outside in a bit.”
    Brett checked his watch. “The limo should be here in about
thirty minutes.”
    Limo? “Sounds great,” she said. “That should be enough time to
get my stuff together.” She needed to get herself together.
    When Brett retired to his stateroom to shower, and the guys
left, Cammie opened the small closet that contained the few items of clothing
she’d brought with her, basics consisting of comfortable jeans, shorts and
T-shirts. But for some reason she wanted something a little dressy. She pulled
out a pair of her better jeans and a red silk sleeveless blouse, then retrieved
her black leather jacket.
    She smiled when she remembered what her grandfather had called
the outfit. “Biker duds” came out of his mouth the first time she’d worn it.
Then he admitted it turned too many of the drivers’ heads and forbade her to
work in