Page 39 of Hard Rock Sin

When it was my brother doing the protecting, it chafed me to no end. When it came from Cameron, I didn't feel upset. Instead, my body felt lighter, like I'd been filled with helium.

The idea that Cameron wanted to protect me — that he cared enough to worry about me — made a happy, fuzzy feelings grow inside me.

"So when is this party?" I asked, ignoring the glow spreading throughout my chest.

"Tonight. People should begin filing in around ten."

"I'll probably be ready for bed by then, anyway."

"I thought that might be the case." Cameron held out his hand. "Here."

I took the two small pieces of orange foam from his palm. "Ear plugs?"

"You're gonna need them."

My heart thudded in my chest.

"Thanks for looking out for me." I waved my hand, indicating I meant the earplugs, not the over-protectiveness.

He just threw me a thumbs up and sauntered away.

I closed the door behind me and made my way back to the bed. I placed the ear plugs on the nightstand. I stood there and stared at them for a few minutes.

It really was a thoughtful gesture. I wouldn't have expected that from someone like Cameron Thorne.

Or maybe I should have expected it. I'd come to see a different side to Cameron since coming to live with him.

A side that made me long for him.

At first, all I'd been able to think about was how Cameron saw me as an adult. It was an intoxicating feeling, knowing that an older man found me attractive.

But this… my pounding heartbeat, my flushed cheeks, the lightness in my chest…

This was getting dangerous.

Chapter Thirteen

It didbother me a bit that I was expected to stay stuck in my room while a party raged on around me. Truth be told, I was exhausted from all my studying and had been going to bed not long after ten every night anyway.

I was already in my pajamas when I heard the music start up, a pounding, heavy noise that seemed to vibrate the very walls.

Soon after, loud chattering voices and laughter could be heard from outside my bedroom door. If I'd thought the party would be contained to the first floor, I would have been sorely mistaken.

I put Cameron's earplugs into my ears and pulled the covers over my head, but it didn't block out the music and voices. I buried my head in a pillow, squeezing it to the sides of my head. No luck.

A loud bang rang out. I jumped up with a startled shriek.

"Sorry, sorry!" A young couple stumbled over themselves, lurching and hanging onto the doorframe to keep upright.

"Thought this was empty," said the girl.

"It's not."

They giggled and clung to each other as they exited my bedroom. The door had been flung open, the door knob firmly wedged into the now-dented wall.

With a groan, I heaved myself up to close it. The music was louder and the voices more distinct now that the door was open. Curiosity took hold. I peeked out the doorframe.

At least half a dozen people with drinks in their hands were mingling in the third floor hallway. Two of them were making out in the corner, a different couple than the one who had unceremoniously barged into my bedroom.