Free Dare (The Dare Trilogy) by Sara Frost Page B

had been before.
    “I didn’t think they had no-star hotels, even in France,” Tony said.
    “I’m sorry about this,” Cam said to Dianne very quietly. “ This wasn’t what was agreed on at all.”
    Dianne’s smile was fixed to her face. “Oh, I don’t know. Very Sid and Nancy,” she tried to sound more cheerful than she really felt.
    Overhearing her, James mistook the meaning of her words. “Yeah,” he said. “Come on, guys, this is rock and roll.”
    “Oh, really.” Dan was utterly sarcastic. “And do you think Mister rock-and-roll Darius Optimus will be staying here tonight?”
    “This isn’t good enough,” Cam said, his face looking as though it would explode at any moment. “Come on. There’s a better place down the road. I’ll stick it on plastic and we’ll sort it out with Darius later on.”
    “Are you sure that’s wise?” Tony asked, a look of concern on his face.
    Cam didn’t look at him but, with a twist of his mouth, pulled his wallet from his pocket. “Sure,” he said. “I’ll clear it with Johnny. He wouldn’t want us staying in a dump like this.”
    “Okay,” said Tony, still clearly unconvinced. “You’re the boss.” To no-one in particular he added: “I just hope you’re right.”

 
Chapter Seven
     
    “This is okay, isn’t it?” Cam looked around the room slightly apprehensively.
    “It’s fine—really, it’s fine.” Dianne placed one hand on his chest affectionately, indicating that he should relax.
    “Better than the last place, anyway,” he said grimly.
    She paused before replying. “Yeah—yes it is. I must be honest, I was wondering for a few minutes if I’d made the right choice coming along for the ride, even if I am being a freeloader at the moment.”
    “Don’t say that!” Cam placed both his arms around her, drawing her close to his body so that she felt both small and very protected at the same time. “To be honest, if I think Dan had continued driving we wouldn’t have made it in one piece.”
    She kissed him. “Thank you,” she replied. “Is he always like that?”
    “Dan? A royal pain in the ass? No. Usually he’s much worse.”
    She laughed at this and, giving him another peck on the cheek, she let him hold her for a second. “That was really sweet what you did.”
    “What?”
    “Booking this place, for the guys. I mean, there obviously had been some kind of screw up, and it was great the way you stepped in.”
    Cam grimaced at this. “Well, let’s hope it doesn’t happen too often.”
    “What do you mean?”
    He sighed and released her from his grip. “I don’t really want the other guys to know —hell, I shouldn’t be telling you either, but it’s starting to eat me up a little.” He went and sat down on the bed.
    “What is it?” Dianne asked, coming and sitting beside him on the mattress, her face showing concern.
    “It’s probably nothing, but... well, I know from Johnny that Optima’s not doing quite as well as they could. The last album... downloads were so-so. Darius is keen to start another US tour, but the record label’s unwilling to back him until they see how things pan out in Europe first. I’m just hoping that today is a genuine oversight and not a trend. Ah, shit, I’m sorry. I should have told you all this before asking you to come along.”
    Dianne raised a finger to his lips. “Look,” she said. “It’s not the end of the world. Just relax and let’s see what happens.” Bringing her face to his, she began to kiss him again, this time sliding her tongue into the warmth of his mouth as her hand snaked along his chest, feeling his muscles beneath his shirt.
    They rolled backwards on the bed, she half on top of him as her face dipped towards his again and again, biting his lip gently and teasing him as she felt her breast squashed against him, one hand pressed against the massive lump in his jeans. Then, glancing up at the clock, she let out a sigh.
    “Come on,” she said. “You better get