Page 38 of Hard Rock Sin

But when I remembered how scared I'd been, how terrified, I had to admit that without Cameron's presence I probably would have spent the entire night huddled in that bathroom.

It was a couple days later, when I was knee deep in my studies, that Cameron knocked at my door again.

The moment I heard the tap of his knuckles on the doorframe, I cringed. My hair was tied up in a messy bun on the top of my head, wisps flying all over my forehead. My hooded sweatshirt hadn't seen a laundry machine in weeks. The only clean pants I owned were a pair of yoga shorts.

I heaved myself from my bed and cracked the door open an inch. Cameron's eyebrows were drawn down with something almost like worry.

I began to get nervous. Why was he here, after so many days of ignoring me? Was he going to bring up that night?

"I'm going to ask you to do something you're not going to like," were the first words out of his mouth.

Now it was my turn to frown.

"Do I even want to know?"

"Can I come in?"

I opened the door reluctantly. My room was still messy. I hadn't felt comfortable letting housekeepers clean up after me. Maybe it was my stubborn independent streak, but I wanted to feel like I could take care of myself, even in some small way.

Cameron's eyes scanned my room as he stepped through the door. His eyes fell on a lacy black bra sitting on one of the armchairs in a corner. His eyebrow twitched. I felt my face go red.

"So what am I not going to like?" I asked, blushing.

He forced his eyes away from my bra reluctantly. "I'm throwing a party."

I frowned, failing to see why I wouldn't like that. Understanding dawned on me. I suppressed a sigh.

"Let me guess. My brother wants me to stay in my room the entire time?"

Cameron had the decency to look chagrinned. "I know he's a dick, but I promised I'd keep you safe."

I raised an eyebrow. "And your parties areunsafe?"

"I promised I'd keep you away from the debauchery," he clarified.

"Sex, drugs, and rock 'n roll?"

"Something like that."

"You are aware I'm an adult, right?"

Cameron slowly eyed me up and down. That heated look, a look I hadn't seen in days, returned as he honed in on my bare legs.

My heartbeat sped up at that look. Warmth began to flow between my thighs.

Cameron looked away. I exhaled a deep breath.

"Promise me you'll stay in your room?" he asked.

"I don't want to be kept locked away like some princess in a tower."

"You're not locked away. You go to class every day."

"Only because I begged my brother to let me borrow one of his cars. You know he offered to pay for a chauffeur to drive me to campus every day?"

"Sounds like His Royal Highness." Cameron gave me a concerned look. "I know you hate being treated like a kid. I'm sorry."

I knew it wasn't Cameron's fault. It wasn't really my brother's fault either. They were both just overprotective.