Landlady: A New Adult Romance (Northbridge Nights Book 1) by Jackie Wang

this beautiful woman.”
    But Cameron's smooth lips tugged into a charming smile. “I'm loving
every second already.”
    I continued, “So where exactly are we staying?”
    “At the Crescent Hill Lodge,” Cameron said. “Don't worry, I
booked you your own room.”
    “Thank you, Cameron. By the way, how much do I owe you for all of
this? I feel terrible—”
    “—Don't worry about it, Sierra. Just have a good time, that's all
I want.”
    “You're too kind, Cam. But really, I'd feel awful if you paid for
everything. How can I thank you at least?”
    “How about a dinner date with me tonight?”
    I bit my lower lip. “A...date?” When Cameron first asked me to
this beer fest, he’d wanted to bring me as a friend. But somehow,
after seeing Asher, Cameron seemed to change his attitude. As if he
wanted me all to himself. Was this some sort of territorial, guy
thing? “We tried the whole dating thing a few months ago,” I
pointed out. “It didn't go so well. Remember?”
    Cameron shot me his sexiest smile. Pearly whites shining and
everything. “Love, I made a mistake then. I won't this time. Don't
make a man beg, Sierra.”
    God the timbre of his Irish accent drove me just about wild. I loved
men with accents: they were my weakness. In fact, his voice was what
had drawn me in the first time around. He'd asked me out with that
sultry tone, and I'd melted like butter. And that stubble actually
made me want to have beard burn.
    “Okay,” I finally agreed. “It's the least I can do.” It was
just a dinner date, nothing more, I told myself.
    After the twenty-minute ferry ride, we popped back into Cameron's BMW
and pulled up next to Cam's friend Mike's Toyota Highlander.
    Cam lowered his window and said, “Follow my lead to the hotel. Then
we can make our way to the festival.”
    Mike nodded.
    Cameron seemed to know the way to the hotel like the back of his
hand.
    “Do you go to this festival every year?” I asked.
    Cameron nodded. “It's great fun and I usually recognize a lot of
people there, both attendees and local brewers.”
    “I'm actually not a huge fan of beer,” I admitted, “but I'm
intrigued. Do they have competitions and stuff?”
    “Aye. There's usually around 1000 different brews to sample, and
the judges pick first, second, and third prizes by the end of the
weekend. It's a pretty big deal. And don't worry about it, there're
other alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages too. And great food. The
mini donuts are mighty tasty.”
    I giggled at the thought of a burly man like Cam feasting on
sugar-crusted mini donuts.
    We talked about the festival for the rest of the drive. He raved
about drinks I'd never even heard of, and I just nodded along,
completely clueless. I knew Cameron was knowledgeable about alcohol,
but our conversation quickly revealed how well-versed he was compared
to me. Then again, the man did own a bar.
    The Crescent Hill Lodge was a quaint and rustic building located at
the top of a steep hill. Built in 1922, it'd been owned by the
Summers family for generations, Cameron told me. Practically a
historic monument. The owners were actually his distant cousins. The
Great Northbridge Beer Fest, Cameron explained, would be held at the
bottom of the hill. I could already see colorful tents being set up
in the distance and people lugging heavy kegs around. The festival
wasn't open until 5p.m., another six hours away.
    Cameron and I rejoined Mike, Jeremy, Asher, Terri, and Rose at the
hotel reception desk. They were collecting their room key cards and
chatting animatedly.
    When it came to our turn, Cameron checked in and handed me my own
keycard. As promised, he'd booked me the room right next to his. He
was a complete gentleman, and I was thankful for that.
    Mike and Terri turned to us. “We're going for a swim after lunch,
wanna join?” Mike asked.
    Cameron looked at me, as if for permission.
    “Oh, sorry, I didn't bring a swimsuit. I didn't know there was a
pool here. But you guys