Finding Love's Wings (18 page)

"That might be better. I was thinking about bringing Travis out here, too. He and Tyson get along famously, so they would at least have each other to bullshit with."

"Is Travis single, too?"

Tristan just smiles. I'll take that as a yes and a dodge to my question.
 

"Then I'll bring Jolene and Naomi, you bring out Travis, and we can see who hits it off. If there is no real connection between the boys and girls, then the girls'll have each other and Ty and Travis will be more than capable of causing their own mischief."

"That's not a bad idea, Cami. I will take care of getting Travis here, and why don't you get Jolene and Naomi squared away. I was going to let Travis stay in my suite, so it sounds like we'll just need one more room for Naomi and Jolene."

"Perfect. I'll make the arrangements in the morning."

Just then Tyson shows up to usher us outside. I smile at him knowingly. I barely know the man and I'm trying to set him up on a blind date for an entire weekend.

I thought of Jolene for him because Tyson is so tall and big. Jolene is six feet tall and a very beautiful woman. Naomi, on the other hand, is short like me. She is the skinniest person I know, but she is beautiful in a tough-and-rugged kind of way. I don't know Travis at all, but I am hoping that in one fashion or another everyone ends up having a great time.
 

Tristan interrupts my thoughts. "What in the world are you thinking about so hard? I swear I smell something burning."

"Ha-ha, Mr. Funny Man!" I laugh. "I was just thinking about what we were talking about." I throw a significant glance at Tyson's back. I'm not sure how he would take the idea of being set up on a blind date.

"I will bet you a hundred dollars he blushes like a little school girl," Tristan says, and suddenly I'm the one blushing. "Hey, Ty?"

Tyson stops mid stride and turns to us. "Yes, Tristan?"

"Cami is trying to set you up on a blind date next weekend with one of her friends. She thinks that since you'll have to be with me the whole time and I intend to be with her as much as possible, you need a date too."

I am most definitely the color of a cherry as he says this. "Sure, make this all my fault," I mumble.
 

But Tristan was right; Tyson blushes as red as I am.
 

"Thank you, Cami, for thinking about me, but it really isn't necessary."

"It wasn't meant to be a set up," I protest. "Just simply thinking that since you have to follow Tristan around all the time, maybe you might want to have a good time doing it. Plus, it bothers me to see you off in a corner all by yourself."

He is blushing a little brighter now. "Is she blond." He says it more as a statement of fact than an actual question. Nothing he could have said would have surprised me more. I laugh out loud.

"Yes, and she is about six feet tall." His smile grows wider then.
 

"Well, Ms. Enders, you sure know how to pick 'em," Tyson says. Apparently I’ve nailed his type. Tristan is looking at me with approval.
 

"Then it's settled," I say, and I know I've got a smug grin plastered on my face. "Tristan is going to bring Travis out to Tarah, and I'll bring Jolene, Beau, Naomi, and Mick. We can have a big old party this weekend."

Tyson smiles and gestures toward a Jeep. "Sounds good to me. We ready to head out?"

"Yup, let's roll," Tristan says.
 

I climb into the back and Tristan joins me. Tyson hops into the driver's seat and we’re off to the docks.
 

Tristan leans in and whispers in my ear, "I wouldn't have hesitated about them getting along if you had told me she was tall and blond. That's Tyson's favorite."

I giggle just as my cell phone rings. I pull it from my tote bag and check the caller ID. "Speak of the devils." I hit the green button. "Hi, Mick." Tristan smiles.

"Hi, Cams. How's the vacation going?"

"Absolutely excellent."

"I know that voice. You've met someone, haven't you?"

"Jesus, Mick, how can you tell from a two-word phrase?" I'm slightly embarrassed because Tristan is sitting right next to me.
 

"Because, Cams, I know you all too well and know what gets you excited, so it either means you got a new tattoo or you met a new man. Given that there are no charges on your platinum card for the tattoo shop in the hotel, I can only assume it's a man. So in that case you get my lecture. Be careful! Lecture over."
 

I start laughing. He really does know me pretty well. "Yes, Mick, trust me, I am."

"Does this have anything to do with the fact that Tristan Michaels is on the same island?"

FUCK! "How in the hell do you know that?" I'm practically shouting. Tyson's head whips around and Tristan shakes his head at him. He returns his eyes to the road.

"Calm down, Cams. Trinity told me that he was there and that you were actually working at making your paycheck yesterday. She was proud of you and the way you took charge. She even said that it wouldn't be long before they had you as a full-time CEO."

I snort. "Yeah, okay, Mick."

"Don't discount it, Cami. She was really impressed with you yesterday. So, am I right? Is it Tristan Michaels?"

Mick is well aware of my obsession with Tristan, so I'm not surprised that he put two and two together. "I don't need to remind you to keep that little tidbit to yourself, do I?"

"No, you don't, Cams. I signed a non-disclosure agreement years ago that ties my tongue unless it comes to discussing it with the employees of Bold and, well, you, by all technical accounts, own Bold, so that means I can tell you whatever I know." He was being just like the Mick I know and love.
 

"Good, and you will find out on Wednesday."

"You're coming home?" Hope in his voice.
 

I giggle. "Hell no! I would move here if it wasn't going to cost me a near fortune every night."
 

"You can afford it." He laughs again. "If you're not coming home, how exactly am I going to see you?"

"I'm going to bring you, Beau, Jolene, and Naomi out here on Wednesday."

"Oh!" A hint of shock colors his tone, but not in a bad way. "Why?"

I'm laughing. "Twenty-four hours ago you were giving me hell because of my birthday on Saturday. I have decided that I want to spend my birthday here, so that means that you and the girls are getting on a plane and coming out here. So chop, chop! Make the arrangements, would you?" I laugh. Mick hates when I ask him to do things that are usually on Beau's list of things to do.
 

"Uh, Cams, can't Beau do all that?"
 

I laugh again at his Oh-dear-God tone. "Yes, I'm just giving you shit because I know you won’t. Ask Beau for me, will you?"

"Call her yourself." He laughs knowingly.
 

"Fine, hang on." I pull up the three-way feature on my phone, hit Beau's number, and connect back with Mick. It's ringing. I roll my eyes when I realize I can hear Buckcherry's "Crazy Bitch" coming through Mick’s line. Laughing, I say, "Jeez, Mick, you could've told me she was sitting right next to you."

"But that wouldn't be as much fun."
 

I pull my phone away from my ear and put him on speaker phone in anticipation of Beau's reaction.
 

"Tristan Michaels? Are you kidding me, Cams?" Beau squeals with excitement.
 

Tristan blushes a bright red.
 

"Maybe," I say back to her.
 

"Don't you dare hold out on me, Cams, I swear to God I will beat it out of you if I have to." She can no longer hide the fact that she is laughing now.
 

Tristan holds out his hand and nods toward the phone. I hand it to him, slightly nervous, but knowing Beau, this is going to be funny.

"How dare you threaten to beat my girl?" He is smiling and Beau squeals again. I can picture Beau sprawled out on the floor laughing.
 

"Your girl, huh?" Beau says, sobering quickly.
 

"If she will have me, then yes, my girl."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

I hold my breath, unsure of her reaction. I know it's moving fast, but I can't help it. I care for her so much already.

"I think we have already cemented the fact that I want to be your girl," Cami says. She's trying to scowl, but a huge grin keeps leaping back onto her face.
 

I let out my breath and smile back at her. Mick laughs, and Beau squeals again with excitement.

"Cams, you're dating Tristan Michaels?" she asks.
 

I'm holding my breath, waiting for her reaction. "Yeah, I guess I am. Is that ok with you, baby?" Cami is giggling again as she takes in my reaction. I know my face betrays the fact that I'm suddenly concerned about the fact that Beau might be able to control the outcome of my blossoming relationship with Cami.

Beau suddenly gets very quiet and then serious. "Cameron Enders, if he hurts you I will personally kick his ass. You hear that, Tristan? You had better be good to my girl. She means the world to me and I will not tolerate stupidity from you, you get me?"

The smile that was plastered on my face in an attempt to hide my discomfort falls. Mouthing to Cami, I ask, "Is she serious?"
 

"I am absolutely serious, Tristan."

I think I might throw up, but Cami just laughs. "I think he gets the point, Beau."

"Good! So I don't know what it is I am supposed to do, but I get the impression I'm gonna be earning my pay?"

Cami smiles, reaches up, and kisses me on the cheek. Whispering in my ear she says, "Don't worry about her, she is harmless. She is just a bit overprotective. We have a long history, and I will explain it later, okay?" I nod and smile, relaxing a bit now that Cami has reassured me of Beau's intentions.
 

"Yes, you're going to earn your paycheck. I need you to book four tickets from Phoenix to Tahiti on Wednesday. The passengers are you, Naomi, Mick, and Jolene. Tristan and I will take care of your transportation and rooms here on Tarah. Go ahead and set up your return trip for the following Wednesday. There are only certain days that you can get in and out of Tarah to Tahiti and then back to the States."

"Thank you, Cams!" she squeaks out.
 

"You're welcome. Now get to work and I will see you guys on Wednesday."
 

"Tristan?" Beau asked.

"Yes, Beau?"

"I look forward to meeting you, and I was only teasing you."

"Me too, Beau. And I know."

"Okay, good. Cams, I will talk to you later. I will email you our information as soon as I have it. Later, guys!"

"Bye," Cami and I say together. Cami is grinning as I hang up the phone.
 

"She's really not all that bad. She loves me and does her best to protect me. Beau was my freshman college roommate, and we have been inseparable ever since. We both look out for each other. I gave Mick the same speech when they started dating about six months ago."
 

I can't seem to wipe the smile off my face. My heart is warm with the idea of meeting Cami's friends and with thoughts of our upcoming weekend.

"What?" she squeaks.

"Are you more worried about her kicking my ass or me hurting you?"

"Her kicking your ass." She smiles and pats my leg.
 

"Good, then we have nothing to worry about."
 

I don’t realize what has come out of my mouth until a moment or two later, and it's far too late to take it back. Also, I realize, I don't want to take it back.
 

I feel a sudden rush of adrenaline through my system as I realize that she hasn't protested and her mood hasn't changed. Is she really more concerned about Beau kicking my ass than me hurting her? She looks as high in the clouds as I am.
 

"Come on, our boat is waiting." I start to climb out of the Jeep and turn to take her hand, helping her down.
 

We head toward the docks and down to the rows of boats. Most of the boats docked here are huge. Ocean cruisers built for long trips on the sea.
 

We continue down the docks until we come across a boat that is beautiful, glossy black, and very sleek. Looks more like it is built more for speed than pleasure, but boy, she's beautiful. Leading Cami over to the ladder, I urge her to climb up.
 

"I know nothing about boats," she says.
 

"Neither do I, and it's not our responsibility to know anything about the boat. We are here to have a good time," I say, reassuring her that we really are not responsible for anything but ourselves tonight.

"Sounds like a great plan to me."

PART SEVENTEEN

I'm watching her climb the ladder, eagerly anticipating her reaction when she reaches the deck above. The hotel manager had offered me my choice of boats, and I chose this one because it will accommodate the kind of night I want to have with Cami. I really want to show her a good, casual time. Show her that I really can just be a normal guy.
 

I hear her gasp as she reaches the deck, and I smile, knowing she's seen the hot tub inside the screen-covered bow. We'll ride out to sea while enjoying the hot tub, then have a nice dinner on the deck, near the stern as the sun sets.
 

Once she's safely on board, I climb up and find her looking around. Her gaze fixes on a table near the hot tub that has been set with a bottle of champagne and fresh, bright red strawberries. I walk up behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist, and whisper in her ear, "Would you like some champagne? It's Bollinger. ’99, I believe."

"Oh, one of my favorites. I'd love some, please." She turns slightly in my arms so that she can see me. "This is beautiful. Thank you."

I smile and bring my lips to hers in a chaste kiss. "You're most welcome." I release her, reach for the champagne, and pour us each a glass.

Today while we were apart, I missed her terribly. It was so hard to stay away from her, but I knew that I would make up for it tonight. It didn't take me long to recognize her down on the beach when I decided to go for a swim in the pool. When I looked down at the beach, there she was, lying on her stomach. Her corset and fairy wings were hard to miss, even from eight floors up.