Unspoken Words (Unspoken #1) Read online

  “How did you manage to fuck up breakfast, dude? You make breakfast for us almost every weekend, and you never manage to screw it up.” Christian is acting odd, so I know he is up to something.

  Avoiding looking at me, he walks over to the cabinet and grabs the bagels and pops one in the toaster. He takes a few mugs from the cabinet and heads over to the coffee pot, “I wasn’t paying attention.”

  I walk over and snatch a mug from the counter. Christian turns around and fills my mug with coffee. “What do you mean you weren’t paying attention?”

  Looking sheepish, he chuckles, “Do you really want to know?”

  Raising my eyebrows, “Yes, please do tell, I am dying to know.”

  “I was eavesdropping outside of the bedroom door.” Laughing he walks toward the fridge to grab the coffee creamer.

  I walk over and snatch the coffee creamer out of his hand and pour some in my cup. Turning around to face Christian, I say to him, “Let me get this straight. You fucked up our breakfast, because you were being a nosey shithead? Dude, that is a new low, even for you. You could have just waited and made us a kick ass breakfast. I would have filled you in later when we were at the gym.”

  Christian shrugs his shoulders, “The two of you seemed pretty heated, I just wanted to make sure that everything was okay.”

  Glaring at him, “Are you kidding me? You wanted to make sure everything was okay? When have things between me and Camryn ever not been okay? We argue, we get over it. We bicker, we move on. You, of all people, should know that.” I walk around the counter and pull out a stool to sit on. After I take a sip of my coffee, I continue, “There was a misunderstanding last night and I needed to clear it up with her. I didn’t want her being pissed at me all day.”

  The toaster pops and Christian slides the bagel on a plate in my direction. I spread on some cream cheese and take a bite.

  “Cami, do you want a bagel?” Christian yells down the hall.

  She responds, “Sure, I’ll be out in a few minutes.”

  “Did the two of you settle this misunderstanding?”

  Taking another sip of my coffee, I look at Christian over the brim of my cup. “I think we did. Only time will tell.”

  “Don’t hurt her, dude, I’m warning you,” he says as he leans back against the counter, crossing his arms over his chest.

  “I would never hurt her.” I bite out and take a calming breath. “I just need to figure out how to tell her how I feel.”

  He glares at me. “You have been in love with my sister for years. Pull your head out of your ass and just tell her. You get one life, Jamie. Make sure you live it with the one you love. Every minute you waste is a minute you don’t get to spend with my sister. Make every second count.”

  Christian turns his attention to the hallway when he hears his bedroom door open. Camryn walks into the kitchen, gets herself a cup of coffee, and steals the bagel as it pops up from the toaster. Both of us looking at her in awe, knowing we won’t say a word as she munches on the bagel that was meant for Christian.

  The three of us eat our breakfast with small talk. Christian goes over the schedule for the studio this week. While I should be concentrating on him, Cami’s eyes continue to flicker over to me. We share a smile as Christian rambles about his two new clients coming in.

  I am beginning to see things with more clarity. Christian is right. I am wasting time by not telling Camryn how I feel. I need to lay it out there and let the pieces fall where they may. It’s going to be her decision on where we go from here. I can only hope that she feels the same way. God, I sound like such a pussy in my own head. No wonder Christian sees what a mess I am with having Camryn back home. It’s like dangling a carrot in front of Bugs Bunny and telling him he can’t have it. Pure fucking torture and it’s time to end this and in order to end this, I have to start this between us, and that scares the ever loving shit out of me.

  Once Christian is showered, the three of us head to the gym. Christian and I hit the weights while Camryn heads over to the cardio equipment. I’m shocked she is doing cardio after the amount of alcohol she consumed last night. She must be trying to sweat the alcohol out of her system. Camryn catches me stealing glances while she’s on the elliptical and she smiles at me. She has her earbuds in, probably listening to one of her old playlists she used when she trained for softball. Maybe one day this week before Camryn has to travel for work, the two of us can head to the batting cages.

  Guys’ heads turned to her the minute she walked into the gym wearing her yoga pants and fitted workout tank. The tank is skin tight and leaves nothing to the imagination. Every guy in here can see every curve on Camryn’s petite body.

  Christian clears his throat getting my attention, “Are you done drooling over my sister, or do you plan on standing there looking like a dumb ass all day? Let’s get our work out in. I want to head back upstairs and watch the game today.”

  I shoot him a death stare. “You sure do know how to make me feel like a complete ass, you know that.”

  He holds his hands up in surrender. “I am just pointing out the obvious, dude.”

  Trying to focus on my workout, I turn my attention to the bench press. “Fuck you, just spot me.”

  As always, Christian laughs and stands over me to make sure I can handle the weight. As I push the bar off my chest, Christian continues to spout his advice. “You know you have some time to work on Camryn. She’s home for three months. Now is as good a time as any to tell her how you feel. She’s heading to Boston this Saturday, I’m pretty sure she is going to Aces on Friday night for your show. If you don’t have anything planned, why don’t you take the trip to Boston with her? She’s only gonna be gone for two days. I’m sure she won’t mind.”

  After doing twenty reps, Christian helps me set the bar back on the workout bench. I grab my towel and wipe my forehead, taking a drink of my water. Trying not to be obvious, I steal another look in Camryn’s direction. She’s moved to the treadmill now. “I’ll see if she asks me to go with her. She may ask one of the girls to tag along.”

  “Just wait and see. The week is young, my friend.” Christian takes his place on the bench, and I lift the bar off for him. We continue our workout, while discussing this weeks’ meetings and what our plans are for tonight, all while my eyes are on Camryn and trying to keep my hands off of the dicks who are ogling her on the treadmill.

  The football game was exciting right down to the last second. After Penn State beat Temple, I head upstairs to my apartment to relax before I get showered for tonight. The clock shows it’s only seven o’clock. Lincoln is swinging by to grab us at ten, so I have plenty of time. Going through my closet, I look for a particular light blue Henley shirt. The one Camryn loves. I’m going for a casual look tonight, a Henley shirt, a pair of dark jeans and my Kenneth Cole brown shoes. The question of the night, do I plan on taming my unruly hair or just throwing on my Red Sox hat? My hair is longer than usual and I am in desperate need of a haircut. After ironing my outfit, I make my way to the bathroom to hop in the shower.

  While I wash by body, my mind begins to wander to Camryn and what it would be like to have her in the shower with me. What would it feel like to lather her body and have my hands all over her? To feel every curve of her body under my fingers. Fuck, just thinking about Camryn has my dick hard. Trying not to think of what it would feel like to be inside of Camryn, I squirt some shampoo in my hand and scrub my head. After washing my hair for what seems like forever, I’m still aroused. Looking down at myself, I’m standing at full salute. Shaking my head knowing there is no controlling where my brain goes next, my hand slides down my stomach. The image of her mouth on me while my fingers tangle in her silky long brown hair flashes before me. Three minutes later I’ve rubbed one out in the shower, all the while wishing it was Camryn’s hand or mouth stroking me when I reach my climax.

  There’s a knock at my door around nine-thirty, but Lincoln didn’t text me letting me know he was downstairs. When I open t
he door, my jaw damn near hits the floor. Camryn is standing before me in a tight ass, black, strapless dress and those black fuck me heels again. Her dress sits about two inches below her ass. From the look of it, she doesn’t have a bra on either. I can only pray that she has panties on underneath that dress. Otherwise, every time she bends over, I’ll be right behind her to make damn sure no one sees anything.

  Without thinking, I blurt out, “You do have panties on under that dress, right?”

  Camryn pushes me aside and walks into my apartment while Christian laughs his ass off in the hallway. With an evil look on her face, Cami turns and faces me. “Wouldn’t you like to know, Mr. Banks?”

  I take a deep breath and remind myself to keep breathing. Christian finally pulls himself together and walks over to the couch to sit down. “You got anything to drink in this place?”

  I look at him like he has lost his mind. “You know where the fridge is, help yourself. What do I look like, the damn butler?” Camryn walks over to the kitchen and pulls out three bottles of Miller Lite and hands us each one. When I take the bottle from her, our fingers graze and the hair on my arm stands up. Camryn knows what she did and there’s no hiding my reaction to her, she simply laughs and walks over to sit next to her brother on the couch.

  “You look very appealing tonight. Did you wear that shirt on purpose because you know it’s my favorite?” she says in a flirtatious voice.

  “Wouldn’t you like to know?” I laugh, giving her a taste of her own medicine, then turn and walk in to the kitchen just to avoid eye contact with her. I holler over my shoulder, “I didn’t know this was a favorite of yours, but thank you for the compliment.” Touche, two can play this game.

  My phone chirps. “Hey, that was Linc, he’s downstairs, are you ready?”

  I was expecting a cab, but a Mercedes stretch limo is waiting by the curb. When I open the door for Camryn, I notice Karsen and Lindsey are already in the limo. Hopefully tonight will not be a repeat of last night. I cannot handle a second round. Camryn slides into the limo and sits next to Karsen. Christian climbs in and grabs the seat next to Lindsey, leaving me the seat closest to the door. The limo is massive. There is a row of seats lining the entire length of the car, and along the front and back there is another set of seats. The divider is up, so the driver can’t hear or see in the back. Lincoln hits the intercom and advises the driver to head to Redemption while I busy myself as bartender for everyone.

  The ride to Redemption isn’t long at all. Thirty minutes with traffic, which is surprising for a Saturday night.

  “Nice ride. What was the occasion?” I turn to Lincoln after we step onto the sidewalk.

  “A buddy owed me a favor, so I called it in.” He shrugs as though it’s no big deal. If I’m reading between the lines correctly, someone probably owed him money and they offered up their limo for the night to settle the score.

  We follow Lincoln and Morgan to the side entrance and he swipes his keycard through the scanner. On the other side of the door a bouncer is standing with his arms crossed and an earpiece in his ear. He is talking to someone and gives Lincoln a nod. The loud music filters throughout the club to the hallway that leads to a private set of stairs where the private rooms are located. Camryn said Morgan has a private room reserved for us. I make a mental note to tip the waitresses and bartenders well since our bar bill is covered.

  When we enter the private room, music is filtering through the speakers. The room overlooks the dance floor below where the DJ is set up near the main stage. Frosted glass windows stretch the entire length of the one wall so we can see what is happening downstairs, while still allowing us privacy. The waitress comes in and takes our drink order. I plan on taking it easy tonight and order a Miller Lite.

  Our drinks arrive and the girls gather over near the glass to see what’s happening on the main floor. Christian, Lincoln, and I talk about our upcoming show this Friday and the new clients that Christian has lined up this week in the studio.

  The girls decide to head downstairs to the dance floor, so we walk over to the glass to keep an eye on them. Morgan has her earpiece in tonight so she is in constant communication with her staff. Even though Lincoln owns the club, this is Morgan’s baby, too. Lincoln lets Morgan handle everything except the security, that is where he draws the line. He needs to know that his patrons and Morgan are safe.

  Not Myself Tonight by Christina Aguilera starts to play and the girls throw their arms in the air and swing their hips to the tempo of the music. Once again, Cami and Morgan are dancing rather provocatively and Karsen and Lindsey are following close behind.

  Seeing the girls so carefree makes me smile. I scan the crowd looking to see if I recognize any familiar faces. I’m also making sure there aren’t any creepers looking for an opportunity to get too close to my friends . . . and my girl.

  When the song ends, Maroon 5’s Love Somebody starts up and I know that Cami is going to go nuts. She’s a huge fan of theirs. Camryn dances in the middle of the girls, moving her hands above her head. Her hips sway back and forth with the beat and she sings the words to the song along with Adam. Morgan eggs her on acting like she has a microphone and holds her fist in front of Cami’s mouth as she sings her heart out. These are the moments that I live for. To see the smile that is spread across Cami’s face, and how much fun she is having. I want to make her mine. I want to experience everything with her . . . and not just as a friend. I want to wake up next to her every morning and kiss her goodnight every night before I pull her body close to mine to cuddle before we fall asleep. This is what I have been waiting for. For Cami to be mine.

  When the song finishes, the girls walk over to the side and stand by a high top table. Cami grabs a napkin to wipe her forehead and I see a waitress approach the girls and hand them each a drink. They look shocked since they didn’t order any. Lincoln nudges me and points in the direction of the girls, “Did you have the waitress deliver their drinks?”

  “I didn’t send anything to the girls.” Camryn and the waitress are talking, when the waitress points in the direction of the bar. Camryn looks in the direction where she indicated, and a guy holds up a drink and smiles at her.

  I strain to see who the guy is, to see if I recognize him. He’s standing with a group of guys. None who look familiar. There is a buzzing in my brain and the sharp pain ends in my chest. I’m restless now as an uneasy feeling works its way into the pit of my stomach. I’m overwhelmed with the sudden feeling of jealousy. She’s my girl.

  “Who the fuck is that?”

  “I have no idea, but I’m about to find out in a second.” Lincoln walks away and takes the back stairs leading to the main floor. I watch as Lincoln approaches the girls at the table. Morgan and Lincoln are talking but the other girls are just standing there. Camryn waves the guy over to their table, which immediately pisses me off. The guy leans in and kisses Camryn on the cheek.

  “Dude, do you know him?” Looking over my shoulder, Christian watches the same scene I am.

  “I have no idea who he is. Do you?” As I watch the guy pull Camryn into a hug, my body tenses. Lincoln sticks his hand out and the guy shakes his hand. The guy talks to Lincoln and Morgan, and Camryn points up to the VIP area. The guy waves his friends over, now there are five of them standing there at the table with them. Another guy pulls her in for a hug. He must have said something to her because she leans back to look at him and laughs. Camryn and Morgan begin to walk away, and the rest of the group follows. “What the hell is she doing bringing them all up here? Has she lost her mind?”

  Christian pats me on the shoulder. “Calm down, man. Obviously she knows them. Wait and see what she says.” The words no sooner leave Christian’s mouth, when the door to our private room opens and everyone comes in.

  Lincoln walks over to where we are standing and pulls us aside. “She knows them. She saw them perform last year in California and wrote a piece on them. Believe it or not, she actually sat next to the lead singer and the guitaris
t on the plane yesterday.”

  “I saw the way he watched Camryn down there. That guy was way too into her for my liking.” My jaw clenches, and my eyes narrow toward the guy standing on the other side of the room. The one who seemed to be a little too interested in Camryn.

  Camryn walks over to us and leans into my side. I raise my brow at her.

  “I see that look in your eye. Shall I ask?” She stands on her tiptoes to get closer to my ear. “Are you being protective, or are you jealous?” she asks in a seductive purr.

  I scoff at her accusation. Knowing all the damn while that she hit the nail on the head.

  “Don’t act like this, Jamie. I know them, they’re nice guys.”

  “Nice guys, huh?” Oh shit. She’s right. I’m jealous. I can’t believe I am jealous of some tool I have never met.

  “Stop it. We met last year when I wrote a review about them for my column. I sat next to Chad and Buffer on the plane yesterday. I had no idea they were going to be here tonight. Chad gave me his business card, but I never gave him my number.” That little bit of information makes me smile.

  Nodding my head, but I don’t take my eyes off of the guys. “What’s the name of their band?” Christian walks over to join our conversation, when Cami says their name, Troubled Pasts, Christian’s eyebrows shoot to his hairline.

  “They’re Troubled Pasts?” Christian asks with a look of recognition on his face. I am completely lost on what is going on here. Looking at Christian, “Do you know them?”

  Cami eyes the two of us as if we have three heads. Christian pulls me closer to him by putting his arm around my shoulder, “They, my friend, are our new client. We have a meeting with them at the studio on Tuesday morning at ten o’clock.”

  I turn to face him. “You have got to be shitting me,” I mutter with complete surprise on my face.

  “Nope,” Christian replies with a shit-eating smirk on this face.

  Camryn calls Chad over. With his cocky swagger, he approaches us.