Free The Disappearing Girl by Heather Topham Wood Page B

face. I concealed the redness with the powder from a compact I brought and reapplied my red lipstick. After popping a mint in my mouth, I ventured back into the restaurant.
    “I was starting to worry about you,” Cameron remarked when I returned to the table. Leaving your date for fifteen minutes while you vomited up dinner wasn’t the best way to make a good impression, I thought as he knitted his eyebrows together.
    “Sorry, just freshening my makeup,” I said.
    “I ordered a chocolate cake for us to share.” He motioned to the dessert plate in front of him.
    “No thanks, I’m stuffed from dinner.” I noticed a piece of chocolate on the corner of his lips. Reaching across the table, I used my thumb to brush off the crumb. Before I could pull away, he gripped my wrist softly. His fingers moved in gentle circles around my bare skin.
    “Do you want to hang out after dinner? I could show you my apartment.”
    “Umm …” I trailed off awkwardly. The lust in my belly was screaming out in protest, demanding I go with him to his apartment. My practical side was telling me I wasn’t ready to jump into bed with him. An emotional attachment to him had already started, and sleeping with him would leave me completely undone.
    “No pressure, I only wanted to spend more time with you,” he said.
    “Maybe we could go to my dorm instead?” At least with my roommates there, I’d be assured we wouldn’t get carried away. I wasn’t Brittany; I’d be mortified if my roommates overheard us having sex.
    He agreed and requested the check. Despite my forceful attempts at giving him money, he paid the bill, leaving a generous tip. I wished I could accept his kindness without questioning what his true motives could be.
    My heart was hammering when we arrived back at the dorm and found the floor deserted. I’d forgotten the twins and Brittany were headed to a fraternity party with Kurt and a few of his friends. My voice caught as I unlocked the door to my room and announced, “So, this is my room …”
    As he walked to the center of my room, his presence was overpowering. I did a quick inventory of my surroundings and was relieved I had cleaned up before heading out for the night. Cameron turned toward my desk and began inspecting the photos I had lined up. He held up one of the last family pictures I had that included my dad. We were dressed for my cousin’s wedding and standing in front of the church where the ceremony was held.
    “You and your little sister look so much alike,” he said, casting a glance at me before looking back at the picture. I silently begged for him not to make a comparison of me against my mother, where I would fall irrevocably short.
    “You have the same eyes as your dad. I’ve never seen such a dark shade of brown before—they’re remarkable.” He put the picture back down without another word. I stayed still although I had the strongest urge to kiss him.
    “Do you want to put a movie on?” I asked and turned on the TV.
    After ten minutes of postulating on the merits of the Twilight films, I was able to get him to finally relent. As I switched on the DVD, I said disbelievingly, “I can’t believe you’ve never seen this movie.” Since I only had a single desk chair, I sat on the edge of the bed. I patted the space next to me. Sinking into the mattress, he pressed his back against the wall next to my bed and stretched out his long legs in front of him. He held open his arms and I climbed comfortably into his embrace and sighed contentedly.
    Twenty minutes into the movie, Cameron’s soft snores drew me out of the film. Moving slowly, careful not to wake him, I took my time to study his sleeping form. His hair had become more unruly than usual, with one of the lighter locks falling across his forehead. His eyelashes were dark and thick, set against his perfect complexion. A small amount of stubble had erupted on his chin, and I wanted to feel the roughness of his skin.
    His eyes popped