"Hey," I said, touching Cameron's shoulder once we'd gotten situated in the car. We'd exited through the underground garage this time (for the full experience, Cameron reminded) and cruised up a narrow, winding tunnel to get out onto the streets of New York City.

He didn't shrug me off, but he flinched at my touch. "Yeah?" He winced, then shook his head. "Sorry, that came out rude." Setting his hand atop mine, he issued me a curt smile. "All good."

"All good?" My eyebrows inched upward. "I doubt that. What's wrong?" I squeezed him. "That went well, didn't it? Or," I gulped, "did I misinterpret it? I'm usually excellent at reading people, but maybe it's different with celebrities, so—"

"—it was fine," he said, his voice almost a hiss. "Everything was fine. That's why I said all good."

"Okay, but you're not acting all good. You're acting like it was atrocious and nothing went the way it was supposed to." I removed my hand and rubbed the back of my neck. I'd been sitting stiffly during the entire dinner, as if slouching would deduct points from the rating Leo would likely give me. A guy like him had to have a rating system, and I wouldn't escape it, even though I was dating Cameron. "Did I mess up? Was this a test of some kind that I failed?"

"Emma." Cameron's voice took on a warning tone. "Stop it. All," he gritted his teeth, "good."

I wasn't attempting to pick a fight, but I wanted to know why he was so down, so sluggish. We'd left the place, and everything appeared to have gone smoothly, unless I'd missed a detail that meant that Leo was unhappy with me. He'd been so warm, so kind, borderline too kind, but it was nice receiving so much attention from a celebrity like him. And it had pleasantly surprised me to witness he was everything I'd dreamed him of being.

"Did he disapprove of me? That's why he wanted to meet me, right? Because he cares about you, you're his friend, so he wanted to make sure you were dating the appropriate kind of girl? And he didn't think I was that girl?"

"No." Cameron took my hand, compressed it in his, his demeanor shifting. "You are that girl. You're perfect, Emma. Disapprove of you? No, that's not it at all. On the contrary; he did like you. He liked you a lot, I could tell."

"Oh." I deflated into the back-seat cushions, uncertain if I should be flattered or flustered or offended or worried. I forgot about Cameron's mood and retreated into my mind, processing the information.

Leo Lee liked me. He liked me? What did that mean?

"I mean, how could he not?" Cameron let go of my hand and massaged his temples, his irritated voice returning. The car made an abrupt stop at a red light. Through the closed windows I heard a few evening party-goers yelling at us, asking that we roll the window down. "Like I said, you're perfect. He's perfect, too, so perfection recognizes perfection, yeah?"

I squinted at him, noting the change in tone, the rigidity of his words. Was that jealousy I detected? Or annoyance? "What are you talking about?"

"Leo—you liked him too, right?" Before I could answer, he shook his head at me. "No, no, I'm not upset about that. He's Leo Lee, everyone loves him the second they meet him. And it's genuine, because he's always genuine. That's his major flaw; he's too honest, he's too charming, he's too perfect."

"Cam," I said, brushing a finger near his cheek. I'd never called him that before, but hearing Leo use the nickname tonight made me want to use it, too. It suited Cameron well—and I wondered whether it'd soothe him to hear it from me. "I didn't like him, not like that."

Cameron fixed me with a gaze so close to a glare that it took me by surprise. "It's okay if you did. It makes sense." He wriggled about, shifting his seating position as if to distance himself from me. "Leo is every woman's dream, every man's fantasy. I get it."

I scrunched my nose at him. "That's not true." I scrunched it more realizing that was a blatant lie. Leo was the kind of guy everyone had wet dreams about, including me. But to see Cameron's dejection, his jealousy—even if he denied it—broke my heart. The last thing I wanted was for him to feel insecure, to think that me meeting Leo changed anything between us. It didn't, it wouldn't.

"He's the big career guy, the success, you know? Working for him sometimes...it's hard." Cameron's shoulders released some of their tension and his annoyance melted to dejection. "He got everything he wanted, was born with a voice from the gods, and is loaded with money. Did I tell you he recently reached billionaire status?"

I scoffed. "The Lamborghinis kind of did that for you."

"He has it all. All. And still, he has to—" his fists tightened, but he cut himself off and let out a low growl. He crossed his arms and remained silent, leaving me to imagine what he'd been about to say.

I didn't want to imagine. "He has to what?" I nudged him. "Come on, finish your thought, Cam."

His mouth moved into a smile for a split second, as if reacting to me using his nickname again. But then his lips down-turned so swiftly, I wondered if I'd imagined the smile. "He has to fuck things up for me, every time. Leo has a history. With me. A history of," he sucked in a deep breath, then released it, "stealing my significant others."

"Oh." I wasn't sure what to do with my face; act shocked? Be angry? Stay neutral? Finding this out about Leo didn't quite surprise me. When Cameron had told me all of Leo's meetings with his significant others didn't end well, my brain had first gone to this—that those significant others had been roped up in Leo's life or they'd cheated on Cameron with him. But I would have appreciated it if he'd warned me about this before I met him. "You should have told me that part. I'd have been more alert, I'd have recognized when he was trying to flirt—"

"—but he's always trying to flirt. His goal is to entice, to captivate. He wants attention, all of it. When he breathes, he's flirting. But telling you this ahead of time wouldn't have changed anything, trust me." He unclenched his fist and set his palm on my thigh; his touch was hot, burning. "I'm sorry for putting you through this. You did nothing wrong, I swear. It's that Leo and I...things are complicated when it comes to my love life. To his love life. To the way they intertwine. It's not my schedule that's stopped me from dating lately; it's him. He pries, he's nosy, and it's a pain in the ass. Him and his invasiveness and his tendency to take what is mine. "

What is mine. The words echoed in my mind, and my heart fluttered a few too many times in a row. I was Cameron's? It might have been offensive to some, but it flattered me to hear him refer to me as such.

"Well, he won't take me, if that's what you were freaked about. It won't happen." I set my hand on top of his, and jumped at how suddenly cold he was, an abrupt change from his earlier heat. "I mean it."

"But he's Leo Lee," Cameron said in a mocking voice. Not mocking me, but mocking all the groupies and concert-goers and fanatics who lived their life as if to please Leo at all times. "He can have anyone he wants, anyone, but he takes his pick among his PA's girlfriends and boyfriends."

"Yes, he is Leo Lee, and sure, he could get anyone he wants; but why steal them?" I twisted in my seat and cupped Cameron's face, forcing him to look at me. "Yes, he is handsome, and awe-striking, I'll admit. He's famous, he's talented, and all that. But I promise you, it stops at that. For me, at least. I'll put him in his place, if he gets close to me like that again, I swear. I'm not the type to mess around, I hope you understand that."

His eyes narrowed, glossing over with liquid. "Thank you. I do." He sniffled and pulled away from me. "Sorry, but he gets me in a mood. He's one of my best friends, and I'd do anything for him...but he tends to step on toes without caring. And I care, this time, more than I have in a while. I really like you, Emma."

I smiled at him, cocking my head. "And I like you too, you goofball. No famous rockstar is going to take me away from you, okay?"

"Okay." He tugged me into his arms, rubbing my shoulders. "I'm sorry, again. For acting like this, for being such a downer. I couldn't help it. I get weird when he's around, when he's busy impressing everyone in our vicinity. The way he looked at you..."

"Oh, yeah?" I weaseled out of his embrace, batting my lashes at him, intrigued. "How did he look at me?" I tried to make my voice sound playful, sexy. To toy with him. Maybe I could transform this moment into something intimate, something that might further calm him down and reassure him that I wasn't going anywhere. "Was it like how you look at me when you want me? Because that's hot. The way you look at me...you're hot"

It was bold—more so knowing seconds ago he was frigid and frustrated with Leo.

But to my delight, he caught on to my intent. He slowly ran his tongue over his lower lip as his mood changed. "Oh, yeah. Like he wanted to unbutton your top and trace the tip of his fingers between your breasts. I was looking at you that way too, so I can demonstrate, if you want. Like this." He leaned in closer and though he didn't actually undo my shirt, he did trail his fingertip down from my neck to my belly button, slower as he passed between my breasts. I shuddered, and he smirked. "Fuck, yes, exactly like that."

Chills crawled down my spine as I licked my lips. "That was nice, but I'm quite happy you're the one doing it, and not him. You turn me on, Cam. Every time you touch me, every time you speak. Leo? Leo who?" I trailed my fingers between his pectorals, and stopped at his jeans button. "I want you, never forget that."

He placed the most sensual, silky kiss on my lips. He slipped his tongue into my mouth, grazing mine, before he pulled away and sucked his lips between his teeth. "Good God," he said, his voice husky. "The things I want to do to you right now, Emma."

I side-glanced at the driver. "As soon as we get to your place."

"No," he said, angling past me to press a button between the driver's seat and the passenger seat. "Now."

Something whirred to life beside me, a mechanism lodged between the seats. I turned to see a tinted window sliding down from the roof, separating the back area from the front, isolating the driver. "Whoa, fancy."

"Yeah," he said, proceeding to unbutton my shirt, as promised. "Fancy sex in the backseat of a fancy car. How's that for a good ending to a shitty night?"

"It wasn't shitty." I tugged his shirt off and held in my drool at the sight of his chiseled chest. No matter how many times I'd seen it, I couldn't get enough. He was so firm, so sculpted, such a work of art. "It was a great appetizer to this incredible dish."

With the screen put up between us and the driver, I sensed myself becoming unhinged. Maybe it was meeting Leo in all his splendor and being turned on by his scent, by the illusion of his body being carved out of marble. Maybe it was all the repressed desire I'd felt when he'd touched me—because I'd definitely felt something.

But now, I was growing restless, my underwear was getting wet, and my imagination of Leo was fading, fading. Because Cameron was here, he was the one touching me, and I wanted him right there, right then.

After unbuckling my seat-belt—safety be damned, the car was slow, anyway—I slipped off my leggings, and he dragged down his pants. As I sighted his erection, I toyed with my nipples and envisioned myself giving him head, on my knees, between his legs. There were condoms in the seat pockets—courtesy of Leo's driver company, apparently—so Cameron rolled one of them on as he watched me.

The second he was ready, I straddled him, biting down on my fist to contain my moan of delight. I rocked back and forth, up and down on top of him, as the car glided down a busy avenue. The notion of there being other people outside—people who'd have no idea what we were doing in there—kept fueling me with desire. My pleasure mounted higher and higher as I rode Cameron, hurrying to reach my climax before we got to his apartment.

There was no more discussion of Leo and what effect he'd had and the chances of him stealing me away from Cameron—because Cameron said I was his. And that wouldn't change.

♪♪♪