The Disappearing Girl by Heather Topham Wood Read Free Book Online

form a coherent sentence. “You must really want me to sign up for a credit card.”
    Chuckling, Cameron twirled me around to face the rest of the bar. “I think your friend has been trying to get your attention.”
    Danielle was calling out my name and waving her hands frantically. Jessica was slumped against the wall, without any shoes on and sandwiched between Todd and Dan. Groaning, I pushed my way toward the group. Danielle’s expression was apologetic at my approach.
    “I’m sorry to cut out early, but I have to get my sister back home before she passes out in a pile of her own puke in the middle of the bar.”
    “Will she be okay? Maybe we should all head out.” I grimaced when I saw Jessica smile drunkenly at Dan and attempt to kiss him. I was poised to intervene, but I saw him holding her gently away from his lips. The effects of the alcohol were beginning to hit me hard, too, and I wanted to avoid making a fool out of myself in front of Cameron.
    “I’ll take care of Jess, she needs to rehydrate and sleep it off. But you absolutely can’t leave early. It’s your birthday.” Danielle was insistent. Motioning to Brittany, who was dirty dancing with Kurt in the corner of the bar, she added, “Also, Brittany will kill me if you go home with us.”
    “Okay,” I said reluctantly. I was the good girl who took care of everyone. It was strange to hang up my duties for the night.
    “Besides, you’d be out of your mind to leave that delicious man,” she chided. Cameron was standing where I’d left him and had his hands shoved into his jeans pockets. He grinned when he saw me watching him and lifted an eyebrow in my direction. My lips were swollen, and I could still taste his kiss. Danielle was right: I’d be crazy to leave him so soon.
    Danielle was giggling when I faced her again. “Just keep in mind that my room is next to yours and the walls are very thin.”
    I playfully shoved her shoulder. “Call my cell if Jessica needs anything. Do you have cash for a cab?”
    “Yes, and stop worrying. You only turn twenty-one once.” She kissed my cheek and headed toward Jessica.
    I returned to Cameron after I said goodbye to Jessica, Todd, and Dan. With Brittany and I already paired off, the guys no longer saw the point of staying at the bar. They bought me an Irish Car Bomb before they left, which I quickly handed over to Cameron.
    “Please drink this,” I insisted. “I will face plant soon if I don’t stop drinking.”
    “But it’s your twenty-first, it’s like a twisted rite of passage to drink until the point of unconsciousness,” he teased.
    “Why? Is that what your twenty-first birthday was like?”
    “Worse. I woke up with a tattoo.”
    I was pleasantly surprised by the revelation, figuring he was too preppy to have an edgy side. The more I was getting to know him, the more my crush was growing. My damaged psyche questioned why a good-looking, funny, and nice guy like Cameron would be attracted to me. His ex-girlfriend was beautiful; she was most likely a size zero and had a gorgeous face. I was fat and ordinary.
    But I wouldn’t allow myself to succumb to my hang-ups. Even if it was just for one night, I’d have fun and enjoy spending time with Cameron. The chemistry between us could be fleeting, and I didn’t want to waste time thinking up all the reasons he shouldn’t like me.
    “So, are you going to show me the tattoo?”
    He closed the space between us and brushed his cheek against mine. His breath was warm as he whispered into my ear. “That’s my party trick for later.”
     
    The rest of the night felt ethereal. I felt like I was existing on an entirely different plane from everyone else, and the only other person I could see was Cameron. His eyes were captivating, and they held me prisoner for the entire time we stood together, talking. Each time we touched, I melted, dissolving into nothingness and becoming only sensation. Cameron didn’t paw at me; instead, he was